11.
THE MEANINGS OF WALĪ AND ITS DERIVATIVES
The
word walī (وَلِيْ)
derived
from the verb waliya (وَلِيَ)
which
has many meanings: to be near (someone or something), to be close (to), to
adjoin (something), to be adjacent (to); to follow (someone or something), to
border (on something); to be a friend (of someone), be friends (with someone); to be in charge, manage, run, administer,
govern, rule, have power (authority or the command).
The
word walī (وَلِيّ) has also many meanings derived from its
verb mentioned above, as follows: near, nearby; neighbouring, adjacent; close;
(its plural: awliyā’ (أَوْلِيَاء, helper, supporter, benefactor, sponsor;
friend, close associate; relative; patron, protector; legal guardian, curator,
tutor; a man close to God, holy man, saint; proprietor, possessor, owner.
The
expression waliyyullāh (وَلِيُّ اللّه)
is
usually translated as “the friend of God” because of someone’s piety
and constant consciousness of Him. The expression waliyyul ’amr (وَلِيُّ الأَمْر) means “the responsible manager, the man in
charge; ruler; tutor, legal guardian”. The expression waliyyul ‘ahd(وَلِيُّ الْعَهْد) means
“successor to the throne, heir apparent, crown prince.”
Another
derivative of the above term is mawlā (مَوْلَى) ; its
plural is mawālī (مَوَالِيْ) . It means: master, lord (hence the term
al-Mawlā means “the Lord”); protector, patron; client; charge; friend,
companion, associate.
There
are two verbal nouns of this term, namely, walā’ (وَلاَءْ)
and wilāyah (وِلاَيَة): The
term walā’ (وَلاَء)means:
friendship, amity; benevolence, goodwill; fidelity, fealty, allegiance;
devotion, loyalty; clientage. The term wilāyah (وِلاَيَة)means:
sovereign power, sovereignty; rule, government.
The general
meaning of walī and its derivatives is: “the protector, the helper, the
person in charge of someone’s affairs, the guardian.” Al-H.usayn al-Dāmaghānī
(d. 478 AH/1086 CE) mentions ten meanings of the term walī (وَلِيْ) and its derivatives in the Qur’ān
according to Qur’ānic commentators, as follows:
1.
Agnate, paternal relative (الْمَوْلى
= الْعَصَبَة), as in the following verse:
وَإِنِّي خِفْتُ الْمَوَالِيَ مِنْ وَرَائِي
وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَتِي عَاقِرًا... (مريم ١٩
:٥)
“And verily, I fear my relatives [in the male
line]
after me, and my wife is barren…”
(Q. 19:5)
2.
Son (أَلْوَلَد) , as in the following verse:
... فَهَبْ لِي مِنْ لَدُنْكَ وَلِيًّا (مريم ١٩ :٥)
“So give me from yourself an heir
[i.e., a son].” (Q.
19:5)
The
above verse is the prayer of Prophet Zakariyyā (Zechariah a.s.) to Allah
to be blessed with a son who would be a heir for him.
3.
Companion, friend (الصَّحِب)
as
in the following verse:
مَنْ يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ
وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لَهُ
وَلِيًّا مُرْشِدًا (الكهف ١٨ : ١٧)
He
whom Allah guides, he is the rightly guided;
but he Whom He sends astray, for him you will
find
no guiding friend to lead him (to the
Right Path). (Q. 18:17)
4.
Near relative (اْلمَوْلى
= الْقَرِيْب), as in the following
verse:
يَوْمَ لَا يُغْنِي
مَوْلًى عَنْ مَوْلًى شَيْئًا وَلَا هُمْ يُنْصَرُونَ إِلَّا مَنْ رَحِمَ اللَّهُ
إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ
الرَّحِيمُ (الدخان : ٤١-٤٢)
The Day when a near relative cannot
avail a near relative in aught, and no help
can they receive, except him on
whom Allah
has mercy. Verily, He is the All-Mighty,
the Most Merciful (Q.
44:41-42)
5.
Protector (اْلمَوْلَى), as in the
following verse:
ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ
مَوْلَى الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَأَنَّ الْكَافِرِينَ لَا
مَوْلَى لَهُمْ (محمد ٤٧: ١١ )
That
is because Allah is the Protector of
those who believe, and the disbelievers
have
no protector. (Q.
47:11)
6.
Lord (اْلمَوْلَى
= الرَّبّ), as in the following verse:
قُل أَغَيْرَ اللّهِ أَتَّخِذُ
وَلِيًّا فَطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَ الأَرْضِ وَهُوَ
يُطْعِمُ وَلاَ يُطْعَمْ... (الأنعام ٦ :١٤)ْ
Say
(O Muhammad): “Shall I take as a
Lord
any other than Allah, the Creator of
the
heavens and the earth? And it is He
Who feeds but is not fed” …(Q.
6:14)
7.
Protector, supporter in
religion(اْلمَوْلى
مِنَ الْوِلاَيَةِ فِي الدِّيْن) , as in the
following verse:
الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ
أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ
يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ
وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ
وَيُؤْتُونَ
الزَّكَاةَ وَيُطِيعُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ أُولَئِكَ سَيَرْحَمُهُمُ اللَّهُ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ
عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ (التوبة ٩ :٧١)
The believers, men and women, are
protectors (supporters) of one
another [in religion]; they
enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil;
they
observe regular prayers, practice regular charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger.
On them will Allah pour His mercy: for
Allah
is Exalted in power, Wise. (Q.
9:71)
8.
Client, freed slave (اْلمَوْلَى = المُعْتَق), as in the following verse:
ادْعُوهُمْ لِآَبَائِهِمْ هُوَ أَقْسَطُ
عِنْدَ اللَّهِ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا آَبَاءَهُمْ
فَإِخْوَانُكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَمَوَالِيكُمْ
(الأحزاب ٣٣ : ٥)
Call
them (adopted sons) by (the names of)
their
fathers, that is more just with Allah.
But if you know not their father’s (names,
call them) your brothers in faith and
freed
slaves…(Q. 33:5)
The term mawlā
is one of the aḍdād (words which have opposite meanings), so that it
means “the person who frees a slave?” as we as “a freed slave” as above.
9.
God (الإله)
,
as in the following verse:
أَلَا لِلَّهِ الدِّينُ الْخَالِصُ وَالَّذِينَ
اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاء مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ
إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَا إِلَى اللَّهِ زُلْفَى
... (الزمر ٣٩ : ٣)
Surely, the religion (i.e. worship and
obedience) is for Allah only. And those
who take gods besides Him (say): “We
worship them only that they may
bring us nearer to Allah” …(Q.
39:3)
10. To be loyal and sincere to each other (الْمُنَاصَحَة) as in the following verse:
يَاأَيُّهَا
الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِنْ دُونِ
الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
أَتُرِيدُونَ أَنْ تَجْعَلُوا
لِلَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَانًا مُبِينًا (النساء ٤ : ١٤٤)
O
you believe! Take not for loyalty and sincerity
disbelievers instead of believers. Do you wish
to offer Allah a manifest proof against
yourselves? (Q. 4:144)
Learning
the various meanings of a term in the Qur’ān belongs to one of many sciences of
the Qur’ān, called الوُجُوْهُ وَ النَّظَائِر فِيْ القُرْآن (lit.
“Meanings and Equivalents”) usually translated as “Homonyms and Synonyms in the
Qur’ān.” Al-Zarkashī put it in number four of the 47 branches of the Qur’ānic
sciences in his work al-Burhān, whereas al-Suyūt.ī
(d. 991 AH/1505 CE) put it in number 39 of the 80 branches in his work al-Itqān.
Another
important science of the Qur’ān is nāsikh and mansūkh (abrogating
and abrogated verses of the Qur’ān), put as number 47 of the 80 sciences of the
Qur’ān. Early scholars consider it dealing with explaining specifying general
terms, restricting the unrestricted, explaining the obscure, elaborating the
general concept, and abrogating pre-Islamic traditions and religious
prescriptions. Scholars of later generation consider it as the specification of
a legal judgment of something to a certain period, and the specification by
lifting the legal judgment of something from particular people. Therefore it is
important to know which of these verses was revealed earlier. This led us to
another science of the Qur’ān called asbāb al-nuzūl (lit. “the causes of
revelation”), namely the occasions or incidents leading to the revelation of a
particular verse.
Without knowing this asbāb al-nuzūl
one may misunderstand the verses of the Qur’ān and quotes it out of context,
citing verses dealing with facing the enemy in the battlefield as facing people
in peaceful situation. No wonder some people consider Islam a dangerous
religions that teaches its followers to wipe out non-Muslims from the face of
the earth. Being on this earth is like being in the battlefield, either to kill
or to be killed. You do not come to the battlefield to embrace the enemy who
intend to kill you. Killing is unavoidable, sometimes necessary to protect
oneself. Here the verses dealing with killing the enemy were revealed.
In Islam fighting is only the last
resort, a necessary evil to defend oneself. The Qur’ān says:
أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَاتَلُونَ
بِأَنَّهُمْ ظُلِمُوا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى نَصْرِهِمْ لَقَدِيرٌ (الحج: ٣٩) .
“To those against whom war is made,
permission is
given [to fight], because they
are wronged;- and
verily, Allah is most
powerful for their aid.” (Q. 22:39)
Therefore,
there is no “holy war” in Islam which is the Crusades’ terminology. There is no
term “h.arb muqaddasah” (which
literally means “holy war”) in Islam. The term jihad literally means
“striving”, and what is called “holy war” is only a part of it. The companions
of Prophet upon their return from a battlefield said:
رَجعْنَا من
الْجِهَاد الْأَصْغَر إِلَى الْجِهَاد الْأَكْبَر
“We are returning from the minor jihad to
major jihad, (i.e.,
controlling oneself).”
The Prophet s.a.w. said:
أفْضَل
الجِهَادِ كلِمَةُ حَقِّ عِنْدَ سُلْطَانٍ جَائِر
(رواه
أحمد و ابن ماجة والنسائي)
The best jihad is telling the truth in
front
of a despotic ruler (Reported
by Aḥmad,
Ibn Mājah and
al-Nasā’ī)
The prescription
of fighting which is called in the Qur’ān kurh (hated, detested) but
sometimes things we detest could have blessing in disguise. Allah said:
كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ
كُرْهٌ لَكُمْ وَعَسَى أَنْ تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ
خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ وَعَسَى أَنْ تُحِبُّوا
شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ
وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ( البقرة: ٢١٦)
Jihad (holy fighting in Allah’s cause)
is ordained
for you (Muslims) though you dislike it, and
it may
be that you dislike a thing which is good for
you
and that you like a thing which is bad for
you.
Allah knows but you do not know. (Q.
2:216)
Self-defence is the right, even obligation of
every individual, community, and nation. Even in animal kingdom every animal
has a means to defend itself. Even germs have means to defend themselves. Our
own body itself is a battlefield between our white blood and the
harmful/attacking germs. In this case it is necessary to kill in order to
survive. Although fighting and killing is permitted, torture is prohibited. The
Prophet said that if you slaughter (the animal), do it well, do not sharpen the
knife in front of it.
In
conclusion, any text taken out of context could be misleading. The Muslim
scholar Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH/1328 CE) said: “Half scholar (i.e.,
Muslim scholars with insufficient knowledge) is dangerous to the religion (of
Islam), like half (i.e., an unqualified) physician, he is dangerous to
the patients. The English proverb says, “Little knowledge is dangerous.”
(CIVIC, 29.03.13)
المراجع:
1.
الدامغاني , الوجوه والنظائر في القرأن الكريم
2.
ابن الحوزي, الوجوه والنظائر في القرأن الكريم
3.
ابن الأنباري , كتاب الأضداد
4.
المكتبة الشاملة
12.
DOUBTFUL MATTERS (1)
Prophet
Muhammad s.a.w. said in a ḥadīth, as follows:
عَنْ
أَبِيْ عَبْدِ اللهِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بِشِيْر رضي الله عنهما قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ
رَسُوْلَ
اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُوْلُ: (إِنَّ الحَلالَ بَيِّنٌ وَإِنَّ الحَرَامَ
بَيِّنٌ
وَبَيْنَهُمَا
أُمُوْرٌ مُشْتَبِهَات لاَ يَعْلَمُهُنَّ كَثِيْرٌ مِنَ النَّاس، فَمَنِ اتَّقَى الشُّبُهَاتِ
فَقَدِ
اسْتَبْرأَ لِدِيْنِهِ وعِرْضِه، وَمَنْ وَقَعَ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ وَقَعَ فِي
الحَرَامِ كَالرَّاعِي
يَرْعَى
حَوْلَ الحِمَى يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَقَعَ
فِيْهِ. أَلا وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مَلِكٍ حِمَىً. أَلا وَإِنَّ
حِمَى
اللهِ مَحَارِمُهُ، أَلا وإِنَّ فِي الجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً إِذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ
الجَسَدُ
كُلُّهُ وإذَا فَسَدَت فَسَدَ الجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ أَلا وَهيَ القَلْبُ
(رواه
البخاري ومسلم)
On the authority of Abu 'Abdullah al-Nu'man
ibn Bashir (r.a.)
who said: I heard the Messenger
of Allah (s.a.w.) say: “Truly, what is lawful is
evident, and what is unlawful is
evident, and in between the two are matters which
are doubtful
which many people do not know. He who guards
against doubtful things keeps his religion and
honour blameless, and he who indulges in
doubtful things indulges in fact in
unlawful
things,
just as a shepherd who pastures his
flock round a preserve will soon pasture them
in it. Beware, every king has a preserve, and
the things Allah has declared unlawful are
His preserves. Beware, in the body there
is
a
flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is
sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole
body
is corrupt, and behold, it is
the heart.”
[Bukhari & Muslim]
What
we learn from this ḥadīth is that matters in Islamic law are divided
into three categories: (1) clear ḥalāl, permitted by Allah, and known to
everybody, such as drinking milk, eating dates, apples, etc.
الْيَوْمَ
أُحِلَّ لَكُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتُ وَطَعَامُ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ حِلٌّ
لَكُمْ
وَطَعَامُكُمْ حِلٌّ لَهُمْ (المائدة:5)
“This day [all] good
foods have been made
lawful, and the food of those who were given
the Scripture is lawful for you and your
food
is lawful for them.”
(al-Mā’idah 5:5)
(2)
clear ḥarām, prohibited by Allah, and known to everybody, such as
stealing, drinking alcohol, etc. For example, Allah said in the Qur’an,
حُرِّمَتْ
عَلَيْكُمْ أُمَّهَاتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُكُمْ وَأَخَوَاتُكُمْ وَعَمَّاتُكُمْ
وَخَالَاتُكُمْ
وَبَنَاتُ الْأَخِ وَبَنَاتُ الْأُخْتِ (النساء:23)
“Prohibited
to you [for marriage] are your
mothers, your daughters, your sisters,
your
father's sisters...
