1 July 2012
Seerah of Muhammed*
*: May the peace blessings and Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an
Rivalry between Mecca and Taif
Traditionally, there was great rivalry between the people of Mecca & Ta’if, with the Ta’if people having a chip on their shoulder as they thought they were better than the Meccans but Mecca had the Kaaba and the established pilgrimage associated with it. When the Prophet* was first given revelation, people complained that it should have gone to a noble person from one of the two towns – meaning Mecca or Ta’if. Also, it was the first place that the Prophet* went to for support (Nusra) to establish an Islamic State when it was clear that Mecca would not give him the base (after the death of his wife and uncle). Hence, he* was so bitterly disappointed when they drove him out of Ta’if in such a wicked manner.
The conquest of Mecca which came forth as a consequence of a swift blow astounded both the Arabs and other tribes who realized that they were doomed and had to submit to the new situation as a fait accompli. Some of the fierce, powerful proud tribes did not submit and favoured resistance. They thought that they were too mighty to admit or surrender to such a victory. So they met Malik bin ‘Awf An-Nasri and made up their mind to proceed fighting against the Muslims.
Hawazin gather forces
The Prophet's final definite move against Quraysh had not stopped Hawazin from continuing to consolidate their forces. Nor were their apprehensions allayed by the news of his easy conquest of Mecca and his destruction of all its idols; and great was their alarm at the fate of the temple of al-'Uzza, which had been the sister-shrine to their own temple of al-Lat, By the time that the invaders had spent two weeks in Mecca, Hawazin had assembled an army of some twenty thousand men in the valley of Awtas, to the north of Ta'if, The clans of Hawazin which had come out against them were Thaqif, Nasr, jusham, and Sa'd ibn Bakr. Their commander-in-chief was a thirty-year-old man of Nasr named Malik, who had already won for himself, despite his youth, a reputation for great valour and princely munificence. Against the advice of older men he had ordered them to bring with them all their women and children and cattle, on the grounds that with these in the rear of the army the men would fight more valiantly.
Enemy's march and encampment at Uwtas:
When Malik bin ‘Awf — the general leader — decided to march and fight the Muslims, he made his country people take their wealth, women and children with them to Uwtas — which is a valley in Hawazin land and is quite near Hunain. It differs from Hunain in its being adjacent to Dhi-Al-Majaz which is around ten miles from Makkah in ‘Arafat’s direction.
Malik & Duraid argue about tactics:
As soon as they had camped in Awtas, people crowded round Malik. The old sane Duraid bin As- Simmah, who was well-known as a war-experienced man, and who was among those who gathered round Malik, asked: “What valley are we in?” “In Awtas,” they said. “What a good course it is for horses! It is neither a sharp pointed height nor a loosed soiled plain. What? Why do I hear camels’ growling, the donkeys’ braying, the children’s cries and the sheep bleating?” asked Duraid. They said: “Malik bin ‘Awf had made people bring their women, properties and children with them.” So he called Malik and asked him what made him do such a thing. Malik said that his aim was to have everybody’s family and properties around them so that they fight fiercely to protect them.” “I swear by Allah that you are nothing but a shepherd,” answered Duraid, “Do you believe that there is anything whatsoever, can stand in the way of a defeated one or stop him from fleeing? If you win the battle you avail nothing but a man with a sword and a spear; but if you lose you will bring disgrace on your people and properties,” then he resumed his talk and went on wondering about some septs and their leaders. “O Malik, thrusting the distinguished people of Hawazin into the battlefield will avail you nothing. Raise them up to where they can be safe. Then make the young people mount their horses and fight. If you win, those whom you tarried will follow you, but if you were the loser it would be a loss of a battle, but your kinsmen, people and properties would not be lost.” But Malik, the general leader, refused this suggestion. “By Allah,” he said, “I will not do such a thing. You must have grown a senile. Hawazin have to obey me, or else I will lean my body against this sword so that it penetrates through my back.” He rejected any sort of contribution of Duraid’s in that concern. “We obey you,” said his people, Duraid consequently said: “Today is a day that I have not missed but surely I will not be tempted to witness.”
Fiqh (part 7):
Main Topic: Shariah (part 1): Who should we follow?
- Why do we need Messengers or Prophets?
- Why can't we rely on our mind for how we pray, and live?
We briefly talked about the number of issues related to whom we should follow for our day-to-day guidance. Rather than have a full discussion a series of questions were raised. The starting point focuses on whom you should listen to in deciding how we live our lives. Because we have been given the mind -- surely we should use that as intelligent human beings to decide how best we can live. After all, surely we know best the challenges that we face.
This is a common argument that is often mentioned and as foursomes as Muslims we should know how to consider responding to this. After all, we have just spent a few weeks talking about how important it is to use our minds in coming to the conclusion that there is only one Allah. Hence, surely we should be able to use our minds to decide how we live.
