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’ (وَلاَءmeans: 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 فَاطِرِ 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 النَّظَائِرُ 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 bin
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
halal, 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 haram, 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 haram. 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 haram 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 halal or haram, could be halal, could be haram.
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 it تَحْقِيْقُ
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 haram.
Scholars
have different views regarding doubtful matters:
1.
They are haram, as being close to haram is
itself haram.
2. They are
permissible, halal, 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 halal and clear haram. Many people do not know
them, but scholars know whether they are (closer to) halal or haram. But
staying away from these doubtful matters purifies our religion and our
reputation.
Muslim scholars give an example of the doubtful thing
between halal and haram as follows:
If we say that the area is 3 meters, one meter is a halal
area, and one meter is a haram
area, between them one meter of a doubtful area. This doubtful area could be
close to the halal area and it could be close to the haram area, depending where you are standing. So, do not come close to the haram area.
If you shoot a deer with your arrow, saying بِاسْمِ اللّهِ , اللّه
أَكْبر and found it dead, then
it is clearly halal, 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 haram.
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 called سَدُّ 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 halal or haram. Even what is haram
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 halal or haram, 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, a camel 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 what is 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 halal, and that the whole swine is haram,
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 haram, 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. Safa
and Mt. Marwa “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 off
business. That is better for you if you did but know! (Q. 62:9)
The Qur’ān did not explain what
to say when we call people to prayer. It was the Prophet who taught us the
wording of the ādhān.
3. Model behaviour for Muslim Society.
Allah says in the Qur’ān,
لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ
يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ
الْآَخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا (الأحزاب:21)
Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah, you have a good
example to follow for him who
hopes for Allah and the
Last Day, and remembers Allah much (Q. 33:21)
Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. was a
model for Muslims in all walk of lives: as a leader, a ruler, a judge, a
teacher, a husband, a parent, a business man, a general, a neighbour, and an
ordinary human being.
4. Total obedience to the
Prophet
Allah says in the Qur’ān:
يَا
أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ...
(النساء:59, محمد:33)
O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the
Messenger…(Q. 4:59 and 47:33)
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ
...(النساء:64)
We sent no messenger save that he should
be obeyed by Allah’s leave (Q. 4:64)
There
are many other Qur’ānic verses indicating the commands of Allah to obey the
Prophet, such as Q. 3:32, 8:20, 24:54. Allah’s commands as well as those of the
Prophet are all binding on Muslims. The commands and prohibitions of the
Prophet are not found in the Qur’ān, but found in the Ḥadīth and the Sunnah
of the Prophet. Since the the Hadīth and the Sunnah are unacceptable
for the followers of Inkār Sunnah,
the Prophet’s explanation, commands and prohibition will be unacceptable, too.
Therefore, the Qur’ānic verses enjoining the Muslims to obey the Prophet would
be useless in the eyes of the followers of Inkar Sunnah. (CIVIC,
19.04.13)
Bibliography:
المكتبة
الشاملة
M.M. Azami. Studies in Hadith Methodology. Kuala
Lumpur: Islaamic Book Trust, 1977
Rashad
Khalifa, Ph.D. Quran the Final Testament. Tucson: Islamic Productions,
n.d.
14.
ABDULLAH IBN ‘ABBᾹS (1)
One
of the great Muslim scholars in Islam was Abdullah ibn ‘Abbās. He was the
cousin of the Prophet Muhammad w.a.s. His father, ‘Abbās, and the Prophet’s father
were brothers, sons of Shaybah ibn Hāshim, better known as ‘Abdul-Muṭṭalib. Hāshim
(ibn Manāf) was the progenitor of the Banū Hāshim the clan of the distinguished
Quraish tribe in Mecca.
Ibn
Abbās was born in 3 BH (618–619 CE). When the Prophet passed away he was a boy
of 13 years old. He used to come to the Prophet’s house and sleep there to
serve him, such as getting water for his abolution. He was the Prophet’s cousin
and the Prophet’s wife 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
information 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 information
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 ofIbn 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 hadith 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 is Ubayy, and the most
knowledgeable
of the law of inheritance is Zayd (ibn Thābit), and
the most
knowledgeable of judicial decision is ‘Ali,
and the most
knowledgeable of halal and haram is Mu‘ādh,
and the
rightest manner of speaking is Abū Dharr, and
the
most
truthworthy of this ummah 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 of 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), such
as:
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 disbelievers
and 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), such as:
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 strive
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
you but know! (Q.
61:10-11)
The early scholar al-Rāghib al-Asfahānī
(d.ca. 525/1132), 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 hardship; 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
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