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The Death of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) : Shaykh Safi ur-Rahmaan Mubarakfoori

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014March 10, 2015

From Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtoom

The Start of the Disease

On Monday the twenty-ninth of Safar in the eleventh year of al-Hijra, he participated in funeral rites in al-Baqee’. On the way back he had a headache, his temperature rose so high that the heat effect could be felt over his headband. He led the Muslims in prayer for eleven days though he was sick. The total number of his sick days were either thirteen of fourteen.

The Last Week

When his sickness grew severe he asked his wives: “Where shall I stay tomorrow?” “Where shall I stay?” They understood what he wanted. So they allowed him to stay wherever he wished. He moved to ‘Aishah’s room leaning – while he was walking – on al-Fadl bin al-‘Abbas and ‘Alî bin Abî Tâlib. Head banded as he was, he dragged his feet till he came into her abode. It was there that he spent the last week of his life.

During that period, ‘Aishah used to recite al-Mu’awwidhat (Chapters 113 and 114 of the Qur’ân) and other supplications which he has already taught her.

Five days before death

On Wednesday, five days before he died the Prophet’s temperature rose so high signalling the severness of his disease. He fainted and suffered from pain. “Pour out on me seven Qirab (water skin pots) of various water wells so that I may go out to meet people and talk to them.” So they seated him in a container (usually used for washing) and poured out water on him till he said: “That is enough. That is enough.”

Then he felt well enough to enter the Mosque. He entered it band-headed, sat on the pulpit and made a speech to the people who were gathering together around him. He said: “The curse of Allâh falls upon the Jews and Christians for they have made their Prophets’ tombs places of worship.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî, 1/62; Muatta’ Imâm Malik, p.360] Then he said: “Do not make my tomb a worshipped idol.” [Muatta’ Imâm Malik, p.65]

Then he offered himself and invited the people to repay any injuries he might have inflicted on them, saying:

“He whom I have ever lashed his back, I offer him my back so that he may avenge himself on me. He whom I have ever blasphemed his honour, here I am offering my honour so that he may avenge himself.”

Then he descended, and performed the noon prayer. Again he returned to the pulpit and sat on it. He resumed his first speech about enmity and some other things. A man then said: “You owe me three Dirhams.” The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “Fadl, pay him the money.” He went on saying:

“I admonish you to be good to Al-Ansar (the Helpers). They are my family and with them I found shelter. They have acquitted themselves credibly of the responsibility that fell upon them and now there remains what you have to do. You should fully acknowledge and appreciate the favour that they have shown, and should overlook their faults.”

In another version: “The number of believers would increase, but the number of Helpers would decrease to the extent that they would be among men as salt in the food. So he who from among you occupies a position of responsibility and is powerful enough to do harm or good to the people, he should frilly acknowledge and appreciate the favour that these benefactors have shown and overlook their faults.”

And said: “Allâh, the Great, has given a slave of His the opportunity to make a choice between whatever he desires of Allâh’s provisions in this world, and what He keeps for him in the world, but he has opted for the latter.”

Abû Sa’id Al-Khudri said: “Upon hearing that, Abû Bakr cried and said: ‘We sacrifice our fathers and mothers for your sake.’ We wondered why Abû Bakr said such a thing. People said: ‘Look at that old man! The Messenger of Allâh says about a slave of Allâh who was granted the right between the best fortunes of this world and the bounty of Allâh in the Hereafter, but he says: We sacrifice our fathers and mothers for your sake!’ It was later on that we realized what he had aimed at. The Messenger of Allâh was the slave informed to choose. We also acknowledged that Abû Bakr was the most learned among us.” [Mishkat Al-Masabih, 2/546]

Then the Messenger of Allâh said:

“The fellow I feel most secure in his company is Abû Bakr. If I were to make friendship with any other one than Allah, I would have Abû Bakr a bosom friend of mine. For him I feel affection and brotherhood of Islam. No gate shall be kept open in the Mosque except that of Abû Bakr’s.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî, 1/22,429,449, 2/638; Misbkat Al-Masabih, 2/548]

Four days before his death

On Thursday, four days before the death of the Messenger of Allâh he said to people — though he was suffering from a severe pain:

“Come here. I will cause you to write something so that you will never fall into error.” Upon this ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab said: “The Prophet of Allâh is suffering from acute pain and you have the Qur’an with you; the Book of Allâh is sufficient unto you.” Others however wanted the writing to be made. When Muhammad heard them debating over it, he ordered them to go away and leave him alone. [Sahîh al-Bukhârî, 2/637]

That day he recommended three things:

1. Jews, Christians and polytheists should be expelled out of Arabia .
2. He recommended that delegations should be honoured and entertained, in a way similar to the one he used to do.
3. As for the third — the narrator said that he had forgotten it. It could have been adherence to the Holy Book and the Sunnah. It was likely to be the accomplishment and the mobilization of Osamah’s army, or it could have been performance of prayers and being attentive to slaves.

In spite of the strain of disease and suffering from pain, the Prophet used to lead all the prayers till that Thursday — four days before he died. On that day he led the sunset prayer and recited:

“By the winds (or angels or the Messengers of Allah) sent forth one after another.” [77:1] [Misbkat Al-Masabih, 1/102]

In the evening he grew so sick that he could not overcome the strain of disease or go out to enter the Mosque. ‘Aishah said: The Prophet asked: “Have the people performed the prayer?” “No. They haven’t. They are waiting for you.” “Put some water in the washing pot.” Said he. We did what he ordered. So he washed and wanted to stand up, but he fainted. When he came round he asked again “Have the people prayed?” Then the sequence of events took place again and again for the second and the third times from the time he washed to the time he fainted after his attempts to stand up. Therefore he sent to Abû Bakr to lead the prayer himself. Abû Bakr then led the prayer during those days [Sahîh al-Bukhârî, 1/99]. They were seventeen prayers in the lifetime of Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Three or four times ‘Aishah talked to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to exempt Abû Bakr from leadership in prayer lest people should despair of him, but he refused and said: “You (women) are like the women who tried to entice Joseph (Yusuf) into immorality. Convey my request to Abû Bakr to lead the prayer.”

A Day or Two prior to Death

On Saturday or on Sunday, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam felt that he was well enough to perform the prayer; so he went out leaning on two men in order to perform the noon prayer. Abû Bakr, who was then about to lead the prayer withdrew when he saw him coming; but the Prophet made him a gesture to stay where he was and said: “Seat me next to him.” They seated him on the left hand side of Abû Bakr. The Prophet led the prayer, and Abû Bakr followed him and raised his voice at every ‘Allâhu Akbar’ (i.e. Allâh is the Greatest) the Prophet said, so that the people may hear clearly. [Sahîh al-Bukhârî 1/98,99]

A Day before his Death

On Sunday, a day before he died, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam set his slaves free, paid as a charity the seven Dinars he owned and gave his weapons as a present to the Muslims. So when night fell ‘Aishah had to borrow some oil from her neighbour to light her oil-lantern. Even his armour was mortgaged as a security with a Jew for thirty Sa’ (a cubic measure) of barley.

The Last Day Alive

In a narration by Anas bin Malik, he said: “While the Muslims were performing the dawn prayer on Monday — led by Abû Bakr, they were surprised to see the Messenger of Allâh raising the curtain of ‘Aishah’s room. He looked at them while they were praying aligned properly and smiled cheerfully. Seeing him, Abû Bakr withdrew to join the lines and give way to him to lead the prayer. For he thought that the Prophet wanted to go out and pray.” Anas said: “The Muslims, who were praying, were so delighted that they were almost too enraptured at their prayers. The Messenger of Allâh made them a gesture to continue their prayer, went into the room and drew down the curtain.” [ibid. 21640]

The Messenger of Allâh sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not live for the next prayer time.

When it was daytime, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam called Fatimah and told her something in a secret voice that made her cry. Then he whispered to her something else which made her laugh. ‘Aishah enquired from her after the Prophet’s death, as to this weeping and laughing to which Fatimah replied:

“The first time he disclosed to me that he would not recover from his illness and I wept. Then he told me that I would be the first of his family to join him, so I laughed.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî, 2/638]

He gave Fatimah glad tidings that she would become the lady of all women of the world [Rahmat-ul-lil’alameen, 1/282]. Fatimah witnessed the great pain that afflicted her father. So she said: “What great pain my father is in!”. To these words, the Prophet remarked:

“He will not suffer any more when today is over.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî, 2/641]

He asked that Al-Hasan and Al-Husain be brought to him. He kissed them and recommended that they be looked after. He asked to see his wives. They were brought to him. He preached them and told them to remember Allah. Pain grew so much severe that the trace of poison he had at Khaibar came to light. It was so sore that he said to ‘Aishah: “I still feel the painful effect of that food I tasted at Khaibar. I feel as if death is approaching.” [ibid, 2/637] He ordered the people to perform the prayers and be attentive to slaves. He repeated it several times. [ibid. 2/637]

The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam breathes his last

When the pangs of death started, ‘Aishah leant him against her. She used to say: One of Allah’s bounties upon me is that the Messenger of Allâh died in my house, while I am still alive. He died between my chest and neck while he was leaning against me. Allâh has mixed his saliva with mine at his death. For ‘Abdur Rahman – the son of Abû Bakr – came in with a Siwak (i.e. the root of a desert plant used for brushing teeth) in his hand, while I was leaning the Messenger of Allâh against me. I noticed that he was looking at the Siwak, so I asked him – for I knew that he wanted it — “Would you like me to take it for you?” He nodded in agreement. I took it and gave it to him. As it was too hard for him, I asked him “Shall I soften it for you?” He nodded in agreement. So I softened it with my saliva and he passed it (on his teeth).

In another version it is said: “So he brushed (Istanna) his teeth as nice as he could.” There was a water container (Rakwa) available at his hand with some water in. He put his hand in it and wiped his face with it and said:

“There is no god but Allah. Death is full of agonies.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî, 2/640]

As soon as he had finished his Siwak, brushing, he raised his hand or finger up, looked upwards to the ceiling and moved his lips. So ‘Aishah listened to him. She heard him say: “With those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace with the Prophets and the Truthful ones (As-Siddeeqeen), the martyrs and the good doers. O Allâh, forgive me and have mercy upon me and join me to the Companionship on high.” [ibid, 2/638-641] Then at intervals he uttered these words: “The most exalted Companionship on high. To Allâh we turn and to Him we turn back for help and last abode.” This event took place at high morning time on Monday, the twelfth of Rabi’ al-Awwal, in the eleventh year of Al-Hijrah. He was sixty-three years and four days old when he died.

The Companions’ concern over the Prophet’s Death

The great (loss) news was soon known by everybody in Madinah. Dark grief spread on all areas and hoirizons of Madinah. Anas said: “I have never witnessed a day better or brighter than that day on which the Messenger of Allâh sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam came to us; and I have never witnessed a more awful or darker day than that one on which the Messenger of Allâh died on.” [Mishkat-ul-Masabih, 2/547]

When he died, Fatimah said: “O Father, whom his Lord responded to his supplication! O Father, whose abode is Paradise . O Father, whom I announce his death to Gabriel.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî, 2/641]

‘Umar’s Attitude

‘Umar, who was so stunned that he almost lost consciousness and stood before people addressing them: “Some of the hypocrites claim that the Messenger of Allâh sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam died. The Messenger of Allâh did not die, but went to his Lord in the same way as Moses bin ‘Imran did. He stayed away for forty nights, but finally came back though they said he had been dead. By Allah, the Messenger of Allâh will come back and he will cut of the hands and legs of those who claim his death.” [Ibn Hisham, 2/655]

Abû Bakr’s Attitude

Abû Bakr left his house at As-Sunh and came forth to the Mosque on a mare-back. At the Mosque, he dismounted and entered. He talked to nobody but went on till he entered ‘Aishah’s abode, and went directly to where the Messenger of Allâh sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was. The Prophet was covered with a Yemeni mantle. He uncovered his face and tended down, kissed him and cried. Then he said: “I sacrifice my father and mother for your sake. Allah, verily, will not cause you to die twice. You have just experienced the death that Allâh had ordained.”

Then he went out and found ‘Umar talking to people. He said: “‘Umar, be seated.” ‘Umar refused to do so. People parted ‘Umar and came towards Abû Bakr, who started a speech saying:

“And now, he who worships Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, Muhammad is dead now. But he who worships Allah, He is Ever Living and He never dies. Allâh says: ‘Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is no more than a Messenger, and indeed (many) Messengers have passed away before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels (as disbelievers)? And he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allâh, and Allâh will give reward to those who are grateful.’ ” [3:144]

Ibn ‘Abbas said: “By Allâh it sounded as if people had never heard such a Qur’aanic verse till Abû Bakr recited it as a reminder. So people started reciting it till there was no man who did not recite it.”

Ibn Al-Musaiyab said that ‘Umar had said: “By Allâh as soon as I heard Abû Bakr say it, I fell down to the ground. I felt as if my legs had been unable to carry me so I collapsed when I heard him say it. Only then did I realize that Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had really died.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî, 2/640,641]

Burial and Farewell Preparations to his Honourable Body

Dispute about who would succeed him broke out even before having the Messenger of Allah’s body prepared for burial. Lots of arguments, discussions, dialogues took place between the Helpers and Emigrants in the roofed passage (portico) of Barn Sa’ida. Finally they acknowledged Abû Bakr (RA) as a caliph. They spent the whole Monday there till it was night. People were so busy with their arguments that it was late night — just about dawn of Tuesday — yet his blessed body was still lying on his bed covered with an inked-garment. He was locked in the room.

On Tuesday, his body was washed with his clothes on. He was washed by Al-’Abbas, ‘Alî, Al-Fadl and Qathm — the two sons of Al-’Abbas, as well as Shaqran — the Messenger’s freed slave, Osamah bin Zaid and Aws bin Khauli. Al-’Abbas, Al-Fadi and Qathm turned his body round, whereas Osamah and Shaqran poured out water. ‘Alî washed him and Aws leant him against his chest.

They shrouded him in three white Sahooli cotton cloth which had neither a headcloth [Sahîh al-Bukhârî, 1/169, Sahîh Muslim, 1/306] nor a casing and inserted him in.

A sort of disagreement arose with regard to a burial place. Abû Bakr said: “I heard the Messenger of Allâh say: ‘A dead Prophet is buried where he dies.’” So Abû Talhah lifted the bed on which he died, dug underneath and cut the ground to make the tomb.

People entered the room ten by ten. They prayed for the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. The first to pray for him were people of his clan. Then the Emigrants, then the Helpers. Women prayed for him after men. The young were the last to pray.

This process took Tuesday long and Wednesday night (i.e. the night which precedes Wednesday morning). ‘Aishah said: “We did not know that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was being buried till we heard the sound of tools digging the ground at the depth of Wednesday night.” [Mukhtasar Seerat Ar-Rasool, p.471; Ibn Hisham, 2/649-665; Talqeeh Fuhoom Ahl M-Athar, p. 38, 39; Rahmat-ul-lil’alameen 1/277-286]

The Story of the Prisoners of the Battle of Badr : Shaykh Safi ur-Rahmaan Mubarakfoori

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014March 17, 2015

From Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtoom

On their way back to Madinah, at a large sand hill, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam divided the spoils equally among the fighters after he had taken Al-Khums (one-fifth). When they reached As-Safra’, he ordered that two of the prisoners should be killed. They were An-Nadr bin Al-Harith and ‘Uqbah bin Abi Muait, because they had persecuted the Muslims in Makkah, and harboured deep hatred towards Allaah and His Messenger sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam . In a nutshell, they were criminals of war in modern terminology, and their execution was an awesome lesson to oppressors. ‘Uqbah forgot his pride and cried out, “Who will look after my children O Messenger of Allaah?” The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam answered, “The Fire (of Hell).” Did ‘Uqbah not remember the day when he had thrown the entrails of a sheep onto the head of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam while he was prostrating himself in prayer, and Fatimah had come and washed it off him? He had also strangled the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam with his cloak if it had not been for Abu Bakr to intervene and release the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam . The heads of both criminals were struck off by Alee bin Abi TAleeb.

The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam exhorted the Muslims to treat the prisoners so well to such an extent that the captors used to give the captives their bread (the more valued part of the meal) and keep the dates for themselves.

Prisoners of war constituted a problem awaiting resolution because it was a new phenomenon in the history of Islaam. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam consulted Abu Bakr and Umar bin Al-Khattab as to what he should do with the prisoners. Abu Bakr suggested that he should ransom them, explaining this by saying: “They are after all our relatives, and this money would give us strength against the disbelievers, moreover, Allaah could guide them to Islaam.” Umar advised killing them, saying, “They are the leaders of Kufr (disbelief).” The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam preferred Abu Bakr’s suggestion to that of Umar’s. The following day, Umar called on the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and Abu Bakr to see them weeping. He showed extreme astonishment and inquired about the situation so that he might weep if it was worth weeping for, or else he would feign weeping.

“It is not for a Prophet that he should have prisoners of war (and free them with ransom) until he had made a great slaughter (among his enemies) in the land. You desire the good of this world (i.e. the money of ransom for freeing the captives), but Allaah desires (for you) the Hereafter. And Allaah is All-Mighty, All-Wise. Were it not a previous ordainment from Allaah, a severe torment would have touched you for what you took.” [Qur’aan 8:67-68]

The previous Divine ordainment went as follows,

“Thereafter (is the time) either for generosity (i.e. free them without ransom) or ransom.” [Qur’aan 47:4]

Which included an area providing permission to take ransom, that is why no penalty was imposed. They were rebuked only for taking prisoners before subduing all the land of disbelief. Apart from this, the polytheists taken to Madinah were not only prisoners of war but rather archcriminals of war whom modern war penal law brings to justice to receive their due sentence of death or prison for life.

The ransom for the prisoners ranged between 4000 and 1000 Dirhams in accordance with the captive’s financial situation. Another form of ransom assumed an educational dimension; most of the Makkans, unlike the Madinese, were literate and so each prisoner who could not afford the ransom was entrusted with ten children to teach them the art of writing and reading. Once the child had been proficient enough, the instructor would be set free. Another clan of prisoners were released unransomed on grounds of being hard up. Zainab, the daughter of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam , paid the ransom of her husband Abul-‘As with a necklace. The Muslims released her prisoner and returned the necklace in deference to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam but on condition that Abul-‘As allow Zainab to migrate to Madinah, which he actually did.

In captivity, there was also an eloquent orator called Suhail bin ‘Amr. Umar suggested that they pull out his front teeth to disable him from speaking, but the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam turned down his suggestion for fear Quraish should retAleeate in the same manner on one hand, and on the other for fear of Allaah’s wrath on the Day of Resurrection.

Sa’d bin An-Nu’man, a lesser pilgrim detained in Makkah, was released in return for setting Abu Sufyan’s son, a captive, free.

The Story of the 600-700 Jews Beheaded by the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam at Bani Quraiza in 5 AH

The Bani Quraiza was a tribe of Jews in a district of Madinah that betrayed the Muslims and sided with the enemy during the Battle of Ahzaab (also known as the Battle of the Confederates and the Battle of the Trench). The Sealed Nectar describes what happened to them immediately after the Battle of Ahzaab:

Archangel Gabriel, on the very day the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam came back to Madinah after the previous battle, and while he was washing in Umm Salama’s house, visited him asking that he should unsheathe his sword and head for the habitation of the seditious Banu Quraiza and fight them. Gabriel noted that he with a procession of angels would go ahead to shake their forts and cast fear in their hearts.

The Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam , immediately summoned the prayer caller and ordered him to announce fresh hostilities against Banu Quraiza, institued Ibn Umm Maktum as a ruler of Madinah, and entrusted the banner of war to Alee bin Abi TAleeb who marched towards the appointed target and came close enough to hear the Jews abusing the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam , who on his part set out at the head of three thousand infantry men and thirty horsemen of Ansar (Helpers) and Muhajireen (Emigrants). On their way to encounter the enemy, the afternoon prayer was due. Some Muslims refused to observe it until they had defeated the enemy, while others offered it in its proper time, as usual. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam objected to neither. When they reached the habitations of Banu Quraiza, they laid tight siege to their forts. Seeing this terrible situation they were in, the chief of the Jews Ka’b bin Asad offered them three alternatives: to embrace Islaam, and consequently their life, wealth, women and children would be in full security, and reminded them that such behaviour would not be incongruous with what they had read in their books about the veracity of Muhammad’s Prophethood; to kill their children and women and then challenge the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and his followers to the sword to either exterminate the Muslims or be exterminated, or as a third possibility to take Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and his people by surprise on Saturday – a day mutually understood to witness no fighting.

None of those alternatives appealed them, so their chief, angrily and indignantly, turned to them saying: “You have never been decisive in decision-making since you were born.” The gloomy future already visible, they made contacts with some Muslims, who had maintained good relation with them, in order to learn about their fate in the light of the current circumstances. They requested that Abu Lubaba be despatched to them for advice. On his arrival, the men began to implore, women and children to cry desperately. In answer to their demand for advice he pointed to his throat saying it was homicide awaiting them. He then immediately reAleezed that he had betrayed the Prophet’s trust, so he headed directly for the mosque in Madinah and tied himself to a wooden tall pole swearing that no one would untie him save the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam , and added that he would never enter the habitation of Banu Quraiza in recompense for the deadly mistake he made. When the Messenger sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was informed of this incident, he said, ” I would have begged Allaah to forgive him if he had asked me, but since he had tied himself out of his own free will, then it was Allaah Who would turn to him in forgiveness.”

The Jews of Banu Quraiza could have endured the siege much longer because food and water were plentifully available and their strongholds were greatly fortified, whereas the Muslims were in the wild bare land suffering a lot from cold and hunger, let alone too much fatigue consequent on endless warfare operations that had started even before the battle of Confederates. Nevertheless, this was a battle of nerves, for Allaah had cast fear in the the Jews’ hearts, and their morale had almost collapsed especially when two Muslim heroes, Alee bin Abi TAleeb and Az-Zubair bin ‘Awwam proceeded with Alee swearing that he would never stop until he had either stormed their garrisons or been martyred like Hamza (a former Muslim martyr).

In the light of this reluctance, they had nothing except to comply with the Messenger’s judgement. The Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ordered that the men should be handcuffed, and this was done under the supervision of Muhammad bin Salamah Al-Ansari while the women and children were isolated in confinement. Thereupon Al-Aws tribe interceded begging the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to be lenient toward them. He suggested that Sa’d bin Mu’adh, a former ally, be deputed to give verdict about them, and they agreed.

Sa’d meanwhile stayed behind in Madinah due to a serious wound he sustained in the Confederates Battle. He was summoned and brought on a donkey. On his way to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam , the Jews used to exhort him to be lenient in his judgement on account of former friendship. Sa’d remained silent but when they persisted he uttered: “It is time for Sa’d not to be afraid of the blame of the blamers.” On hearing this decisive attitude, some of them returned to Madinah waiting for a desperate doom.

On arrival, he Aleeghted with the help of some men. He was informed that the Jews had agreed to accept his verdict about them. He immediately wondered if his judgement would pass on all the people present, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam included, turning his face away in honour of him. The reply was positive.

He decided that all the able-bodied male persons belonging to the tribe should be killed, women and children taken prisoners and their wealth divided among the Muslim fighters. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam accepted his judgement saying that Sa’d had adjudged by the Command of Allaah. In fact, the Jews deserved that severe punitive action for the ugly treachery they had harboured against Islaam, and the large arsenal they have amassed and which consisted of one thousand and five hundred swords, two thousand spears, three hundred armours and five hundred shields, all of which went into the hands of the Muslims. Trenches were dug in the bazaar of Madinah and a number of Jews between six and seven hundred were beheaded therein. Hot beds of intrigue and treachery were thus exterminated once and for all.

Huyai, a chief criminal of war, a devil of Bani Nadir and Safiyah’s father, had joined the ranks of Banu Quraiza when Quraish and Ghatfan defected, was admitted into the audience of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam with his hands tied to his neck with a rope. In audacious defiance, he declared obstinate enmity to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam but admitted that Allaah’s Will was to be fulfilled and added that he was resigned to his fate. He was ordered to sit down, and was beheaded on the spot.

