KHUTAB V (Contents 2 of 2)

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.

http://www.alukah.net/Sharia/0/40339/#ixzz2FGgIuehJ

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.

http://www.thecompanions.info/2012/03/the-great-mufassir-abdullah-ibn-abbas

 

  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 18^th 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://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Aboriginal_ languages

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanwir_al-Miqbas

http://www.altafsir.com/Ibn-Abbas.asp

http://vb.tafsir.net/tafsir12803/

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 20^th 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

                           http://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/محمدالغزالي