Other Letters, Envy, future topics
Seerah of Muhammed*
*: May the Peace, Blessings and Mercy of Allah be upon him
TMQ: Translation to the nearest meaning of the Qur’an
A New Phase of Islamic Action
Al-Hudaibiyah Truce marked a new phase in the process of Islamic action
and life of the Muslims. Quraish, a bitter enemy of Islam, now withdraws from
the war arena and embraces a peaceful settlement with the Muslims, thus the
third support of a tripartite enemy (Quraish, Ghatfan and the Jews) is broken,
and being the holder of the banner of paganism in Arabia, the other
pagans’ aggressive feelings towards Islam considerably subsided. Ghatfan Tribe
no longer constituted any remarkable threat, and their provocative deeds were
mainly Jewish-instigated actions. The Jews, after being banished from Madinah,
resorted to Khaibar to change it into a hot bed of intrigues against the Prophet*.
There, they used to hatch their plots, ignite the fire of dissension and allure
the Arabs living in the vicinity of Madinah to join them with the aim of
exterminating the new Islamic state, or at least inflict heavy losses on the
Muslims. The Prophet*, not heedless of their devilish schemes, placed a
decisive war with them as a first priority on his agenda shortly after the
endorsement of the above-mentioned treaty. The treaty of Hudaibiyah allowed the
Muslims to intensify their Islamic career and double up their ceaseless efforts
in propagating their Da‘wah, and consequently give this sort of action
preponderance over the military activities. Hence, we deem it imperative to
divide this post-treaty stage into two sections:
- Ceaseless peaceful efforts in propagating the Islamic Da‘wah (Call)
and initiating a sort of correspondence with kings and princes of the
neighbouring political entities.
- Military activities.
The Prophet's Plans To Spread The Message Of Islam Beyond Arabia
Late in the six year A.H., on his return from Hudaibiyah, the Prophet*
decided to send messages to the kings beyond Arabia calling them to
Islam. In order to authenticate the credentials of his envoys, a silver seal
was made in which were graven the words: “Muhammad the Messenger of Allah”.Envoys were chosen on the basis of their experience and knowledge, and
sent on their errands in Muharram in the year 7 A.H., a few days before heading
for Khaibar.
1.A Deputation to Abyssinia (Ethiopia):
Negus, king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), his name was
Ashama bin Al-Abjar, received the Prophet’s message, despatched by Amr bin
Omaiyah Ad-Damari: “This letter is sent from Muhammad, the Prophet to Negus
Al-Ashama, the king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia). Peace be upon
him who follows true guidance and believes in Allah and His Messenger. I bear
witness that there is no god but Allah Alone with no associate, He has taken
neither a wife nor a son, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. I call
you unto the fold of Islam; if you embrace Islam, you will find safety,l “Say
[O Muhammad*]: ‘O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), come to a word
that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allah, and that we associate
no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides
Allah.’ Then, if they turn away, say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’ ”
[3:64] Should you reject this invitation, then you will be held responsible for
all the evils of the Christians of your people.”
When ‘Amr bin Omaiyah Ad-Damari communicated the Apostolic letter to
Negus, the latter took the parchment and placed it on his eye, descended to the
floor, confessed his faith in Islam and wrote the following reply to the
Prophet.
“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. From
Negus Ashama to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah. Peace be upon you, O
Messenger of Allah! and mercy and blessing from Allah beside Whom there is no
god. I have received your letter in which you have mentioned about Jesus and by
the Lord of heaven and earth, Jesus is not more than what you say. We fully acknowledge
that with which you have been sent to us and we have entertained your cousin
and his companions. I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah, true
and confirming (those who have gone before you), I pledge to you through your
cousin and surrender myself through him to the Lord of the worlds.”
The Prophet* had asked Negus to send Ja‘far and his companions, the
emigrants to Abyssinia (Ethiopia), back home. They
came back to see the Prophet* in Khaibar. Negus later died in Rajab 9 A.H.
shortly after Tabuk Ghazwa. The Prophet* announced his death and observed
prayer in absentia for him. Another king succeeded Negus to the throne and
another letter was sent to him by the Prophet* but whether or not he embraced
Islam is still a question not answered yet.
2.Letter to the Vicegerent of Egypt, called Muqawqas:
The Prophet* wrote to Juraij bin Matta, called Muqawqas, vicegerent of Egypt and Alexandria saying: “In the
Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad slave of
Allah and His Messenger to Muqawqas, vicegerent of Egypt. Peace be upon
him who follows true guidance. Thereafter, I invite you to accept Islam.