The group was asked to think about these issues in preparation for a fuller discussion the following week (inshaAllah). How do we decide on how can convince others what is the best way to live?
Children's feedback:
- Olympic preparation and forgiveness
- Emperor Ling and his plant seeds
- Shahnam Charity Events volunteering
Home work:
- How many people protected the Prophet* in the Battle of Hunain?
- Why do we need Messengers to follow? What is the need for Revelation and how would we discuss this with people?
Seerah of Muhammed*
*: May the peace blessings and Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an
Rivalry between Mecca and Taif
Traditionally, there was great rivalry between the people of Mecca & Ta’if, with the Ta’if people having a chip on their shoulder as they thought they were better than the Meccans but Mecca had the Kaaba and the established pilgrimage associated with it. When the Prophet* was first given revelation, people complained that it should have gone to a noble person from one of the two towns – meaning Mecca or Ta’if. Also, it was the first place that the Prophet* went to for support (Nusra) to establish an Islamic State when it was clear that Mecca would not give him the base (after the death of his wife and uncle). Hence, he* was so bitterly disappointed when they drove him out of Ta’if in such a wicked manner.
The conquest of Mecca which came forth as a consequence of a swift blow astounded both the Arabs and other tribes who realized that they were doomed and had to submit to the new situation as a fait accompli. Some of the fierce, powerful proud tribes did not submit and favoured resistance. They thought that they were too mighty to admit or surrender to such a victory. So they met Malik bin ‘Awf An-Nasri and made up their mind to proceed fighting against the Muslims.
Hawazin gather forces
The Prophet's final definite move against Quraysh had not stopped Hawazin from continuing to consolidate their forces. Nor were their apprehensions allayed by the news of his easy conquest of Mecca and his destruction of all its idols; and great was their alarm at the fate of the temple of al-'Uzza, which had been the sister-shrine to their own temple of al-Lat, By the time that the invaders had spent two weeks in Mecca, Hawazin had assembled an army of some twenty thousand men in the valley of Awtas, to the north of Ta'if, The clans of Hawazin which had come out against them were Thaqif, Nasr, jusham, and Sa'd ibn Bakr. Their commander-in-chief was a thirty-year-old man of Nasr named Malik, who had already won for himself, despite his youth, a reputation for great valour and princely munificence. Against the advice of older men he had ordered them to bring with them all their women and children and cattle, on the grounds that with these in the rear of the army the men would fight more valiantly.
Enemy's march and encampment at Uwtas:
When Malik bin ‘Awf — the general leader — decided to march and fight the Muslims, he made his country people take their wealth, women and children with them to Uwtas — which is a valley in Hawazin land and is quite near Hunain. It differs from Hunain in its being adjacent to Dhi-Al-Majaz which is around ten miles from Makkah in ‘Arafat’s direction.
Malik & Duraid argue about tactics:
As soon as they had camped in Awtas, people crowded round Malik. The old sane Duraid bin As- Simmah, who was well-known as a war-experienced man, and who was among those who gathered round Malik, asked: “What valley are we in?” “In Awtas,” they said. “What a good course it is for horses! It is neither a sharp pointed height nor a loosed soiled plain. What? Why do I hear camels’ growling, the donkeys’ braying, the children’s cries and the sheep bleating?” asked Duraid. They said: “Malik bin ‘Awf had made people bring their women, properties and children with them.” So he called Malik and asked him what made him do such a thing. Malik said that his aim was to have everybody’s family and properties around them so that they fight fiercely to protect them.” “I swear by Allah that you are nothing but a shepherd,” answered Duraid, “Do you believe that there is anything whatsoever, can stand in the way of a defeated one or stop him from fleeing? If you win the battle you avail nothing but a man with a sword and a spear; but if you lose you will bring disgrace on your people and properties,” then he resumed his talk and went on wondering about some septs and their leaders. “O Malik, thrusting the distinguished people of Hawazin into the battlefield will avail you nothing. Raise them up to where they can be safe. Then make the young people mount their horses and fight. If you win, those whom you tarried will follow you, but if you were the loser it would be a loss of a battle, but your kinsmen, people and properties would not be lost.” But Malik, the general leader, refused this suggestion. “By Allah,” he said, “I will not do such a thing. You must have grown a senile. Hawazin have to obey me, or else I will lean my body against this sword so that it penetrates through my back.” He rejected any sort of contribution of Duraid’s in that concern. “We obey you,” said his people, Duraid consequently said: “Today is a day that I have not missed but surely I will not be tempted to witness.”
