14 December 2014 - Musa and al-Khidr

14 December 2014 - Musa and al-Khidr

The Prophet Musa* and al-Khidr
(A Wise Man)
 
Another story about the Prophet Musa* is related in the Surat al-Kahf. At the beginning of the story, Allah relates a journey the Prophet Musa* makes with his young assistant:

Who is the most Knowledge?
Ibn Abbas said that the Prophet* said: "Once Moses stood up and addressed Bani Israel. He was asked who was the most learned man amongst the people. He said: "I." Allah admonished him as he did not attribute absolute knowledge to Him (Allah). So, Allah said to him: "Yes, at the junction of the two seas there is a slave of Mine who is more learned than you." Moses said; "O my Lord! How can I meet him?" Allah said: "Take a fish and put it in a large basket and you will find him at the place where you will lose the fish."
Moses took a fish and put it in a basket and proceeded along with his servant boy, Joshua (Yusha Ibn Nun), till they reached the rock where they laid their heads (lay down). Moses slept, and the fish, moving out of the basket, fell into the sea. It took its way into the sea straight as in a tunnel. Allah stopped the flow of water over the fish and it became like an arch (the Prophet pointed out this arch with his hands). They travelled the rest of the night, and the next day Moses said to his boy servant: "Give us our food, for indeed, we have suffered much fatigue in this journey of ours." Moses did not feel tired till he crossed that place which Allah had ordered him to seek after. His boy said to him: "Do you know that when we were sitting near that rock, I forgot the fish, and none but Satan caused me to forget to tell you about it, and it took its course into the sea in an amazing way?" So there was a path for the fish and that astonished them. Moses said: "That was what we were seeking after." So both of them retraced their footsteps till they reached the rock. There they saw a man lying covering with a garment.
 
Moses Talks to Al-Khidr
Moses greeted him, and he replied saying: "How do people greet each other in your land?" Moses said: "I am Moses." The man asked: "Moses of Bani Israel?" Moses said: "yes, I have come to you so that you may teach me from those things which Allah has taught you." He said: "O Moses! I have some of the knowledge of Allah which Allah has taught me and which you do not know, you have some of the knowledge of Allah which Allah has taught you and which I do not know." Moses asked: "May I follow you?" He said: "But you will not be able to remain patient with me, for how can you be patient about things which you will not be able to understand?" Moses said: "You will find me, if Allah so will, truly patient, and I will not disobey you in aught."

The Boat, The Boy and The Wall
So both of them set out walking along the seashore. A boat passed by them, and they asked the crew of the boat to take them on board. The crew recognized Al-Khidr, so they took them on board without fare. When they were on board the boat, a sparrow came and stood on the edge of the boat and dipped its beak once or twice into the sea. Al Khidr said to Moses: "O Moses! My knowledge and your knowledge have not decreased Allah's knowledge except as much as this sparrow has decreased the water of the sea with its beak." Then suddenly Al Khidr took an axe and pulled up a plank, and Moses did not notice it till he had pulled up a plank with the axe. Moses said to him: "What have you done? They took us on board charging us nothing; yet you have intentionally made a hole in their boat as to drown its passengers. Verily, you have done a dreadful thing." Al Khidr replied: "Did I not tell you that you would not be able to remain patient with me?" Moses replied: "Do not blame me for what I have forgotten, and do not be hard upon me for my fault." So the first excuse of Moses was that he had forgotten.
When they had left the sea, they passed by a boy playing with other boys. Al Khidr took a hold of the boy's head and plucked it with his fingertips as if he were plucking some fruit. Moses said to him: "Have you killed an innocent person who has not killed any person? You have really done a horrible thing." Al Khidr said: "Did I not tell you that you could not remain patient with me?" Moses said: "If I ask you about anything after this, don't accompany me. You have received an excuse from me."
Then both of them went on till they came to some people of a village, and they asked its inhabitants for food but they refused to entertain them as guests. Then they saw therein a wall which was just going to collapse and Al Khidr repaired it just by touching it with his hands. Moses said: "These are the people whom we have called on, but they neither gave us food, nor entertained us as guests, yet you have repaired their wall. If you had wished, you could have taken wages for it."
Al Khidr said: "This is the parting between you and me, and I shall tell you the explanation of those things on which you could not remain patient."