Therefore, if you want security, accept Islam. If you accept Islam, Allah, the
Sublime, shall reward you doubly. But if you refuse to do so, you will bear the
burden of the transgression of all the Copts. l “Say [O Muhammad*]: ‘O people
of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), come to a word that is just between us
and you, that we worship none but Allah, and that we associate no partners with
Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allah.’ Then, if
they turn away, say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’ ” [3:64]
Hatib bin Abi Balta‘a, who was chosen to communicate the message,
requested an audience with Muqawqas before imparting the contents of the
letter. He addressed Egypt’s vicegerent
saying: “There used to be someone before you who had arrogated the status of
the Supreme Lord, so Allah punished him and made an example of him in the
Hereafter, and in this life; therefore, take warning and never set a bad example
to others.” Muqawqas answered: “We are in no position to relinquish our
religion except for a better one.” Hatib resumed: “We invite you to embrace
Islam, which will suffice you all what you may lose. Our Prophet has called
people to profess this Faith, Quraish and the Jews stood against him as bitter
enemies, whereas Christians stood closest to his Call. Upon my life, Moses’s
news about Christ is identical to the latter’s good tidings about the advent of
Muhammad; likewise, this invitation of ours to you to embrace Islam is similar
to your invitation to the people of Torah to accept the New Testament. Once a
Prophet rises in a nation, he is eligible for positive response, hence you are
subject to the same Divine Law. Bear in mind that we have not come to dissuade
you from religion of Christ but rather bidding you to adhere to its tenets.”
Muqawqas meditated over the contents of the letter deeply and said: “I have
come to the conviction that this Prophet bids nothing abominable; he is neither
a straying magician nor a lying soothsayer. He bears the true manifest seeds of
Prophethood, and so I will consider the affair deeply.” He took the parchment
and ordered that it be kept in an ivory casket. He called a scribe to write the
following reply in Arabic: “In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most
Merciful. From Muqawqas to Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah: Peace be upon you. I have
read your letter and understood its contents, and what you are calling for. I already
know that the coming of a Prophet is still due, but I used to believe he would
be born in Syria. I am sending you
as presents two maids, who come from noble Coptic families; clothing and a
steed for riding on. Peace be upon you.” It is noteworthy that Muqawqas did not
avail himself of this priceless opportunity and he did not embrace Islam. The
presents were accepted; Maria, the first maid, stayed with the Prophet*, and
gave birth to his son Ibrahim; the other Sirin, was given to Hassan bin Thabit
Al-Ansari.
3. A Letter to Chosroes, Emperor of Persia:
“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. From
Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah to Chosroes, king of Persia. Peace be upon
him who follows true guidance, believes in Allah and His Messenger and
testifies that there is no god but Allah Alone with no associate, and that
Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. I invite you to accept the religion of Allah.
I am the Messenger of Allah sent to all people in order that I may infuse fear
of Allah in every living person, and that the charge may be proved against
those who reject the Truth. Accept Islam as your religion so that you may live
in security, otherwise, you will be responsible for all the sins of the
Magians.”
‘Abdullah bin Hudhafa As-Sahmi was chosen to carry the letter. This
envoy carried it to the king of Bahrain but we do not
know as yet if the latter despatched to Chosroes by one of his men or chose ‘Abdullah
himself.
Meantime Chosroes had heard from other sources of the growing power of
the Arab king of Yathrib who claimed to be a Prophet. So he dispatched an order
to Badhan, his viceroy in the Yemen, asking for
further and clearer information about Muhammad. Badhan forthwith sent two
envoys to Medina, so that they could
see for themselves and bring him back news. Following a fashion that was
prevalent at the Persian court, they had shaved their beards and grown long
moustaches. Their appearance was abhorrent to the Prophet. "Who bade you
do this?" he exclaimed. "Our lord," they said, meaning
Chosroes." "My Lord," said the Prophet* "hath bidden me
grow my beard and cut short my moustache." He sent them away, telling them
to return to him the next day. That night Gabriel told him that on the same day
there had been an uprising in Persia in which Chosroes
had been killed, and his son now reigned in his stead. So when the envoys
returned he told them of this, and bade them inform their master the viceroy.
