The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said: “None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his child and all the people.”[1]

In this series we embark on a journey to increase our knowledge of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), to view him as the Sahāba viewed him, and to love him as we should.

Last week, we learnt of how the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) captivated hearts through his impeccable character, qualities and virtues. This week, be awed by his modesty but also his imposing dignity, his strength of limbs but also his lustrous beauty.

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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Sufyān b. Wakīʿ narrates that Jumayʿ b. ʿUmayr b. ʿAbdu’l-Raḥmān al-ʿIjlī read to us from his book saying,

“A man from Banī Tamīm, from the sons of Abū Hālah – the husband of Khadījah – who was given the honorific of Abū ʿAbdullāh; from al-Ḥasan b. ʿAlī (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) said,

I asked my uncle, Hind b. Abū Hālah, [to describe the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam)] because it was his habit to do so and I ardently desired that he describe something of his characteristics so that I could relate to them and imitate them. He said,

‘The Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) was imposing, dignified and one who was greatly honoured and respected. His face shone with resplendence like that of the moon when full. He was somewhat taller than a person of medium stature but shorter than a tall person. His head was large with slightly curly hair and if the hair on his forehead parted of its own accord, he would keep it parted, otherwise his hair, when at its longest, would reach the lobes of his ears. He was white skinned with a wide brow, thick curved eyebrows which were completely joined except in the place where they met. Between them was a vein that would throb when angry. He had a long, aquiline nose which shone with a light that would seem to elevate it, whoever did not carefully look at it would think it upturned. He had a thick and full beard with firm cheeks that were not raised. He had a wide mouth and evenly spaced teeth. He had a fine line of hair extending from his chest to navel. His neck resembled that of an ivory statue’s, white in colour like smooth silver. He was of a goodly build: finely balanced. His chest and stomach were level and he had a wide chest with broad shoulders. His joints were large, and his skin that would normally be covered with clothes, had a lustre about it. He had a line of hair extending from his upper chest to his navel, apart from that, his chest and stomach were bare. The upper part of his chest, his forearms, and shoulders had a lot of hair on them. He had long forearms with wide palms and he had heavy and thick hands and feet. His fingers were long but not extremely so, he had high insteps, and his feet were smooth and well-proportioned because of which water would swiftly flow off them and quickly vanish. When he walked, he walked briskly with strength of purpose but placed his feet on the ground softly. When he walked, he took large steps as if he was descending a slope. When he turned [to address someone], he turned his entire body. He would constantly lower his gaze looking more to the ground than he would the sky, and most of the time he would merely glance at something. He would have his Companions walk in front of him and would hurry to greet whoever he met with the salām.’”[2]

His face shone with resplendence like that of the moon when full

It was the habit of the Arabs, and poets for that matter, to compare certain qualities and attributes to objects and creatures to drive home the point being made, to make it easier for the reader to grasp what was being said or to introduce hyperbole. Here the comparison can only be one of approximation since the true nature of his qualities is far beyond the ability of any human language to describe.[3] Here Ibn Abī Hālah chose to compare his face to the moon because he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) appeared when the world was steeped in the darkness of disbelief and he filled it with light just as the moon illuminates the night.[4]

His head was large with slightly curly hair and if the hair on his forehead parted of its own accord, he would keep it parted, otherwise his hair, when at its longest, would [sometimes] reach the lobes of his ears

Ibn Ḥajr said,

‘Bukhārī and Muslim record that he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) would let his hair hang freely, as did the People of the Book, and the polytheists would part their hair. He liked to follow the practice of the People of the Book in those matters for which no command had come to him. Then, after this, the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) would part his hair.[5] It is permissible to let the hair hang freely or part it, but parting is better as this is what he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) did at the end.’[6]

He was white-skinned with a lustre to it

He was not very white as already discussed; rather he was light-skinned with a red tinge. It is also possible that the sentence means that he had the best skin colour.

With a wide brow, thick curved eyebrows which were completely joined except in the place where they met

This means his eyebrows almost joined but did not. This is the correct description of his features in contrast to what is mentioned in the ḥadīth of Umm Maʿbad that his (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) eyebrows were joined. Assuming that this report is authentic, it is possible to reconcile the two descriptions by saying that the gap between the eyebrows was very fine and not easily discernable unless one looked carefully.[7]

He had a thick and full beard

In one narration he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is described as having a “full beard” and in another a “large beard.”[8][9]  Zayn al-ʿIrāqī said,

‘This is how it was described by ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb, Ibn Masʿūd, Umm Maʿbad and Hind. The narration of Ḥumayd has, “His beard filled the area from here to here,” and some of the narrators of this ḥadīth pointed from one side of the face to the other. The narration of Simāk from Jābir has, “He (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) had a thick head of hair and a thick beard.”’[10]

With firm cheeks that were not raised. He had a wide mouth [and] evenly spaced teeth

A later narration shows that he had evenly spaced incisors.

The Messenger of Allāh’s (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) mouth was full of blessings. Ibn Ḥajr said,

‘Aḥmad and others record that he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) drank from a bucket which was then lowered into a well, and after this it would diffuse an aroma like that of musk.[11] Abū Nuʿaym records that he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) spat in a well in the house of Anas, after which there was no well to be found in Madīnah that would give sweeter water than his. Bayhaqī records that on the Day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, he spat lightly in the mouths of those suckling infants with him and his daughter, Fāṭimah, and said not to feed them until nightfall, and his spit would suffice them.’[12]

His neck resembled that of an ivory statue’s

The purpose is to illustrate that the length of his neck was finely balanced with his body and truly beautiful.

He had long forearms with wide palms and he had heavy and thick hands and feet. His fingers were long but not extremely so, he had insteps

This does not necessarily contradict the description mentioned in the ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah that when he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) walked, he walked with all his foot and he did not have insteps,[13] because he merely negated his having high insteps while those who affirmed them for him affirmed slight insteps.[14] Moreover, the context of the narration of Abū Hurayrah shows that he derived this description from looking at his footprints and did not rely upon any narration. As such, his description would be viewed as the weaker of the two even though the isnād of his report is stronger than this isnād. Others argued that there was need to reconcile the two sets of ḥadīths as this ḥadīth is not authentic and Abū Hurayrah’s is.[15]

Munāwī said,

‘Amongst the virtues of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is that Allāh has mentioned each of his limbs in the Qurʾān: He mentioned his face in, “We have seen the turning of your face toward the heaven”;[16] his eyes in, “Do not direct your eyes longingly to that which We have given certain categories of them to enjoy”;[17] his tongue in, “We have made it easy on your tongue so that you can give good news to those who have taqwā”; [18] his hand and neck in “Do not keep your hand chained to your neck and neither extend it to its full extent”;[19] his chest and back in, “Did We not expand your breast for you and remove your load from you which weighed down your back”;[20] his heart in, “The faithful spirit brought it down to your heart so that you would be one of the warners”;[21] and all of him in, “Indeed you are truly vast in character.”’[22]

When he turned [to address someone], he turned his entire body. He would constantly lower his gaze looking more to the ground then he would to the sky

This is a description of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) in his periods of silence. The reason for this is that such a posture is more conducive to contemplating and thinking, or it was because of his (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) great modesty before his Lord. When understood in this light, this narration does not contradict the narration that states when he sat and spoke, he would frequently look at the sky.[23]

He would have his Companions walk in front of him

He did this out of modesty and humbleness. By doing this, he was showing them that he was like a shepherd guiding his flock, and that he was also thinking about the poor and weak, putting himself behind them, thereby taking their feelings into account. This practice refutes the habit of the arrogant, ostentatious and the ignoramuses hankering after status. The Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Leave my back empty for the Angels.”[24] The Companions of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) would walk in front of him and leave his rear for the Angels.[25] Perhaps this is derived from His saying, “And the Angels moreover are his assistants.”[26]

And would hurry to greet whoever he met with the salām

This is a general statement but it excludes the disbelievers. The first thing the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) would do when meeting someone was to give the salām. This act is a clear manifestation of humility.

Some have argued that he did so to prefer those he met over himself with the greater reward of responding to the salām since responding to the salām is obligatory and hence superior to the sunnah of initiating the greeting. This is incorrect since it is an established principle that giving preference to others in matters of worship is not praiseworthy. In fact, Nawawī said it was reprehensible when explaining this in the chapter dealing with Tayammum in al-Majmūʿ, and Imām al-Ḥaramayn said it was unlawful. Ibn ʿAbdi’l-Salām said,

‘One cannot give preference in matters of worship because the goal of worship is to exalt and magnify Allāh; as such when a person gives preference to another in matters of worship, he has left magnifying Allāh as best he can.’

Moreover, they have also overlooked the saying of the scholars that this sunnah is better than the obligation because it is a means to its attainment. The principle that an obligation is superior to an optional deed does not hold true in every case, rather there are exceptions such as initiating the salām which is a sunnah, the response to which is an obligation. Another example is performing ablution before the time of prayer; it is a sunnah and is better than performing it in the time of prayer.[27]

Abū Mūsā Muḥammad b. al-Muthanna narrated to us; from Muḥammad b. Jaʿfar; from Shuʿbah; from Simāk b. Ḥarb; that Jābir b. Samurah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) said,

“The Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) had a wide mouth, eyes, the white of which had a red tinge, and lean heels.”[28]

Shuʿbah said, ‘I asked Simāk what the meaning of “wide mouth” was and he replied, “A large mouth.” I asked him what the meaning of “Ashkal eyes” was and he replied, “Wide eyes.” I asked him what the meaning of “manhūs heels” was and he replied, “Of little flesh on the heels.”’

The Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) had a wide mouth

This is a praiseworthy feature in the view of the Arabs and an expression denoting the peak of eloquence and clarity in speech.

Shuʿbah said: I asked Simāk what the meaning of ‘wide mouth’ was and he replied, ‘a large mouth’

This is the opinion of the majority, and it is also said that the meaning is ‘having large teeth,’ but this is incorrect.

I asked him what the meaning of ‘ashkal eyes’ was and he replied, ‘wide eyes’

Qaḍī ʿIyāḍ said, ‘This is an error on the part of Simāk and the correct position is the position agreed upon by the scholars and all those who explained the difficult words occurring in the aḥādīth: Shaklah is a redness in the white of the eye and this is an extremely praiseworthy feature in the view of the Arabs; shahlah is a redness in the black of the eye.[29] Bayhaqī records on the authority of ʿAlī that, “He (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) had large eyes, long eyelashes and his eyes had a tinge of red.”’[30]

Hāfiẓ al-ʿIrāqī said,

‘This feature is one of the signs of Prophethood. When he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) journeyed to Syria with Maysirah and the monk asked about him, amongst the things that Maysirah said was “His eyes have a red tinge to them” to which the monk said, “That is him, that is him.”’

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) was said to have extremely keen eyesight, more so than those around him. Suhaylī records that he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) could see ten stars of the Pleiades and in al-Shifā it is mentioned that he could see twelve.[31]

Hannād b. al-Sarrī narrated to us; from ʿAbthar b. al-Qāsim; from Ashʿāth b. Sawwār; from Abū īsḥāq; that Jābir b. Samurah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) said,

“I saw the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) on a clear night wearing a red ḥulla and I paused and looked at him and then the moon and found that, in my view, he was more beautiful than the moon.”[32]

I saw the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) on a clear night

Some narrations mention that it was the eighth night of the month.[33]

Wearing a red ḥulla

He remembered the incident so well that it was as if he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) was before his eyes. The clothes struck him and were a further cause to ponder his (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) beauty.[34]

I paused and looked at him

Meaning at his (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) face.

In my view

This would not just have been in his view because he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is like this in the eyes of every Muslim who looks at him with the light of faith, in contrast to those who are blind as Allāh, Mighty and Magnificent, informs us, “You see them looking at you but not seeing,”[35] i.e. not seeing your beauty and your perfection because of their defective sight.[36]

The report of Ibn al-Jawzī and others on the authority of Jabir has “in my eyes” in place of “in my view”.[37]

He was more beautiful than the moon

This is in reference to his physical beauty coupled with his spiritual beauty. The light of his (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) face is intrinsic to it, never leaving it, but the light of the moon is something that does not belong to it, rather it is borrowed; sometimes it fades and sometimes it disappears altogether in an eclipse.[38] Abū Nuʿaym records on the authority of Abū Bakr that, “His face was like the halo of the moon.” Dārimī records on the authority of Rabīʿ bint Muʿawwidh, “Were you to see him (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) you would have thought the sun had risen.”[39] Kaʿb b. Mālik said that ‘when the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) was happy, his face would light up as if it was a piece of the moon.’[40]

Sufyān b. Wakīʿ narrated to us; from Ḥumayd b. ʿAbdur-Raḥmān al-Ruwwāsī [or al-Ruʾāsī]; from Zuhayr; from Abū Isḥāq that a man asked Barāʾa b. ʿĀzib (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu),

“‘Did the face of the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) resemble a sword?’ He replied, ‘No, rather it resembled the moon.’”[41]

Did the face of the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) resemble a sword?

The comparison to a sword is with regards to beauty and lustre. The question was also posed regarding the shape of his face as indicated by the wording of Ismāʿīlī, ‘Was the face of the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) elongated like a sword?’[42]

No, rather it resembled the moon

It resembled the moon in its lustre and beauty as well as being round rather than long. This understanding is strengthened by the ḥadīth of Kaʿb b. Mālik previously quoted who said that, ‘when the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) was happy, his face would light up as if it was a piece of the moon.’ Indeed the aḥādīth prove that, “he was more beautiful than the moon,” and that, “were you to see him (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), you would have thought the sun had risen”.[43]

The moon is more luminescent and of more benefit than the sword because the sword rusts, its splendour fades, and its sharpness decreases; as such the comparison was altered to that of the moon. This was also done by way of seeking good omens (tafāʾul) because the word sword comes from sāfa which means halaka (to perish). We say this even though the sword has merits to it but, for the purpose of this similitude, this benefit is countered by what we have just mentioned. If it said: but the sun and moon eclipse [and therefore lose their light], we would say this is just a temporary occurrence, like illness, in contrast to what happens to the sword.[44]

Muslim records on the authority of Jābir b. Samurah that a man asked him, ‘Did the face of the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) resemble a sword?’ He replied, ‘No, it was like the sun and the moon, it was round.’[45] Abū ʿUbayd said, ‘He did not mean that it was completely round, rather it had a sense of softness and easiness about it.’ This understanding is strengthened by the report that, “he had firm cheeks.”

The sun and the moon have been mentioned here because the first is used to liken light and radiance whereas the second is used to liken beauty and perfection. So, he clarified that his (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) face combines both aspects as well as being round, but not completely so. The purpose of these similitudes is not mere comparison but to highlight his beauty and splendour, so the intent here is to compare his excellent qualities with the excellent qualities of all that is beautiful.[46]

Preview of the next ḥadīth in the series:

“Allāh never sent a Prophet except that he had a beautiful face and a nice voice, and your Prophet has the best face and the best voice”

This series is an adapted translation of Shamāʾil al-Muḥammadiyyah by Imām Tirmidhī (raḥimahu Allāhu).

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] Narrated by al-Bukhāri, 15; Muslim, 44

[2] It is recorded by Ṭabarānī, al-Kabīr 22:155 and Bayhaqī, al-Dalāʾil 1, pp. 286-297

Qārī and Munāwī said about the narrator, Jumayʿ: he was declared thiqah by Ibn Ḥibbān but ḍaʿīf by others. Abū Dāwūd said, ‘I fear he is a liar,’ Dhahabī said he was feeble and quoted Bukhārī saying, ‘He is problematic.’ Ibn Ḥajr said about him, ‘Ḍaʿīf, a Rāfiḍī.’ A man from Banī Tamīm: Ibn Ḥajr said, ‘He is ʿAbdullāh al-Tamīmī: majhūl al-ḥāl.’