[Q.
4:23]”
Backbiting
is clear ḥarām. Allah said:
وَلَا
تَجَسَّسُوا وَلَا يَغْتَبْ بَعْضُكُمْ
بَعْضًا... (الحجرات:12)
…and spy
not, neither backbite one
another..(Q. 49:12)
Anything prohibited by Allah with a threat of
punishment belongs to this category. The word ḥarām literally means
prohibited, مَمْنُوع ; the expressionمَحَارِمُ الإنْسَانِ وَ حُرُمُه means “things sacred and prohibited from other
than the man himself”, namely, “close female relatives of a man”, and the
expression حُرْمَةُ االرَّجُلِ means “a person who is prohibited to other than the man himself, the husband,” (3)
doubtful, unknown whether it is ḥalāl or ḥarām, could be ḥalāl, could be ḥarām.
The
cause of this doubt is either (1) in the dalīl, evidence, doubting
whether the Prophet did really say it or not, and this is called by scholars of
jurisprudenceتَخْرِيْجُ اْلمَنَاط
، (bringing out suspended thing)
(2) in applying the dalīl, whether what the Prophet said
is applied to this matter or not,
sometimes the doubt in the ḥukm (legal judgment) or in the
application of this ḥukm, namely, does this ḥadīth apply this
issue by itself or not. The scholar of Islamic jurisprudence call itتَحْقِيْقُ
اْلمَنَاط (investigating the
suspended thing).
The Prophet said further that many people do not know these
doubtful things. But many people also know them, as the Prophet luckily did not
say “most people do not know them” which means only a few people know them.
Many people do not know these doubtful things, because either they do not have
enough knowledge or understanding or they are limiting themselves to what they
know. Whoever avoids the doubtful thing he keeps his religion blameless,
namely, between Allah and himself; and he keeps his honour from blames, namely,
between himself and people, so that they would not say, that such a person did
such a thing which could be ḥarām.
Scholars
have different views regarding doubtful matters:
1.
They are ḥarām, as being close to ḥarām is
itself ḥarām.
2. They are permissible,
ḥalāl, as the Prophet said:
"like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary” but leaving
them is better out of piety.
3.
There is no ruling regarding doubtful matter; they are
between clear ḥalāl and clear ḥarām. Many people do not know
them, but scholars know whether they are (closer to) ḥalāl or ḥarām. But
staying away from these doubtful matters purifies our religion and our
reputation.
Muslim scholars give an example of the doubtful thing
between ḥalāl and ḥarām as follows:
If we say that the area is 3 meters, one meter is a ḥalāl
area, and one meter is a ḥarām area, between them one meter of a doubtful
area. This doubtful area could be close to the ḥarām area and it could
be close to the ḥalāl area, depending where you are standing. So,
do no come close to the ḥarām area.
Suppose you shoot a deer with your arrow, sayingبِاسْمِ اللّهِ اللّه أَكْبر and found it dead, then
it is clearly ḥalāl, but if you find it still alive and you do
not want to slaughter it while you can until it dies, then it is clearly ḥarām. But if you find it dead the
next day, and you find another arrow of another man in it, then it becomes
doubtful, whether it died because of your arrow, or of the other man.
There is a concept in Islamic Jurisprudence calledسَدُّ الذَّرَائِع “blocking the means”, namely blocking,
preventing any action that could lead to
committing prohibited things. Therefore, it would be better to stay away from
these doubtful things. If you cannot avoid it, then only in case of necessity,
as it is not clear whether it is ḥalāl or ḥarām. Even what is ḥarām
becomes permitted in case of necessity, such as protecting one’s life.
Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said about these
doubtful things:
الْبِرُّ مَا اطْمَأَنَّتْ إلَيْهِ النَّفْسُ وَ الإثْمُ
مَا حَاكَ فِي نَفْسِكَ
وَ كَرِهْتَ
اَنْ يَطَّلِعَ الناَّسُ
Piety
(righteousness) is what the soul (mind)
feels confident (calm, at rest), whereas sin
is
what
interweaves in your mind, and you
dislike to
let people know it.
It
means that if you are doubtful about something, whether it is ḥalāl or
ḥarām, good or bad, or you worry
about doing it, then it belongs to the category of doubtful things, then it
would be better to stay away from it. Your conscience will tell you whether it
is OK or not. This is the importance of having a clean heart, staying away from
committing sins which will taint it. A person who used to commit sins would
consider major sins as minor ones, such as drinking alcohol, and lying. Lying
could become a major sin, especially if you are a witness in court, where one’s
life depends on your statement.
One day Abu Bakr’s servant
gave him food. When he tasted it he felt uncomfortable. He called his servant
and asked him where he got this food. He told him that he got it from a
fortune-teller. Abu Bakr vomited the food.
It happened that ‘Umar ordered his servant to bring milk
from his camel. When he tasted it he did not like its taste. He called his
servant and asked him where he got the milk. The servant said he got it from a
drinking charity camel which belonged to charity, because Umar’s camels were
far away from its tenders. So, he asked them to take the milk of the camel
belonging to charity. ‘Umar said to him, “You want me to eat charity?”
Imam Abū Ḥanīfah was a business man. He sold clothes. He
took aside a cloth which had a defect, the only cloth left. He went out for a
while. When he returned he did not find the imperfect cloth. The person who
worked with him accidentally sold it with the full price, because he did not
know that it was imperfect. Imam Abu Ḥanīfah gave the whole price of the
imperfect cloth to charity.
The
Prophet told us that a sound heart would make the whole body sound, and the
corrupt heart would make the whole body corrupt. Sound heart makes good
intention, good judgment, and corrupt heart makes corrupt intention and
judgment. The Prophet urged us to strengthen and purify our heart in obeying
Allah, staying away from doubtful matters and in practicing Islam.
The
Prophet says in another ḥadīth,
“A person’s īmān
will not be upright until their
heart is
upright and strong. The heart will not
be upright
and strong until thetongue is
upright and
strong.”
(CIVIC,
12.04.13)
13. INKAR SUNNAH (2)
Since many people have fallen into the trap of following the late
Dr. Rashad Kalifah and Dr. Ahmed Sobhi Mansour in their rejection of the Sunnah
of the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. it would be necessary to give some light
of their teachings. Since they believe
that the Qur’ān has explained everything, then the Sunnah of the Prophet
is not required, and what we know now as the Sunnah of the Prophet is
the product and invention of people of later generation as means to justify
their personal ambition or conduct and behaviour. Rashad Khalifa said:
“The Quran
proclaims that the Quran is
complete, perfect,
and fully detailed (6:19, 38,
114, 115;
50:45), and that religious regulations
not
specifically instituted in the Quran constitute
a religion
other than Islam (42:21, 17:46). The
true believers
uphold the Quran, the whole
Quran, and nothing
but the Quran….”
(see Quran the Final Testament,
Appendix 18)
So, according to Rashad Khalifa, we
who accept the Sunnah of the Prophet, are no longer true Muslims. Let us
see the position of the Prophet according to the Qur’ān itself.
The position and duty of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. according
to the Qur’ān are: (1) Expounder of the Qur’ān, (2) Legislator, (3) Model
behaviour for Muslim society, and (4) Total obedience to the Prophet. The
details are as follows:
1.
Expounder of the Qur’ān.
Allah the Almighty said:
وَأَنْزَلْنَا
إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ
يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (44(
We
have revealed unto thee the Remembrance
(the Qur’ān) that you may
explain to mankind that
which has been revealed For
them.(Q. 16:44)
The Qur’ān does not prescribe the
details for prayer (ṣalāt). It does not mention the number and the time
of the five-daily prayers, it does not mention the number of the units (rak‘ah)
for every prayer. It does not mention the two prostrations (sajdah) in
every unit, and sitting between the two prostrations, and what will make this
prayers and ablution void, etc. It was the Prophet who explained them
and taught them through examples.
The Qur’ān mentions ṣalāt (prayer)
followed by zakat more than 20 times, and mentions the injunction to
pray together with the injunction to give zakat, namely, أَقِيمُوا
الصَّلَاةَ وَآَتُوا الزَّكَاةَ (“perform prayer and give zakat”)
eight times. Without explanation from the Prophet one might think that immediately
after performing the prayer one has to pay the zakat, because Allah
mentions zakat after ṣalāt.
Allah
orders the Muslims to pay the zakat for the fruit on the day of its harvest وَآَتُوا
حَقَّهُ يَوْمَ حَصَادِهِ (”pay
the due thereof on the day of its harvest” Q. 6:141), without giving the
amount of its zakat. It was the Prophet who explained it that its zakat
is either 5% or 10%. Allah did even mention the remaining items for which zakat
is to be paid.
Allah orders Muslims, male and female,
to perform the five-daily prayers and fasting in the month of Ramadan, without
giving any exception. It was the Prophet who explained that women in their
period were not allowed to pray and fast in Ramadan, and to make up their
missed fast, not their missed ṣalāt.
It is incumbent upon Muslims who have no valid to attend the Friday
prayers, but it was the Prophet who explains that women and people who have
valid reasons not to attend are excused from attending the Friday prayers.
Allah
orders us to fast until night. He says: ثُمَّ
أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ (البقرة
:187) (“… then complete your fast till layl (night). The
word لَيْل
literally means “nighttime, night (as opposed to نَهَار , daytime). It was the Prophet who
explained that we break our fast at nightfall. Br. Axel Knoenagel from Germany
told me that as he just referred to Islam and it was Ramadan he started fasting
until dark at night, because he did not know that we break out fast at
nightfall. A follower of Inkār Sunnah delayed breaking his fast until it
became dark, most probably following literal translation of the term layl (night)
in the above verse.
Allah
prohibits eating carrion, blood and pig when He said:
(المائدة:3)… وَالدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ الْخِنْزِيرِ حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ
(“Forbidden
to you (for food) are carrion,
blood, the flesh of swine…Q. 5:3).
It was the Prophet who explained that fish
is exepted, so that dead fish is ḥalāl, and that the whole swine is ḥarām, not only its meat. But Rashad
Khalifa, the exponent of the Inkar Sunnah, sticked to the literal meaning of the verse,
that only the meat of the pork is ḥarām,
not its fat (see Quran the Final Testament, Appendix 16)
Allah says in the Qur’ān:
إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ
فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَيْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ
عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا وَمَنْ تَطَوَّعَ
خَيْرًا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَاكِرٌ عَلِيمٌ (158(
Verily, al-Safa and al-Marwah (two mountains
of Makkah) are the symbols of
Allah. So it is not
a sin on him who performs hajj
and ‘umrah (pilgrimage) of the House (the Ka’bah in
Makkah) to perform the going
(tawaf)
between them. And whoever does
good
voluntarily, then verily, Allah
is All-
Recogniser, All-Knower. (Q. 2:158)
Performing the sa’i between Mt. Ṣafā
and Mt. Marwah “is not a sin” seemed to indicate the permission to do it, and
not incumbent upon the pilgrims. This verse was revealed when the Muslims as
well as idolaters were at the early period of Islam performed the sa’i
together. But the Muslims were hesitated to do so, because of the presence of
two idols, one at each of Mr. Safa and the other at Mt. Marwa. Allah removed
this hesitation by revealing the above verse. Muslims were still weak at that
time, and had to tolerate the presence of idolatry and idols. Idols were
destroyed only after the conquest of Makkah, when the Prophet s.a.w. became
the de facto ruler of
Arabia. The above verse does not indicate the injunction of performing the sa’i
by pilgrims. It was the Prophet who explained it and said that performing the sa’i
is incumbent upon the pilgrims as it is one of the arkān (basic
elements) of the hajj (pilgrimage).
Rashad
Khalifa who claimed to be a prophet, “God's Messenger of the Covenant” said
that all Islamic duties have been distorted. He said: “Like all other duties in
Islam, Hajj has been distorted. Most Muslims observe Hajj only during a few
days in Zul-Hijjah, and they consider Rajab, Zul-Qi‘dah, Zul-Hijjah, and
Muharram (7th, 11th, 12th, 1st months) to be the Sacred Months. This is a
distortion that is strongly condemned.” (see Quran the Final Testament,
Appendix 15)
2.
Legislator
Allah SWT gives the Prophet the legislative power, when He says:
وَيُحِلُّ
لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ
إِصْرَهُمْ
وَالْأَغْلَالَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ
عَلَيْهِمْ (الأعراف:157)
… and he will make lawful for them all
good things and prohibit for them
only
the foul, and wil l relieve them
of their
burden and the fetters which they
use to wear… (Q. 7:157)
Therefore, the Prophet was authorized by
Allah to be a law giver to the Muslim society. He prohibited the Muslim males
from wearing gold, silver and silk. He also initiated certain things, such as
the call to prayer (ādhān), which was later mentioned in the Qur’ān and
became the standardized practices of the Muslims. Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ
لِلصَّلَاةِ مِنْ يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ
وَذَرُوا
الْبَيْعَ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (الجمعة:9)
O you who believe! When he c all is proclaimed
for the prayer on Friday, come to
the remembrance
of Allah, and leave offbusiness.
That is better for
you if you did but know! (Q. 62:9)
The Qur’ān did not explain what
to say when we call people to prayer. It was the Prophet who taught us the
wording of the ādhān.
3. Model behaviour for Muslim Society.
Allah says in the Qur’ān,
لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ
يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ
الْآَخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا (الأحزاب:21)
Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah, you have a good
example to follow for him who
hopes for Allah and the
Last Day, and remembers Allah much (Q. 33:21)
Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. was a
model for Muslims in all walk of lives: as a leader, a ruler, a judge, a
teacher, a husband, a parent, a business man, a general, a neighbour, and an
ordinary human being.
4. Total obedience to the
Prophet
Allah says in the Qur’ān:
يَا
أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ...
(النساء:59, محمد:33)
O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the
Messenger…(Q. 4:59 and 47:33)
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ
...(النساء:64)
We sent no messenger save that he should
be obeyed by Allah’s leave (Q. 4:64)
There
are many other Qur’ānic verses indicating the commands of Allah to obey the
Prophet, such as Q. 3:32, 8:20, 24:54. Allah’s commands as well as those of the
Prophet are all binding on Muslims. The commands and prohibitions of the
Prophet are not found in the Qur’ān, but found in the Ḥadīth and the Sunnah
of the Prophet. Since the the Hadīth and the Sunnah are
unacceptable for the followers of Inkār
Sunnah, the Prophet’s explanation, commands and prohibition will be
unacceptable, too. Therefore, the Qur’ānic verses enjoining the Muslims to obey
the Prophet would be useless in the eyes of the followers of Inkar Sunnah. (CIVIC,
19.04.13)
Bibliography:
المكتبة
الشاملة
M.M. Azami. Studies in Hadith Methodology. Kuala
Lumpur: Islaamic Book Trust, 1977
Rashad
Khalifa, Ph.D. Quran the Final Testament. Tucson: Islamic Productions,
n.d.