The Explanation
“As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working in the sea. So I wished to make a defective damage in it, as there was a king after them, who seized every ship by force.” – These were believers and poor and would have suffered greatly if the king confiscated their boats. So the damage was just enough for the king to reject them but small enough for them to fix.
"And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief. So we intended that their Lord should change him for them for one better in righteousness and near to mercy.” – This boy would have grown up to oppress his parents and may have become a disbeliever and Allah wanted to replace him with a better son because the parents were strong believers.
"And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town; and there was under it a treasure belonging to them; and their father was a righteous man, and your Lord intended that they should attain their age of full strength and take out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord.” – Again, the parents were strong believers and Allah wanted to look after the children because of the belief of the parents by protecting their wealth. This wealth would have been taken by selfish and ungrateful people had the wall not been fixed. Hence, if parents want to protect their children they should be strong believers.
“And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of those (things) over which could not hold patience.” – Finally, al-Khidr was acting under orders and doing as he was commanded. This was his gift / knowledge and he was not doing it of his own accord otherwise he would have been subject to the Law of Moses.
The Prophet* added: "We wish that Moses could have remained patient by virtue of which Allah might have told us more about their story." (Sufyan, the sub-narrator, said that the Prophet* said: "May Allah bestow His Mercy on Moses! If he had remained patient, we would have been told further about their case." (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
As related in the above story, there is good and wisdom behind these events ordained by Allah, which are neither obvious nor immediately comprehensible. People should think about the good inherent in everything that befalls them in their every-day lives. Behind many events considered to be evil by people in our day, there are surely Divine purposes created by Allah. If a person remains patient and strives sincerely to grasp their Divine purposes, Allah may well make him comprehend their hidden meanings.

Allah the Almighty narrated in Surah Kahf:
"And remember when Moses said to his boy servant: "I will not give up (traveling) until I reach the junction of the two seas or until I spend years and years in traveling." But when they reached the junction of the two seas, they forgot their fish, and it took its way through the sea as in a tunnel. So when they had passed further on (beyond that fixed place), Moses said to his boy servant: "Bring us our morning meal; truly, we have suffered much fatigue in this, our journey." He said: "Do you remember when we betook ourselves to the dock? I indeed forgot the fish, none but Satan made me forget to remember it. It took its course into the sea in a strange way!" Moses said: "That is what we have been seeking." So they went back retracing their footsteps. Then they found one of Our slaves, unto whom We had bestowed mercy from Us, and whom We had taught knowledge from Us.
Moses said to him (Khidr) "May I follow you so that you teach me something of that knowledge (guidance, and true path) which you have been taught by Allah?" He (Khidr) said: "Verily! You will not be able to have patience with me! And how can you have patience about a thing which you know not?" Moses said; "If Allah will, you will find me patience, and I will not disobey you in aught." He (Khidr) said: "Then, if you follow me, ask me not about anything till I myself mention it to you." So they both proceeded, till, when they were in the ship, he (Khidr) scuttled it. Moses said: "Have you scuttled it in order to drown its people? Verily, you have done Imra- a Munkar (evil, bad, dreadful) thing." He (Khidr) said: "Did I not tell you, that you would not be able to have patience with me?" Moses said: "Call me not to account for what I forgot, and be not hard upon me for my affair with you."
Then they both proceeded, till they met a boy, he (Khidr) killed him. Moses said: "Have you killed an innocent person who had killed none? Verily, you have done Nukra a great Munkar (prohibited, evil dreadful) thing!" Khidr said: "Did I not tell you that you can have no patience with me?" Moses said: "If I ask you anything after this, keep me not in your company, you have received an excuse from me."
Then they both proceeded, till, when they came to the people of a town, they asked them for food, but they refused to entertain them. Then they found therein a wall about to collapse and he (Khidr) set it up straight. Moses said: "If you had wished, surely you could have taken wages for it!" Khidr said: "This is the parting between me and you, I will tell you the interpretation of those things over which you were unable to hold patience.
"As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working in the sea. So I wished to make a defective damage in it, as there was a king after them, who seized every ship by force. "And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief. So we intended that their Lord should change him for them for one better in righteousness and near to mercy. "And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town; and there was under it a treasure belonging to them; and their father was a righteous man, and your Lord intended that they should attain their age of full strength and take out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of those (things) over which could not hold patience. (TMQ 18:60-82)

