4 March 2012

Khaibar (part 4) and Safiyyah and Hadith 38: Drawing Nearer to Allah

Seerah of Muhammed*
*: May the Peace, Blessings and Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an

Umm ul-Muhminin Safiyyah: The Jewish Wife of Muhammad

Among the captives taken as a result of Kinanah's hiding the treasure was his widow Safiyyah, the daughter of that Huyayy who had persuaded the Bani Qurayzah to break their treaty with the Prophet, and who had been put to death with them after the Battle of the Trench. She was seventeen years old and had only married Kinanah a month or two before the Prophet*set out from Medina. Safiyyah was of a deeply pious nature. From her earliest years she had heard her people talk of the Prophet*who was soon to come, and this had filled her imagination. Then they had spoken of an Arab in Mecca, a man of Quraysh, who claimed to be that Prophet; and then came the news that he had arrived at Quba'. Safiyyah was the daughter of Huyay ibn Akhtab, the undisputed leader of the Banu al-Nadir as well as a Jewish rabbi. Saffiyah says, "I was my father's and my uncle's favourite child. When the Messenger of Allah came to Medina and stayed at Quba, my parents went to him at night and when they looked disconcerted and worn out. I received them cheerfully but to my surprise no one of them turned to me. They were so grieved that they did not feel my presence. I heard my uncle, Abu Yasir, saying to my father, 'Is it really him?' He said, 'Yes, by Allah'. My uncle said: 'Can you recognize him and confirm this?' He said, 'Yes'. My uncle said, 'How do you feel towards him?' He said, 'By Allah I shall be his enemy as long as I live.'" That was when she was a child of ten. It was clear from what they said that they believed the newcomer to be the promised Prophet, but that they intended to oppose him; and her young mind was puzzled.

Soon after her marriage, and not long before the Prophet*arrived in front of Khaibar, she had had a dream. She saw a brilliant moon hanging in the sky, and she knew that beneath it lay the city of Medina. Then the moon began to move towards Khaibar, where it fell into her lap. When she woke she told Kinanah what she had seen in her sleep, whereupon he struck her a blow in the face and said: "This can only mean that thou desirest the King of the Hijaz, Muhammad." The mark of the blow was still visible when she was brought as captive to the Prophet. He asked her what had caused it, and she told him of her dream. Now Dihyah 1 of the Bani Kalb, who had entered Islam shortly after Badr, had asked that Safiyyah should be given him as his share of the booty of Khaibar, or as part of his share, and the Prophet*had agreed; but on hearing her dream he sent to Dihyah and told him he must take her cousin instead. He then told Safiyyah that he was prepared to set her free, and he offered her the choice between remaining a Jewess and returning to her people or entering Islam and becoming his wife. "I choose God and His Messenger," she said; and they were married at the first halt on the homeward march.

This significant act of marrying Safiyyah was indeed a great honour for her, for this not only preserved her dignity, it also prevented her from becoming a slave. The marriage to Safiyyah has a political significance as well, as it helps to reduce hostilities and cement alliances. Safiyyah, relates those moments when she hated the Prophet*for killing her father and her ex-husband. The Prophet*apologized to her saying, "Your father charged the Arabs against me and committed heinous act," he apologized to the extent that made Safiyyah get rid of her bitterness against the Prophet.

The Prophet's Attitude Towards Safiyyah: The Prophet*used to treat Safiyyah with courteousness, gentleness and affection. Safiyyah said, "The Messenger of Allah went to Hajj with his wives. On the way my camel knelt down for it was the weakest among all the other camels and so I wept. The Prophet*came to me and wiped away my tears with his dress and hands. The more he asked me not to weep the more I went on weeping.

Factors helping the Prophet*win in Khaibar

The gates of the forts of Khaibar were opened and the Jewish tribes surrendered before the army of Islam under certain special conditions. However, it should be seen as to what were the factors responsible for this victory and they are of course the distinguished points of this episode. This remarkable victory of Muslims was the consequence of military planning (encamping, use of weaponry, structured attack on the forts one by one) and getting usable intelligence (sending scouts to Khaibar beforehand, interrogating the arrested people and finding out about the water stores and hidden weapons).

Arrival of Jafar from Abyssinia

Before proceeding to Khaibar the Prophet*sent 'Amr bin Umayyah to the court of the Negus. The purpose of sending his envoy to the Ethiopian court was that he should convey a message of the Prophet*to the King of Ethiopia and ask him to provide facilities for the departure of all the Muslims residing in Ethiopia. The Negus arranged two boats for them. The boats of the Muhajirs cast the anchor on the coast near Medina. The Muslims came to know that the Prophet*had proceeded to Khaibar and they also arrived in Khaibar without any delay. The travellers of Ethiopia arrived at the time when all the forts had been conquered. The Prophet*took sixteen steps forward to receive Ja'far bin Abu Talib, kissed his forehead and said: "I don't know for which thing I should be more happy-whether for that I have met you after so many years or for that Allah has opened the forts of the Jews for us through your brother Ali" .

Abu Hurairah becomes a Muslim

His is the foremost name in the roll of hadith transmitters. Next to him comes the names of such companions as Abdullah the son of Umar, Anas the son of Malik, Umm al-Mumininin Aishah, Jabir ibn Abdullah and Abu Said al-Khudri all of whom transmitted over a thousand sayings of the Prophet*. It is after Khaibar that he became a Muslim. Afterwards,  much of Abu Hurayrah's time would be spent in spiritual exercises and devotion to God. Qiyam al-Layl staying up for the night in prayer and devotion - was a regular practice of his family including his wife and his daughter. He would stay up for a third of the night, his wife for another third and his daughter for a third. In this way, in the house of Abu Hurayrah no hour of the night would pass without ibadah, dhikr and Salat.

Forgiving the vanquished

When great and pious persons are victorious they show love and kindness to their vanquished and helpless enemies. As soon as the enemy surrenders they show indulgence to him and refrain from taking revenge and from nursing a grudge against him. After the conquest of Khaibar the great leader of the Muslims showed kind sentiments to the people of that place (notwithstanding the fact that they had spent large sums of money to instigate the idolatrous Arabs to rise against him and had subjected Medina to attack and possible fall) and conceded their demand that they might stay on in Khaibar and continue to possess the lands and trees of that area subject to the condition that they would pay half of the produce to the Muslims.

The Prophet*could put all of them to sword or expel them from Khaibar or compel them to embrace Islam. The Prophet*did not do any such thing, but granted them complete asylum, and allowed them to follow the principles, rules, regulations and ceremonies of their religion. If the Prophet*waged war against the Jews of Khaibar it was on account of the fact that Khaibar and its residents were the centre of danger for Islam and always collaborated with the idolaters to topple down the newly established Government / State of the Muslims. The Prophet* took jizyah from them it was for the reason that they enjoyed security under the Islamic State and it was obligatory upon the Muslims to protect their lives and property. And according to minute calculations the taxes which every Muslim was obliged to pay the Islamic Government, exceeded the jizyah which the Jews and the Christians were required to pay. The Muslims had to pay zakat and khums and at times they had also to make payments out of their net property to meet the needs of the Islamic Government. As compared with this the Jews and the Christians, who lived under the banner of Islam and enjoyed collective and individual rights, had to make payments, like the Muslims, by way of jizyah, for the security of this banner. The imposition of Islamic jizyah is something different from taking tribute.

The Jews are expelled from Khaibar

The excesses of the Jews were not confined to these incidents and they harassed the Muslims every now and then with their different schemes. Eventually, during the Khilafah of Umer, his son Abdullah, who had gone to Khaibar along with some other persons to conclude an agreement was tortured by the Jews. The Caliph came to know about the incident and thought of solving the problem. Then, relying on a tradition of the Prophet*which had been quoted by some persons, he said to the companions of the Prophet: "Whoever has to realize a debt from the people of Khaibar should realize it, for I am going to give orders that they should leave this place". Soon afterwards the Jews of Khaibar were banished from there on account of repeated excesses committed by them and they left the Peninsula. Their Jewish descendants tried to forge documents later showing that they were exempt from Jizyah – but these were proven to be forged.

Hajjaj gets his money from Mecca

A merchant named Hajjaj bin 'Ilat was present in Khaibar. He had trade dealings with the people of Mecca. The grandeur of Islam and the affection and kindness shown by the Prophet*to this obstinate nation (i.e. the Jews) enlightened his heart and he came to the Prophet*and embraced Islam. Then he drew up a plan to realize his dues from the people of Mecca. He entered the city of Mecca through a gate and saw that the chiefs of Quraysh were awaiting news and were very much anxious about the developments at Khaibar. All of them encircled his camel and enquired impatiently about the condition of Muhammad. He replied: "Muhammad has suffered an unparalleled defeat and his companions have been killed or captured. He himself has been captured and the chiefs of the Jews have decided to bring him to Mecca and to execute him before the very eyes of Quraysh". This false report pleased them immensely. Then he turned to the people and said: "In view of this good news I request you to pay me my dues as early as possible so that I may go to Khaibar earlier than other merchants and may purchase the slaves". The duped people paid him his dues in a very short time.

The circulation of this news extremely upset Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet, and he desired to meet Hajjaj. He, however, winked at Abbas which meant that he would let him know the real facts later. A short time before his departure he met the Prophet's uncle secretly and said: "I have embraced Islam and I chalked out this plan only to realize my dues. The correct news is that on the day on which I left Khaibar all the forts had been conquered by the Muslims and the daughter of their leader named Huyyay bin Akhtab (Safiyyah) had been captured and had become a wife of the Prophet. Please make these facts known to the people after three days of my departure".

After three days Abbas put on his best dress, scented himself with the costliest perfume and entered the mosque with a staff in his hand and began to go round the Ka'bah. Quraysh were surprised to see the dress of Abbas which displayed his joy and happiness, because they thought that, in view of the calamity which had befallen his nephew, he should have worn a dress of mourning. He, however, relieved them of their surprise by saying: "The report which Hajjaj furnished you was a clever device to realize his dues. He has embraced Islam and he had left Khaibar when Muhammad had gained the greatest victory, and the Jews had been disarmed and some of them had been killed and others had been made captives". The chiefs of Quraysh became very sad on hearing this news and soon afterwards they heard the same thing (from other sources as well).