14.
ABDULLAH IBN ‘ABBᾹS (1)
One
of the great Muslim scholars in Islam was Abdullah ibn ‘Abbās. He was the
cousin of the Prophet Muhammad w.a.s. His father, ‘Abbās, and the Prophet’s father
were brothers, sons of Shaybah ibn Hāshim, better known as ‘Abdul-Muṭṭalib. Hāshim
(ibn Manāf) was the progenitor of the Banū Hāshim the clan of the distinguished
Quraish tribe in Mecca.
Ibn
Abbās was born in 3 BH (618–619 CE). When the Prophet passed away he was a boy
of 13 years old. He used to come to the Prophet’s house and sleep there to
serve him, such as getting water for his abolution. He was the Prophet’s cousin
and the Prophet’s wife wife Maymūnah was his maternal aunt. He lived teaching
people various knowledge of Islam, such as, the reading and interpretation of
the Qur’ān, Islamic jurisprudence, history and Arabic language literature.
Because of his outstanding knowledge he was entitled “the learned of the ummah.”
This was the fulfilment of the Prophet’s supplication for him “O Allah, bless
him with the full knowledge of the religion and interpretation of the Holy
Qur’ān.”.
One
day his father Abbas sent him to the Prophet for a certain thing, but he
returned without talking to the Prophet. So, Abbas said to him:
“I have just sent my son to you, but
he found someone was with you, so that he could not talk to you.”
“O uncle, do you know who was that
person?”, asked the Prophet.
“No,” said his uncle.
“That was Jibrīl; he met me, and your
son will never die until he lost his eye-sight and obtained knowledge,” said
the Prophet.
Ibn
‘Abbās saw the angle Jibrīl (Gabriel) in the Prophet’s house twice.. He said
that he went to the Prophet’s house while the angel Jibrīl was there. Jibrīl
told the Prophet that Ibn ‘Abbās would be حِبْرُ
هَذِهِ الأُمَّة
“(lit. “the ink”), the learned man of this ummah
(nation).” Ibn ‘Abbās also said that the
Prophet patted his shoulder and said: نِعْمَ تُرْجُمَان اْلقُرْآَن أَنْتَ “What an excellent commentator of the Qur’ān
you are!” The Prophet also prayed for him: " اللهُمّ فقِّهْهَ فِي الدِّيْنِ وَ عَلِّمْه التَّأْوِيلO Lord,
bless him with the full knowledge of the religion of Islam and instruct him in
the meaning and interpretation (of the Qur’ān),” and,
اللَّهُمَّ عَلِّمْهُ الْحِكْمَةَ وَ
تَأْوِيْلَ الْكِتَاب “O Lord, teach him
wisdom and the interpretation of the Qur’ān.”
Ibn
‘Abbās also reported that when the Prophet s.a.w. was on the point of
making ablution, he hurried to get water for him, and the Prophet was very
pleased with what he did. When he was about to begin the prayer, he indicated
that Ibn ‘Abbās should stand beside him, but he stood behind him. After the
prayer, the Prophet turned to him, and said: “What prevented you from being at
my side, O Abdullah?” He answered: “You are too illustrious and too great in my
eyes to stand side by side with you.” Then the Prophet raised his hands to the
heaven, and prayed: “O Lord, grant him wisdom.”
Ibn
‘Abbās devoted his life not only in pursuing knowledge, but also to teach
people of what he had learned. He taught them various subjects in his house.
One of his companions describes what he saw in front of his house.
“I saw people converging on the roads leading
to
his house until there was hardly any
room in front
of his house. I went in and told him
about the crowds of people at his door and he said: 'Get me water for wuḍū. He performed wuḍū and, seating himself, said:
'Go out and say to them: Whoever wants to ask about the Quran and its letters (pronunciation)let him enter.'
This I did and people entered until the house was filled. Whatever he was
asked, Abdullah was able
to elucidate and even provide additional
informa-
tion to what was asked. Then (to his
students) he
said: 'Make way for your brothers.' Then
to me he
said: 'Go out and say: Who wants to ask about
the Quran and its interpretation, let him
enter'.
Again the house was filled and Abdullah
elucidated and provided more informa-
tion than what was requested.”
Then he held classes on one single subject
each day, such as tafsīr (interpretation of the Qur’ān), fiqh
(Islamic jurisprudence), ḥalāl and ḥarām, ghazawāt (the
Prophet’s military campaigns), poetry, Arab history before Islam, farā’iḍ
(laws of inheritance), Arabic language and etymology.
‘Umar
often sought the advice Ibn Abbas on important matters of state and described
him as a "young man of maturity". Ibn ‘Abbās said: “Umar used to make me sit
with the elderly men who had fought in the battle of Badr. ‘Abd-al-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf
felt it (did not like that) and said to ‘Umar: ‘Why do you bring in this boy to
sit with us, while we have sons like him?’
‘Umar replied ‘Because of what you know of his position’ (i.e.,
his religious knowledge).
“One day Umar called me and made me sit in the
gathering of those people, and I think that he called me just to show them (my
religious knowledge). ‘Umar then asked them in my presence: ‘What do you say
about the interpretation of the statement of Allah’.
إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ
اللَّهِ وَالْفَتْحُ . وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ
أَفْوَاجًا .
فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ
رَبِّكَ وَاسْتَغْفِرْهُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّابًا (النصر:1-3)
When there comes the help of Allah
(to you, O Muhammad against your enemies)
and the conquest (of Makkah), And you see the
people enter Allah’s religion (Islam) in
crowds.
So glorify the Praises of your Lord, and
ask His
Forgiveness. Verily, He is the One Who Ever
accepts the Repentance and Who
forgives.
(Q. 110:1-3)
“Some of them said: ‘We are ordered to praise
Allah and ask for His forgiveness, when Allah’s help and the conquest come to
us’. Some others kept quiet and did not say anything. On that ‘Umar asked me: ‘Do
you say the same, O Ibn ‘Abbās?’
I replied: ‘No’. He said: ‘What do you say then?’ I replied: ‘That is the sign
of the death of Prophet Muhammad, which God informed him of. God said: “(O
Muhammad) when comes the help of God (to you against your enemies) and the
conquest (which is the sign of your death) – you should celebrate the praises
of your Lord and ask for His forgiveness, and He is the One who accepts the
repentance and forgives’. On that ‘Umar said: ‘I do not know anything about it
other than what you have said’”.
What
Ibn ‘Abbās understood was the deep meaning of this surah, as it was an
indication of the completion of the Prophet’s mission in this world, namely, to
propagate Islam to people, and after the accomplishment of his mission he
should go and meet His Lord.
The
ṣaḥābah Sa‘ad
ibn Abī Waqqās said about Ibn ‘Abbās: “I have never seen someone who was
quicker in understanding, who had more knowledge and greater wisdom than Ibn
Abbas.”
Masrūq ibn al-Ajda‘ said of him,
"Whenever I saw Ibn ‘Abbās, I would say: He is the most handsome of men.
When he spoke, I would say: He is the most eloquent of men. And when he held a
conversation, I would say: He is the most knowledgeable of men."
‘Aṭā’
ibn Abī Rabāh (d. 114/732), one of the great students of Ibn ‘Abbās, the mufti
and the scholar of ḥadīth of Makkah, said about him that scholars of the
Qur’ān, of Islamic jurisprudence, and of poetry all attended his majlis (social
gathering).
In
a ḥadīth on the authority of ‘Umar r.a. the Prophet s.a.w. said:
إِنَّ
أَرْأَفَ أُمَّتِيْ بِهَا أَبُو بَكْر . وَإِنَّ أّصْلَبَهَا فِي أَمْرِ اللهِ
لَعُمَر. وَإِنَّ أّشَدَّهَا
حَيَاءًاً
لَعُثْمَان. وَإِنَّ أَقْرَئَهَا لَأُبَيّ . وَإِنَّ أَفْرَضَهَا لَزَيْد .
وَإِنَّ أَقْضَاهَا لَعَلِيَ .
وَإِنَّ
أَعْلَمَهَا بِاْلحَلالِ وَاْلحَرَامِ لَمُعَاذ. وَإِنَّ أَصْدَقَهَا لَهْجَةً
لَأَبُو ذَرّ .
وَإِنَّ
أَمْيَنَ هَذِهِ اْلأُمَّةِ لَأَبُو عُبَيْدَة عَامِرُ بْنُ اْلجَرَّاح .
وَإِنَّ حِبْرَ هَذِهِ اْلأُمَّةِ لَعَبْدُ
اللهِ بْنُ اْلعَبَّاس
Verily, the
most kind (gracious) of my ummah (community, nation) to my ummah is Abū Bakr,
and verily,
the firmest among them is ‘Umar, and
the most
modest among them is Uthmān, and the
most
knowledgeable of the recitation of the Qur’ān among them isUbayy, and the most knowledgeable
of the law of inheritance isZayd (ibn Thābit), and
the most
knowledgeable of Judicial decision is ‘Ali, and the most knowledge-able of ḥalāl and ḥarām is Mu‘ādh, and the rightest manner of
speaking isAbū Dharr, and the most truth-worthy
of thisummah is
Abū
‘Ubaydah ‘Ᾱmir ibn al-Jarrāḥ, and the Ḥibrul Ummah –(lit. “Ink of the Nation”
because of
deep
Knowledge) is Abdullah ibn ‘Abbās.
Besides
memorizing the Qur’ān, Ibn ‘Abbās was said to have memorized about 1660 sayings
of the Prophet recorded and authenticated in the collections of Imam Bukhari
and Mulims.
Among Ibn ‘Abbās’s famous sayings are:
- If scholars take (treat)
knowledge properly, as it should be, Allah would love them, as well as the
angels, and pious people among His servants, and people would respect them due
to their merit and the elevated place of knowledge.
-
Good deed will not be complete, unless it is accompanied with three things: do
it quickly, consider it a small thing, trivial, and keep it secret. If you do
it quickly you set it up; if you consider it trivial, you make it great; if you
keep it secret, you treat it with respect.
-
Beware of talking of what concern you if it is not in its proper place, and do
not argue with a foolish man, nor a mild-tempered man, as (if you do so) the
foolish man would hurt you, and the mild-tempered man would detest you.
-
O people who commit sin! Do you know what the sin of Prophet Ayyūb (Job, a.s.)
was, that Allah tested him with his self (sickness) and his wealth? It was
because a poor man asked him to help him, but he did not do it.
At
the later period of his life, Ibn ‘Abbās became blind at old age, probably from
what we call cataract. Mu‘āwiyah who had not been in good term with him, said
to him: أَنْتُمْ يَا بَنِي الْعَبَّاس ,
لَقَدْ فَقَدْتُمْ أَبْصَارَكُمْ (“O you, the descendants of al-’Abbās,
you have lost your eye-sight”). Ibn ‘Abbās replied: وَأَنْتُمْ يَا بَنِي أًمَيَّة , لَقَدْ فَقَدْتُمْ
بَصَائِرَكُمْ (“And you, O the descendants of Umayyah, you
have lost your insight”. The term بَصَائِر is the
plural ofبَصِيْرَة meaning: insight, discernment, (power of)
mental perception. What Ibn ‘Abbās means is that although he lost his eye-sight
for getting old, Mu‘āwiyah and his clan Banī Umayyah are worse, for he and his
clan have lost their mind by rebelling against Ali, the appointed legal
caliph. (CIVIC, 26.04.13)
15. THE MEANINGS OF JIHᾹD AND ITS
DERIVATIVES
The term jihād
is derived from the verb jahada, yajhadu meaning: to endeavour, strive,
take pains, to over-work, exhaust (one self). The verb jāhada, yujāhidu
means: to endeavour, to strive. Its verbal noun is jihād, if for the
path of Allah, in defending Islam, then it means arm struggles, fighting for
Islam.
According
to mufassirīn (commentators of the Qur’ān), the term jihād and
its derivatives in the Qur’an have three kinds and meanings, as follows:
1. الجِهَادُ بِاْلقَوْل (jihād
through saying, statement), e.g.:
فَلَا
تُطِعِ الْكَافِرِينَ وَجَاهِدْهُمْ بِهِ جِهَادًا كَبِيرًا ( الفرقان:52)
So
obey not the disbelievers, but strive against
them (by preaching) with the utmost endeavour
with it (the Qur’an) (Q.
25:52)
يَا أَيُّهَا
النَّبِيُّ جَاهِدِ الْكُفَّارَ وَالْمُنَافِقِينَ وَاغْلُظْ عَلَيْهِمْ
وَمَأْوَاهُمْ
جَهَنَّمُ وَبِئْسَ
الْمَصِيرُ (التوبة:73)
O Prophet (Muhammad)! Strive hard
against
the disbelieversand the hypocrites, and
be harsh against them, their abode is Hell,--and worst
indeed is that destination.
(Q. 9:73)
2. الجِهَادُ بِاْلعَمَل (jihād through doing good deeds), such as:
وَمَنْ جَاهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا يُجَاهِدُ لِنَفْسِهِ إِنَّ
اللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ (العنكبوت :6)
and
whosoever strives, he strives only for himself.
Verily,
Allah stands not in need of any of the alamin
(mankind,
jinn, and all that exists) (Q. 29:6)
وَالَّذِينَ
جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمَعَ
الْمُحْسِنِينَ ( العنكبوت:69)
And for
those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause),
We will surely guide them to Our Paths (i.e.,
Allah’s
religion—Islamic
Monotheism). And verily,
Allah is
with the good doers (Q.
29:69)
3.
الجِهَادُ بِاْلسًلاح
(jihād through fighting
with arms), e.g.:
لَا يَسْتَوِي
الْقَاعِدُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ غَيْرُ أُولِي الضَّرَرِ وَالْمُجَاهِدُونَ فِي
سَبِيلِ
اللَّهِ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنْفُسِهِمْ
فَضَّلَ اللَّهُ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ
وَأَنْفُسِهِمْ
عَلَى الْقَاعِدِينَ دَرَجَةً وَكُلًّا وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْحُسْنَى وَفَضَّلَ
اللَّهُ
الْمُجَاهِدِينَ عَلَى الْقَاعِدِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا (النساء:95)
Not equal are those of the believers who sit (at
home), except
those who are disabled (by injury
or are
blind or lame), and those who strive hard
and fight
in the Cause of Allah with their wealth
and their
lives. Allah has preferred in grades those who strive hard and fight with their
wealth and
their lives
to those who sit (at home). To each,
Allah has
promised good (Paradise), but Allah
has
preferred those who wrive hard and
fight, to
those who sit (at home)
by a huge reward. (Q. 4:95)
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هَلْ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَى
تِجَارَةٍ تُنْجِيكُمْ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
.تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَتُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ
وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ
ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (الصف: 10-11)
O you who believe! Shall I guide you to
a trade that will save you
from a painful torment? That you believe in Allah and
His Messenger (Muhammad), and that you strive hard and fight in the Cause of
Allah
with your wealth and your lives: that will be better
for you, if youbut know! (Q.
