3 November 2012

Summary
Seerah:
Lots of leaders and tribes now becoming Muslim and pledging allegiance (bayah) to the Prophet* and to the Islamic State
The people who became Muslim before Conquest of Mecca are higher ranked than those now joining Islam
The story of how the people of Taif wanted to keep their goddess but the Prophet did not allow Islam and Kufr to co-exist even for a day. Only Islam!

Start of Surah Yusuf:
The complexity of Arabic
Children Respecting Parents
Parents talking nicely to children
Yusuf is one of the best Stories
Looking for the best in people and blaming evil of Shaytan

Bank of Akhirah

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

The Year of Delegations
People Embrace The Religion Of Allah In Large Crowds:
The invasion and the conquest of Mecca was — as we have already stated — a decisive battle that destroyed paganism utterly. The Arabs as a result of that battle were able to differentiate the truth from the error. Delusion no longer existed in their life. So they raced to embrace Islam. ‘Amr bin Salamah said: “We were at a water (spring) where the passage of people was. So when camel riders passed by us we used to ask them: ‘What is the matter with people? What is this man (i.e. the Prophet*) like?’ They would say, ‘He claims that Allah has revealed so and so.’ I used to memorize those words as if they had been recited within my chest. The Arabs used to ascribe their Islamization to the conquest. They would say: ‘Leave him alone to face his people. If he were a truthful Prophet* he would overcome them.’ So when the conquest took place, peoples hastened to declare their Islam. My father was the quickest of all my people to embrace Islam. Arriving at his people he said: ‘By Allah I have just verily been to the Prophet* . And he said: ‘Perform so a prayer at such a time, and so and so prayers at such and such time. When the prayer time is due let one of you call for the prayer and appoint the most learned of the Qur’an among you to be an Imam (leader) of yours.” This Prophet*ic tradition manifests the great effect of the conquest of Mecca on the phase of events. It certainly shows the influence of the conquest of Mecca upon the consolidation of Islam as well as on the Arabs’ stand and their surrender to Islam. That influence was absolutely confirmed and deeply rooted after the invasion of Tabuk.
A clear and an obvious evidence of that influence could be deduced from the great number of delegations arriving in Medina successively in the ninth and tenth years of Al-Hijra. The immense crowds of people who raced to embrace the religion of Allah and the great army which included ten thousand fighters in the invasion of the conquest of Mecca had grown big enough to include thirty thousand fighters sharing in Tabuk invasion. It was only in less than a year after the conquest of Mecca that this growth in Islamic army had taken place. A hundred thousand or a hundred and forty four thousand Muslim pilgrims shared in Hajjatul -Wada‘ (i.e. Farewell Pilgrimage); it was such an enormous number of Muslims surging — as an ocean of men — round the Prophet* , that the horizon echoed their voices and the expanses of land shook whereby while saying Labbaik (i.e. Lord, here we are worshipping), glorifying and magnifying Allah, and thanking Him.