Nawawi's Forty Hadith
Hadith 38: Drawing Nearer to Allah Through Obligatory Duties

Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah*, said: "Allah the Almighty has said: 'Whosoever acts with enmity towards a closer servant of Mine (wali), I will indeed declare war against him. Nothing endears My servant to Me than doing of what I have made obligatory upon him to do. And My servant continues to draw nearer to Me with supererogatory (nawafil) prayers so that I shall love him. When I love him, I shall be his hearing with which he shall hear, his sight with which he shall see, his hands with which he shall hold, and his feet with which he shall walk. And if he asks (something) of Me, I shall surely give it to him, and if he takes refuge in Me, I shall certainly grant him it.'" [Al-Bukhari]

“Whoever has mutual animosity with a friend (wali) of Mine, I declare war upon him.“

This hadith begins with a very stern warning: Allah declares war upon the one who opposes His devoted servants or auliyaa. In order to understand this statement properly, we need to understand the correct meaning of a wali or friend, of Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, as it is established from the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Correct Understanding of  Who is a Wali of Allah

Wali (plural auliyaa), according to the Islamic understanding, means support, love, honour, respect and being beloved in both a spiritual and material sense. In Allah’s description, He points out two essential characteristics for anyone to be among the auliyaa of Allah. The first condition is imaan (faith) and the second condition is to have taqwa (God-consciousness). Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, says in the Qur’an: “Lo, verily the friends of Allah are those on whom fear comes not, nor do they grieve. Those who believe and keep their duty to Allah.” (Surah Yunus:62-63)

We can see from this that the auliyaa of Allah are those who believe and continually obey Him, and have the highest levels of imaan and taqwa. This shows us that the auliyaa of Allah are not all of the same rank. In fact some scholars have said they fall into three categories, due to the ayah: “Then those who We chose of Our servants inherited the Book. But of them are some who wrong themselves and of them are some who are intermediate, and of them are some who outstrip others through their good deeds, by Allah’s leave.” (Surah Faatir:32)

Ibn Katheer explains in his book of Qur’anic commentary that those ‘who wrong themselves’ are believers who are negligent of obligatory some duties and perform some forbidden acts. Those who are ‘intermediate’ are those who perform obligatory duties and abstain from forbidden acts but may not perform all of the recommended acts and may perform some makrooh or disliked acts. Those who ‘outstrip others through good deeds’ are those who perform the obligatory and recommended acts and abstain from both forbidden and reprehensible deeds. This shows us that, by the mercy of Allah, perfection is not is prerequisite to be an auliyaa of Allah. Even those of us who commit some sins may still gain entry to this category. Since imaan and taqwa are not something that can be seen by others, it is not possible to know who is definitely in fact a wali or friend of Allah, unless we have been informed of this in the Qur’an and sunnah. From these we know that the greatest auliyaa of Allah are the angels and messengers and then the prophets. After that come the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah be pleased with them all, and the true and sincere scholars of Islam, all of whom act on their knowledge and as such are the ‘heirs of the Prophet’, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him.

Incorrect Understanding of Who is a Wali of Allah

Unfortunately, some Muslims have taken this concept of Wali of Allah and used it to give their Sheikh’s a kind of demi-god status, considering them higher than the Prophets, and assuming that no faults can be attributed to them. They believe them to be so near to Allah that they should ask the Wali for help instead of Allah. May Allah protect us from this type of shirk, or associating partners with Allah, all praises and glory be to Him.

Mutual Animosity

The words ‘whoever opposes…‘ are in the reciprocal form, meaning that the enmity if from both sides. We may ask why a wali would have animosity towards others when they should be forgiving and patient? We should remember that an auliyaa of Allah loves and hates for the sake of Allah not from their own desires. This animosity may be between the auliyaa who are the people of the sunnah, and the innovators, or between the auliyaa and those are sinning. There there will be a mutual dislike for the actions of the other in each of these cases. What is referred to in this hadith is a warning to those who dislike the auliyaa of Allah or oppose them simply because they implement and follow the law of Allah, all praises and glory be to Him. The enmity referred to does not apply to worldly disputes or disagreements. This hadith tells us that if someone opposes a wali of Allah simply for obeying Allah, then Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, has declared war on them, and we seek refuge with Allah from that.

“My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than the religious duties that I have imposed upon him.”

After describing how no one should oppose His devoted servants, Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, goes on to describe the characteristics of a devoted servant. They are those who strive to get closer to Allah through performing deeds that are pleasing to Him, with pure sincerity. In this part of the hadith, Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, describes how His servant draws near to Him through their performance of the obligatory duties, namely the five pillars of Islam. A person in this category would also avoid what is forbidden as this is also a type of obligation from Allah. These people are known as the ‘companions of the right hand’ that Allah speaks about in the Qur’an (see Surah al Waaqiah:38). It is part of Allah’s immense mercy that the deeds that are obligatory upon us are also those that draw us closer to Him, the Praised, the Glorious.

Many people do not seem to realise that the obligatory duties are for a believers own benefit. Allah tells us: “Verily the prayers restrain one from evil and lewdity” (Surah al-Ankaboot:45) “But prostrate yourself and draw near (unto Allah)” (Surah al-Alaq:19) “O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you in order that you may attain God-consciousness (taqwa)” (Surah al-Baqarah:183) “Take alms from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them by that” (Surah al-Taubah:103)

All of the obligatory deeds serve to purify us and draw us closer to Allah, all praises and glory be to Him.  They are like the root of a tree and voluntary deeds are like its branches. If the believer first fulfils the foundations, they are demonstrating their willingness to submit to Allah, and this in turn earns His approval. This commitment grows and spreads to the performance of voluntary deeds as a way of further pleasing  Allah. Obligatory deeds are also deeds of the heart. The heart must have a pure, sincere intention, free of envy and pride and other ills, in order for the action to be acceptable to Allah, all praises and glory be to Him. The servant of Allah therefore draws nearer to his Lord though purifying both their intention and action, and performing the obligatory duties for the sake of Allah alone.

“My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I love him.”

Allah’s servants draw near to Him by performing the duties that He, all praises and glory be to Him, has obligated us to perform. Those who strive even harder, and voluntarily perform extra good deeds, and protect themselves from acts that will earn Allah’s wrath, continue to draw nearer to Allah until He loves them. We can see in the example of human beings, that a person becomes beloved to another by doing more than is required to assist them. If a person, for example, returns something that he borrowed from another, but also gives a gift as thanks, that will make him beloved in the eyes of the one that lent to him. This hadith shows us that this works in the same way in the case of Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, His love for us grows as we strive harder to please Him.

There is ample evidence to indicate that a servant of Allah must also strive to stay away from what is forbidden (haraam) as well as what is disliked (makrooh). The Prophet* said: “Leave that which makes you doubt for that which does not make you doubt” (Ahmad)  “Place between you and the forbidden acts a covering [or barrier] of permissible acts.” (Recorded in ibn Habbaan)  ‘That which is lawful is clear, and that which is unlawful is clear, and between the two of them are doubtful [or ambiguous] matters about which not many people are knowledgeable. Thus, he who avoids these doubtful matters certainly clears himself in regard to his religion and honour. But he who falls into the doubtful matters falls into that which is unlawful, like a shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein. Verily every king has a sanctuary and Allah’s sanctuary is His prohibitions. In the body there is a morsel of flesh which, if it be sound, all of the body is sound and which, if it be diseased, all of the body is diseased. This part of the body is the heart.” (Recorded in Bukhari and Muslim)

Unfortunately, many Muslims consider the ‘legal’ definition of makrooh (a disliked act) which states that it is an act that the person will be rewarded for avoiding and will not be punished for committing, and therefore consider it ‘permissible’ to engage in such acts. But those who strive to be nearer to Allah, look beyond this definition and consider the act from the point of view of the value of the act in the sight of Allah, all praises and glory be to Him. When we consider that Allah, ‘dislikes’ the act, would we want to be one of those who perform it? Rather we should strive to stay away from such acts, even though they are not strictly forbidden. As we can see from the hadith cited above, when a person strays into performing dislikes acts, they come nearer to committing forbidden acts. If they should then slip into what in unlawful, they will fall into performing deeds that are hated by Allah.

An important aspect of performing voluntary deeds that many people neglect, is that they also make up for shortcomings in the obligatory deeds. If we ask ourselves about the quality of performance of our obligatory prayers, how many of us could say that we have no shortcomings that need to be made up? The Prophet* said: “The first deeds for which the slave of Allah will be held accountable for on the Day of Judgement will be his prayers. If they are in order, he will have prospered and been successful. But if they are wanting, he will have failed and been a loser. If there is some shortcoming in his obligatory, the Lord will say, ‘See if My slave has any voluntary prayers with which may be completed that which was wanting from the obligatory prayers’. Then the rest of his deeds will be judged in like fashion.” (Tirmidhi)

From this we can see why it is that those who perform the voluntary deeds receive the love of Allah, both in this life and the Hereafter. These are the people that Allah is describing in this part of the hadith. The Prophet* said: “If Allah loves a slave, He announces to Gabriel, ‘Verily Allah loves so and so, so love him.’ The Gabriel loves him and he announces to the inhabitants of the heavens ‘Verily Allah loves so and so, so love him’ Then the inhabitants of the heavens love him. And then he is granted the acceptance of the people of the earth.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

“And when I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks. “

When we read this part of the hadith, the first question that comes to mind is, ‘What does it mean that Allah would become a person’s hearing etc?’. The scholars have differed in their interpretation of this phrase. The majority agree that this is an allegorical reference to Allah’s support for His wali. When the wali sincerely strives to get closer to Allah by performing obligatory and voluntary deeds, they will be raised in rank from imaan (faith) to ihsaan (goodness). Then they will able to worship Allah as if they see Him, and look at the world knowing that He sees them, turning to Him in their hearts and fearing Him such that they dare not disobey Him. Their hearts are filled with the greatness of Allah and there is no room for anything else. Their own desires are abandoned in favour of Allah’s. They look for Allah’s sake, see for His sake, hear for His sake, speak for Hi sake, and act for His sake.

Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, has described the people for whom He becomes their eyes, ears and so on, in the Qur’an. They are the type of people who do not even turn to the evil that they see. They are numb to the effects of other’s sins. This does not mean that they do not fulfill their duty of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, but it means they would not be tempted by the evil around them. Allah says about them in the Qur’an: “And when they hear vanity, they withdraw from it and say: Unto us our works and unto you your works. Peace be unto you. We desire not the ignorant.” (al-Qasas:55)  “The faithful slaves of the Beneficent are those who walk on the earth modestly and when the foolish ones address them answer: Peace” (al-Furqaan:63)  This is the real essence of pure tawhid, the meaning of la ilaaha illa-llaah, when a person devotes all of their love, hope, fear and obedience to Allah alone. We love what Allah loves and hate what He hates, all praises and glory be to Him. Sins only occur when our own desires love something that Allah hates or dislike something that Allah loves, even if only for a short period of time. If a person gives into their own desires then this is actually a type of deficiency in their tawhid.