61:10-11)
The
early scholar al-Rāghib al-Asfahānī (d. ca. 524/1138), divided jihād
into three categories: strive against physical enemies, strive against
Satan, and strive against the soul (i.e., controlling oneself). He said
that these three categories are included in the following verses:
وَجَاهِدُوا فِي اللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِ هُوَ
اجْتَبَاكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ
مِنْ حَرَجٍ مِلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ
...(الحج:78)
And strive
hard in Allah’s Cause as you ought to
Strive (with
sincerity and with all our efforts that
His Name should
be superior). He has chosen you
(to convey
His Message of Islamic Monotheism to mankind by inviting them to His religion
of Islam),
and has not
laid upon you in religion any hard-
ship; it is
the religion of your father Ibrahim (Abraham) (Islamic Monotheism)… (Q. 22:78)
انْفِرُوا خِفَافًا وَثِقَالًا وَجَاهِدُوا بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ
فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكُمْ
خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (التوبة:41)
March
forth, whether you are light (being healthy, young, and wealthy) or heavy
(being ill, old and
poor), and strive hard with your wealth and
your
lives in the Cause of Allah. This is better
for
you, if you but
knew. (Q. 9:41)
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا
بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنْفُسِهِمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ
آَوَوْا وَنَصَرُوا أُولَئِكَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ
بَعْضٍ ... (الأنفال:72)
Verily, those who believed, and
emigrated and
Strove hard and fought with their
property and
their lives in the Cause of Allah as
well as those
who gave (them) asylum and help, --these
are (all) allies to one another…(Q.
8:72)
Al-Rāghib
al-Asfahānī also cited the sayings of the Prophet s.a.w. as follows:
جَاهِدُوا
اْلكُفَّارَ بِأَيْدِيْكُمْ وَ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ (رواه ابن حبان)
Strive
against disbelievers with your hands and
with your
tongues (Reported by Ibn
Hibban)
Muslim
scholars divide jihād into four levels: (1) incumbent on every Muslim,
namely, struggling against the soul, and struggling against Satan’s temptation;
(2). incumbent on members of the Muslim community who have power to do so, such
as fighting against hypocrites, disbelievers, tyrants, heretics,
liars, and evilfolk. The early Muslim scholar Ibn al-Qayyim divided jihād into
four levels: jihād gainst the soul, against Satan, against disbelievers,
and against hypocrites.
The
jihād against the soul has also four levels: (1) jihād in
learning the truth and guidance. The great earlier scholar al-Hasan al-Basri,
said:
مَا
مِنْ شَيْءٍ مِمَّا خلَقَ اللهُ أَعْظَمُ عِنْدَ اللهِ فِي عَظِيْمِ الثَّوَابِ
مِنْ طَلَبِ عِلْمٍ،
لاَ
حَجّ، وَلَا عُمْرَة، وَلَا جِهَاد، وَلَا صَدَقَة، وَلَا عِتْق، وَلَوْ كَانَ
اْلعِلْمُ صُوْرَةً
لَكَانَتْ
صُوْرَتُهُ أَحْسَنَ مِنْ صُورَةِ الشَّمْسِ وَالْقَمَرِوَالنُّجُوْمِ وَالسَّمَاء
وَاْلعَرْشِ
Nothing among the creations of Allah is greater
for Allah in its great reward more than seeking
knowledge, neither a hajj, an ‘umrah,
jihād,
giving charity, nor freeing a slave; if knowledge
had a picture it would be better than the
picture of the sun, the moon, the stars
the sky and the Throne (of Allah)
Al-Imam al-Shafi’i said:
لَيْسَ
بَعْدَ اْلفَرَائِضِ شَيْءٌ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ طَلَبِ اْلعِلْمِ، قِيْلَ لَهُ:
وَلَا
اْلجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيْلِ الله؟ قَالَ: وَلَا اْلجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيْلِ الله
“After religious injunctions there is
nothing
better than seeking knowledge.” He was
asked:
“Not even the jihād in the Cause of Allah?”
He
said: “Not even the jihād in the Cause
of Allah.”
(2)
jihād by practising what has been learned, as without which there would
be no benfit from learning it; (3) jihād by teaching and propagating
what has been learned and practised, as hiding the guidance that has been
learned and practised without disseminating and teaching people would be
useless and would not protect one from Hellfire; (4) jihād by being
patience facing any hardship in propagating and teaching the path to Allah.
The jihād against the
disbelievers and hypocrites: It has also
four levels: (1) jihād by the heart, meaning that we disagree for what
they do and believe; (2) jihād by the tongue, meaning that we speak the
truth and spread the word of Islam with our tongue; (3) jihād by the
wealth, meaning that we spend our wealth for the defence of Islam, and (4) jihād
by the hand, meaning that we defend Islam with fighting if necessary.
The jihād against tyrants, innovators, and wrong-doers
has also three levels: (1) jihād by
the hands, namely, by using force if possible; otherwise, (2) jihād by the
tongue, expressing the tyranny, innovations and wrong-doings of the tyrants,
innovators, and wrong-doers. This can be done in many ways: speaking in
seminars, public lectures, peaceful demonstrations, writing in newspapers,
magazines, etc. The Prophet s.a.w. said:
أَلَا إِنَّ أَفْضَلَ
الْجِهَادِ كَلِمَةُ عَدْلٍ عِنْدَ سُلْطَانٍ جَائِر (رواه ابن ماجة)
Verily, the
best Jihād is the word of
Justice in front of the oppressive Sultan
[ruler]. (Reported by Ibn Mājah)
If this is also not
possible, then (3) jihād by the heart, disproving these wrong-doings,
and asking Allah’s guidance and protection.
The contemporary scholar Dr. Muhammad
al-Nābulsī divided jihād into four categories:
1. جِهَادُ النَّفْسِ وَالْهَوَى وَ
هُوَ اْلجِهَادُ اْلأَسَاسِيّ (Jihād against the soul and passion, and this is the basic
jihād). It is because a person who cannot control himself and his soul
will become a defeated person, and such a person cannot even face an ant.
2. الْجِهَادُ الدَّعَوِيَ
(Jihād by means of da’wah, propagation). This kind of jihād is
calling people to Allah’s Cause, teaching the Qur’an, explaining the Sunnah of
the Prophet, and explaining the laws dealing with fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence).
3. 2. الْجِهَادُ اْلبَنَّائِيّ (Jihād in the field of building and
development). In this kind of jihād, as a Muslim you are required to
participate in building and developing the community and the country, to “leave
an imprint in life, and if you do not, then you become an extra person (only)
in this life (for contributing nothing to the community), namely, you have to
become an excellent physician, an excellent engineer, an outstanding university
professor, a remarkable writer, a superior manufacturer, we need them, we need
selected people to participate in building the ummah (Muslim community)”
4. 2. الْجِهَادُ اْلقِتَالِيّ (Jihād by arm fighting in the way
of Allah). If we succeed in the three kinds of jihād mentioned above, jihād
against the soul, jihād in the field of da’wah, jihād in
building and developing the Muslim ummah, then it is expected that we
shall succeed in the jihād by fighting the enemies. (CIVIC,19.04.13)
المراجع:
1. الدامغاني,
الوجوه والنظائر في القرأن الكريم
2. ابن الحوزي, الوجوه والنظائر في القرأن الكريم
3. المكتبة الشاملة
4.
الراغب الأصفهاني , المفردات
Wikipedia. 5
16. ṢADAQAH IN ISLAM
Definition
of Ṣadaqah
Ṣadaqah
(pl. ṣadaqāt) literally means: “alms, charitable gift; almsgiving,
charity”. In Islamic law it is divided into two categories: (1) legally
prescribed alms tax, also called zakāt, either for one’s wealth, called zakāt
al-mal ( wealth tax ) paid annually, or for oneself, called zakāt al-fiṭr
(self-tax), paid at the end of the month of Ramadan; for convenience both
are paid at the same time. (2) voluntary contribution of alms, freewill
offering. It also includes in this category, voluntary good deeds. Every good
deed, including giving charity, either voluntary or obligatory, Allah promises
reward for it.
Voluntary ṣadaqah includes
saying good things, such as the dhikr (remembering Allah) by
repeating the tasbīh (glorification of Allah), namely, Subḥān Allah (“Glory
to Allah”), the taḥmīd (praising Allah) namely, Alḥamdu Lillāh (“praise
be to Allah”), the takbīr, namely, Allāhu Akbar (“Allah is
Great”), the istighfār (asking
Allah’s forgiveness), namely, Astaghfirullāh (“I ask Allah’s
foregiveness), and greeting someone we meet with Assalāmu ‘Alaykum (“Peace
be upon you”). It includes the taḥlīl, namely, saying lā ilāha
illallāh (“there is no god but Allah”). It includes al-amr bil-ma‘rūf (urging
people to do good deeds) and naḥy ‘an al-munkar (prohibiting from doing
bad deeds).
Voluntary ṣadaqah dealing with
doing good things includes smiling at a Muslim brother or sister we meet,
removing harmful things from the street, helping the needy, leading a lost
person to the right way, and lending money, etc. It includes controlling
oneself from doing bad things when there is chance to do so. It includes the
plants and fruit eaten by birds, and animals, even stolen by people. It
includes entertaining a guest over three days.
It includes the expense, the cost of living, maintenance given to one’s
family, as well as spiritual and physical needs between husband and wife.
Contribution
and donation also belong to ṣadaqah, such as in teaching the Qur’an, in
propagating Islam, teaching people about Islam through distributing books,
pamphlets to Muslims and non-Muslims, in
writing about Islam in magazines,
newspapers, and internet, in building schools, mosques, and Islamic centres.
Virtues
and Benefits of Ṣadaqah
1. It
extinguishes Allah’s anger. The Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said:
إنَّ
صَدَقَةُ السِّرِّ تُطْفِئُ غَضَبَ الرَّبِّ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى (رواه الطبراني)
Verily, charity given in secrecy
extinguishes Allah’s anger.
2.
It erases the mistake, like water extinguishes fire.
وَالصَّدَقَةُ
تُطْفِئُ الْخَطِيئَةَ كَمَا يُطْفِئُ الْمَاءُ النَّارَ....
(رواه أحمد و البييهقي و النسا ئي و
الطبراني)
Charity
erases the mistake, like water extringuishes fire.
(Reported
by Ahmad, al-Bayhaqī, al-Nasā’ī, and al-Ṭabrānī)
3. It
is protection from Hellfire. The Prophet said
اتَّقُوا النَّارَ
وَلَوْ بِشِقِّ تَمْرَةٍ، فَمَنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ فَبِكَلِمَةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ
(رواه البخاري ومسلم)
Fear
Hellfire, even with a piece of date (as charity),
but he who does not have, then with a nice word
(Reported
by Bukhari and Muslim)
4.
It will become a
protecting umbrella in the Hereafter. In a long tradition, the Prophet said
that there are seven kinds of people who would be protected by Allah with shade
in the Hereafter, among whom are people who give charity secretly. He said …
وَرَجُلٌ تَصَدَّقَ
بِصَدَقَةٍ فَأَخْفَاهَا حَتَّى لَا تَعْلَمَ شِمَالُهُ مَا تُنْفِقُ يَمِينُهُ
(رواه البخاري و مسلم و غيرهما)
… and a man gives charity secretly, so
that his left hand does not know what
his right hand is spending
(Reported
by Bukhari, Muslim and others)
5.
It is a
treatment for physical ailment:
The
Prophet said:
...وَدَاوُوا مَرْضَاكُمْ بِالصَّدَقَةَ ...
(رواه الطبراني وأبو داؤد)
… and treat your sick people with giving charity…
(Reported
by al-Ṭabrānī, and Abü Dā’ūd)
A man complained to the great scholar Ibn
al-Mubarak that ulcer had came out from his knee since seven years ago. He had
been treated with many kinds of medicine, but failed. Ibn al-Mubārak suggested
to him to dig a well in an area where water was needed, and hoped that its
water would treat his illness. The man
did, and he was cured.
6.
Treatment for
mental ailment (the
sickness of the heart)
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَة أَنَّ
رَجُلًا شَكَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَسْوَةَ
قَلْبِهِ فَقَالَ
لَهُ إِنْ أَرَدْتَ تَلْيِينَ قَلْبِكَ فَأَطْعِمْ الْمِسْكِينَ وَامْسَحْ رَأْسَ
الْيَتِيمِ
(رواه أحمد و
الطبراني و النسائي و البيهقي)
Abu Hurayrah narrated that a man complained to the
Messenger of Allah s.a.w. about the cruelty of his heart. He said to him: “If
you want to soften your heart, then
feed the poor and rub the head of the orphans [meaning have mercy on them and
help them.”
(Reporte by
Ahmad, al-Ṭabrānī, al-Nasā’ī and
al-Bayhaqī)
7. It
is a kind of ransom from disaster.Prophet Yahya a.s. (John the Baptist)
advised his followers among the Children of Israel to give charity, as it is
like a ransom for one who is on the point of being executed.
8. It
is a means to obtain the true nature of birr (righteousness). Allah
says:
) لَن تَنَالُواْ الْبِرَّ حَتَّى تُنفِقُواْ
مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ (آل عمران:92
By no means shalol you attain al-birr (piety,
righteousness—here means Allah’s reward, i.e.
Paradise), unless you spend (in Allah’s Cause)
of that which you love…(Q. 3:92)
9.
An angel will pray for people who give charity with
prosperity. The Prophet s.a.w. said:
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَة أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ
وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ إِنَّ مَلَكًا بِبَابٍ مِنْ
أَبْوَابِ السَّمَاءِ يَقُولُ مَنْ يُقْرِضْ الْيَوْمَ يُجْزَى غَدًا
وَمَلَكًا بِبَابٍ آخَرَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ أَعْطِ مُنْفِقًا خَلَفًا وَعَجِّلْ
لِمُمْسِكٍ تَلَفًا (روام البيهقي والحاكم
و النسائي)
Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah
s.a.w. said:
“Verily, an angel at one of the doors of Heaven says: ‘Whoever
gives
a (good) loan (as charity) today will be rewarded tomorrow,’
and another angel
says: ‘O Allah,give the alms-giver substitute
, and give loss
immediately to withholder (from giving charity).’”