9 November 2014 ~ Ten Commandments and story of Barsisa

9 November 2014 ~ Ten Commandments and story of Barsisa

Lives of the Prophets: Musa* (part 17) and Bani Israel
For much of his life, the Prophet Musa* had tried to communicate Allah's message to them. He strove to save his tribe from the worship of idols and guide them to the true religion. His aim was merely to warn people and save them from the torment of Hell, a mission which he carried solely to earn the good pleasure of Allah. To this purpose, he had confronted Pharaoh and had attempted to rid his people's beliefs of superstition. Nevertheless, he became the object to the cruelties of Pharaoh, as well as some of his own people. However, he was a noble servant, who lived merely to attain the good pleasure of Allah, and our Lord saved him from all difficulties inflicted upon him.
There are lessons to be drawn from the ingratitude of some of the Children of Israel, a people who did not follow in their Prophets' footsteps, who turned their backs to the religion entrusted to them, and so perverse as to say, "you and your Lord go and fight." Allah has warned mankind against succumbing to the insolence of some of the Children of Israel towards their Prophet:
You who believe! Do not be like those who abused Musa*. Allah absolved him of what they said and he was highly honored with Allah. (Surat al-Ahzab: 69)
Musa* had an appointment with Allah and he was in a rush to get there – so his 30 days  of fasting for purification was extended by 10 days to 40 days. When Musa* left he had appointed his brother Harun in charge of Bani Israel but because his stay had been extended someone called Samiri started stirring trouble and convinced some of the people of Bani Israel to use their gold to make a golden calf to worship. Musa* had the Words of Allah in his hands (the Tablets) when he returned he threw them down despite having been tipped of by Allah that the people had done wrong.
"And what made you hasten from your people, O Musa*?" He said: "They are close on my footsteps, and I hastened to You, O my Lord, that You might be pleased." (Allah) said: "Verily! we have tried your people in your absence, and As-Samiri has led them astray."
Then Musa* returned to his people in a state of anger and sorrow. He said: "O my people! Did not your Lord promise you a fair promise? Did then the promise seem to you long in coming? Or did you desire that wrath should descend from your Lord on you, that you broke your promise to me (i.e disbelieving in Allah and worshipping the calf)?" They said: "We broke not the promise to you, of our own will, but we were made to carry the weight of the ornaments of the Pharaoh’s people, then we cast them (into the fire), and that was what As-Samiri suggested." Then he took out (of the fire) for them (a statue of) a calf which seemed to low. They said: "This is your ilah (god), and the ilah (god) of Musa*, but [Musa*] has forgotten (his god).'" Did they not see that it could not return them a word (for answer), and that it had no power either to harm them or to do them good? And Harun indeed had said to them beforehand: "O my people! You are being tried in this, and verily, your Lord is (Allah) the Most Gracious, so follow me and obey my order." They said: "We will not stop worshipping it (i.e. the calf), until Musa* returns to us." [Musa*] said: "O Harun! What prevented you when you saw them going astray; "That you followed me not (according to my advice to you)? Have you then disobeyed my order?"
He [Harun] said: "O son of my mother! Seize (me) not by my beard, nor by my head! Verily, I feared lest you should say: 'You have caused a division among the Children of Israel, and you have not respected my word!' "[Musa*] said: "And what is the matter with you. O Samiri? (i.e. why did you do so?)" (Samiri) said: "I saw what they saw not, so I took a handful (of dust) from the (hoof) print of the messenger [Jibril's (Gabriel) horse] and threw it [into the fire]. Thus my inner-self suggested to me." Musa* said: "Then go away! And verily, your (punishment) in this life will be that you will say: "Touch me not (i.e.you will live alone exiled away from mankind); and verily, you have a promise that will not fail. And look at your ilah (god), to which you have been devoted. We will certainly burn it, and scatter its particles in the sea." Your Ilah (God) is only Allah, (the One) La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). He has full knowledge of all things. (20: 83-98)
 
The story also continues in Surah Baqarah:
And (remember) when We appointed for Musa* forty nights, and (in his absence) you took the calf (for worship), and you were Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers,) Then after that We forgave you so that you might be grateful.) And (remember) when We gave Musa* the Scripture [the Taurat (Torah)] and the criterion (of right and wrong) so that you may be guided aright. And (remember) when Musa* said to his people: "O my people! Verily, you have wronged yourselves by worshipping the calf. So turn in repentance to your Creator and kill yourselves (the innocent kill the wrongdoers among you), that will be better for you with your Creator." Then He accepted your repentance. Truly, He is the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful. (2: 51-54)
Musa* was very angry when he saw this abomination and immediately dragged Harun off by the beard and head. Harun reassured his brother after reminding him of their brotherhood. The people of Babi Israel blamed Samiri as the trouble causer and Samiri was haughty and showed no real regrets for his actions and so was banished and he would only be able to say ‘Don’t touch me’ for the rest of his life. The punishment for those that had worshipped the calf had to repent to Allah and then be killed by those that did not worship the calf.

Main Topic:
Death and the AfterLife (part 4)
We talked about the Angel of Death and the other angels that come at the time of death. But there is a point in time that repentance is no longer accepted and a barrier is erected by Allah to prevent to soul returning. When death has started Allah may not accept our repentance like he did with Pharaoh upon his death.