Only one woman of the Jews was killed because she had killed a Muslim warrior by flinging a grinding stone upon him. A few elements of the enemy embraced Islaam and their lives, wealth and children were spared. As for the spoils of the war, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam divided them, after putting a fifth aside, in accordance with Allaah’s injunctions. Three shares went to the horseman and one to the infantry fighter. Women captives were sent to Najd to be bartered with horses and weaponry.

After the war with Banu Quraiza had been settled and they had been defeated, Sa’d bin Mu’adh’s wish was gratified and he gave his last breath. In response to his supplication ‘Aishah narrated, Sa’d’s wounds began to bleed from the front part of his neck while he was in his tent which the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had pitched for him in the mosque so that he would be in close proximity in order to inquire about and watch his well-being closely. The people were not scared except when the blood flowed towards them, and in the Mosque along with Sa’d’s tent, there was the tent of Banu Ghifar. They said: O people of the tent, what is it that is coming to us from you? Lo! it was Sa’d’s wound that was bleeding and he died thereon.

Jabir narrated that the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had said: “The Throne of the Compassionate shook for the death of Sa’d bin Mu’adh.” When his bier was carried, At-Tirmidhi said: The hypocrites alleged it was too light. The Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam retorted: “The angels are carrying him.”

In the process of the sieze laid to Banu Quraiza, one man of the Muslims, Khallad bin Suwaid was killed when a women of the Jews dropped the grinding stone on him, and another, Abu Sinan bin Mihsan, the brother of ‘Ukasha, died.

Abu Lubaba stayed tied for six nights. His wife used to untie him at prayer times and then he tied himself again to the pole. One early morning, Allaah the All-Forgiving revealed a verse to the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to the effect that Allaah had turned to Abu Lubaba with forgiveness. The Muslims rushed to release him but he insisted that the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam himself do it. And this was done shortly before the morning prayer.

This Military Expedition took place in the month of Dhul Qa’dah in the year five Hijri (5AH), and the siege of Banu Quraiza’s forts lasted for 25 days. The Chapter of Confederates (Qur’aan, Surah 33)was revealed containing Allaah’s Words concerning the basic issues relating to the believers and hypocrites during the battle of the Confederates, and the consequences of the treachery and breaching of covenants by the Jews.

The Explanation of the Meanings of the Names of the Prophet – Ibn al-Qayyim

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014March 10, 2015

The Explanation of the Meanings of the Names of the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) – Taken from ‘Zaad al-Ma`aad’ (1/88-97) of ibn al-Qayyim, rahimahullaah

Bismillaahir-Rahmaanir-Raheem

Know that the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) has been called by many names and titles in the Qur`aan and Sunnah, each one of them describing a special quality of this exalted personality. And in understanding them and reflecting upon them, we can, by the permission of Allaah, increase in our love and following of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam). This discussion is taken from ‘Zaad al-Ma`aad’ (1/88-97) of ibn al-Qayyim, rahimahullaah, summarised.

The names of the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) are of two types:

Those names that are specific to him and none of the Messengers before him had these names, like Muhammad, Ahmad, al-Aaqib, al-Haashir, al-Muqaffee, Nabi al-Malhama.
Those names and qualities that are not specific to him, and were shared by the Messengers before him, but are found in him in the most complete and perfect forms. Like: Messenger of Allaah, His Prophet, His Servant, Prophet of Mercy etc.

What follows is an explanation of some of them.

Muhammad: is a passive participle, whosoever is praised, possessing many praiseworthy qualities then he is muhammad. And Muhammad (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) is praised more than any other person, and this is why – and Allaah knows best – he was called by this name in the Torah, due to the many praiseworthy qualities which he, his religion, and his nation possess such that even Moses wished that he would be from them.

Ahmad: Derived, as is Muhammad, from the noun hamd (praise). A group of scholars said that it is a passive participle, meaning: his praising of Allaah is more than any other person’s praise of him, and therefore he is the most deserving of being praised and the first. So in meaning Ahmad is similar to Muhammad except that the distinction is that he is Muhammad due to his possessing many praiseworthy qualities, and he is Ahmad due to his being praised in a more excellent way than the praise of any other. And this is the most complete meaning of this word, and the most extensive in commending him (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam).

Also these two names stem from his character, and the praiseworthy qualities specific to him, and it is because of these that he is called Muhammad (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) and Ahmad. And he is the one who is praised by the People of the Heaven, the People of the earth, the People of the world and the People of the Hereafter.

Al-Mutawakkil: (The One who puts his trust in Allaah). In the Saheeh of Bukhaaree from the hadeeth of Abdullaah bin Umru who said, “I read the description of the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) in the Torah: Muhammad is Messenger of Allaah, My servant and Messenger, I have called him al-Mutawakkil. He is neither rude nor harsh and he does not shout in the markets, and he does not return an evil for an evil, rather he overlooks and forgives. And I will not make him to die until I make firm the nation through him, causing them to say: there is none worthy of worship except Allaah.” {1}

He (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) is the most deserving of this name, because the trust he put in Allaah to establish the religion was a trust unequalled by any other.

Al-Maahee: (the destroyer/effacer). This has been explained in the hadeeth of Jubair bin Mut`am: “al-Maahee: the one through whom Allaah destroys and effaces unbelief.” {2}

Disbelief was not destroyed and removed by any single person as completely as was done by the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam). For indeed he was sent, and all of the inhabitants of the earth were in disbelief, except for some remnants of the People of the Book. Consisting of the worshippers of idols, the Jews who had the Anger of Allaah on them, the Christians who had been misguided, the atheist Saabi`een, the worshippers of the stars and the fire, and the philosophers who did not acknowledge the laws of the Prophets. And Allaah effaced them all through His Messenger until He established His religion and made it supreme over all others, and made it spread to the extent that the night and day spreads, and made his call as the rays of the sun in the various lands.

Al-Haashir: (the Gatherer). He is the one who gathered and united the people at his feet, and therefore it was as if he had been sent for this purpose.

Al-Aaqib: (The Last). He is the one who came at the end of the line of Prophets, and there is no prophet after him.

Al-Muqaffee: (). He is the one who was sent with the characteristics of the Messengers that had preceded him, and was their seal.

Nabi at-Tawba: (the Prophet of Repentance). It was by him that Allaah opened the door of repentance for the inhabitants of the earth [by them accepting his message], and Allaah forgave them with a forgiveness that was not given to the people before him. {3}

And the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) was the one who sought forgiveness from Allaah the most, to the extent that he would say, “My Lord forgive me and turn toward me, You are The Oft-Forgiving, The Oft-Returning” {4}, 100 times in a single sitting. And he used to say, “O people repent to Allaah, your Lord, for indeed I repent to Allaah 100 times in a day”. {5}

And likewise the repentance of his (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) nation is more complete than the repentance of all the other nations, the most quickest in being answered, and the easiest to be obtained. For the repentance of the previous nations was of the most difficult matters, to the extent that the repentance for the worshippers of the cow amongst the People of Israa`eel was to kill those worshippers. {6} But as for this nation, then from the Kindness of Allaah to it is that he has made repentance dependant upon sorrow and abstaining (from the sin in question).

Nabi al-Malhama: (The Prophet of Slaughter). He was the one who was sent with Jihaad to the enemies of Allaah, and no prophet before him did Jihaad to the extent that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) and his nation fought Jihaad. And the like of the large wars that took place between him and the disbelievers were not seen before him. For his nation fought the disbelievers in lands to the ends of the earth.

Nabi ar-Rahma: (The Prophet of Mercy). He was the one whom Allaah sent as a Mercy for the universe. And Allaah was Merciful to all the people of the earth through him, both the believers and the disbelievers.

Al-Faatih: (the opener/conqueror). It was through him that Allaah opened the door of guidance after it had been closed, and opened closed eyes and deaf ears and sealed hearts. And through him Allaah conquered the lands of the disbelievers, and opened the doors of Paradise, and opened through him the ways of acquiring beneficial knowledge and righteous actions. And He opened through him both the doors of this world and the hereafter.

Al-Ameen: (the Trustworthy). He is the most deserving out of all creation for this name. For he is the trustee of Allaah of His revelation and religion. And he is the trusted one in the Heaven and in the earth. And this is why he was called al-Ameen before his Prophethood.

Al-Basheer: (the Bearer of glad tidings). He is the bearer of glad tidings for the one who obeys him of reward, and he is the Warner (an-Nadheer) of the one who disobeys him of punishment.

And Allaah called him his servant (Abd) in many places in His Book for example, ‘Blessed be He who revealed the Furqaan to His servant’. {7}

It is established that he (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, “I am the Master (sayyid) of the children of Aadam [on the Day of Judgement] and I am not being arrogant.” {8}

And Allaah called him an Illuminating Lamp (Siraaj Muneer). And all praise is due to Allaah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

FOOTNOTES:

{1} Related by Bukhaaree in chapter dealing with the tafseer of Surah Fath.

{2}The full hadeeth is, “I am Muhammad, and I am Ahmad, and I am al-Maahee through whom Allaah effaces disbelief, and I am al-Haashir through who the people are gathered at my feet, and al-Aaqib after whom there is no Prophet.” Related by Bukhaaree in the chapter dealing with the tafseer of Surah Saff

{3} For example, a person who enters Islaam shall have all his sins forgiven provided he does not persist in them while he is a Muslim.

{4} Related by at-Tirmidhee in the chapter of du`aa (no.3430) and it is saheeh.

{5} Related by Muslim in the chapter of Dhikr and Du`aa.

{6} See Qur`aan (2:54)

{7} Qur`aan (25:1)

{8} Related by at-Tirmidhee in the chapter ‘Excellence of the Prophet’ (no.3618) and it is saheeh.

Some of the Miracles of the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi Wa sallam)

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014June 12, 2016

Source : Sahih Bukhari

A number of miracles were bestowed upon and performed by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to establish the proof of his prophethood. The greatest miracle bestowed upon him was the revelation of the Qur’an. The Qur’an is miraculous in a number of aspects: Its linguistic perfection and inimitability, its validation by recent historical, archaeological, and scientific discoveries, its prophecies and so on. Unlike the miracles of other prophets before him, the miracle of the Qur’an is eternal. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) also provided us with a number of true prophecies.

Below are accounts of the some of the other miracles of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) . Before reading these, it helps to know something about the Science of Traditions (Arabic: Ahadith), an exacting and comprehensive system developed by early Muslim scholars to verify the chain of transmission of these accounts, as well as investigating the trustworthiness and capability of every narrator at every level of the chain. This thorough authentication process ensures that these accounts are real, validated narrations of the sayings, actions, and tacit approvals of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

The Traditions mentioned below are all from Sahih al-Bukhari, the most authentic collection of ahadith.

Splitting of the Moon
Food Multiplication
Water Multiplication
Supplication for Rain
Lights to guide Companions
Crying of the stem of the Date-palm Tree
Glorification of Allah by the Prophet’s meals
The explusion of a liar’s corpse by the Earth
The Speech of the Wolf
The Prophet’s Night Journey to Jerusalem and Ascent to the Heavens

Splitting of the Moon

“The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has been cleft asunder” [Qur’an 54:1]

Volume 6, Book 60, Number 388:

Narrated Abdullah:

The moon was cleft asunder while we were in the company of the Prophet, and it became two parts. The Prophet said, Witness, witness (this miracle).”

Food Multiplication

Volume 4, Book 56, Number 780:

Narrated Jabir:

My father had died in debt. So I came to the Prophet and said, “My father (died) leaving unpaid debts, and I have nothing except the yield of his date palms; and their yield for many years will not cover his debts. So please come with me, so that the creditors may not misbehave with me.” The Prophet went round one of the heaps of dates and invoked (Allah), and then did the same with another heap and sat on it and said, “Measure (for them).” He paid them their rights and what remained was as much as had been paid to them.

Water Multiplication

Volume 4, Book 56, Number 779:

Narrated ‘Abdullah:

We used to consider miracles as Allah’s Blessings, but you people consider them to be a warning. Once we were with Allah’s Apostle on a journey, and we ran short of water. He said, “Bring the water remaining with you.” The people brought a utensil containing a little water. He placed his hand in it and said, “Come to the blessed water, and the Blessing is from Allah.” I saw the water flowing from among the fingers of Allah’s Apostle , and no doubt, we heard the meal glorifying Allah, when it was being eaten (by him).

Volume 4, Book 56, Number 777:

Narrated Al-Bara:

We were one-thousand-and-four-hundred persons on the day of Al-Hudaibiya (Treaty), and (at) Al-Hudaibiya (there) was a well. We drew out its water not leaving even a single drop. The Prophet sat at the edge of the well and asked for some water with which he rinsed his mouth and then he threw it out into the well. We stayed for a short while and then drew water from the well and quenched our thirst, and even our riding animals drank water to their satisfaction.

Volume 1, Book 7, Number 340:

Narrated ‘Imran:

Once we were traveling with the Prophet and we carried on traveling till the last part of the night and then we (halted at a place) and slept (deeply). There is nothing sweeter than sleep for a traveler in the last part of the night. So it was only the heat of the sun that made us to wake up and the first to wake up was so and so, then so and so and then so and so (the narrator ‘Auf said that Abu Raja’ had told him their names but he had forgotten them) and the fourth person to wake up was ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab. And whenever the Prophet used to sleep, nobody would wake him up till he himself used to get up as we did not know what was happening (being revealed) to him in his sleep. So, ‘Umar got up and saw the condition of the people, and he was a strict man, so he said, “Allahu Akbar” and raised his voice with Takbir, and kept on saying it loudly till the Prophet got up because of it. When he got up, the people informed him about what had happened to them. He said, “There is no harm (or it will not be harmful). Depart!” So they departed from that place, and after covering some distance the Prophet stopped and asked for some water to perform the ablution. So he performed the ablution and the call for the prayer was pronounced and he led the people in prayer. After he finished from the prayer, he saw a man sitting aloof who had not prayed with the people. He asked, “O so and so! What has prevented you from praying with us?” He replied, “I am junub and there is no water. ” The Prophet said, “Perform tayammum with (clean) earth and that is sufficient for you.”

Then the Prophet proceeded on and the people complained to him of thirst. Thereupon he got down and called a person (the narrator ‘Auf added that Abu Raja’ had named him but he had forgotten) and ‘Ali, and ordered them to go and bring water. So they went in search of water and met a woman who was sitting on her camel between two bags of water. They asked, “Where can we find water?” She replied, “I was there (at the place of water) this hour yesterday and my people are behind me.” They requested her to accompany them. She asked, “Where?” They said, “To Allah’s Apostle .” She said, “Do you mean the man who is called the Sabi’, (with a new religion)?” They replied, “Yes, the same person. So come along.” They brought her to the Prophet and narrated the whole story. He said, “Help her to dismount.” The Prophet asked for a pot, then he opened the mouths of the bags and poured some water into the pot. Then he closed the big openings of the bags and opened the small ones and the people were called upon to drink and water their animals. So they all watered their animals and they (too) all quenched their thirst and also gave water to others and last of all the Prophet gave a pot full of water to the person who was junub and told him to pour it over his body. The woman was standing and watching all that which they were doing with her water. By Allah, when her water bags were returned the looked like as if they were more full (of water) than they had been before (Miracle of Allah’s Apostle) Then the Prophet ordered us to collect something for her; so dates, flour and sawiq were collected which amounted to a good meal that was put in a piece of cloth. She was helped to ride on her camel and that cloth full of food-stuff was also placed in front of her and then the Prophet said to her, “We have not taken your water but Allah has given water to us.” She returned home late. Her relatives asked her: “O so and so what has delayed you?” She said, “A strange thing! Two men met me and took me to the man who is called the Sabi‘ and he did such and such a thing. By Allah, he is either the greatest magician between this and this (gesturing with her index and middle fingers raising them towards the sky indicating the heaven and the earth) or he is Allah’s true Apostle.”

Afterwards the Muslims used to attack the pagans around her abode but never touched her village. One day she said to her people, “I think that these people leave you purposely. Have you got any inclination to Islam?” They obeyed her and all of them embraced Islam.

Abu ‘Abdultah said: The word saba’a means “The one who has deserted his old religion and embraced a new religion.” Abul ‘Ailya said, “The Sabis are a sect of people of the Scripture who recite the Book of Psalms.”

Supplication for Rain

Volume 8, Book 73, Number 115:

Narrated Anas:

A man came to the Prophet on a Friday while he (the Prophet) was delivering a sermon at Medina, and said, “There is lack of rain, so please invoke your Lord to bless us with the rain.” The Prophet looked at the sky when no cloud could be detected. Then he invoked Allah for rain. Clouds started gathering together and it rained till the Medina valleys started flowing with water. It continued raining till the next Friday. Then that man (or some other man) stood up while the Prophet was delivering the Friday sermon, and said, “We are drowned; Please invoke your Lord to withhold it (rain) from us” The Prophet smiled and said twice or thrice, “O Allah! Please let it rain round about us and not upon us.” The clouds started dispersing over Medina to the right and to the left, and it rained round about Medina and not upon Medina. Allah showed them (the people) the miracle of His Prophet and His response to his invocation.

Lights to guide Companions

Volume 1, Book 8, Number 454:

Narrated Anas bin Malik:

Two of the companions of the Prophet departed from him on a dark night and were led by two lights like lamps (going in front of them from Allah as a miracle) lighting the way in front of them, and when they parted, each of them was accompanied by one of these lights till he reached their (respective) houses.

Crying of the stem of the Date-palm Tree

Volume 4, Book 56, Number 783:

Narrated Ibn Umar:

The Prophet used to deliver his sermons while standing beside a trunk of a datepalm. When he had the pulpit made, he used it instead. The trunk started crying and the Prophet went to it, rubbing his hand over it (to stop its crying).

Glorification of Allah by the Prophet’s meals

Volume 4, Book 56, Number 779:

Narrated ‘Abdullah:

We used to consider miracles as Allah’s Blessings, but you people consider them to be a warning. Once we were with Allah’s Apostle on a journey, and we ran short of water. He said, “Bring the water remaining with you.” The people brought a utensil containing a little water. He placed his hand in it and said, “Come to the blessed water, and the Blessing is from Allah.” I saw the water flowing from among the fingers of Allah’s Apostle, and no doubt, we heard the meal glorifying Allah, when it was being eaten (by him).

The expulsion of a liar’s corpse by the Earth

Volume 4, Book 56, Number 814:

Narrated Anas:

There was a Christian who embraced Islam and read Surat-al-Baqara and Al-Imran, and he used to write (the revelations) for the Prophet. Later on he returned to Christianity again and he used to say: “Muhammad knows nothing but what I have written for him.” Then Allah caused him to die, and the people buried him, but in the morning they saw that the earth had thrown his body out. They said, “This is the act of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of our companion and took his body out of it because he had run away from them.” They again dug the grave deeply for him, but in the morning they again saw that the earth had thrown his body out. They said, “This is an act of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of our companion and threw his body outside it, for he had run away from them.” They dug the grave for him as deep as they could, but in the morning they again saw that the earth had thrown his body out. So they believed that what had befallen him was not done by human beings and had to leave him thrown (on the ground).

The Speech of the Wolf

Volume 3, Book 39, Number 517:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, “While a man was riding a cow, it turned towards him and said, ‘I have not been created for this purpose (i.e. carrying), I have been created for sloughing.l” The Prophet added, “I, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar believe in the story.” The Prophet went on, “A wolf caught a sheep, and when the shepherd chased it, the wolf said, ‘Who will be its guard on the day of wild beasts, when there will be no shepherd for it except me?’ “After narrating it, the Prophet said, “I, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar too believe it.” Abu Salama (a sub-narrator) said, “Abu Bakr and ‘Umar were not present then.”

It has been written that a wolf also spoke to one of the companions of the Prophet near Medina as narrated in Fath-al-Bari:Narrated Unais bin ‘Amr: Ahban bin Aus said, “I was amongst my sheep. Suddenly a wolf caught a sheep and I shouted at it. The wolf sat on its tail and addressed me, saying, ‘Who will look after it (i.e. the sheep) when you will be busy and not able to look after it? Do you forbid me the provision which Allah has provided me?’ ” Ahban added, “I clapped my hands and said, ‘By Allah, I have never seen anything more curious and wonderful than this!’ On that the wolf said, ‘There is something (more curious) and wonderful than this; that is, Allah’s Apostle in those palm trees, inviting people to Allah (i.e. Islam).’ “Unais bin ‘Amr further said, “Then Ahban went to Allah’s Apostle and informed him what happened and embraced Islam.)” palm trees or other trees and share the fruits with me.”

The Prophet’s Night Journey to Jerusalem (Arabic: Israa) and Ascent to the Heavens (Arabic: Miraj)

Volume 5, Book 58, Number 228:

Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas:

Regarding the Statement of Allah”

“And We granted the vision (Ascension to the heavens) which We made you see (as an actual eye witness) was only made as a trial for the people.” (17.60)

Ibn Abbas added: The sights which Allah’s Apostle was shown on the Night Journey when he was taken to Bait-ul Maqdis (i.e. Jerusalem) were actual sights, (not dreams). And the Cursed Tree (mentioned) in the Quran is the tree of Zaqqum (itself) .

Volume 4, Book 54, Number 462:

Narrated Ibn Abbas:

The Prophet said, “On the night of my Ascent to the Heaven, I saw Moses who was a tall brown curly-haired man as if he was one of the men of Shan’awa tribe, and I saw Jesus, a man of medium height and moderate complexion inclined to the red and white colors and of lank hair. I also saw Malik, the gate-keeper of the (Hell) Fire and Ad-Dajjal amongst the signs which Allah showed me.” (The Prophet then recited the Holy Verse): “So be not you in doubt of meeting him’ when you met Moses during the night of Mi’raj over the heavens” (32.23)

Narrated Anas and Abu Bakra: “The Prophet said, “The angels will guard Medina from Ad-Dajjal (who will not be able to enter the city of Medina).”

Volume 5, Book 58, Number 227:

Narrated Abbas bin Malik:

Malik bin Sasaa said that Allah’s Apostle described to them his Night Journey saying, “While I was lying in Al-Hatim or Al-Hijr, suddenly someone came to me and cut my body open from here to here.” I asked Al-Jarud who was by my side, “What does he mean?” He said, “It means from his throat to his pubic area,” or said, “From the top of the chest.” The Prophet further said, “He then took out my heart. Then a gold tray of Belief was brought to me and my heart was washed and was filled (with Belief) and then returned to its original place. Then a white animal which was smaller than a mule and bigger than a donkey was brought to me.” (On this Al-Jarud asked, “Was it the Buraq, O Abu Hamza?” I (i.e. Anas) replied in the affirmative). The Prophet said, “The animal’s step (was so wide that it) reached the farthest point within the reach of the animal’s sight. I was carried on it, and Gabriel set out with me till we reached the nearest heaven.

When he asked for the gate to be opened, it was asked, ‘Who is it?’ Gabriel answered, ‘Gabriel.’ It was asked, ‘Who is accompanying you?’ Gabriel replied, ‘Muhammad.’ It was asked, ‘Has Muhammad been called?’ Gabriel replied in the affirmative. Then it was said, ‘He is welcomed. What an excellent visit his is!’ The gate was opened, and when I went over the first heaven, I saw Adam there. Gabriel said (to me). ‘This is your father, Adam; pay him your greetings.’ So I greeted him and he returned the greeting to me and said, ‘You are welcomed, O pious son and pious Prophet.’ Then Gabriel ascended with me till we reached the second heaven. Gabriel asked for the gate to be opened. It was asked, ‘Who is it?’ Gabriel answered, ‘Gabriel.’ It was asked, ‘Who is accompanying you?’ Gabriel replied, ‘Muhammad.’ It was asked, ‘Has he been called?’ Gabriel answered in the affirmative. Then it was said, ‘He is welcomed. What an excellent visit his is!’ The gate was opened.