Purification of the Soul According to the Qur’an and Sunnah

This hadith describes how a person becomes beloved to Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, by purifying ourselves and our souls. It is through purifying ourselves that we draw closer to Allah, all praises and glory be to Him. As Allah tells us in the Qur’an: “The Day [of Judgement] whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, except him who comes to Allah with a clean, sound heart.” (al-Shuaraa:88-89) The purification of the soul is one of the main reasons why the Prophet* was sent. Allah tells us: “He it is who sent among the unlettered ones a messenger from among themselves, reciting to them His verses, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and the Sunnah. And, verily, they had been in manifest error.” (Al-Jummuah:2)

Since the Prophet* was sent to purify the souls of the people, there can be no question that his method of purification of the soul is the method that is approved by Allah and is pleasing to Him, all praises and glory be to Him. This path is clear and easy to follow:

1) We must first purify our beliefs and cleanse ourselves of any shirk or associating partners with Allah.

2) We must strive to become beloved to Allah by performing deeds that are obligatory upon us.

3) We should strive to perform extra voluntary good deeds which will make us even more beloved to Allah.

This is the correct path for purification as outlined in the Qur’an and Sunnah. It is a path that does not necessarily take a long amount of time or involve any passing through levels or stages. A person could become an auliyaa of Allah very quickly if they have sincerity and devotion to Allah. Anyone who claims that one can draw closer to Allah by means other than this, such as through other practices or the assistance of a pious person, is no different to the idol worshippers who claimed they were getting closer to Allah by worshipping their idols. The evidence clearly contradicts them.

Purification of the Soul According to the Sufis

Historically and contemporarily speaking, it has been the Sufis who claim to follow the path of purification. This hadith provides one of the main sources by which their claims can be evaluated in that it shows us the path for how one can become beloved to Allah. For the Sufis, the path to become a wali of Allah is a long and arduous journey. One must do spiritual exercises and through many stages to get to this level. As detailed in Zarabozo’s commentary on this hadith, the Sufi’s begin their path with fulfilling obligatory deeds, but when they move to the ‘second level’, it is recommended that the person only perform obligatory deeds and spend the rest of the time on other exercises. The path also contains practices that are not contained in the Qur’an and Sunnah such as zuhd (renunciation of the world), special types of rhyming dhikr, listening to music and dancing. After all of these, one finally ‘witnesses’ Allah, which is for them the essence of being a wali. In reality, this is a heretical path that has no basis in the Qur’an and Sunnah. It has as its goal the ‘witnessing of Allah’, whereas the purification according to the Qur’an and Sunnah seeks only to make a servant the best servant that they can be, nothing more or different to that.

Some Sufis use this hadith to try and prove their belief in fanaa (annihilation and loss of oneself in God), hulool (incarnation in God) and ittihaad (union with Allah). They argue that this hadith states that Allah is becoming one’s vision, hearing and so forth, so the person must be becoming one with Allah. In reality though, this hadith is an argument against that concept, because it makes the distinction between the Creator Allah and the created wali. Allah makes it clear that he opposes those who oppose His auliyaa, hence they are clearly separate from Him and He Protects them. The remainder of the hadith also shows us that the wali comes to Allah to ask of Him – Why would they need to do that if they had become one with Him? We can see from this that no matter how pious the wali of Allah becomes, they are still only human beings and dependent on Him, the Sublime the Glorious.

“Were he to ask of Me, I would surely give him; and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it.”

Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, is able to grant His servant anything that He wishes, without any need of him having to ask for it. But it is through being asked, and granting the request, that Allah becomes more beloved to the slave and the slave becomes even more beloved to Allah. This hadith shows us that if a person performs the obligatory deeds and further voluntary good deeds, and stays away from what is forbidden (haraam) and disliked (makrooh), this person will be honoured with a special place with respect to Allah. Allah’s love will cover them, such that if they ask Him, He will grant their request, and if they were to seek refuge in Him, He would grant them refuge and respite. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him said: “There are from the slaves of Allah people who, if they were to make an oath upon Allah, He would certainly fulfill it.” (Bukhari)

It is interesting to note that many early Muslims  often preferred to patiently bear the afflictions of this world, in the hope that they would receive the reward of Allah in the Hereafter. One of the Companions of the Prophet* who was promised Paradise, Saad ibn Abu Waqaas, lost his sight later in his life. He was told by his friends that he should ask Allah to return it. His reply was, “The decree of Allah is more beloved to me than my eyesight.” As some of the early scholars have noted, Allah knows what is best for His slaves. Sometimes a believer will ask for something while Allah knows that what they ask for is not what is best for them. As a result, Allah may not answer the supplication directly, but rather He may give the believer something that is better for them in both this life and the Hereafter. The Prophet* told us: “There is no Muslim who supplicates Allah with a supplication that does not contain anything sinful or ask for the ties of kinship to be broken, save that Allah gives him one of three things: either he will give him what he asks for soon, or He will delay it for him for the Hereafter or he will keep a similar evil away from him.” (Ahmad)

The Benefits of Asking Allah

One might ask, ‘What is the benefit of asking Allah when He already knows what is in our hearts and what is best for us?’ When Allah gives the person what they have asked for, and the person realises that Allah has responded to their supplication, this brings them joy and a deeper faith, which encourages them to do more good deeds in order to draw closer to Allah. In addition, supplication is one of the greatest forms of worship, and all its benefits would be lost to the person if they were not to make dua. Finally, the wali of Allah is freeing themselves from the illusion of self-sufficiency. Everything is in Allah’s hands, we are completely dependent on Him for everything and we need to remind ourselves of this. No matter what level of closeness to Allah one reaches, we will always be reliant on Him.

Children's Feedback

Place of parents in Islam and our lives

5 February 2012

Amr ibn al-'As, Khalid Ibn Al-Waleed, Hadith 35

Seerah of Muhammed*
*: May the Peace, Blessings and Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an

'Amr ibn al-'As and Khalid Ibn Al-Waleed becoming Muslim
'Amr ibn al-'As himself told the story of his coming to Islam. He said: "When we came away from the Battle of the Trench, I gathered together some men who shared my opinion and would listen to me, and I said: 'You know, by Allah, that in my opinion, this affair of Muhammad will go to extraordinary lengths. I am thinking of something, and I would like to know what you think of it.' They said: 'What are you thinking of?' I said: 'I think that we should go to the Negus and stay with him. If Muhammad conquers our people, we will be with the Negus, and we would prefer to be subject to his authority rather than to Muhammad. On the other hand, if our people prevail, they know us and will treat us well.' They thought that my suggestion was excellent, so I told them to collect something that we could take as a gift to the Negus.
Leather was the product of our land that he most valued, so we collected a large quantity and took it to him."By Allah, while we were with him, 'Amr ibn Umayyah ad- Damri came to him; he had been sent by the Messenger of Allah (to find out about Ja'far and his companions. He had an audience with the Negus. When he came out, I said to my companions that if I were to go to the Negus and ask him to let me have him, he would give him to me. Then we could cut off his head, and if I did that, Quraish would see that I had served them well by killing Muhammad's messenger. So I went in to the Negus and prostrated before him as I usually did. He welcomed me as a friend and asked if I had brought anything from our country. When I told him that I had brought a large quantity of leather, and I produced it, he was greatly pleased and wanted it. I said: 'O King, I have just seen a man leave your presence. He is the messenger of an enemy of ours, so let me have him that I may kill him, for he has killed some of our chiefs and best men.' He was enraged, and reaching out his hand he gave his nose such a blow that I thought he must have broken it. If the ground had opened up, I would have gone into it to escape his anger. Then I said to him: 'O King, by Allah, if I had thought that this would be distasteful to you, I would not have asked it.'
He said: 'Are you asking me to give you the messenger of a man to whom the great Namoos [Jibreel] I comes as he used to come to Musa - o that you can kill him? I said: 'O King, is he really like that? He said: 'Woe to you, O 'Amr! Obey meaning follow him, for by Allah, he is right. He will triumph over his adversaries as Musa triumphed over Pharaoh and his armies.' I said: 'Will you accept my oath of allegiance to him in Islam? He said: 'Yes,' and stretched out his hand, and I swore my allegiance to him in Islam. Then I went out to my companions; my opinion had changed from what it was before, hut I concealed my Islam from them."Then I went out, heading towards the Messenger of Allah* so that I might become Muslim, and I met Khalid ibn al-Waleed. That was just before the conquest of Mecca, and he was coming from Mecca.
I said: 'Where are you going, O Abu Sulaym?' He said: 'By Allah, the way has become clear. The man is indeed a Prophet, and I am going to become Muslim, by Allah. How much longer should I delay? I said: 'By Allah, I have only come to become Muslim.' So we went to Medina, to the Messenger of Allah (g). Khalid ibn al-Waleed went ahead of me and became Muslim and gave his oath of allegiance, then I came close and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I will give you my oath of allegiance on the basis that my previous sins will be forgiven and no mention will be made of what went before.' The Messenger of Allah (g) aid: 'O 'Amr, give your oath of allegiance, for Islam erases all that came before it, and hijrah erases all that came before it.' So I gave my oath of allegiance and departed."According to another report, he said: "...when Allah put Islam in my heart, I came to the Prophet (&) and said: 'Hold out your right hand so that I might swear allegiance to you.' He held out his right hand, but I withdrew my hand. He said: 'What is the matter, O 'Amr? I said: 'I want to stipulate a condition.' He said, 'What do you want to stipulate? I said: 'That I will be forgiven.' He said: 'Do you not know, O 'Am, that Islam destroys whatever came before it, and that hijrah destroys whatever came before it, and that hajj destroys whatever came before it?"