Sakaraat ul-Mowt: the stupor of death.
This is the dizziness and unconsciousness that is caused by pain at the end of life. Allah says: “And the stupor of death will come in truth. This is what you have been avoiding.” Allah says: “And if you could but see when the wrongdoers are in the agonies of death when the angels are stretching forth their hands saying ‘This day you shall be recompensed with the torment of degradation because of what you used to utter against Allah other than the truth and you used to reject His ayaat (signs) with disrespect.” Taste the pain of death. The Prophet* says, “The shaheed (martyr) feels the pain of death like one of you would feel the sting of an insect.”. 
When man leaves this world, he desires to come back. If he’s a non-Muslim (Kafir), he wants to become a Muslim. If he’s an ‘Aasiy (a sinner), he wants to come back to make Tawbah. Allah says: “Until, when death comes to one of them (those who join partners with Allah), he says: ‘My Lord! Send me back, So that I may do good in that which I have left behind!’ No! It is but a word that he speaks, and behind them is Barzakh (a barrier) until the Day when they will be resurrected.” (23:99-100)
Allah says: “Allah accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent soon afterwards; to them will Allah turn in mercy: For Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.” (4:17)
Allah says: “And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue to do evil deeds until death faces one of them and he says: ‘Now I repent;’ nor of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful torment.” (4:18)
“…he [Fir'awn] said: ‘I believe that La ilaha illa (Huwa): (none has the right to be worshipped but) He, in Whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am one of the Muslims (those who submit to Allah’s Will).’ Now (you believe) while you refused to believe before and you were one of the Mufsidun (evil-doers, corrupts, etc.).” (10:90-91)
Death comes suddenly – you are not given a notice. It comes unannounced and there is no way you can change it, or no matter how much you try to convince the angel of death or no matter how busy you are. The best time for Tawbah is NOW.

“Whoever desires or looks forward to meeting Allah, Allah would love meeting him. Whoever dislikes meeting Allah, Allah dislikes meeting him.” When Aisha, heard this she said to the Prophet saw: “And who of us does not dislike death?” (Does disliking death mean we dislike meeting Allah?) Prophet* said, “This is not what I meant. When the believer, he is about to die, he will be given the news that Allah is pleased with him. So that the most beloved thing to him would be his future. So he would love to meet Allah, and Allah would love to meet him. When the non believer is about to die, he is given the news that Allah is angry with him and will punish him. So he will dislike meeting Allah, and Allah will dislike meeting him.”
The Prophet* said: “When the janaazah is placed and the men carry it on their shoulders, if it is a righteous person, it will say ‘Go as fast as you can!’ If it is otherwise, then he will be say: ‘Woe to it! Where are you taking me?’ Everyone would hear that sound except the human beings. And if the human beings would hear it, they would die due to that shock.”
The Prophet* also said: “If it wasn’t for the fact that none of you would bury the dead, I would ask Allah to let you hear the sounds of the people in the graves.”