Fiqh (part 7):
Basic Terms in Hadith
·
Sanad: A chain of
reporters leading back to the Prophet*. [from person F to A]
·
Tabaqah: A class of
reporters in the same generation, i.e. Sahabah, Tabi’een. [Persons B-G-L same
as Sahabah; and/or C-H-M same as Tabi’een, D-I-N same as Tabi- Tabi’een, E-J-O
next generation, etc]
·
Marfu’: A Hadith whose Sanad
leads to the Prophet*. [from person F to A]
·
Mawquf: A Hadith whose
Sanad ends with a Sahabi. [from person F to B]
·
Mursal: A Hadith leading
to the Prophet* but missing the name of the Sahabi who reported it. [Missing
B-G-L]
·
Qudsi: A Hadith whose
Sanad leads to Prophet* and the Prophet* is reporting it from Allah.
Types of Hadith:
Different types of Ahadith (Ahadith = plural
of Hadith) exist due to the method of transmission, number of reporters in each
class, and the authenticity of the Hadith.
Methods of Transmitting a Hadith
Mutawatir / Tawatur = Transmitters are 5
and/or greater than 5 in each class
Khabar Ahad = Transmitters are less
than 5
Mutawatir / Tawatur:
A Daleel transmitted by an very large number
of people (5 or over). Due to the large number of people reporting the Daleel
and their diversity of residence, reliability, and conviction, it is
inconceivable that this Daleel could be fabricated. (We talked about people
standing on weighing scales to check their weight, and then lots of different
scales to see if they also matched up.)
The minimum number of transmitters that are
required to classify a Daleel as Mutawatir is generally five. However,
some scholars may have more stringent criteria. The character of the reporters
narrating Mutawatir Ahadith has to be noble.
Ahad:
Riwayah Ahad is a number less than the
Mutawatir.
Ahad can be further sub-divided depending upon
the number of reporters in each class for Khabar Ahad:
·
Mashoor: A Hadith reported
by at least three individuals in every class (Sahabah, Tabi’een, etc.).
·
Aziz: A Hadith reported
by at least two individuals in every class.
·
Gharib: A Hadith reported
by only one individual in one or more classes.
Authenticity of the Reporters for Khabar Ahad This applies only to Khabar Ahad as Mutawatir are deemed to be beyond
doubt, and so are as authentic as you can get. However, with fewer narrators
there is greater chance of some doubt and so the authenticity can vary. There
are 3 main classes of authenticity (Sahih to Hasan to Dha’eef),
and each one can be further subdivided – although the main divisions are in the
lowest (Dha’eef) category:
Sahih (‘Correct’):
A Hadith narrated by an Adl (not
known for misconduct) and Daabit (maintains accuracy of the
report) person from another person of similar qualities until the end of the
report. The report should also exclude any Shudhudh (disagreement
with other credible reporters).
Hasan (‘Good’): It has two definitions:
a) A Hadith, which meets the requirements of
Sahih to a lesser degree.
b) A Hadith, which is acceptable by the
majority of the Fuqaha (scholars).
Dha’eef (‘Weak’):
A weak Hadith which does not meet the
requirement of either the Sahih or the Hasan Hadith, it can be further
classified into one of the following:
·
Mu’alaq: A Hadith which is
missing one or more reporters either at the beginning of the Isnad, in the
middle or in the end [from Person B to F].
·
Mu’addal: Hadith which is
missing two or more consecutive reporters [missing C – D, or D – E].
·
Munqati: A Hadith which
has interruption in the class [no C or D].
·
Ash-Shaath: A Hadith in which
one credible reporter reports something that disagrees with other credible
reporters.
·
Mu’allal: A Hadith whose
Sanad seems to be fine, but due to some reasons discovered by scholars, it is
discredited.
·
Munkar: A Hadith in which
non-credible reporters convey a message, which is in disagreement with what,
was reported by credible reporters.
·
Mawd’u: A fabricated
Hadith.
Main Topic: Shariah (part 1): Who should we follow?
- Why do we need Messengers or Prophets?
- Why can't we rely on our mind for how we pray, and live?
We briefly talked about the number of issues related to whom we should follow for our day-to-day guidance. Rather than have a full discussion a series of questions were raised. The starting point focuses on whom you should listen to in deciding how we live our lives. Because we have been given the mind -- surely we should use that as intelligent human beings to decide how best we can live. After all, surely we know best the challenges that we face.
This is a common argument that is often mentioned and as foursomes as Muslims we should know how to consider responding to this. After all, we have just spent a few weeks talking about how important it is to use our minds in coming to the conclusion that there is only one Allah. Hence, surely we should be able to use our minds to decide how we live.
The group was asked to think about these issues in preparation for a fuller discussion the following week (inshaAllah). How do we decide on how can convince others what is the best way to live?
Children's feedback:
- Olympic preparation and forgiveness
- Emperor Ling and his plant seeds
- Shahnam Charity Events volunteering
Home work:
- How many people protected the Prophet* in the Battle of Hunain?
- Why do we need Messengers to follow? What is the need for Revelation and how would we discuss this with people?
No comments:
Post a Comment