When I went over the second heaven, there I saw Yahya (i.e. John) and ‘Isa (i.e. Jesus) who were cousins of each other. Gabriel said (to me), ‘These are John and Jesus; pay them your greetings.’ So I greeted them and both of them returned my greetings to me and said, ‘You are welcomed, O pious brother and pious Prophet.’ Then Gabriel ascended with me to the third heaven and asked for its gate to be opened. It was asked, ‘Who is it?’ Gabriel replied, ‘Gabriel.’ It was asked, ‘Who is accompanying you?’ Gabriel replied, ‘Muhammad.’ It was asked, ‘Has he been called?’ Gabriel replied in the affirmative. Then it was said, ‘He is welcomed, what an excellent visit his is!’ The gate was opened, and when I went over the third heaven there I saw Joseph. Gabriel said (to me), ‘This is Joseph; pay him your greetings.’ So I greeted him and he returned the greeting to me and said, ‘You are welcomed, O pious brother and pious Prophet.’ Then Gabriel ascended with me to the fourth heaven and asked for its gate to be opened. It was asked, ‘Who is it?’ Gabriel replied, ‘Gabriel’ It was asked, ‘Who is accompanying you?’ Gabriel replied, ‘Muhammad.’ It was asked, ‘Has he been called?’ Gabriel replied in the affirmative. Then it was said, ‘He is welcomed, what an excel lent visit his is!’

The gate was opened, and when I went over the fourth heaven, there I saw Idris. Gabriel said (to me), ‘This is Idris; pay him your greetings.’ So I greeted him and he returned the greeting to me and said, ‘You are welcomed, O pious brother and pious Prophet.’ Then Gabriel ascended with me to the fifth heaven and asked for its gate to be opened. It was asked, ‘Who is it?’ Gabriel replied, ‘Gabriel.’ It was asked. ‘Who is accompanying you?’ Gabriel replied, ‘Muhammad.’ It was asked, ‘Has he been called?’ Gabriel replied in the affirmative. Then it was said He is welcomed, what an excellent visit his is! So when I went over the fifth heaven, there I saw Harun (i.e. Aaron), Gabriel said, (to me). This is Aaron; pay him your greetings.’ I greeted him and he returned the greeting to me and said, ‘You are welcomed, O pious brother and pious Prophet.’ Then Gabriel ascended with me to the sixth heaven and asked for its gate to be opened. It was asked. ‘Who is it?’ Gabriel replied, ‘Gabriel.’ It was asked, ‘Who is accompanying you?’ Gabriel replied, ‘Muhammad.’ It was asked, ‘Has he been called?’ Gabriel replied in the affirmative. It was said, ‘He is welcomed. What an excellent visit his is!’

When I went (over the sixth heaven), there I saw Moses. Gabriel said (to me),’ This is Moses; pay him your greeting. So I greeted him and he returned the greetings to me and said, ‘You are welcomed, O pious brother and pious Prophet.’ When I left him (i.e. Moses) he wept. Someone asked him, ‘What makes you weep?’ Moses said, ‘I weep because after me there has been sent (as Prophet) a young man whose followers will enter Paradise in greater numbers than my followers.’ Then Gabriel ascended with me to the seventh heaven and asked for its gate to be opened. It was asked, ‘Who is it?’ Gabriel replied, ‘Gabriel.’ It was asked,’ Who is accompanying you?’ Gabriel replied, ‘Muhammad.’ It was asked, ‘Has he been called?’ Gabriel replied in the affirmative. Then it was said, ‘He is welcomed. What an excellent visit his is!’

So when I went (over the seventh heaven), there I saw Abraham. Gabriel said (to me), ‘This is your father; pay your greetings to him.’ So I greeted him and he returned the greetings to me and said, ‘You are welcomed, O pious son and pious Prophet.’ Then I was made to ascend to Sidrat-ul-Muntaha (i.e. the Lote Tree of the utmost boundary) Behold! Its fruits were like the jars of Hajr (i.e. a place near Medina) and its leaves were as big as the ears of elephants. Gabriel said, ‘This is the Lote Tree of the utmost boundary) . Behold ! There ran four rivers, two were hidden and two were visible, I asked, ‘What are these two kinds of rivers, O Gabriel?’ He replied,’ As for the hidden rivers, they are two rivers in Paradise and the visible rivers are the Nile and the Euphrates.’

Then Al-Bait-ul-Ma’mur (i.e. the Sacred House) was shown to me and a container full of wine and another full of milk and a third full of honey were brought to me. I took the milk. Gabriel remarked, ‘This is the Islamic religion which you and your followers are following.’ Then the prayers were enjoined on me: They were fifty prayers a day. When I returned, I passed by Moses who asked (me), ‘What have you been ordered to do?’ I replied, ‘I have been ordered to offer fifty prayers a day.’ Moses said, ‘Your followers cannot bear fifty prayers a day, and by Allah, I have tested people before you, and I have tried my level best with Bani Israel (in vain). Go back to your Lord and ask for reduction to lessen your followers’ burden.’ So I went back, and Allah reduced ten prayers for me. Then again I came to Moses, but he repeated the same as he had said before. Then again I went back to Allah and He reduced ten more prayers. When I came back to Moses he said the same, I went back to Allah and He ordered me to observe ten prayers a day. When I came back to Moses, he repeated the same advice, so I went back to Allah and was ordered to observe five prayers a day.

When I came back to Moses, he said, ‘What have you been ordered?’ I replied, ‘I have been ordered to observe five prayers a day.’ He said, ‘Your followers cannot bear five prayers a day, and no doubt, I have got an experience of the people before you, and I have tried my level best with Bani Israel, so go back to your Lord and ask for reduction to lessen your follower’s burden.’ I said, ‘I have requested so much of my Lord that I feel ashamed, but I am satisfied now and surrender to Allah’s Order.’ When I left, I heard a voice saying, ‘I have passed My Order and have lessened the burden of My Worshippers.”

The Prophet’s Battles, Armies and Expeditions : Imam ibn al-Qayyim

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014March 10, 2015

From “Zâd al-Ma’âd fî Hadyi Khayri-l ‘Ibâd”

All of the Prophet’s Ghazwat, Bu’uth and Saraya [1] occurred after the Hijrah, within a span of ten years. There were either twenty-seven Ghazwat, or twenty-five, or twenty-nine. The Prophet sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam had to fight in nine battles, Badr, ‘Uhud, al-Khandaqh, Quraidhah, al-Mustaliqh, Khaybar, al-Fath’ (Conquering of Makkah), ‘Hunayn and Tâ’if. It was said that the Prophet sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam also fought against Banî an-Nadhîr (a Jewish tribe) and at al-Ghabah and Wadi al-Qura, which was a suburb of Khaybar.

As for the Saraya of the Prophet sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the armies he sent, they numbered close to sixty. There were seven major battles: Badr, ‘Uhud, al-Khandaqh, Khaybar, al-Fath’, ‘Hunayn and Tabuk. [2] Several parts of the Qur’ân mentioned these major Ghazwat. For instance, Sûrah al-Anfâl (chapter 8) was revealed about Ghazwat Badr, while the last part of Sûrah ali-‘Imrân (chapter 3) was about Ghazwat ‘Uhud, from Allâh’s statement,

“And (remember) when you [Muhammad sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam] left your household in the morning to post the believers at their stations for the battle” [3:121],

until just before the end of the Sûrah. The beginning of Sûrah al-Ahzâb (chapter 33) was revealed about the battles of al-Khandaqh, Quraydhah and Khaybar. Sûrah al-‘Hashr (59) was revealed about Banî an-Nadhîr, al-Fath’ (48) about al-‘Hudaibiyyah and the battle of Khaybar. The conquering of Makkah was mentioned indirectly in Sûrah al-Fath’ and directly in Sûrah an-Nasr (110). He sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam was wounded during the battle of ‘Uhud. [3] The angels fought alongside the Prophet sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam during the battles of Badr [4] and ‘Hunayn. They also descended during the battle of al-Khandaqh [5], where they shook the Mushriks [surrounding Madînah] and defeated them. During that battle, the Prophet sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam threw a handful of sand at the faces of the Mushriks (Polytheists) and they fled [without a fight]. [6]

The Prophet sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam won decisively in two battles, Badr and ‘Hunain. He used al-Manjaniq (mongonel, or catapult) during on battle, at-Tâ’if, and took cover behind a trench during Ghazwat al-Khandaqh, also known as Ghazwat al-Ahzâb. Salmân al-Farsî radiallâhu ‘anhu suggested that the trench be dug in that battle.

Footnotes

[1] ‘Ghazwat‘, pl. for ‘Ghazwah‘, means battles. The battles that the Prophet sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam led himself were called, ‘Ghazwat‘, whereas the armies and expeditions he sent while remaining behind are called, ‘Bu’uth‘, pl. for, ‘Ba’th‘, and ‘Saraya‘, pl. for, ‘Sariyyah‘.

[2] All of which are mentioned in detail later on in, Zâd al-Ma’âd.

[3] Al-Bukhârî (3767) narrated that Sahl bin as-Sa’idi was asked about how the wound of the Prophet sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam was treated, and he replied, “‘Alî used to bring water in his shield and Fâtimah (the Prophet’s daughter and ‘Alî’s wife) used to wash the blood off his face. Then straw mat was burnt and the wound was filled with it.”

[4] Al-Bukhârî (3694) narrated that ‘Abdullâh ibn ‘Abbâs radiallâhu ‘anhu said that the Prophet sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam said on the day of Badr, “Here is Jibrîl, holding the head of his horse and wearing war armours.” Allâh sent the angels to strengthen their hearts of the believers and to aid them.

[5] Shaykh ‘Irfân said, “Allâh said in Sûrah al-Ahzâb (33:9), ‘O you who believe! Remember Allâh’s Favour to you, when there came against you hosts, and We sent against them a wind and forces that you saw not [angels during the battle of Al-Ahzâb (the Confederates, Ghazwat al-Khandaq (in 5 AH)]. And Allâh is Ever All-Seer of what you do.’ “

[6] Al-Bukhârî (2716) and Muslim (3277) narrated that Allâh’s Apostle sallallâhu ‘alayhi wa sallam asked for Allâh’s wrath upon the Ahzâb, saying: “O, Allâh, Revealer of the Holy Book, and the One swift at reckoning! O, Allâh, Defeat the confederates. O, Allâh, Defeat them and shake them.”

The Prophetic Household – Shaykh Safi ur-Rahmaan Mubarakfoori

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014August 3, 2016

Taken from the “The Sealed Nectar” book

1. Khadijah Bint Khuwailid: In Makkah — prior to Hijra — the Prophet’s household comprised him (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) and his wife Khadijah bint Khuwailid. He was twenty-five and she was forty when they got married. She was the first woman he married. She was the only wife he had till she died. He had sons and daughters with her. None of their sons lived long. They all died. Their daughters were Zainab, Ruqaiya, Umm Kulthum and Fatimah.

Zainab was married to her maternal cousin Abu Al-‘As bin Al-Rabi‘ and that was before Al-Hijra. Ruqaiya and Umm Kulthum were both married to ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan – may Allah be pleased with him – successively (i.e. he married one after the death of her sister). Fatimah was married to ‘Ali bin Abi Talib; and that was in the period between Badr and Uhud battles. The sons and daughters that Fatimah and ‘Ali had were Al-Hasan, Al-Husain, Zainab and Umm Kulthum.

It is well-known that the Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) was exceptionally authorized to have more than four wives for various reasons. The wives he married were thirteen. Nine of them outlived him. Two died in his lifetime: Khadijah and the Mother of the poor (Umm Al-Masakeen) — Zainab bint Khuzaima, besides two others with whom he did not consummate his marriage.

2. Sawdah bint Zam‘a: He married her in Shawwal, in the tenth year of Prophethood, a few days after the death of Khadijah. Prior to that, she was married to a paternal cousin of hers called As-Sakran bin ‘Amr.

3. ‘Aishah bint Abu Bakr: He married her in the eleventh year of Prophethood, a year after his marriage to Sawdah, and two years and five months before Al-Hijra. She was six years old when he married her. However, he did not consummate the marriage with her till Shawwal seven months after Al-Hijra, and that was in Madinah. She was nine then. She was the only virgin he married, and the most beloved creature to him. As a woman she was the most learnèd woman in jurisprudence.

4. Hafsah bint ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab: She was Aiyim (i.e. husbandless). Her ex-husband was Khunais bin Hudhafa As-Sahmi in the period between Badr and Uhud battles. The Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) married her in the third year of Al-Hijra.

5. Zainab bint Khuzaimah: She was from Bani Hilal bin ‘Amir bin Sa‘sa‘a. Was nicknamed Umm Al-Masakeen, because of her kindness and care towards them. She used to be the wife of ‘Abdullah bin Jahsh, who was martyred at Uhud, was married to the Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) in the fourth year of Al-Hijra, but she died two or three months after her marriage to the Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) .

6. Umm Salamah Hind bint Abi Omaiyah: She used to be the wife of Abu Salamah, who died in Jumada Al-Akhir, in the fourth year of Al-Hijra. The Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) married her in Shawwal of the same year.

7. Zainab bint Jahsh bin Riyab: She was from Bani Asad bin Khuzaimah and was the Messenger’s paternal cousin. She was married to Zaid bin Haritha — who was then considered son of the Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) . However, Zaid divorced her. Allâh sent down some Qur’ânic verses with this respect:

“So when Zaid had accomplished his desire from her (i.e., divorced her), We gave her to you in marriage.” [33:37]

About her, Allâh has sent down some verses of Al-Ahzab Chapter that discussed the adoption of children in detail — anyway we will discuss this later. The Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) married her in Dhul-Qa‘dah, the fifth year of Al-Hijra.

8. Juwairiyah bint Al-Harith: Al-Harith was the head of Bani Al-Mustaliq of Khuza‘ah. Juwairiyah was among the booty that fell to the Muslims from Bani Al-Mustaliq. She was a portion of Thabit bin Qais bin Shammas’ share. He made her a covenant to set her free at a certain time. The Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) accomplished the covenant and married her in Sha‘ban in the sixth year of Al-Hijra.

9. Umm Habibah: Ramlah, the daughter of Abu Sufyan. She was married to ‘Ubaidullah bin Jahsh. She migrated with him to Abyssinia ( Ethiopia). When ‘Ubaidullah apostatized and became a Christian, she stoodfast to her religion and refused to convert. However ‘Ubaidullah died there in Abyssinia ( Ethiopia). The Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) dispatched ‘Amr bin Omaiyah Ad-Damri with a letter to Negus, the king, asking him for Umm Habibah’s hand — that was in Muharram, in the seventh year of Al-Hijra. Negus agreed and sent her to the Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) in the company of Sharhabeel bin Hasnah.

10. Safiyah bint Huyai bin Akhtab: From the Children of Israel, she was among the booty taken at Khaibar battle. The Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) took her for himself. He set her free and married her after that conquest in the seventh year of Al-Hijra.

11. Maimunah bint Al-Harith: The daughter of Al-Harith, and the sister of Umm Al-Fadl Lubabah bint Al-Harith. The Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) married her after the Compensatory ‘Umrah (Lesser Pilgrimage). That was in Dhul-Qa‘dah in the seventh year of Al-Hijra.

Those were the eleven women that the Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) had married and consummated marriage with them. He outlived two of them — Khadijah and Zainab, the Umm Al-Masakeen. Whereas the other nine wives outlived him.

The two wives that he did not consummate marriage with were, one from Bani Kilab and the other from Kindah and this was the one called Al-Jauniyah.

Besides these, he had two concubines. The first was Mariyah, the Coptic (an Egyptian Christian), a present gift from Al-Muqauqis, vicegerent of Egypt — she gave birth to his son Ibrâhim, who died in Madinah while still a little child, on the28 th or29 th of Shawwal in the year 10A.H., i.e.27 th January, 632 A.D. The second one was Raihanah bint Zaid An-Nadriyah or Quraziyah, a captive from Bani Quraiza. Some people say she was one of his wives. However, Ibn Al-Qaiyim gives more weight to the first version. Abu ‘Ubaidah spoke of two more concubines, Jameelah, a captive, and another one, a bondwoman granted to him by Zainab bint Jahsh.[]

Whosoever meditates on the life of the Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) , will conceive that his marriage to this great number of women in the late years of his lifetime, after he had almost spent thirty years of his best days of youth sufficing himself to one old wife — Khadijah and later on to Sawdah, was in no way an overwhelming lustful desire to be satisfied through such a number of wives. These marriages were in fact motivated by aims and purposes much more glorious and greater than what normal marriages usually aim at.

The tendency of the Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) towards establishing a relationship by marriage with both Abu Bakr and ‘Umar and his marriage to ‘Aishah and Hafsah — and getting his daughter Fatimah married to ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, and the marriage of his two daughters, Ruqaiyah and Umm Kulthum to ‘Uthman — indicate clearly that he aimed at confirming the relationship among the four men — whose sacrifices and great achievements in the cause of Islam are well-known.

Besides this, there was that tradition of the Arabs to honour the in-law relations. For them a son or a daughter-in-law was a means by which they sought the consolidation of relationship and affection with various phratries. Hostility and fights against alliances and affinities would bring an unforgettable shame, disgrace and degradation to them.

By marrying the Mothers of believers, the Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) wanted to demolish or break down the Arab tribes’ enmity to Islam and extinguish their intense hatred. Umm Salamah was from Bani Makhzum — the clan of Abu Jahl and Khalid bin Al-Waleed. Her marriage to the Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) produced good results. Khalid’s deliberately undecisive attitude at Uhud — for instance — was due to the Messenger’s marriage to Umm Salamah. Khalid went even further than that, in a short time he willingly became a keen obedient Muslim.

After the Messenger of Allâh’s marriage to Umm Habibah, Abu Sufyan, her father, did not encounter him with any sort of hostility. Similarly his marriage to Juwairiyah and Safiyah made the two tribes stop all sorts of provocation, aggression or hostility against Islam. Better still, Juwairiyah, herself, was one of the greatest sources of blessing to her own people. On the occasion of her marriage to the Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) , his Companions set a hundred families of her people free. They said: “It is for their affinity with the Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) .” No need to say what great good impression this gratitude had on everybody’s soul. One of the greatest motives of all is Allâh’s bidding his Prophet to educate and purify the souls of people who had known nothing whatsoever about courtesy, education and culture. He had to teach them to comply with the necessities of civilization and to contribute to the solidification and the establishment of a new Islamic society.

An essential fundamental rule of the Muslim society is to prohibit mixing of men and women. Providing direct education for women, though highly compelling, is impossible in the light of this Islamic norm. Therefore, the Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) had to select some women of different ages and talents, and indoctrinate them systematically in order to educate she-bedouins and townswomen, old and young, and thus furnish them with the instruments of propagating the true faith. The Mothers of believers (i.e. wives of the Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) ) were in such a convenient position that they could convey the state of the Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) and his affairs to people (men and women). Being educated and taught the teachings and rules of Islam, his wives, especially those who outlived him, played a very important role in conveying Prophetic traditions Ahadith to the Muslims. ‘Aishah, for instance, related a large number of the Prophet’s deeds and statements.

His marriage to his paternal cousin Zainab bint Jahsh was a peculiar case which aimed at eradicating a deeply rooted pre-Islamic tradition — i.e. the adoption of children. In Al-Jahiliyah the Arabs used to consider an adopted person exactly like a real son or daughter as far as rights and sanctities are concerned. That Jahiliyah tradition had been so deeply rooted in their hearts that it was not easy to remove or uproot it. This tradition in fact affronts the basic principles of Islam; especially those concerned with marriage, divorce and inheritance and some other cases, and brought about lots of corruptions and indecencies. Naturally Islam stands against such deeds, and attempts to remove them from the Islamic society.

For the eradication of this tradition, Allâh, the Exalted, bid His Messenger (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) to marry his cousin Zainab bint Jahsh, who was an ex-wife to Zaid. She was at variance with Zaid to an extent that he intended to divorce her — that was at the time when the Confederates (Al-Ahzab) were making an evil alliance against the Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) and against the Muslims. The Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) feared that the hypocrites, the idolaters, and the Jews would make a propaganda out of it and try to influence some Muslims of weak hearts. That was why he urged Zaid not to divorce her, in order not to get involved into that trial.

Undoubtedly this hesitation and partiality were alien to the character of the Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) . They did not apply to the power of determination and will with which he had been sent. Allâh, the Exalted, blamed him for that by saying:

 “And (remember) when you said to him (Zaid bin Haritha may Allah be pleased with him – — the freed slave of the Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) on whom Allâh has bestowed grace (by guiding him to Islam) and you (O Muhammad (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) too) have done favour (by manumitting him), ‘Keep your wife to yourself, and fear Allâh.’ But you did hide in yourself (i.e. what Allâh has already made known to you that He will give her to you in marriage) that which Allâh will make manifest, you did fear the people (i.e. Muhammad (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) married the divorced wife of his manumitted slave) whereas Allâh had a better right that you should fear him.” [33:37]

Finally Zaid divorced Zainab and the Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) married her at the time he laid siege to Bani Quraiza. That was after she had finished her Iddat (i.e. period during which a widow or a divorcee may not remarry). Allâh Himself had already ordained it, and so gave him no other alternative. Allâh had even started the marriage Himself by saying:

 “So when Zaid had accomplished his desire from her (i.e. divorced her), We gave her to you in marriage, so that (in future) there may be no difficulty to the believers in respect of (the marriage of) the wives of their adopted sons when the latter have no desire to keep them (i.e. they have divorced them).” [33:37]

And that was in order to break down the tradition of child adoption in practice after He had done it in words:

 “Call them (adopted sons) by (the names of) their fathers, that is more just near Allâh.” [33:5]

“Muhammad ( saw) is not the father of any man among you, but he is the Messenger of Allâh, and the last (end) of the Prophets.” [33:40]

Lots of deeply-rooted traditions cannot be uprooted or demolished or even adjusted by mere words. They must be matched and associated with the action of the advocate of the Message himself.

This could be perceived through the deeds practised by the Muslims at Al-Hudaibiyah ‘Umrah (Lesser Pilgrimage) during which ‘Urwah bin Mas‘ud Al-Thaqafi saw certain Muslims tend to pick up any expectoration that fell down from the Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) . He also saw them race to the water of his ablution and they almost quarrelled for it. There were others who competed to pledge allegiance to death and some others pledged not to flee from (the battlefield). Among those people, were eminent Companions like ‘Umar and Abu Bakr, who although dedicated all their lives to the Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) and to the cause of Islam, but refused to carry out the Messenger’s ordres with respect to slaughtering sacrificial animals after the ratification of Al-Hudaibiyah Peace Treaty, the thing that perturbed and caused the Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) to feel anxious. However, when Umm Salamah – may Allah be pleased with her – advised that he take the initiative and sacrifice his animals, his followers raced to follow his example; a clear evidence in support of the saying: Actions speak louder than words, in the process of exterminating a deeply-established tradition.

Hypocrites aroused a lot of suspicions and made a broad false propaganda against that marriage. Their acts and talks about that marriage had ill-effects on those Muslims whose Faith was still weak, particularly that Zainab was the fifth wife — and the Noble Qur’ân limited the number up to four only; Zaid was traditionally his son, and so a father marrying his son’s divorcee was a heinous sin in the eyes of the Arabians.

Al-AhzabSurah was revealed to shed full light on the two issues, i.e. Islam does not recognize adoption of children, and the Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) is given (by Allâh) more freedom as regards the number of wives he can hold than other Muslims in order to achieve noble and honourable purposes.

However, the treatment of the Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) to his wives was of honourable, noble, and superb nature. His wives were on tops in respect of honour, satisfaction, patience, modesty, and service (that is to say the performance of housework and marriage duties). Although the Messenger’s house-life was hard and unbearable, none of his wives complained. Anas said about the Prophet’s life: “According to my knowledge, the Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) has never tasted a thin flattened loaf in all his lifetime, nor has he ever seen with his own eyes roasted mutton.”[]

‘Aishah said: “Over two months have elapsed — during which we have seen three crescents — and yet no fire has been kindled in the houses of the Messenger of Allâh (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) (i.e. they did not cook food).” “What did you eat to sustain yourselves?” ‘Urwah asked. She said “The two blacks: dates and water”[]. Lots of information about the hard life of the Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam) were told.