Then he said: "Tell him that my religion and mine empire will reach far
beyond the kingdom of Chosroes; and say unto him
from me: Enter Islam, and I will confirm thee in what thou hast, and I will
appoint thee king over thy people in the Yemen."
They returned to San'a', not knowing what to think, and delivered the
message to Badhan, who said: "We will see what befalleth. Ifwhat he said
be true, then is he a Prophet whom God hath sent." But even before he had
had time to send a man to Persia to find out the
truth of the matter, a messenger arrived from Siroes, the new Shah, announcing
what had happened, and claiming their allegiance. Instead of replying, Badhan
entered [slam, and so did his two messengers and other Persians who were with
him. He then sent word to Medina, and the Prophet
confirmed his rule over the Yemen. That was the
beginning of the fulfilment of what had been revealed in the first flash of
light from the trench.The Prophet's letter reached Mada'in after the death of
Chosroes, so it was delivered to his successor, whose sole answer was to tear
it in pieces. "Even so, 0 Lord, tear from him his kingdom," said the
Prophet when he heard of this.
4. Letter to Heraclius
Covered last week.
5. A Letter to Mundhir bin Sawa, Governor of Bahrain:
The Prophet* despatched ‘Al-‘Ala’ bin Al-Hadrami
to the governor of Bahrain, carrying a
letter inviting him to embrace Islam. In reply, Al-Mundhir bin Sawa wrote the
following letter: “Allah’s Messenger*! I received your injunctions. Prior to
this, I read your letter, which you wrote to the people of Bahrain extending to them
an invitation to Islam. Islam appealed to some of them and they entered the
fold of Islam, while others did not find it appealing. In my country, there
live Magians and Jews, and therefore you may inform me of the treatment to be
extended to them.”
The Prophet* wrote the following letter in reply to his: “In the Name
of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad, Messenger of
Allah to Mundhir bin Sawa. Peace be on you! I praise Allah with no associate,
and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. Thereafter, I
remind you of Allah, the Mighty, the Glorious. Whoever accepts admonition, does
it for his own good. Whoever follows my messengers and acts in accordance with
their guidance, he, in fact, accepts my advice. My messengers have highly
praised your behaviour. You shall continue in your present office. Give the new
Muslims full chance to preach their religion. I accept your recommendation
regarding the people of Bahrain, and I pardon the
offences of the offenders; therefore, you may also forgive them. Of the people
of Bahrain whoever wants to
go on in their Jewish or Magian faith, should be made to pay Jizya (poll-tax).”
6. A Letter to Haudha bin ‘Ali, Governor of Yamama:
“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. From
Muhammad, Messenger of Allah to Haudha bin ‘Ali: Peace be upon him who follows
true guidance. Be informed that my religion shall prevail everywhere. You
should accept Islam, and whatever under your command shall remain yours.”
The envoy chosen was Sulait bin ‘Amr Al-‘Amiri, who after communicating
his message, carried back the following reply to the Prophet*: “The Faith, to
which you invite me, is very good. I am a famous orator and poet, the Arabs
highly respect me and I am of account among them. If you include me in your
government, I am prepared to follow you.”
The governor then bestowed a reward on Sulait and presented him with
clothes made of Hajr fabric. Of course, he put all those presents in the trust
of the Prophet*: The Prophet* did not accept Haudha’s demand. He usually turned
down such peremptory tone, and would say that the whole matter was in the Hand
of Allah, Who gave His land to whoever He desired. Gabriel later came with the
Revelation that Haudha had died. The Prophet*, in the context of his comment on
this news, said: “Yamama is bound to give rise to a liar who will arrogate
Prophethood to himself but he will subsequently be killed.” In reply to a
question relating to the identity of the killer, the Prophet said “It is one of
you, followers of Islam.”
7. A Letter to Harith bin Abi Shamir Al-Ghassani, King of Damascus:
“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. From
Muhammad, Messenger of Allah to Al-Harith bin Abi Shamir. Peace be upon him who
follows true guidance, believes in it and regards it as true. I invite you to believe
in Allah Alone with no associate, thenceafter your kingdom will remain yours.” Shuja‘
bin Wahab had the honour of taking the letter to Harith, who upon hearing the
letter read in his audience, was madly infuriated and uttered: “Who dares to
disposs me of my country, I’ll fight him (the Prophet),” and arrogantly
rejected the Prophet’s invitation to the fold of Islam.