Albānī: the isnād is ḍaʿīf jiddan. In one text the wording is, “He would initiate the salām,” perhaps this is the correct wording for this is what is mentioned in al-Bidāyah via the route of Yaʿqūb b. Sufyān.

Translator: But all that is mentioned in the ḥadīth is proven by other authentic aḥādīth, Allāh knows best.

[3] Qārī

[4] Munāwī

[5] Bukhārī #3558-3944-5918 and Muslim #2336

[6] More detail follows in the chapter dealing with Tarajjul.

[7] Qārī

[8] Nasāʾī, Zīnah

[9] Bayhaqī 1:217

[10] Qārī, Munāwī

[11] Ibn Mājah #659 and Aḥmad [4/416]

[12] Fatḥ 6:711

[13] Bayhaqī 1:241, 245, 275

[14] Bayhaqī 1:305

[15] Qārī

[16] Al-Qur’ān, 2:144

[17] Al-Qur’ān, 15:88

[18] Al-Qur’ān, 19:97

[19] Al-Qur’ān, 17:29

[20] Al-Qur’ān, 94:1-3

[21] Al-Qur’ān, 26:194

[22] Al-Qur’ān, 68:4

[23] Recorded by Abū Dāwūd

[24] Dārimī 1, pp. 23-25. It was ruled ṣaḥīḥ by Ibn Ḥibbān #6312.

Ḥākim #7753 records on the authority of Jābir that the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Do not walk directly in front of me or behind me for this is the place of the angels.” He ruled it to be ṣaḥīḥ and Dhahabī agreed.

[25] Ibn Mājah, Muqaddimah #246 and Aḥmad #14236 with a ṣaḥīḥ isnād and it was declared ṣaḥīḥ by Ibn Ḥibbān #6312

[26] Al-Qur’ān, 66:4 c.f. Munawī

[27] Qārī, Munāwī

[28] Muslim #2339 and Tirmidhī #3646-3647.

[29] This is the description of his (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) eyes provided by Ibn Ḥibbān #6289 with a ṣaḥīḥ isnād: ashhal al-ʿaynayn.

[30] Bayhaqī 1:212

[31] Qārī

[32] Tirmidhī, Adab #2811 who said it was ḥasan gharīb. Ḥākim #7383 said it was ṣaḥīḥ and Dhahabī agreed. Munāwī said, ‘The ḥadīth is authentically reported on the authority of Jābir and Barāʾa b. ʿĀzib as stated by Bukhārī, as such the statement of Nasāʾi that the report to Jābir is a mistake and what is preserved is the report of Barāʾa, is an error.’ cf. Tirmidhī, al-ʿIlal 2:767

[33] Qārī

[34] Qārī

[35] Al-Qur’ān, 7:198

[36] Qārī

[37] Munāwī

[38] Qārī

[39] Ṭabarānī, al-Kabīr. Haythamī, Majmaʿ az-Zawāʾid 8:280, said that its narrators were trustworthy and precise and Arnaʾūṭ ruled it ḥasan.

[40] Bukhārī, Manāqib #3556

[41] Bukhārī, Ṣifatu-n Nabī #3552 and Tirmidhī, Manāqib #3636.

[42] Qārī, Munāwī

[43] Qārī

[44] Munāwī

[45] Muslim, Faḍāʾil #2344

[46] Munāwī

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Journey Through The Cave

Sūrah al-Kahf is an amazing sūrah – full of many fawāʾid (points of benefit). It was revealed in Mecca and it is one of those Sūrahs that was revealed all in one go. Daylamī records that Anas said,

‘Sūrah al-Kahf was revealed in one go and with it came 70000 angels.’

Many authorities state that is was revealed after al-Ghāshiyah and before al-Shūra. Ibn Masʿūd said, ‘Sūrah Banī Isrāʾil, al-Kahf, Maryam, Ṭa Ha, and al-Anbiyāʾ are amongst the very early Sūrahs. They are the time-honoured/treasured chapters.’[1]

Studying this Sūrah makes us realise that the Qurʾān has solutions to problems that we are actually facing in the world today. This Sūrah teaches us what to do in circumstances of trials and tribulations, hardship and oppression. It teaches us how to guard ourselves against fitna and what to do when in fitna. It teaches that Allāh will protect the believers. It includes four main stories centred around fitna:

I Sleepers in the Cave: fitna in religion and istiqāmah (remain firm on Allāh’s dīn);

II Parable of the Gardens: fitna in wealth and property, in the dunya;

III Mūsā with Khiḍr: fitna in knowledge;

IV Dhū’l-Qarnayn: fitna in authority and dominion.

What is the link between the name of the Sūrah and its theme? A cave is something people in times gone by, even today, resort to seeking protection against the elements, or from danger – such as a tyrant as done by the Sleepers of the Cave. This Sūrah also teaches us how to protect ourselves against physical and spiritual danger.

Virtues of the Sūrah

سَمِعْتُ البَرَاءَ بْنَ عَازِبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا، قَرَأَ رَجُلٌ الكَهْفَ، وَفِي الدَّارِ الدَّابَّةُ، فَجَعَلَتْ تَنْفِر ، فَإِذَا ضَبَابَةٌ، أَوْ سَحَابَةٌ غَشِيَتْهُ، فَذَكَرَهُ لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: «اقْرَأْ فُلاَنُ، فَإِنَّهَا السَّكِينَةُ نَزَلَتْ لِلْقُرْآنِ، أَوْ تَنَزَّلَتْ لِلْقُرْآنِ

“A man recited Sūrah al-Kahf and there was an animal in the house which began acting in a nervous manner. He looked and saw a fog or cloud overhead. He mentioned this to the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) and the Prophet said: ‘Continue reciting, that was tranquillity which came down for the recitation of the Qurʾān.’”[2]

This man was Usayd b. Khuḍayr as mentioned in some narrations. In other narrations the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) said:

عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَالَ: «مَنْ حَفِظَ عَشْرَ آيَاتٍ مِنْ أَوَّلِ سُورَةِ الْكَهْفِ عُصِمَ مِنَ الدَّجَّالِ

“Whoever memorises the first ten verses of Sūrah al-Kahf will be protected from the Dajjāl.”[3]

And one narration in Muslim mentions the last ten verses. So why do these verses, and this Sūrah, have a strong connection in protecting us against the Dajjāl? In general the introduction and conclusion of the Sūrah mention the greatest means of protection against fitna and the Dajjāl – our connection with the Qurʾān.

وَعَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ – رضي الله عنه – قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ – صلى الله عليه وسلم -: ” مَنْ قَرَأَ سُورَةَ الْكَهْفِ فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ , أَضَاءَ لَهُ مِنَ النُّورِ مَا بَيْنَ الْجُمُعَتَيْنِ”

“Whoever reads Sūrah al-Kahf on the Day of Jumuʿah will have a light illuminating him between the two Jumuʿahs.”[4]

مَنْ قَرَأَ سُورَةَ الْكَهْفِ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ , أَضَاءَ لَهُ مِنْ النُّورِ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْبَيْتِ الْعَتِيقِ

“Whoever reads Sūrah al-Kahf on the night of Jumuʿah will have a light illuminating him from where he is to the Ancient House.”[5]

The light is so strong that it will cover a vast area. It is also important to note that the night of Jumuʿah starts on Thursday after Maghrib.

وَعَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ – رضي الله عنه – قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ – صلى الله عليه وسلم -: ” مَنْ قَرَأَ سُورَةَ الْكَهْفِ كَانَتْ لَهُ نُورًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ مَقَامِهِ إِلَى مَكَّةَ، وَمَنْ قَرَأَ بِعَشْرِ آيَاتٍ مِنْ آخِرِهَا ثُمَّ خَرَجَ الدَّجَّالُ , لَمْ يُسَلَّطْ عَلَيْهِ

“Whoever recites Sūrah al-Kahf it will serve as a light for him on the Day of Rising from the place where he is to Mecca. Whoever recites the last ten verses will not be overpowered by the Dajjāl should he arise at that time.”[6]

This Sūrah is also intricately linked to light in this life and the next. This is through the guidance it gives and internalising the many lessons we learn, keeping to istiqāmah. Some scholars counted the words of the Qurʾān, and said that the middle word of the Qurʾān is in this Sūrah, towards the end of the 15^th Juz’, in the story of the Sleepers: wa’l-yatalaṭṭaf (be gentle, careful, and cautious).

Sabab al-Nuzūl

Muḥammad b. Isḥāq records that Ibn ʿAbbās said, “The Quraysh sent Naḍr b. al-Hārith and ʿUqbah b. Abī Muʿiṭ to the Jewish rabbis in Madinah, and told them, ‘Ask them (the rabbis) about Muḥammad, describe him to them, and tell them what he is saying. They are the people of the first Book, and they have more knowledge of the Prophets than we do.’

“They went. The Rabbis said, ‘Ask him about three things which we will tell you to ask, and if he answers them then he is a Prophet who has been sent (by Allāh); if he does not, then he is saying things that are not true, in which case how you will deal with him will be up to you. Ask him about some young men in ancient times, what was their story, for theirs is a strange and wondrous tale. Ask him about a man who travelled a great deal and reached the east and the west of the earth. What was his story? And ask him about the rūḥ (spirit). If he tells you about these things, then he is a Prophet, so follow him, but if he does not tell you, then he is a man who is making things up, so deal with him as you see fit.’ They also said that this last question was a trick question as no one but Allāh knows about the rūḥ.

“They returned and asked him the questions. The Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘I will tell you tomorrow about what you have asked me,’ but he did not say ‘If Allāh wills.’

“So they went away, and the Messenger of Allah remained fifteen days without any revelation from Allāh coming to him about the question, and Jibrīl (Peace be upon him) did not visit him either. The people of Mecca started to doubt him saying, ‘Muḥammad promised to tell us the next day, and now fifteen days have gone by and he has not responded to the questions we asked.’ The Messenger of Allāh (Peace and blessings be upon him) felt grieved because of the delay in revelation, and was grieved by what the people of Mecca were saying about him. Then Jibrīl came to him from Allāh with Sūrah al-Kahf.”[7]

The question about the spirit was answered in Sūrah al-Isrā:

وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ ۖ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

“They ask you about the spirit. Say, ‘The spirit is part of my Lord’s domain. You have only been given a little knowledge.’”[8]

The remaining two questions were revealed in this Sūrah, al-Kahf. So from the sabab nuzūl we learn that one of the main purposes of this Sūrah is to cover the story of the Sleepers of the Cave and Dhū’l-Qarnayn. One is mentioned at the beginning of the chapter and the other at the end.

Munāsabah (coherence) with Sūrah al-Isrāʾ

The last verses of the previous chapter, al-Isrāʾ connect in theme to the beginning verses of al-Kahf:

وَبِالْحَقِّ أَنزَلْنَاهُ وَبِالْحَقِّ نَزَلَ ۗ وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا مُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا

“We sent down the Qurʾān with the truth and with the truth it has come down. We sent you only to give good news and warning.”[9]

Whilst in al-Kahf, about the story of the Sleepers, Allāh tells us that He is narrating their story with the truth. Additionally, the beginning of the Sūrah also tells us that the Qurʾān delivers good news and warning.

قُلْ آمِنُوا بِهِ أَوْ لَا تُؤْمِنُوا ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ مِن قَبْلِهِ إِذَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ يَخِرُّونَ لِلْأَذْقَانِ سُجَّدًا

Say: whether you believe or not, those who were given knowledge earlier fall down on their faces when it is recited to them.[10]

In the beginning of al-Kahf talks about the Prophet’s reaction to those who did not believe.

قُلِ ادْعُوا اللَّـهَ أَوِ ادْعُوا الرَّحْمَـٰنَ ۖ أَيًّا مَّا تَدْعُوا فَلَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ

Say: Call on Allāh or call on the Lord of Mercy, whatever names you call Him, to Him belongs the best of names.[11]

In al-Kahf, the Sleepers’ story is about those who call on the Lord of Mercy, whilst also condemning those who invoke others besides Allāh.

وَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًا وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ شَرِيكٌ فِي الْمُلْكِ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ وَلِيٌّ مِّنَ الذُّلِّ ۖ وَكَبِّرْهُ تَكْبِيرًا

Say: Praise belongs to Allāh who has no child nor partner in His rule. He is not so weak as to need a protector. Proclaim His limitless greatness.[12]

This is the last verse of al-Isrāʾ, and al-Kahf begins with praising Allāh, and warns those who claim He has a child, and highlights His omnipotence.

The First Ten Verses

In the coming series we will be, God willing, travelling through this amazing Surah reflecting on what the great exegetes commented over the centuries since its revelation. In the meantime let us prepare our hearts and minds by memorising and reflecting on the first ten verses. The first ten start with ḥamd and end with duʿā, and as such are like a complete unit in themselves. The 10^th verse stops on an optimistic note with duʿā for mercy and guidance. After all, the aforementioned ḥadīth does state that memorising these first ten verses serve to protect against the Dajjāl.

رَبَّنَا آتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا

“Our Lord, grant us Your mercy, and find us a good way out of our ordeal.”[13]

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] Bukhari

[2] Bukhari and Muslim

[3] Muslim

[4] Hākim

[5] Saʿīd b. Manṣur, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ

[6] Nasāʾī, al-Kubrā #10788, al-Ṣaḥīḥah #2651

[7] Sīrat Ibn Ishāq

[8] Al-Qur’ān 17:85

[9] Al-Qur’ān 17:105

[10] Al-Qur’ān 17:107

[11] Al-Qur’ān 17:110

[12] Al-Qur’ān 17:111

[13] Al-Qur’ān 18:10

The post The Cave appeared first on Islam21c.

Tafsīr Sūrah al-Kahf – part 2

Verses 1-3

Click here for part 1

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ الْكِتَابَ وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُ عِوَجًا ۜ ﴿١﴾ قَيِّمًا لِّيُنذِرَ بَأْسًا شَدِيدًا مِّن لَّدُنْهُ وَيُبَشِّرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا حَسَنًا ﴿٢﴾ مَّاكِثِينَ فِيهِ أَبَدًا ﴿٣﴾

All praise (and thanks) are due to Allāh who revealed the Book to His servant and did not make it crooked in any way, (instead making it) unerringly straight, that he might give warning of severe punishment from Him and give good news to the believers who work righteous deeds that they shall have an excellent reward, staying in it for ever.

We begin our journey through this amazing Sūrah with the first piece of information Allāh reveals about Himself in the Qur’ān: praise.

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ الْكِتَابَ

All praise (and thanks) are due to Allāh who revealed the Book to His servant

There are a number of words in Arabic that can signify praise:

– Madḥ: praise, but can be flattery and it could be true or false;

– Shukr: praise and thanks, in exchange for something good done to you;

– Ḥamd: which has a very specific meaning; praising because the one praised deserves it, because of who he is, and the qualities and attributes that he has. It is also carries the sense of love and contentment.

This is the word employed in this āyah, but it is preceded by ‘Al’ which signifies complete, perfect, absolute praise. This is only for Allāh.

A very important question in spirituality or sulūk is: why do we praise Allāh? Primarily it is because He is Allāh. Imagine that He never gave us any blessings at all—He would still deserve praise.