In spite of these hardships, straits and adversity of life in the house of the Prophet (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam), none of his wives uttered a word of complaint worthy of reproach — but once. This exception was required by human instinctive inclinations. However, it was not so important and consequently it did not require the decree of a legislative rule. Allâh has given them an opportunity to choose between two things, as clearly stated in the following verses:

 “O Prophet (Muhammad (Sallalaahu alaihi wa Sallam)! Say to your wives: ‘If you desire the life of this world, and its glitter, — then come! I will make a provision for you and set you free in a handsome manner (divorce). But if you desire Allâh and His Messenger, and the Home of the Hereafter, then verily, Allâh has prepared for Al-Muhsinat (good doers) amongst you an enormous reward.’” [33:28,29]

They were so noble and honest that none of them preferred ‘the life of this world and its glitter’ to the abode in the Hereafter.

Although they were many in number, nothing of the dispute occurrences that normally happen among co-wives, took place in their houses. Very few cases could be the only exception; but they were quite normal. Allâh reproached them for that, so they ceased to do such a thing. This incident is mentioned in At-Tahreem Chapter:

 “O Prophet! Why do you ban (for yourself) that which Allâh has made lawful to you …” [66:1] (to the end of the fifth verse).

Discussing polygamy — in my opinion — is not a necessity; since a person who is familiar with the Europeans, and indecent practices, sufferings, wickedness, their sorrows and distresses, the horrible crimes they commit in this respect as well as the trials, the disasters that they are involved in, and which emanate directly from their disregard of the principle of polygamy form a good reason (to justify the soundness of polygamy). The distorted picture of life in Europe with the ill-practices featuring it, could truthfully justify the existence and practice of polygamy. In this, there are Divine signs for all people possessed of lucid mind.

Prophet King or Slave Messenger : Imam Ibn Rajab

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014February 22, 2015

By al-Haafidh Ibn Rajab al-Hanbalee
Excerpt from the last chapter of Ibn Rajab’s famous book: al-Khushoo’ fis-Salaat

Al-Ibaanah Issue No.3

Bismillaahir-Rahmaanir-Raheem

The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) chose the station of al-’uboodiyyah (slavery and servitude) over and above the station of kingship. Once – on the day of the conquest of Makkah – a man stood-up (out of reverence) for the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam), who, being shocked, said to him, “Do not trouble yourself! Indeed, I am not a king. Rather, I am merely the son of a Qurayshee woman who eats dry meat.” [2]

It has also been authentically reported from the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) that he said, “Do not over praise me as the Christians over-praised ’Eesaa, son of Maryam. Indeed, I am only a slave. So call me the Slave of Allaah and His Messenger.” [3]

Imaam Ahmad (d.241H) – rahimahullaahu ta’aalaa – reports from Muhammad Ibn Fudayl, from ’Ammaarah, from Aboo Zur’ah who said: I do not know this except from Aboo Hurayrah – radiyallaahu ’anhu – who said: Jibreel was sitting with the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) looking towards the sky, when he saw an angel. So Jibreel – ’alayhis-salaam – said to him: Indeed, this angel has never descended before today. So when the angel had descended, he said: O Muhammad! I have been sent by your Lord (to inquire) whether He should make you a Prophet-King or a Slave-Messenger. [4]

And in a mursal narration from Yahyaa Ibn Katheer – rahimahullaah that the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, “I eat as a slave eats, and I sit as a slave sits. Since indeed I am a slave.” [5] This has been related by Ibn Sa’d in at-Tabaqaat.

There is also a narration related by Aboo Ma’dhr from al-Maqburee from ’Aa‘ishah – radiyallaahu ’anhaa – that the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, “An angel came to me and said: Allaah sends blessings upon you and says: If you wish you may be a Prophet-King or a Slave-Messenger. So Jibeel – ’alayhis-salaam – indicated to me that I should humble myself: So I said: A Prophet-Slave.” So ’Aa‘ishah said: So after that day, the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) never ate whilst reclining, saying, “I eat like a slave eats and I sit like a slave sits.” [6]

And from the mursal narrations of az-Zuhree – rahimahullaahu ta’aalaa – who said: we were informed that an angel came to the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam), who had never come to him before. Accompanying him was Jibreel – ’alayhis-salaam. So the angel spoke, and Jibreel – ’alayhis-salaam – remained silent, so he said: Your Lord inquires whether you wish to be a king or a Prophet-Slave. So the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) looked towards Jibreel – ’alayhis-salaam – as if he was seeking his advice. So Jibreel indicated that he should be humble. So Allaah’s Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, “A Prophet-Slave.” Az-Zuhree said: So it is said that from that day onwards, the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) never ate whilst reclining, until he departed from this world. [7]

And it is related in the Musnad, or in the Sunan of at-Tirmidhee, from Aboo Hurayrah radiyallaahu ’anhu), from the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) who said, “My Lord – the Mighty and Majestic – gave me the choice that the valley of Makkah be filled with gold, but I said: No! O Lord. However, grant food to me one day, and hunger the day after. So when I am hungry I humble myself before You and remember You, and when I am full, I am grateful to You.” [8]

Some of the knowledgeable people have said: Whoever claims al-’uboodiyyah (slavery and servitude to Allaah), but desires still remain with him, then he is lying in his claim. Indeed, al-’uboodiyyah will only be true for the one who annihilates his desires and establishes the will of his Master, where his name is what He called him (i.e. ’ibaadur-Rahmaan: the Slaves of the Most Merciful).

Al-Haafidh Aboo Nu’aym – rahimahullaahu ta’aalaa – relates in the book: Asmaa‘us-Sabaabah, by way of Shaykh Aboo Sulaymaan ad-Daraanee (d.215H) – rahimahullaahu ta’aalaa – who related from ’Alqamah Ibnul-Haarith al-Azdee, from his father, from his grandfather who mentioned the saying of Luqmaan the wise when he said to his son, “I have gathered my wisdom for you in six sentences: Work for this world in proportion to how long you shall remain in it, and work for the Hereafter in proportion to how long you shall remain in it. Commit acts of sin in proportion to how much you can endure it. Act for Allaah in accordance to how much you are in need of Him. Commit acts of disobedience in accordance to how much you can endure the punishment. Do not ask except from the One who is in need of no one. And when you intend to commit a sin against Allaah, then do it in a place where He cannot see you.”

Ibraaheem al-Khawwaas – rahimahullaahu ta’aalaa – said, “The cure for the hearts is in five things: reciting the Qur‘aan with reflection and contemplation; emptying the stomach (i.e. frequent fasting); praying at night; humbling oneself in the early hours of the morning; and being in the company of the saaliheen (righteous).”

Ibraaheem Ibn Adham (d.160H) – rahimahullaahu ta’aalaa – said in an admonition, when he was asked (by some people) about the saying of Allaah – the Most High -:

“Call upon Me and I will respond to you.” [Soorah Ghaafir 40:60]

(They said): We call upon Him, but He does not respond to us. So he said to them, “You know Allaah, yet you do not obey Him. You recite the Qur‘aan, but you do not act according to it. You know Shaytaan, but still agree with him. You claim to love Allaah’s Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam), yet you abandon his Sunnah. You claim to love Paradise, yet you do not work for it. You claim to fear the Fire, yet you do not stop sinning. You say: Indeed death is true, yet you have not prepared for it. You busy yourselves with the faults of others, but you do not look at your own faults. You eat the sustenance that Allaah provides for you, yet you are not grateful to Him. You bury your dead, but you have not heeded its lesson.”

We ask Allaah to grant us the ability to please Him and to bestow upon us His mercy.

Footnotes:

[1] He is the Imaam, the haafidh, the zaahid (abstainer from this world), the admonisher Abul-Faraj ’Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Ahmad Rajab as-Salamee better known as Ibn Rajab al-Hanbalee. Ibn Fahd said about him, “The Imaam, the haafidh, the hujjah (proof), the knowledgeable Scholar, the dependable one. He was one of the Scholars who shunned the world, and one of the Imaams and worshippers. He was an instructive Scholar from the Scholars of Hadeeth – and an admonisher of the Muslims.” Ibn Fahd also said, “He – rahimahullaahu ta’aalaa – was a pious Imaam who shunned the world. Hearts inclined towards him with love, and the different sects accepted him. His sittings for advising the general people were of great benefit and used to open up the hearts.” As-Suyootee said about him, “The Imaam, the haafidh, the Scholar of Hadeeth, the admonisher ’Abdur-Rahmaan…” He learnt from some of the major Scholars of his time, such as Ibnul-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, al-Haafidh al-’Iraaqee, Ibnun-Naqeeb and others. He authored many books in the field of tafseer, hadeeth, biography and history, raqaa‘iq (heart-affecting matters) and also in fiqh. He is enumerated as one of the great scholars of Fiqh of the Hanbalee madbhab – as is proven by his excellent book: al-Qawaa’idul-Kubraa fil-Furoo’ – about which Ibn Muflih said, “It is a proof about his complete knowledge of the madhhab.” And al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar also spoke with similar praises about the book. He – rahimahullaah – died in the year 795H.

For a complete biography, refer to: Inbaa‘ul-Ghamr bi Anbaa‘il-’Umar (3/175-176) and ad-Durarul-Kaaminah (2/321-322) of Ibn Hajr, Dhayl Tabaqaatul-Huffaadh (p.532) of as-Suyootee and Luhdhul-Labaadh (p.180-182) of Ibn Fahd al-Makkee. This article has been taken from the last chapter of his book: al-Khushoo’ fis-Salaah (p. 57-62).

[2] Saheeh: Related by Ibn Sa’d in at-Tabaqaat (1/23) in mursal form. However, it has been related in connected form by Ibn Maajah (no. 3312) and al-Haakim (3/47) from Aboo Mas’ood radiyallaahu ’anhu. Shaykh al-Albaanee authenticated it in as-Saheehah (no. 1876).

[3] Related by al-Bukhaaree (6/345), ad-Daarimee (2/320) and others, from ’Umar Ibnul-Khattaab radiyallaahu ’anhu.

[4] Related by Ahmad (2/321), al-Bazzaar (no. 4262) and al-Haythamee in al-Majma’ (9/18-19) where he said, “It has been narrated by Ahmad, al-Bazzaar and Abu Ya’laa, and its initial narrators are all the narrators of as-Saheeh.”

[5] Saheeh: Related by Ibn Sa’d in at-Tabaqaat (1/371) and Shaykh al-Albaanee authenticated it in Saheehul-Jaami’ (no. 8). Refer also to Takhreejul-Ihyaa‘ (2/4) of al-Haafidh al-’Iraaqee.

[6] Hasan: Related by al-Baghawee in Sharhus-Sunnah (no. 4683) and Abush-Shaykh in Akhlaaqun-Nabee (no. 213), and al-Haythamee authenticated it in al-Majma’ (9/19).

[7] Although this is a mursal narration, it does however, have support from those narrations that have already preceded, and it has a further witness from the narration of Ibn ’Abbaas – which is related by al-Baghawee (no. 3684) and Abush-Shaykh (no. 213-214).

[8] Da’eef Jiddan: Related by Ahmad (5/254) and at-Tirmidhee (no. 2348), from Aboo Umaamah radiyallaahu ’anhu. It was declared weak by Shaykh al-Albaanee in Da’eeful-Jaami’ (no. 3704).

The Story of the Boy and the King (from Surah Burooj) : Ibn Kathir

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014March 18, 2015

Imam Ahmad recorded from Suhayb that the Messenger of Allah said:Among the people who came before you, there was a king who had a sorcerer, and when that sorcerer became old, he said to the king, “I have become old and my time is nearly over, so please send me a boy whom I can teach magic.” So, he sent him a boy and the sorcerer taught him magic. Whenever the boy went to the sorcerer, he sat with a monk who was on the way and listened to his speech and admired them. So, when he went to the sorcerer, he passed by the monk and sat there with him; and on visiting the sorcerer the latter would thrash him. So, the boy complained about this to the monk. The monk said to him, “Whenever you are afraid of the sorcerer, say to him: `My people kept me busy.’ And whenever you are afraid of your people, say to them: `The sorcerer kept me busy.”’ So the boy carried on like that (for some time). Then a huge terrible creature appeared on the road and the people were unable to pass by. The boy said, “Today I shall know whether the sorcerer is better or the monk is better.” So, he took a stone and said, “O Allah! If the deeds and actions of the monk are liked by You better than those of the sorcerer, then kill this creature so that the people can cross (the road).” Then he struck it with a stone killing it and the people passed by on the road.

The boy came to the monk and informed him about it. The monk said to him, “O my son! Today you are better than I, and you have achieved what I see! You will be put to trial. And in case you are put to trial, do not inform (them) about me.”The boy used to treat the people suffering from congenital blindness, leprosy, and other diseases. There was a courtier of the king who had become blind and he heard about the boy. He came and brought a number of gifts for the boy and said, “All these gifts are for you on the condition that you cure me.” The boy said, “I do not cure anybody; it is only Allah who cures people. So, if you believe in Allah and supplicate to Him, He will cure you.” So, he believed in and supplicated to Allah, and Allah cured him.

Later, the courtier came to the king and sat at the place where he used to sit before. The king said, “Who gave you back your sight”The courtier replied, “My Lord.” The king then said, “I did” The courtier said, “No, my Lord and your Lord – Allah” The king said, “Do you have another Lord beside me” The courtier said, “Yes, your Lord and my Lord is Allah.” The king tortured him and did not stop until he told him about the boy. So, the boy was brought to the king and he said to him, “O boy! Has your magic reached to the extent that you cure congenital blindness, leprosy and other diseases”He said, ” I do not cure anyone. Only Allah can cure.” The king said, “Me” The boy replied, “No.” The king asked, “Do you have another Lord besides me”The boy answered, ” My Lord and your Lord is Allah.” So, he tortured him also until he told about the monk. Then the monk was brought to him and the king said to him, “Abandon your religion.” The monk refused and so the king ordered a saw to be brought which was placed in the middle of his head and he fell, sawn in two. Then it was said to the man who used to be blind, “Abandon your religion.” He refused to do so, and so a saw was brought and placed in the middle of his head and he fell, sawn in two. Then the boy was brought and it was said to him, “Abandon your religion.” He refused and so the king sent him to the top of such and such mountain with some people. He told the people, “Ascend up the mountain with him till you reach its peak, then see if he abandons his religion; otherwise throw him from the top.” They took him and when they ascended to the top, he said, ” O Allah! Save me from them by any means that You wish.” So, the mountain shook and they all fell down and the boy came back walking to the king. The king said, ” What did your companions (the people I sent with you) do” The boy said, “Allah saved me from them.” So, the king ordered some people to take the boy on a boat to the middle of the sea, saying, “If he renounces his religion (well and good), but if he refuses, drown him.” So, they took him out to sea and he said, “O Allah! Save me from them by any means that you wish.” So they were all drowned in the sea.

Then the boy returned to the king and the king said, “What did your companions do” The boy replied, “Allah, saved me from them.” Then he said to the king, “You will not be able to kill me until you do as I order you. And if you do as I order you, you will be able to kill me.” The king asked, “And what is that” The boy said, “Gather the people in one elevated place and tie me to the trunk of a tree; then take an arrow from my quiver and say: `In the Name of Allah, the Lord of the boy.’ If you do this, you will be able to kill me.” So he did this, and placing an arrow in the bow, he shot it, saying, “In the Name of Allah, the Lord of the boy.” The arrow hit the boy in the temple, and the boy placed his hand over the arrow wound and died. The people proclaimed, “We believe in the Lord of the boy!’’ Then it was said to the king, “Do you see what has happened That which you feared has taken place. By Allah, all the people have believed (in the Lord of the boy).”So he ordered that ditches be dug at the entrances to the roads and it was done, and fires were kindled in them. Then the king said, “Whoever abandons his religion, let him go, and whoever does not, throw him into the fire.” They were struggling and scuffling in the fire, until a woman and her baby whom she was breast feeding came and it was as if she was being somewhat hesitant of falling into the fire, so her baby said to her,”Be patient mother! For verily, you are following the truth!”)

Muslim also recorded this Hadith at the end of the Sahih. Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar related this story in his book of Sirah in another way that has some differences from that which has just been related. Then, after Ibn Ishaq explained that the people of Najran began following the religion of the boy after his murder, which was the religion of Christianity, he said, “Then (the king) Dhu Nuwas came to them with his army and called them to Judaism. He gave them a choice to either accept Judaism or be killed, so they chose death. Thus, he had a ditch dug and burned (some of them) in the fire (in the ditch), while others he killed with the sword. He made an example of them (by slaughtering them) until he had killed almost twenty thousand of them. It was about Dhu Nuwas and his army that Allah revealed to His Messenger :

(Cursed were the People of the Ditch. Of fire fed with fuel. When they sat by it. And they witnessed what they were doing against the believers. And they had no fault except that they believed in Allah, the Almighty, Worthy of all praise! To Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth! And Allah is Witness over everything.) (85:4-9)

This is what Muhammad bin Ishaq said in his book of Sirah — that the one who killed the People of the Ditch was Dhu Nuwas, and his name was Zur`ah. In the time of his kingdom he was called Yusuf. He was the son of Tuban As`ad Abi Karib, who was the Tubba` who invaded Al-Madinah and put the covering over the Ka`bah. He kept two rabbis with him from the Jews of Al-Madinah. After this some of the people of Yemen accepted Judaism at the hands of these two rabbis, as Ibn Ishaq mentions at length. So Dhu Nuwas killed twenty thousand people in one morning in the Ditch. Only one man among them escaped. He was known as Daws Dhu Tha`laban. He escaped on a horse and they set out after him, but they were unable to catch him. He went to Caesar, the emperor of Ash-Sham. So, Caesar wrote to An-Najashi, the King of Abyssinia. So, he sent with him an army of Abyssinian Christians, who were lead by Aryat and Abrahah. They rescued Yemen from the hands of the Jews. Dhu Nuwas tried to flee but eventually fell into the sea and drowned. After this, the kingdom of Abyssinia remained under Christian power for seventy years. Then the power was divested from the Christians by Sayf bin Dhi Yazin Al-Himyari when Kisra, the king of Persia sent an army there (to Yemen). He (the king) sent with him (Sayf Al-Himyari) those people who were in the prisons, and they were close to seven hundred in number. So, he (Sayf Al-Himyari) conquered Yemen with them and returned the kingdom back to the people of Himyar (Yemenis).

The Journey to Islam of a Monk from Rome – Dr. Saleh as-Saleh

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014March 17, 2015

Listen to the story here as told by Dr. Saleh as-Saleh (Rahimuhullah)
[audio https://salafiaudio.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/the-journey-to-islam-of-a-monk-from-rome-saleh-as-saleh.mp3]
Transcribed by – Fatimah bint Mohamed min Canada

Bismillahi rahmani raheem, alhamdulilahi rabil ‘alameen, wa sallallahu ‘alaah nabee-ina Muhammadin wa ‘alaah aleehi wasahbihi wasalam.

This is one fruit of the da’wah for the salif as salih, it was manifested in the baaytul maqdis, in the land of the Prophets in Palestine, May Allah (subhaanahu wa ta’alaa) relief it from the injustice of the Jews. In the beginning we remind ourselves of what Shaykh Albani (rahimullah) used to repeat, saying, “Alhamdulilahi ‘alaah n’matil islam, wa sunnah, alhamdulilah ‘alaah n’matil islaam, wa sunnah.” (All praises due to Allah, for the favor of Islam, and sunnah, for the favor of Islam which Allah bestowed, and the favor of as sunnah which he bestowed).

Here’s the story of the formal priest or monk by the formal name, Daniel of Rome. And his current name is Ibrahim. May Allah persevere him and give him steadfastness on the path of uprightness. He said I was an imam from the people of Rome, son of a rich, very rich family. Who lived his life in enjoyment and comfort, childhood and youth. Much of my youth was spent in enjoyment with friends, enjoying cars, and prestigious ones. And I had wealth with me and money, could buy what I liked. Nothing was short for me. But even from that age, I had a feeling that there is something really missing in this life. And that there is something, a kind of emptiness. That I needed to fill. So not all of this means of life which are handed to me, were my goal and target. So I went into the direction of deen, of religion. And I began to read the injeel. The gospel. And go to church. And filled myself with reciting religious Christian books. From these books I began to find some answers, to my questions. But yet, incomplete and imperfect. I used to get up early each day, and go to the beach. Contemplating and pondering on the sea and reading the books and praying. Two months after this, I became convinced that I am unable to carry on a normal life after becoming religious. So I went to my father and I told him I cannot continue to work with him and I went to my mother, and my brothers, and I told them I decided to leave them and I prepared my luggage and took the train. Not knowing where I was going.

I arrived at the city of Bologna and I joined a monastery there and went on top of a high mountain and stayed on its top for about a month. Speaking to no one. Only reading and worshipping. I stayed for almost three years, moving from one monastery to another. Reading and worshipping. Not like the other priests or monks who couldn’t leave their monasteries because I did not give the promise to become a monk in a specific monastery. And this promise normally prevents many from leaving these monasteries which they assign themselves to. After this trip, I decided to make another trip in other countries, other than Italy. So I began my journey. Long journey. From Italy. Passing by Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and from there to India. All in land. I heard the Adhan in Turkey. And I also heard the Adhan in Cairo, in a previous trip. However, this time the Adhan in Turkey affected me. And I loved it. And on my way back, at the Iranian/Pakistani borders, I came to encounter a Shiite person who invited me with his friends and began discussing Islam to me in accordance to the Shiite concepts. And they mentioned to me, the twelve Imams and they didn’t mention to me the Islam. The principle of Islam. Rather they focused on Shiiism and Ali (radiAllahu Ta’alaa anhu – May Allah be pleased with him). And their awaiting of their Imam for their deliverance who will come in their opinion to deliver mankind. All of these discussions did not arouse an interest in me. And there were not answers to the many questions I’m searching for, concerning the truth.

So this Shiite person presented me with the offer to learn Islam in the city of Qum, the Iranian city, of Qum. And as you know, the city of Qum is the leading city of their schools, of shiism or rafidaah. So they offered that I stay with them at Qum for three months. However, I continued my journey and I left them. and I went to India. And when I stepped from the train, I saw people carrying lamps in the early dawn hours. Rushing in the direction of the city’s center. So I followed them. and I saw them making tawaff, circulating around a kaaf made of gold. There I realized that India is not place for me to look for what I was looking for. Afterwards, I returned to Italy. And I stayed one month, one complete month at the hospital. And I almost lost my life because of the illness I carried from India but Allah (subhanahu wa Ta’ala) preserved me, walhamdulilah and all praise is due to him. I left the hospital to my home. And I began to think about the next steps in my long journey. The steps I should take. So I became more determined to continue my search for the truth. I returned to the monastery and I began to practice the monk’s life in one of the monasteries in Rome. Where the chief monk asked me to deliver the speech of the word, and the promise on that night. I really thought deeply and in the morning I decided that I’m not going to give them the speech and this promise. So I left the monastery. I felt that there was something inside me, pushing me, to get out from the monastery.

Therefore, afterwards, I decided to go to al Quds, Jerusalem because of my belief in its holiness. So I left to al Quds, in land, passing through the same countries, I passed earlier in my journey to India. Until I reached Syria, Lebanon, ‘Amaan, and al Quds where I stayed for 1 week. Thereafter, I returned to Italy. And I had more and more questions. I returned to my home, and I opened the injeel, the gospel. And I felt that it was a must for me to read the gospel from the beginning. So I began with the Tura, going through the narrations of the Prophets of Bani Israel, the children of Israel, and through this stage, the true meanings of the message which Allah (subhaanahu wa Ta’alaa) revealed became to crystallize. And I began to feel it. And this brought other questions which I did not find the answers to. I tried to find answers to these questions, through my search in my library filled with books connected to the gospel and the Torah. Thereupon, I remembered the sound of Adhan which I used to hear through my trips and thereupon, I realized that the Muslims believe in one god, no other god, except Him. and this is the thing which I really believed, so I said it is a must therefore that I should, learn Islam. So I began collecting books about Islam. And with me was the glorious Qur’an, translated into the Italian language. Which I bought on one of my trips. And after I read these books, I realized Islam is not as understood with many in the West as a religion of killing, and domination. Rather I found it as a religion of Rahma, of mercy. And I found it close in meaning, with the true meaning of Torah and the gospel. So I decided to return to al Quds because I believed that the Quds was a place of the previous messages received by the Prophets.