How Khalid Ibn Al-Waleed Embraced Islam
Khalid ibn Al-Waleed, a division commander of the Quraish’s army at the Battle of Uhud, managed to attack the Muslims from behind and turn their victory into a military defeat. He was a young man of great promise. Indeed, he was to become one of the most distinguished commanders the world had ever known. However, it took him a long time before beginning to think of adopting Islam. He says that the process began when he started to reflect on his past attitude during events of great importance. “I fought all those battles against Muhammad (pbuh). Every time I felt that all my efforts were to no avail. I was certain that Muhammad would eventually be the winner. When the Prophet came and encamped at Al-Hudaibiyah, I commanded a detachment of horsemen from among the idolaters until we met the Prophet and his companions at Asafan. I drew close to him to provoke him. He and his companions prayed Zuhr in front of us. We thought of attacking them, but we refrained. He must have realized what we were thinking of when the next prayer, Asr, was due. He therefore, led his companions in what is known as “the prayers of fear”. That affected us profoundly and we realized that he was immune from our attack. We therefore drew back. When the terms of the peace agreement of Al-Hudaibiyah were eventually negotiated and the Prophet and his companions went home, I started thinking about what might come next and what was in store for us. I thought hard: Where should I go? Should I join Negus? But then I remembered that he had already become a follower of Muhammad and that Muhammad’s companions were safe under his protection. Should I go and join Heraclius? That would have made me a Christian or a Jewish convert. That prospect did not appeal to me. Should I emigrate or should I stay where I was, waiting for something to happen?”
This state of confusion was not to be easily resolved for Khalid. He did not wish to emigrate where he would have had to prove his worth. If he stayed in Mecca, on the other hand, he knew for certain that the eventual triumph of Islam was only a matter of time. His confusion, however, clouded his vision and he could not see that the right course of action was to look at Islam objectively. Weeks and months passed and he could not make up his mind. When a year was over, and Prophet Muhammad and his companions came to Mecca for their compensatory Umrah, Khalid did not wish to look at the Muslims coming into Mecca. He went into the mountains and stayed until the Prophet and his companions departed. When he went back home, he found a letter left him by his brother, Al-Waleed ibn Al-Waleed, who had been a Muslim for some time. The letter read as follows: “In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent. I am infinitely amazed at the fact that you continue to turn away from Islam when you are as intelligent as I know you to be. No one can be so blind to the truth of Islam. God’s Messenger asked me about you, and said: ‘Where is Khalid?’ I said to him: ‘God will bring him to us.’ He said: ‘A man of his caliber cannot remain ignorant of Islam. If he would use his intelligence and his experience for the Muslims against the idolaters, he would benefit from it a great deal. We would certainly give him precedence over others.’ It is high time, brother, for you to make amends for the great benefits you have missed.”
When Khalid read his brother’s letter, he felt as if a curtain which had blurred his vision for a long time was removed. He was pleased at the fact that the Prophet himself inquired about him. He felt a strong desire to become a Muslim. That night he dreamt that he was in a narrow strip of land in a barren desert and he was walking on and on until he came into an open, green, limitless field. It did not take him long to make up his mind that the right course for him was to become a Muslim. He decided to join the Prophet at Medina. He felt, however, that he needed to have a companion to go with him. He looked for a young man from the nobility of Mecca and the first one he approached was Safwan ibn Umayyah. Safwan’s father and brother were killed at the Battle of Badr. His uncle was killed at Uhud. Safwan belonged to that generation of Quraish leaders who viewed their conflict with Islam in clear-cut terms. He had resolved not to compromise with Prophet Muhammad and he was in no mood to do so when Khalid approached him. Nevertheless, Khalid said to him: “Do you not see that Muhammad is gaining the upper hand against both the Arabs and the non-Arabs? It is certainly expedient for us to join him and share in whatever success he may achieve.” Safwan took a very extreme attitude and said to Khalid: “If all the Arabs followed Muhammad and I was the only one left, I would still not join him.”
When Khalid heard this reply he thought that Safwan was a man who nursed his grudges and he remembered that his father and brother were killed at Badr. He, therefore, tried to look for someone else. By chance, he met Ikrimah ibn Abu Jahl, whose father had always been the most determined enemy of Islam, until he was killed at Badr. Ikrimah’s reply to Khalid’s approach was in terms similar to those of Safwan. Khalid, however, asked him not to mention his approach to anyone and lkrimah promised him that. Khalid then met Uthman ibn Talhah, a close friend of his. He thought of probing the matter with him, then he remembered that Uthman’s father, uncle and his four brothers were all killed at the Battle of Uhud. Khalid hesitated, expecting a reply similar to those of Safwan and Ikrimah. Eventually, he probed Uthman, speaking first about the fact that the Muslims continued to gain strength. He then said: “I compare our position to that of a fox in a hole. If you pour a bucket of water down into the hole, you can be certain that the fox will come out.” Then Khalid proposed to Uthman that they join the Prophet in Medina. Uthman responded positively. The two agreed to start their journey after midnight, and each to travel on his own and meet at the break of day at Ya’jaj. They then continued their journey together until they arrived at Al-Haddah, where they met Amr ibn Al-Aas. He said to them: “Welcome. Where are you heading?” Realizing that they all had the same purpose, the three of them moved together until they arrived on the outskirts of Medina, where they stopped to change their clothes. Khalid’s report is as follows: “God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was informed of our arrival, and he was pleased. I put on one of my best suits and went ahead to meet the Prophet. On the way I was met by my brother, who said to me: ‘Be quick. God’s Messenger has been informed of your arrival and he is pleased. He is waiting for you.’ We then moved faster until we saw him at a distance, smiling. He wore his smile until I reached him and greeted him as God’s Prophet and Messenger. He replied to my greeting with a face beaming with pleasure. I said: ‘I declare that there is no deity but God, and that you are God’s Messenger.’ He said: ‘Come forward.’ When I drew nearer, he said to me: ‘I praise God for guiding you to Islam. I have always been aware that you are endowed with great intelligence and I have always hoped that your intelligence will lead you only to what is right and beneficial.’ I said to him: ‘Messenger of God, I am thinking of those battles at which I was fighting against the side of the truth. I request you to pray God for me to forgive me.’ He said: ‘When you embrace Islam, all your past sins are forgiven.’ I said: ‘Messenger of God, is that a condition?’ He said: ‘My Lord, forgive Khalid ibn Al-Waleed every effort he exerted to turn people away from Your path.’ Uthman and Amr then pledged their allegiance to the Prophet. By God, ever since our arrival in the month of Safar in the 8th year of the Prophet’s emigration, the Prophet consulted me about every serious matter which cropped up, ahead of all his other companions.”

Nawawi’s 40 Hadith:
Hadith 35 (part 2)

Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah*, said: "Do not be envious of one another; do not artificially inflate prices against one another; do not hate one another; do not shun one another; and do not undercut one another in business transactions; and be as fellow-brothers and servants of Allah. A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He neither oppresses him nor humiliates him nor looks down upon him. Piety is here - and he pointed to his chest three times. It is evil enough for a Muslim to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. All things of a Muslim are inviolable for another Muslim: his blood, his property and his honour." [Muslim]

• We covered Envy in some detail in last week’s study circle.

Do Not Artificially Raise Prices
In this part of the hadith the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, stated that one should not commit al-najash. In business terms, this means that a person, neither the buyer nor the seller, bids up the price of an item, without the intention of buying it. If a Muslim does this, they are robbing the buyer of some of their wealth. Although there is some difference of opinion, the majority of scholars hold that even if al-najash has occurred, the sale of the item is still valid, although the person who committed the act is a sinner. Imams Ahmad and Malik give the buyer the opportunity to cancel the transaction if they were not aware of what was going on and the price increase was a large one.
Ibn Uthaimeen states that there are three cases wherein one bids up the price of something. The first case if the prohibited case of najash, where one bids up the price of something although they have no intention of buying it. The second case is where the person feels that something is being sold at a cheap price, and they are prepared to buy it for that, but then the bidding continues and it goes beyond what they are prepared to pay for it and they stop bidding. There is nothing wrong with this type of action. The third case is where someone continues to bid until they have outbid everyone else and they buy the item. There is nothing wrong with this type of behaviour either. A second interpretation of this part of the hadith is more general, not restricting najash to business transactions. Lexically speaking, the root of the word najash implies, ‘he concealed himself’ as in a hunting game. In the more general understanding, the Prophet, peace be upon him, was implying with this wording that we should not deceive each other, or work in underhanded ways, or harm our fellow Muslim. This includes every type of business transaction and our behavior in general.

“… do not hate one another…”:
Continuing with our summary of this hadith, as explained by Jamal al-Din M. Zarabozo in his work ‘Commentary on the Forty Hadith of Al-Nawawi’, we find that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, prohibited us from hating each other. This means that we cannot hate our fellow Muslim over a difference of opinion, or due to their origin or the colour of their skin and so forth. All of that type of hatred is forbidden in Islam, and goes against the concept of Brotherhood. It is clear from the Qur’an that one of the greatest blessings that Allah gives the believers is togetherness and the love of Islam. This is a very special kind of bond that transcends worldly things.  Allah says in the Qur’an: “And remember Allah’s favour upon you. You were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His grace, you became bretheren. And you were on a brink of a pit of fire and He saved you from it” (Surah ali-Imraan:1O3)
He, all praises and glory to Him, also says: “And He has united their [the believers] hearts. If you [O Muhammad] had spent all that is in the earth, you could not have united their hearts. But it is Allah who has united them. Certainly, He is All-Mighty, All-Wise” (Surah al-Anfaal:63) We should never underestimate the importance of loving one another for the sake of Allah. In another hadith the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him said: “You will never enter Paradise until you believe. And you will not believe until you love one another. Certainly, I shall guide you to something that, if you do it, you will love one another: Spread the greetings (of peace) among yourselves.” (Recorded in Muslim)
As we saw in the explanation of the evils of envy, spreading the salam brings us closer together, and fosters love amongst the Muslims. We should also be very careful to treat one another in the best of manners so that we do not offend or hurt the feelings of our fellow Muslims, as this can lead us towards the sin of hating one another. We should do our best to be patient and overlook each other’s faults. This is especially true of the husband and wife who have to deal with each other on a regular basis. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “A believing man should not hate a believing woman. If he dislikes one characteristic in her, he is pleased with another.” (Recorded in Muslim)
Highlighting the importance of love between the believers, Allah has also forbidden acts that lead to enmity and hatred, such as alcohol, gambling. He makes it clear that these are from the tools that Satan uses to cause hatred between humans. Allah says:“Satan wants only to excite enmity and hatred among you with intoxicants and gambling, and to hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from the prayer. So will you not then abstain?” (al-Maaidah:91) In the same way, Allah prohibits backbiting or speaking badly about others. He, all praises and glory be to Him, also praises those who try to reconcile the hearts and make peace between two people who have been estranged. All of these things work together to bring hearts closer together for the sake of Islam.
Is Hatred Amongst Muslims Ever Permissible?
It is important to note that this hadith of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, does not mean that all forms of hatred are forbidden in Islam. There is one type of hatred that is permissible, hate for the sake of Allah. Indeed love and hate for the sake of Allah is a very important aspect of our faith. As the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “The one who loves for the sake of Allah, hates for the sake of Allah, gives for the sake of Allah and withholds for the sake of Allah has completed the faith.” (Recorded in Abu Dawood) In other words, if a Muslim commits an evil, they should be hated for having transgressed the bounds of Allah by committing that evil, and if they commit good deeds they should be loved for performing those good deeds. Hating for the sake of Allah does not mean that we do not advise others. Perhaps Allah will guide that person to what is better, and only Allah knows what is in the hearts. An interesting point to highlight here is when people begin having different opinions about the religion, and often times divide, they tend to hate and curse each other, and say it’s for the sake of Allah. Sometimes they may be excused for what they are doing, but many times, the hatred is in fact based on their own personal dislikes and desires. They are following a certain scholar, but do not realise that he could in fact be wrong.  They hate everyone who opposes his opinion. In such a case, this hatred for others is not actually for the sake of Allah, and is not correct according to the Shareerah.  So let’s remember to spread the salam, amongst those whom we know and those who we don’t, to deal with each other with the best of manners, and not to backbite or lie. Let’s try to overlook each other’s shortcomings, and advise each other to what is best. Remember that the only permissible form of hate is hate for the sake of Allah, and the best form of love is love for His sake.