(Reported by al-Bayhaqī, al-Ḥākim and al-Nasā’ī)
10.
There is blessing in giving charity. The Prophet
Muhammad s.a.w. said
مَا نَقَصَتْ
صَدَقَةٌ مِنْ مَالٍ ... (رواه مسلم و أحمد)
Wealth will not be reduced by charity
(Reported
by Ahmad)
11.
What remains from charity is that which has been spent
in charity. Allah says:
وَمَا
تُنفِقُواْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَلأنفُسِكُم (البقرة:272)
….And whatever you spend of good, it is for
yourselves… (Q. 272).
وَلَمَّا
سَأَلَ النَّبِيُّ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا عَنِ الشَّاةِ الَّتِي
ذَبَحُوْهَا مَا بَقِىَ مِنْهَا:
قَالَتْ:
مَا بَقِىَ مِنْهَا إِلَّا كَتِفُهَا. قَالَ: بَقِيَ كُلُّهَا غَيْرَ كَتِفِهَا
(رواه مسلم)
When
the Prophet asked ‘A’ishah r.a. about the remains of the slaughtered sheep, she said that what remained was its
shoulder,
but he told her that all remained except its shoulder.
(Reported
by Muslim)
12.
The reward of
giving charity will be multiplied. Allah says:
إِنَّ
الْمُصَّدِّقِينَ وَالْمُصَّدِّقَاتِ وَأَقْرَضُوا اللَّهَ قَرْضاً حَسَناً
يُضَاعَفُ لَهُمْ
وَلَهُمْ أَجْرٌ
كَرِيم (الحديد :18)
Verily,
those who give sadaqat (i.e. zakat and alms), men and women, and lend Allah a
good loan, it shall be increased manifold (to their credit), and theirs shall
be an honourable good reward (i.e., Paradise) (Q.
57:180)
مّنْ
ذَا الَّذِي يُقْرِضُ اللّهَ قَرْضاً حَسَناً فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ أَضْعَافاً
كَثِيرَةً وَاللّهُ
يَقْبِضُ وَيَبْسُطُ وَإِلَيْهِ
تُرْجَعُونَ (البقرة:245)
Who
is he that will lend Allah goodly loan so that He may multiply it to him many
time? And it is Allah that decreases or increases (your provisions), and to Him
you shall return (Q.
2:245)
13.
There is a special door of Paradise from which the
people who spent charity will be called. The Prophet said:
عَنْ
أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ
وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ مَنْ أَنْفَقَ زَوْجَيْنِ
فِي
سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ نُودِيَ فِي الْجَنَّةِ يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ هَذَا خَيْرٌ فَمَنْ
كَانَ مِنْ أَهْلِ
الصَّلَاةِ
دُعِيَ مِنْ بَابِ الصَّلَاةِ وَمَنْ كَانَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجِهَادِ دُعِيَ
مِنْ بَابِ
الْجِهَادِ
وَمَنْ كَانَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الصَّدَقَةِ دُعِيَ مِنْ بَابِ الصَّدَقَةِ وَمَنْ كَانَ
مِنْ
أَهْلِ
الصِّيَامِ دُعِيَ مِنْ بَابِ الرَّيَّانِ فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ
الصِّدِّيقُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا
عَلَى
مَنْ يُدْعَى مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأَبْوَابِ مِنْ ضَرُورَةٍ فَهَلْ يُدْعَى أَحَدٌ مِنْ
هَذِهِ
الْأَبْوَابِ
كُلِّهَا قَالَ نَعَمْ وَأَرْجُو أَنْ تَكُونَ مِنْهُمْ (رواه البخاري و مسلم)
Abu Hurayrah narrated that theMessenger of
Allah s.a.w. said: “Whoeverspends
a pair of (of livestock) in the path of Allah he would be called in Paradise, ‘O, Abd Allah, this is good.’ Whoever belonged to the people
of prayer, he would be alled from the door of the prayer; whoever belonged to the people of jihad, he would be
called fromthe door of the jihad;
whoever belonged to people of alms-giving, he would be called from the door of the Alms-giving; and whoever belonged to the
people of fasting, he would be called from the door of Rayyan (the
well-watered).” ThenAbu Bakr, asked: “O Messenger of Allah, is it necessary that one would be called from
these doors? Wouldsomeone be
callef from all these doors?”He said: “Yes, and I hope you would be one of them.”
(Reported
by Bukhari and Muslim)
14.
It purifies wealth, clear it from dirt because of
foolish talk, oath, lying, and carelessness.
عَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ
أَبِي غَرَزَةَ قَالَ كُنَّا نَبْتَاعُ الْأَوْسَاقَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ
وَكُنَّا نُسَمِّي أَنْفُسَنَا
السَّمَاسِرَةَ فَأَتَانَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ
صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَسَمَّانَا بِاسْمٍ أَحْسَنَ مِمَّا
كُنَّا نُسَمِّي
أَنْفُسَنَا بِهِ فَقَالَ يَا مَعْشَرَ التُّجَّارِ إِنَّ هَذَا الْبَيْعَ
يَحْضُرُهُ اللَّغْوُ
وَالْحَلِفُ
فَشُوبُوهُ بِالصَّدَقَةِ (رواه أحمد والنسائي وابن ماجة، و البيهقي )
In
a hadith on the authority of Qays ibn Abī
Arazah
he said : We were doing business in
Madinah and we used to call ourselves brokers. When the
Messenger of Allah was passing by
he
gave us a better name, and said: “Oh you tradesmen, this business is
accompanied with foolish talk and oath; so mix it with
charity.” (Reported by Ahmad, al-Nasa’ī,
Ibn
Majah and al-Bayhaqi)
Conditions for the Acceptance of
Charity
It has to be
good, clean. It has to be given with sincerity and good intention, seeking solely the pleasure of Allah. It should not be
accompanied with lie, and offence.
Best Types of Charity
1. It
is spent in secrecy unless it cannot be avoided, such as building schools, mosques,
etc. But helping the poor is preferably in secrecy, to avoid humilialing and
embarrassing them for being poverty, and to avoid showing off by the giver.
Allah said:
إِن
تُبْدُواْ الصَّدَقَاتِ فَنِعِمَّا هِىَ وَإِن تُخْفُوهَا وَتؤْتُوهَا الفُقَرَاءِ
فَهُوَ
خَيرٌ لَّكُمْ )البقرة:271)
If you disclose your alms-giving, it is well;
but if you conceal them and give them to the
poor, that is better for you (Q. 2:271).
2. It
is spent when one is in good health rather than spending it when one is sick or
is dying, or through will. The Prophet said:
أَبُو
هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى
اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ:
يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَيُّ الصَّدَقَةِ
أَعْظَمُ أَجْرًا؟ قَالَ: «أَنْ تَصَدَّقَ وَأَنْتَ صَحِيحٌ شَحِيحٌ
تَخْشَى الفَقْرَ، وَتَأْمُلُ الغِنَى، وَلاَ
تُمْهِلُ حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَتِ الحُلْقُومَ، قُلْتَ لِفُلاَنٍ
كَذَا،
وَلِفُلاَنٍ كَذَا وَقَدْ كَانَ لِفُلاَنٍ (رواه البخاري و مسلم)
Abu Hurayrah r.a. narrated that a man came to
The Prophet s.a.w. and said: “O Messenger of Allah, which charity has
the greatest reward?” He said: “You give charity while you are healthy, in
scarcity, fearing poverty, and expecting richness; so do not delay until you
are dying, then you
say that this and this is for so-and-so, …
(Reported
by Bukhari and Muslim)
What the Prophet
means is that the best charity is you give what you need yourself, not when you
do not need it any more, not when you are dying you start giving charity.
Similar to this is the classical Arabic proverb, saying أَتَاكَ رَيَّانَ بِلَبَنِه (“He
came to you with his milk while he himself is sated with drink”).
3.
It is spent
after fulfilling the spending obligation. Allah said:
وَيَسْئَلُونَكَ
مَاذَا يُنفِقُونَ قُلِ العَفْوَ
[البقرة:219]
…
And they ask you what they ought to spend.
Say: “That which is beyond your needs...”
(Q.
2:219)
4. It
is preferable to spend charity to one’s family. The Prophet s.a.w. said:
إِذَا
أَنْفَقَ المُسْلِمُ نَفَقَةً عَلَى أَهْلِهِ، وَهُوَ يَحْتَسِبُهَا، كَانَتْ لَهُ
صَدَقَةً
)رواه
البخاري و مسلم(
If a man gives maintenance to his
family,
expecting Allah’s pleasure, it becomes
charity for him
(Reported
by Bukhari and Muslim)
The
Prophet also said:
أَرْبَعَةُ
دَنَانِيرَ:
دِينَارًا أَعْطَيْتَهُ مِسْكِينًا وَدِينَارًا أَعْطَيْتَهُ فِي رَقَبَةٍ
وَدِينَارًا
أَنْفَقْتَهُ
فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَدِينَارًا
أَنْفَقْتَهُ عَلَى أَهْلِكَ أَفْضَلُهَا الَّذِي أَنْفَقْتَهُ
علَىَ
أَهْلِك (رواه مسلم).
There are
four dinars: one dinar you give it to
a poor, one
dinar you spend it to free slaves,
one dinar you spend in the
path of Allah,
and one dinar on your family, the best
among them is the dinar you spent for
your family
(Reported by
Muslim)
The Prophet s.a.w. also said:
الصَّدَقَةُ عَلَى الْمِسْكِينِ صَدَقَةٌ،
وَهِيَ عَلَى ذِي الرَّحِمِ ثِنْتَانِ: صَدَقَةٌ وَصِلَةٌ
(رواه
أحمد والنسائي والترمذي وابن ماجة)
Charity to
the poor is charity, but to poor
relatives it is both charity and kinship
(Reported by
Ahmad, al-Nasā’ī,
al-Tirmidhī, and Ibn Mājah)
Among relatives priority should be goven to
(1) the orphans among them, and (2) whom secret enmity from them is suspected.
Allah said:
فَلَا
اقْتَحَمَ الْعَقَبَةَ . وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا الْعَقَبَةُ . فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ . أَوْ
إِطْعَامٌ فِي يَوْمٍ
ذِي
مَسْغَبَةٍ. يَتِيمًا ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ . أَوْ مِسْكِينًا ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍ
(البلد:11-16)
But he hasw
not attempted to pass on the path
that is steep (i.e., the path which will lead to good-
ness and success). And what will make you
know the
path that is steep? (It is) freeing
a neck
(slave). Or giving food in a day of
hunger
(famine), to an orphan near of kin.
Or to
miskīn (needy) cleaving to dust
(out of
misery). (Q. 90:11-16)
The Prophet s.a.w. said:
أَفْضَلُ
الصَّدَقَةِ عَلَى ذِي الرَّحِمِ الْكَاشِحِ (رواه أحمد وأبو داود والترمذي )
The best charity is to the relatives
who harbor
secret enmity.
(Reported by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and al-Tirmidhi)
5. Charity
to the neighbour. Allah advises Muslims to do good to people, among them are
the neighbours. He says:
وَالْجَارِ ذِي
القُرْبَى وَالْجَارِ الجُنُبِ
(النساء:36)
…the neighbor who is near of kin, the
neighbour
who is a
stranger… (Q. 4:36)
The
Prophet s.a.w. advised Abῡ Dharr, that if he makes a soup he should give
more water to his soup to be shared by his neighbours.
6. Charity
to a friend who is in the path of Allah. The Prophet said:
أَفْضَلُ
الدَّنَانِيرِ دِينَارٌ أَنْفَقَهُ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى عِيَالِهِ، وَدِينَارٌ
أَنْفَقَهُ عَلَى دَابَّتِهِ فِي
سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ، وَدِينَارٌ أَنْفَقَهُ عَلَى
أَصْحَابِهِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ (رواه أبو داؤد)
The best
dinars are: that which is spent by
the man for
his family, for his animal in the path
of Allah, and for his friend in the path of
Allah.
(Reported by
Muslim)
7.
Charity for jihād
in the path of Allah, as mentioned in many Qur’anic verses: (Q. 9:41, 88-89; 49:15; 57:10-11).
8. Perpetual
charity (ṣadaqah jāriyah), which remains after the death of its giver,
and with continuous reward. The Prophet said:
إِذَا مَاتَ الْإِنْسَانُ انْقَطَعَ عَمَلُهُ
إِلَّا مِنْ ثَلَاثٍ: صَدَقَةٍ جَارِيَةٍ، أَوْ عِلْمٍ يُنْتَفَعُ
بِهِ، أَوْ وَلَدٍ صَالِحٍ يَدْعُو لَهُ (رواه
الطبراني و ابن حبان و البيهقي)
If a man
dies his deed ceases except in three
things:perpetual charity, knowledge for which
people get benefit,and a son (daughter) who
prays for him (Reported by al-Tabrani,
Ibn Hibban, and al-Bayhaqi)
Some examples of perpetual charity are: making public wells where their water is for
everybody; building mosques, houses for orphans and widows, disseminating
knowledge, etc. The Prophet s.a.w. said:
مَنْ بَنَى مَسْجِدًا يَبْتَغِي بِهِ وَجْهَ اللَّهِ بَنَى اللهُ لَهُ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ
(رواه البخاري ومسلم)
Whoever
built a mosque, Allah will built
a house for him in Paradise
(Reported by Bukhari and Muslim)
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ
صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : إِنَّ مِمَّا
يَلْحَقُ الْمُؤْمِنَ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ وَحَسَنَاتِهِ
بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ عِلْمًا عَلَّمَهُ وَنَشَرَهُ،
وَوَلَدًا صَالِحًا تَرَكَهُ، وَمُصْحَفًا
وَرَّثَهُ، أَوْ مَسْجِدًا بَنَاهُ، أَوْ بَيْتًا لِابْنِ
السَّبِيلِ بَنَاهُ، أَوْ نَهْرًا أَجْرَاهُ، أَوْ صَدَقَةً
أَخْرَجَهَا مِنْ
مَالِهِ فِي صِحَّتِهِ وَحَيَاتِهِ، يَلْحَقُهُ مِنْ
بَعْدِ مَوْتِهِ
(رواه ابن ماجة)
Abu
Hurayrah r.a. narrated that the
Messenger
of Allah said: “Verily, the
good
deeds that follow a believer after his
death are
knowledge he taught and disseminated,
or a pious
son he left behind, or a mushaf of the Qur’an he bequeathed, or a mosque he built, or
a house
for wayfarers he built, or a stream he
caused to
run, or charity he gave while he
was healthy
and alive, they will
follow him
after his death.