However this time, I took the plane from Italy to Bayt al Maqdis. And I dwelt in a place used by the monks and those who come to the archery, the Armenian one in the old city. I didn’t carry in my suitcase except few clothes, and the translated meaning of the Qur’an to the Italian language, the gospel and the Torah. So I began to read more and more. And compare between what’s in the Qur’an and what’s in the Torah, and the gospel. So I realized it was close to the message of Mosaa, and ‘Isaa (‘alayhimu salam), the True one. So I began to speak to some Muslims, asking them about Islam. Until I met my dear friend, Waseem Hajeer. And we talked about Islam. And I met many friends, and they used to explain Islam to me. And after that, brother Waseem said to me that he will arrange for me a meeting and one of the callers to Allah in al Quds. So the meeting was with the dear brother Amjad Salham. And we had a good talk about Islam. And one of the most things that really affected me was the story of the honorable companion, Salman al Fareesi, may Allah be pleased with him. because of the resemblance of my story to his, in terms of searching for the truth. Another meeting took place with brother Amjad and his companions. And from them was fadeelatu Shaykh, Hisham al ‘rif, hafidahullah. And as you know, Hisham al ‘rif, was on the path of the Salaf, May Allah persevere him and that he teaches at the masjid al Aqsa at the Quds. There a conversation between me and him, about Islam and its greatness took place. And I had some questions and he answered them. and I continued to visit with Amjad and Amjad used to clarify many of the issues to me.

Thereupon I had two choices. Either I follow upon the truth, or reject it. And I could not reject after I believed that Islam is the right path. And during this time, I was sitting alone, feeling that the moment has come to utter kalimatu Tawheed. The statement of Tawhid. And at the station of Tawhid and to utter the shahadah. And my brother Amjad came, and the time for Adhan for Salaatu Duhr, had commenced. Thereupon I uttered the Shahadah, ash hadu an la illaha ilal lah, wa ash hadu ana muhammadan rasoolulah. Brother Amjad hugged me and congratulated me on Islam. And we made Sujood of thankfulness of Allah, for this n’maah. And he asked me to make Ghusl, take a bath, and go to masjid al Aqsa, for suraatu duhr. And after the salaah was finished, I met the musaleen, the people praying, with the testimony of la illaha ilal lah, wa muhammadan rasoolulah, which Allah has bestowed upon me, and afterwards, I began seeking knowledge, and Allah (subhaanahu wa Ta’alaa) guided me to seek knowledge on the path upon which the Messenger (sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam) and his companions, May Allah pleased with them. walhamdulilah, ‘aalal islami, wa sunnah. And all praise to Allah for Islam and sunnah. Wa sallallahu ‘alaa Muhammadiin wa ‘alaah aleehi wa asahbihi ajma’een. This is the story of Brother Ibrahim, formerly Daniel. The former priest or monk of Rome, and his acceptance of Islam, after the long search for the truth. We ask Allah (subhanahu wa Ta’ala) to accept from him and to give him steadfastness, and to give us steadfastness with him on the deen of the truth. And to guide those who are seeking the truth as well. Walhamdulilahi rabil ‘alameen, wa sallalahu ‘alaa nabee-inaa Muhammad, wa ‘alaah aleehi wa sahbihi wa salim.

Was the Prophet (peace be upon him) created from light? – Al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014March 10, 2015

Question:

Most people think that things were created from the light of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and that his light was created from the light of Allaah.

They narrate, “I am the light of Allaah and everything is from my light” and also, “The first thing that Allaah created was the light of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).” Is there any basis for this?

They also narrate “I am ‘Arab without (the letter) ‘ayn, i.e., Rabb, and I am Ahmad without (the letter) meem, i.e., Ahad.” Is there any basis for this?

Praise be to Allaah.

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has been described as being light from the light of Allaah. If what is meant by this is that he himself is from the light of Allaah, then this goes against the Qur’aan, which refers to his being human. If what is meant is that he is light in the sense that he brought the Revelation by which whoever Allah wills of His creation is guided, then this is correct. The committee has issued a fatwa concerning this matter, as follows:

“The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has light which is the light of the message and guidance from Allaah, through which Allaah guides whomsoever He will of His slaves. No doubt the light of the message and of guidance comes from Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

‘It is not given to any human being that Allaah should speak to him unless (it be)by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or (that) He sends a Messenger to reveal what He wills by His Leave. Verily, He is Most High, Most Wise.

And thus We have sent to you (O Muhammad) Roohan (an Inspiration, and a Mercy) of Our Command. You knew not what is the Book, nor what is Faith? But We have made it (this Qur’aan) a light wherewith We guide whosoever of Our slaves We will. And verily, you (O Muhammad) are indeed guiding (mankind) to the Straight Path (i.e., Allaah’s religion of Islamic monotheism), —

The path of Allaah, to Whom belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. Verily, all the matters at the end go to Allaah (for decision).”[al-Shura 42:51-53]

This light is not derived from the Seal of the Awliya’ as some heretics claim. The body of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was blood and flesh and bone, and so on. He was created from a father and a mother, and had no existence before he was born. The reports which say that the first thing created by Allaah was the light of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or that Allaah grasped a handful of the light from His Face and that this handful was Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then He looked at it and it formed drops, and from each of these drops He created a Prophet, or He created all of creation from the light of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – all of these reports and the like are not saheeh, and nothing like this has been narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).”

From the fatwa quoted above, it is clear that this is a false belief.

As for the report which says “I am ‘Arab without (the letter) ‘ayn, i.e., Rabb, and I am Ahmad without (the letter) meem, i.e., Ahad” – the attributes of Lordship (ruboobiyah, from Rabb meaning Lord) and Absolute Unity (Ahad meaning One) are attributes that belong uniquely to Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. It is not permissible for any one of His creation to be described as “the Lord (Rabb)” or as being One (Ahad) in absolute terms. These are attributes that belong exclusively to Allaah, and are not used to describe the Messengers or any other human beings. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

Al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Ifta’ (Standing Committee for Academic Research and the Issuing of Fatwas).

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 1/310.

Question:

Is it said that Allaah created the heavens and earth for the purpose of creating the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? What is the meaning of the words, “Were it not for you, the universe [lit. heavenly bodies] would not have been created”? Is there any basis for this hadeeth? Is it saheeh or not? Please give us the facts.

Answer:

The heavens and earth were not created for the sake of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). They were created for the reason mentioned by Allaah in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“It is Allaah Who has created seven heavens and of the earth the like thereof (i.e., seven). His Command descends between them (heavens and earth), that you may know that Allaah has power over all things, and that Allaah surrounds (comprehends) all things in (His) Knowledge.”[al-Talaaq 65:12]

As for the hadeeth mentioned, it is falsely attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and has no grounds for authenticity. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 1/312.

A Brief Discussion on Hijrah : Shaikh ‘Abdur-Rahmaan bin Qaasim An-Najdee

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014January 14, 2015

His Explanation of “Thalaathat-ul-Usool”
Al-Ibaanah.com

In his explanation (sharh) of Imaam Muhammad bin ‘Abdil-Wahhaab’s treatise Thalaathat-ul-Usool, Shaikh ‘Abdur-Rahmaan bin Qaasim [Died 1392H], may Allaah have mercy on him, said:

The author states: “Hijrah means: Moving from a Land of Shirk to a Land of Islaam.” This is in order to preserve one’s religion. The Muhaajireen (migrants) were called by this name because they left behind their lands and homes where they had grown up, for the sake of Allaah, and instead joined a land in which they had no family or wealth. This was the case when they migrated to Madeenah. Therefore, everyone that separates himself from his homeland is a Muhaajir (migrant). The root of the word “Muhaajarah” comes from breaking away, separating oneself and remaining far away from somebody.

The author says: “It is obligatory upon this ummah to migrate from a Land of Shirk to a Land of Islaam.” This is affirmed by the Book, the Sunnah and the unanimous consensus of the scholars. The one who abandons Hijrah is threatened with punishment. Several scholars have relayed that there is consensus on the obligation of Hijrah from the Land of Shirk to the Land of Islaam. In fact, Allaah obligated the Hijrah upon His Messenger (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and his Companions before He obligated fasting and Hajj, as is agreed upon in the books of principles and subsidiary issues, and well known from the Religion by necessity.

His statement: “And this is everlasting until the (Final) Hour is established” is based on the unanimous agreement of the trustworthy scholars. Shaikh-ul-Islaam (Ibn Taimiyyah) said: “One cannot be safe from Shirk unless he remains far away from its adherents.”

The author continues: “The proof for this is Allaah’s saying: “Verily, as for those whom the angels take (in death) while they are wronging themselves…” i.e. by residing amidst the disbelievers. This ayah was revealed concerning a group of people from the inhabitants of Makkah who professed Islaam but yet did not migrate. So Allaah says: “Verily, as for those whom the angels take (in death).” He is either referring to the Angel of Death and his supporters or just the Angel of Death alone, since the Arabs would speak to one person using the plural form. “…while they are wronging themselves…” by abandoning Hijrah. “They (angels) will say (to them): ‘In what (condition) were you?’” Meaning: Why did you keep living here and not make Hijrah? This is a rebuking, reprimanding, and scolding type of question. Its meaning is: Why did you continue to live here and not make Hijrah? Which side were you on? This is even though the angels know well what side those who didn’t make Hijrah, after it was obligated on them, were on.

Allaah’s saying: “We were weak and oppressed in the earth” means: “We were not able to make Hijrah. We did not have the ability to leave our land nor to travel through the earth.”

“They (angels) will say: ‘Was not the earth of Allaah spacious enough for you to migrate therein?’” This refers to Madeenah – such that they migrate to it and abandon the people of Shirk. The angels did not accept their excuse. And in a hadeeth, it states: “Whoever commingles with a polytheist and resides with him, then he is indeed like him.” [Reported by Abu Dawood and others in various ahaadeeth]

Concerning Allaah’s statement: “…Such men will find their abode in Hell – what an evil destination”, this means: What an evil path to Hell. This shows that the one who abandons Hijrah after it has been made obligatory on him is committing one of the major sins.

Allaah’s saying: “…Except the weak ones among men, and women and children…” refers to those who are unable to perform the Hijrah. The word “children” here refers to both male and female children before the age of puberty.

“Who cannot devise a plan” means: To separate themselves from the polytheists. So these types of people cannot devise a plan or do not have monetary means or power to leave. “Nor are they able to direct their way” means: They do not know of any way to leave from Makkah to Madeenah, since it had become a land of Islaam.

“These are the ones whom Allaah is (most) likely to forgive” meaning: He will pardon those who failed to make Hijrah due to weakness and valid excuses. When Allaah uses “likely” for Himself, it is binding since it is something He desires.

“And Allaah is Ever Oft-Pardoning, Most Forgiving.” This means that He is Oft-Pardoning, overlooking their trespasses, and Most Forgiving to those who turn to Him in repentance. He does not burden a soul with a responsibility except that He gave it the ability to handle it.

Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “My mother and I used to be from among the weak ones, and the Prophet (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would supplicate for the weak ones while in prayer.”

Allaah says: “O My servants who believe (in Me)! Verily, My earth is spacious.” Allaah orders His believing servants to migrate from the land in which they are not able to establish the Religion to His vast earth. So He informs us that the earth is not constricted, but rather vast, encompassing all of the creatures. If a person is in a land in which he cannot openly practice his Religion, then indeed Allaah has made the earth vast for him so that he could worship him in it as He has commanded him.

Hijrah is likewise obligatory upon everyone that resides in a land in which sins are openly committed and he is not able to change that. Allaah then says: “So to Me alone, perform your worship.” This means: “Single Me out in worship in My vast earth, which I created as well as everything upon it for you. And I created you upon it to worship Me.”

In a qudsee hadeeth, Allaah says: “Son of Aadam, I created you for My sake (i.e. to worship Me.), and I created all things for your sake.”

The author states: “Al-Baghawee, may Allaah have mercy on him, said…” His nickname was Muhyee-us-Sunnah, Abu Muhammad Al-Husayn bin Mas’ood Al-Faraa’. He was the author of the Tafseer, Sharh-us-Sunnah and other books. He passed away in 516H.

He (i.e. Al-Baghawee) said: ‘The reason for the revelation of this ayah was due to some Muslims who had resided in Makkah and did not migrate (to Madeenah). Allaah called out to them using the title of Eemaan (for them).” He reported this on a group amongst the Taabi’een. So he is implying that the one who abandons Hijrah after it has been made obligatory on him is not a disbeliever. Rather, he is sinful and disobedient by having abandoned it. So he is still a believer, but yet has deficient Eemaan. Therefore, he is one of the sinful believers.

The author (i.e. Muhammad bin ‘Abdil-Wahhaab) continues: “The proof for Hijrah from the Sunnah is…”, i.e. proof for the obligation of performing Hijrah from the Land of Shirk to the Land of Islaam from the Sunnah of Muhammad (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), which we were ordered to follow.

The Prophet (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Hijrah will not cease until repentance ceases…” This means: Migrating from the Land of Shirk to the Land of Islaam will not come to an end until the repentance comes to an end, i.e. until repentance ceases to be accepted from those who repent. This hadeeth shows that so long as repentance is accepted, Hijrah is obligatory due to its presence.

As for the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas: “There is no (more) Hijrah after the Conquest (of Makkah), but instead Jihaadand (good) intention” then what this means is: “There is no (more) Hijrah after the Conquest of Makkah from Makkah to Madeenah since Makkah had become a Land of Islaam after it was conquered. This was since a group of people wanted to migrate from Makkah to Madeenah thinking that this was something encouraged. So the Prophet (sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) explained to them that he only encouraged this when Makkah was a Land of Disbelief. But as for when it became a Land of Islaam, then it did not apply anymore. So this means: “There is no (more) Hijrah from Makkah to Madeenah.” But as for the establishment and continuity of Hijrah from the Lands of Shirk to the Lands of Islaam, then this is well-known by way of the texts and unanimous agreement.

Hijrah and Residing in the Lands of Disbelief : Shaykh Al-Albani

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014September 25, 2017

Translated by Abdullah MacPhee in Daarul-Hadeeth, Dammaaj

In the tape series ‘Al-Hudaa wa An-Noor’ tape # 617, Al-Imaam Al-Albaanee was asked:

“Residing in the lands of disbelief, like that is the question, the question is about this matter, and in addition to it the American people who are Muslims, the Americans who are originally Muslims, is it incumbent upon them to make hijrah from there?”

Al-Imaam Al-Albaanee answered:

“Is there any doubt about that? Because of these people He said: ‘Was not the earth of Allaah spacious enough for you to emigrate therein’ (An-Nisaa: 97)

However before your last question, the first part, what is it? I don’t know do you still insist on asking it that we answer it?”

(The questioner): “I would be grateful if you were to answer.”

(The Sheikh): “What?”

(The questioner): “I would be grateful if you were to answer.”

(The Sheikh): “I believe the first part of the question would be understood inclusively from answering the second part of it, however, perhaps from that which is best is to explain what has come in the Sunnah from the authentic hadeeths which warn the Muslim from taking the lands of disbelief as a homeland. There is in the science of Fiqh and Usool a Qiyaas called Al-Qiyaas Al-Awlawee. If the people of the land born and hereditarily (from there) when they embrace Islaam it is incumbent upon them to make hijrah to the lands of Islaam then more so the one who is on the opposite of that, being born in the lands of Islaam and raised and brought up, it is not permissible for him to travel, and I don’t say make hijrah, to the lands of disbelief. This is even more so.

However, with that I say the hadeeths have come one after the other prohibiting the Muslim from traveling to the lands of disbelief. From that is the hadeeth which Abu Dawud transmitted in his Sunan on the Prophet (peace be upon him); that he said with the best form of expression: ‘Whoever is close together with the polytheist then he is like him.’

And the being close together mentioned is mixing together, meaning living together. And other hadeeths have come emphasizing this meaning with the clearest wording. He (peace be upon him); says: ‘The Muslim and the polytheist, their fire is not to appear to one another.’

The Muslim and the polytheist, their fire is not to appear to one another. This is an expression meaning that it is incumbent upon the Muslim that his residence be far away from the residence of the polytheist, because the Arabs from their custom is that they light the fire in front of their abodes, in front of their tents, so the fire appears to the one approaching from a distance. So it is as if the Messenger (peace be upon him) is saying to the Muslim; stay far away, stay far away as much as you can from having the disbelieving polytheist see your fire. The Muslim and the polytheist, their fire is not to appear to one another. A third hadeeth also emphasizes this, and it is his (peace be upon him) statement: ‘I am free from every Muslim who resides amongst the polytheists.’

These are very clear texts that emphasize that it is not permissible for the Muslim to reside amongst the polytheists. And the wisdom in that is very clear. Not from the analogical stand point or the intellectual standpoint or experience wise, because this is a secondary matter with regards to the traditional texts. There are some hadeeths which it is possible to use as a basis to use as an answer to a question that could occur to some minds when they hear those hadeeths. What is the secret? What is the purpose? What is the wisdom of the prohibition from the Messenger (peace be upon him) of the Muslim from living together with the polytheist? There are two hadeeths suitable to mention as an answer to this question. The first is his (peace be upon him) statement: ‘The example of the righteous sitting companion is like the one who sells misk. Either he gives you some as a gift or you buy from him or you smell from him a good fragrance. And the example of the evil sitting companion is like the ironsmith. Either he is going to burn your clothes or you are going to smell from him an offensive smell.’

This is the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) bringing forth an example for the sitting on a reduced scale. A reduced scale sitting, you sit with one person. So he is saying to you, if he is righteous then the example of him is like the one who sells misk, to the end of the hadeeth, or if he is evil then he is like the ironsmith. Either he is going to burn your clothes or you are going to smell from him an offensive smell. The second hadeeth which emphasizes the first hadeeth and the reality increases it in emphasis, it is what Al-Imaam Muslim transmitted and perhaps Al-Bukhaaree also in the Saheeh on the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said: ‘A man from those before you killed ninety nine people then afterwards he wanted to make Tawbah (repentance) so he asked about the most knowledge of the people on earth, so he was directed to a Raahib. He then went to him and said to him, ‘I have killed ninety nine people so is there any Tawbah for me?’ He said, ‘You killed ninety nine people and you ask is there any Tawbah for you! There is no Tawbah for you.’ He then completed with him number one hundred. Then he continued to ask until he was directed to a person of knowledge.’

Before hand he was directed to a Raahib, meaning an ignorant person engrossed in worship. So he gave a verdict with his ignorance so his outcome was that he added him to the murdered ones before him. The second time he was directed to a person of knowledge.

‘So he went to him and said to him, ‘I have killed one hundred people unjustly, is there any Tawbah for me?’ He said, ‘What prevents you from Tawbah? However, you are in an evil land so leave it to such and such town which its people are righteous.’ So he went to go to them, to the end of the hadeeth and it is well known inshaallaah.

The highlight is that this person of knowledge has an understanding of the Fiqh of this hadeeth or these hadeeths, and this does not declare impossible that these hadeeths the Messenger (peace be upon him) narrated them to us, this does not prevent this from being from the understanding of the Prophets beforehand (peace be upon him) because they all used to draw from one source of light (guidance). So therefore, this person of knowledge understands this reality, that the contaminated atmosphere it can infect the righteous person when he intermixes with it. This is an example from the stand point of diseases, the diseases that are contagious. And because of that it has come for this point the quarantine well known today and the Messenger (peace be upon him) has put in place his principle in the well known hadeeth: ‘If a plague occurs in a land and you are in it then don’t leave it, and if a plague occurs in a land and you are not in it then don’t enter it.’

Like that. Therefore, the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) when he prohibited the Muslims from taking the lands of disbelief as a homeland, that is only to protect their Aqeedah, their worship, their manners. So because of this he made it incumbent not upon the polytheists, this is an important matter also, rarely have I addressed it when I speak about the likes of this issue, the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) or the wise legislator, not only made it incumbent upon the polytheists when they embrace Islaam that they make hijrah to the lands of Islaam, rather he made it incumbent upon the Bedouins to make hijrah from their nomadic life to their sedentary life. This, in it is a regard for the same meaning because the Messenger (peace be upon him) says in some of the hadeeths: ‘Whoever becomes a Bedouin he becomes harsh.’

So when the Bedouin lives after being taught Tawheed and learning what is incumbent upon him for correcting his faith and his Islaam then he goes back to his nomadic area and lives there, he could be influenced by the harshness which is from the normal way of the Bedouins. So if the Messenger (peace be upon him) encouraged the Bedouins firstly to return to sedentary life, then he tied into that a legislative ruling, and it is that they don’t have any right to the spoils of war that the Muslims capture from fighting the disbelievers, then more so and more so and more so he makes it incumbent upon the Muslims to remain in their lands and that they don’t move to the lands of disbelief and polytheism and misguidance. Especially in these days because you know that the Jews and the Christians, even if they are misguided because of their going astray firstly from Tawheed which has reached them from their Prophets and again because of their denial of our Prophet (peace be upon him) they with that used to be upon something of good manners and good character and so on. And he who is in my age group or close to it, he knows that the women of the Christians in the lands of Islaam, they used to cover with a covering better than many of the Muslim women today. The meaning of this statement is that the people of the book, sinfulness and immorality and nudity was not widespread amongst them the widespread way that the people of intellect, if there are people of intellect amongst them from the disbelievers, complain about in their lands. So because of that how can it be permissible for a Muslim to expose himself to this society contaminated by immorality and this decadence? This is what I have in response to that question.”

Later on in the tape Al-Imaam Al-Albaanee said: “Here is a Shubhah that must be mentioned on this occasion and it is a deceptive Shubhah that many of the youths are deceived by. They say: ‘Yaa Sheikh, by Allaah, we here, religious freedom is more than that in our country.’ This from some angles is correct. However, I take them by surprise with the reality that they live in. I say to them: ‘Are you able to raise your voices with the Adhaan?’ He says: ‘No.’ I say: ‘Where is the freedom that you claim?’ Then I remind them of the long term. You, if you are fleeing with your deen, you cling, to the lands of disbelief, is it possible for you to conceive that you will be able to set up an Islamic state where you are in America, in France, and so on, except after centuries and long centuries? Which of the two affairs is more likely, that you return to your countries and work together with your brothers there to establish the Islamic society and the Islamic lifestyle from which springs the establishment of the Islamic state and ruling by Islaam, or is it more likely over there? No, by Allaah, they say, in the lands of Islaam it is more likely. Because changing those lands of disbelief to the likes of what the situation is in the Islamic lands requires centuries. Therefore you are living in delusions. You say: ‘We live in freedom greater than the lands of Islaam.’ This is a delusion and this is a fantasy. Yes you pray and you fast and so on, however, most of your fasting, most of your prayer is not in the legislated manner. Furthermore, put this regard aside, you hear from there problems which the youths are exposed to regarding marriage to some of the women of the people of the book, they claim, and having children afterwards, and the disputing when the woman divorces him, he did not divorce her, then his son or daughter remains with her not him and so on; Problems that we are constantly asked about. These don’t occur in the lands of Islaam. Due to that the reality which there is no doubt about is that it is not permissible for the Muslim today to live in the lands of disbelief. So if he is exiled from his land where he was born, it is allowed for him to move to another land from the lands of Islaam. This is what I recall or what I saw necessary to mention pertaining to examining this issue.

(A questioner): Yaa Sheikh, concerning this issue they mention something close to what you mentioned, a Shubhah that the lands have become similar in sinfulness and immorality, the lands of Islaam and the lands of disbelief, and the (Islamic) rulings are not being enforced. So what is your opinion?