“… do not turn one’s back on each other…”
A Muslim should never cut off relations with their fellow Muslim. They should always strive to greet each other with a smiling face, and should respond to the greetings given by others. This is part of keeping the sense of brotherhood and sisterhood in Islam alive. In fact, Islam teaches us that to avoid or boycott another Muslim for more than three says, solely for the sake of worldly reasons or personal likes and dislikes, is prohibited. Another hadith tells us that: “It is not allowed for a man to boycott his brother for more than three nights, when they meet this one turns away and the other turns away. The best of them is the one who is the first to offer the greetings.” (Recorded in al-Bukhari and Muslim) If we find that we are in this type of situation with another Muslim, where we are avoiding them and harboring ill-feelings towards them, we should realise that this is prohibited, and strive to rectify the situation.
One way of overcoming this is to meet the other person and give them the salam, because spreading the salam brings peace and enjoins the hearts. If that is not enough, try asking yourself, ‘Is this thing that I am upset about so serious that I am not afraid of being found sinful in front of Allah?’ There is only one answer to that question.
Permissible Forms of ‘Boycotting’
As with the case of hatred towards other Muslims, there are also forms of boycotting that are considered permissible or sanctioned by the shariah. This exception to the rule is generally reserved for when Allah’s rights are violated, not just the rights of individuals. This type of boycotting of an individual, who has transgressed the rights of Allah, may go on for more than three days, until the situation is remedied. There are numerous examples of where the Companions boycotted others for the wrong that they did. This type of boycotting is a way of illustrating to the offender how serious their offence is. There is an example recorded in Sahih Muslim, in which the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, ordered a boycott of two men who failed to take part in the Battle of Tabuk. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, did this because he feared for the men, having committed a sin that was akin to an act of apostasy. They were therefore boycotted for months, and their greetings were not responded to. Finally, Allah accepted their repentance and the Muslims returned to their old behaviour with them. It is also permitted for a husband to boycott his wife if he sees bad conduct for her, on account of the ayah: “As to those women on whose part you see ill-conduct, admonish them (first), then refuse to share their beds…” (Surah al-Nisaa:34) The purpose of the act is to solve the problem if talking won’t work, and it does not mean that he should display this type of behaviour in front of others. Rather it is to be done in private, as a way of showing her how upset he is by her behaviour. We can see then, that boycotting behaviour is permitted if it is done for a purpose that is approved by the shariah, and should only be resorted to when it is judged that its benefits will be greater than its harm.

“…and do not undercut one another in business transactions.”
We can find this command of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to not undercut one another in business transactions, in a number of hadith. For example, we see it mentioned in the following: “The Prophet forbade the city dweller from selling on behalf of a bedouin. And there is to be no najash. One also should not undercut others in business transactions. A man should not make a proposal against the proposal of his brother. A woman should not ask that her sister be divorced in order to take her place.” (Recorded in al-Bukhari and Muslim) We can see that there is an emphasis here on not ‘acting against one another’. Some of the scholars, such as Ahmad, have understood this to be a part of the rights of Muslim brotherhood. Others, such as An-Nawawi, have interpreted the hadith more generally, to incorporate not undercutting non-Muslim’s in business transactions either.
Economic well-being is a very fundamental aspect of our lives, and Allah makes it clear in the Qur’an, that wealth is beloved to many people. It is therefore also one of that main causes of dispute. Even small sums of money can cause people to argue and hate one another. So in the interests of maintaining good relations, we should be very careful to act fairly in all our dealings. The type of action that this is hadith is referring to is if someone has bought something for a set price, and then another person comes and says, ‘I could sell you that, or better, for less’ and as a result the person returns the item to the first seller and buys it from the other person for the cheaper price. This would cause grief and misgivings to the original seller and it is therefore forbidden. Another example would be someone agreeing to sell something for a set price and then a second person coming and saying they will buy it for more, so the seller nullifies his agreement with the first person and sells it to the second. This type of action is also forbidden.
This hadith demonstrates to us the emphasis that Islam gives to business dealings. They are not simply considered to be a way of getting ahead on the world, rather they are based on strong ethics and consideration for others. There was a time in which the Prophet, peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, was in the marketplace, and he put his hand into a pile of grain and found that it was wet at the bottom. He asked the vendor, who told him that rain had fallen on it. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, the said: “Why did you not put it on top of the grain so people could see it? Whoever deceives is not from me.” (Recorded in Muslim) We can therefore see that the key to a blessed business transaction is honesty and straightforwardness. A good Muslim realises that every business dealing must be based on sound morals and ethics, and that Allah will judge them not just on their actions, but on their intentions as well.

“…And be, [O] servants of Allah, bretheren. A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim.”
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, summarised the point of the previous instructions by informing us that we should be brothers (and sisters) to one another. Allah tells us in the Qur’an: “Verily, the believers are but one brotherhood” (Surah al-Hujuraat:10) In order to preserve this sense of brotherhood, Muslims should treat each other with respect. Each Muslim should think of themselves as part of greater brotherhood that has the goal of serving and worshipping Allah. This goal is met partly through treating one another with the best of conduct and concern, for the sake of Allah alone. A Muslim should not work against another Muslim in any way. We should note here that every Muslim is the brother or sister of another Muslim, regardless of their race, nationality, ethnicity, skin colour and so forth. We are brothers and sisters in Islam. We love each other for the sake of Allah, not because we belong to the same tribe. If a Muslim mistreats or discriminates against another Muslim because of their race or colour, they are sinning and wronging their fellow Muslim, and they will be held accountable for this. Further, if a Muslim follows any of the accepted schools of fiqh (madhabs or schools of thought) or works for any of the groups working for Islam (that do not fall into the realm of kufr), then they are a brother or sister to all other Muslims. Whether you are a Maliki, Hanafi, Hanbali, Shafi or a Salafi you a part of the brotherhood of Islam and they should treat each other well. The level of love and loyalty that we have towards one another should be determined only by the level of righteousness and good deeds that others possess. In other words we should love each other for the sake of Allah, and love in others what Allah loves. We should also be especially careful not to commit any acts that will harm our fellow Muslims. These will be detailed in the following posts inshaAllah.

“… He does not wrong him…”
The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, next told us that a Muslim should not wrong their fellow Muslim. The concept of dhulm, or wrongdoing was discussed in detail in a previous post. Wrongdoing towards other people, including non-Muslims, will not be overlooked by Allah, and must be rectified. Because you have taken from a person’s rights or their honour by wronging them, you must restore what was taken. One must either seek forgiveness from the wronged person, or perform a deed that will restore the injustice (such as saying something good about them to the same audience you said something bad if you were backbiting, paying back money etc), or suffer punishment in this life or the Hereafter. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “Whoever has wronged another concerning his reputation or anything else should beg him to forgive him before the Day of Resurrection when there will be no money [to compensate for wrong deeds], but, if he has good deeds, those good deeds will be taken from him according to the wrong he has done. And if he has no good deeds, the sins of the oppressed person will be loaded on him.” (Recorded in al-Bukhari) When we think that even saying something about someone that they would not like to hear is a punishable form of wrongdoing, how many of us can truly say that we have nothing to fear on the Day of Resurrection? Take heed and watch your tongue, for nothing leads us to Hellfire like the sins of the tongue. If the wrongdoing is committed on a large scale, for instance against a class of people, it can lead to a great deal of hatred and even, as we have seen historically, civil strife. People who are constantly wronged  or oppressed by others may finally revolt against the wrongdoers, even if they are of the same religion. A Muslim society should therefore be free of wrongdoing both at an individual and societal level.

“… He does not fail him [when he needs him]…”
When we reflect on the concepts of ‘brotherhood’ and ‘sisterhood’ in Islam, we can see that they seek to foster almost familial relationships between the believers, and this carries with it both benefits and responsibilities. One of the responsibilities that we have, as brothers and sisters is Islam, is to be there for each other in our times of need. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, commanded the Muslims to help and assist each other. In one hadith, the Prophet, peace be upon him, stated: “Help your brother, whether he is the one doing wrong or the one being wronged.” They [the Companions] said, “O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), we know how to help him if he is being wronged, but how do we help him if he is the one doing the wrong?” He answered, “Take him by his hand.” (Recorded in al-Bukhari) We can see from this hadith that we should not fail to assist our brother or sister in Islam even if they are wronging their own selves. This obligation therefore extends from just helping one in distress, right through to guiding them to what is best for their own souls. We can see that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, actually instructed us to ‘take him by his hand’ that is physically prevent him from wronging himself.
Mutual support, aid and assistance is therefore a vital aspect of the brotherhood of Islam. Not only does it enjoin the hearts, and work to prevent evil, but we also find, by the blessing of Allah, that if a Muslims helps their fellow Muslim, Allah will help them in return. Let’s reflect on the beautiful example of the Ansaar, the helpers, from Medina. Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, says in the Qur’an: “But those [Ansaar] who, before them, had homes [in Medina] and had adopted the Faith – they love those who emigrate to them, and have no jealousy in their breasts for that which they have been given [from the booty], but they [the Ansaar] give them [the Emigrants] preference over themselves, even though they were in need of that. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, such are they who will be successful.” (Surah al-Hashr:9) We know that the Ansaar assisted the Muhajirin, the Muslim migrants from Mecca, not just with their hands, but with their homes, their livelihoods, their food and even their wives, such was their selfless motivation to help the Muslims in their time of need. They asked nothing in return, they only hoped for the reward of Allah.
This obligation of assistance is not limited to those Muslims that we know, it extends to all Muslims in the fold of Islam. We have obligations to those suffering in other countries, even if we do not know them. If we do not have the financial or physical capacity to help other Muslims in need, especially those suffering in other lands, then the very least that we can do is make dua for them. We should seek out the best times to make dua – the last third of the night, when breaking the fast, between Asr and Maghrib on a Friday etc – and plead Allah to help those Muslims suffering in those situations. How many of us actually get up in the last third of the night, with the specific intention of asking Allah to relieve the suffering of Muslims that we do not know, or even those that we do? Really this is a sign of how heard our hearts have become. Muslims should pray for one another, for forgiveness of sins, for the best of this life and the Hereafter, for an end to suffering etc. Remember that when you make dua for you fellow Muslim, Allah will grant the dua for yourself also. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him said: “No Muslim servant [of Allah] prays for his brother behind his back except that an angel says, ‘And for you the same.’” (Recorded in Muslim)
And also: “For whoever seeks forgiveness for the believing men and women, Allah will record one good deed corresponding to every believing and and woman.” (Recorded in al-Tabaraani) What greater motivation could we ask for?