A short story about ‘Diverting from the Straight Path’ (al-Istiqaamah)
The Story of Barsisa
Another story: Barsisa. He was a man from children of Israel was a famous worshipper. He was an ‘aabid. He had his temple and devoted himself to worship. Three men from the children of Israel had to go for a battle. They didn’t know where to leave their sister. They couldn’t leave her alone; they looked around and found that the best place to leave her was with the ‘aabid. They said they would leave him with that ‘aabid and would leave her with him because he is the most righteous and trustworthy.
They went to the ‘aabid, Barsisa, and told him the situation and said, “Can you please take care of our sister?” The ‘aabid said, “I seek refuge in Allah from you.” Shaytaan came to him [Barsisa] and said, “Who are you going to leave her with? If you don’t take care of her, an evil person may take care of her, and you know what will happen. How can you let this good slip out of your hands?” Shaytaan is encouraging him to do good. The ‘Aabid called the brothers back and said that he would take care of her, but she is going to stay in that house over there and I wil stay in my temple.
So she would stay in that house and Barsisa would bring food and leave it on his doorstep. He didn’t even want to see her. She would come out and get the food. Shaytaan came to him and said, “What are you doing? Don’t you know that if she walks out from her room and comes to your temple, people can see her? You have to deliver the food to her doorstep.” Barsisa said, “Yes, that’s true.” Shaytaan is not speaking to him face to face; this is was wasa (inspiration). Barsisa started to take the food and leave it on her doorstep. That continued for awhile.
And then shaytaan told him, “She’s coming out to get the plate and somebody can still see her. You have to deliver the plate into her own room.” Barsisa would take the food in the room and leave it there. This continued for a while.
The three brothers were late. This jihad/war took a while. So shaytaan came to him and said, “Are you going to leave her alone? There’s nobody to take care of her. She’s been in there [so long]; it’s like she’s in prison, speaking to no one. Why don’t you take that responsibility and speak to her a little? She can go out and speak to another man and have a relationship with him.” So Barsisa would go outside of her and speak to her from there.
He would talk from outside and she would talk from inside her room and they would be screaming to hear one another. Shaytaan told him, “Why don’t you make it a little convenient for each other? Don’t scream to each other. Sit in the same room.” So Barsisa would go inside the room and slowly they spent more and more time with each other.
And they started getting closer and closer until the great ‘aabid committed zina.
She became pregnant. She delivered a child. Shaytaan came to him and said, “What have you done? Do you know what the brothers will do when they come back? They’re going to kill you. Even if you say ‘This is not my son’, they’re going to say that he was supposed to take care of her and you were responsible for her. The only solution is that you murder the child and bury it.” The ‘aabid chopped off the head of the infant and buried him.
Shaytaan came to him and said, “Do you think the mother will keep the secret after you have killed her son? You’re a fool if you think so. You should kill her too.” And so Barsisa killed her and buried them both in that room.
The brothers came back and said, “Where is our sister?” Barsisa said, “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi ra ji’oon. She was ill and she died. She is buried in that place.” And he went and showed them a fictitious grave. They said, “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi ra ji’oon” and they made du’aa` for her.
At night time, one of the brothers saw a dream. Who came to him in that dream? Shaytaan. He said, “Did you believe Barsisa? He’s lying! He committed zina with your sister and then he killed her and her son. The evidence is that she is not buried in the place that he showed you, but he is buried in her room, under the rock.” So he woke up and he told his brothers about the dream. They said, “We saw the same dream. It must be true.” So they went to the fictitious grave and dug it up. They went to her room and uncovered the earth. They found their sister buried with an infant.
They grabbed Barsisa and told him, “You Liar! This is what you have done!” They took him to the king. While they were taking him, Shaytaan came to Barsisa. Now shaytaan didn’t come in the form of inspiration. He came in human form.  He said, “Do you know who I am, Barsisa? I am shaytaan. I caused you all of that mess. And I am the only one who can deliver you out of it. If you want me to save you, I can.” Barsisa said, “Please save me!” Shaytaan said, “Make sujood for me.” Barsisa made sujood for shaytaan – who then said ‘Thank you very much, it was a pleasure meeting you’.” And then he never saw him.
Barsisa made sujood for shaytaan and that was the last thing he did in his life because shortly afterwards, he was executed. This was an ‘aabid on the straight path. He took a small turn – in the name of maslaha, the benefit – look at where he ended. That is the danger of following desire. Sometimes we feel confident because of our knowledge or the Qur’aan that we know or the ‘ibaadah that we do. We should always be afraid and never be over confident.
 

02 January 2011

02 January 2011

Seerah of Muhammed*

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

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

Challenges after Badr

The battle of Badr was the first armed encounter between the Muslims and Quraish. It was in fact a decisive battle that gained the Muslims a historic victory acknowledged by all the Arabs, and dealt a heavy blow to the religious and economic interests of the polytheists. There were also the Jews who also used to regard each Islamic victory as a heavy blow to their religio-economic entity. Both parties were burning with rage and fury since the Muslims had achieved that great victory:

“Verily, you will find the strongest among men in enmity to the believers (Muslims) the Jews and Al-Mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolators and disbelievers, etc.).” [5:82]

Both resentful parties were joined in their hatred if Islam by the hypocrites who faked Islam just to save their faces; at the head of whom came ‘Abdullah bin Ubai (more about him later).

The whole cause of Islam was thus at stake with four furious parties laying ambushes against the new religion, each in its style:

- Hypocrites pretending to be Muslims so as to be involved in conspiracy plots and provocative deeds within Madinah

- Jews hating that the Prophet* was an Arab

- Quraish in Mecca bend on revenge

- Other Arabs waiting to take advantage of the new Islamic Sate in Medina

The Muslims were always obliged to be on the lookout for any hostile movements, and it was imperative on them to launch pre-emptive strikes in all directions in order to enjoy a reasonable degree of security in this great instability-provoking ocean of unrest.