This is one of 5 Sūrahs beginning with ḥamd

These are, al-Fātiḥah, al-Anʿām, al-Kahf, Sabaʾ and Fāṭir. Every Sūrah that starts this way highlights one of the most fundamental blessings of Allāh

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٢﴾

All praise is for Allāh, Lord of the worlds.[1]

Highlights His providence, His lordship, His sustaining.

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ الظُّلُمَاتِ وَالنُّورَ

Praise belongs to Allāh who created the heavens and the earth and made darkness and light.[2]

Highlights his creating of the heavens and earth, provider of light and dark; all essential to our survival.

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ الْكِتَابَ وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُ عِوَجًا

All praise (and thanks) are due to Allāh who revealed the Book to His servant and did not make it crooked in any way.[3]

Highlights the Qurʾān and perfect Guidance.

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ الَّذِي لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ

Praise be to Allāh to whom belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth, and praise be to Him in the life to come.[4]

Highlights that ownership, authority and power belongs to Him as does praise.

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ جَاعِلِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ رُسُلًا أُولِي أَجْنِحَةٍ مَّثْنَىٰ وَثُلَاثَ وَرُبَاعَ ۚ يَزِيدُ فِي الْخَلْقِ مَا يَشَاءُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

Praise be to Allāh, Originator of the heavens and the earth, who made the angels messengers with two, three or four wings. He adds to His creation as He wills: Allāh has power over everything.[5]

Highlights His originating of creation, with armies of angels, magnificent creations.

What are some of the other reasons He is worthy of praise besides being Allāh? This Sūrah mentions the revelation of the Qurʾān, which Allāh is praised for revealing and teaching. It is such a miracle, such a blessing that Allāh deserves to be praised for it.

تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ الْفُرْقَانَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَالَمِينَ نَذِيرًا

Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion to His servant so that he may give warning to all people.[6]

The Qurʾān is the means to success and joy in both worlds. And a great blessing on the Prophet (SAW) specifically since He appointed him to be the one who conveys this great news and warning to mankind.

The mawṣūl in the āyah (alladhī) indicates ʿilliyyah (the cause or reason) and highlights and emphasises the quality mentioned. This āyah is a Jumlah khabariyyah where Allāh is telling us that He deserves this praise for this reason and thereby implying that we must praise Him. It is teaching us, therefore, how to praise Him and some of the reasons to praise him.

Who is the ʿabd (slave/servant) being mentioned? Muḥammad (SAW). The term is adjoined to the ḍamīr (personal pronoun) His. This highlights the great status of Allāh’s Messenger (SAW). He (SAW) reached the pinnacle of servitude and Allāh recognised him as truly being His servant. This is amongst the best ways of praising and honouring the Prophet (SAW). ʿUmar (RA) said that the Messenger of Allāh (SAW) said,

“Do not excessively or falsely praise me like the Christians excessively praised the son of Maryam. I am only a servant so say: servant of Allāh and His Messenger.”[7]

This also shows his (SAW) essential humanity. In fact the last verse of this Sūrah highlights this fact further:

قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَىٰ إِلَيَّ أَنَّمَا إِلَـٰهُكُمْ إِلَـٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ ۖ

Say: I am only a human being, like you, to whom it has been revealed that your god is One.[8]

And the penultimate verse further consolidates the miracle of the Qurʾān:

قُل لَّوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِّكَلِمَاتِ رَبِّي لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَن تَنفَدَ كَلِمَاتُ رَبِّي وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِ مَدَدًا

Say: if the whole ocean were ink for writing the words of my Lord, it would run dry before those words were exhausted.[9]

So we have parallels between the beginning and end of this Sūrah. Internal consistency of the Qurʾān is an interesting and important topic – it is a coherent Book.

Al-Kitāb, the (perfect) Book – as signified by the usage of the definite article, al. The reference is to the Qurʾān. The kitāb and the ʿabd are intricately linked together, both are huge blessings, the Kitāb is the credentials of the Messenger (SAW).

Now books can be deficient, they can have mistakes, flaws and shortcomings; but a Book from Allāh cannot have these failings, so Allāh emphasises this by saying:

وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُ عِوَجًا

and did not make it crooked in any way

ʿiwaj: is used to describe a body that is distorted and disfigured – not what it should look like. Metaphorically it is used to describe something that is deviating away from correctness and being sound of meaning.

This is a parenthetical clause (also possible that it is ḥāl (state) and can start a jumlah ḥāliyya with a waw), qayyiman… is ḥāl. The negation of crookedness has been emphasised in two ways:

a) ʿiwaj is an indefinite noun. An indefinite noun in a negatory context is understood in a general or absolute sense: there is no crookedness whatsoever.

b) Allāh said lahu ʿiwajan (make it crooked), not fīhi ʿiwajan (it contains crookedness): because lahū gives a more generic and all-encompassing meaning.

This stresses that it is a perfect Book in all aspects. Therefore the clear implication is that if there is any Book that you can derive benefit from, gain good from, gain guidance from, it is this Book. As such, this verse is similar in import to the beginning of al-Baqarah:

ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ

That is the Book which contains no doubt, a guidance for those who ward off evil.

So, this verse at the beginning of the Qurʾān, finds a parallel here in the middle of the Qurʾān—another aspect of coherence. There is nothing incorrect, no mistake, no contradiction, no meaning or command or recommendation that is not sound in this Book.

أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ ۚ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ اللَّـهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا

Will they not think about the Qurʾān? If it had been from anyone other than Allāh, they would have found much inconsistency in it.[10]

By stating that this is the quality of the Qurʾān, it is cleared of the accusations that it is stories of the ancients, concoctions, words of a poet or madman or soothsayers, because all of these will by necessity have some sort of ʿiwaj in them. Ibn ʿAbbās explained this verse to mean: the Qurʾān is not confusing and incomprehensible, i.e. its meaning is understood.[11]

قَيِّمًا

(instead making it) unerringly straight

Qayyiman: ṣifāh mubālagha from qiyām. It is straight and makes others straight, both meanings are meant here. The meaning of Qayyiman in the words of the Salaf: Ibn ʿAbbās said ‘balanced and straight’; Ibn Isḥāq said ‘balanced and internally consistent’.[12]

Therefore there is no extremism on either end of the spectrum – no falling short of the mark, nor going too far in something. It is moderation and balance from beginning to end. It does not ignore anything that is needed, nor does it go to the point of being a burden on us. Moderation is what our Messenger (SAW) has taught us:

“Beware of extremism for it was extremism that destroyed the nations before you.”[13]

Muslim records on the authority of ibn Masʿūd that the Messenger of Allāh (SAW) said three times, “The extremists are destroyed.”

Muṭarraf b. ʿAbdullāh b. Shikhkhīr had a son who would perform a great deal of worship, expending great effort in doing so. He counselled him,

“The best of affairs is the middlemost. A good deed lies between two evil deeds and the worst journey is one where a person tries so hard that he kills his mount and is left stranded.”[14]

Abū ʿUbaydah said: He means that excessiveness in worship is evil, deficiency is evil, and moderation is praiseworthy.

This meaning is supported by the ḥadīth reported on the authority of ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr (RA) that Allāh’s Messenger (SAW) said,

“This religion is powerful so walk in it with gentleness.[15] Do not let the worship of Allāh overburden you because a person who falters and is unable to continue has neither shortened the journey nor preserved his mount.”[16]

A third meaning of qayyiman is: a guardian over other scriptures.[17]

وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمُهَيْمِنًا عَلَيْهِ

We sent you the Book with the truth, confirming the scriptures that came before it and with final authority over them.[18]

In this sense it is similar in meaning to the term muhaymin. This meaning is also linked to its being unerringly straight.

A fourth meaning of qayyiman is: completing and perfecting all the good. Qayyiman in guiding the ummah and rectifying it, the Qurʾān’s perfection is complemented by its effectuating good in this world. Therefore this phrase finds a parallel to hudan lil muttaqīn in the beginning of the Qurʾān:

ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ

So this part of the verse continues to reflect the opening of Baqarah. These meanings of ‘not being crooked’ and ‘straight’ complement each other and emphasise that fact. Or, one description enhances the other: the previous description shows that the Qurʾān is perfect in itself, and this description shows that it perfects others (scriptures and people).

Summary:

This Qurʾān is the greatest and clearest proof about his (SAW) veracity and sincerity, it his credentials. You have no need to go to Jews and Christians to find out about him, look to the Book and analyse that.[19]

لِّيُنذِرَ بَأْسًا شَدِيدًا مِّن لَّدُنْهُ

that he might give warning of severe punishment from Him

Li yundhira follows on from anzala. This is one purpose of revelation.

Who exactly is being warned has been left unmentioned to make it general and to draw our attention to what the warning actually is. Moreover, context shows that it is obvious that the warning refers to those who do not believe in the Book.

Baʾs is punishment or pain. Ṭabarī argues that the word baʾs in the Qurʾān is used to refer to worldly punishment. So, this āyah would be warning the polytheists of a punishment that will befall them in this world before the next. However, the majority said that it refers to the next life, or to both as stated by Qurṭubī.

This is not any old punishment: it is from Him

فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَّا يُعَذِّبُ عَذَابَهُ أَحَدٌ ﴿٢٥﴾ وَلَا يُوثِقُ وَثَاقَهُ أَحَدٌ

On that Day, no one will punish as He punishes, and no one will bind as He binds.[20]

This āyah at the beginning of the Sūrah also has a parallel at the end of the Sūrah:

وَعَرَضْنَا جَهَنَّمَ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْكَافِرِينَ عَرْضًا ﴿١٠٠﴾ الَّذِينَ كَانَتْ أَعْيُنُهُمْ فِي غِطَاءٍ عَن ذِكْرِي وَكَانُوا لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ سَمْعًا

We shall show Hell to the disbelievers, those whose eyes were blind to My signs, those who were unable to hear.[21]

وَيُبَشِّرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا حَسَنًا

and give good news to the believers who work righteous deeds that they shall have an excellent reward

This is another reason for the revelation. These glad tidings are for those who combine īmān with good deeds; they must follow up īmān with good works. Not only that, but the present tense verb for doing good deeds to show that we should persist and keep doing as many different types as we can, always renewing – tajaddud and istimrār.

The reward referred to is Janna and Allāh’s good pleasure. This portion of the āyah also finds a parallel at the end of the Sūrah:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ كَانَتْ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتُ الْفِرْدَوْسِ نُزُلًا ﴿١٠٧﴾

Indeed, those who have believed and done righteous deeds – they will have the Gardens of Paradise as a lodging…[22]

مَّاكِثِينَ فِيهِ أَبَدًا

staying in it for ever;

Mukth is to remain in a place; mākithīna fīhi – in it. Here the word is used metaphorically to show that this good reward is encompassing them all the time, never leaving them, just as a place you are in surrounds you. Mukth does not really include a time frame, so abadan is added. Therefore, it will never leave them and they will never leave it. This portion of the āyah also finds a parallel at the end of the Sūrah

خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا لَا يَبْغُونَ عَنْهَا حِوَلًا ﴿١٠٨﴾

Wherein they abide eternally. They will not desire from it any transfer.[23]

Summary

In these first three verses so far we have discussed: tawḥīd, risālah (Messengership) and ākhira (Hereafter) – three fundamentals of our belief without which it cannot be valid. They also contain the pillars of our belief in Allāh and worship: love, hope and fear. All covered so succinctly in just three verses. Additionally, threat and reward (inculcating hope and fear) are mentioned hand in hand to show us that both are needed for balance, the carrot and stick are required, this is a style seen throughout the Qurʾān.

In the next article, God willing, we shall discuss the fourth verse onwards.

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] Al-Qur’ān 1:2

[2] Al-Qur’ān 6:1

[3] Al-Qur’ān 18:1

[4] Al-Qur’ān 34:1

[5] Al-Qur’ān 35:1

[6] Al-Qur’ān 25: 1

[7] Bukhari & Muslim

[8] Al-Qur’ān 18:110

[9] Al-Qur’an 18:109

[10] Al-Qur’ān 4:82

[11] Ṭabarī

[12] Ṭabarī

[13] Aḥmad

[14] Bayhaqī #3888

[15] This sentence was also recorded by Aḥmad #13052 on the authority of Anas ibn Mālik. It was declared ṣaḥīḥ by Suyūṭī #2508 and ḥasan by Albānī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ #2246

[16] This amount is recorded by Bazzār and Suyūṭī #2509 ruled it ḍaʿīf as did Haythamī, vol. 1, p. 62.

[17] Ṭabarī

[18] Al-Qur’ān 5:48

[19] Baqāʾī

[20] Al-Qur’ān 89:25-26

[21] Al-Qur’ān 18:100-101

[22] Al-Qur’an 18:107

[23] Al-Qur’an 18:108

The post Journey Through The Cave appeared first on Islam21c.

Tafsīr Sūrah al-Kahf – part 3

Verses 4-8

Part 1 | Part 2

وَيُنذِرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا اتَّخَذَ اللَّـهُ وَلَدًا  مَّا لَهُم بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ وَلَا لِآبَائِهِمْ ۚ كَبُرَتْ كَلِمَةً تَخْرُجُ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ ۚ إِن يَقُولُونَ إِلَّا كَذِبًا ﴿٥﴾ فَلَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِمْ إِن لَّمْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهَـٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَسَفًا ﴿٦﴾ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَّهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ﴿٧﴾ وَإِنَّا لَجَاعِلُونَ مَا عَلَيْهَا صَعِيدًا جُرُزًا ﴿٨﴾

And that he may warn those who say, “Allāh has taken a son.” They have no knowledge of this, nor had their fathers; a monstrous assertion it is, issuing out of their mouths; they say nothing but a lie. Then maybe you will worry yourself to death, sorrowing after them, if they do not believe in this message. Surely We have made whatever is on the earth an adornment for it, so that We may try them as to which of them is best in deeds, and most surely We will make what is on it barren ground, without herbage.

وَيُنذِرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا اتَّخَذَ اللَّـهُ وَلَدًا 

and that he may warn those who say, “Allāh has taken a son.”

This points to yet another reason for the revelation of the Qurʾān. Walad means a child, male or female, and can be used to refer to the singular as well the plural. The āyah thus warns those who assign any child to Allāh. Now interestingly, this group of people are already included in the general warning seen in the earlier verse, but they are specifically singled out for mention here to emphasise and highlight the evil of this particular belief.

Who are the people being talked about in this āyah? The answer is not Trinitarian Christians, but also some Jews and pagans who believed that Allāh had daughters. Even though this āyah is Meccan, which means that the immediate reference would be the pagans as Meccan, Sūrahs generally do not concentrate on repudiating Jewish and Christian beliefs, the generality of the āyah covers the others.

وَجَعَلُواْ للَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ ٱلْجِنَّ وَخَلَقَهُمْ وَخَرَقُواْ لَهُ بَنِينَ وَبَنَاتٍ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ بَدِيعُ ٱلسَّمَاوَاتِ وَٱلأَرْضِ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُ وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ تَكُنْ لَّهُ صَاحِبَةٌ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

Yet they make the jinn partners with Allāh, though He created them, and without any true knowledge they attribute sons and daughters to Him. Glory be to Him! He is far above what they ascribe to Him. The originator of the heavens and the earth! How could He have children when He has no spouse, when He created all things and has full knowledge of all things.[1]

Structure

The first warning in verse 2 mentions what is being warned against but not whom. This verse mentions who is being warned but does not mention what is being warned against. What joins the two together and gives complete meaning is the verse in between, “wa yubasshirul…” When you contrast the first warning to this verse, the “who” is made clear: the opposite to the believers. When you contrast this second warning to this verse, the “what” is made clear: the opposite of a good reward. An amazing example of the pithiness and eloquence of the Qurʾān

Moreover, contrast this āyah with yubashshirul muʾminīn…; where the quality of belief and the believers themselves are openly and explicitly mentioned (the believers), whereas here alladhina is mentioned, i.e. the word disbeliever is not explicitly mentioned but rather abstracted to show a subtle linguistic aversion to such people, as though they are not worthy of direct mention. It can also be to show that the belief mentioned is enough in itself to prove that they are kuffār because it is so obviously wrong; it is so obvious that one does not even need to say this or do that, whoever believes this disbelieves in Islām (kāfir).