The Delegations:
The number of delegations listed in Ahl Al-Maghazi were over seventy. Investigating such a large number is not an accessible thing; besides stating them in detail is not of a great benefit. Therefore, I am going to reveal an expose about what is historically wonderful or highly significant. Anyway a reader should always keep in mind that whilst the majority of tribes arrived in Medina after the conquest, there were also pre-conquest delegations.
1. The delegation of ‘Abdul Qais: This tribe had two arrivals. The first was in the fifth year of Al- Hijra or before that date. Munqidh bin Haiyan, a member of that tribe, used to trade in Medina. So, as soon as he heard of Islam when he had arrived in it for trading — that was after the migration — he embraced Islam and carried a pledge from the Prophet* to his people who eventually became Muslims too. Thirteen or fourteen of them came to the Prophet* in one of the Hurum Months. It was then that they asked the Prophet*’s advice about the Faith and drinks. Their chief was Al-Ashaj Al-Usri, to whom the Prophet* said: “You have two qualities that Allah likes: They are deliberateness and clemency.”
2. Their second arrival was in the Year of Delegations. They were forty men. Al-Jarud bin Al-‘Ala’ Al- ‘Abdi, who was Christian but turned to be a good Muslim, was one of that group.
3. Daws Delegation: The arrival of this tribe was in the early times of the seventh year and that was when the Prophet* was in Khaibar. At-Tufail bin ‘Amr Ad-Dawsi, that we have already talked about and explained how he became a Muslim at the time the Prophet* was in Mecca. He went back home to his people where he kept calling people to Islam but they tarried till he despaired of them and returned to the Prophet* and asked him to invoke Allah against Daws but the Prophet* invoked Allah to guide Daws. Later on, Daws embraced Islam. So At-Tufail arrived in Medina accompanied by seventy or eighty families of his people in the early times of the seventh year of Al-Hijra, at the time that the Prophet* was at Khaibar, so he overtook him there.
4. Farwah Bani ‘Amr Al-Judhami’s messenger: Farwah was an Arab leader in the Byzantine army. He was a Byzantine agent ruler by proxy on the Arabs allied to the Byzantines. His home was at Mu‘an and the surrounding area of Ash-Sham lands. Seeing the stamina and courage of the Muslims he became a Muslim. The battle of Mu’tah — which took place in the eighth year of Al- Hijra — compelled his admiration. He sent a white mule gift with a messenger of his to the Prophet* to inform him of his conversion into Islam. When the Byzantines learnt of his embracing Islam, they sent him to prison. At first they gave him an opportunity to choose one of the two — “either he defects from Islam or death shall be his punishment.” Refusing to defect they crucified him and cut his neck at a water (fountain) called ‘Afra’ in Palestine.
5. Suda’ Delegation: The arrival of this delegation was after the departure of the Prophet* from Al-Ji‘ranah in the eighth year of Al-Hi. It was because the Prophet* had already dispatched a mission that comprised four hundred Muslims and asked them to go to where Suda’ was. Suda’ was (a fresh-water fountain) in Yemen. While the mission was camping there at the starting point of a canal. Ziyad bin Al-Harith As-Suda’i learned of their stay, so he came to the Prophet* and said: “I have come to you as a deputy of my people, so tell your army to go back and I guarantee of my people.” The army were sent away off the canal. In his turn As-Suda’i went back, cherished and urged his people to come and meet the Prophet* . Eventually fifteen of them came and pledged allegiance to him as true Muslims. Returning home, they in their turn, urged the rest to be Muslims. Thus Islam spread among them. Later on, a hundred men joined the Prophet* in Hajjatul-Wada‘ (Farewell Pilgrimage.)
6. The arrival of Ka‘b bin Zuhair bin Abi Sulma: Ka‘b who was a member of a family of poets, was considered one of the most poetic Arab poets. He used to satirize the Prophet* when he wasn’t a Muslim. In the eighth year of Al-Hijra and at the time that the Prophet* had already gone back from At-Ta’if invasion, Bujair bin Zuhair wrote a letter to his brother Ka‘b warning and advising him: “The Prophet* had killed some men in Mecca who used to satirize and harm him, and that the other poets who had survived fled in all directions for their lives. So if you want to save your skin, hasten to the Prophet* . He never kills those who resort to him as repentant. If you refuse to do as I tell, it is up to you to try to save your skin by any means.” The two brothers corresponded with one another for a long time till Ka‘b was awkward and felt as if the earth had constrained on him. Arriving in Medina, he stayed at a man’s house from Juhainah as a guest. They performed the dawn prayer together; but when he was about to leave, the man suggested that he go to the Prophet* . He went there, sat by him, put his hand in his. The Prophet* who had never seen Ka‘b before, did not recognize him. Ka‘b then said: “O, Prophet*! Ka‘b bin Zuhair has come to you as a repentant Muslim; will he be secure and forgiven if I fetch him?” The Prophet* said, “Yes.” “I am Ka‘b bin Zuhair,” said he. Upon hearing that one of the Helpers rose to his feet and asked the Messenger’s allowance to cut his throat. “Leave him alone!” Said the Prophet* , “He has become a repentant Muslim after his disposal of the past.” Ka‘b then recited his well-known poem “Su‘ad appeared...” in which he praised the Prophet* , thanked him and apologized for the wrongs he had done. He acknowledged Muhammad’s mission. Both Emigrants and Helpers were spoken of in this poem but differently. He praised the Emigrants but criticized the Helpers, for one of them demanded a Prophet*’s permission to kill him. Later on Ka‘b tried to compensate for that by praising the Helpers too but that was in another poem.
7. ‘Udharah Delegation: This delegation which consisted of twelve men, had arrived in Medina in Safar, the ninth year of Al-Hijra. They spent three days there. One of them was Hamza bin AnNu‘ man. When they were asked who they were, they said “We are Bani ‘Udharah, the foster brothers of Qusai to his mother. We are the ones who supported Qusai, and removed Khuza’a and Bani Bakr from the bosom of Mecca. We have relatives and kinspeople.” So the Prophet* welcomed them and gave good tidings to them, which was Ash- Sham Conquest; but he, on the other hand, forbade them from consulting a soothsayer and from eating the slain animals they slaughtered. Eventually they became Muslims, stayed there for several days then went back. 8. Bali Delegation: Their arrival was in Rabi‘ Al-Awwal, the ninth year of Al-Hijra. They embraced Islam, stayed in Medina for three days. Their chief Abu Ad-Dabeeb wondered whether hospitality was rewarded by Allah. The Prophet* said: l ¡ “Yes, and so is any charity you offer to poor or rich people that is Sadaqah.” He also inquired about the time allotted to hospitality. “Three days,” said he. “What about the stray ewe?” The Prophet* said: “It is either yours or your brother’s, otherwise it goes to the wolf.” He inquired about the stray camel. “It is not of your business. Leave it alone! Its owner will try to find it.”
8. Thaqif Delegation: Their arrival was in Ramadan, the ninth year of Al-Hijra, after the return of the Prophet* from Tabuk. As to how they became Muslims, this could be deduced from the following:
9. Their chief ‘Urwah bin Mas‘ud Ath-Thaqafi came to see the Prophet* after the latter’s return from At-Ta’if in Dhul-Qa‘dah in the year 8 A.H. ‘Urwah became a Muslim. He thought that when he will tell his people and call them to embrace Islam, they would obey him, because he had always been an obeyed Master. He was even more beloved to them than their own firstborn. But contrary to that, when he called them to Islam they shot arrows at him from everywhere and killed him. They remained as they were for months before they started discussing the situation again among themselves. Upon realizing that they were incapable of fighting the neighbouring Arabs who had paid allegiance to the Prophet* and converted to Islam, they made up their mind to dispatch a man to the Prophet* . They concluded that ‘Abd Yalail bin ‘Amr would be the right messenger. ‘Abd refused to do such a thing lest they should kill him as they had killed ‘Urwah. “I will not do such a thing till you send some other men with me,” said ‘Abd. So they sent two men of their allies and three others from Bani Malik. The six of them including ‘Uthman bin Abi Al-‘As Ath- Thaqafi who was the youngest among them all.
When they entered into the Prophet*’s audience, a tent was pitched up in a corner of the mosque so that they might listen to the Qur’an and see people at prayer. During their stay they came again and again to the Prophet* who kept on calling them to embrace Islam, till their chief asked the Prophet* to enter into a peace treaty between him and Thaqif by means of which he allows them to commit fornication, drink wine and deal with usury. They also asked him not to injure their tyrant idol “Al-Lat” or to oblige them to perform the prayer. Finally they insisted that they would not knock down the idols themselves. But the Prophet* turned down all their requests. They went aside to council. Realizing that there were no other alternatives they yielded and professed Islam. The only condition that they insisted on was that the demolition of Al-Lat should be dealt with and handled by the Prophet* whereas Thaqif should in no way knock it down themselves. The Prophet* agreed and took a pledge with them.
Being the most attentive and the keenest to study jurisprudence and learn Qur’an, ‘Uthman bin Abi Al-‘As was appointed by the Prophet* a prince on his people. His keenness and carefulness to learn the Qur’an and study jurisprudence were clearly discernible through his behaviour during their stay.
Everyday morning, the group of delegates used to go and see the Prophet*. Being the youngest one, ‘Uthman bin Abi Al-‘As was left behind with their camels and things to keep an eye on. At noon when they came back and slept, ‘Uthman used to go to the Prophet* in order to learn the Qur’an and inquire about religious matters. If it happened that the Prophet* was asleep, he would then go to Abu Bakr for the same purpose. With the pof time, he turned out to be a source of blessing to his people. For at the Apostasy Times (Ar-Riddah) when Thaqif were determined to apostatize, he addressed them saying: “O, folkmen of Thaqif! You have been the latest at embracing Islam, so do not be the first to apostatize.” Consequently they gave up apostasy and clung fast to Islam.
The group of delegates returned home but they were determined to conceal the truth for a while. They told their people to expect fight at any moment. They pretended to be grieved and depressed. They claimed that the Prophet* demanded that they should embrace Islam and abandon adultery, drinking wine and dealing with usury and some other things, or else he would fight them. Seized by the arrogance and zeal of Al-Jahiliyah (pre- Islamic traditions), Thaqif remained for days intent on fighting. Then Allah cast terror and dismay in their hearts in such a way that they gave up fighting and thought that the delegation should go back to him and announce their approval. It was until then that the group of delegates told them the truth and revealed the items of their peace-talk with the Prophet*, consequently Thaqif embraced Islam.
The Prophet* sent some men to demolish the idol called “Al-Lat” under the command of Khalid bin Al-Waleed. Al-Mugheerah bin Shu‘bah, stood to his feet, held the hoe and the ax and said: “By Allah, I will make you laugh at Thaqif.” He struck with them, and pretended to fall down while running. The people of Thaqif trembled at that sight and said: “May Allah dismay Al-Mugheerah off. The goddess has killed him.” Hearing that Al-Mugheerah leapt up to his feet and said: “May Allah bring shame on you. Al-Lat is nothing but a mass of dirt and stones.” Then he struck the door and broke it. He mounted its highest wall, and so did the other men. They knocked Al-Lat down till they levelled it with the ground. Then they dug up its foundation and brought out its jewels and garments; to the great astonishment of Thaqif. Khalid bin Al-Waleed and his group came back to the Prophet* carrying Al-Lat’s jewels and garments. The Prophet* distributed them and thanked Allah for helping his Prophet* and solidifying his religion.