As Muslims, we should not be racist or prejudiced against other people based on race, colour or ethnicity. Muslims are not anti-semitic, and infact, the arabs are cousins of the Jewish nation. Muslims should not think of themselves as superior due to their ethnicity or birth but due to their piety. It may not be politically correct to talk about Jews and how the Prophet* dealt with them but these are historical facts and the coming study circles will highlight these. The Prophet* started out treating the Jews of Medina as near-equal citizens of the state but they chose to break that agreement and worked against the Prophet* by word and deed.

Al-Kudr Invasion

Seven days after the event of Badr the Muslims wre on the march again to defend themselves. The scouting body of Madinah reported that Banu Saleem of Ghatafan were engaged in mustering troops to invade the Muslims. The Prophet* took the initiative himself and mounted a surprise attack on them in their own homeland at a watering place called Al-Kudr. Banu Saleem, on receiving the news, had fled before he arrived. He stayed there for three days, took their 500 camels as booty and distributed them to the fighters after he had set aside the usual one-fifth; each one gained two camels. This invasion took place in Shawwal in the year 2 A.H.

As-Sawiq Invasion

Two-pronged hostile activities were being independently conducted against the Prophet*; plots and intrigues being hatched by Safwan bin Omaiyah, the hypocrites and Jews on the one hand, going on and on parallel lines with military hostilities being prepared by Abu Sufyan aiming at saving the face of his people and impressing on the other Arabs that Quraish was still a military power to be counted for. In the aftermath of Badr, Abu Sufyan was burning for revenge and took a solemn vow he would never bathe off impurity unless he had avenged himself on Muhammad* and his followers. He set out at the head of 200 men towards Madinah but was not brave enough to attack it in broad daylight. He, instead resorted to acts of piracy that are performed in the dark. He infiltrated into the Prophet ’s town and went to see an old ally Huyai bin Akhtab, who was too cowardly to let him in, so he left for Salam bin Mashkam, chief of Bani Nadeer, a tribe of Jews. The Jew entertained and gave him a full account of the situation therein. Late at night he despatched a group of his men to raid Al-‘Uraid, a suburb of Madinah. There, the men felled and burnt the palm trees, killed two Muslims and then took swiftly to their heels.

On hearing the news, the Prophet* gathered his men and set out at their heels, but could not catch them. The Muslims brought back the provisions (Sawiq, a kind of barley porridge) which the polytheists had thrown aside in order to lighten their loads and hasten their escape; hence this campaign was called As-Sawiq Invasion. It took place in Dhul-Hijjah 2 A.H., two months after the event of Badr.

Hadith

Number 14 of Nawawi's 40 Hadith: The value of Life

On the authority of Ibn Mas’ud who said The Messenger of Allah* said: "The blood of a man who is a Muslim is not lawful (i.e. cannot be lawfully shed), save if he belongs to one of three (classes): a married man who is an adulterer; life for a life (i.e. for murder); one who is a deserter of his religion, abandoning the community.” [Bukhari & Muslim]

Before the arrival of Islam, human life had no value. A person can easily be killed for many different reasons, e.g. revenge, to show the superiority of a tribe, killing a newborn baby girl because it was considered a shame, etc.

When Islam arrived, it stressed on the value and importance of human life. A life must not be threatened unless it is lawful, i.e. where a serious violation of the shariah had occurred. Islam also made it clear that the taking of a human life is the responsibility of the highest authority, i.e. the judge. This is to prevent this practice from being abused for personal interests.

Islam has established rules and regulations for the community that minimise the need to carry out the execution of a man or woman as allowed by the three cases defined in the hadith. Islam is a peaceful religion and it has established rules where people respect each other and live together peacefully, without lives being threatened.

This hadith should be seen and understood from a positive viewpoint – it is not legal to kill a Muslim except in one of three cases. Because these three cases are exceptional, it shows that the Muslim blood is valued and treasured and is blessed by Allah.

In the last sermon of the Prophet* during his farewell Hajj (which was a few months before he died), he* re-emphasised the principle of this hadith which is the sanctity of a Muslim’s blood. Islam encourages Muslims to avoid any kind of act, e.g. violence, injustice, etc. that will lead to violating this principle. All this shows just how important it is not to shed the blood of a Muslim.

In Islam what is seen as punishment are actually measures put in place to protect the Muslim society and community. Islam takes precautions to ensure that these evil acts (or the violations of these principles) are minimised. In other words, Islam promotes good values and chastity; it encourages marriage, i.e. the legal relationship between man and woman; Islam also discourages acts that might lead to the violations of this principle, e.g. zina (adultery).