(The Sheikh): We have said beforehand regarding sinfulness and immorality, it is not permissible to compare the lands of Islaam to those lands. As for regarding the rulings, correct, sadly, many of the Islamic rulings have been rendered void and have been abandoned. However, Qiyaas here is Qiyaas with the existence of the distinguishing factor because the lands of Islaam many of the rulings still exist in it upon Islaam and at the very least upon some of the Islamic madhhabs. As for there, only the Qaanoon (the man made law) exists there which has judicial power over all of them. So this also is a distortion. They want by it to justify what they are upon from the residing that opposes the Sharee’ah. Furthermore I also say, and as it is said: the speech is connected together, our Lord says in the Noble Qur’aan: ‘And whoever amongst you takes them as friends then verily he is one of them.’ (Al-Maa’idah: 51)

What do you think, the one who lives in a land of disbelief, is he having Muwaalaah (befriending, showing loyalty, supporting etc.) for that land or showing enmity to it? I want to hear the answer from the doctor to loosen up the atmosphere a little bit…

Whichever Muslim travels to a land of disbelief, is he having Muwaalaah for this land and its rulers or is he showing enmity?

(The doctor): No he is not having Muwaalaah, the land and its rulers and its government he is not having Muwaalaah for them.

(The Sheikh): He is not having Muwaalaah? Is he showing enmity?

(The doctor): He is averse, not showing enmity, yes showing enmity, however he perhaps does not do any act of enmity, however he is averse to it.

(The Sheikh): He is averse?

(The doctor): Yes

(The Sheikh): Then why does he take it as residence?

(The doctor): Because of this need as you have mention.

(The Sheikh): Na’am, in that case we say in response why… (A cut in the tape)

(The doctor): Because of the need to resided there.

(The Sheikh): However the need must prove to be true.

(The doctor): No, No. I am saying because of what you mentioned. The answer to your question is what you previously mentioned. The answer to your question is the Muslim who resides in the lands of the disbelievers, is he having Muwaalaah for them or showing enmity to them. If you consider merely residing Muwaalaah this is another matter. If you are asking about the Muwaalaah of the heart, no the Muslim is not having Muwaalaah for them, normally, he resides but he is not having Muwaalaah for them. Meaning he does not love them, pardon me, he is averse to their ways.

(The Sheikh): Pardon me, is Muwaalaah in the heart only or outwardly also?

(The doctor): In the heart and outwardly.

(The Sheikh): You intended in the heart.

(The doctor): He is not having Muwaalaah for them. He is not pleased with what they are upon. He disapproves of that. He calls to the opposite of it. He does not implement it upon himself. Meaning Muwaalaah is not materialized. I don’t see it to be materialized. He remaining amongst them is forbidden. This is a matter. As for Muwaalaah, it is not clear that he is having Muwaalaah. It is possible that he reside amongst a people while he is averse to them, averse to what they are upon.

(The Sheikh): Tayyib. He does not assist them, Yaa Ustaadh?

(The doctor): Yes he assists in the general way of life in the dunyaa. Is this from Muwaalaah?

(The Sheikh): Isn’t he upon their Qawaaneen (man made laws)?

(The doctor): Yes they rule him by it.

(The Sheikh): Tayyib. How is Muwaalaah? Muwaalaah is forbidden. How is it done?

(The doctor): Even in the lands of the Muslims we rule by un-Islamic laws.

(The Sheikh): pardon me, now let us finish with over there then we can come back to the lands of Islaam.

(The doctor): He firstly is residing with them. They themselves have the ability with the rule of law. They implement it, he carries it out. He is not able to avoid it, even if some avoid some things however he carries out most of it. However the laws of disbelief being implemented upon him, it is forced upon him. Is this Muwaalaah? This is a question that applies even to the lands of the Muslims.

(The Sheikh): No, No. It does not apply. Baarakallaah feek. However, I don’t know this jump, is it analogical, from the land of disbelief to the lands of Islaam.

(The doctor): No, it is a jump, the jump Yaa Sheikh is because of an answer to the question. Is merely their laws being applied on them, the laws are applied so he complies with them upon these laws. Is this Muwaalaah? The answer, yes their laws are applied on him. This is the answer to the question. Is this Muwaalaah? You mentioned that this is Muwaalaah. So I say if this is Muwaalaah then all of us in all lands, un-Islamic laws are applied on us.

(The Sheikh): They are not the same. Baarakallaah feek. I am going to say to you now as long as you continue to use Qiyaas. I say to you there is a very big difference. The Muslim he must have an abode, a place of shelter. He must have that. So he must have a land for this shelter, and this land it must either be a land, I don’t say Islamic now, let it be more specific than that beforehand, its residents are Muslims or another land its residents are disbelievers. So he chose to reside in the second land not the first, and another chose to reside in the first land. Is the example of the two the same?

(The doctor): No they are not the same.

(The Sheikh): Baarakallaah feek. That is what was thought. Because of that your Qiyaas of the land of disbelief with the Muslim land does not stand straight. Because the Muslim he must have as I have brought beforehand a place of shelter that he uses for shelter. Therefore, either this place of shelter of his is in a Muslim land or in a land of disbelief. So when he resides in a Muslim land, we say here going along with you, this one is forced to comply with this land in its rulings. However, I have said beforehand there is a difference between the rulings that are applied in the lands of Islaam and the rulings which are applied in the lands of disbelief even if it is five percent, ten percent whatever percentage. What is important is there is a difference. So this one who must have a place of residence and a residency, he is forced to live under these rulings. However, there is another difference. Now I bring forth for you an example for this land and that land. Regarding car insurance, in it as you know there are two types of insurance, compulsory insurance and voluntary insurance. Good, in some land he is forced to have the two types of insurance while in another land he is forced to have one type of insurance. The two lands in good and evil are similar, there is absolutely no difference, to bring the issue closer to comprehension. The Muslim chose the land in which the two types of insurance are forced on him. Is it said that this one is like the first one?

(The doctor): No, he is not like that one.

(The Sheikh): Therefore, Baarakallaah feek, it is necessary that the Muslim always takes into consideration that there is a difference. Let me mention an example, Muwaalaah, there is a difference in Muwaalaah. Muwaalaah is a must, like the Muslim who resides in the lands of Islaam and he pays many, many taxes and sales taxes. This one is excused. Where is he to go? Here it is not said to him: ‘Was not the earth of Allaah spacious enough for you to emigrate therein’ (An-Nisaa: 97)

As for that person who rules with a Qaanoon from beginning to end, he is a Kaafir, and every day, without exaggeration, at every interval changes enter it because it is from that which man has produced. The Qaanoon in the lands of Islaam is not like this in farness from Islaam. There is a difference in it be it small or large, this is not our subject. Therefore, we go along with you, the Muslim in the land of Islaam is having Muwaalaah, however, he is not able to do anything except this. This Muwaalaah is outward and it is not in the heart. As for there, it is in the heart and outward because he is able to escape from that by living in the lands of Islaam being forced to the likes of this bodily Muwaalaah not Muwaalaah of the heart. I hope that these matters are taken into consideration because the reality helps us to make the Muslims understand the Islamic rulings and so that they return to increasing the masses of their nation inside their land instead of increasing the masses of the disbelievers.

I put forth a very simple example. The Muslim in the lands of Islaam, Allaahu Akbar…

(I think there was a pause for the Adhaan)

Perhaps you recall with me a hadeeth in the Sunan of Abu Dawud and others. A man entered and said: ‘As-Salaamu Alaikum.’ So he (peace be upon him) said: ‘Ten.’ A second man entered: ‘As-Salaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah.’ ‘Twenty.’ A third man entered. He said: ‘As-Salaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakaatuh.’ He said: ‘Thirty.’ They said: ‘O Messenger of Allaah, so and so entered so you said ten,’ to the end. He said: ‘The first said As-Salaamu Alaikum so ten good deeds were recorded for him. The second added so twenty were recorded for him. The third, thirty. These good deeds that the Muslim acquires in the lands of Islaam, does he acquire them there? What do you think?

(The doctor): No.

(The Sheikh): This is a very small example. So now I say to you, another example very small. This example differs from one Muslim land to another Muslim land, rather, from a Muslim locality to another Muslim locality in the same land, from a Muslim locality to another Muslim locality, rather, from house to house. Is there something more reduced than this? Is there something smaller than this? There is not. How is this? A Muslim land, however, and from it is this land, you say to him: ‘As-Salaamu Alaikum.’ He says to you: ‘Marhabaa.’ ‘When you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with what is better than it or return it…’ (An-Nisaa: 86)

He is not raised in an Islamic manner. I am coming closer home a little bit with some small examples. As-Salaamu Alaikum, wa Alaikum As-Salaam. However, in the smallest example he entered and said: ‘As-Salaamu Alaikum.’ He left and said: ‘As-Salaamu Alaikum’ going about and automatically good deeds are recorded one after another. Allaah knows best from twenty four hours how much the total of these good deeds is. Why? Because he lives in a Muslim Salafee atmosphere. He knows his (peace be upon him) statement: ‘When one of you enters a sitting then let him give Salaams, and when he leaves let him give Salaams, for the first does not have more right than the second.’

This and other than it from the many examples that we have brought home to you the reality which we seek. It is not possible for you to see it in the lands of disbelief, never. And because of that we ask Allaah عز و جل to inspire our Muslim youths to return to the land of Islaam and that they learn the rulings of the Qur’aan and the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace be upon him) upon the methodology of As-Salaf As-Saalih and that they educate themselves and those they are close with upon this pure Islaam. And perhaps this much is enough inshaallaah. And all praise is due to Allaah Lord of all that exists.”

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Do Not Say: “They are Dead” : by Imam ash-Shanqiti

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014February 19, 2015

Imam ash-Shanqiti [1] , Adwaa’ul-Bayaan (10/21-23)
Al-Istiqaamah Magazine , Issue No.8 – Shawwal 1418H / February 1998

Allaah – the Most High – said:

“And do not say about those who are killed fighting in the Path of Allaah that they are dead. Rather, they are alive!” [Soorah al-Baqarah 2:154].

This verse is an apparent proof that the martyrs [those who are killed in the Path of Allaah] are not dead. Yet in another verse Allaah says, whilst addressing the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam; who is better than any and every martyr :

“Indeed you will die, and they will die.” [Soorah az-Zumar 39:30].

The reply to this [apparent contradiction] is: That the martyrs are dead from a worldly point of view, this is why they can be inherited from, and why their wives can remarry again – a point about which the Scholars have ijmaa’ (consensus) upon. It is this death, the worldly death, that Allaah informed would occur to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. This is why Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq radiallaahu ‘anhu said, when the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam passed away: “May my mother and father be sacrificed for you O Prophet of Allaah! By Allaah! Allaah will never combine two deaths for you. You have died the death that Allaah decreed for you … Whosoever worships Muhammad, let him know that Muhammad is dead.” Then he deduced this by reciting the [above] verse, and the Companions of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam accepted this.2

As for the life that Allaah affirmed in the Qur’aan for the martyrs, and the life that has been affirmed for the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in which he is able to return the greetings of salaam to whosoever sends it upon him, then both of them refer to the life of the barzakh (a state of existence between the present life and the Hereafter); an existence which cannot be truly comprehended by the people of this world. So with regards to the martyrs there is a reference to this in Allaah – the Most High’s – saying: “Rather, they are alive, but you do not perceive it.” [Soorah al-Baqarah 2:154]. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam explained this verse by saying: “Their souls ore in the bellies of green birds, which hove lanterns suspended for them from Allaah’s Throne. They roam around in Paradise wherever they desire, then return to these lanterns …”3

As for [the life affirmed for] the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then he said: “There is no one who sends the greetings of salaam upon me, except that Allaah returns my soul hock until I reply to their greeting.”4 And: “Indeed Allaah’s Angels roam around the earth conveying to me the greetings of salaams from my Ummah.”5 So this life also cannot truly be comprehended by the intellects of the people of this world. Since, along with this [fact], his sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam’s blessed soul resides in the loftiest part of Paradise with the companionship of the highest company; a company higher than the souls of the martyrs. Yet the reality of how his pure soul links itself to his noble body ‘alayhis-salaam – a body which the earth cannot consume – is a reality which no one knows, except Allaah alone. Thus, if this type of life was like the life that is understood by the people of this world, then why did Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq radiallaahu ‘anhu say that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was dead, and why was it permitted to bury him? [And if he sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not die] then why was there a need to appoint a khaleefah (succesor) after him. Also, those events; such as the [tragic] killing of ‘Uthmaan radiollaahu ‘anhu, or the differences which arose between the Companions, or that which occurred with ‘Aaishah radiallaahu ‘anhaa need not have happened if he sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam were still alive! Since if that were the case, they could have referred judgement back to him concerning those issues in which they differed [if he sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam were still alive and could fulfill such needs].

Thus, just as the Qur’aan is explicitly clear that the martyrs are actually living; due to Allaah – the Most High’s – saying: “Rather, they are alive.” Then likewise, the Qur’aan is just as explicitly clear that this state of living is one whose reality cannot be truly understood by the people of this world; due to Allaah’s saying: “But you do not perceive it.” Similarly, just as it is established that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is living in the grave; replying to the greetings of salaam, yet even though his Companions actually buried him, they were still unable to perceive this state of living. Thus, we know that this state of living is likewise a reality which cannot be truly understood by the people of this world. However, what could make this more clear is by considering the example of someone who is

asleep. The state of one who is asleep differs from that of one who is awake in many ways, including the fact that the one who sleeps experiences dreams which can be understood. And Allaah knows best.

Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim (d.751H)- rahimahullaah – said: “It is known by necessity that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam’s body is intact and has not decayed. The Companions asked him: How are we to send greetings of salaam upon you when your body has decayed! So he sallallaahu ‘alayhi we sallam replied: “Indeed Allaah has prohibited the earth from consuming the bodies of the Prophets.” So if his body was not in his grave, then why would he respond to this question! And it has been authentically established from him that he said: “Indeed Allaah’s Angels roam around the earth conveying to me the greetings of salaams from my Ummah.”7 It is authentic from him that he once came with Abu Bakr and ‘Umar [into the mosque] and said: “We shall be raised up like this on the Day of Resurrection.”8 It is also established that he sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saw the Prophet Moosaa praying in his grave on the night of his Israa (Heavenly Ascension), and he also saw him [on that same night] in the sixth or seventh Heaven.9 So the soul is in one place and is connected to the body, which resides in the grave. Similarly, the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is in his grave; replying to the greetings of salaam sent to him, along with the fact that his soul resides in the loftiest part of Paradise along with the highest companionship. So there is no contradiction between these two matters; since the affairs of the souls is one thing, whilst that of the bodies is another.”10

So in these words is a proof that the life of the barzakh, that was previously mentioned, is a life whose reality is not known to the people of this world. About this Allaah – the Most High – said: “Rather, they are alive, but you do not perceive it.” And complete and perfect knowledge is only with Allaah.

1. Adwaa’ul-Bayaan (10/21-23).
2. Related by al-Bukhaaree (nos.124 1-2), from ‘Aaishah radiallaahu ‘anhaa. Refer also to al-Bukhaaree (no.3667, 4452).
3. Related by Muslim (no.1887), from Ibn Mas’ood radiallaahu ‘anhu.
4. Hasan: Related by Ahmad (no.10817), from Abu Hurayrah radiallaahu ‘anhu. It was authenticated by Ibn Taymiyyah in his Majmoo’ Fataawaa (1/233).
5. Saheeh: Related by an-Nasaa’ee (2/43). It was authenticated by Shaykh al-Albaanee in Saheeh Sunanin-Nasaa’ee (1/274).
6. Saheeh: Related by Abu Daawood (no.1047), from Abu Hurayrah. It was authenticated by Shaykh al-Albaanee in his Takhreejul – Mishkaat (no.1361).
7. Saheeh: Refer to footnote no.5
8. Da’eef: Related by Ibn Maajah (no.99). It was declared to be weak by Shaykh al-Albaanee in Takhreejul-Mishkaat (no.6054), because the chain of narrators contains Sa’eed ibn Marlamah, who is not a strong narrator.
9. Related by Muslim (7/102).
10. Kitaabur-Rooh.

Hijrah will Continue to Remain in Effect : Shaikh Saalih Al-Fawzaan

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014February 6, 2017

Q&A Section of Sharh Sitta Mawaadi’ min as-Seerah (pg. 67-68)
Al-Ibaanah.com

Question: Is Hijrah still applicable in this time of ours? And if it is, there must be a place of residence and provision for it. And it is not possible to achieve this…

Answer: Hijrah will remain in effect. The Messenger said: “Hijrah will not cease until repentance ceases. And repentance will not cease until the sun rises from its place of setting (i.e. the west).”

Hijrah is still in effect. So if a person is not able to establish his Religion in one area, he should go to another area where he will be able to establish his Religion along with the Muslims. And if he feels that he is not able to go to the lands of the Muslims, he should go to those lands in which he will be able to establish his Religion even if the country he goes to is a Land of Kufr (Disbelief). This is since some types of evil are less harmful than other types.

The Companions migrated to Abyssinia – which consisted of Christians – since there they were able to establish their Religion and be safe from the harms of the pagan Arabs (of Makkah). Allaah says: “So fear Allaah as much as you are able to.” [Surah At-Taghaabun: 16]

So if there is a country in which there exists a Muslim minority or perhaps many Muslims, he should go there and be with them – even if it is a country of disbelievers. If he is not able to go to one of the lands of the Muslims, he should look to minimize evil (from himself) however much he is able to.

Honouring the Parents is Preceeding al-Jihad in the way of Allaah – Shaykh Nazzam Sakkîjâ

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014January 15, 2015

Honouring the Parents is Preceeding al-Jihad in the way of Allaah
by Shaykh Nazzam Sakkîjâ
Translated by Farhat Abbas Abu Abdullaah al-Mirpuree

1. On the authority of Abdullaah bin Masood may Allaah be pleased with him, who said :

I asked the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) Which action is loved to Allaah ? he said : “Prayer on its time,” so I said : What next ? he said : “honouring parents,” so I said : what next ? He said : “al-Jihad in the way of Allaah[1].”

Footnotes

1. This is in the case of Jihad which is not fard ‘ayn

Putting off the Jihad for honouring the parents and accompanying them, because Paradise is under the feet of the mother

1. On the authority of Abdullaah bin ‘Umarooh bin al-Aaas may Allaah be pleased with him who said, a man came to meet the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) and said :

I want to go with you on the migration and the Jihad, because I want reward from Allaah Azza wa Jal, so he said : Are one of your parents alive? yes, both of them, so he said : You want reward from Allaah Azza wa jal? he said : yes, so he said : So go back to your parents and the goodness is in keeping them company.

2. In another narration on the authority of Abdullaah bin ‘Umarooh bin al-Aaas may Allaah be pleased with them, who said : a man came to the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) and asked to go on the Jihad, so he said :

Are your parents alive ? he said : yes. He said : With them is the Jihad. [2]

3. On the authority of Abdullaah bin ‘Umarooh bn al-Aaas may Allaah be pleased with them who said that a man came to the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) and said,

I have come to go with you on the migration, and I left my father crying, so he said, go back to them, and make them laugh, like you make them cry.

4. On the authority of Abee Huraira may Allaah be pleased with him, who said that a man came to the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) and said I want to go on the Jihad, so he said,

Are your parents alive ? he said : Yes so he said : With them is he Jihad.

5. On the Authority of Talha bin Muwayeeyah as-Salmee may Allaah be pleased with him, who said that the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) came so I said O Messenger of Allaah I desire to go on Jihad in the way of Allaah ? he said :

Is your mother alive ? he answered yes. The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said : Under the feet of the parents there is Paradise.

6. On the authority of Muwayeeyah bin Jahmaa that Jahmaa came to the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) and said, O Messenger of Allaah I desire to participate along side you in a battle ? he said :

Do you have a mother ? he said : Yes, so he said : Serve them, Indeed the Pardise is with their feet.

7. Also on the authority of Muwayeeyah bin Jahmaa with the words : I came to the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) wanting to participate in the jihad, so the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said :

Do you have parents ? so I said yes, so he said : so serve them, indeed the Paradise is under their feet.

8. Abee Saeed may Allaah be pleased with him who said that a man came to the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) doing Hijra from Yemen, so he said :

Do you have one of your parents in Yemen ? he said : My father, he said : Did you listen to him ? he said no, he said return to him and listen to him, indeed listening to him is Jihad, and honouring them.

Footnotes

1. This is in the case of Jihad which is not fard ‘ayn

The Meaning and Ruling of Hijrah : Shaikh Ahmad bin Yahyaa An-Najmee

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014July 13, 2017

His explanation of Thalathat-ul-Usool
Al-Ibaanah.com

In his explanation of “The Three Fundamental Principles” of Imaam Muhammad bin ‘Abdil-Wahhaab, Shaikh Ahmad An-Najmee said:

The definition of Hijrah is: To abandon the Land of Shirk, i.e. to leave it, and to come to a Land of Islaam. This is since the word Hijrah is derived from the root hajr which means to abandon or leave off. The Muslims were commanded to abandon the Land of Shirk and go to the Land of Islaam. The ruling on Hijrah is that it is obligatory for the one who is able to do it. This is why Allaah informs us that there will be a group of people whom the angels will take in death while they are wronging themselves due to their lack of migrating and their preferring the Land of Shirk.

Allaah says: “Verily, as for those whom the angels take (in death) while they are wronging themselves (by not performing Hijrah), they (angels) will say (to them): ‘In what (condition) were you?’ They will reply: ‘We were weak and oppressed in the earth.’ They (angels) will say: ‘Was not the earth of Allaah spacious enough for you to migrate therein?’ Such men will find their abode in Hell – what an evil destination! Except the weak ones among men, women and children – who cannot devise a plan, nor are they able to direct their way. These are the ones whom Allaah is (most) likely to forgive, and Allaah is Ever Oft-Pardoning, Most Forgiving.” [Surah An-Nisaa: 97-99]

And He says: “O My servants who believe (in Me)! Verily, My earth is spacious so to Me alone, perform your worship.” [Surah Al-‘Ankaboot: 56]

Al-Baghawee, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: “The reason for the revelation of this ayah was due to some Muslims who had resided in Makkah and did not migrate (to Madeenah). Allaah called out to them using the title of Eemaan (for them).”

We derive from these verses that Hijrah is obligatory on the one who is able to do it, which requires him to move from a Land of Disbelief to a Land of Islaam. This is since in a Land of Disbelief, the believer is exposed to harm and the government will be against him as opposed to in his favor. Even though he may be safe from harm, he will still not be safe from having to seek judgement in laws that are not from Allaah’s Legislation, such as man-made laws, which they use to govern the people.

However, Hijrah in our present time must only be done with the permission from the country that one is migrating to. So if the country refuses to accept this emigrant, then he has no ability or power in the matter except by Allaah’s leave.

Things used to be easy (in the old days). But as for today, there is difficulty in Hijrah either from the side of the country that one is migrating from or from the side of the country that one is migrating to. So whoever is able to make Hijrah, with ease and no difficulty, to a Land of Islaam, then such a person is obligated to do that. Furthermore, some of the Muslim countries today apply strict measures against those who adhere to the Religion of Allaah in everything that he brings and leaves behind.

In summary, any Muslim that lives in a country, which the disbelievers rule based on man-made laws, must migrate from it if he is easily able to do it. And if it is not easy for him, then according to what is apparent (from the texts), he is excused due to Allaah’s saying: “Allaah does not burden a soul with more than it can handle.” [Surah Al-Baqarah: 286]. And with Allaah lies the success.

“Indeed Allâh will help those who help Him…” : Imâm ash-Shanqîtî

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014January 15, 2015

Imâm ash-Shanqîtî – [Adwaa ‘ul-Bayaan (5/703-704) ]
Al-Istiqaamah Magazine, Issue No.4 – Jumâdal-Awwal 1417H / November 1996
Al-Istiqaamah Magazine, Issue No.6 – Dhul-Qa’dah 1417H / March 1997

“Indeed Allaah will help those who help Him. Indeed Allaah is Exalted in Might, All-Powerful.” [Soorah Hajj 22:40]

Imaam ash-Shanqeetee (d.1393H) – rahimahullaah – said:

“Allaah – the Mighty and Majestic – explains in this noble Aayah that He has sworn to help and give victory to those who help Him. It is known that the help and victory of Allaah comes by following what He has prescribed, obeying His commend, avoiding His prohibitions, by helping His Messengers and their followers, aiding His Religion and fighting against His enemies and overpowering them – until the word of Allaah is made uppermost, whilst the word of His enemies is debased and mode low. Then Allaah – the Most High, the Most Magnificent – explains the charecteristics of those whom He has promised would receive His help and victory, distinguishing them from others. So He said – explaining those to whom He swore He would aid and give victory to – because He is the one to aid and give victory:

“Those who, if We establish them in the earth, establish the prayer, give the Zakaat, enjoin the good and forbid the evil.” [Soorah Hajj 22:41].