Main Topic: Selected verses from the Start of Surah Yusuf
“Alif-Laam-Raa. These are the verses of the clear Book. Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an that you might understand. We relate to you, (O Muhammad), the best of stories in what We have revealed to you of this Qur'an although you were, before it, among the unaware. (Of  these stories mention) when Yusuf said to his father [i.e. Ya'qub]: "O my father, indeed I have seen [in a dream] eleven stars and the sun andthe moon; I saw them prostrating to me." He, (Yaqub) said, "O my son, do not relate your vision to your brothers or they will contrive against you a plan. Indeed Shaytan, to man, is a manifest enemy" [TMQ: 9, 1-5]
Just talking about a few verses from Surah Yusuf to demonstrate how complex and multi-levelled the meanings are and how important it is to know the Arabic in order to understand these fully. This is just a short taster! Revealed during the ‘Year of Grief’.
In the Arabic, the work ‘tilka’ is used and this demonstrative noun is used to point to something far away from the speaker, emphasising the Qur'an is being revealed from the Protected Tablet (al-I-awh al-Mahfi). Something ‘far away’ rather than ‘haa-thee’ which is near.
The word ‘mobeen’ - Here Allah describes the Qur'an as "clear". A characteristic of the Qur’an
‘Inna’ - This is analogous to what in English is called the "royal we". It does not mean that Allah is more than one. It is a feature of literary style in Arabic that a person may refer to himself by the pronoun ‘nahnu’ (we) for respect or glorification. He may also use the word ‘ana’  indicating one person, or the third person ‘huwa’ (he). All three styles are used in the Qur'an
‘Nazala’ indicates that this has come from high to low, that is a higher place to a lower place, from above to below and from Allah to Muhammed.