The sanctity of a Muslim life is confirmed by the Prophet in this hadlth. The three stated exceptions are those where legal execution is carried out by the state to protect society from the spread of corruption. It may be compared to the surgical removal of a hopelessly diseased limb or organ which, although painful, restores the rest of a body to health. The death penalty, like the lesser prescribed (hadd) punishments, may only be carried out after a conviction completely free of the least doubt. It must further be established that the accused had reached puberty, was in full mental capacity at the time of the crime, and did not act under any form of coercion.

1) Adultery

Marriage is the cornerstone of society and a very important part of Islam. Hence, Islam does its utmost to protect this as society would begin to crumble if marriage is not protected. In the Western countries we see many social problems and some could be attributed to the lack of a strong family structure and systems of support that arise from marriage. Indeed, western society often glorifies adultery (and violence, murder and rebellion against religion) in its TV shows, films, books and how people live.

Hence, modern technology, e.g. the media, Internet, entertainment, etc., is being misused to promote the three negative cases mentioned: adultery, violence/murder, and apostasy. These are shown as being normal and acceptable for the sake of entertainment. The world today has made bad, unacceptable behaviour and negative elements appear as good and vice versa.

In the case of zina, Islam has rules for the Muslim society that regulate relationships. Hence, it is very difficult for the cases mentioned to occur if these rules and regulations are observed. These truly are exceptional cases because during the time of the Prophet* (and later during the era of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs) there were only a few cases where such violations or problems occurred.

Actually implementing the law (stoning to death) is difficult as the criteria for successful prosecution are so strict – which include a confession, or 4 witnesses to the actual act (and not circumstantial evidence).

Execution by stoning for the married adulterer is established in the sunnah beyond any doubt. It was carried out by the Prophet* on a few conspicuous occasions but is admittedly a rare occurrence due to the strict conditions that must be fulfilled. First, the offender must be of legal age, sane, free (not a slave), and bound within a marriage where there is no impediment to normal sexual relations. Then it must be proven conclusively that the person committed the crime of his own free will while knowing that it is unlawful. This necessitates either the testimony of four trustworthy male Muslim witnesses that they actually saw the act taking place at a specific time and location (circumstantial  evidence is not acceptable) or explicit confession by the guilty party, who should be encouraged at the outset to repent privately to Allah and  reform rather than condemn himself to sentence.   A confession later retracted prevents the execution, as does the denial of a person named as the partner of a confessing party. Thus, the harshness of this prescribed penalty serves mainly as a practical deterrent and can rarely be carried out.

Muslim has related the speech of 'Umar bin al-Khattab in which he said: "Allah sent Muhammad with the truth and sent down to him the Book. And included in what Allah sent down to him was the verse of stoning. We recited it, memorized it and understood it. The Messenger of Allah* had people stoned to death, and we have done ii after him. I fear that if time is prolonged for people, someone may say, 'We do not find stoning in the Book of Allah,' and they would go astray by abandoning an obligation revealed by Allah. And stoning is a true obligation in the Book of Allah, the Exalted, for those who commit adultery when married, of men and women."

By putting such a harsh penalty (death) on this it forces people to take the matter seriously.

2) Murder

"A life for a life" means that the life of one who deliberately kills another without right will be taken in turn. Hence, it is not lawful to kill anyone other than the murderer himself, as had been done in the pre-Islamic wars of tribal vengeance. Again, the matter of justice is not left to the victim's family directly but must be referred to the legal authority of the judge and the Islamic State.

The ruling is clearly stated in the Qur'an in verses 178 of Surah al-Baqarah and 45 of Surah al-Ma'idah, where it is shown that this law was also revealed in the Torah and then upheld in Islam. However, Allah has honoured the nation of Prophet Muhammad* by permitting the acceptance of payment (diyah) to the heirs of the victim should choose that option over execution of the murderer.

Some exceptions to the general law of a life for a life have been cited by scholars, such as the father who kills his son, the master who kills his slave, and the Muslim who kills a non-Muslim, although there is no consensus on these matters and differences remain based upon various interpretations of the Qur'anic verses. It is conceded by all, however, that the sex of both the killer and the victim is irrelevant.

Any case in which a judge rules against execution requires payment to the deceased's heirs of the diyah. Besides the possible exceptions mentioned above or the willingness of the heirs to forego the death penalty, it will not be carried out in case of doubt about the killer's intention, even when he has been convicted of the deed by definite proofs. If wilful intent cannot be proved, the diyah must be accepted rather than execution, just as in clear cases of accidental killing. Proper legal measures recognized by all serve to put an end to further bloodshed by those who would otherwise seek revenge through acts of violence, perhaps against innocent persons.