“…He does not lie to him…”
In this portion of the hadith, the Prophet peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, told us that a Muslim should not lie to their fellow Muslim. It is also narrated in other hadith, that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, did not like people to lie. When a person lies to someone else, they are betraying the other person’s trust in them. When a Muslim listens to another Muslims, they expect that they are telling them the truth. If we tell lies, even ‘small’ ones, we break this sense trust. Lying then leads to many ills, including animosity, hatred, and a sense of betrayal. It can cause relationships to breakdown, and erode the sense unity and togetherness within a community. There is only one circumstance, from a Shariah point of view,  in which any form of lying is permitted. That is for the ultimate goal of reconciling the hearts of those who are estranged. This greater good of bringing about harmony between two people is so important that it is considered permissible to tell a lie in order to help reconcile the hearts. If you feel tempted to tell a lie for any reason other than this, even if you think it’s ‘harmless’, remember who the ultimate liar is… Shaitan. Shaitan loves it when we lie to one another. It is his way of causing mischief amongst the people. Seek refuge in Allah from Shaitan and remain silent, that is far more beneficial for you.

“…And he does not show contempt for him…”
Like envy, pride and arrogance were the cause of the first sins ever committed. Satan was arrogant and envious with respect to Adam, in that he thought he was better than him. Envy, pride and arrogance prevented Satan from obeying Allah and bowing down to Adam, peace be upon him. From this lesson we can see what dangerous and threatening things arrogance and pride are. If we have even a small amount of pride in our hearts, it could lead us to the Hell-Fire. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “One who has an atom’s weight of pride in his heart will not enter Paradise” A man said, “But a man loves that his clothes are nice and his shoes are nice.” He [the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] replied, “Verily Allah is beautiful and He loves beauty. [Thus, that is not pride] Pride is rejecting the truth and showing disdain for the people.” (Recorded in Muslim) In general, an arrogant or proud person thinks that they are better than others. Brotherhood implies treating each others as equals and giving people their due rights. In fact it implies giving preference to others over ourselves. When we look down on others, or think that we are better than them, because of our education or job etc, this shows contempt for the other person and this does not give the person their rights. This attitude strikes at the very heart of the concept of Brotherhood upon which Islam is based. We do not know what is in the hearts of others. The poorer, simpler person may well be more pious than us, because they have only Allah to rely on. By thinking ourselves better, we may also forget that it is Allah who has given us our blessings. In a blink of an eye He, all praises and glory be to Him, could take everything away and where would we be then? If we find ourselves suffering from this sin of arrogance and pride and having contempt for others, we should stop to reflect on our origins. Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, created us from a clot, a small clinging thing, mixed juices that we would not even touch if we saw them. He took us from this state and gave us the faculties of hearing, sight, intelligence and affection through no effort of our own. Everything we have comes from Him. Should we not then stop feeling pride, and rather be grateful and give thanks?

“Piety is here” – and he pointed to his chest three times.”
For us, as human beings, our most important concern should not be our appearance, or the colour of our skin, or the amount of money we have. In fact, it is not even our outward actions that are of the utmost importance. The most important concern for us is what is in our hearts, and piety or taqwa is a matter of the heart. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him said: “Verily, Allah does not look at your bodies or your shapes. But He looks at your hearts.” (Recorded in Muslim) To have taqwa, is to fear Allah in our hearts and to strive to protect ourselves from His anger or punishment. The minimum aspect of taqwa, is to obey Allah and not disobey Him. To achieve a higher level, one must put some distance between oneself and anything that could anger Allah. The people of taqwa, will leave even permissible deeds out of fear that there might be something harmful in them. Leaving these doubtful or permissible deeds then acts as a barrier between the believer and any acts of disobedience. When a believer performs all the obligatory deeds that they are capable of  and stays away from all the forbidden and doubtful matters, and when they further perform the recommended acts and stay away from the disapproved ones, they are truly deserving of the title muttaqeen “the people possessing taqwa“.
Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, says in the Qur’an: “O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female , and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable among you in the sight of Allah is the one with the most taqwa. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” (Surah al-Hujuraat:13) The beauty of this is that only Allah knows what is in the hearts of the people. We as human beings, can’t determine what is inside someone’s heart. We should therefore not look down on anybody, because they may in fact be very beloved to Allah. A person may look contemptible from a wordly point of view, and yet they may be very beloved to Allah due to their taqwa. Allah tells us in the Qur’an: “O believers! Let not a group of you scoff at another group, it may be that the latter are better than the former. Nor let [some] women scoff at other women for it may be that the latter are better than the former.” (Surah al-Hujuraat:11)
Outward appearances and ‘status’ should therefore not be our basis for judging others. This point is illustrated in a very telling hadith: “A man passed by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and he [the Messenger (peace be upon him)] asked someone who was sitting next to him, “What do you think of that man?” He said, “He is from the noblest class of people. By Allah, if he were to ask for a woman’s hand in marriage, his proposal would be accepted. If he were to intercede on behalf of another, his intercession would be accepted.” The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) kept quiet. Then another man passed by and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asked the same man “What do you think of that man?” He replied, “He is from the poor Muslims. If he were to ask for a woman’s hand in marriage it would not be accepted. If he were to intercede on behalf of someone, his intercession would not be accepted. And if he were to speak, no one would listen to his speech.” The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then said, “This [poor] man is better than an earth full of the other [type of man].” (Recorded in al-Bukhari) This is the exact opposite of the criteria that most people use to judge others. The heartbreaking point that is illustrated here is that because of people’s perceived status, they are given preference over others who are in fact more beloved to Allah. Many times, when it comes to the marriage of their children, parents look for the suitor with the best status, the best job, the best tribe, the best family, but not, the best taqwa. The Prophet, peace be upon him, advised us to choose the partner that is the most pious, and that is better for us. On the Day of Judgement, the true ‘value’ and ‘worth’ of people will be shown, and it will not be the worldly criteria that matter. It will not benefit us that we were wealthy, or from an important family, or were the Managing Director of such and such a company. The only thing that will matter is what matters to Allah – and that is the state of our hearts.

“It is enough of evil for a person to hold his brother Muslim in contempt.”
We can see here that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is further emphasizing what he stated earlier in this hadith – that a Muslim should never show contempt or look down on another Muslim. His use of language shows us that looking down on others is a serious matter, in fact it is a form of evil. In his commentary on this hadith, Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo points out that Allah created human beings as noble creatures. Allah has further blessed Muslims with the gift of faith. When we consider this fact, it should show us that we have no right to look down on those that Allah has blessed. Contempt for our fellow Muslims is manifested in actions such as: not greeting a Muslim when we see them, not responding to their salam, backbiting them, and thinking they are not deserving of Paradise and so forth. When we do or think these things, we are in fact holding our fellow Muslims in contempt, which the Prophet, peace be upon him, has shown us is a sin. Al-Nawawi argues that no Muslim should ever look down on, or belittle anyone else, and they should never think that they are better than others. They should either assume that others are better than them, or have no opinion on the matter. This is because we have no idea where the final resting place of a human being will be. Even if it is a non-Muslim, Allah may guide them to what is better. If it is a young Muslim, they may have committed less sins than us. If it an elder Muslim, they have been in Islam longer than us. If it is a non-pious Muslim, Allah may guide them to what is better. We do not know the heart or the final end of anyone, so it is not our place to judge or look down upon anyone else. And Allah knows best.

“All of a Muslim is inviolable to another Muslim: his blood, his wealth and his honor.”
This is one of the most important messages of Islam with respect to society. Because of this, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, made this same point on several significant occasions in his life, including during his Farewell Pilgrimage. We see this example in the following hadith: “On the authority of ibn Abbas: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) delivered a speech to the people on the Day of Sacrifice. He said, “O people, what day is this?” They answered, “The sacred (inviolable) day.” The he said, “What land is this?” They answered, “The sacred land”. Then he said, “What month is this?” They said, “The sacred month.” He said, “Verily, your blood, wealth and honour are inviolable for you as the sacredness of this day of yours in this land of yours in this month of yours.” He repeated this a number of times and then he raised his head and said, “O Allah, have I conveyed the message? O Allah, have I conveyed the message?” (Recorded in al-Bukhari and Muslim)
SubhanAllah, what a powerful message. If these instructions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, were adhered to, Muslims would live secure and protected lives. The Prophet, peace be upon him, particularly mentioned blood, wealth and honour, because if these were protected, everything else would be secure. There are numerous ahadith in this collection of Imam Al-Nawawi, that give the same message – none of our actions should harm our fellow Muslims. Before we do an action we should ask ourselves firstly whether it is permissible according to the shariah, and secondly, will it cause any harm to our fellow Muslims? We cannot just concern ourselves with our own happiness and needs, we must also think of others. Except in cases permitted by law, a Muslim must avoid the shedding of any other Muslim’s blood, or indeed harming them in any way. No Muslim should harm another’s wealth, and we should show respect for our fellow Muslim’s property. If we borrow something, we should take care of it. If we harm another’s property we should compensate them for it. The importance that Islam places on the protection wealth is evident in the shariah punishment for theft – the removal of the thief’s hand, if certain conditions are met. It is harsh but it emphasises the  importance of safeguarding each other’s wealth. Finally, a person’s honour is to be respected in the same way as their blood and wealth. This means that we must be extremely careful about what we say about other Muslims. Backbiting – speaking truthfully behind another’s back in ways that are displeasing to them – is a violation of honour. Allah, all praises and glory be to Him, describes this deed as follows: “Do not backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it [so do not backbite]. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful.” (Surah al-Hujuraat:12)
When we reflect on the lack of implementation of these principles of safeguarding each other’s blood, wealth and honour, in our communities today, is it any surprise that we lack the sense of brotherhood that occurred amongst the earliest Muslims, who took these teachings very seriously? Not adhering to these principles erodes our sense of trust and community and the concepts of brotherhood and sisterhood in Islam. Let’s reflect on whether we are adhering to these noble principles, and if not, let’s strive to rectify our conduct and seek forgiveness for those we have wronged. Let’s call ourselves to account before we are called to account.