مَّا لَهُم بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ وَلَا لِآبَائِهِمْ

They have no knowledge of this, nor had their fathers;

Min is used here for emphasis, tawkīd. This kufr of theirs is not based on knowledge – just doubt, speculation or mere concoction:

وَمَن يَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّـهِ إِلَـٰهًا آخَرَ لَا بُرْهَانَ لَهُ بِهِ فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُ عِندَ رَبِّهِ

Whoever prays to another god alongside Him – a god for which he has no evidence – will face his reckoning with his Lord.[2]

When knowledge is negated in this way, it is either because they are ignorant of something that is actually there, or because it is just not possible that that thing have any basis whatsoever. It is the second option that is meant in these sorts of verses. In other words, lack of knowledge or proof is either because it exists and you do not know, or it has no existence whatsoever and you do not know. Lack of knowledge or proof of what? The majority interpreted bihī as “of their claim” and a minority interpretation is “of Allāh”. So they have no knowledge of their claim, or they have no true knowledge of Allāh. Not just those themselves but also: wa lā li abāʾihim. Likewise their forefathers. This is one their common justifications: “our predecessors, our forefathers did this.”

بَلْ قَالُوا إِنَّا وَجَدْنَا آبَاءَنَا عَلَىٰ أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِم مُّهْتَدُونَ

No indeed! They say: We saw our fathers following this tradition; we are guided by their footsteps.[3]

The logic is simple: if your forefathers had no proofs for this, no evidence, then they are not worthy of being followed in this. A great benefit from this verse is that our knowledge of Allāh is received. We do not make things up, if we do not have knowledge about Allāh, we ca not claim something. One of the greatest sins is to lie about Allāh and speak about him without knowledge:

قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَالْإِثْمَ وَالْبَغْيَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَأَن تُشْرِكُوا بِاللَّـهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا وَأَن تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّـهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

Say: My Lord only forbids disgraceful deeds – whether they be open or hidden – and sin and unjustified aggression, and that you, without His sanction, associate things with Him, and that you say things about Him without knowledge.[4]

Ibn al-Qayyim argues that each item mentioned here is more severe in sin that the previous, so speaking about Him without knowledge is the worst of them.

كَبُرَتْ كَلِمَةً تَخْرُجُ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ ۚ إِن يَقُولُونَ إِلَّا كَذِبًا

a monstrous assertion it is, issuing out of their mouths; they say nothing but a lie.

Kabura is used to describe an object when it is physically large. It is used metaphorically to show that something is great either in a praiseworthy or blameworthy magnitude. Here it is used to show amazement at the level of depravity of what the aforementioned are saying. Kalimatan: kalām or speech. Takhruju: present tense verb highlighting the quality of repetition; i.e. they do not just say it once, but it is something they repeat over and over, part of their belief.

Takhruju also stresses that the belief is evil enough by itself – but they have the audacity to articulate it and call to it as well. Most people if they were thinking or believing or doing something evil, it is normal to keep it secret, but these are doing a great evil and openly proclaiming it. Also some have noted that it is “coming from their mouths” and not their intellects; as such a belief like this won’t really be the result of a well thought-out rational, evidence-based process. In Sūrah Maryam, Allāh says:

وَقَالُواْ ٱتَّخَذَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ وَلَداً لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمْ شَيْئاً إِدّاً تَكَادُ ٱلسَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْهُ وَتَنشَقُّ ٱلأَرْضُ وَتَخِرُّ ٱلْجِبَالُ هَدّاً أَن دَعَوْا لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ وَلَداً وَمَا يَنبَغِي لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَداً

And they say, “The Most Merciful has taken [for Himself] a son.” You have done an atrocious thing. The heavens almost rupture therefrom and the earth splits open and the mountains collapse in devastation. That they attribute to the Most Merciful a son. And it is not appropriate for the Most Merciful that He should take a son.[5]

إِن يَقُولُونَ إِلَّا كَذِبًا

they say nothing but a lie.

In yaqūlūna: tawkīd of previous sentence. Kadhib: a lie is where what you say or do does not conform to reality or truth. Thus far there have been three levels of warning here against this belief:

1) First Allāh tells them they have no knowledge of this, and asks “where is your reasoning, where is your logic, where is your evidence?”

2) Then He tells them that these are vile words that you are just blurting out.

3) Then He emphasises the reality: this is a total lie.

So He takes them step by step to the conclusion. Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) said,

“None is more patient than Allah against the harmful and annoying words He hears (from the people): They ascribe children to Him, yet He bestows upon them health and provision.”[6]

فَلَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِمْ إِن لَّمْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهَـٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَسَفًا

Then maybe you will worry yourself to death, sorrowing after them, if they do not believe in this message.

Bākhiʿ is to die from depression. Ibn ʿAbbās said it is killing yourself. Abū ʿUbaydah, Bukhārī said it is worrying yourself to death.[7]

Āthār are the footprints left in the sand after someone has walked away, or the items left behind by someone as he moves on. Ḥadīth is discourse, lengthy discussion which contains information and stories, but here it refers to the Qurʾān. Asafa is sorrow and upset, but extremely upset – mubālagha. Grammatically this is mafʿūl lahu of bākhiʿun nafsak; i.e. the depression is happening because of this extreme upset.ʿAlā āthārihim thus is after them as they turn away from you and īmān.

Thus a similitude (istiʿāra tamthīliyyah) is employed here, comparing his (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) feelings towards the pagans as they reject his call with the feelings one feels when beloved people leave their homes and move on. You see what they have left behind and the traces of their footsteps and it grieves you. Or they have turned around and he is following their footsteps in concern, because they rejected NOT him, but Allāh’s call – the ḥadīth. This shows us the sincerity of Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam), as we see throughout his life: he was calling to Allāh, not to himself—since his concern was that they did not believe in the Qurʾān. It also highlights his  concern for his people.

لَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

A Messenger has come to you from among yourselves. Your suffering distresses him: he is deeply concerned for you and full of kindness and mercy towards the believers.[8]

لَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ أَلَّا يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ

Are you going to worry yourself to death because they will not believe?[9]

وَاصْبِرْ وَمَا صَبْرُكَ إِلَّا بِاللَّـهِ ۚ وَلَا تَحْزَنْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا تَكُ فِي ضَيْقٍ مِّمَّا يَمْكُرُونَ

So be patient, your patience only comes from Allāh. Do not grieve over them; do not be distressed by their scheming…[10]

The point here is to prohibit him (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) from this by saying that if you continue down this path of grief you could end up dying of depression, or cause harm to yourself, or that grief will consume you. It is natural to be aggrieved if you are a merciful and compassionate person—but do not go to such lengths.

Therefore this verse is effectively teaching us that our duty is just to convey—try our best as he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) did—but know that guidance, ultimately, is in Allāh’s hands. Do not get angry or upset at rejection, this will only depress and weaken you. Also about their mocking words, do not get extremely upset.

Another subtle point is, look at whom Allāh is addressing here. He is not addressing the Quraysh for their disbelief, He is addressing the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) for his sorrow and care. Allāh is more concerned about the grief of His beloved Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) than He is for the rejection of the disbelievers! We see this again and again through the Qurʾān, and it shows us status of the Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam). The one who is on Allāh’s path, Allāh is concerned with him.

إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَّهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا

Surely We have made whatever is on the earth an adornment for it, so that We may try them as to which of them is best in deeds

Balwa is test, examination or experience.

تَبَارَكَ ٱلَّذِي بِيَدِهِ ٱلْمُلْكُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ ٱلْمَوْتَ وَٱلْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً

Blessed/Exalted is He in whose hand is dominion, and He is over all things competent— [He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed – and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving.[11]

This world is a test, and it is transient and temporary, just as our lives on it. We are just moments. Allāh acts as the examiner and we are the examined. Will we pass the test?

This verse actually comforts the Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam). Allāh has granted them the zīna of this world, to test them and see if they are grateful. But they rejected the blessings, and refused to see what they were there for, and Allāh will take this blessing away from them. Not just in the Hereafter but in this world as well, and as such it is linked to the baʾsan shadīdan mentioned in the earlier āyah. Therefore, do not be fooled into thinking that just because some have the luxuries of this world that they are better and more privileged.

Those deceived will be those who look at the world outwardly and superficially, failing to see its reality and its purpose and instead live a life hankering after lusts and desires. Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) said,

إِنَّ الدُّنْيَا حُلْوَةٌ خَضِرَةٌ، وَإِنَّ اللهَ مُسْتَخْلِفُكُمْ فِيهَا، فَيَنْظُرُ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُونَ، فَاتَّقُوا الدُّنْيَا وَاتَّقُوا النِّسَاءَ، فَإِنَّ أَوَّلَ فِتْنَةِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ كَانَتْ فِي النِّسَاءِ

This world is sweet and green and Allāh has put you as vicegerents in it to see what you do. Beware of this world and beware of women because the first trial the Banū Isrāʾīl faced was over women.[12]

There is an interesting point in the āyah. Zīna is not necessarily bad, it is a blessing from Allāh. This zīna should lead us to think about how it got there. Calling it zīna stresses to us that it will disappear. Clothes, jewellery, and so on are all types of zīna and they all wear away.

لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلً

so that We may try them as to which of them is best in deeds

This is an important āyah that deserves careful consideration. Aḥsan is the best. Sufyān al-Thawri said it means those with most zuhd. Sahl al-Tustorī said it is those with most tawakkul. Among the best deeds is that deed done which contains zuhd of this world and not being deceived by it.

Another important thing to note here is the quality of deed—not necessarily quantity—is highlighted. He did not say most deeds but He said best in deeds. The quality is determined by two factors: sincerity and correctness (i.e. being done in conformity to the Sunnah).

Allāh elsewhere gives the example of a person deceived by the zīna of this world:

وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ الَّذِي آتَيْنَاهُ آيَاتِنَا فَانسَلَخَ مِنْهَا فَأَتْبَعَهُ الشَّيْطَانُ فَكَانَ مِنَ الْغَاوِينَ ﴿١٧٥﴾ وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَرَفَعْنَاهُ بِهَا وَلَـٰكِنَّهُ أَخْلَدَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ ۚ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ الْكَلْبِ إِن تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْهِ يَلْهَثْ أَوْ تَتْرُكْهُ يَلْهَث ۚ ذَّٰلِكَ مَثَلُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا ۚ فَاقْصُصِ الْقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

Tell them the story of the man to whom We gave Our messages: he sloughed them off, so Satan took him as his follower and he went astray – if it had been Our will, we could have used these signs to raise him high, but instead he clung to the earth and followed his own desires – he was like a dog that pants with a lolling tongue whether you drive it away or leave it alone. Such is the image of those who reject Our signs.[13]

This āyah in the beginning of Sūrah al-Kahf has a parallel in the end:

قُلْ هَلْ نُنَبِّئُكُم بِالْأَخْسَرِينَ أَعْمَالًا ﴿١٠٣﴾ الَّذِينَ ضَلَّ سَعْيُهُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَهُمْ يَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمْ يُحْسِنُونَ صُنْعًا ﴿١٠٤﴾ أُولَـٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ وَلِقَائِهِ فَحَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فَلَا نُقِيمُ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَزْنًا ﴿١٠٥﴾ ذَٰلِكَ جَزَاؤُهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ بِمَا كَفَرُوا وَاتَّخَذُوا آيَاتِي وَرُسُلِي هُزُوًا

Say: shall we tell you who has the most to lose by their actions? Those whose efforts in this world are misguided, even when they think they are doing good work. It is those who disbelieve in their Lord’s Signs and deny that they will meet Him. Their deeds come to nothing: on the Day of Rising We shall give them no weight. Their recompense for having disbelieved and made fun of My Messengers will be Hell.[14]

We start the Sūrah with an introduction of sorts highlighting the things we will discuss. We end the Sūrah with topics that we want to walk away from, and the correlate to what is found at the beginning.

وَإِنَّا لَجَاعِلُونَ مَا عَلَيْهَا صَعِيدًا جُرُزًا

and most surely We will make what is on it barren ground, without herbage

The āyah has three forms of emphasis: inna, la and it being a jumlah ismiyyah – noun sentence rather than a verb.

Ṣaʿīd is earth that has no vegetation, whilst juruz is barren. Ibn ʿAbbās said it means “everything on it will be destroyed”. This world will go away, it is transient.

فَيَذَرُهَا قَاعًا صَفْصَفًا ﴿١٠٦﴾ لَّا تَرَىٰ فِيهَا عِوَجًا وَلَا أَمْتًا

And He will leave it as a flat plain, in it you will see no valley or hill.[15]

This is further consolation for the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam): do not grieve, We will return them to ourselves. It highlights Allāh’s power: He grants and He takes away. There is a lesson in this for us: the cycle of life and death of the earth reminds us of our own life and death:

وَفِي الْأَرْضِ آيَاتٌ لِّلْمُوقِنِينَ ﴿٢٠﴾ وَفِي أَنفُسِكُمْ ۚ أَفَلَا تُبْصِرُونَ

On the earth there are Signs for those with sure faith – and in yourselves too, do you not see?[16]

Points of Benefit

The greatest blessing is the revelation of the Qurʾān, and sending of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam). It contains the solution to our problems. It is consistent, perfect and balanced. It both warns and gives glad-tidings. We learn that īmān and good deeds have to go hand-in-hand for success.

We are also reminded of the depravity of claiming Allāh has children and that there is no possible base of knowledge for this. Allāh emphasises the severity of lying against Allāh, and speaking without knowledge or evidence about Allāh is a great sin.

The Daʿī is concerned about his people; the one who is on Allāh’s path, Allāh is concerned with him.

Do not to be deceived by this world, it is just a test. Do not let this world and its problems overcome you, it is just temporary—concentrate on the permanent and eternal.

Do not let your anger or stress at things in this world distract you from its reality. This does not mean ignore this world but to put it in its place.

Tawḥid, risālah and ākhira are a means of protecting against fitan. Īmān is built on love, hope and fear. Two of the greatest aspect of the fitna of the Dajjāl are to do with this world and with misguiding people away from the truth.

The solution and protection is to stick to istiqāmah; keep your connection to the Qurʾān and to the truth, and live by it.