(Reported by Ibn
Majah)
(CIVIC,
24.05.13)
Bibliography:
Al-Maktabah al-Shamilah
http://majdah.maktoob.com/vb/majdah65284/
http://www.kalemat.org/sections.php?so=va&aid=425
17.
ABDULLAH IBN ‘ABBᾹS (2)
Ibn ‘Abbās, as an
eminent scholar in various branches of Islamic knowledge is reflected in the
following story:
The
rulers of Rome once sent a letter to Mu’āwiyah containing a number of
questions. He asked Abdullah Ibn Abbās to give the answers. The questions and his answers are as follows:
Q.: Which are the five phrases most loved by
Allah?
A.:
1. La ilāha illallāh (“there is no god but Allah”), as the action is only
accepted by Allah if it is accompanied with īmān (faith in tawḥīd, the oneness
of Allah). 2. Subḥānallāh (“Glory to Allah”), as it is the salutation of
Allah’s creature to Him. 3. Al-ḥamdu lillāh (“praise be to Allah”), as
an expression of praise and appreciation. 4. Allāhu Akbar (“Allah is
Great” or “Allah is the Greatest”) cited many times during the performance of
the prayer: when the prayer is started, when bowing and prostrating. 5. Lā ḥawla
wa lā quwwata illā billāh (“There is no power and no strength save in
Allah”).
Q.: Which man and woman were the most esteemed
servants of Allah?
A.: Adam a.s. was the most esteemed man,
as he was created by Allah with His own hands, and taught the names of things
by Him. The most esteemed among women was Maryam (Mary) the daughter if ‘Imrān,
because she guarded her chastity.
Q.
: What four things had souls but never in the wombs of mothers?
A.: Adam a.s., Ḥawwā’ (Eve), the
staff of Prophet Mῡsā (Moses) a.s. which turned into a serpent, and the
ram brought to be sacrificed as substitute of Isma’il (Ishmael) a.s.
Q.: Which grave that
moved around with its inmate?
A.:
The fish that swallowed Prophet Yūnus (Jonah) a.s.
Q.: Which portion of the earth was exposed to the
sun only once?
A.
The portion of the sea which split open for the Banu Isra’il to pass through.
Q. What is the status of the Milky Way?
A. The Milky Way is the
one of the doors of the sky.
Q. What is the origin
of the rainbow?
A.
It is a sign showing that after the people of Nuh (Noah) a.s, no other nation
would be destroyed by being drowned in a similar manner.
One
day Nāfi‘ bin Azraq and Najdah ibn ‘Uwaymir went with a group of leaders of
Khawarij people seeking knowledge until they reached Makkah. Suddenly they saw
Abdullah ibn ‘Abbās sitting beside the well of Zamzam, wearing a red cloak and
a white shirt. They saw people standing and asking him questions on the tafsīr
(interpretation, commentary) of the Qur’an. They asked, “O Ibn ‘Abbās, what
do you say about such-and-such, and he answered, such-and-such.”
Nāfi‘ bin Azraq said to him: “How dare you, O Ibn ‘Abbās ,
to say what you have said…! [meaning, giving interpretation of the Qur’an]”.
“May
your mother bereave you, O Nāfi‘,” answered Ibn ‘Abbās. [ثَكِلَتْكَ
أُمُّكَ, was a
common expression of disappointment towards someone among the Arabs in the
past, i.e., “may you die” a prayer but not wished to happen]. “Would you
like me to tell you about a person who is darer, bolder than me?”
“Who is he, O Ibn ‘Abbās?” asked Nāfi‘
“A man who talks about something which he has no
knowledge of it, or a man who conceals a knowledge he knows,” answered Ibn ‘Abbās.
Ibn ‘Abbās himself
narrated,
قَالَ
رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَنْ قَالَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ
بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ
فَلْيَتَبَوَّأْ مَقْعَدَهُ مِنْ النَّارِ (رواه أحمد)
The Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever
says (something) about the Qur’an without
(proper) knowledge, should prepare
his seat in the Hellfire.’
(Reported
by Ahmad)
Allah Himself threatens those who conceal the truth
with punishment. He says:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَا أَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ
وَالْهُدَى مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا بَيَّنَّاهُ لِلنَّاسِ
فِي
الْكِتَابِ أُولَئِكَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَلْعَنُهُمُ اللاعِنُونَ
(الْبَقَرَة: 159) .
Verily, those who conceal the clear proofs,
Evidences and the guidance, which We have
sent down, afer We have made it clear for
the people in the
Book, they are the
ones
cursed by Allah and cursed
by
the cursers. (Q. 2:159)
He also says:
وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا
الْكِتَابَ لَتُبَيِّنُنَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ
وَلا تَكْتُمُونَهُ... (آل عمرَان: 187)
And
(remember) when Allah took a covenant
from those
who were given the Scripture (Jews
and
Christians) to make it )the news of (the coming of Prophet Muhammad and the
religious
knowledge)known and clear to mankind, and not to hide it…(Q. 3:187)
Abu
Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet s.a.w. said:
مَنْ سُئِلَ عَنْ عِلْمٍ يَعْلَمُهُ فَكَتَمَهُ، أُلْجِمَ يَوْمَ
الْقِيَامَةِ بِلِجَامٍ مِنْ نَارٍ حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ
Whoever
is asked knowledge which he knows
then he
concealed it, a bridle of fire would be
put on him
in the Judgment Day.”
However, the Prophet explained that the knowledge
intended here is the important one dealing with religion and the application of
the shari’ah. For example, if someone asks us about alcohol in Islam, and we
know it is ḥarām (prohibited)
then we keep silent. Not something unimportant, or something which we have to
keep secret, which would be dangerous to reveal to the questioner. So, when Ibn
‘Abbās meant that he did nothing wrong in explaining the meanings of difficult
verses of the Qur’an, Nāfi‘ said:
“You are right, but I come to ask you”
“Ask me,” said Ibn ‘Abbās .
Nāfi‘
asked Ibn ‘Abbās the meanings of 287
difficult words in the Qur’an, and to refer them to the poetry. These questions
and answered were collected in a form of a book entitled Masā’il
Nāfi‘ bin al-Azraq (“Nāfi‘ bin al-Azraq’s Questions”)
Some examples of these questions are as follows:
Nāfi‘ : Tell me about the verse
مَا لَكُمْ لَا تَرْجُونَ لِلَّهِ وَقَارًا (نوح : ١٣)
What is the matter with you that you do not
fear Allah’s majesty. (Q. 71:13).
Ibn ‘Abbās , said: … “[What is the matter with you
that] you are not afraid of the majesty of your Lord”
“Did the Arabs know it?”, asked Nāfi‘.
“Yes,” said Ibn ‘Abbās , “haven’t you heard Abū
Dhu’ayb al-Hudhalī ( d. ca. 28/649), said in his poem,
إذا لَسَعَتْهُ النّحْلُ لمَ يَرْجُ لَسْعَهاَ * وَخَالفَهَا فَي بَيْتِ نُوْبٍ عَوَاسِلُ
If the bees
sting him he will not afraid
[will not
care], as it will be compensated
with honey
in the place of misfortune (i.e.,
the stings
of bees in the bee hive).”
[Masā’il, p. 38]?
The term rajā’ means “to hope, to expect”; as a
noun it mean “hope, expectation”. The Arab woman called Rajā’ is
equivalent to the Italian one called Speranza. But in verses like the
one mentioned earlier, the term rajā’ is translated not as “hope”, but
as “fear”. It will be unreasonable that if you take the honey from the beehive,
that you would not expect the bees to attack and sting you. What is reasonable
is that you do not fear, or do not care, of the attack of the bees.
Classical mufassirīn (commentators of the Qur’an),
such as al-Ṭabarī, and Ibn Kathir, both followed the interpretation of Ibn ‘Abbās
in such verses. Al-Qurṭubī and al-Ṭabarsī, also followed Ibn ‘Abbās ’s
interpretation, but they also used “not fearing Allah’s punishment” instead of
“… Allah’s Majesty.” This term has been dealt with in very my early khutbah
(2007) entitled Problems in Translating the Qur’an in Selected Khutab
Vol. 3, no. 31
Another example is that
Nāfi‘ asked Ibn ‘Abbās the meaning of yaḥūra in the
verse: إِنَّه ظَنّ أَنْ لَنْ يَحُوْرَ (الإنشقاق:14) “Verily, he thought that he would never
come back (to Us)” (Q. 84:14). Ibn ‘Abbās said that it means “that they
would never come back”, and cited the poem of Labīd bin Rabī‘ah, as follows:
وَمَا المَرْءُ إِلاَّ كَالشِّهَابِ وَ ضَوْءِهِ *
يَحُوْرُ رَمَاداً بَعْدَ إِذْ هُوَ سَاطِعُ
Man is only
like the shooting star and its light,
it returned ashes after shining.
It is said that the term itself is originally
from the Ethiopian language adopted into Arabic language. [Masā’il,
p. 55]
The Qur’anic commentators al-Qurṭubī and Ibn Kathīr
followed Ibn ‘Abbās ’s interpretation in this verse. Al-Ṭabarī translates it
“he would never be raised” instead of “he would never return (to Us)”.
These two examples are just two out of 287 difficult
words in the Qur’an explained by Ibn ‘Abbās to Nāfi‘ citing as evidence from classical
Arabic poetry. Were Nāfi‘ bin al-Azraq asked more questions Ibn ‘Abbās would
have given him more answers. This indicates his deep knowledge of Arabic
poetry. This also indicates the importance of Arabic poetry in understanding
difficult words of the Qur’an. (CIVIC, 31.05.13)
Bibliography:
Al-Maktabah
al-Shāmilah
Dr.
Muḥammad Aḥmad al-Dālī (ed.), Masā’il Nāfi‘ bin Azraq. Cyprus: Yaffan
& al-Jafi, 1992.
18. ABDULLAH IBN ‘ABBᾹS (3)
Ibn ‘Abbās specified
his method of tafsīr (interpretation of the Qur’an) when he said: “There
are four aspects of tafsīr: known by the Arabs from their language, known to
everyone (no excuse of being ignorant of it), known by scholars, and known by
Allah Alone.” .” (al-Ṭabarī, Jāmi‘
al-Bayān, vol.1, pp. 24-26).
Ibn
‘Abbās also narrated that the Prophet s.a.w. said: “The Qur’an was
revealed in four aspects: ḥalāl (lawful) and ḥarām (prohibited) which should be
known by everybody, known by the Arabs, known by scholars, and known by Allah
Alone. (Ibid.)
The
first aspect is that the Qur’an contains religious exhortations, spiritual
counsels, obligations, and laws which should be learned, practised and taught
by Muslims in general, because it is the constitution of the Shariah.
The
second aspect is the Qur’an is understood by the Arabs themselves, because it
was revealed in their language. They were contemporary of the Prophet, they
witnessed the revelation, where, when, and the condition where the Qur’an was
revealed. Here lies the importance of
knowing and mastering Arabic rhetoric (balāghah), the use of figurative language, such as
metaphors and similes, etc. Knowing classical Arabic literature and the
tradition of the Arabs before Islam would also be helpful in understanding the
verses of the Qur’an. Here also lies the contribution of Ibn Abbās in
understanding difficult words in the Qur’an. One of his books which reached us
is his Kitāb Gharīb al-Qur’ān (“The Meanings of Difficult Words in the
Qur’an”).
The third aspect
is what is known by scholars only, verses dealing with the details of issues
such as the philosophy of being, and the secrets of life. Many non-Muslim
scholars become Muslims when they learn that many verses of the Qur’an explain
something which can only be understood fully in recent times, such as human
embryonic development, the origin of the universe, deep seas and internal
waves, and the formation of clouds. There are many books written on this
subject, such as:
Dr. Maurice Bucaille “The Bible, The Qur’an and Science, The Holy
Scriptures Examined In The Light Of Modern Knowledge.” It has been translated
from French to Arabic, English, Indonesian, Persian, Turkish and German.
I.A. Ibrahim. A Brief Illustrated
Guide to Under-standing Islam. Houston: Darussalam, 1997. It is distributed
free in many mosques and Islamic centres.
The fourth aspect is what is known by
Allah Alone, called (mutashābihāt, ambiguous)) (except, according
to some scholars, if He will reveals it to His chosen people), such as the
meanings of the alphabetical letters in the beginning of some surahs (chapters)
of the Qur’an, such as A-L-M, Ḥ-M.
Ibn ‘Abbās’s Method of
Interpretation is as follows:
1. Referring
to the Qur’an itself in finding the explanation of a particular verse, finding
any indication whether it is general (‘ām) , e.g. including all
human beings, or all Muslims, or specific (khāṣṣ) where its application
is restricted to certain special circumstance only; whether it is “free” (muṭlaq) from any
conditions or circumstances, or “bound” (muqayyad) to special conditions
or circumstances; whether the meaning is derived from its literal wording (manṭūq)
or from what is understood (mafhūm). For example, the following verse:
قَالُوا رَبَّنَا
أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ فَاعْتَرَفْنَا بِذُنُوبِنَا
فَهَلْ إِلَى خُرُوجٍ
مِنْ سَبِيلٍ (غافر:11)
They will say: “Our Lord! You have
made us to die twice, and
you have given
us life twice! Now we
confess our sins,
then
is there any way to get out
(of
the Fire)? (Q. 40:11)
Ibn
‘Abbās gives his commentary of this verse, as follows: “You had been dead
before Allah created you, and this is one death. Then He gave you life, and
this is one life. Then He makes you die, and you go back to the graves, and
this is another death. Then He resurrects you in the Judgment Day, and this is
another life. So, we have two deaths (and two lives), as Allah says:
كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ
بِاللَّهِ وَكُنتُمْ أَمْوَاتاً فَأَحْيَاكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ
ثُمَّ
إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ (البقرة:28)
How can you disbelieve in Allah? Seeing
that
you were dead and He gave you life. Then
He will
give you death, then again will bring you to
life
and then unto Him you will return (Q.
2:28)
2. Taking
asbāb al-nuzūl (lit. “reasons of revelations”) into consideration. It is
investigating the circumstances or particular events which lead to the
revelation of particular verses of the Qur’an.