3) Apostasy

The meaning portrayed in this hadlth is that of riddah (reversion) of a sane, mature Muslim from Islam to disbelief of his own free will and his insistence upon it. This must be expressed clearly by him, either by word or deed. Scholars have also stipulated that the Muslim must once have been conscious of the truth of Islam, not unaware or ignorant. To completely dispel any doubt, the apostate is allowed a period during which Islam is presented to him anew with the best methods of da' wah in the hope that he will return to the religion and to the community, thus sparing his life. He is executed by the state government only upon adamant and rebellious persistence in kufr. This differs from the case of a non-believer who has never entered Islam because the apostate, through betrayal from within, poses a greater danger to society. A Muslim does not become an apostate by disobedience or sin; rather, only by denial of divine ordinances or by open claims contrary to the basic tenets of aqeedah.

Some examples are: denial of Allah's oneness; the assertion I hat some human or other beings have something of divinity within them or have divine attributes; denial of the prophethood of Muhammad* or claiming there has been a prophet after him; assertions by a person that he has received revelation from Allah; denial of the Hereafter or anything clearly stated in the Qur'an; ridicule, abuse or denial of any of Allah's prophets, of the Qur'an or of the sunnah and declaration of one's preference for humanly devised systems of government or legislation over the divine shari'ah. A recent convert to Islam would be excused if he made such claims out of ignorance and accepted correction of his views. In addition, anyone forced to save himself by the pronouncement of such statements, his inner faith being unaffected, cannot be regarded as an apostate.

Certain crimes, mentioned in the Qur'an, for which the death penalty may be inflicted (namely, "causing corruption in the land" and "waging war against Allah and His Messenger*), generally coincide with the above.

When Muslims turn away from Islam it is a sad reflection upon the whole Muslim community ans means that we need to have better education and support for each other. In these sorts of situations, it is the Muslims themselves who are responsible for this apostasy because they do not look out for one another.

Many Muslims today are victims of mind-manipulation where misconceptions created by, for example, Western Orientalists and Christians have influenced their perception and attitude. This results in the Muslim being less careful about his Islam, living a double-standard life – looking at him from one angle, he looks like a Muslim but looking at him from another angle, he doesn’t seem to have the Muslim identity.

This leads to another problem which is the lack of the Muslim identity among the Muslims. There are Muslims today who are promoting non-Muslim identities or speaking highly of other cultures which in the Islamic view may have negative elements. We should maintain and promote our own identity. We can still benefit from progress of the West, e.g. technology advancement, but we should do so in a positive way, without jeopardising the image and values of Islam.

We need to discuss these issues which are the real challenges faced by the Muslim community today. We should not just talk about Islamic concepts without putting them in context with reality. We should not just talk about these issues theoretically, simply stating what the rulings on Islam are on this or that matter. We need to have an approach that goes deeper and considers the challenges and strategies we need to put in place in order to help the Muslim community to be positive, confident and proud of their Muslim identity. We need to help them so that they do not become trapped by the challenges they face today.

We need to create awareness among the Muslim community so that they are aware of their roles and responsibilities. We need to see how we can revive the original concepts of Islamic values and behaviour in a way that will work today.

Conclusion

This hadith needs to be looked at in the positive light where the emphasis is on the value of the human life and not on the punishments permissible for the three cases mentioned. Islam has put in place a system which leads to minimising the occurrences of the three cases. There are strategies, obligations, etc., which help the Muslims to avoid these acts.

Opponents of Islam look at the hadith in a negative way where they accuse Islam of being murderous and barbaric. But the truth of the matter is Islam values human life, just as it values chastity (iffah or taharah) - a virtue which has lost its value in these contemporary times because of the evil being promoted by the opponents via the media and negative side of technology. These negative influences have also caused some Muslims to interpret this hadith negatively.

One of the biggest problems today is that with there being more and more challenges, the explanation of the hadith should take into account what the problems are that are facing the Muslims today that violate the principles set up by the hadith. We should look into what we can do to promote the principles and virtues mentioned in the hadith (e.g. to uphold chastity, valuing human life, that killing is a crime, etc.) and to minimise their violations.

News Topic

There was no time to discuss any news topic this week

Homework from 02 January 2011:

1. Read about the People of as-Suffa, who lived in the Prophet's mosque?

2. What do you understand from the next (number 15) of Nawawi's 40 Hadith: Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah* said: "Let whosoever believes in Allah and in the Last Day either speak good or be silent. Let whosoever believes in Allah and in the Last Day honour his neighbour. Let whosoever believes in Allah and in the Last Day honour his guest." [Bukhari and Muslim]

3. News Topics from this week: Any interesting news articles from the week that relate to Islam or the Muslims? Bring a clipping or print out if you can...