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] Al-Qur’ān 6:100

[2] Al-Qur’ān 23:117

[3] Al-Qur’ān 43:22

[4] Al-Qur’ān 7:33

[5] Al-Qur’ān 19:88-92

[6] Bukhārī

[7] Ṭabarī

[8] Al-Qur’ān 9:128

[9] Al-Qur’ān 26:3

[10] Al-Qur’ān 16:127

[11] Al-Qur’ān 67:1-2

[12] Muslim

[13] Al-Qur’ān 7:175-176

[14] Al-Qur’ān 18:103-106

[15] Al-Qur’ān 20:106-107

[16] Al-Qur’ān 51:20-21

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Tafsīr Sūrah al-Kahf – part 3

Verses 9-15

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

أَمْ حَسِبْتَ أَنَّ أَصْحَابَ الْكَهْفِ وَالرَّقِيمِ كَانُوا مِنْ آيَاتِنَا عَجَبًا ﴿٩﴾ إِذْ أَوَى الْفِتْيَةُ إِلَى الْكَهْفِ فَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا آتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا ﴿١٠﴾ فَضَرَبْنَا عَلَىٰ آذَانِهِمْ فِي الْكَهْفِ سِنِينَ عَدَدًا ﴿١١﴾ ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاهُمْ لِنَعْلَمَ أَيُّ الْحِزْبَيْنِ أَحْصَىٰ لِمَا لَبِثُوا أَمَدًا

⁹⁾ Or do you think that the Companions of the Cave and the Inscription were one of Our wonderful signs? When the youths took refuge in the cave and said, “Our Lord, grant us Your mercy, and provide a right course for us in our ordeal.” So, in that cave, We sealed their ears for a number of years. Then We raised them up so that We might know which of the two parties was better able to calculate how long they had remained there.

There is a point about this story that is worthy of being stressed before we delve into it: it is about a group of young men. These young men were not scholars or mujahidun: they believed in one God, stood firm for that belief and Allāh praises them for being people of integrity. Allāh honoured these young people who stood up for their īmān in times of trial by immortalising their story in His book.

أَمْ حَسِبْتَ أَنَّ أَصْحَابَ الْكَهْفِ وَالرَّقِيمِ كَانُوا مِنْ آيَاتِنَا عَجَبًا

Or do you think that the Companions of the Cave and the Inscription were one of Our wonderful signs?

“Or do you” O Prophet “think that the Companions of the Cave and the Inscription were one of Our remarkable signs?” A remarkable sign it was, but not so astonishing in the scale of things when considering the might and greatness of Allāh, Most High. Many of His signs are far greater, such as the creation of the heavens and the earth, the alternation of night and day, the motion of the stars and planets. Indeed, one of the most remarkable of Allāh’s Signs is the Book, the Sunnah and wisdom that He gave the Messenger of Allāh.

This is an interesting way of starting a story, the word ‘or’ gives the impression of a choice being offered or a comparison. What is this choice?

The polytheists were thinking that this was an awesome story – youth running from persecution and taking refuge in a cave and sleeping for 300 odd years; a story to get the adrenalin flowing. ‘Or’ do you think that this story is amazing? It is relatively trivial when compared to other bigger miracles such as the Qurʾān already discussed in the opening verses, or life of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam)

أَوَلَمْ يَكْفِهِمْ أَنَّا أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَرَحْمَةً وَذِكْرَىٰ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿٥١﴾

Do they not think it is enough that We have sent down to you the Scripture that is recited to them? There is mercy in this and a lesson for believing people. [al-ʿAnkabūt :51]

The point being driven home is that you are asking about something which you think is amazing but ignoring what is more amazing such as life after death, paradise and hell. Not only this but if you think this is a great story, don’t just focus on superficial detail like how many sleepers there were; rather, take heed of the lessons learned from these stories. For example: the Quraysh rejected life after death but this story showes that resurrection is possible.

A second explanation is: ‘Or’ if you think that this is too much to believe – the greater signs of the creation of the heavens and the earth show that it is not. The One who is able to set all these amazing things in motion, can also do this.

Yet a third explanation is: ‘Or’ do you think you can catch him out by asking after this amazing event? There are other far greater events and signs out there, and each one is deserving of reflection and attention.

Structure:

The story is summarised in these opening verses, and then detailed in verses 13 onwards

إِذْ أَوَى الْفِتْيَةُ إِلَى الْكَهْفِ فَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا آتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا

When the youths took refuge in the cave and said, “Our Lord, grant us Your mercy, and provide a right course for us in our ordeal.”

“When the youths took refuge in the cave,” fleeing from persecution in order to safeguard their īmān “and said,” turning to Allāh in ardent hope and need, “‘Our Lord, grant us mercy,” forgiveness, sustenance and safety, “directly from You,” so that they do not find us, “and provide” open the way to, and facilitate “a right course” that will keep us firm in your obedience, lead to Your good-pleasure and keep us away from disbelief “for us in our ordeal,’” so that throughout we remain guided aright and ensure that our final end is one of right guidance.

Fitya means young men, in the prime of their youth: the word indicates jamʿu qillah (small plural). It is the youth that often carry the banner of change, belief, and revolution. Ibn Kathīr observes this is why the majority of those who followed the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) were the youth, most of the elders remained set in their ways.

Their energy should be channelled in a good way. We should never look down on youth who practise Islam, we should take pride in it and encourage it. Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) said:

“There are seven whom Allah will shade in His Shade on the Day when there is no shade except His Shade: a just ruler; a youth who grew up in the worship of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic; a man whose heart is attached to the mosques; two men who love each other for Allah’s sake, meeting for that and parting upon that; a man who is called by a woman of beauty and position (for illegal intercourse), but he says: ‘I fear Allah’; a man who gives in charity and hides it, such that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives in charity; and a man who remembered Allah in private and so his eyes shed tears.'”

Kahf means a large cave, whilst ghār is a small cave. As for al-Raqīm there are a number of opinions concerning what this refers to:

• —an inscribed tablet containing the names of the Sleepers put on the cave;
• —the valley in which they slept;
• —the name of their city;
• —name of their dog;
• —the Sleepers of the Cave refers to one group of people, and al-Raqīm refers to completely different group of people: the three who were trapped in a cave by a fallen boulder and recorded in Bukhārī #2272 and Muslim #2743

Also read: Three Men and a Cave

That it refers to the inscriptions was the preferred opinion of Ṭabarī and ibn Kathīr amongst others.

We start the story by mentioning something about these youth that deserves our attention: their recourse to Allāh, making duʿā to Him and His answer The verse shows that at times of need, it is Allāh who should be resorted to, His aid sought and His mercy asked for. It shows that reliance, tawakkul, should be placed in Allāh alone. When we are in trouble or in difficulty, do two things: an action in this world and an action related to the hereafter. For instance, make your duʿā, have your tawakkul, but also put your effort in this life by fleeing to the cave. If you are ill, go to a doctor and make duʿā as well; if you need a job, prepare your CV, study what you have to, and make duʿā.

The details of this story are not mentioned for a very important reason: there is no need for them—a notion that will be stressed later in the story. But we understand that they are being persecuted and running away, and learn later on that the reason is their rejection of false gods. There is a great wisdom in trial and tribulation:

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَىٰ أُمَمٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَأَخَذْنَاهُم بِالْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَضَرَّعُونَ ﴿٤٢﴾ فَلَوْلَا إِذْ جَاءَهُم بَأْسُنَا تَضَرَّعُوا وَلَـٰكِن قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿٤٣﴾

We sent messengers before you to many communities and afflicted their people with suffering and hardships, so that they could learn humility. If only they had learned humility when hardship came from Us! But no, their hearts became hard and Satan made their foul deeds alluring to them. [al-Anʿām 6:42-43]

The supplication employed here is a model for all of us to follow: asking Allāh for right guidance in all of our affairs. This has been taught to us by the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) when he said in a supplication, “Whatever You ordain for us, make its conclusion be right guidance.”[1] In another ḥadīth it is reported that the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) would supplicate, “Allāh, make the conclusion of all our affairs good, and save us from misery in this world and torment in the next.”[2] Islām is about action but we must never forget Allāh. From the greatest and most importance things to ask for are mercy and guidance—similar to asking for guidance in al-Fātiḥah.

The word raḥma used is an indefinite noun, as such imparting a sense of greatness and gravity to the word, or it is indefinite to indicate that they wanted all types of mercy from Allāh. Min ladunka has been mentioned first to specify and further emphasise that it was Allāh’s mercy they wanted, no one else’s. The words la nā and amrinā are mentioned before rashada for the purpose of ihtimām. The word ʿajab, remarkable, is the predicate to kāna, i.e. dhāt ʿajab, or the verbal noun has been used for emphasis, rendering it: truly astonishing.

The verse shows an example of people migrating for the sake of Allāh or fleeing from persecution in order to preserve and safeguard their īmān. This was done by the Prophet and the Companions in their migration from Mecca to Medina. It shows that it is permissible, in such cases, to isolate oneself from society, retreat to mountains, valleys, caves, and so on, when there is a need to do so. As Hudhayfah b. al-Yamān said,

“People used to ask the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) about the good times, but I used to ask him about bad times fearing lest they overtake me. I asked, ‘Messenger of Allāh, we were in the midst of ignorance and evil, and then Allāh brought us this good (time through Islam). Is there any bad time after this good one?’ He replied, “Yes.” I asked, ‘Will there be a good time again after that bad time?’ He said, “Yes, but therein will be a hidden evil.” I asked, ‘What will be the evil hidden therein?’ He said, “(That time will witness the rise of) the people who will adopt ways other than mine and seek guidance other than mine. You will know (their) good points as well as (their) bad points.” I asked, ‘Will there be a bad time after this good one?’ He said, “Yes. (A time will come) when there will be people standing and inviting at the gates of Hell. Whosoever responds to their call they will throw them into the fire.” I said, ‘Messenger of Allāh, describe them for us.’ He said, “They will be a people having the same complexion as ours and speaking our language.” I said, ‘Messenger of Allāh, what do you suggest if I happen to live in that time?’ He said, “You should stick to the main body of the Muslims and their leader.” I said, ‘If they have no (such thing as the) main body and have no leader?’ He said, “Separate yourself from all these factions, though you may have to eat the roots of trees (in a jungle) until death comes to you and you are in this state.”[3]

فَضَرَبْنَا عَلَىٰ آذَانِهِمْ فِي الْكَهْفِ سِنِينَ عَدَدًا ﴿١١﴾

So, in that cave, We sealed their ears for a number of years.

“So, in that cave, We sealed their ears,” so that they fell asleep and would not be disturbed by noise “for a” large “number of years.”

They fell into a deep sleep, so deep that they lost consciousness of their surroundings, and could not even hear. The deepest, soundest sleep is when you lose the faculty of hearing because that is what disturbs sleep the most. It is in this respect that the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) said about a person who slept through the night without praying, “Shayṭān has urinated in his ear.”[4]

This is part of Allāh’s mercy bestowed on them in response to their supplication. In such times of stress, fear and trial, He grants them a peaceful rest wherein they feel safe—for ʿadadan, lots and lots of years.

ʿAdadan is numbered, the point being that they were a large number of years that would need to be counted as opposed to a small number that would not. The actual number is mentioned later: three hundred with some adding nine.

ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاهُمْ لِنَعْلَمَ أَيُّ الْحِزْبَيْنِ أَحْصَىٰ لِمَا لَبِثُوا أَمَدًا

Then We raised them up so that We might know which of the two parties was better able to calculate how long they had remained there.

Allāh says, baʿathnāhum: We brought them back or resurrected them. Being roused from sleep has been compared to being raised up after death. Sleep is the brother of death as mentioned in an authentic ḥadīth. The comparison holds when we understand that in the state of sleep, the rūḥ leaves our body, and we die, the rūḥ also leaves body. It reminds us that this story is a proof for the greater resurrection.

Who are the two parties? The view of the majority is that they are the people of the cave and the people of the city to which they went after awaking. Shanqīṭī said that the stronger view he says is what is indicated by the Qurʾān itself later on in this story that it was the sleepers themselves, one party saying one thing and the other another.

The wisdom of questioning each other in this way draws attention to the facts, thereby showing His knowledge and omnipotence and highlighting mankind’s inability and weakness.

نَّحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ نَبَأَهُم بِالْحَقِّ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ آمَنُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ وَزِدْنَاهُمْ هُدًى ﴿١٣﴾ وَرَبَطْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ إِذْ قَامُوا فَقَالُوا رَبُّنَا رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَن نَّدْعُوَ مِن دُونِهِ إِلَـٰهًا ۖ لَّقَدْ قُلْنَا إِذًا شَطَطًا هَـٰؤُلَاءِ قَوْمُنَا اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِهِ آلِهَةً ۖ لَّوْلَا يَأْتُونَ عَلَيْهِم بِسُلْطَانٍ بَيِّنٍ ۖ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَىٰ عَلَى اللَّـهِ كَذِبًا ﴿١٥﴾

We relate to you their story with the truth. They were youths who believed in their Lord and We increased them in guidance. We gave strength to their hearts when they stood up and said, “Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and earth; we will never call upon any god besides Him, for then we should have said something outrageous. These people of ours have taken gods besides Him; why do they not produce any clear authority in their support? Who could be more unjust than someone who concocts a lie against Allāh?”

نَّحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ نَبَأَهُم بِالْحَقِّ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ آمَنُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ وَزِدْنَاهُمْ هُدًى ﴿١٣﴾

We relate to you their story with the truth. They were youths who believed in their Lord and We increased them in guidance.

We will tell you their story in truth because you don’t know, implying that the stories that they have been hearing and are in vogue are not correct in their detail. Naḥnu, “We” has been brought to the beginning of the sentence to emphasise: We and We alone.

‘We increased them in guidance.’ If you take one step to Allāh, Allāh will take many more to you. Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) said,

“Allāh says: I am as My servant thinks (expects) I am. I am with him when he mentions Me. If he mentions Me to himself, I mention him to Myself; and if he mentions Me in an assembly, I mention him in an assembly greater than his. If he draws near to Me a hands length, I draw near to him an arm’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.’”[5]

How do we increase in īmān and guidance? It is far simpler than we might often think: turn to Allāh and do good deeds, each good deed which is sincere increases īmān. This is one of the verses proving that guidance and īmān can increase and decrease.

وَالَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا زَادَهُمْ هُدًى وَآتَاهُمْ تَقْوَاهُمْ

But Allāh has increased the guidance of those who follow the straight path, and given them awareness of Him. [47:17]

وَإِذَا مَا أُنزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ فَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ أَيُّكُمْ زَادَتْهُ هَـٰذِهِ إِيمَانًا ۚ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فَزَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَهُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ

When a sūrah is revealed, some say, ‘Have any of you increased in faith by it?’ It certainly does increase the faith of those who believe and they rejoice. [9:124]

هُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ فِي قُلُوبِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لِيَزْدَادُوا إِيمَانًا مَّعَ إِيمَانِهِمْ

It was He who made His tranquillity descend into the hearts of the believers, to add faith to their faith. [48:4]

وَرَبَطْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ إِذْ قَامُوا فَقَالُوا رَبُّنَا رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَن نَّدْعُوَ مِن دُونِهِ إِلَـٰهًا ۖ لَّقَدْ قُلْنَا إِذًا شَطَطًا

We gave strength to their hearts when they stood up and said, “Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and earth; we will never call upon any god besides Him, for then we should have said something outrageous.

Rabaṭnā is to make firm, used here in a metaphoric comparison to something that is tied and made firm. This is what allowed them to stand and firmly say what they said in the face of opposition. Allāh will strengthen the hearts of those who are obedient to Him so they can bear adversity with patience, for example:

وَأَصْبَحَ فُؤَادُ أُمِّ مُوسَىٰ فَارِغًا ۖ إِن كَادَتْ لَتُبْدِي بِهِ لَوْلَا أَن رَّبَطْنَا عَلَىٰ قَلْبِهَا لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

The next day. Moses’ mother felt a void in her heart – if We had not strengthened it to make her one of those who believe, she would have revealed everything about him. [al-Qaṣaṣ :10]

So there was something causing them unrest and worry and Allāh protected them. Before they were protected in this world from physical harm, Allāh protected their hearts from doubts and desires — the greatest importance is in keeping the heart sound.