Characteristics of the best stories:

• a strong theme
• a fascinating plot conflict and resolution - The plot is most often about a conflict or struggle that the main character goes through. Most often, the characters learn or grow as they try to solve their problems. What the characters learn is the theme of the story.
• a coherent structure: The beginning of the story should jump right into the action. The ending of the story should wind up quickly.
• Unforgettable characters
• a well-chosen setting
• an appealing style
• a good story is one that:
• builds resonances with its audience, i.e. touches people in some way by working on their sympathies;
• creates vivid images;
• is a story that one loves and loves to tell or hear.

Other Lessons from these ayah...
The value of learning history while heeding its numerous lessons. Many ayah in the Qur'an reiterate this concept; Allah says: There was certainly in their stories a lesson for those of understanding ...
Many names of surahs in the Qur'an are actually reminders of events of the past that can teach us the importance of historical events and the lessons present in them. There are 30 surahs in the Qur'an with historically related names; it is required of us that we ponder and deliberate upon these stories.
The beginning ayah clearly affirms the nabuwwah (prophethood) of Allah's Messenger.
The ayah illustrates the importance of explaining and translating the Qur'an based on the intended and clear, unambiguous Arabic meanings.
Yusuf’s Lineage
Ibrahim had two sons, Ishaq and Isma’il. All prophets after them were from the descendants of Ishaq, xcept Prophet Muhammad, who was descended from Isma’il:
Yusuf b. Ya’qub b. Ishaq b. Ibrahim (Khalul Allah).
Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrate:  Upon the authority of Abu Hurayrah the Prophet was asked, "'Who is the most honourable of people?" He replied, "the most honourable is the one with the most taqwa." The questioner said, "I am not asking about that," so the Prophet said, "The most honoured is Yusuf, who was a prophet, son of a prophet, son of a prophet, son of Khalil Allah."
In another narration:  Ibn "Umar narrates that the Prophet said of Yusuf:  "[He is] the noble one, son of a noble one, son of a noble one, son of a noble one."
Respect for Parents
Another important lesson from these ayah are respect for parents and how parents and children should interact.
A Muslim child should respect, appreciate and honour his parents at all times. Allah ($6) has mentioned kind treatment of parents alongside the command to worship Him alone, which indicates the importance of honouring one's parents and treating them well. Allah emphasises the status of parents and how they should be treated in many lyEt:
Be good and dutiful: Allah says: And We have enjoined upon man goodness to parents... [Surat al-'Ankabut, 29: 8]. The scholars said: "be dutiful and kind to parents" means: treat them kindly in all ways, in word and deed.
Acknowledge the high status of parents: The importance and high status that Islam has granted to parents is evident from the fact that Allah often mentions the command to worship Him and to be dutiful to one's parents together, as in:  'And We have enjoined upon man [care]for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two year. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the [final] destination]. But if they endeavour to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them but accompany them in [this] world with appropriate kindness and follow the way of those who turn back to Me [in repentance]. Then to Me will be your return, and I will inform you about what you used to do.” [Surat Luqman,31:14-15]
Obey them, and ask forgiveness for them: Islam teaches a child to obey his parents, to do as they ask and to refrain from what they tell him not to do, on condition that it does not contradict the teachings of Allah. Furthermore Allah commands us to supplicate for our parents and pray for forgiveness for them, especially when they grow old and weak: “And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], 'uff', and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, 'My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small'.[Surat al-Isra,17:23-4]
The scholars said said: "this means, pray for mercy for them, while they are alive and after they die."
Allah has provided us with examples of his messengers and described how they treated their parents with kindness and compassion.

Children’s Feedback & News Topic:
Nil

Bank of Akhirah:
Parents and Children were asked to think about anything they have done over the past week purely for the sake of Allah, with Ihsaan and sincerity. Thus seeking the pleasure of Allah alone. Then put these on a piece of paper and put it in the cardboard Kaaba at the start of the next Study Circle.
Please write them anonymously.
Homework
Seerah ~ Nil
Belief ~ Qur'an: How was the Qur'an protected after the death of the Prophet* ?