This science of the Qur’an is extremely important to understand,
“reasons” the verses were revealed. It could be in response to an event, or a
general situation, or in response to a particular question, and other reasons,
either known or unknown to us. Here are some examples:
a. Ibn
‘Abbās wished to know whom among the Prophet’s wives referred to in the verse:
إِنْ تَتُوبَا إِلَى
اللَّهِ فَقَدْ صَغَتْ قُلُوبُكُمَا وَإِنْ تَظَاهَرَا عَلَيْهِ
فَإِنَّ
اللَّهَ هُوَ مَوْلَاهُ وَجِبْرِيلُ وَصَالِحُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ
بَعْدَ
ذَلِكَ ظَهِيرٌ (التحريم:4)
If you two turn in repentance to Allah,
(it will be better for
you), your hearts
are indeed so inclined (to
oppose what
the Prophet likes); but
if you help one
another against him,
then verily, Allah is
his mawlā (Lord, or
Master, or Protector),
and Jibril (Gabriel), and
the righteous
among the believers;
and furthermore,
the angels are his
helpers. (Q. 66:4)
Ibn
‘Abbās had a chance to ask ‘Umar about it when they performed hajj (pilgrimage)
together, where ‘Umar told him that they
were ‘Ᾱ’ishah and Ḥafṣah. It is said that it took him two years to ask ‘Umar,
as he was hesitated because of his (‘Umar’s) dignity.
b. Ibn ‘Abbās learned that verses dealing with
the allegation that the Qur’an was merely the story men of old were revealed in
the case of al-Naḍr ibn
al-Ḥārith. He was the main opponent of the authenticity of the Qur’an as
revelation from Allah. Ibn ‘Abbās said that people came to al-Naḍr ibn al-Ḥārith
asking him what Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. had said. He answered: “I saw
him moving his lips, and what he said was nothing but the tales of the ancient,
like what I have related to you of stories of past centuries.” Al-Naḍr ibn
al-Ḥārith had many tales and travel stories. He had heard the tales of Persian
origin, like the story of Rostam, (the greatest Persian mythological hero, a
Persian Hercules), and Prince Esfandyar with whom Rostam engaged in a battle),
and al-Naḍr ibn al-Ḥārith in turn related them to his people.
These verses are as
follows:
إِذا تُتْلى عَلَيْهِ
آياتُنا قالَ أَساطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ
(القلم:15. المطففين:13.)
When Our
Verses (of the Qur’an) are recited
to him, he says: “Tales of the men of old!”
(Q. 68:15;
83:13)
إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ (الأنعام:25.
الأنفال:31. المؤمنون:83. النمل:86)
“These are
nothing but tales of the men of old”.
(Q. 6:25; 8:31; 23:83; 27:68)
قَالُوا أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ (النحل:24. الفرقان:5)
They say;
“Tales of the men of old!”
Q. 16:24; 25:5)
مَا هَذَا إِلَّا أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ (الأحقاف:17)
“This is
nothing but the tales of the ancient”(Q.46:17)
يَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ (
الأنعام:25))
... the
disbelievers say: “These are nothing but
tales of
the men of old.” (Q.
6:25)
c.
Sometimes, several reasons where a particular verse was revealed, such as the
following verse:
وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلَامٌ وَالْبَحْرُ
يَمُدُّهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ
سَبْعَةُ أَبْحُرٍ مَا نَفِدَتْ كَلِمَاتُ
اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
(لقمان:27)
And if all
the trees on the earth were pens and the
sea (were ink wherewich to write), with seven
seas
behind it to add to its (supply), yet the Words of
Allah would
not be exhausted. Verily, Allah is
All-Mighty,
All-Wise. (Q.31:27)
-
The Quraysh people in rejecting the Qur’an which the
Prophet s.a.w. was reciting: “Muhammad’s talking will finish and he
will soon go away.” Others said: “Muhammad talked too much!” Then the above verse was revealed.
-
Ibn ‘Abbās related that when the Prophet s.a.w.
arrived at Madinah in his migration to that city, the Jews asked him about the
Qur’anic verse"وَما
أُوتِيتُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا" [الاسراء: 85], meaning “… and of knowledge, you (Mankind) have been given only a
little” (Q. 17:85), whereas they had been given the Torah containing
Allah’s sayings and laws, and according to the Prophet, it explained
everything. The Prophet said, that the Torah was “a little among many (قَلِيْلٌ
مِنْ كَثِيْر)”, meaning that there were still many things not
mentioned in the Torah. Then the above verse was revealed.
The “words of
Allah” in the above verse means Allah’s knowledge and the reality of things, as
He had known things before He created it.
3. Ibn
‘Abbās sought commentary of reliable resources, such as the commentary from the Prophet himself, as well
as his family and companions (ṣaḥābah). As mentioned earlier Ibn ‘Abbās
was an extensive seeker of knowledge. He learned many hadiths of the Prophet
through the sahabah, especially, his own cousin, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib
dealing with the commentary of the Qur’an.
He said: مَا اَخَذْتُ مِنْ
تَفْسِيْرِ اْلقُرْآنِ فَعَنْ عَلِىِّ بْنِ اَبِيْ طَالِب
“What I have learned about the tafsir (commentary of the Qur’an) is from Ali
ibn Abi Talib.” When he was asked how he obtained so much knowledge, he
said: بِلِسَانٍ سَؤُولٍ وَقَلْبٍ
عَقُول (“With an
inquisitive curious tongue, and with a discerning intelligent heart.”). He
kept asking and kept remembering the answers of his questions.
4. His
proficiency in high-ranking Arabic literature. The Qur’an was revealed in
eloquent Arabic language in wording as well as in meaning. Even in using some
tribal languages, the words used are the eloquent, and familiar among them.
Therefore, whenever we find any difficulty in understanding the meanings of
particular words, we should refer to the eloquence of the expressions of the
Arabs contemporary to the revelation of the Qur’an. This is what Ibn ‘Abbās did
in this case. He referred to the eloquent and marvellous expression in
pre-Islamic poetry and of people at that time. He was endowed with strong
memory, that once he heard something important, such as poetry, he memorised it
instantly. Although the dialect
of the Quraysh tribe was dominant in the Qur’an, many other dialects are also
used, even some non-Arabic words were adopted in the Qur’an. Due to this
difference of tribal languages in the Qur’an, not all of the ṣaḥābah knew
the meanings of the words of the Qur’an. Ibn Abbas explained them in this book كِتَابُ غَرِيْبِ الْقُرْآن (“The
Meanings of Difficult Words in the Qur’an”).
(CIVIC, 14.06.13(
المصادر:
المكتبة الشاملة
عبد الله بن عباس , كتاب
غريب القرآن. حققه و قدم له دكتور أحمد بلوط. القاهرة: مكتبة الزهراء, 1993
Ahmad
von Denffer, ‘Ulūm al-Qur’ān. Kuala Lumpur: A.S. Noordeen, 1991
http://www.almaaref.org/maarefdetails.php?subcatid=37&id=1705&cid=20&supcat=5&bb=0&number=18
19. ABDULLAH IBN ‘ABBAS (4)
Ibn
‘Abbas (d. 68/687) as a mufassir (commentator of the Qur’an) there are
two books attributed to him:
(a)
Tanwīr al-Miqbās
min Tafsīr Ibn Abbās (تنوير المقباس من تفسير بن عباس),
also called “Tafsīr Ibn Abbās”.
It was collected by Muhammad ibn Ya‘qūb al-Fīrūzābādī (d. 817/1414). However,
recent evidence show that: (1) this book had existed in 545 AH much earlier,
long before al-Fīrūzābādī died, and (2) it is a concise version
of Ibn al-Kalbi's Tafsīr by al-Dinawari where it contained the
controversial Isrā’īliyyāt (Jewish legends).
(b)
Tafsīr
Ibn Abbās, published by Dārul Fikr in Beirut,
Lebanon. It is considered more authentic since its version's
chain of narration goes back to the companion Ali ibn Abī Ṭalḥah.
Another
book which we shall deal with here is كِتَابُ
غَرِيْبِ الْقُرْآن (Kitāb Gharīb
al-Qur’ān, Book on Difficult Words in the Qur’an), edited by Dr. Ahmed Būlūṭ,
Cairo, 1993. It contains 435 words in 51
tribal languages of the Arabs including some foreign words, such as: Hebrew (2
words), Syriac (5 words), Nabataean (11 words), Chinese (1 word), Persian (3
words), Coptic (3 words), Roman (2 words), Ethiopian (6 words), and Berber (1
word).
In his
book Ibn ‘Abbas did not refer to lines of poetry to as evidence of his
interpretation of the meanings of the difficult words, as he did with Nāfi‘ ibn
Azraq. The book was edited by Dr. Aḥmad Būlūṭ, former Head of the Department of
Arabic Language and Rhetoric, Faculty of Divine, Uludağ University, Bursa,
Turkey. The first publish was in 1993, twenty years ago. The book was based on
three manuscripts: (a) As‘ad Effendi’s manuscript, the most complete one; (b) ‘Ᾱṭif
Effendi’s manuscript, and (c) al-Ẓāhiriyyah manuscript, the least complete of
the three.
The
Qur’an was revealed in the language of the Quraysh tribe which was the most
eloquent one, called by the Qur’an itself “clear Arabic” (بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِيٍّ مُبِينٍ). However, there were many words it adopted from other
tribal languages, even from foreign languages. On the other hand, there were
also some words of the Quraysh language which were not understood by other
tribes. Ibn ‘Abbās explained the meanings of 124 words mentioned in the verses
of the Qur’an, namely, more than a quarter of the total number of words he
explained in his book. Words from the language of the Hudhayl tribe was 52 in
number, followed by that of Kinānah, 40 words.
Some examples of the words belonging to the Quraysh
tribe explained by Ibn ‘Abbās are as
follows:
1.
The word لَوَّاحَةٌ (lawwāḥah),
which means حَرَّاقَة ) burning) in the following verse:
.وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا سَقَرُ.لَا تُبْقِي وَلَا
تَذَرُ . لَوَّاحَةٌ لِلْبَشَرِ
(المدثر:26-29)
And what will make you know (exactly)
what Hell-fire is?)
It spare not (any sinner),
nor does it leave (anything unburnt)! Burning
and blackening the skins! (Q. 74:26-29)
This will be the condition of those who deny the
revelation.
2.
The word السَّاقُ (al-sāq), which means الشِّدَّة (hardship) in the following verse:
وَالْتَفَّتِ السَّاقُ بِالسَّاقِ (القيامة:29)
And one leg will be joined with another
leg (shrouded) (Q.
75:29)
What is meant here by Ibn ‘Abbas is الشِّدَّة بالشِّدَّة, “hardship
upon hardship”, as pointed out by the Qur’anic commentator al-Ṭabarī, as
follows: “Or it may mean: hardship and distress will be joined with another
hardship and distress (i.e., distress of death, and of the thought as to what
is going to happen to him in the Hereafter.”
3.
The word زَمْهَرِير (zamharīr), which means قَمَر (moon) in the following verse:
مُتَّكِئِينَ فِيهَا عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ لَا يَرَوْنَ
فِيهَا شَمْسًا وَلَا زَمْهَرِيرًا (الإنسان:13)
Reclining therein on raised thrones, they will see there neither the
excessive heat of the sun, nor the excessive bitter cold, (as in Paradise here
is no sun no moon).(Q.
76:13)
4.
The word (al-mu‘ṣirāt),
which means ب سَحَا
(clouds) in the following verse: وَأَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ الْمُعْصِرَاتِ مَاءً ثَجَّاجًا (
النبأ:14)
And We have sent down from the rainy clouds
abundant water (Q. 78:14)
5.
The word عَسْعَسَ (‘as‘asa),
which means أَدْبَرَ (depart) in the following verse: وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا عَسْعَسَ (التكوير:17)
And by the night as it departs (Q. 81:17)
The word عَسْعَسَ belongs to al-aḍdād
(words which have two opposite meanings), the approaching (the beginning)
of the night and its departure (end), twilight, dawn and dusk (Rāghib al-Aṣfahānī,
Mufradāt, sv. عَسْعَسَ). The use
of “depart” as its meaning here, is because the verse is followed by (وَالصُّبْحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّسَ (18) “And by the dawn as it brightens.” (Q.
81:18). The term تَنَفَّسَ literally means “to breathe”, so that the verse
literally means, “By the dawn when it starts breathing,” as if it dies at
night.
6.
The word تَرَدَّى (taraddā),
which means مَات
(die) in the following verse: وَمَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُ مَالُهُ إِذَا تَرَدَّى (الليل:11)
And what will his wealth avail him when
he goes down (in destruction)? (Q. 92:11)
The word تَرَدَّى literally
means "to fall, tumble; to decline, to fall off; to deteriorate”. Its root
is رَدِيَ, “to perish”. This word “perish” is also
used in English to mean “to die”.
7.
The word إِمْرًا (imran), which means عَجَب (strange, weird) as in the following verse:
فَانْطَلَقَا حَتَّى إِذَا رَكِبَا فِي السَّفِينَةِ
خَرَقَهَا قَالَ أَخَرَقْتَهَا
لِتُغْرِقَ أَهْلَهَا لَقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْئًا
إِمْرًا ( الكهف :71)
So they both proceeded [Prophet Moses
and al-Khiḍr],till,
when they embarked
the ship he (al-Khiḍr)
scuttled it. (Moses)
said: “Have you
scuttled it in order to
drown its
people? Verily, you have
committed a thing Imran (a munkar-
evil, bad dreadful thing)”
(Q. 18:71)
The
basic meaning of إِمْرًا is "a dreadful, terrible thing".
Some words in the Qur’an understood in the Quraysh
language were slightly different from their basic meanings. In such case, the
two meanings are applicable, although the dominant one is in the language of
the Quraysh, as it was revealed in the Quraysh language. For example, the word حَرَج (ḥaraj) means: “narrowness,
constriction, distress, anguish, difficulty”. But this word, according to Ibn
‘Abbas, means الشَّكَ (“doubt, uncertainty”) in the Quraysh
language in the following verses:
فَمَنْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَهدِيَهُ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ
لِلْإِسْلَامِ وَمَنْ يُرِدْ أَنْ يُضِلَّهُ يَجْعَلْ
صَدْرَهُ ضَيِّقًا حَرَجًا كَأَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِي
السَّمَاءِ كَذَلِكَ يَجْعَلُ اللَّهُ الرِّجْسَ
عَلَى الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ (الأنعام:125)
And
whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam; and whomsoever
He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and constricted,
as if he is climbing up to the
sky… (Q. 6:125)
By using
the two meanings of حَرَج (ḥaraj) we can say that his breast
is in doubt of the truth of Islam that makes it constricted, difficult to breathe,
as if he is climbing a mountain. The higher he goes the more he needs oxygen to
breath, until he dies of lack of oxygen. This is a scientific interpretation of
this verse.