They also uttered statements of two dimensions of Tawḥīd. ‘Our Lord’: Tawḥīd al-Rubūbiyyah, singling out Allāh with everything related to Him and His lordship over all. ‘We will never call’: Tawḥīd al-Ulūhiyyah; singling out Allāh with respect to everything related to us—that we worship none other than Him. Lan is a negation in future – we will never do it. What are they referring to? Duʿā as an example of any other type of worship.

Shaṭaṭ is going beyond the limits of what is right, in fact far beyond what is right: patently false, lie, concoction, and so on. This shows that they had been called to worship idols and openly refused.

Interestingly, they were not pointing fingers directly at others: rather they said, ‘If we said this we would be wrong’—a gentle and wise way of correcting or reprimanding someone. The most important thing to protect is your dīn.

هَـٰؤُلَاءِ قَوْمُنَا اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِهِ آلِهَةً ۖ لَّوْلَا يَأْتُونَ عَلَيْهِم بِسُلْطَانٍ بَيِّنٍ ۖ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَىٰ عَلَى اللَّـهِ كَذِبًا ﴿١٥﴾

These people of ours have taken gods besides Him; why do they not produce any clear authority in their support? Who could be more unjust than someone who concocts a lie against Allāh?”

They then proceed to talk amongst themselves: What is their evidence? Why don’t they prove their idolatry? How does this make sense?

One of the biggest sins is to speak about Islam without knowledge and evidence. The very nature of shirk is that there is no proof for it, and it does not make sound sense.

قُلْ هَلْ عِندَكُم مِّنْ عِلْمٍ فَتُخْرِجُوهُ لَنَا ۖ إِن تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ وَإِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا تَخْرُصُونَ

Say: have you any knowledge that you can show us? You follow only supposition, you tell only lies. [6:148]

One of the greatest sins is to lie about Allāh and speak about Him without knowledge.

قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّيَ الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَالْإِثْمَ وَالْبَغْيَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَأَن تُشْرِكُوا بِاللَّـهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا وَأَن تَقُولُوا عَلَى اللَّـهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

Say: My Lord only forbids disgraceful deeds – whether they be open or hidden – and sin and unjustified aggression, and that you, without His sanction, associate things with Him, and that you say things about Him without knowledge. [al-Aʿrāf :33]

Ibn al-Qayyim argues that each item mentioned here increases in severity of sin over the previous, hence the greatest sin would be to speak about Him without knowledge.

This is the brief introduction that Allāh gives the story of the Sleepers of the Cave, after which He eloquently goes back in time in the story to how they ended up in that position in the first place. In the next article in the series we will likewise, inshāAllāh, reflect on the cause of their ordeal and what happened next.

[1] Aḥmad

[2] Aḥmad

[3] Bukhārī and Muslim

[4] Bukh«r» #3270 and Muslim #774 on the authority of ibn Masʿūd.

[5] Bukhārī

The post The Sleepers of the Cave appeared first on Islam21c.

Tafsīr Sūrah al-Kahf – part 4

Verses 16-20

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Verses 16-20

وَإِذِ اعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّـهَ فَأْوُوا إِلَى الْكَهْفِ يَنشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّن رَّحْمَتِهِ وَيُهَيِّئْ لَكُم مِّنْ أَمْرِكُم مِّرْفَقًا ﴿١٦﴾ وَتَرَى الشَّمْسَ إِذَا طَلَعَت تَّزَاوَرُ عَن كَهْفِهِمْ ذَاتَ الْيَمِينِ وَإِذَا غَرَبَت تَّقْرِضُهُمْ ذَاتَ الشِّمَالِ وَهُمْ فِي فَجْوَةٍ مِّنْهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللَّـهِ ۗ مَن يَهْدِ اللَّـهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ ۖ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُ وَلِيًّا مُّرْشِدًا ﴿١٧﴾ وَتَحْسَبُهُمْ أَيْقَاظًا وَهُمْ رُقُودٌ ۚ وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ الْيَمِينِ وَذَاتَ الشِّمَالِ ۖ وَكَلْبُهُم بَاسِطٌ ذِرَاعَيْهِ بِالْوَصِيدِ ۚ لَوِ اطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًا وَلَمُلِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًا ﴿١٨﴾ وَكَذَٰلِكَ بَعَثْنَاهُمْ لِيَتَسَاءَلُوا بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ قَالَ قَائِلٌ مِّنْهُمْ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ ۖ قَالُوا لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ ۚ قَالُوا رَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثْتُمْ فَابْعَثُوا أَحَدَكُم بِوَرِقِكُمْ هَـٰذِهِ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ فَلْيَنظُرْ أَيُّهَا أَزْكَىٰ طَعَامًا فَلْيَأْتِكُم بِرِزْقٍ مِّنْهُ وَلْيَتَلَطَّفْ وَلَا يُشْعِرَنَّ بِكُمْ أَحَدًا ﴿١٩﴾ إِنَّهُمْ إِن يَظْهَرُوا عَلَيْكُمْ يَرْجُمُوكُمْ أَوْ يُعِيدُوكُمْ فِي مِلَّتِهِمْ وَلَن تُفْلِحُوا إِذًا أَبَدًا ﴿٢٠﴾

¹⁶⁾ So, when you have separated from them and what they worship besides Allah, take refuge in the cave. Your Lord will shower His mercy on you and provide an easy way out of your ordeal. And you would have seen the sun when it rose, decline from their cave towards the right hand, and when it set, leave them behind on the left while they were in a wide space thereof. This is one of the signs of Allāh; whomsoever Allāh guides, he is rightly guided, and whomsoever He causes to stray, you shall not find any friend for him to guide (him) aright. You would have thought they were awake as they lay sleeping. We turned them over (repeatedly), now to the right, now to the left, with their dog stretching out its paws at the entrance; if you had seen them you would certainly have turned and run away, and you would certainly be filled with awe of them. And thus did We rouse them that they might question each other. One of them said, ‘How long have you tarried?’ (some) answered, ‘We have tarried for a day or a part of a day,’ (others) said, ‘Your Lord knows best how long you have tarried. Now send one of your number with this silver (coin) of yours to the city, let him see which of them has purest food, and bring some provision from it. But he must behave with great care, and by no means make anyone aware of you^p: For surely if they come to know of you they will stone you or force you back to their religion, and then you will never succeed.’

Being a Muslim in a hostile community

وَإِذِ اعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّـهَ فَأْوُوا إِلَى الْكَهْفِ يَنشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّن رَّحْمَتِهِ وَيُهَيِّئْ لَكُم مِّنْ أَمْرِكُم مِّرْفَقًا

¹⁶⁾ So, when you have separated from them and what they worship besides Allah, take refuge in the cave. Your Lord will shower His mercy on you and provide an easy way out of your ordeal.

In this āyah we are told that the Muslim youth left their communities following persecution and threats to their safety and took refuge in a cave, through with Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) gave them relief from the trials they suffered at the hands of their people. With that being said, the question arises of whether it is better to remain in one’s community, break away by leaving one’s city or country or remain in one’s house. With regards to this the majority of the Salaf considered that it is entirely dependent on an individual’s circumstance, the best scenario being to remain if one is able to bear difficulty while ensuring the essential element of preserving his religion.[1]

The Muslim who lives amongst people and bears their harm with patience is better than the Muslim who does not live amongst people and is not patient with the harm he receives from them.[2]

However, where this is not possible it is better for a Muslim to separate from his community.

A time is soon coming where the best property a person will have is his herd which he shepherds through valleys and mountain tops, feeling from trials for the sake of his religion.[3]

Allāh’s aid

With regard to who speaks in this āyah giving this advice, there are some who have said it was one of the sleepers and others who posit it is Allāh who gave a decree in response to their duʿā’ (in much the same way as istikhāra works). He decreed that they go to the cave, putting them on the path which they then followed.

This verse is an example of the principle: with hardship comes with ease. As mentioned in Sūrah al-Sharḥ,

فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا ﴿٥﴾ إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا ﴿٦﴾

Where there is hardship there is also ease; where there is hardship there is also ease.[4]

As such, the youth who suffered hardship in their time were given ease from Allāh in a manner only Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) could have provided.

Grammar

For the phrase illAllāh there are two ways of looking at this. First is istithnāʾ munqaṭiʿ i.e. all that they worship; instead keep worshipping Allāh. The implication here being that their people did not worship Allāh.

Second is istithnāʾ muttasil: i.e. all that they worship besides Allāh. The implication here being that they worship Allāh along with other gods. The Muṣḥaf of ibn Masʿūd has: wa mā yaʿbudūna min dūnillāh (what they worship besides Allāh), which would then be a tafsīr of this āyah.

وَتَرَى الشَّمْسَ إِذَا طَلَعَت تَّزَاوَرُ عَن كَهْفِهِمْ ذَاتَ الْيَمِينِ وَإِذَا غَرَبَت تَّقْرِضُهُمْ ذَاتَ الشِّمَالِ وَهُمْ فِي فَجْوَةٍ مِّنْهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللَّـهِ ۗ مَن يَهْدِ اللَّـهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ ۖ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُ وَلِيًّا مُّرْشِدًا ﴿١٧﴾

And you would have seen the sun when it rose, decline from their cave towards the right hand, and when it set, leave them behind on the left while they were in a wide space thereof. This is one of the signs of Allāh; whomsoever Allāh guides, he is rightly guided, and whomsoever He causes to stray, you shall not find any friend for him to guide (him) aright.

From this āyah we can determine that the cave faced North. Allāh’s mercy directed them to this cave which is situated such that it is neither too cold nor too hot. This perfectly positioned cave gives them light which does not glare directly upon them and heat without it being uncomfortable for them. The positioning of the cave also ensures that they remain hidden since the sun does not shine directly at it, putting it in plain sight.

This is one of the signs of Allāh; their being spiritually guided to Islām, physically guided to the safety of the cave and their sleeping for so long are Allāh’s miracles.

Whomsoever Allāh guides, none can misguide. We should, therefore, only ask for guidance from Allāh and not despair at the existence of misguidance and kufr or despair at their rejection of belief, as guidance is entirely in Allāh’s hands.

وَتَحْسَبُهُمْ أَيْقَاظًا وَهُمْ رُقُودٌ ۚ وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ الْيَمِينِ وَذَاتَ الشِّمَالِ ۖ وَكَلْبُهُم بَاسِطٌ ذِرَاعَيْهِ بِالْوَصِيدِ ۚ لَوِ اطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًا وَلَمُلِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًا ﴿١٨﴾

You would have thought they were awake as they lay sleeping. We turned them over (repeatedly), now to the right, now to the left, with their dog stretching out its paws at the entrance; if you had seen them you would certainly have turned and run away, and you would certainly be panic stricken of them.

According to “You would have thought they were awake” it is surmised that their eyes were open as they slept.

“We turned them over (repeatedly)” to keep the blood flowing and prevent muscle atrophy; this would also prevent the decomposition of their bodies as stated by Ibn ʿAbbās.

“With their dog stretching out its paws at the entrance…” The dog was a guard dog and it guarded the entrance. Ibn Kathīr remarks that the dog is mentioned four times in this story. It is known that accompanying the righteous raises your ranks and add blessings. If a dog is honoured in this way, by being mentioned four times in the Book of Allāh simply because it was accompanying the righteous, what then of a human being who does the same? From this we are reminded to be in the company of the righteous as much as possible.

“If you had seen them you would certainly have turned and run away, and you would certainly be panic stricken of them.”

The repetition of the sentiment of fear stresses the fact that this fear would remain with this person and would prevent him from telling others about what he had seen. This is one of the ways Allāh protects the believers: He places fear in the hearts of their enemies.

سَنُلْقِي فِي قُلُوبِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا الرُّعْبَ بِمَا أَشْرَكُوا بِاللَّـهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ سُلْطَانًا ۖ وَمَأْوَاهُمُ النَّارُ ۚ وَبِئْسَ مَثْوَى الظَّالِمِينَ

We will strike panic into the disbelievers’ hearts because they attribute partners to Allāh although He has sent down no authority for this.[5]

When you turn to Allāh, He will protect you in ways you cannot imagine.

وَكَذَٰلِكَ بَعَثْنَاهُمْ لِيَتَسَاءَلُوا بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ قَالَ قَائِلٌ مِّنْهُمْ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ ۖ قَالُوا لَبِثْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ ۚ قَالُوا رَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثْتُمْ فَابْعَثُوا أَحَدَكُم بِوَرِقِكُمْ هَـٰذِهِ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ فَلْيَنظُرْ أَيُّهَا أَزْكَىٰ طَعَامًا فَلْيَأْتِكُم بِرِزْقٍ مِّنْهُ وَلْيَتَلَطَّفْ وَلَا يُشْعِرَنَّ بِكُمْ أَحَدًا ﴿١٩﴾ إِنَّهُمْ إِن يَظْهَرُوا عَلَيْكُمْ يَرْجُمُوكُمْ أَوْ يُعِيدُوكُمْ فِي مِلَّتِهِمْ وَلَن تُفْلِحُوا إِذًا أَبَدًا ﴿٢٠﴾

And thus did We rouse them that they might question each other. One of them said, ‘How long have you tarried?’ (some) answered, ‘We have tarried for a day or a part of a day,’ (others) said, ‘Your Lord knows best how long you have tarried. Now send one of your number with this silver (coin) of yours to the city, let him see which of them has purest food, and bring some provision from it. But he must behave with great care, and by no means make anyone aware of you: For surely if they come to know of you they will stone you or force you back to their religion, and then you will never succeed.’

“And thus did We rouse them…”

The word “baʿatha” means to resurrect, rouse or dispatch. A likeness is made to someone who has died being resurrected because they had slept for such a long time. In this way, sleep should remind us of death. Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,

“Sleep is the brother of death.”[6]

“Your Lord knows best how long you have tarried”

After questioning amongst one another about the duration of their time in the cave, they came to realise that the discussion was of little benefit, so they ended it by saying that Allāh knows best. This indicates that they avoided useless talk and spoke things that were of benefit. Moreover, Allāh had decreed that they would go and soon find out for themselves how long they had slept for.

This teaches us that if we are confused about a matter and have no means of finding out, just say Allāh knows best.

Some scholars derive from the fact that they only thought they had slept a day or part of a day that their bodies had not physically changed or aged.

“Now send one of your number with this silver (coin) of yours to the city”

This indicates that their city was a large city since they did not fear being easily recognised and also that their city was still close enough for them to go there, get food and return. Some scholars highlight the fact that the silver coin (wariq) indicates that they were wealthy. This is further shown by the fact that they went looking for good food, alluding to the fact that this is what they were accustomed to. This shows us that a Muslim need not be poor to be pious, we can be don’t have to be poor to be pious. There is no harm in being wealthy as long as the love of wealth does not enter the heart and control it.

“Let him see which of them has purest food, and bring some provision from it.”

From “pure food” we derive the meaning good quality, clean, wholesome food that is ḥalāl.

Despite the ordeal they are going through (they are, as of yet, unaware how long they have slept for); when they awaken, hungry, they are concerned about ensuring that the food they get is ḥalāl. This also implies that ḥalāl food was available in the city they had left, so perhaps there were other believers living there as well in secret.

