21 October 2012

Summary

Seerah:
Negus the king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) died.
The death of Umm Kulthum, the daughter of the Prophet*
The death of ‘Abdullah Ibn Ubayy - the head of hypocrites
Abu Bakr leads the Hajj delegation

Belief Pathway: Who authored the Qur'an?
The Qur’an can only the work of the following:
- Non-Arab
- Arab
- Companions
- Muhammad
- The Creator, Allah (swt)
The Qur’an challenges the world to produce anything like itself to disprove Islam
The Qur’anic style is unique
We accept it is a living miracle from Allah and are then obliged to follow everything in it

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

After the Battle some other events
During this year many events of great significance took place. They were:
Negus Ashama; the king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), died so the Prophet* performed prayer in absentia for him.
The death of Umm Kulthum, the daughter of the Prophet*, the Prophet felt extremely sad at her death. “Had I got a third daughter, I would let you marry her.” He said to ‘Uthman.
 
The stoning of the adulteress
Buraidah, a companion of the Prophet*, reported that a man called  “Ma’ez bin Malek Al-Aslami came to the Prophet* and said: I have wronged myself; purge me of my sin.  The Prophet* turned him away saying, woe is you!  Go back and pray God to forgive you. The following day Ma’ez came to the Prophet* again and said: I have committed a carnal sin. Purge me, God’s Messenger.  Again the Prophet* turned him away.
The fourth time the man came and the Prophet* asked him: What shall I purge you of?  Of the sin of adultery, the man said.  Is he insane, the Prophet* asked his companions?  No, he was told.  Is he drunk, the Prophet* asked again?  A man sniffed at him and found no smell of alcohol.  The Prophet* asked: Did you fornicate?  Yes, the man answered. The Prophet then gave his orders and the man was stoned.  The people were divided among themselves, some said Ma’ez is ruined and damned for good with his sin; others said there is no better act of repentance than Ma’ez’s- he came of his own accord, put his hand in the Prophet*’s hand and told him fair and square:  Stone me, for I have sinned.
The two groups kept arguing for two, three days.  The Prophet* came to them while they were sitting debating the issue.  He greeted them and sat down.  Pray God to forgive Ma’ez bin Malek, the Prophet* said, so the people did.  The Prophet* added: He made such a staggering act of repentance that would have absolved a whole nation.
The narrator said: Then a Ghamedi woman from the Uzd tribe came to the Prophet*.  Godsend Messenger, she said, purge me of my sin.  The Prophet turned her away, saying: Woe is you! Go back, pray God to forgive you and repent.  The following day she came to the Prophet* again and said: Godsend Messenger, I see you are trying to turn me away like you turned Ma’ez bin Malek away.  Why, what’s it to you, he said?  She said she was pregnant.  Was it you (Mu’az committed adultery with), the Prophet* asked?  Yes, the woman said.  Wait till you deliver the child you carry, the Prophet* said.
An Ansari man vouchsafed to be responsible for her till she delivers the baby.  When she gave birth she came back to the Prophet* with the child in swaddles.  Here is the child I have delivered, she said.  We shall not stone her and let the baby starve with no one to feed him, the Prophet* said.  Go and suckle the baby until he is weaned.
When she weaned the baby, she came to the Prophet* with the child holding a piece of bread in his hand.  She said: Godsend Prophet, here he is.  I have weaned him and he can eat now.  The Prophet* entrusted the child to one of the Muslims then pronounced the punishment of stoning.”
 