Children's Feedback

• The Kaaba
• What is Islam
• Snow
• Muslim Inventions: Public Libraries

29 January 2012

Other Letters, Envy, future topics 
Seerah of Muhammed* 

*: May the Peace, Blessings and Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an

A New Phase of Islamic Action

Al-Hudaibiyah Truce marked a new phase in the process of Islamic action and life of the Muslims. Quraish, a bitter enemy of Islam, now withdraws from the war arena and embraces a peaceful settlement with the Muslims, thus the third support of a tripartite enemy (Quraish, Ghatfan and the Jews) is broken, and being the holder of the banner of paganism in Arabia, the other pagans’ aggressive feelings towards Islam considerably subsided. Ghatfan Tribe no longer constituted any remarkable threat, and their provocative deeds were mainly Jewish-instigated actions. The Jews, after being banished from Madinah, resorted to Khaibar to change it into a hot bed of intrigues against the Prophet*. There, they used to hatch their plots, ignite the fire of dissension and allure the Arabs living in the vicinity of Madinah to join them with the aim of exterminating the new Islamic state, or at least inflict heavy losses on the Muslims. The Prophet*, not heedless of their devilish schemes, placed a decisive war with them as a first priority on his agenda shortly after the endorsement of the above-mentioned treaty. The treaty of Hudaibiyah allowed the Muslims to intensify their Islamic career and double up their ceaseless efforts in propagating their Da‘wah, and consequently give this sort of action preponderance over the military activities. Hence, we deem it imperative to divide this post-treaty stage into two sections:

1. Ceaseless peaceful efforts in propagating the Islamic Da‘wah (Call) and initiating a sort of correspondence with kings and princes of the neighbouring political entities.
2. Military activities.

The Prophet's Plans To Spread The Message Of Islam Beyond Arabia

Late in the six year A.H., on his return from Hudaibiyah, the Prophet* decided to send messages to the kings beyond Arabia calling them to Islam. In order to authenticate the credentials of his envoys, a silver seal was made in which were graven the words: “Muhammad the Messenger of Allah”.Envoys were chosen on the basis of their experience and knowledge, and sent on their errands in Muharram in the year 7 A.H., a few days before heading for Khaibar.

1.A Deputation to Abyssinia (Ethiopia):

Negus, king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), his name was Ashama bin Al-Abjar, received the Prophet’s message, despatched by Amr bin Omaiyah Ad-Damari: “This letter is sent from Muhammad, the Prophet to Negus Al-Ashama, the king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia). Peace be upon him who follows true guidance and believes in Allah and His Messenger. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah Alone with no associate, He has taken neither a wife nor a son, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. I call you unto the fold of Islam; if you embrace Islam, you will find safety,l “Say [O Muhammad*]: ‘O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allah, and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allah.’ Then, if they turn away, say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’ ” [3:64] Should you reject this invitation, then you will be held responsible for all the evils of the Christians of your people.”

When ‘Amr bin Omaiyah Ad-Damari communicated the Apostolic letter to Negus, the latter took the parchment and placed it on his eye, descended to the floor, confessed his faith in Islam and wrote the following reply to the Prophet.

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. From Negus Ashama to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah. Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah! and mercy and blessing from Allah beside Whom there is no god. I have received your letter in which you have mentioned about Jesus and by the Lord of heaven and earth, Jesus is not more than what you say. We fully acknowledge that with which you have been sent to us and we have entertained your cousin and his companions. I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah, true and confirming (those who have gone before you), I pledge to you through your cousin and surrender myself through him to the Lord of the worlds.”

The Prophet* had asked Negus to send Ja‘far and his companions, the emigrants to Abyssinia (Ethiopia), back home. They came back to see the Prophet* in Khaibar. Negus later died in Rajab 9 A.H. shortly after Tabuk Ghazwa. The Prophet* announced his death and observed prayer in absentia for him. Another king succeeded Negus to the throne and another letter was sent to him by the Prophet* but whether or not he embraced Islam is still a question not answered yet.

2.Letter to the Vicegerent of Egypt, called Muqawqas:

The Prophet* wrote to Juraij bin Matta, called Muqawqas, vicegerent of Egypt and Alexandria saying: “In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad slave of Allah and His Messenger to Muqawqas, vicegerent of Egypt. Peace be upon him who follows true guidance. Thereafter, I invite you to accept Islam. Therefore, if you want security, accept Islam. If you accept Islam, Allah, the Sublime, shall reward you doubly. But if you refuse to do so, you will bear the burden of the transgression of all the Copts. l “Say [O Muhammad*]: ‘O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allah, and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allah.’ Then, if they turn away, say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’ ” [3:64]

Hatib bin Abi Balta‘a, who was chosen to communicate the message, requested an audience with Muqawqas before imparting the contents of the letter. He addressed Egypt’s vicegerent saying: “There used to be someone before you who had arrogated the status of the Supreme Lord, so Allah punished him and made an example of him in the Hereafter, and in this life; therefore, take warning and never set a bad example to others.” Muqawqas answered: “We are in no position to relinquish our religion except for a better one.” Hatib resumed: “We invite you to embrace Islam, which will suffice you all what you may lose. Our Prophet has called people to profess this Faith, Quraish and the Jews stood against him as bitter enemies, whereas Christians stood closest to his Call. Upon my life, Moses’s news about Christ is identical to the latter’s good tidings about the advent of Muhammad; likewise, this invitation of ours to you to embrace Islam is similar to your invitation to the people of Torah to accept the New Testament. Once a Prophet rises in a nation, he is eligible for positive response, hence you are subject to the same Divine Law. Bear in mind that we have not come to dissuade you from religion of Christ but rather bidding you to adhere to its tenets.” Muqawqas meditated over the contents of the letter deeply and said: “I have come to the conviction that this Prophet bids nothing abominable; he is neither a straying magician nor a lying soothsayer. He bears the true manifest seeds of Prophethood, and so I will consider the affair deeply.” He took the parchment and ordered that it be kept in an ivory casket. He called a scribe to write the following reply in Arabic: “In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. From Muqawqas to Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah: Peace be upon you. I have read your letter and understood its contents, and what you are calling for. I already know that the coming of a Prophet is still due, but I used to believe he would be born in Syria. I am sending you as presents two maids, who come from noble Coptic families; clothing and a steed for riding on. Peace be upon you.” It is noteworthy that Muqawqas did not avail himself of this priceless opportunity and he did not embrace Islam. The presents were accepted; Maria, the first maid, stayed with the Prophet*, and gave birth to his son Ibrahim; the other Sirin, was given to Hassan bin Thabit Al-Ansari.
 
3. A Letter to Chosroes, Emperor of Persia:

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah to Chosroes, king of Persia. Peace be upon him who follows true guidance, believes in Allah and His Messenger and testifies that there is no god but Allah Alone with no associate, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. I invite you to accept the religion of Allah. I am the Messenger of Allah sent to all people in order that I may infuse fear of Allah in every living person, and that the charge may be proved against those who reject the Truth. Accept Islam as your religion so that you may live in security, otherwise, you will be responsible for all the sins of the Magians.”

‘Abdullah bin Hudhafa As-Sahmi was chosen to carry the letter. This envoy carried it to the king of Bahrain but we do not know as yet if the latter despatched to Chosroes by one of his men or chose ‘Abdullah himself.

Meantime Chosroes had heard from other sources of the growing power of the Arab king of Yathrib who claimed to be a Prophet. So he dispatched an order to Badhan, his viceroy in the Yemen, asking for further and clearer information about Muhammad. Badhan forthwith sent two envoys to Medina, so that they could see for themselves and bring him back news. Following a fashion that was prevalent at the Persian court, they had shaved their beards and grown long moustaches. Their appearance was abhorrent to the Prophet. "Who bade you do this?" he exclaimed. "Our lord," they said, meaning Chosroes." "My Lord," said the Prophet* "hath bidden me grow my beard and cut short my moustache." He sent them away, telling them to return to him the next day. That night Gabriel told him that on the same day there had been an uprising in Persia in which Chosroes had been killed, and his son now reigned in his stead. So when the envoys returned he told them of this, and bade them inform their master the viceroy. Then he said: "Tell him that my religion and mine empire will reach far beyond the kingdom of Chosroes; and say unto him from me: Enter Islam, and I will confirm thee in what thou hast, and I will appoint thee king over thy people in the Yemen."

They returned to San'a', not knowing what to think, and delivered the message to Badhan, who said: "We will see what befalleth. Ifwhat he said be true, then is he a Prophet whom God hath sent." But even before he had had time to send a man to Persia to find out the truth of the matter, a messenger arrived from Siroes, the new Shah, announcing what had happened, and claiming their allegiance. Instead of replying, Badhan entered [slam, and so did his two messengers and other Persians who were with him. He then sent word to Medina, and the Prophet confirmed his rule over the Yemen. That was the beginning of the fulfilment of what had been revealed in the first flash of light from the trench.The Prophet's letter reached Mada'in after the death of Chosroes, so it was delivered to his successor, whose sole answer was to tear it in pieces. "Even so, 0 Lord, tear from him his kingdom," said the Prophet when he heard of this.
 
4. Letter to Heraclius

Covered last week.
 
5. A Letter to Mundhir bin Sawa, Governor of Bahrain:

The Prophet* despatched ‘Al-‘Ala’ bin Al-Hadrami to the governor of Bahrain, carrying a letter inviting him to embrace Islam. In reply, Al-Mundhir bin Sawa wrote the following letter: “Allah’s Messenger*! I received your injunctions. Prior to this, I read your letter, which you wrote to the people of Bahrain extending to them an invitation to Islam. Islam appealed to some of them and they entered the fold of Islam, while others did not find it appealing. In my country, there live Magians and Jews, and therefore you may inform me of the treatment to be extended to them.”