These youth made duʿā and that duʿa was answered. Ḥalāl provision has an important relationship to duʿā being answered. Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,

“Allāh is pure and He accepts only what is pure. Allāh has commanded the believers as He commanded His Messengers. Allāh said, ‘O Messengers, eat from good things and act righteously, for I know what you do.’ (23:51) Allāh also said, ‘O you who believe, eat from good things We have provided for you.” (2:172) Then the Prophet mentioned a man who travelled far, becoming dishevelled and dusty, raising his hands to the sky, supplicating, ‘My Lord! My Lord!’ But his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing is unlawful, and he is nourished by the unlawful, so how can he be answered?”[7]

Saʿd b. Abī Waqqāṣ (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) was once asked, “Why is it that your prayers are responded to, amongst all of the other Companions?” So he replied, “I do not raise to my mouth a morsel except that I know where it came from and where it came out of.”

Another point worth mentioning is that there is nothing wrong in looking for and eating nice food provided you do not reach extravagance.

“But he must behave with great care, and by no means make anyone aware of you”

These people had tawakkul in Allāh; this does not mean that you act foolishly and irresponsibly. Act with care and forethought, put in your effort and also trust in Allāh

“For surely if they come to know of you they will stone you or force you back to their religion”

This shows the concern they had for their faith. A person on a false faith cannot be successful. This also shows us that faith does not demand that one die for no reason or to become martyrs without a cause.

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] Ibn Ḥajr, Nawawī and others – Fatḥ 13:42

[2] Tirmidhī #2507

[3] Bukhārī #3300

[4] Al-Qur’ān, 94:5-6

[5] Al-Qur’ān, 3:151

[6] Ṭabarānī, al-Awsaṭ

[7] Muslim

The post The Cave of Refuge appeared first on Islam21c.

Tafsīr Sūrah al-Kahf – part 5

Verses 21-27

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَعْثَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّـهِ حَقٌّ وَأَنَّ السَّاعَةَ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهَا إِذْ يَتَنَازَعُونَ بَيْنَهُمْ أَمْرَهُمْ ۖ فَقَالُوا ابْنُوا عَلَيْهِم بُنْيَانًا ۖ رَّبُّهُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ ۚ قَالَ الَّذِينَ غَلَبُوا عَلَىٰ أَمْرِهِمْ لَنَتَّخِذَنَّ عَلَيْهِم مَّسْجِدًا ﴿٢١﴾ سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلَاثَةٌ رَّابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ خَمْسَةٌ سَادِسُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ رَجْمًا بِالْغَيْبِ ۖ وَيَقُولُونَ سَبْعَةٌ وَثَامِنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ ۚ قُل رَّبِّي أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِم مَّا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ ۗ فَلَا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلَّا مِرَاءً ظَاهِرًا وَلَا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِم مِّنْهُمْ أَحَدًا ﴿٢٢﴾ وَلَا تَقُولَنَّ لِشَيْءٍ إِنِّي فَاعِلٌ ذَٰلِكَ غَدًا ﴿٢٣﴾ إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّـهُ ۚ وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ وَقُلْ عَسَىٰ أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّي لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَـٰذَا رَشَدًا ﴿٢٤﴾ وَلَبِثُوا فِي كَهْفِهِمْ ثَلَاثَ مِائَةٍ سِنِينَ وَازْدَادُوا تِسْعًا ﴿٢٥﴾ قُلِ اللَّـهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثُوا ۖ لَهُ غَيْبُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ أَبْصِرْ بِهِ وَأَسْمِعْ ۚ مَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلَا يُشْرِكُ فِي حُكْمِهِ أَحَدًا ﴿٢٦﴾ وَاتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِن كِتَابِ رَبِّكَ ۖ لَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَاتِهِ وَلَن تَجِدَ مِن دُونِهِ مُلْتَحَدًا ﴿٢٧﴾

21) And thus did We bring them to people’s attention that they might know that Allāh’s promise is true and that, as to the Hour, there is no doubt about it. They disputed among themselves about their affair, (some) said, ‘Erect an edifice over them – their Lord best knows them.’ Those whose (opinion) prevailed in the matter said, ‘We will raise a Masjid over them.’ (Some) say, ‘(They are) three, the fourth being their dog,’ and (others) say, ‘Five, the sixth being their dog,’ guessing at the unseen; and (yet others) say, ‘Seven, and the eighth is their dog.’ Say, ‘My Lord best knows their number, none knows them but a few,’ therefore do not argue about them except with clear knowledge, and do not ask any of them about them. And do not say of anything, ‘I will do it tomorrow,’ without (adding), ‘If Allāh wills,’ and remember your Lord when you forget and say, ‘May my Lord guide me closer to what is right.’ They remained in their cave three hundred years and (some) added nine more. Say, ‘Allāh knows best how long they remained; to Him are (known) the unseen things of the heavens and the earth; how clear His sight and how clear His hearing! There is none to be a guardian for them besides Him, and He does not allow anyone to associate in His rule.

 

وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَعْثَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ لِيَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّـهِ حَقٌّ وَأَنَّ السَّاعَةَ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهَا إِذْ يَتَنَازَعُونَ بَيْنَهُمْ أَمْرَهُمْ ۖ فَقَالُوا ابْنُوا عَلَيْهِم بُنْيَانًا ۖ رَّبُّهُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ ۚ قَالَ الَّذِينَ غَلَبُوا عَلَىٰ أَمْرِهِمْ لَنَتَّخِذَنَّ عَلَيْهِم مَّسْجِدًا ﴿٢١﴾

21) And thus did We bring them to people’s attention that they might know that Allāh’s promise is true and that, as to the Hour, there is no doubt about it. They disputed among themselves about their affair, (some) said, ‘Erect an edifice over them – their Lord best knows them.’ Those whose (opinion) prevailed in the matter said, ‘We will raise a Masjid over them.’

The use of the word “athara” specifically means to become acquainted with something after having stumbled upon it. When someone is unaware of something and then stumbles upon it, if it intrigues him, he will look further and study it, and hence becomes acquainted with it. It becomes the route to acquiring ʿilm of it. In such a way, when the person went to the town, dressed as he was in clothes centuries old, speaking as he did in an ancient dialect, with that ancient silver coin perhaps minted with the face of a long dead king, the townspeople were intrigued, and wished to know more.

and that, as to the Hour, there is no doubt about it

The āyah alludes to the fact that the people at that time were doubting the occurrence of the Hour, or they were debating whether the resurrection would be bodily or in spirit, but with the emergence of the people of the cave, with their bodily preservation in a manner only divinely achieved, their doubts were addressed. An overarching wisdom of this occurrence, then, was to prove the Last Hour to these people.

They disputed among themselves about their affair

Soon after the youth were discovered, they died. It is not known exactly when, but many scholars have said that it was when the people found out about them and went back to their cave and saw all of them there.

After their death the people began to debate about them. The debate over them included topics such as whether they were actually awake for the entirety of the time or if they had been asleep, or if they had died and then been returned to life. Another matter they might possibly have debated is over their number, the length of time they slept for, or what they should do with them and build over them.

‘Erect an edifice over them – their Lord best knows them.’

In response to the debate over what should be done with them some suggested sealing the cave with them in it, and building an edifice in front of the mouth of the cave so that people would not be able to enter it, allowing for them to rest in peace.

Those whose (opinion) prevailed in the matter said, ‘We will raise a Masjid over them.’

Those in power won the argument and decided to build a Masjid over them.  In this āyah they are not being praised for this act due to the aḥadīth of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) which teach us that this was a historical practice he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) condemned.

This āyah reminds us that we must understand revelation holistically; we cannot ignore the ḥadīth when explaining the Qurʾān and we cannot ignore the Qurʾān when explaining the ḥadīth as a practice such as this, if taken without the ḥadīth, may be replicated for its presence in the Qur’ān. However, as is narrated by ʿĀʾishah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanha), Umm Salamah mentioned a church she had seen in Abyssinia and the images it contained. He (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,

“When a righteous man – or a righteous servant – of theirs dies they build a mosque over his grave and they engrave those images. They are the worst of creation with Allāh.”[1]

ʿĀʾishah (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanha) is also reported to have said, ‘During the Messenger of Allāh’s (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) final illness, when it got severe he would pull a bordered garment of his over his face, and when it became hard to breathe, he would remove it. While in that state he said, “Allāh cursed the Jews and Christians, they took the graves of their Prophets as mosques,” he would warn against what they did. Were it not for that, his grave would have been left in the open but it was feared that it would be taken as a mosque.’[2]

Jundub b. ʿAbdullāh said that he heard the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) saying, five days before he passed away,

“Before Allāh, I clear myself of taking one of you as a close, dear friend since Allāh has taken me as a close friend just as He took Ibrāhīm as a close friend. Were I to take any person of my nation as a close friend, it would have been Abū Bakr. Of a surety, those before you would take the graves of their Prophets as mosques, but you, do not take the graves as mosques, I prohibit you from doing so!”[3]

Ibn Masʿūd (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) said that the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Amongst the worst of people are those who will be living at the time of the Hour and those who take graves as mosques.”[4]

The aforementioned aḥadith clearly illustrate that the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) forbade building masjids on graves, or building on graves, walking on them, or praying towards them.

 

سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلَاثَةٌ رَّابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ خَمْسَةٌ سَادِسُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ رَجْمًا بِالْغَيْبِ ۖ وَيَقُولُونَ سَبْعَةٌ وَثَامِنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ ۚ قُل رَّبِّي أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِم مَّا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ ۗ فَلَا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلَّا مِرَاءً ظَاهِرًا وَلَا تَسْتَفْتِ فِيهِم مِّنْهُمْ أَحَدًا ﴿٢٢﴾

(Some) say, ‘(They are) three, the fourth being their dog,’ and (others) say, ‘Five, the sixth being their dog,’ guessing at the unseen; and (yet others) say, ‘Seven, and the eighth is their dog.’ Say, ‘My Lord best knows their number, none knows them but a few,’ therefore do not argue about them except with clear knowledge, and do not ask any of them about them.

The future tense of “sayaqūlūna” implies that they will keep debating about it and the “waw” in “wa yaqūlūna” indicates that this is the maximum that has been surmised i.e. that there were three opinions in total over this matter.

The word “rajam” means to guess, speculate and to throw stones. “Rajam bi’l-ghayb”, then, conveys the image of a person standing with rocks in his hand, throwing them in every direction, trying to hit a target that is unknown and unseen. The phrase itself indicates that it is foolish, and possibly dangerous, as it could have unintended consequences such as hurting someone inadvertently.

Say, ‘My Lord best knows their number, none knows them but a few’

Ibn Kathīr said that Allāh mentioned three options, indicating that there is no fourth and explicitly negated the first two but did not negate the third. Therefore, Ibn ʿAbbās said, ‘I am one of the few. They were seven and the eighth was their dog.’ Taking this as an explanation, the meaning of ‘My Lord knows knows best their number’ would be Allāh does indeed know best and that number is seven, and not what you surmise. It is important to note that the number is alluded to here, not explicitly stated, because it is not the purpose of the story, the purpose is the lessons and benefits we derive from it. The point to be taken here is not to focus on the numbers and argue about them, thus missing the whole point of the story. What benefit is there really in knowing what their number was? There are even accounts of people arguing over the name of the dog. We need to be wise enough to know where the beneficial knowledge is and seek that. In matters of the unseen, we start where Allāh starts and stop where Allāh stops.

none knows them but a few,

That is, before Allāh alerted us to the answer. Shawkānī said that Allāh said “mā yaʿlamuhum” as opposed to “yaʿlamuhā” indicating ‘you don’t know much about them as people, let alone their number’.

therefore do not argue about them except with clear knowledge

There are two opinions about what this part of the āyah means

1) Clear knowledge is what Allāh put in the Qurʾān about them. Ibn ʿAbbās said that this verse means, ‘What We have revealed is enough for you, there is no need for you to argue any further.’

2) Clear knowledge is by expressing obvious facts that are clearly proven with confidence. Ibn Zayd said, ‘You clearly and definitively repudiate them by telling them that, “You don’t know, you have no firm knowledge in this.”’ Therefore, it serves as a an encouragement not to accept their spurious claims, to be confident in your revelation and a reminder that other cultures have copious amounts of details for this story, but it is based on speculation.

A constant theme of the verses we have studied so far is that we must not speak without knowledge.

and do not ask any of them about them.

Ibn ʿAbbās said, ‘Meaning do not ask the Ahlu’l-Kitāb.’ There is no need to go to them, as they cannot give you anything more that will benefit you. You have what you need in the Qurʾān. Their scripture is corrupted, so why rely on such knowledge?

An example to compare is the Qurʾānic account of Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhi al-Salām) with the Biblical; it is as if it is two different people being discussed.

We are supposed to bring a certain attitude to Allāh’s Book: we want to strengthen our hearts, our faith and better our practise. It is not to learn useless detail and facts and to concentrate on those.

 

وَلَا تَقُولَنَّ لِشَيْءٍ إِنِّي فَاعِلٌ ذَٰلِكَ غَدًا ﴿٢٣﴾ إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّـهُ ۚ وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ وَقُلْ عَسَىٰ أَن يَهْدِيَنِ رَبِّي لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَـٰذَا رَشَدًا ﴿٢٤﴾

And do not say of anything, ‘I will do it tomorrow,’ without (adding), ‘If Allāh wills,’ and remember your Lord when you forget and say, ‘May my Lord guide me closer to what is right.’

This is in reference to the reason behind the revelation of these verses and that the answer to the questions came 15 days after the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) promised because he forgot to say in shā Allāh. Here, the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is effectively being told that revelation does not come at his bidding, it comes when Allāh decides. If this is the case for the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) what then for us when we intend to do something or want something to happen?

We can also see that the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is not the author of the Qurʾān. If he were, he would have composed something as he promised, not going through the traumatic experience of waiting and having accusations hurled at him as result.

When the story came, it contained more detail than the Jews gave and contained corrects details of the story. This is, in fact, a miracle.

By saying in shā Allāh, we relegate our affairs to Allāh and trust in Him. This is good etiquette with Allāh. It is also of good adab not to say things you have no intention of doing.

and remember your Lord when you forget

Two general explanations of this āyah are that,

1) This sentence is connected to the previous, therefore it means: remember Allāh when you have forgotten to say in shā Allāh by saying it. Ibn ʿAbbās, al-Ḥasan and others said it means to say in shā Allāh when you remember.

2) It is the start of the new sentence, therefore it means remember Allāh with tasbīḥ and istighfār when you forget, thereby showing us how important it is to say in shā Allāh. Alternately, the dhikr that is being asked to be made when we forget to say it is the duʿā that follows, i.e. may Allāh grant me something better than the thing I forgot to say in shā Allāh for.

Ibn Kathīr points out that it is Shayṭān who makes you forget, so combat his whisperings by remembering Allāh as the later āyah:

“…and nothing made me forget to speak of it but the Shayṭān.”[5]

As such, when you make dhikr of Allāh, Shayṭān goes away or is weakened and therefore the cause for forgetfulness goes as well.

…and say, ‘May my Lord guide me closer to what is right.’

Many authorities said that this is something that Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is being asked to say: may Allāh grant me such signs and proofs that are greater than this – the Sleepers of the Cave – so that people will be guided aright through them.

 

وَلَبِثُوا فِي كَهْفِهِمْ ثَلَاثَ مِائَةٍ سِنِينَ وَازْدَادُوا تِسْعًا ﴿٢٥﴾ قُلِ اللَّـهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا لَبِثُوا ۖ لَهُ غَيْبُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ أَبْصِرْ بِهِ وَأَسْمِعْ ۚ مَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلَا يُشْرِكُ فِي حُكْمِهِ أَحَدًا ﴿٢٦﴾ وَاتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِن كِتَابِ رَبِّكَ ۖ لَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَاتِهِ وَلَن تَجِدَ مِن دُونِهِ مُلْتَحَدًا ﴿٢٧﴾

They remained in their cave three hundred years and (some) added nine more. Say, ‘Allāh knows best how long they remained; to Him are (known) the unseen things of the heavens and the earth; how clear His sight and how clear His hearing! There is none to be a guardian for them besides Him, and He does not allow anyone to associate in His rule. (27) Recite what has been revealed to you of your Lord’s Book, no one can alter His words, nor will you ever find any safe haven[6] besides Him.