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.

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08 January 2012

Hudaibiyah 3: Signing the Treaty

Seerah of Muhammed*

*: May the Peace, Blessings and Mercy of Allah be upon him

TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an

Context of the Treaty ~ The Prophet's struggle to date

The Prophet was born to a noble family and grew up in Mecca and became trusted by the people. He then received revelation (Wahy) from Allah via Angel Gabriel at the age of 40. He then started inviting close friend to Islam. Then, started preaching publicly and face a fierce backlash – with him and his supporters being subject to abuse, ridicule and then torture & persecution. They elders of society tried to buy him off but he refused. They then boycotted him and his followers – leading to a harsh time for the Muslims. After the boycott ended, he soon lost his uncle and beloved wife. Then he started asking other tribes for support to establish the Islamic State and found support from a small group of people from Yathrib (Medina), who came back the following year to give a pledge (bayah) of allegiance, followed by a larger group of more influential leaders giving a pledge to set up a State with him as the leader. By this stage the leaders in Mecca decided to finally kill him but he escaped to the cave with his best friend Abu Bakr. Thereafter, they entered Medina under armed guard and overthrew the existing leadership – instituting a revolution / coup, albeit peaceful.

Then the hard work of gelling the society started but they were constantly threatened internally (people in Medina) and externally through their old enemies the Quraish of Mecca. The Muslims won their first encounter at Badr, but lost the nest one in Uhud, with the polytheists not turning up for the decider back at Badr. However, they mustered up a colossal army with the Jewish tribes of Arabia to finally end the Prophet’s aspirations but this was thwarted again. The Prophet dealt with most of the Jewish tribes and then had a dream that he was to visit his home in Mecca and do Tawwaf around the Kaaba. Hence he invited the Muslims to accompany him on a peaceful journey purely to observe his duties – even though tey were I an active state of war with the enemies in Mecca. A very brave move and he took 1400 followers with him. This out-maneuvered the Quraish who panicked and tried to halt the advance of the pilgrims and stop them fro entering Mecca – a task that had never been done before and something that went against their core principles of looking after all pilgrims. Some Quraish tried to start a war by provocation but the Muslims did not fall into the trap. Frantic negotiations then ensued whilst the Prophet sent his envoy Uthman with a message of peace for the people of Mecca and support for the Muslims there. This was a tense time and things could turn nasty, but the hope and expectation of the Muslims were that they would visit the Sacred House…

The story of Hudaibiyah should be seen in this context – not an isolated event:

The Pledge of Ridwan

Truth is the first casualty in War – is an oft-repeated slogan. So a time for rumours and mistrust… Time passed. Negotiations went on but with no results. Then the Prophet* desired Umer to see the nobles of Quraish on his behalf. Umer excused himself on account of the personal enmity of Quraish; he had, moreover, no influential relatives in the city who could shield him from danger; and he pointed to ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan, who belonged to one of the most powerful families in Mecca, as the suitable envoy. ‘Uthman went to Abu Sufyan and other chiefs and told them that the Muslims had come only to visit and pay their homage to the Sacred House, to do worship there, and that they had no intention to fight. He was also asked to call them to Islam, and give glad tidings to the believers in Mecca, women and men, that the conquest was approaching and Islam was surely to prevail because Allah would verily establish His religion in Mecca. ‘Uthman also assured them that after the performance of ceremonies they would soon depart peacefully, but the Quraishites were adamant and not prepared to grant them the permission to visit Al-Kaaba. They, however, offered ‘Uthman the permission to perform the pilgrimage, if he so desired in his individual capacity, but ‘Uthman declined the offer saying: “How is it possible that I avail myself of this opportunity, when the Prophet* is denied of it?” The Muslims anxiously waited for the arrival of ‘Uthman with mingled feelings of fear and anxiety. But his arrival was considerably delayed and a foul play was suspected on the part of Quraish.

It was during 'Uthman's absence in Mecca that there came over the Prophet a state which was comparable to that of receiving a Revelation but which left him in full possession of his faculties. He gave instructions to one of his Companions, who thereupon went through the camp proclaiming: "The Holy Spirit hath descended upon the Messenger and commandeth allegiance. So go ye forth in the Name of God to make your pledge.'" Meantime the Prophet had seated himself beneath an acacia tree that was green with its spring foliage breaking into leaf; and one by one the Companions came and pledged allegiance to him. This pledge goes by the name of Bay‘at Ar-Ridwan (a covenant of fealty). The first man to reach him was Sinan, who was of the same tribe as the jahsh family, that is the Bani Asad ibn Khuzaymah. The crier had specified nothing about the nature of the pledge, so Sinan said "O Messenger of God, I pledge thee mine allegiance unto that which is in thy soul," and the others pledged themselves accordingly. Then the Prophet said "I pledge the allegiance of 'Uthman," whereupon he put out his left hand, as the hand of his son-in-law, and grasping it with his right hand, pledged the pact. Only one man present failed to respond to the crier, and that was the hypocrite Jadd ibn Qays who tried to hide behind his camel but was none the less seen. This fealty was sworn under a tree, with Umer holding the Prophet’s hand and Ma‘qil bin Yasar holding a branch of the tree up. The Noble Qur’an has referred to this pledge in the following words:

“Indeed, Allah was pleased with the believers when they gave their Bai‘a (pledge) to you [O Muhammad*] under the tree.” [48:18]

Sohail bin Amr

The Quraish had now heard about the pledge and fully realized that things were extremely delicate and dangerous – and that the Muslims would not be fobbed off so easily. When Quraish saw the firm determination of the Muslims to shed the last drop of blood for the defence of their Faith, they came to their senses and realized that Muhammad’s followers could not be cowed down by these tactics. After some further interchange of messages they agreed to conclude a treaty of reconciliation and peace with the Muslims. Hence they now sent Suhayl to conclude a treaty, and with him were his two clansmen Mikraz and Huwaytib. They conferred with the Prophet, and the Companions heard their voices rise and fall according to whether the point in question was hard to agree upon or easy.

Writing the Treaty

Some dispute arose with regard to the preamble. For example, when the agreement was to be committed to writing, ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, who acted as a scribe began with the words: Bismillah ir- Rahman ir-Raheem, i.e., “In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful” but the Makkan plenipotentiary, Suhail bin ‘Amr declared that he knew nothing about Ar-Rahman and insisted upon the customary formula Bi-ismika Allahumma, i.e., “In Your Name, O Allah!” The Muslims grumbled with uneasiness but the Prophet* agreed. He then went on to dictate, “This is what Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah has agreed to with Suhail bin ‘Amr.” Upon this Suhail again protested: “Had we acknowledged you as Prophet, we would not have debarred you from the Sacred House, nor fought against you. Write your own name and the name of your father.” The Muslims grumbled as before and refused to consent to the change. The Prophet*, however, in the larger interest of Islam, attached no importance to such an insignificant detail, erased the words himself, and dictated instead: “Muhammad, the son of ‘Abdullah.” Soon after this treaty, Khuza‘a clan, a former ally of Banu Hashim, joined the ranks of Muhammad*, and Banu Bakr sided with Quraish. The clauses of the said treaty go as follows:

1. The Muslims shall return this time and come back next year, but they shall not stay in Mecca for more than three days.
2. They shall not come back armed but can bring with them swords only sheathed in scabbards and these shall be kept in bags.
3. War activities shall be suspended for ten years, during which both parties will live in full security and neither will raise sword against the other.
4. If anyone from Quraish goes over to Muhammad* without his guardian’s permission, he should be sent back to Quraish, but should any of Muhammad’s followers return to Quraish, he shall not be sent back.
5. Whosoever to join Muhammad*, or enter into treaty with him, should have the liberty to do so; and likewise whosoever wishes to join Quraish, or enter into treaty with them, should be allowed to do so.

Abu Jandal arrives

In virtue of the Prophet's vision, the Companions had been certain of the success of their expedition; and when they heard the terms of the treaty and realised that having reached the very edge of the sacred precinct they must now return home with nothing accomplished, it was almost more than they could endure. But worse was to come: as they sat there in sullen and explosive silence, the clank of chains was heard and a youth staggered into the camp with his feet in fetters. It was Abu jandal, one of the younger sons of Suhayl. His father had imprisoned him on account of his Islam, fearing that he would escape to Medina. His elder brother 'Abd Allah was among the pilgrims and was about to welcome him when Suhayl caught hold of the chain that was round his prisoner's neck and struck him violently in the face. Then he turned to the Prophet and said: "Our agreement was concluded before this man came to thee." "That is true," said the Prophet. "Return him then unto us," said Suhayl. "O Muslims," shouted Abu Jandal at the top of his voice, "am I to be returned unto the idolaters, for them to persecute me on account of my religion?" The Prophet took Suhayl aside and asked him as a favour to let his son go free, but Suhayl implacably refused. His fellow envoys, Mikraz and Huwaytib, had been so far silent; but now, feeling that this incident was an inauspicious start for the truce, they intervened. "O Muhammad," they said, "we give him our protection on thy behalf." This meant that they would lodge him with them, away from his father, and they held to their promise. "Be patient, Abu Jandal," said the Prophet. "God will surely give thee and those with thee relief and a way out. We have agreed on the terms of a truce with these people, and have given them our solemn pledge, even as they have done to us, and we will not now break our word."

Umer is upset with the treaty terms

At this point Umer could no longer contain himself. Rising to his feet, he went to the Prophet and said "Art thou not God's Prophet?" and he answered "Yea." "Are we not in the right and our enemies in the wrong?" he said, and again the Prophet assented. "Then why yield we in such lowly wise against the honour of our religion?" said Umer, whereupon the Prophet replied: "I am God's Messenger and I will not disobey Him. He will give me the victory." "But didst thou not tell us," persisted Umer, "that we should go unto the House and make our rounds about it?" "Even so," said the Prophet, "but did I tell thee we should go to it this year?" Umer conceded that he had not. "Verily thou shalt go unto the House," said the Prophet, "and shalt make thy rounds about it." But Umer was still seething with indignation, and went to Abu Bakr to work off his feelings still further. He put to him exactly the same questions he had put to the Prophet; but though Abu Bakr had not heard the answers, he gave him the same answer to each question in almost exactly the same words; and at the end he added: "So cleave unto his stirrup, for by God he is right." This impressed Umer, and though his feelings had not yet subsided, he gave no further vent to them, and when the Prophet summoned him to put his name to the treaty he signed it in silence. The Prophet also told Suhayl's son 'Abd Allah to put his name to it. Others of the Muslims who signed it were 'Ali, Abu Bakr, 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Awf and Mahrnud ibn Maslamah.