And that which this noble aayah indicates is that whosoever aids Allaah, then Allaah will aid Him. This is clearly explained in other than this place, such as His – the Most High’s – sayings.

“O you who Believe. If you help Allaah, Allaah will help you; and establish your feet firmly. But those who disbelieve, for them is destruction and Allaah will make their deeds vain.” [Soorah Muhammad 47:7].

“Indeed, Our Word has gone forth of old for our slaves, the Messengers, that they will certainly be victorious; and that Our forces will certainly be triumphant.” [Soorah as-Saafaat 37:171-173].

“Allaah has Decreed: It is My Messenger and I who will prevail.” [Soorah Mujaadalah 58:21].

“Allaah has promised to those amongst you who believe and do righteous actions that He will grant you the khilaafah in the land.” [Soorah an-Noor 24:55].

And in His – the Most High ‘s – saying:

“Those who, if We establish them in the earth, establish the prayer, give the Zakaat, enjoin the good and forbid the evil.” [Soorah Hajj 22:41].

In it is a proof that there is no promise from Allaah of His help, except by establishing the Prayer, paying the Zakaah, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil. So it is these whom Allaah will establish upon the earth and will strengthen His Word through them. However, those who do not establish the salaah, nor pay the Zakaah, nor enjoin the good nor forbid the evil, then there is no promise for them from Allaah that He will aid and grant them victory. They are not from His party, nor are they his friends -those who have the promise of His help and victory. Rather, they are the party of Shaytaan and his friends. So if they were to expect the help of Allaah and the fulfillment of His promise upon them, then their example is like that of a hired worker who refuses to do the labour that he was hired for, yet he expects to be rewarded. So whosoever is like this, then he has no intellect!”1

So the help that we so desperately await, and the victory that we so strongly desire will only come about by: “The Muslims returning and repenting to their Lord, correcting their ‘aqeedoh (beliefs) and cultivating themselves and their families upon the pure and correct Islaam; putting into effect Allaah – the Most High’s – saying:

“Never will Allaah change the condition of a people, until they change themselves.” [Soorah ar-Ra’d 13:11].”2

1. Adwaa’ ul-Bayaan (5/703-704) of ‘Allaamah ash-Shanqeetee.
2. Al-‘Aqeedatut-Tahaawiyyah Sharh wat-Ta’leeq (p.47) of Shaykh al-Albaanee.

Q&A Concerning The Ideological Attack : Shaykh bin Baz

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014March 15, 2019

Shaykh bin Baz , Majmoo’ Fataawaa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah (3/438-446)
Al-Istiqaamah Magazine , Issue No.8 – Shawwal 1418H / February 1998

[Q1]: What, in your opinion, is the definition of al-ghazwa al-fikree (the ideological attack)?

[A1]: Ideological warfare is a modern term which refers to a set of efforts in which a nation engages in order to conquer or influence another nation, so that [the attacked nation] takes a particular course of direction.

It is far more serious than military warfare, since it aims at secrecy, seeking to achieve subtle objectives initially; so that the attacked nation does not perceive it, nor prepare to halt it, nor stand in its way – thereby falling victim to [such an attack]. The eventual result of this onslaught is that this nation becomes sick in mind and sense; loving what the enemy wants it to love and hating what they want it to hate. It is a chronic disease which attacks and destroys nations, doing away with its personality, removing such meanings as foundations and strength. The nation which is struck by this [ideological attack] does not even feel what has hit it, or what it even is! That is why curing it becomes somewhat difficult, and making [the attacked nation] understand the ways of righteousness becomes a struggle.

This war takes place by means of school curriculums, general education, media, small and large size publications, and other such channels [that influence the thoughts of its people]. Through this the enemy hopes to deviate the nation from its beliefs; becoming attached to what the enemy throws at it. We ask Allaah for safety and protection from this.

[Q2]: Are the Arabs generally subject to this type of warfare, in particular the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?

[A2]: Yes, the Muslims in general, including the Arabs, the Kingdom, and other than them, are all subject to a great ideological warfare from the nations of kufr (unbelief); from both the east and the west. The severest and most serious of these [ideological] onslaughts is:- [1] The war of the christian crusaders. [2] The zionist war. [3] The communist and atheistic war.

[THE CHRISTIAN CRUSADERS] The war of the christian crusaders is today at its most intense. Since Salaahud-Deen al-Ayyoobee achieved victory over the christians crusading in the Muslim lands with their strength and weapons, the christians realised that even though they had achieved [some] victories, these victories

were temporary ones that did not last. That is why they started thinking about the most destructive alternatives. After numerous case studies and assemblies they arrived at [something] that was far more dangerous and destructive than military warfare; which was that the christian nations, both individually and collectively, should launch an ideological attack on those Muslims who were just beginning to grow and develop. This is because conquering the hearts and thoughts [of people] is far more permanent than conquering their lands! The Muslim whose mind has not been corrupted cannot bear to see the unbelievers wielding authority, and ordering and prohibiting in his own country. Therefore such a Muslim strives his utmost to expel and distance them – even if he has to sacrifice his own life, or or his most cherished possession, for this cause. And this is what happened after the major conquest of the crusaders.

As for the Muslim who is exposed to the [effects] of this filthy war, he becomes ill in thought and desensitised to this disease. He does not see any danger with the presence of christians in the lands of the Muslims. Indeed, he may even think that their presence is a source of goodness which aids and advances civilisation. So the christians have sufficed themselves with this ideological warfare, as opposed to the military one, because it is more effective and more permanent. What need do they have of deploying troops or spending huge sums of money, when there exists amongst the children of the Muslims those who can actually fulfill their wishes – intentionally or unintentionally, with a price or without one! This is why they do not resort to openly fighting the Muslims with weapons and arms, except in rare cases when necessity dictates this. They resort to this in situations where speed is sought; such as what happened in Uganda and Pakistan; or when there is a need to stabilise the advancement, or establish centres, or to establish bases which engage in destructive ideological warfare; such as what happened in Egypt, Syria, Iraaq, and other countries, before their expulsion.

[THE ZIONIST JEWS] The zionist war is just the same. The jews strive their utmost to corrupt the beliefs, morals and manners of the Muslims. The jews scheme and crave after possessing the Muslim lands, as well as the lands of others. They have fulfilled some of their plans and continue striving hard to implement the rest of them. Even though they they do engage the Muslims in warfare involving strength and arms and have occupied some of their lands, they also fight them through spreading

and aiding the spread of] destructive thoughts, beliefs and ideologies; such as Freemasonry, Qadiaanisim, Bahaaism, Teejaanism, and others – seeking the support of the christians, and others, in order to fulfill their objects.

[THE COMMUNISTS AND ATHEISTS] As for the communist/atheist war, then presently it is spreading like wildfire across the Muslim lands.2 This happens as a consequence of their being an emptiness [with regards beliefs], weak eemaan (certainty of faith) in most people, wide spread ignorance, and the lack of a correct and healthy [Islaamic] cultivation and development. The communist parties from Russia and China, as well as others, have managed to ensnare [into this false ideology] every spiteful, malicious person; driven by those weak in faith, or having no faith at all! They selected these types of people as being their puppets and plants in that country; spreading through [such puppets] their filthy atheistic and communistic ideologies. They lured them with promises of high positions of power and status. Through them they tore apart the Muslim Ummah and they were made [to act as] the troops of Shaytaan. They were aided in this by the christians and the jews, who sometimes assisted in their preparation, whilst at other times they aided and supported them. Thus, even though they do have differences between them, yet they become a single hand against the Muslims. They view the Muslims as their worst enemy, that is why we see them co-operating with each other, as allies, against the Muslims. And Allaah’s aid is sought, and He suffices us and is the best of guardians.

[Q3]: What are the means which the west uses in order to spread their ideas and thoughts?

[A3]: The means that the west employs in order to spread their thoughts and ideas are many, from them:-

Firstly: The attempt to conquer the minds of the Muslim children. They do this by infusing in them western values and concepts so that they then believe that the best way to adopt in any matter is that of the west – whether it is with regards to what religion or sect they believe, or with regards to the languages that they speak, or the manners, customs and values with which they clothe themselves.

Secondly: Custody of a large group of the children of the Muslims in every country, concern for them and bringing them up, so that when they absorb western thoughts, they return to their countries with a halo of praise and compliment, until they acquire position and authority in their countries by which they circulate western ideologies and establish learning centres conforming to western curricula or are directly influenced by them.

Thirdly: Their active drive towards promoting the learning of western languages in the Muslim lands, making them compete with the Muslims’ languages, especially the Arabic language, which is language of the Qur’aan – by which this Book was sent and by which the Muslims worship their Lord;in their Salaah (Prayer), their rites of Hajj (Pilgrimage), their forms of remembrances and glorifications, etc. From this is the encouragement of destructive propaganda that fights against [the usage and learning] of [pure and classical] Arabic Language and attempt to weaken the conformity to it in the Muslim lands. They do this by calling to using colloquialism, and by arranging numerous studies that intend to ‘develop’ grammar in order to corrupt it; as well as formalising folk literature and and matters of national heritage.

Fourthly: Development of western universities and missionary schools in Muslim countries and also initiating the role of kindergarten and playschools, hospitals and clinics which they make as dens and nests for their evil aims. They encourage the higher classes to study in them (western and missionary schools and universities) and after them help in acquire leadership posts and great position until they become an aid for their masters in following their plots in the Muslim lands.

Fifthly: The attempt to control education curricula in Muslim lands and drawing out their politics, either directly; as occurred in some Muslim countries when the priest Dunlop undertook that task there, or by indirect methods. When the task was undertaken, most of the successful students who studied in Dunlop’s schools and graduated in them, arose as a destructive pickaxe in their country, or as one of the enemies most lethal weapons. [Such students] strive hard to influence the educational curriculum and steer it towards secularism – an ideology which does not centre around having eemaan (faith) in Allaah and His Messenger; but rather steers in the direction of atheism, or towards immorality and corruption.

Sixthly: The large number of individuals amongst the jews and christians who have undertaken the study of Islam, Arabic Language, compiling books, and taking positions of teaching in universities; until they created an ideological turmoil and confusion amongst the educated Muslims, which they hurl at those that they are teaching, or with which they fill their books – until some of those books became sources which writers and researchers refer to in matters of ideology or history. Many people who were responsible for creating some of these fitnahs (trials and turmoil) in the Muslim countries, were actually Muslims who graduated at the hands of the people. The praise and awe which surrounded such graduates helped them to achieve this, as well as achieve their post and positions; such as important posts in teaching and leadership. So they completed what their teachers had initiated [of corruption and destruction] and fulfilled what they couldn’t achieve, because they were of Muslim offspring and from the same skin, ascribing themselves to them and speaking their tongue – so we ask and seek Allaah’s help.

Seventhly: A large number of missionary workers calling to christianity have proceeded between the Muslims that they have performed their work on. [This missionary activity is done upon] well studied principles, and upon a large scale; employing hundreds of thousands of men and women. Huge financial budgets are put aside for this task, and [they are aided in such a way that] their task is made easier for them and obstacles are removed for them.

“They want to extinguish the Light (i.e, the Religion) of Allaah with their mouths, but Allaah will bring His Light to perfection and completion, even though the disbelievers hate it.” [Soorah as-Saff 61:8].

Just as the efforts of the missionaries are set up and aimed mostly at the common levels; then the efforts of the orientalist are directed to the educated – as I previously mentioned. The missionaries take on huge hardships in their work in the African Countries, and in the remote villages of the far extreme Muslim lands; in eastern Asia. After that, every so often, they hold conferences in order to review their accounts and their plans; then they analyse, adjust and implement. They met in Cairo in 1906, in Edinburgh in 1910, in Lucknow (India) in 1911, and in Jerusalem in 1935, and they continue to hold such assemblies, seminars and conferences – so glory be to the One in Whose Hand is the sole sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, and to Him return all affairs.

Eighthly: Spreading corruption in the Muslim societies; belittling the [status of women] with regards to their role in life, making her transgress the limits set by Allaah for her, creating in her a satisfaction in abstaining from the [correct] Path. They do this by spreading propaganda amongst the Muslims in various ways and manners, so that women freely mix with men, and so that women work in the places of men. By this, they aim to corrupt the Muslim society, and to put an end to the chastity and purity which is found therein. Additionally, by bringing up imaginary issues and false propaganda – [claiming] that Islaam oppresses women, and that Muslim women have very little rights – they want to take her out of her home, and put her wherever they may want; even though the limits that Allaah has set [in the Qur’aan] are clear; as are His commands [concerning these matters], and as is the Sunnah (Guidance) of His Messenger sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Allaah – the Most High – said:

“O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the Believing women to draw their jilbaabs (cloaks) over their entire body. That will be better, that they should be known (as free and respectable women), so as not to be harassed, And Allaah is Ever-Forgiving, Most-Merciful.” [Soorah al-Ahzaab 33:59].

And – the Most High – says:

“And let the Believing women draw their khimaars (head-scarves) over their faces, necks and chests, and not to display their beauty, except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their husband’s sons …” [Soorah an-Noor 24:31].

And He says:

“And when you ask them for something, ask them from behind a screen; that is purer for your hearts and their hearts.” [Soorah al-Ahzaab 33:53].

“And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of jaahiliyyah (pre-lslaamic ignorance).” [Soorah al-Ahzaab 33:33].

The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:
“Beware of entering into the company of women.” A man from the Ansaar said: O Messenger of Allaah, what about the husband’s brothers and relatives! He replied: “The husband’s brothers and relatives are death!”3

He sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam also said:
“A man must not be alone in the company of a women, for indeed the third of them is shaytaan.”4

Ninthly: The Building of churches and temples in the Muslim lands and spending great amounts of wealth on them; beautifying them, making them very conspicuous and noticeable, and building them in the largest and best of places.

Tenthly: Radio stations set up solely for the purpose of calling to christianity and communism, spreading their [false] objectives. They intend to misguide, through such false ideas, the children of the innocent and naive Muslims – who neither understand, nor did they receive a sufficient Islaamic education. This is the case, in particular, in Africa where the Bible is published and distributed in plenty of hotels, etc. [They also] send missionary publications and false preaching to many of the Muslim children.

These are some of the means utilised by the enemies of Islaam today – from east and the west – in waging war against the Muslim’s thought, [intending by this ideological attack] to put an end to correct righteous thought, so that they are replaced by [false and] foreign ideas; whether eastern or western. And – O noble reader – as you can see, these means involve tremendous efforts, enormous amounts of money and a multitude of soldiers. All of this is done in order to take the Muslims away from Islaam, even if they do not actually embrace christianity, judaism or marxism. Since their primary goal in doing this is to take the Muslims away from Islaam, so that when this stage is achieved, then whatever [misguidance] follows becomes far easier to implement.

However, despite all this we say: that Allaah will frustrate them in their hopes, and will nullify their plans – but only if the Muslims are sincere in their fight against them, cautious and alert to their plans, and obedient and upright upon their Religion; as Allaah said:

“But if you remain patient and become pious and obedient to Allaah, their plots will not harm you in the least. Indeed, Allah encompasses all that they do.” [Soorah Aal-lmraan 3:120].

Since they are spreaders of corruption, Allaah Will not give total facilitation to their actions. Rather Allaah – the Most High- said:

“They plot and plan, and Allaah plans, and indeed Allaah is the best of planners.” [Soorah al-Anfaal 8:30].

“Indeed they are planning a plan, but I am planning a plan, but give a respite to the disbelievers; deal gently with them for a while.” [Soorah at-Taariq 86:15-17].

“O you who Believe! If you help Allaah [by acting upon that which He has commanded you to do], He will help you against your enemies, and make your foothold firm.” [Soorah Muhammad 47:7].

“And indeed Allaah will help those who help His Cause. Truly, Allaah is Most-Powerful, Most-Mighty. Those who, if We give them power and authority in the land, establish the Salaah (Prayer), give the Zakaah, command the good and forbid the evil. And with Allaah rests the end of all affairs.” [Soorah al-Hajj 22:40-41].

And there are many verses carrying this same meaning.

Thus, without a doubt, the matter requires the Muslims to have some common sense and some contemplation, some study about the course of action that should be taken, about the most suitable stance they should take, and that they should be heedful and have some awareness which will make them capable of understanding the schemes of their enemies, and active upon rendering them futile and false. This shall not be accomplished for them except by adhering to Allaah, adherence to His guidance, returning to Him, repenting to Him and seeking His aid. Additionally, by bearing in mind His guidance in everything, especially with regard to the relation of the believers with the unbelievers, and by understanding Soorah “Say, O Disbelievers” and what Allaah the Most High – mentions in His statement:

“Never will the jews and the christians be pleased with you until you follow their religion and way of life.” [Soorah al-Baqarah 2:120].

Also [what He mentions in] His statement:

“And they will not stop fighting you, until they turn you back from your Religion; if they are able.” [Soorah al- Baqarah 2:217]

I ask Allaah – the Most High – that He grants right guidance to this Ummah, with regards to their affairs, and that He grants protection to it from the plots of its enemies, and that He grants it firmness and obedience, both in speech and action – so that there can be for them might, strength and honour; as Allaah desires for them. Indeed He is the only One Who has the power to do so. And may Allaah extol, and send the blessings of peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his Family, his Companions, and followers.

1. Majmoo’ Fataawaa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah (3/438-446).
2. This certainly was the care at the time this lecture was given fourteen years ago, in 1404H.
3. Related by al-Bukhaaree (9/289) and Muslim (no.2172), from ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir radiallaahu ‘anhu.
4. Saheeh: Related by at-Tirmidhee (no.1181), from Jaabir ibn Samarah radiallaahu ‘anhu. It was authenticated by al-Albaanee in as-Saheehah (no.430).

Islaam : Is it a religion of TERROR?

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014January 15, 2015

[From the ‘Invitation to Islam’ Newsletter, Issue 5, October 1998]

A bomb goes off in a marketplace in Jerusalem. A suicide bomber launches himself into a bus full of women and children in Tel Aviv. Foreign tourists get massacred at a holiday resort in Luxor, Egypt. Villages upon villages get annihilated in Algeria. The list of events worldwide which have come to symbolise the ‘Islamic terror’ are endless. From the times in the 70’s and 80’s when Pan Am and TWA aeroplanes would be highjacked, to the mid 80’s in war torn Lebanon where Americans and Europeans would be held as hostages for years; all such incidents have come to be identified with the religion of Islam. Such incidents from past and present have undoubtedly affected Muslims worldwide and more so in the West. Any Muslim, who wants to practice his/her religion and expresses the pious desire to live under the banner of Islam, is labelled a fundamentalist or extremist. Any Muslim man who walks down a busy street in London or Paris (and Paris moreso) with a beard and a scarf on his head, is looked upon as being a terrorist who’s probably got an AK47 stashed somewhere on his person. Muslim women who are veiled can’t go anywhere in the Western world without being taunted as being oppressed or being mad (for covering up). However, are such beliefs and opinions about Islam really justified?

Exploding the myth

One of the many short comings which has arisen in the West, is judging Islam by the conduct of a minority of its people. By doing this, segments of Western society have deliberately played off the desperate actions of many Muslims, and have given it the name of Islam. Such behaviour is clearly not objective and seeks to distort the reality of Islam. For if such a thing was done Judge a religion by the conduct of its people) then we too could say that all Christianity is about is child molesting and homosexuality [1] whilst Hinduism was all about looting and breaking up mosques [2]. Generalising in such a manner is not seen as being objective, yet we find that the Western world is foremost in propagating this outlook on Islam. So what is the reality of Islam? How does one dispel the myths which have been created and spread so viciously? The only way to examine Islam is to simply examine its belief system. Look at its sources, the Qur’an and Sunna, and see what they have to say. This is the way to find the truth about what Islam says about terror, terrorism and terrorists. One who is sincerely searching for the truth, will do it no other way. The very name Islam comes from the Arabic root word ‘salama’ which means peace. Islam is a religion which is based upon achieving peace through the submission to the will of Allaah. Thus, by this very simple linguistic definition, one can ascertain as to what the nature of this religion is. If such a religion is based on the notion of peace, then how is it that so many acts done by its adherents are contrary to peace? The answer is simple. Such actions, if not sanctioned by the religion, have no place with it. They are not Islamic and should not be thought of as Islamic.

Jihad

The word jihad sends shivers down the spines of many Westerners. They readily equate this term with violence and oppression. However, it must be said that the meaning of jihad, as a ‘holy war’, is something which is totally foreign and not from Islam. If anything, such a description belongs more so to Christianity and its adherents. It was terms like this which were used to justify the slaughter and pillage of towns and cities during the crusades by the Christians. By simply looking into the sources of Islam, one is able to know that the true meaning of jihad is to strive/make effort in the way of Allaah. Thus striving in the way of Allaah can be both peaceful and physical. The Prophet Muhammed (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) said: “The best jihad is (by) the one who strives against his own self for Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic” [3]. In the Qur’an, Allaah also says:

“So obey not the disbelievers, but make a great jihad (effort) against them (by preaching) with it (the Qur’an)”

(Surah Al-Furqan 25:52).

By controlling and fighting against ones desires, the Muslims can then also physically exert themselves in the path of Allaah. It is this physical or combative jihad which receives so much criticism. Because of the sheer ignorance of this type of jihad Islam is regarded as terror, and Muslims are regarded as terrorists. However, the very purpose of this physical jihad is to raise the word of Allaah uppermost. By doing this, it liberates and emancipates all those who are crying out for freedom all over the world. If the likes of the pacifists of this world had their way, then the world would indeed be full of anarchy and mischief. The combative jihad seeks to correct this as Allaah says in the Qur’an:

“And if Allaah did not check one set of people by means of another, the Earth would be full of mischief. But Allaah is full of bounty to the worlds“

(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:251).

Such would be the corruption on this Earth if there had never been a combative jihad that Allaah says:

“For had it not been that Allaah checks one set of people by means of another, monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of Allaah is mentioned much, would surely have been pulled down. Indeed Allaah will help those who help His (cause). Truly Allaah is All strong, All mighty“

(Surah Al-Hajj 22:40).

This combative jihad being both defensive and offensive, is something which is commanded by Allaah upon the Muslims. Through this command the oppressed and weak are rescued from the tyranny of the world:

“And what is the matter with you that you do not fight in the cause of Allaah and for those weak, ill treated and oppressed among men, women and children whose only cry is; ‘Our Lord, rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors and raise for us from you one who will protect and raise for us from you one who will help“‘

(Surah An-Nisa 4:75).

Anyone who knows the early history of Islam, will know that all those nations and empires which came under the fold of Islam were indeed previously oppressed. When the companions of the Prophet Muhammed (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) went out for the offensive jihad against the Egyptians, the Persians and the Romans, we find that the people did not resist against them at all. Rather, they accepted Islam on such a scale, that it is inconceivable that the jihad of Islam could be anything other then a liberation for these people; a liberation from centuries of tyranny. In fact, with the Byzantine Egyptians and the people of Spain, the Muslims were even beckoned to come and liberate these lands from the oppression of their kings. This is the glorious track record of the Muslim jihad Compare this with the brutal track record of warfare in the Western world over the centuries. From the crusades against the Muslims to the days of colonial warfare, the Western world has killed, destroyed and plundered everything which has come in its way. Even today this merciless killing goes on by the Western nations. While claiming to be about world peace and security, Western nations are ready to bomb innocent civilians at the drop of a hat. The classic example of this is the recent bombings of Sudan and Afghanistan. Whilst claiming that Sudan and Afghanistan were havens for Islamic terrorists, the bombings of these two nations could not have come at a better time for the American president Bill Clinton. The destruction of innocent lives which were a result of these bombings clearly seem to have been an attempt by Clinton to avert attention away from his sexual misdemeanours; [4] something which he so often gets caught up in. Without doubt this was the reason for such terror from the American military upon innocent people. This is the same American military which claims to enter the worlds trouble spots under the guise of being peace keepers. But

“… when it is said to them; ‘Make not mischief on the Earth’, they say; ‘We are only peace makers’. Indeed they are the ones who make mischief, but they perceive it not“

(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:11-12)

The hypocrisy of the West is indeed astounding.