The death of ‘Abdullah Ibn Ubayy - the head of hypocrites
As to the cousin of Abu 'Amir, Ibn Ubayy, in the month after Tabuk he fell seriously ill, and after a few weeks it was clear that he was dying. The traditional accounts differ as to the state of soul in which he died, but all are unanimous that the Prophet led the funeral prayer for him, and prayed beside his grave when he had been buried. According to one tradition, when the Prophet had already taken his stand for the prayer, Umer went to him and protested against the bestowal of such grace upon a hypocrite, but the Prophet answered him, saying with a smile: "Stand thou behind me, Umer. I have been given the choice, and I have chosen. It hath been said unto me: Ask forgiveness for them, or ask it not, though thou ask forgiveness for them seventy times, yet will not God forgive them. I And did I know that God would forgive him if I prayed more than seventy times, I would increase the number of my supplications.'" Then he led the prayer and walked beside the bier to the cemetery and stood beside his grave. Not long afterwards the verse was revealed, with reference to the hypocrites: “And never pray the funeral prayer over one of them who dieth, nor stand beside his grave, for verily they disbelieved in God and His Messenger, and died in their iniquity?”
Abu Bakr leads the Hajj delegation
In the month Dhul-Qa‘dah or in Dhul-Hijjah of the very year (the ninth of Al-Hijra), the Prophet* dispatched Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him), the truthful, as a deputy prince of Al-Hajj (pilgrimage), so that he would lead the Muslims in performing of the pilgrimage rituals.
Soon after the departure of the Muslims, there came a Revelation from Allah: the opening passages of the Chapter 9 entitled ‘Repentance’ (Surah Tauba or Bara’a) in which ‘freedom from obligation’ is proclaimed from Allah in regard to those idolatrous tribes who had shown no respect for the treaties which they had entered into with the Prophet*. Communication of this news went in line with the Arabian traditions of making public any change relating to declining conventions of blood and fortunes.
‘Ali bin Abi Talib was deputed to make this declaration. He overtook Abu Bakr at Al-‘Arj or Dajnan. Abu Bakr inquired whether the Prophet* had put him in command or he had just been commissioned to make the announcement. “I have been deputed to make the proclamation only” replied ‘Ali. The two Companions then proceeded with the pilgrimage process. Towards the close of the rituals, on the day of the ritual sacrifice, ‘Ali stood at Al-Jamrah (a spot at which stones are pelted) and read aloud to the multitudes that thronged around him and declared quittance from covenants with idolaters and giving them four months’ respite to reconsider their position. As for the other idolaters with whom the believers had a treaty and had abated nothing of the Muslims’ rights nor had supported anyone against them, then the terms of the treaty would run valid until the duration of which expired. Abu Bakr then sent some Muslims to declare publicly that no disbeliever would after that year perform pilgrimage, nor would anyone be allowed to make the Tawaf (going round) of the Sacred House unclothed. That proclamation in fact vetoed all aspects of paganism out of Arabia and stated quite unequivocally that those pre-Islam practices were no longer in operation.

Main Topic: Belief ~
Who authored the Qur’an
It follows that since the Creator, Allah (swt) has created man, life and the universe, there must have been a purpose for the creation and a means, i.e. systems, by which to achieve it. The obvious questions that proceed are:
- How does man receive the purpose, rules and regulations, given by the Creator, by which he is to govern and understand his life?
- In what form are these rules and regulations received by man?
 