The Prophet* wrote the following letter in reply to his: “In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad, Messenger of Allah to Mundhir bin Sawa. Peace be on you! I praise Allah with no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. Thereafter, I remind you of Allah, the Mighty, the Glorious. Whoever accepts admonition, does it for his own good. Whoever follows my messengers and acts in accordance with their guidance, he, in fact, accepts my advice. My messengers have highly praised your behaviour. You shall continue in your present office. Give the new Muslims full chance to preach their religion. I accept your recommendation regarding the people of Bahrain, and I pardon the offences of the offenders; therefore, you may also forgive them. Of the people of Bahrain whoever wants to go on in their Jewish or Magian faith, should be made to pay Jizya (poll-tax).”
 
6. A Letter to Haudha bin ‘Ali, Governor of Yamama:

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad, Messenger of Allah to Haudha bin ‘Ali: Peace be upon him who follows true guidance. Be informed that my religion shall prevail everywhere. You should accept Islam, and whatever under your command shall remain yours.”

The envoy chosen was Sulait bin ‘Amr Al-‘Amiri, who after communicating his message, carried back the following reply to the Prophet*: “The Faith, to which you invite me, is very good. I am a famous orator and poet, the Arabs highly respect me and I am of account among them. If you include me in your government, I am prepared to follow you.”

The governor then bestowed a reward on Sulait and presented him with clothes made of Hajr fabric. Of course, he put all those presents in the trust of the Prophet*: The Prophet* did not accept Haudha’s demand. He usually turned down such peremptory tone, and would say that the whole matter was in the Hand of Allah, Who gave His land to whoever He desired. Gabriel later came with the Revelation that Haudha had died. The Prophet*, in the context of his comment on this news, said: “Yamama is bound to give rise to a liar who will arrogate Prophethood to himself but he will subsequently be killed.” In reply to a question relating to the identity of the killer, the Prophet said “It is one of you, followers of Islam.”
 
7. A Letter to Harith bin Abi Shamir Al-Ghassani, King of Damascus:

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad, Messenger of Allah to Al-Harith bin Abi Shamir. Peace be upon him who follows true guidance, believes in it and regards it as true. I invite you to believe in Allah Alone with no associate, thenceafter your kingdom will remain yours.” Shuja‘ bin Wahab had the honour of taking the letter to Harith, who upon hearing the letter read in his audience, was madly infuriated and uttered: “Who dares to disposs me of my country, I’ll fight him (the Prophet),” and arrogantly rejected the Prophet’s invitation to the fold of Islam.
 
8. A Letter to the King of ‘Oman, Jaifer, and his Brother ‘Abd Al-Jalandi:

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah to Jaifer and ‘Abd Al-Jalandi. Peace be upon him who follows true guidance; thereafter I invite both of you to the Call of Islam. Embrace Islam. Allah has sent me as a Prophet to all His creatures in order that I may instil fear of Allah in the hearts of His disobedient creatures so that there may be left no excuse for those who deny Allah. If you two accept Islam, you will remain in command of your country; but if you refuse my Call, you’ve got to remember that all your possessions are perishable. My horsemen will appropriate your land, and my Prophethood will assume preponderance over your kingship.”

‘Amr bin Al-’As, who was chosen to carry the letter.

Through these letters, the Prophet managed to communicate his Message to most monarchs at that time; some believed, while others remained obdurate and persisted in their disbelief. However, the idea of embracing Islam, and the advent of a new Prophet preoccupied all of them.

Nawawis 40 Hadith

Hadith No.35 (Nawawi's 40 Hadith): Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah*, said: "Do not be envious of one another; do not artificially inflate prices against one another; do not hate one another; do not shun one another; and do not undercut one another in business transactions; and be as fellow-brothers and servants of Allah. A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He neither oppresses him nor humiliates him nor looks down upon him. Piety is here - and he pointed to his chest three times. It is evil enough for a Muslim to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. All things of a Muslim are inviolable for another Muslim: his blood, his property and his honour." [Muslim]

Only the start of this wonderful Hadith was discussed. The remainder will be discussed next time (i/A).

Some important points included:

Unity is one of the greatest objectives of Islam. There are many verses in the Qur'an that urge Muslims to unite. In Surah al-'Imran, Ayah 103, Allah says: And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (which is Islam) and be not divided among yourselves. This is a very well-known verse to Muslims. In Surah al-Taubah, Ayah 71, Allah says: The believing men and women are 'awliya' (loyal) to one another. There are many other verses in the Qur'an that urge joining unity, as well as verses that forbid disunity. We can see this in the same Surah al-'Imran, Ayah 103, in which Allah says: “….and be not divided among yourselves.”

So in the same verse the Muslims are asked to be united and prevented from disunity. The Qur'an contains many such verses, for example: Surah al-'Imran Ayah 105-107; Surah al-Hujurat Ayah 10; Surah al-An'am Ayah 153 and 159; and in Surah al-Rum Ayah 31-32. All of these verses and many others in the Qur'an forbid the division or split of the Muslim community. Moreover, we have many hadiths that command the Muslims to be united. One hadith is recorded by Imam Muslim: "Verily Allah likes three things for you and disapproves three things for you: He is pleased with you but you worship Him and disassociate anything with him; that you hold fast to the Rope of Allah and not to be scattered (disunited); and He disapproves for you irrelevant talk, persistent questioning, and wasting of wealth." We find that Islam commands the Muslims to practice things that will bring unity - there are conditions and actions where the Muslims need to perform to accomplish this. At the same time, we also find that there are many actions that Islam forbids because these actions may lead to the disunity of the Muslim Ummah. This Hadith 35 falls in the latter category.

Envy (al-Hasad)

The first action that the hadith forbids is envy (al-hasad). Muslim scholars like Imam Ghazali and others define envy as disliking to see a person receiving a bounty and wishing that he or she (the receipient) would lose it. Ibn Rajab gives a different and broader definition. He states in his definition that it is part of human nature that a person dislikes anyone to be better than him in virtues. He says that people differ in their attitudes and he lists five categories of envy that people have:

1. There are some people who will make the effort through action or speech to abolish the bounty received by someone whom they envy.
2. There are others who will then try to get that bounty transferred to them. So they firstly try to take it away from the person they envy and then they try to get it for themselves. For instance, if a certain person is offered a certain position or authority, the envious one will try to do something by hand or by speech to take away that position or authority from that person. Then he will try to get that status or position transferred to himself.
3. There are those who, whenever they envy someone, do not harm him or her. They do not even wish the loss of the bounty from the envied one. Instead, they make the effort to attain a similar bounty or virtue for themselves. Ibn Rajab says: "If this bounty is wordly virtues or worldly bounties, there is no benefit in that." For example, if you see someone who has a Mercedes, and you try to attain a similar car for yourself, then there is no benefit in that. But if it is a righteous virtue, then it is good.
4. 5. There are some people who, whenever they feel envy, do their best to stop it and they will do a favour or something good for the person whom they envied. In addition, they will also make du'a for that person until they love him - because envy is usually associated with hatred. They will wish that the envied ones are better than them - they do not bother themselves if others have things which are better than what they have. Ibn Rajab says these people are the best category of true believers since everyone is subject to indulge or be trapped by envy or being envious of others.
5. There are some people who do not make any effort by action or speech to harm the one whom they envy. Ibn Rajab says this category of people can be of two types:

• The one who does his best to eliminate the feeling of envy within himself but he cannot overcome it. In spite of this, he keeps fighting and struggling against it. Ibn Rajab says this type of person is excused from punishment.
• The one who thinks about envy and practices it again and again. He does not make any effort to fight it even though he does not do any harm by action or speech. But he actually enjoys and practices envy - he wishes that the bounty of the envied one will be lost. Consequently, this person is subject to punishment.

Why is envy (hasad) forbidden?

It can cause - by the permission of Allah - harm to others whom are envied. Consequently, they are considered as evil acts in Islam. They can cause - even by just wishing - the harming of a person. It is the virtue of Shaitan. And it is also the virtue of Jews to envy other people. This is mentioned in Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 109 and in Surah al-Nisa', Ayah 54.

The Prophet* warned Muslims against envy when he said "Creeping upon you is the diseases of those people before you: envy and hatred. And hatred is the thing that shapes. I do not say it shapes the hair but it shapes the religion. By the One in whose Hand is my soul, you will not enter paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Certainly, let me inform you of that which may establish such things: spread the greetings and peace among yourselves." [Recorded by Imam Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhi]

A Sign That One has the Disease of Hasad

According to ibn Uthaimeen, one of the strong signs that a person is inflicted with the disease of hasad is that they always try to conceal the virtues and goodness of others. They don’t like it when others talk about the good that another person has done. Hasad is also one of the greatest causes of backbiting, in that the person likes to put down other people rather than highlight their good points. If you are prone to pointing out others negative points, you may be suffering from hasad or that other evil disease that Satan suffered from – pride.

How to Free Oneself of the Disease or Effects of Hasad

If you feel you may be suffering from the problem of envy, realise that this is dangerous for your religion and therefore your soul. Consider deeply its evil and destructive effects, and know that it is displeasing to Allah and destructive to human relationships. If the feeling of envy comes to you, do whatever you can to repel it, think of something else, read Qur’an or perform a prayer. If you cannot get the thoughts our of your mind, then realise that they are only thoughts and if you don’t act on them, you will remain sinless. You should try to improve your actions towards the one that you feel envy for, develop you relationship and earn Allah’s pleasure. Realise that the true bounties are not the bounties of this world, but the bounties of the Hereafter. Concentrate on those and work towards that greater goal. With a change of focus, you will not worry about what others in this world are receiving.

Future Circles:

Topics that the children (and adults) wanted covering in future Study Circles included:

Fiqh topics:

• Music & clapping
• Transplants
• Medical dissection
• Birthdays
• Halal marriage

Other Topics:

• Discussing other main religions – similarities and differences with Islam
• Celebrating our Deen – why we should be happy and proud
• How difficult is it for a Muslim to practice their religion today compared with when Islam began
• Evolution and Big Bang
• Famous Converts
• Was Islam spread by the sword
• Bullying
• Basics of Belief
• Age certificated video games
• The rewards of charity and Zakat; how to set up a charity
• Responsibilities for actions
• Death and funerals
• Life of other Prophets (Ibrahim and Isa)
• Signs of the End of the World
• Main criticisms of Islam and how to challenge these
• Stories and interpreting them
• Bad language and cursing
• Unifying the Muslims
• The role of Women in Islam
• Real meaning of ‘Jannah is under the mother’s feet’
• Tafsir of some Surahs

Teenager issues:

• The relationship between teenage children and their parents – the importance of rules, respect, etiquette in the family
• The creation of a happy daily balance for children – prayer, entertainment, schoolwork and family interaction

Children's Feedback: 
Muslim Inventions ~ advanced glassmaking

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