The other
verse runs as follows:
كِتَابٌ أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ فَلَا يَكُنْ فِي صَدْرِكَ
حَرَجٌ مِنْهُ لِتُنْذِرَ بِهِ
وَذِكْرَى لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ (الأعراف:2)
(This is a)
Book (the Qur’an) sent down to you
(O Muhammad), so let not your breast be narrow
[be doubtful] therefrom , that you warn thereby;
and a reminder to the believers.(Q. 7:2)
The
word حَرَج (ḥaraj) itself contains the sense of الشَّكَ (“doubt,
uncertainty”), such as the expression لا يَرَى حَرَجًا مِنْهُ which means
“he feels no hesitation about it.”
Hesitation indicates
doubt.
However, in another verse of the
Qur’an, Ibn ‘Abbas was asked the meaning the word حَرَج (ḥaraj) “constriction, distress, anguish,
difficulty,” as follows:
... هُوَ اجْتَبَاكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ
عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ مِلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ
هُوَ سَمَّاكُمُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَفِي هَذَا
...(الحج:78)
He has
chosen you(to convey his Message of
Islamic
Monotheism to mankind…) and has not
laid upon
you in religion any hardship.It is the
religion of your father Ibrahim (Abraham). It
is He Who
has named you Muslims both
before and
in this (Qur’an)…
(Q. 78)
Ibn ‘Abbas answered: “If you have difficulty in
understanding the words of the Qur’an, find it in poetry, because it is
Arabic.” Then he called a Bedouin, and asked him: “What is حَرَج (ḥaraj)?”
He answered: الضِّيْق (“narrowness, anguish, distress, worry, weariness”).
Ibn ‘Abbas said to him” “You are right.”
So, here ḥaraj means “distress”, rather than “doubt”.
Before the Prophet emigrated to Madinah, formerly
called “Yathrib”, there had been two dominant tribes fighting against
each other for supremacy, the Aws and the Khazraj. When the Prophet emigrated
to Madinah the term (līnah) meaning نَخْلَة (palm tree) belonging to the language of Aws
tribe was used the verse (Q. 59:5), and
the term انْفَضُّوا meaningذَهَبُوا
(they
went) and يَنْفَضُّوا meaning يَذْهَبُوا (“they go away") belonging the language of Khazraj tribe were used in the verse
(Q. 62:11) and (Q. 63: 7).
When
the Qur’an related the story of Prophet Moses a.s. and that of Pharaoh
it used the term اليَمّ
coincided with the Coptic language used in
Egypt at that time, meaning البَحْر (sea, large
river), as in Q. 7:136; 20:39,97; 28: 7,
40; and 51:40)
When
the Qur’an talked about Mt. Sinai, it used the term طُوْر which was the Syriac word instead of جَبَل meaning
“mountain”, as in the verse Q.2:63 and 93; 4:154; 19:52; 20:80; 28: 29, 40.
Syriac was the mother-tongue of Prophet ‘Īsā (Jesus) a.s.
The
pre-Islamic Arabs in Arabia preferred sons to daughters. They were not happy
when they had baby girls. When the Quraysh idolaters alleged that the angels
were the daughters of Allah, whereas they had sons, the Qur’an rejected it. It
considered it unfair, using a Chinese word (and the only one used in the
Qur’an), which was not easy to pronounce, not nice to hear, and meant “strange
and unfair”; a strange word for an unfair allegation. The verse runs as
follows:
أَلَكُمُ الذَّكَرُ وَلَهُ الْأُنْثَى . تِلْكَ إِذًا
قِسْمَةٌ ضِيزَى ( النجم:22)
Is it for
you the males and for Him the females? That
indeed is a
division most unfair (Q. 53:21-22)
Unfortunately,
as there are many Chinese languages, we do not know which one among many
Chinese languages meant by Ibn ‘Abbas. This reminds us of the statement
of late Ahmad Deedat, may Allah bless him, when he said that the aborigines of
Australia believed in the Oneness of God called Atnatu which means “the
One who has no orifice, namely, the one who does not eat, does not need food to
live.” Ahmad Deedat did not tell us which of the aboriginal languages the word Atnatu
came from. In late 18th century there were between 350 and 750
aboriginal groupings and languages. At the start of the 21th century fewer than
150 indigenous languages remain, and all are highly endangered except roughly
20. (CIVIC, 21.06.13)
Bibliography:
Ibn ‘Abbas, Kitāb Gharīb
al-Qur’ān
Al-Maktabah
al-Shāmilah
Al-Raghib al-Iṣfahānī,
al-Mufradāt
http://www.almaaref.org/maarefdetails.php?subcatid=37&id=1705&cid=20&supcat=5&bb=0&number=18
20.
MEANS AND OBJECTIVES
One of the prominent scholars in Islam
in the 20th century was the late Shaykh Muhammad al- Ghazālī. He was
born in Egypt on 22 September 1917 and died in Saudi Arabia on 9 May 1996 at
the age of 78. Before he was born it was said that his father had seen al-Imam
al-Ghazālī in his dream, and told him the he would have a son, and advised him to name him
his name, al-Ghazālī. His father accepted the advice and called him “Muhammad
al-Ghazālī” expecting a good omen with
al-Imam
al-Ghazālī.
Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghazālī was a scholar, an
Islamic thinker dā ‘iyah (Islamic propagator) and a prolific writer. He
was nicknamed عَبْقَرِيُّ
الدَّعْوَة (“the genius of Islamic
call”) and أَدِيْبُ الدَّعْوَة
(“the man-of-letters of Islamic call”). His criticism towards his contemporary
ruling regimes in Islamic world gave him troubles in Egypt as well as in Saudi
Arabia. He wrote more than 50 books. One of his books is entitled السُنَّة
النَّبَوِيَّة بَينَ أَهْلِ الفِقْهِ .. وَ أَهْلِ الْحَدِيْث (“The Prophetic Sunnah between Experts of Fiqh
and Experts of ḤaDīh”). The book was very popular that it was reprinted seven
times in the year it was published in 1989. One of many interesting topics in
this book is entitled وَسَائِل وَ غَايَات (“Means and Objectives”). He deals with what
is changing and what is permanent in the field of jihād and shūrā.
Citing
the ḥadīth of the Prophet s.a.w. that said: أَنْتُمْ أَعْلَمُ بأُمُورِ دُنْيَاكُم (“You know better your worldly affairs”)
he said that the worldly affairs belong to human efforts, Muslims as well as
non-Muslims. Prophets sent by Allah were not to teach people crafts and skills,
not as engineers of physicians. The core of their messages was to explain the
beliefs, the acts of worships, morality and purifying the souls and the
community. They propagated teachings which regulate human relations with their
Lord, with their fellow human beings, and to make them ponder their return to
their Lord as pious people.
There
are other fields similar to those of worldly affairs dealing with freedom of
movement, invention, and competition. They are the means which are inevitable
to achieve the decided religious objectives, where the believers are left to
find the way to achieve it, and where no obligatory laws are mentioned. For
example, the obligatory prayer which
has to be performed the way it was detailed by the law giver (Allah), and to be
acted upon without addition or reduction.
On the
other hand, jihad in fighting the enemy, although it is also obligatory,
but its tools and regulations have no specific forms (models). With the change
of weapons from swords and arrows to cannons and rockets, the old regulations
also change. Ribāṭ al-khayl (“steeds of war) would change into building
airports and modern fortresses, establishing institutes of chemical, nuclear
and astronomy sciences, etc. In the past man bought his own weapon by his own
money. He took care of it, and trained himself with it. Whenever he heard the
call to the battle-field, he went out walking or riding his horse specially
trained for fighting. If he became martyred he would leave behind widows and
orphans. If he was wounded, he himself had to bear the expense of his
treatment. In such condition, the regulation of ghanīmah (booty, spoils
of war) had to be applied, and its imposition is just. Many divine texts
explain it and fix its shares.
Today conditions have
radically changed. It is the state that recruits individuals in general. It
feeds, clothes, and equips the enlisted young man with arms to be fully
prepared to fight in the battlefield. It treats him if he is wounded, and if he
died, it honours him and takes care of his family. As long as he lives he
receives salary which could increase with the increase of his rank. This system
of having regular forces has become an inevitable necessity. Defending the
country can no longer be relied on volunteers or individual conditions.
Otherwise, this would make nations be trampled down in the crowd of the living
and in the oppression of the strong.
With this new regulation the
regulation dealing with spoils of war also changes completely. The state
establishes new direction in punishing war criminals and treating the good and
the bad. Based on this changing situation the Prophet s.a.w. divided the
shares of the booty in the battle of Khaybar, one share for the infantry and
two shares for the horse. The horse rider will have one share, so that he and
his horse will have three shares of the booty. Abu Hanifah rejects this view
citing another hadith stating that the horse rider will have two shares,
and the infantry will have one share, and the horse as an animal will have
nothing rather than two shares, while the infantry will have only one. However,
Shaykh al-Ghazālī said this issue has been closed, as winning the war depends
mostly on more sophisticated and accurate arms, such as armoured cruisers and
planes. The principle laid down by the Prophet that the one who killed his
enemy (in the battlefield) the booty will belong to him is also no longer
applicable.
Allah says in the Qur’an
dealing with the booty, as follows:
وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا غَنِمْتُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَأَنَّ
لِلَّهِ خُمُسَهُ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِي
الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَابْنِ
السَّبِيلِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ آَمَنْتُمْ بِاللَّهِ وَمَا
أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَى عَبْدِنَا يَوْمَ الْفُرْقَانِ يَوْمَ
الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ وَاللَّهُ
عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (الأنفال:41)
And know that whatever of war-booty that you
may gain,
verily, one-fifth of it is assigned to Allah, and to the Messenger, and to the
near relatives [of
the
Messenger] (and also) the orphans, the needy and the wayfarer, if you have
believed in Allah and in that which We sent down to our slave (Muhamad) on the
Day of criterion (between right and wrong), the Day when the two forces me (in
the battle of Badr); and
Allah is
Able to do all things. (Q. 8:41)
Then we may rashly say that falsehood cannot come to
the Qur’an from before it or behind it [as mentioned in Q. 41:42], and that its
texts will remain forever, and nothing can abrogate it. We, then, wonder what this verse means. Shall
we give four-fifth of the booty to the army and the remaining one-fifth to the
rest of the recipients mentioned in the verse? Shaykh al-Ghazālī in this case
leans to the view of Imam Malik that the one-fifth share in the booty is only
one way, and the state is not incumbent to apply it, if it sees any benefit in
other than that one-fifth. It has to be viewed in wider perspective.
Imam Malik based his view on the case where the
Prophet unexpectedly divided the booty of the battle of Ḥunayn solely among
freedmen which almost saddened his companions until he explained the wisdom
behind it. Imam Malik also gave as evidence
what the Caliph ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab did with the conquered land. He
refused to give the four-fifth of it to the conquerors, but gave them a portion
from the tax imposed on it. The Muslim scholars in the mass consider this
solution belonging to al-maṣāliḥ al-mursalah (public interests).
There is no doubt, according to Shaykh al-Gazālī, that ‘Umar’s initiation was
more reasonable and more significant in Islam and the Muslims.
Unlike ablution in which there is no room for
individual opinion, the equipment of jihad and its means are not fixed
or put in calculation, and therefore, reason is its main source. There is no
objection to bring the most modern arms from the West or from the East, and
there is no objection that we are trained by experts from any colour or faith;
what remains is that to use them according to the rules of honour taught by
Islam.
Like the shūrā (mutual consultation) which is a
great principle, the means of its actualization and the application of its
equipment have not been fixed yet. Apparently, this is due to the difference of
environments and cultural levels. We notice this case even in a nation with
high civilization.
What is important is to fulfill the security and
methods which render the shūrā a protected reality, so that individual
despotism will disappear, and political paganism will die, and the right view
will prevail without obstacle, and the qualified man will come forward without
resentment.
But these cannot be achieved without faith and
morality. The Islamic East had copied the Western democracy when it was in its
low phase in its history: baffling forgery in elections, and political paganism
took its way in the midst of a halo of false support of people. A number of
Muslim rulers killed thousand people to achieve glory and to make their names
hailed by people.
We have to clarify the difference between legal
opposition and revolution which destroys the structure of the community, or
between obligatory criticism and armed offence. Modern democracy considers
opposition as part of general rule of the state. This opposition has a leader
recognized, and with whom mutual understanding could be achieved without any
restraint. The ruler is a human being, some would support him and others would
oppose him, and none of the two deserves respect more than the other. This is
what we are having in Australia, the ruler under Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of
the Labor party, and the opposition is led by Tony Abbot of the Liberal party.
Soon, we shall have an election to decide which of the two parties wins the election.
This view of al-Ghazālī is very close to the teachings
of the rightly guided caliphs. ‘Ali ibn Abī Ṭālib, for example, did not attack
those who opposed him, but he said to them: “Keep your opinion if you wish on
condition not to create confusion and not to spill blood.” So, this great man
‘Ali wanted a creative opposition, not a destructive one, and he did not consider
the opposition against him as munkar (reprehensible). He said to the
Khawārij (those who opposed and abandoned him): “Be as you like to be, between
you and me is that no blood spill, no engagement in highway robbery, and no
injustice commitment. Otherwise, I would declare war against you.” So, any
opposition against the ruler does not constitute fighting it, unless it poses a
threat to the country. Ibn ‘Umar narrated that the Prophet said: مَنْ
حَمَلَ عَلَيْنَا السِّلَاحَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا (رواه أحمد)
"Whoever
carries arms against us is not one of us" (Reported
by Ahmad)
Shaykh al-Ghazālī asked this rhetorical question: “Is
fighting Islam under the pretext of fighting extremism a kind of democracy?” He
said that there are rulers in the Arab and Muslim world who extremely hate what
Allah has revealed, and become furious
if they see a girl covering her head and her shoulders, and reject angrily any
outcry to cancel the rules brought by the imperialist world when it
occupied their countries. He asked: “Is it democracy, or an extension of
the old humiliation and Crusade attack on the Muslim world?” There were rulers among them who wanted to
kill people in the name of people, and to bury freedom in the name of freedom.
This case reminds me of the old Arabic proverb: يَبْنِي قَصْرًا وَ يَهْدِمُ مِصْرًا (“He builds a palace, but he destroys a city”)
Shaykh
Muhammad al-Ghazālī expressed this view 24 years ago in 1989. What he wanted to
say is that Islam is not a static and rigid religion, as some would claim, but
a dynamic one. However, those who misunderstand it will become extreme, and act
contrary to the spirit of its teachings.
(CIVIC,
28.06. 13)
المصادر:
محمد
الغزالي. السنة النبوية بين أهل الفقه و أهل الحديث. القاهرة: دار الشروق , 1989.
المكتبة
الشاملة