Shaving the head / sacrificing the animals

Some of the general bitterness seemed to have been smoothed over; but when Suhayl and the others left the camp, taking with them the tearful Abu Jandal, men's souls were stirred up again. The Prophet was standing apart, with those who had signed the document. He now left them, and went towards the main body of the pilgrims. "Rise and sacrifice your animals," he said, "and shave your heads." Not a man moved, and he repeated it a second and a third time, but they simply looked at him in dazed and bewildered silence. It was not a rebellion on their part, but having had their expectations shattered by the turn of events they were now genuinely perplexed by the command to do something which they knew to be ritually incorrect; for according to the tradition of Abraham the sacrifices had to be performed within the sacred territory, and the same applied to the rite of shaving the head. None the less, their apparent disobedience dismayed the Prophet, who withdrew to his tent and told Umm Salamah what had happened. "Go forth," she said, "and say no word to any man until thou hast performed thy sacrifice." So the Prophet went to the camel which he himself had consecrated and sacrificed it, saying in a loud voice, so that the men could hear: Bismillah, AllahuAkbar. At these words the men leaped to their feet and raced to make their sacrifices, falling over each other in their eagerness to obey; and when the Prophet called for Khirash -the man of Khuza'ah he had sent to Mecca before 'Uthman -to shave his head, many of the Companions set about shaving each other's heads so vigorously that Umm Salamah was afraid, as she afterwards remarked, that mortal wounds might be inflicted. But some of them merely cut locks of their hair, knowing that this was traditionally acceptable as a substitute. Meantime the Prophet had retired to his tent with Khirash; and when the rite had been accomplished he stood at the entrance with shaven scalp and said: "God have Mercy on the shavers of their heads!" The Prophet* prayed three times for those who shaved their heads and once for those who cut their hair. Returning to his tent, the Prophet gathered up his luxuriant black hair from the ground and threw it over a nearby mimosa tree, whereupon the men crowded round, each bent on taking what he could for its blessing. Nor was Nusaybah to be outdone by the men, and she also made her way to the tree, and was able to snatch some locks, which she treasured until her dying day.

Female Emigrants

Meanwhile some believing women emigrated to Medina and asked the Prophet* for refuge which they were granted. When their families demanded their return, he would not hand them back because the following verse was revealed: “O you who believe! When believing women come to you as emigrants, examine them, Allah knows best as to their Faith, then if you know them for true believers, send them not back to the disbelievers, they are not lawful (wives) for the disbelievers nor are the disbelievers lawful (husbands) for them. But give the disbelievers that (amount of money) which they have spent [as their Mahr] to them. And there will be no sin on you to marry them if you have paid their Mahr to them. Likewise hold not the disbelieving women as wives …” [60:10]

The reason why the believing women were not handed back was either because they were not originally included in the terms of the treaty, which mentioned only men, or because the Qur’an abrogated any terms dealing with women in the verse: “O Prophet! When believing women come to you to give you the Bai‘a (Pledge), that they will not associate anything in worship with Allah …” [60:12]

This is the verse which forbade Muslim women from marrying disbelieving men. Likewise, Muslim men were commanded to terminate their marriages to disbelieving women. In compliance with this injunction, Umer bin Al-Khattab divorced two wives he had married before he embraced Islam; Mu‘awiyah married the first woman, and Safwan bin Omaiyah married the second.

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Last week’s Homework:

Also, Umer (ra) later cut down the tree under which the pledge was made - why was this?

Partly to stop people treating the tree as a particularly holy place and to stop superstition around the tree – as some people would specifically pray under the tree as it was mentioned in the Qur’an. This was how shirk started in the times of yore.

Furthermore, we talked about how the Quraish prevented pilgrims from visiting the Kaaba - something unheard of until then. Name some ways in which modern Western Countries are doing things that go against their stated fundamental values when it comes to Muslims or Islam.