Clearly, either man communicates with the Creator or that the Creator communicates with us to explain our existence. Man, however, is limited and unable to comprehend or perceive the unlimited and as such cannot communicate with the Creator. This obvious fact therefore, means that the communication had to come from the Creator.
Throughout history, there have been messengers and prophets, men sent from the Creator, bringing laws or revelation on how man should conduct his life. They were given miracles which proved to mankind that they were bringing revelation. A miracle is something which goes against the laws of nature. For example prophet Musa (Moses) had a stick which parted the Red Sea. Prophet Isa (Jesus) had the ability to cure the sick by just touching them.
But how do we know if these messengers existed? The miracles performed by the above prophets were only miracles for that specific period of time. But how do we know that they were not just legends or fables? They are not proof for us. So what miracle do we have right now to convince us and guide us through our lives?
There are many texts available today claiming divine status from God. But is the guidance contained in them in its original form and is it applicable to all situations at all times? Any text claiming to be divine must not contain contradictions, discrepancies or adulterations, since this would question the perfection of God and the validity of the text.
If we apply this acid test to these ‘divine texts’, we find that non except the Qur’an fulfill the above criteria. Many religions contain aspects of the same truth (since messengers have come to teach each nation) but this truth has been tampered with by man.
Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the Word of God. They believe it is complete, i.e. it provides answers for all of life’s affairs and it has kept its authenticity. i.e. nothing has been removed or added to it by any man since it was revealed, but as we could not believe in the Creator, God (Allah [swt]), until we became intellectually convinced, similarly the ‘divine’ message must be examined and proved. There needs to exist a rational proof for the validity of the text, not a blind emotional argument.
The Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad (saw - may be peace and blessings of Allah [swt] be upon him and his family). At the time it was revealed, the pagan Arabs were deeply into poetry. It was an indication of nobility in society. People used to go to the desert for days just to write poetry. The Arabic language has great fluidity and depth of expression, so it was held high in esteem by the Arabs.
So we need to consider the authorship of the Qur’an. The Qur’an can only the work of the following:
•    Non-Arab
•    Arab
•    Companions
•    Muhammad
•    The Creator, Allah (swt)
Firstly, it is important to point out here that the Qur’an was revealed in Arabic. Because of the high standard of the Arabic used by the Qur’an, indeed its very excellence and mastery of the language, it is not from a non-Arab. It is well known that, a non-Arab aged 16 called Jabr was charged with conspiring with Muhammad* in writing the Qur’an, but Allah (swt) replied to these allegations: "And we know well that they say: only a man teaches him. The speech of him at whom they falsely hint is notably foreign, while this is Arabic, pure and clear." [T.M.Q 16:103]
Now one would turn to the Arabs for the authorship of the Qur’an, having dismissed the theory that a non-Arab could have written it as being ridiculous. One of the disbelieving Arab poets of the time, Walid ibn Al-Mughira said after hearing the Qur’an, "None of you is more conversant than I with poetry, melodious hymns and songs, and by God never did I hear anything similar to which he says. It is so sweet and so graceful that it remains at the summit with nothing to surpass it."
People who disbelieved the divine authenticity were sent revelation challenging them to bring forth any similar writing: "...They may say, ‘He forged it.’ Say, ‘Bring ye then ten surahs (chapters) forged, like unto it, and call (to your aid) whomsoever ye can other than God! If ye speak the truth.’ [T.M.Q 11:13] And when the Arabs failed to meet this, they were challenged once more. "And if ye are in doubt as to what we have revealed from time to time to our servant, then produce a chapter like there unto call to your witnesses or helpers (if there are any) besides God, if your doubts are true." [T.M.Q 2:23]
They tried to bring the like of the Qur’an but they failed. And this challenge has remained until this day for everyone, both Muslim and non-Muslim and both the Arab and the non-Arab. Clearly, it is not the speech of an Arab, let alone non-Arab. The Companions were also Arab so it means they couldn’t write it either.
The Qur’anic challenge is unique because the Creator, Allah (swt), pushes man to use his ability to undermine the authenticity of the Qur’an. Such a profound yet simple challenge. Imagine throughout the history of Islam, all her enemies needed to defeat this challenge to destroy the whole basis of Islam. Yet not one, non-Muslim Arab or non-Arab has been able to do this even though all the tools of the Arabic language are at their disposal.
It is also inconceivable that the Qur’an is the speech of Muhammad*. After all he is one of the Arabs. Also, whatever level of genius people may assign to him, he is still a human being and one of his tribe and nation. Since the Arabs failed to bring the like of the Qur’an, this equally applies to Muhammad*. He could not bring the like of it, thus it is not from him. It is important to point out that none of the Arabs, who despised Muhammad*, particularly at that time, that were the most acquainted with the styles of Arabic speech ever claimed that the Qur’an was Muhammad’s* speech, or even similar to his speech. Moreover, it is clearly documented that Muhammad* was illiterate i.e. he could not read not write. Infact illiteracy is a proof in itself.