8. A Letter to the King of ‘Oman, Jaifer, and his
Brother ‘Abd Al-Jalandi:
“In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. From
Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah to Jaifer and ‘Abd Al-Jalandi. Peace be upon him who
follows true guidance; thereafter I invite both of you to the Call of Islam. Embrace
Islam. Allah has sent me as a Prophet to all His creatures in order that I may
instil fear of Allah in the hearts of His disobedient creatures so that there
may be left no excuse for those who deny Allah. If you two accept Islam, you
will remain in command of your country; but if you refuse my Call, you’ve got
to remember that all your possessions are perishable. My horsemen will
appropriate your land, and my Prophethood will assume preponderance over your
kingship.”
‘Amr bin Al-’As, who was chosen to carry the letter.
Through these letters, the Prophet managed to communicate his Message
to most monarchs at that time; some believed, while others remained obdurate
and persisted in their disbelief. However, the idea of embracing Islam, and the
advent of a new Prophet preoccupied all of them.
Nawawis 40 Hadith
Hadith No.35 (Nawawi's 40 Hadith): Abu Hurairah reported that the
Messenger of Allah*, said: "Do not be envious of one another; do not
artificially inflate prices against one another; do not hate one another; do
not shun one another; and do not undercut one another in business transactions;
and be as fellow-brothers and servants of Allah. A Muslim is the brother of a
Muslim. He neither oppresses him nor humiliates him nor looks down upon him.
Piety is here - and he pointed to his chest three times. It is evil enough for
a Muslim to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. All things of a Muslim are
inviolable for another Muslim: his blood, his property and his honour."
[Muslim]
Only the start of this wonderful Hadith was discussed. The remainder will
be discussed next time (i/A).
Some important points included:
Unity is one of the greatest objectives of Islam. There are many verses
in the Qur'an that urge Muslims to unite. In Surah al-'Imran, Ayah 103, Allah
says: And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (which is Islam)
and be not divided among yourselves. This is a very well-known verse to
Muslims. In Surah al-Taubah, Ayah 71, Allah says: The believing men and women
are 'awliya' (loyal) to one another. There are many other verses in the Qur'an
that urge joining unity, as well as verses that forbid disunity. We can see
this in the same Surah al-'Imran, Ayah 103, in which Allah says: “….and be not
divided among yourselves.”
So in the same verse the Muslims are asked to be united and prevented
from disunity. The Qur'an contains many such verses, for example: Surah
al-'Imran Ayah 105-107; Surah al-Hujurat Ayah 10; Surah al-An'am Ayah 153 and
159; and in Surah al-Rum Ayah 31-32. All of these verses and many others in the
Qur'an forbid the division or split of the Muslim community. Moreover, we have
many hadiths that command the Muslims to be united. One hadith is recorded by
Imam Muslim: "Verily Allah likes three things for you and disapproves
three things for you: He is pleased with you but you worship Him and
disassociate anything with him; that you hold fast to the Rope of Allah and not
to be scattered (disunited); and He disapproves for you irrelevant talk,
persistent questioning, and wasting of wealth." We find that Islam
commands the Muslims to practice things that will bring unity - there are
conditions and actions where the Muslims need to perform to accomplish this. At
the same time, we also find that there are many actions that Islam forbids
because these actions may lead to the disunity of the Muslim Ummah. This Hadith
35 falls in the latter category.
Envy (al-Hasad)
The first action that the hadith forbids is envy (al-hasad). Muslim
scholars like Imam Ghazali and others define envy as disliking to see a person
receiving a bounty and wishing that he or she (the receipient) would lose it. Ibn
Rajab gives a different and broader definition. He states in his definition
that it is part of human nature that a person dislikes anyone to be better than
him in virtues. He says that people differ in their attitudes and he lists five
categories of envy that people have:
- There are some people who will make the effort through action or
speech to abolish the bounty received by someone whom they envy.
- There are others who will then try to get that bounty transferred to
them. So they firstly try to take it away from the person they envy and then
they try to get it for themselves. For instance, if a certain person is offered
a certain position or authority, the envious one will try to do something by
hand or by speech to take away that position or authority from that person.
Then he will try to get that status or position transferred to himself.
- There are those who, whenever they envy someone, do not harm him or
her. They do not even wish the loss of the bounty from the envied one. Instead,
they make the effort to attain a similar bounty or virtue for themselves. Ibn
Rajab says: "If this bounty is wordly virtues or worldly bounties, there
is no benefit in that." For example, if you see someone who has a
Mercedes, and you try to attain a similar car for yourself, then there is no
benefit in that. But if it is a righteous virtue, then it is good.