We talked about many of the hypocrisies we see in Western countries. Some of these are outlined in brief below:

• Freedom of Speech – People are allowed to criticize Islam, and the Muslims in the West or ridicule the Prophet*. In fact this is often encouraged! When Muslims speak against Western values they are labeled extremists or are prosecuted for having materials (books) that support terrorism!
• Freedom of Wealth – It is okay for Western countries to own the resources of other nations, but when Muslim nations want to buy some western institutions – they are prevented (like Dubai wanting to buy American Port Authorities). Also, Western countries impose unfair taxes on imported goods to protect their own markets but want poor countries to open their markets completely.
• Freedom of Religion / Belief – Believing in religion is fine so long as it stays out of political affairs! If Muslims criticize the killing of Muslims – based on their faith then that is criticised. Muslims are increasingly being persecuted in Europe for their dress – e.g., the hijab, niqab, whilst nuns & monks are okay!
• Personal Freedom – You can wear as much or little as you like so long as you don’t look like a Muslim!
• Rule of Law – Western nations pride themselves of being peoples that adhere to the rule of law. But it is increasingly one rule for them another for Muslims. Even their own rules they don not follow! Torture in Abu Ghraib, Assassination policies, invading other counties (Iraq), innocent until proven guilty, the right to a (fair) trial (Guantanamo), habeus corpus to name but a few
• Democracy – should be ‘rule of the people for the people by the people’ but turns out to be ruling of the people by the few for the rich. If Western countries were committed to principles of democracy they would refuse to support brutal dictators in the world – but still supply them with arms and weapons to control their people
• Transparency – Whilst claiming to be open & transparent they have greater secrets and try to suppress any contradictory opinions. See their collective response to Wikileaks and Freedom of Information requests
• Tolerant Society – The Muslims were tolerant 1000 years ago with pluralistic society. Living in the West we are being increasingly told what we can wear, believe, read and who to mix with. If we do not fir it we are accused of marginalizing ourselves and living separate lives. Just like Westerners do when they settle in Dubai or Spain!
• Nations of Peace – Such an Orwellian lie with Western countries launching war after war over the last 200 years. Military societies that try to enforce their view and opinions on others by brute force. The USA has over a 1000 military bases in foreign countries and is actively fighting wars in many counties to protect its empire. War is good business so why would they promote PEACE !! Check out this link: All Bases Covered?

Hajj trip to British Museum

British Museum Hajj Exhibition

Hajj
Journey to the heart of Islam
26 January – 15 April 2012

Hajj: journey to the heart of Islam will be the first major exhibition dedicated to the Hajj; the pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which is central to the Muslim faith.  The exhibition will examine the significance of the Hajj as one of the Five Pillars of Islam, exploring its importance for Muslims and looking at how this spiritual journey has evolved throughout history. It will bring together a wealth of objects from a number of different collections including important historic pieces as well as new contemporary art works which reveal the enduring impact of Hajj across the globe and across the centuries. The exhibition which has been organised in partnership with the King Abdulaziz Public Library Riyadh will examine three key strands: the pilgrim’s journey with an emphasis on the major routes used across time (from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East); the Hajj today, its associated rituals and what the experience means to the pilgrim; and Mecca, the destination of Hajj, its origins and importance.

It is laid down in the Qur’an that it is a sacred duty for Muslims everywhere, if they are able, to make the journey to Mecca at least once in their lives. This pilgrimage takes place during the last month of the Islamic year, known as Dhu’l Hijja. At the heart of the sanctuary at Mecca lies the Ka’ba, the cube-shaped building that Muslims believe was built by Abraham and his son Ishmael. It was in Mecca that the Prophet Muhammad received the first revelations in the early 7th century. Therefore the city has long been viewed as a spiritual centre and the heart of Islam. The rituals involved with Hajj have remained unchanged since its beginning, and it continues to be a powerful religious undertaking which draws Muslims together from all over the world, irrespective of nationality or sect.

A wide variety of objects will be lent to the exhibition. Loans include significant material from Saudi Arabia including a seetanah which covers the door of the Ka’ba as well as other historic and contemporary artefacts from key museums in the Kingdom. Other objects have come from major public and private collections in the UK and around the world, among them the British Library and the Khalili Family Trust. Together these objects will evoke and document the long and perilous journey associated with the pilgrimage, gifts offered to the sanctuary as acts of devotion and the souvenirs that are brought back from Hajj. They include archaeological material, manuscripts, textiles, historic photographs and contemporary art. The Hajj has a deep emotional and spiritual significance for Muslims, and continues to inspire a wide range of personal, literary and artistic responses, many of which will be explored throughout the exhibition.

For more information, click on this link: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/hajj.aspx.This exhibition concludes the British Museum’s series of three exhibitions focused on spiritual journeys. In partnership with King Abdulaziz Public Library, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. HSBC Amanah has supported the exhibition’s international reach outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

• Opening hours 10.00-17.30 Saturday to Thursday, 10.00-20.30 Fridays. The exhibition runs between 26 January – 15 April 2012
• Admission charge £12, children under 16 and Members free plus a range of concessions including group rates. Tickets are available to book through the box office by calling 020 7323 8181 or online at  www.britishmuseum.org/hajj. A full public programme will accompany the exhibition. More information is available from the press office.
• An accompanying catalogue will be published by British Museum Press: Hajj; journey to the heart of Islam, is edited by Venetia Porter and features contributions by leading scholars, paperback £25

Contacts
For further information or images please contact the Press Office on 020 7323 8583 / 8394 or communications@britishmuseum.org
Tickets are now on sale. To book tickets please visit www.britishmuseum.org/hajjor phone +44 (0)20 7323 8181

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