By looking at the rules and regulations of this combative jihad it will be clear to any sincere person that this is indeed the religion of truth. When fighting an unjust enemy, no matter how unjust they are, it is forbidden by Islam that their retreating forces are mutilated, tortured or slaughtered. The treacherous violation of treaties and carrying out assassinations after a cease fire, are also prohibited. Allaah says in the Qur’an:

“And fight in the way of Allaah those who fight you. But do not transgress the limits. Truly Allaah loves not the transgressors“

(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:190).

Not transgressing the limits means not to kill women and children, for the Messenger of Allaah (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) “forbade the killing of women and children” [5]. Not transgressing the limits means that the elderly, the sick, monks, worshippers and hired labourers are not attacked. Not transgressing the limits means not killing animals wantonly, burning crops and vegetation, polluting waters and destroying homes, monasteries, churches and synagogues:

“Allaah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion, nor drove you out of your homes. Indeed, Allaah loves those who deal with equity“

(Surah Al-Mumtahinah 60:8).

After reading such passages from the Qur’an and knowing about what Islam commands and prohibits in jihad, the rules of warfare are given a new meaning; a meaning of justice. How sad it is then, that whilst Islam is condemned for striking terror into the hearts of the people, the likes of the Serbs, the Indian army in Kashmir and the Israeli soldiers in Palestine are left untarnished for the atrocities they have committed in the name of warfare.

So what about suicide bombing, is this too a part of jihad in Allaah’s path? From what has already been stated above, it can be deduced that this is not from the religion. However, unfortunately many Muslims have taken suicide bombing as being a virtuous act by which one receives reward. This could not be further from the truth. The Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) said: “Those who go to extremes are destroyed” [6]. Suicide bombing is undoubtedly an extremity which has reached the ranks of the Muslims. In the rules of warfare, we find no sanction for such an act from the behaviour and words of the Prophet Muhammed (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) and his companions. Unfortunately, today (some misguided) Muslims believe that such acts are paving the way for an Islamic revival and a return to the rule of Islam’s glorious law. However, we fail to bear in mind that the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) said: “Do not be delighted by the action of anyone, until you see how he ends up” [7]. So, for example what is the end of a suicide bomber in Palestine?, a leg here, an arm there. Massive retaliation by the Israeli’s in the West Bank and Gaza. More Muslims killed and persecuted. How can we be delighted with such an end? What really hammers the final nail in the coffin of this act, is that it is suicide; something which is clearly forbidden in Islam. The Messenger of Allaah (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) said: “He who kills himself with anything, Allaah will torment him with that in the fire of Hell” [8]. Some are under the misconception that by killing oneself for an Islamic cause, one commits an act which deserves Paradise. Once when a man killed himself, the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) said: “He is a dweller of the Fire”. When the people were surprised at this, the Prophet (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam) said: “A person performs the deeds which to the people appears to be the deeds befitting the dweller of Paradise, but he is in fact one of the dwellers of the Fire” [9]. The taking of ones life which Allaah has given as a trust to the human, is a great sin. Likewise the taking of other lives (which is so often the case with suicide bombing) is also forbidden, as human life is indeed precious:

“…If anyone killed a person not in retaliation for murder or to spread mischief in the land, it would be as if he killed the whole of mankind. And (likewise) if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole of mankind“

(Surah Al-Maaida 5:32).

Thus, all other types of extremities such as hostage taking, hijacking and planting bombs in public places, are clearly forbidden in Islam.

The Media

By going through the teachings of Islam, it is clear that such a religion has only come to benefit mankind -not to destroy it. So why is there so much hatred for this noble religion in the West? The answer is simple, the media. It is the Jewish influenced media of the West which has portrayed Islam to be something that it is not. During the 70’s and 80’s when the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) were carrying out daring highjacks on the worlds airways, the media in the West portrayed it as being Islamic. When the Shi’ite suicide bombers of the 80’s were causing so much havoc in the Lebanon and in the Gulf region, the media in the West portrayed it as a part of Islam. However, it is known by the heads of the media that the likes of the PLO were not an Islamic organisation, and that according to Islam, Shi’ites are outside the fold of Islam [10]. Yet such facts are never portrayed by a media which seeks to cover the truth of this religion. A number of years ago, when the Oklahoma City bomb went off, a headline in one of the newspapers, ‘The Today’ [11], summed up this attitude. With a picture of a fire fighter holding a dead child in his arms, the headline read: “In The Name of Islam” Time has of course proven that this bigoted assumption was incorrect, as Timothy McVeigh, a right wing radical now faces the death penalty for the crime [12]. Likewise the bombs which went off in the Paris metro in 1995, were also blamed on Muslim fanatics. It has now emerged that the Algerian secret service who having routinely bribed many European journalists and MPs, were actually behind it. The desire to throw a veil over Islam is immense by these people:

“They intend to put out the light of Allaah with their mouths, but Allaah will complete His light even though the disbelievers hate (it)”

(Surah As-Saff 61:8).

Whilst trying to destroy Islam through this instrument of the media, the Jews clearly try to portray an image of themselves as being the oppressed people. Every year, we are reminded as to how many Jews perished under the Nazis in World War II. We are made to feel sorry for these same people who have gone on to commit so many crimes upon the Palestinian people. Some may say that this is a racist and biased viewpoint. But we say; If this media was not run and orchestrated by the Jews and was truly neutral, then why are Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir, two former Israeli prime ministers, not held aloft as being terrorists? Anyone who knows about the history of the Palestinian occupation will tell you that these two men were members of the Stem Gang and Irgun, two notorious Jewish terror groups who killed many innocent people [13]. If this media was truly impartial, then why does it not tell about the extent of the Israeli bombardment and illegal occupation of Southern Lebanon and its people? [14] And if this media really had nothing against the religion of Allaah, then why does it not inform the people that every day hundreds are entering the religion of Islam? Such things will never be highlighted in the Western media, simply because to do so would be against their very interests.

With such immense pressure against it, it is indeed a blessing from Allaah that Islam goes from strength to strength. It continues to grow faster then any other religion in the Western world, conquering the hearts and minds of thousands. All this should not even surprise us though, for Allaah has promised us that this religion will prevail:

“It is He who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, so that He may make it victorious over all other religions, even though the disbelievers detest it“

(Surah As-Saff 61:9).

It is a must that humanity comes towards the religion of Islam. Without it, we will continue to slip down the road of inequity and darkness. With it we can establish a society of justice and peace. Religion of terror? … no. The way forward? … yes.

“There is no compulsion in religion. The right path has indeed become distinct from the wrong. So whoever rejects false worship and believes in Allaah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allaah is All Hearing, All Knowing“

(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:256)

Footnotes

1 By using the many cases of child abuse and homosexuality by priests, Such a generalisation about Christianity could be made
2 By using the incident of the destruction of the Babri mosque in Ayodya, India in December 1992 by Hindu zealots, such generalisations could be made about Hinduism
3 Authentic – Reported by At-Tabaranee
4 Years of sexual liaison with a White House aide, Monica Lewinski, has been proved against Mr Clinton. Since this time, a number of other women have also claimed that they have had affairs with the president. And this is the same man who propagates family values and to whom millions look up to!
5 Reported by Bukhari – Eng. Trans, Vol.4, p. 160, No. 258
6 Authentic – Reported by Ahmed
7 Authentic – Reported by Ahmed
8 Reported by Muslim – Eng. Trans, Vol. 1, p.62, No.203
9 Reported by Muslim – Eng. Trans, Vol. 1, p.64, No.206
10 The beliefs which are contained in the books of the Shi’ites places them outside of the fold of Islam generally. However, upon the individual Shi’ite, the proofs need to be established before one can say that helshe is a disbeliever
11 This newspaper no longer exists
12 It is strange indeed that whilst the Western media criticises Islamic law for being barbaric and harsh, not a word is said about the fact that McVeigh too will be executed just as someone would in an Islamic state
13 These two groups killed Arabs, Jews and the British. They are accredited with the massacre at the village of Deir Yassin, in which many innocent people were butchered
14 Despite the fact that the UN has even made a resolution against Israel for this illegal occupation, no ‘democratic peace loving nation’ (like the USA!!) has bothered to implement it.

The Conditional Promise – Al-Ibaanah Magazine

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014February 22, 2015

Al-Ibaanah Magazine, Issue No.1 – Dhul-Qa’dah 1415H / April 1995

“Allaah has promised to those of you who believe and do righteous actions, that He will certainly grant them succession (khilaafah) upon the earth, as He granted it to those before them; and that He will grant them authority to practice their Religion, the one that He has chosen for them and He will change their state from one of fear in which they lived, to one of peace and security. They will worship Me alone, not associating any partner with Me. But whosoever disbelieves after this, then they are the rebellious ones.” [Soorah Noor 24:55]

’Ubayy Ibn Ka’b relates that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said: “Give glad-tidings to this Ummah of high position, establishment upon this earth, victory and a lofty status in this world and in the Hearafter.” [1]

Al-Haafidh Ibn Katheer (d.774H) – rahimahullaah – said: [2]

“This is a promise from Allaah – the Most High – to His Messenger, may the Prayers of Allaah and the peace be upon him, that he will make this Ummah the khulafaa‘ (successors) upon the earth. Meaning that they will be the leaders and rulers over mankind, by whom nations will be corrected and to whom mankind will submit. And that He will replace their state of fear in which they lived, to one of security and dominion. Allaah – the Blessed, the Most High – has fulfilled His promise, and to Him belongs all praise and thanks. For the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) did not die until Allaah made him conquer Makkah, Khaybar, al-Bahrain, the remaining lands of the Arabian peninsula and the whole of Yemen. He took jizyah (protection tax) from the Magians of Hajar and from the people of the surrounding areas of Syria. The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) received gifts from Heraclius – the king of Rome; the ruler of Egypt and Alexandria – the Mawqawqis; the kings of Oman; and Negus, the king of Ethiopia, who became king after Ashamah died – may Allaah have mercy upon him and grant him nobility.

After the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) died, Allaah having chosen for him the reward that is with Him, Aboo Bakr as-Siddeeq was then established as his Khaleefah (successor), taking charge unwaveringly. Aboo Bakr took the Arabian peninsula and put it in order. He sent forth armies of Islaam to the lands of Persia, under the command of Khaalid Ibnul-Waleed (radiyallaahu ’anhu). They conquered parts of these lands, slaying a number of it’s inhabitants. A second army was sent to the lands of Syria, under the leadership of Aboo ’Ubaydah (radiyallaahu ’anhu) and those who followed him. A third army was sent to Egypt under the leadership of ’Amr Ibnul-’Aas (radiyallaahu ’anhu). It was during his time that the armies sent to Syria conquered the cities of Busra, Damascus and it’s environs from the land of Hawraan and it’s surroundings. Allaah – the Mighty and Majestic – took the soul of Aboo Bakr – choosing for him the reward which is with Him. Allaah blessed the people of Islaam by inspiring as-Siddeeq to chose ’Umar al-Faarooq as a successor.

’Umar then stood up, taking charge completely. The heavens will not witness – after the Prophets – anyone like ’Umar, whether in the strength of his reign, or in the fulfillment of justice. It was during his time that the conquest of Syria was completed; as was that of Egypt to it’s farthest reaches, as well as the province of Persia. He destroyed Kisraa (Chosroes) and humiliated him to the utmost, forcing him to retreat back to the farthest reaches of his kingdom. Similarly, ’Umar destroyed Qaysar (Caesar), wrestling from his hands the lands of Syria and bottling him up in Constantinople. He spent the wealth (conquered from them) in the path of Allaah – as the Messenger of Allaah had informed and promised – may the most complete salaam and most purest salaat be bestowed upon the Messenger from his Lord.

Then there was the rule of ’Uthmaan, under whom the possessions of Islaam extended to the furthest eastern and western reaches of the earth. The lands of the west were conquered to the farthest reaches of what lies there – Andulus, Cyprus, the lands of Qayrawaan and the lands of Ceuta – which is next to the all encompassing ocean; and to the farthest lands of China. Kisraa was killed and his kingdom totally vanquished. The cities of al-’Iraaq, Khuraasaan and Ahwaaz were conquered and the Muslims slew a large number of Turks. Allaah having humiliated the Turks and their great king Kha-Khaan. The wealth of the east and the west was collected and brought to the Ameerul-Mu‘mineen (leader of the Believers) ’Uthmaan Ibn ’Affaan (radiyallaahu ’anhu). All of this came about as a result of his recitation, study and gathering the Ummah upon the preservation of the Qur‘aan.

It is confirmed in the Saheeh that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said: “Indeed Allaah gathered up the earth for me, so that I saw it’s east and it’s west. Indeed the dominion of my Ummah will reach what was gathered up for me, from it.” [3] We fluctuate in what Allaah has promised us with and in what His Messenger has promised. Allaah and His Messenger have spoken the truth. We ask Allaah to grant us eemaan (faith) in Him and His Messenger, and that we establish gratitude of what Allaah has given us, in the matter that He is please with.

’Umar related to us, that Sufyaan related to us from ’Abdul-Malik Ibn ’Umayr, from Jaabir Ibn Samurah who said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) say: “The affair of the people will continue to be upright whilst twelve men are in charge in of them.” The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) then said something which I could not make not. So I asked my father: What did the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) say? He replied: “They are all from Quraysh.” This narration is also narrated by al-Bukhaaree. [4]

In this narration there exists a clear evidence that all twelve of these man must be leaders from Quraysh. They are not the twelve imaams claimed by the Shaee’ah, because many of them had no leadership over the Muslims. As for these twelve, they will be from Quraysh and they will be just rulers. The glad-tidings of their appearance have also occurred in the previous scriptures. Furthermore, it is not necessary that they succeed one another. Rather, their appearance in the Ummah could be successive or separate. Four of them were in order, namely, Aboo Bakr, ’Umar, ’Uthmaan and ’Alee (radiyallaahu ’anhum). After these four there was a gap. Others amongst the twelve appeared as and when Allaah willed. It is possible that some of them will appear during a time which only Allaah – the Most High – knows. Amongst them will be the Mahdee whose name will be that of the Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam), and his kunyaa (nickname) that of his kunyaa. He will fill the earth with justice as it is filled with tyranny and injustice.

Imaam Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, at-Tirmidhee and an-Nisaa‘ee have all reported from the hadeeth of Sa’eed Ibn Juhmaan, from Safeenah – the mawlaa (master) of the Messenger of Allaah (sallalaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said: “The Khilaafah (successorship) after me will last for thirty years. Then kingship will appear.” [5]

Indeed ar-Rabee’ Ibn Anas has said that Abul-’Aaliyah has remarked concerning this aayah: “The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) and his Companions were in Makkah for ten years afraid, secretly calling to Allaah and His worship alone, He has no partner. They remained in such a state that they were ordered to migrate to al-Madeenah. They were ordered by Allaah to fight. Whilst they were (in al-Madeenah) they were in constant fear (of attack). They would go to sleep armed and awake armed. They remained patient upon that state for as long as Allaah willed, until one day when one individual from amongst the Companions said: “O Messenger of Allaah! Will we remain in a state of fear until the end of time? Will there not come a time when we will be in a state of security, so that we may lay down our weapons?” The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) then said: “Be patient for a while, for there will come a time when any man from amongst you will sit in a crowd unharmed.” Allaah sent down this aayah and made his Prophet victorious over the Arabian Peninsula. The Companions of the Prophet were now safe and they could lay down their weapons. Allaah – the Most High – then took the soul of His Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) and the Muslims remained in such a state during the leadership of Aboo Bakr, ’Umar and ’Uthmaan; until the Muslims fell into what they fell into from discord. So fear entered into their hearts and they took armies and guards for protection. For they had changed, so Allaah changed their state. One of the Salaf has remarked that the khilaafah of both Aboo Bakr and ’Uthmaan was true. He then recited this aayah, al-Baraa‘ Ibn ’Aazib has said: “This aayah was revealed whilst we were in a state of extreme fear.”

This noble aayah is similar in meaning to His statement – the Most High – :

“And remember when you were few and were reckoned weak in the land and were afraid that men might kidnap you, but He (i.e. Allaah)provided a safe place for you, and strengthened you with His help and provided you good things so that you might be grateful.” [Sooratul-Anfaal 8:26]

And the statement of Allaah – the Most High – : “As he granted that to those before them.” This aayah is similar to what Allaah said about Moosaa (’alayhis-salaam) that he said to his people:

“It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you succeed (the present rulers) upon earth, so that He may see how you act.” [Sooratul-A’raaf 7:129]

Allaah – the Most High – said:

“And We wished to confer a favour upon those who were oppressed in the land; and to make them leaders and to make them heirs; and to establish them upon earth...” [Soorah Qasas 28:5-6]

And Allaah’s statement: “And that He will change their state after the fear in which they lived to one of security and peace.” This is similar to what the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said to ’Adee Ibn Haatim when ’Adee came as a delegation to the Messenger. The Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said: “Do you know Hira?” ’Adee replied: ‘I have not seen it, but I have heard of it.” The Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) then said: “By Him in Whose Hand is my soul! Allaah will complete this matter (i.e. Islaam) until a woman will be able to travel from Hira, until she goes around the House not needing the protection of anyone. And you will surely conquer the treasure of Kisraa Ibn Hurmuz.” I (i.e. ’Adee) replied: “Kisraa Ibn Hurmuz!” The Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) replied: “Yes! Kisraa Ibn Hurmuz. Money will be spent until no one will accept it.” ’Adee Ibn Haatim said: “Now here is the woman leaving from Hira until she goes around the House. And I was from amongst those who conquered the treasure of Kisraa. And by Him in Whose Hand is my soul! The third matter will come to pass because the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) has said so.”

Ahmad reports upon ’Ubayy Ibn Ka’b who said that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) has said: “Give glad tidings to this Ummah of ease of life, exalted stature, establishment of their Religion, and victory and leaderhsip upon the earth. Whoever does acts of the Hereafter for this world, he will have no portion of the Hereafter.” [6]

And the statement of Allaah: “They worship Me alone and do not associate anything with Me.” Ahmad reports upon Mu’aadh who said: ‘I was sitting behind the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) and I except the end of his saddle. The Prophet said to me: “O Mu’aadh Ibn Jabal!” I said: “Here I am O Messenger of Allaah in your service.” The Prophet said: “Do you know what is the Right of Allaah upon His servants?” I said: “Allaah and His Messenger know best.” He said: “The Right of Allaah upon the servants is that they worship Him and do not associate anything with Him.” The Prophet continued to ride on for some time and then he said to me: “O Mu’aadh Ibn Jabal!” I said: “Here I am O Messenger of Allaah at your service.” The Prophet said: “Do you know what is the right of the servants upon Allaah if they worship Him alone?” I said: “Allaah and His Messenger know best.” He said: “The right of the servants upon Allaah is that He does not punish whomsoever does not associate anything with Him.” This narration is also narrated in the two Saheehs. [7]

And the statement of Allaah: “But whoever disbelieved after this, and they are the rebellious ones.” Meaning, whoever steps outside my obedience after that promise, has stepped outside the Command of His Lord, and sufficient is that as a sin. Since the Companions of the Prophet (radiyallaahu ’anhum) were the most upright and obedient of the people after the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) in fulfilling the commands of Allaah – the Mighty and Majestic – their victory was accordingly. The Companions of the Prophet made the Word of Allaah supreme, so Allaah Himself aided them in such a manner that He subdued for them the rest of mankind, as well as their lands.

When the people after the Prophet’s Companions fell short in adhering to some of Allaah’s Commands, their victory accordingly fell short. It is, however, affirmed in both Saheehs (i.e. al-Bukhaaree and Muslim) in many ways from the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) that he said: “There shall not cease to be a group from my Ummah, victorious upon the truth, not being harmed by those who abandoned them or go against them, until Allaah’s favour comes, and they are like that.” [8] And in a narration: “Until the last of them fights the Anti-Christ (Maseehud-Dajjaal).” [9] All of these narrations are authentic and there is no contradiction between them.”

Imaam ’Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Naasir as-Sa’dee (d.1376H) said:

“This is one of His true promises whose meaning and accomplishment has been witnessed. He promised those who came with eemaan (faith) and ’amalus-saalih (righteous and correct actions) from this Ummah, that He will cause them to be successors upon this earth, so that they are the ones in authority and in charge of the affairs. Further, that He would establish their Religion – that which He was pleased with for them, which is the Religion of Islaam, which gained ascendancy over all other religions. He was pleased with it for this Ummah, due to its excellence, nobility and favours upon it, in that He enabled them to establish it, and to establish it’s laws and prescriptions – relating both to manifest and non-manifest matters – upon themselves and upon others, so that the people of other religions and the rest of the disbelievers conquered and humbled.

And that He would change their condition of fear to one of security, since it was previously the case that one of them would not be able to manifest his Religion, and they suffered harm and injury from the disbelievers. The united body of Muslims was very small in number, in comparison to the rest of the people of the earth, who combined to attack them and hope for their downfall. However, Allaah promised them these things when the aayah was sent down, at a time when they were not witnessing ascendancy and establishment upon this earth, nor the ability to fully establish the Religion of Islaam and full security – such as would enable them to worship Allaah, not associating anything with Him – in a state of not having to fear anyone besides Allaah.

So the first and foremost of this Ummah combined eemaan and righteous and correct action to a degree surpassing everyone else, so He established them in the land and gave them authority over the people, and granted them the conquest of the east and the west. They attained full security and complete authority and establishment – and this is one of the astounding signs of Allaah. This applies until the Hour is established – that whenever the Muslims combine eemaan (faith) and righteous and correct action – then that which Allaah promises will certainly occur. Indeed Allaah only grants that they be overcome by the unbelievers and the hypocrites, and that they suffer humiliation when the Muslims neglect eemaan and righteous and correct action.” [10]

Footnotes:

[1] Saheeh: Related by Ahmad (5/134) and al-Haakim (4/311); and it was authenticated by al-Haafidh al-Mundhiree in Targheeb wat-Tarheeb (1/31).

[2] Tafseer Qur‘aanil-’Adtheem (3/311-313)

[3] Related by Muslim (8/171) and Aboo Daawood (no. 4252), from Thawbaan (radiyallaahu ’anhu).

[4] Related by al-Bukhaaree (6/416), Muslim (6/3-4) and Ahmad (5/101), the wording is from Ahmad.

[5] Saheeh: Related by Aboo Daawood (no. 4646), at-Tirmidhee (2/35) and others. It was authenticated by at-Tabaree in his I’tiqaad (p. 8), and by al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar in Fathul-Baaree (13/182).

[6] Saheeh: Related by Ahmad (4/134) and al-Haakim (4/311) and it was authenticated by al-Albaanee in Ahkaamul-Janaa‘iz (p. 52).

[7] Related by al-Bukhaaree (6/58) and Muslim (1/232)

[8] Related by Muslim (6/52-53) and at-Tirmidhee (2/36), from Thawbaan (radiyallaahu ’anhu).

[9] Saheeh: Related by Ahmad (4/492), Aboo Daawood (1/388-389) and al-Haakim (4/450), from ’Imraan Ibn Husayn (radiyallaahu ’anhu). It was authenticated by al-Albaanee in as-Saheehah (no. 1959).

[10] Tayseerul-Kareemir-Rahmaan (4/123)

’Ubayy ibn K’ab relates that the Prophet – sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam – said:

“Give good-tidings to this Ummah of high position, establishment upon this earth, victory and a lofty status in this world and in the Hereafter.”

Related by Ahmad (5/134) and al-Hâkim (4/311) and authenticated by al-Hâfidh al-Mundharî in Targhîb wat-Tarhîb (1/31).