Also the traditions (ahadith) of Muhammad* are completely unlike the linguistic style of the Qur’an. This is the case even though Muhammad* would utter the revealed Qur’anic verse and say the tradition at one sitting. How could a man maintain a completely different style for 23 years? Strangely, people could copy the style of his traditions but not that of the Qur’an! We have established that the Qur’an could not have originated from a non-Arab, Arab or Muhammad*. This leaves us with the only real source, the Creator, Allah (swt). He (swt) says: "Do they not ponder about the Qur’an? If it had come from God they would surely have found therein much contradictions." [T.M.Q:82]
To this day Muslim and non-Muslim scholars have not been able to find any contradiction or mistake in the Qur’an. Moreover, if one was to compare letter by letter a copy of the Qur’an published today to one of the first copies of the Qur’an available then one would find that not a single letter has been omitted or added. Copies of the Qur’an dating back to the first century of Islam can be found in Istanbul and Tashkent.
Thus it is clear that the basis of Islam, the Quran, could only have come from the one who created language in order to produce a book that surpasses the language of any human. And from the one who created science in order to put in the Quran knowledge that no human knew of, only until recently. Therefore, the Quran can only have come from the Creator, Allah (swt).
If the Qur'an is the word of God, and a miracle proving the Prophet-hood of Muhammad (pbuh) we must look carefully at this book and establish without doubt its authenticity. It is well known that the pagan Arabs of the time of Muhammad (pbuh) were great poets and writers of the Arabic language. It was common at the time for them to go into the desert to study Arabic and write poetry and prose with which to entertain each other. They held the Arabic language with all its fluidity and depth of expression in great esteem. When the revelation started to come to Muhammad in his fortieth year it was the style of language which set the revelation apart from anything that had been before or indeed since.
The unshakable proof of the authenticity of the Qur'an as the word of God is in its style of language. The Qur'an remains completely at the height of eloquence, rhetoric, and coherent expression. It acts as one complete piece, with the style the same as if it is one sentence, with perfect arrangements and strong plain text. The expressions brought were not known to the Arabs at the time or before that time, and matters cannot be expressed that have not been previously felt. One of the disbelieving Arab poets of the time Walid ibn Al Mughirah said after hearing the Qur'an: "By God: None of you is more conversant than I with poetry, melodious hymns, and songs, and by God never did I hear anything similar to which he says. It is so sweet, and so graceful that it remains at the summit with nothing to surpass it."
The Qur'an is in a literary style that no human can approach or match. Its style the Arabs cannot match, and it is this challenge which God has set forth within the Qur'an. "Or they say: He has invented it? Say: then bring a Surah like unto it and call (for help) on all ye can besides Allah if you are truthful"[10:38]
It is this challenge to all that doubt that has remained unanswered in over 1400 years since this revelation. Not one scholar of the Arabic language either Muslim or Non-Muslim has been able to write even one small chapter or paragraph in the same style of Arabic to that of the Qur'an. The Arabs are either able to imitate the style of the Qur'an or not, if they could then the book is clearly the work of men like them. If not then there are only two other possible sources Muhammad, or God.
Muhammad (pbuh) was of Arabic blood and tongue but never claimed to be the author of the Qur'an. In fact he was never challenged as its author, it can be seen clearly from Hadith Mutawatir (definitely confirmed sayings of Muhammad - narrated word for word) of which there are many hundreds that the style of language in Muhammad's speech and the Qur'an are very different. And no matter how hard one tries, one's style of speech cannot be completely altered consistently, and certainly not over a period of 23 years in which the Qur'an was revealed. The only accusation ever leveled at Muhammad (pbuh) was that he received it from a Christian youth called Jaber. As a response to this allegation God revealed: "We know indeed that they say, 'It is a man that teaches him.' The tongue of him they wickedly point to is notably foreign, while this is Arabic, pure and clear."[16:103]
Since it is proved that the Qur'an is neither the speech of the Arabs nor the speech of Muhammad*, it is definitely the speech of Allah as this is the only rational possibility we are left with.
The Qur’anic challenge is unique because the Creator, Allah (swt), pushes man to use his ability to undermine the authenticity of the Qur’an. It is such a profound yet simple challenge. Imagine throughout the history of Islam, all her enemies needed to defeat this challenge to destroy the whole basis of Islam. Yet not one, non-Muslim Arab or non-Arab has been able to do this even though all the tools of the Arabic language are at their disposal. The Western government’s hatred of Islam is well known. All they have to do in order to defeat Islam and to make over one billion Muslims apostatise from it, is not to spend billions of dollars in invading Afghanistan, Iraq and launching a mythical ‘war on terror’. They simply have to produce one chapter similar to the Qur’an.