- 5. There are some people who, whenever they feel envy, do their best to
stop it and they will do a favour or something good for the person whom they
envied. In addition, they will also make du'a for that person until they love
him - because envy is usually associated with hatred. They will wish that the
envied ones are better than them - they do not bother themselves if others have
things which are better than what they have. Ibn Rajab says these people are
the best category of true believers since everyone is subject to indulge or be
trapped by envy or being envious of others.
- There are some people who do not make any effort by action or speech
to harm the one whom they envy. Ibn Rajab says this category of people can be
of two types:
- The one who does his best to eliminate the feeling of envy within
himself but he cannot overcome it. In spite of this, he keeps fighting and
struggling against it. Ibn Rajab says this type of person is excused from
punishment.
- The one who thinks about envy and practices it again and again. He
does not make any effort to fight it even though he does not do any harm by
action or speech. But he actually enjoys and practices envy - he wishes that
the bounty of the envied one will be lost. Consequently, this person is subject
to punishment.
Why is envy (hasad) forbidden?
It can cause - by the permission of Allah - harm to others whom are
envied. Consequently, they are considered as evil acts in Islam. They can cause
- even by just wishing - the harming of a person. It is the virtue of Shaitan.
And it is also the virtue of Jews to envy other people. This is mentioned in
Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 109 and in Surah al-Nisa', Ayah 54.
The Prophet* warned Muslims against envy when he said "Creeping
upon you is the diseases of those people before you: envy and hatred. And
hatred is the thing that shapes. I do not say it shapes the hair but it shapes
the religion. By the One in whose Hand is my soul, you will not enter paradise
until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another.
Certainly, let me inform you of that which may establish such things: spread
the greetings and peace among yourselves." [Recorded by Imam Ahmad and
Al-Tirmidhi]
A Sign That One has the Disease of Hasad
According to ibn Uthaimeen, one of the strong signs that a person is
inflicted with the disease of hasad is that they always try to conceal the
virtues and goodness of others. They don’t like it when others talk about the
good that another person has done. Hasad is also one of the greatest causes of
backbiting, in that the person likes to put down other people rather than
highlight their good points. If you are prone to pointing out others negative
points, you may be suffering from hasad or that other evil disease that Satan
suffered from – pride.
How to Free Oneself of the Disease or Effects of Hasad
If you feel you may be suffering from the problem of envy, realise that
this is dangerous for your religion and therefore your soul. Consider deeply
its evil and destructive effects, and know that it is displeasing to Allah and
destructive to human relationships. If the feeling of envy comes to you, do
whatever you can to repel it, think of something else, read Qur’an or perform a
prayer. If you cannot get the thoughts our of your mind, then realise that they
are only thoughts and if you don’t act on them, you will remain sinless. You
should try to improve your actions towards the one that you feel envy for,
develop you relationship and earn Allah’s pleasure. Realise that the true
bounties are not the bounties of this world, but the bounties of the Hereafter.
Concentrate on those and work towards that greater goal. With a change of
focus, you will not worry about what others in this world are receiving.
Future Circles:
Topics that the children (and adults) wanted covering in future Study
Circles included:
Fiqh topics:
- Music & clapping
- Transplants
- Medical dissection
- Birthdays
- Halal marriage
Other Topics:
- Discussing other main religions – similarities and differences with
Islam
- Celebrating our Deen – why we should be happy and proud
- How difficult is it for a Muslim to practice their religion today
compared with when Islam began
- Evolution and Big Bang
- Famous Converts
- Was Islam spread by the sword
- Bullying
- Basics of Belief
- Age certificated video games
- The rewards of charity and Zakat; how to set up a charity
- Responsibilities for actions
- Death and funerals
- Life of other Prophets (Ibrahim and Isa)
- Signs of the End of the World
- Main criticisms of Islam and how to challenge these
- Stories and interpreting them
- Bad language and cursing
- Unifying the Muslims
- The role of Women in Islam
- Real meaning of ‘Jannah is under the mother’s feet’
- Tafsir of some Surahs
Teenager issues:
- The relationship between teenage children and their parents – the importance
of rules, respect, etiquette in the family
- The creation of a happy daily balance for children – prayer,
entertainment, schoolwork and family interaction
Children's Feedback:
Muslim Inventions ~ advanced glassmaking
News Topic
Ship wreck off Italian coast: Costa Concordia