There are many texts available today claiming divine status from God, like the Bible of the Christians and the Torah of the Jews etc. However, they have no proof that they have been revealed by God, if they are not miraculous in nature then there is no reason to believe in them. As Muslims we believe that Allah (swt) revealed different books through history such as the original Injeel (Bible) and Torah, Allah (swt) informed us of this in the Qur’an this is why we believe these. However, we have also been informed that these books have been altered and therefore the versions that exist today are not that which was revealed by Allah (swt). Besides this, the Qur’an is the final revelation from Allah (swt) which abrogates all others.
Allah (swt) says, "Say ye: "We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord: we make no difference between one and another of them: and we bow to Allah (in Islam)." [TMQ Al-Baqarah:136]
Once we have established through rational proof that Allah (Swt) exists and that the Qur’an is the Word of Allah, we must believe in everything that the Qur’an informs us of and commands us with, whether we can perceive them or not. Therefore, we must have Iman (belief) in the Day of Resurrection, in paradise (jannah) and hell, in reckoning and punishment, in angels, in jinn, in Shayaateen and all others that the Qur'an or hadeeth mutawaatir (definitive narrations) have mentioned. To believe in these things is therefore not irrational just because we cannot see them or sense them physically as we have conclusively proved the Qur’an being from Allah (swt) which informs us about all of these.
"O you who believe! Believe in Allah and His messenger, and the Book which He sent to His Messenger and the Book which He sent to those before (him). Any who denies Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgement, has gone far, far astray." [An-Nisa: 136]
Once the Iman in Allah, His Messenger and the Qur’an has been proven, every Muslim is obliged to believe in the Islamic Shari’ah as a whole. We cannot pick and choose as we like. As the Shariah was revealed in the glorious Qur'an, and the Messenger* conveyed it. If someone disbelieves in this he would be a (disbeliever) Kafir. Therefore, it is disbelief (Kufr) to deny the shariah rules as a whole, or any definite detailed rule amongst them. This is the case whether these ahkam (rules) are connected with worships (ibadaat), transactions (mu'amalaat), punishments (uqoobat), food, etc. So the rejection of the verse: "So establish regular prayer" [Al-Baqarah: 43]
Is the same as rejecting the following verses: "But Allah has permitted trade and forbidden usury," [Al-Baqarah: 275] "As to the thief, male or female, cut off his or her hands," [Al-Ma’idah: 38] "Forbidden to you (for food) are dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which has been invoked the name of any other than Allah." [Al-Ma’idah: 3]
We must completely surrender to all the rules revealed by Allah (swt) whether we see rational reasons for them or not. "But no, by your Lord, they can have no (real) faith, until they make you judge in all the disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against your decisions, but accept them with the fullest submission." [An-Nisa: 65].



Children's feedback:
- Virtues of the first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah
- Choosing between right and wrong decisions

News Topic:
- Car crash in a boys bedroom

Homework:
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.

Children's Feedback

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

29 January 2012

Other Letters, Envy, future topics 
Seerah of Muhammed* 

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

A New Phase of Islamic Action

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

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

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

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

1.A Deputation to Abyssinia (Ethiopia):

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nawawis 40 Hadith

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

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

Some important points included:

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

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

Envy (al-Hasad)

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

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

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

Why is envy (hasad) forbidden?

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

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

A Sign That One has the Disease of Hasad

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

How to Free Oneself of the Disease or Effects of Hasad

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

Future Circles:

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

Fiqh topics:

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

Other Topics:

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

Teenager issues:

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

Children's Feedback: 
Muslim Inventions ~ advanced glassmaking

News Topic

Ship wreck off Italian coast: Costa Concordia