They remained in their cave three hundred years and (some) added nine more

The passage of time is measured either by the lunar or solar calendar. The Qurʾān is also addressing all of mankind so mentions the period of sleep according to both calendars.

Say, ‘Allāh knows best how long they remained…

Why is it that after stating how long they stayed, do we need to say that Allāh knows best? This is because other cultures mention different periods that they stayed there; for example the Christian stories would have them staying there 340 years or 370 or other figures, so this would be in response to their propositions. Hence the āyah emphasises that Allāh knows best, not you.  In this case , the length of time mentioned are Allāh’s words and not the quoted claims of others.

• Another explanation proffered is that these figures were given by the Jews and Christians, but we Muslims say, ‘Allāh knows best how long they remained.’ This was the view of Qatādah and others.

how clear His sight and how clear His hearing!

Meaning that none can see or hear better than Him, as stated by Qatādah. This could also be understood as the imperative: Look to Allāh’s religion, and listen to His guidance.

There is none to be a guardian for them besides Him, and He does not allow anyone to associate in His rule

Mankind in general has no guardian besides Him. It could also mean that the Sleepers of the Cave had no one else besides Him. This is also a negation of the false gods and their possessing any power at all.

Recite what has been revealed to you of your Lord’s Book, no one can alter His words, nor will you ever find any safe haven[7] besides Him.

There is no cause for concern, the truth is with Allāh, not their corrupted scriptures or morals and values.

“Tilāwah” is to follow. Tilāwah can be done in word or deed. In word by reciting, and in deed by acting upon. So, in this context, recite and follow the Qurʾān. Take its ḥalāl to be ḥalāl and its ḥarām to be ḥarām.  The word is used in the same sense in

“Those who recite Allāh’s Book, keep up the prayer”[8]

This then serves as nice summary to what this story is all about – the Book will shelter you by doing its tilāwah like the cave sheltered them with metaphorical cave being the Qurʾān.

How does the Sūrah help protect against the Dajjāl?

The greatest fitna that mankind will face in this life is the fitna of the Dajjāl. The Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,

“Between the creation of Ādam and the coming of the Last Hour, there will arise no creation that is more dangerous/more fitna than the Dajjāl.”[9]

The four main stories of the chapter cover falling into fitna in four areas:

Sleepers in the Cave: fitna in religion and istiqāmah (remain firm on Allāh’s religion)

Parable of the Garden: fitna in wealth and property, in the dunya

Mūsā with Khiḍr: fitna in knowledge

Dhū’l-Qarnayn: fitna in authority and dominion and each of these stories when studied shows us the way of absolution from those fitan.

The fitna of the Dajjāl is in exactly the same areas

Religion: he will oppress the believers, he will claim to be god and people will believe him.

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “I know more about the powers which the Dajjal will have than he will know himself. He will have two flowing rivers: one will appear to be pure water, and the other will appear to be flaming fire. Whosoever lives to see that, let him choose the river which seems to be fire, then let him close his eyes, lower his head and drink from it, for it will be cool, sweet water.”[10]

Wealth and dunya: The Dajjāl will have power over food and drink, if you believe in him you will get it, otherwise you will suffer drought, famine etc.

The Prophet (Sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “He will come to some people and call them and they will believe him and follow him. Upon his order, the sky will rain, and the earth will produce crops for these people. Their animals will graze on their land and return to them in the evening with large udders full of milk and their flanks full (stretched). Then, he will go to other people and call them, but they will refuse to believe in him. Without forcing them, he will leave. When wake up in the morning they will find that they are penniless and all their properties have been destroyed.”[11]

Knowledge: He will approach a Bedouin whose parents have passed away and will say to him, “Will you believe that I am your Lord if I bring your parents back to life?” The Bedouin will reply, “Yes.” The demons, that are accompanying the Dajjal, will assume the appearance of his parents and say to the Bedouin, “Oh son, believe in him and follow him, he is your Lord.’ The Bedouin will be deceived into believing the Dajjal.[12]

Safīnah reports that Allāh’s Messenger said, “The Dajjāl will ask: am I not your Lord, do I not give life and death?”[13]

Authority and dominion: His fitna will extend to the extent that the world will start following him, being deceived by him.

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “He will be followed by 70000 Jews of Aṣbahān wearing hoods or turbans.”[14]

Abū Hurayrah: The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “The Dajjāl will go down to Khūz (lands east of Iran) and Kerman (region in Iran) with seventy thousand (soldiers) whose faces look like flat beaten iron (like shields).”[15]

He will have huge numbers of followers amongst the Muslims and non-Muslims. He will lure women to him: The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,

“The Dajjāl will make a stop at a place called Markanāh (near Taif, Saudi Arabia). On hearing about his arrival, most of those who go to him will be women, to the point that the men will be forced to tie their mothers, daughters, and sisters fearing they will go to him.”[16]

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] Bukhārī and Muslim

[2] Bukhāri and Muslim

[3] Muslim

[4] Aḥmad

[5] Al-Qur’ān, 18:63

[6] (Ibn ªshùr) multa¯ad: ism mak«n m»m»

[7] (Ibn ªshùr) multa¯ad: ism mak«n m»m»

[8] Al-Qur’ān, 35:29

[9] Muslim

[10] Bukhārī and Muslim

[11] Muslim

[12] Ibn Mājah – ṣaḥīḥ

[13] Aḥmad

[14] Muslim

[15] Aḥmad

[16] Aḥmad – ṣaḥīḥ

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This Medinan Sūrah takes its title from the reference to the Prophet’s private rooms in verse 4. It deals with social aspects of Muslim society, informing the believers how to interact with the Prophet with due propriety, and with each other with mutual respect and trust. The concluding passages point out the differences between true faith and a mere outward observance of religious practice. The chapter begins by stating that Allāh knows all and hears all, and ends by stating that Allāh knows the unseen and sees all, this being a theme of the whole chapter and hence the repeated counsel to be mindful of Him.

The Sūrah consists of 18 verses and 343 words. It has no verses that are abrogated. It was revealed after al-Mujādilah and before al-Taḥrīm, making it the 108^th Sūrah revealed to the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam), and was revealed in the 9^th year after the Hijra.

The Sūrah addresses the important topic of akhlāq and tarbiya.

In the name of Allāh, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful

¹You who have faith! Do not put yourselves forward before Allāh and His Messenger; be mindful of Allāh: Allāh is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. ²You who have faith! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet and do not speak loudly to him as you do to one another lest your actions come to nothing without your realising it. ³Those who subdue their voices when they are with the Messenger of Allāh are people whose hearts Allāh has tested for mindfulness (of Him). They will have forgiveness and an immense reward. ⁴As for those who call out to you from outside your private quarters, most of them lack understanding. ⁵If they had only been patient until you came out to them, it would have been better for them, but Allāh is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

The general theme of this Sūrah revolves around social aspects of Muslim society. A functioning society must have a set of rules and regulations to govern it, a head of state to implement them, and a moral compass to direct it without which it would degenerate and fall into chaos and depravity. It is the interactions of the members of a community that really determine its success: empathy, responsible behaviour, and a collective vision. We catch a glimpse into what an ideal society would look like: a community based on revelation from Allāh, focused on Allāh; a community displaying fine conduct towards Allāh and His Messenger, and all others; a community where the individual cares for his own soul’s well-being and the well-being of others. This is what is addressed here, and the Sūrah begins by addressing the rights due to the head of state, in this case Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam), in his capacity as head of state and, more specifically, his capacity as Messenger of Allāh.^[1]

These rights are underscored by the fact that the first three ayāt of this Sūrah were revealed in response to a particular incident that happened during the Prophet’s (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) lifetime. One time, Abū Bakr and ʿUmar, were sitting with the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) while he was receiving a delegation of Banū Tamīm. Abū Bakr recommended that one of their number, al-Qaʿqaʿ b. Maʿbad, be made their leader. ʿUmar, however, disagreed and said that another of their number, al-Aqraʿ b. Ḥābis should be made their leader. Abū Bakr said to ʿUmar, ‘You just wanted to contradict me!’ ʿUmar said, ‘I had no intention of contradicting you!’ They started arguing and voices were raised in front of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam). Then, Allāh revealed these āyāt. After this revelation, when he spoke to the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam), ʿUmar’s voice was so low that he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) had to ask him to repeat what he said so that he could catch what he was saying.^[2]

Similarly, when this verse was revealed, Abū Hurayrah mentioned that Abū Bakr exclaimed, ‘By Allāh! I will not raise my voice, keeping it as if I was whispering a secret to someone.’^[3] Abū Bakr is also reported to have said, ‘By the One who sent you with truth, I will only speak to you as if I was whispering a secret to someone.’^[4] Some narrations mention that it was about Abū Bakr that the third āyah was revealed.^[5]

We need to consider what these two illustrious figures did here. They did not oppose Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam); their mistake was simply putting forward a suggestion before Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) had spoken and then arguing their case in his presence. Up to this point there had been no prohibition revealed concerning this, yet Allāh used them as an example to teach the rest of the ummah how to interact with the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam).^[6] The following is a noteworthy point to consider: their response to this revelation was not arrogant rejection, it was not to present excuses; rather it was immediate rectification and implementation of the counsel received from Allāh.

“You who have faith,” in Allāh as your Lord, Muḥammad (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) as your Messenger, and Islām as your religion,^[7] “Do not put yourselves forward before Allāh and His Messenger,” do not rush to pass judgement on a matter before Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) have done so, risking the possibility of opposing them,^[8] rather submit to and follow them in all affairs.^[9] Do not behave presumptuously with them and do not allow your own desires to take precedence over their guidance. “Be mindful of Allāh”, lest you say something not sanctioned by Allāh and His Messenger, or that you do something which displeases Him. Be aware of Him always in all that you do, “Allāh is All-Hearing,” of all that you say^[10] “All-Knowing,” of the intent behind your words and actions. Nothing whatsoever is hidden from Him, you can conceal nothing from Him no matter how deep you bury it in your hearts.^[11]

“You who have faith,”

Calling Muslims in this way is a way of honouring them and reminding them of the great blessing of faith that Allāh has bestowed on them, deserving of gratitude. This fact is further highlighted in the penultimate āyah of this Sūrah,

“They think they have done you a favour by becoming Muslims! Say, ‘Do not consider your Islam a favour to me; rather it is Allāh who has favoured you by guiding you to faith if you are telling the truth.’”

It is also for this reason that Allāh praised the bearers of the Throne by stating that they have faith in Him,^[12]

الَّذِينَ يَحْمِلُونَ الْعَرْشَ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ

“Those who carry the Throne and those who surround it celebrate the praise of their Lord and have faith in Him.”[13]

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) said, “Allah, Most High, gives the world to those He loves and to those He does not love, but He only gives religion to those He loves. Whoever is given the religion, then Allah has loved him”^[14]

By addressing the believers in this way, Allah shows us the ideal way of addressing people such that they would be more receptive to the advice or counsel being offered: rather than being confrontational or aggressive, we approach them using terms of endearment and respect, in a composed and prudent manner.^[15]

“You who have faith,” the Muslim is required to display fine conduct with Allāh, His Messenger and the Muslim community as a whole. The Muslims are either righteous or sinful, present or absent. This then makes five categories: 1) Allāh 2) His Messenger 3) The Righteous who are present 4) The Righteous who are absent 5) The Sinful.

This Sūrah has the call “You who have faith!” repeated five times, after each time a command or prohibition is given dealing with one of the five categories above.^[16] These commandments as a whole seek to establish a strong, close knit community tied together by the bonds of faith and brotherhood.

“You who have faith,” Ibn Masʿūd said, ‘When you hear Allāh saying, “You who have faith,” then pay attention because what follows is either an order to do something good or a proscription from doing something bad.’^[17] Zuhrī said, ‘When Allāh says, “You who have faith,” then do what is commanded.’^[18] The statement implies that what follows is from the dictates of īmān, and to oppose it is to oppose what is required of faith.^[19]

“Do not put yourselves forward,” taqaddum is literally to walk in front of someone else or to go before him. The image being depicted here is that of a person doing or saying something without permission from Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) and being compared to someone who has left them behind him and moved on.^[20] As such, the prohibition is against giving anything priority or precedence to Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam).

“before,” Arabic: bayna yaday: a literal translation of this is “between his hands”. The phrase refers to what is before a person since what is between the hands of a person is actually what is in front of him,^[21] or it means in his presence.^[22]

“You who have faith! Do not put yourselves forward before Allāh and His Messenger,” ‘in both word and deed,’ as stated by Sufyān al-Thawrī.^[23] Allāh “speaks the truth and guides to the Straight Path,” and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) “does not speak of his own desires.”^[24] This āyah clearly prohibits the Muslim from opposing the guidance of Allāh and His Messenger, it proscribes him from walking a path other than that laid out by them, and it bans him from voicing a personal opinion after Allāh and His Messenger have spoken. Indeed, it commands him to wait for judgement from Allāh and His Messenger rather than rushing to his own conclusion, hence Ibn Zayd commented, ‘Do not decide in favour of an opinion before Allāh and His Messenger have decided it.’^[25] al-Kalbī said, ‘Do not precede Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) in word or deed until he has enjoined you to it.’^[26] Ibn ʿAbbās said, ‘They were prohibited from speaking ahead of his (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) words.’^[27]

The true believer is completely committed to his faith, has deep conviction of its truth, and knows with certainty that everything that Allāh and His Messenger command is perfect for us, beneficial, and, indeed, beautiful in all respects.

الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا

Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed my blessing upon you, and chosen Islām as your religion.[28]

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) said, “Allāh is beautiful and loves beauty,”^[29] and He (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) said, “Allāh is good and pure, and accepts only what is good and pure.”^[30]

As such, the believer will not behave presumptuously with Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) and will not allow his own desires or personal preference to take precedence over their guidance. It is for this reason that Qatādah said when explaining this āyah, ‘People would say, “If only this (answer) was revealed concerning this issue. If only this or that happened,” so Allāh revealed this āyah.’^[31]

When the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) sent Muʿādh to Yemen he asked him, “What will you use to judge them?” He replied, ‘Allāh’s Book.’ He said, “What if you don’t find the answer you seek in it?” He replied, ‘The Sunnah of Allāh’s Messenger.’ He said, ‘What if you don’t find the answer you seek in it?’ He said, ‘I will strive to pass my own judgement.’ Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) then said, “Praise be to Allāh who has granted the messenger of Allāh’s Messenger a course pleasing to Allāh’s Messenger.”^[32] The point being that Muʿādh relegated his own judgement to third place.^[33]

Acts of worship that have allotted times and are subject to conditions are to be performed in accordance to those restrictions, for example ṣalāh, ṣiyām and Ḥajj,^[34] to do otherwise would be to put oneself before Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam). Ibn Jurayj explained the āyah with his words, ‘Do not perform acts of obedience before the times allotted them by Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam),’^[35] and al-Ḥasan furnished the following example, ‘On the Day of ʿĪd, some people slaughtered before the prayer and Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) ordered them to do the sacrifice again.’^[36]

Moreover, included in this is to give precedence to man-made law over the law of Allāh. To legislate in areas that Allāh has not granted permission, to make lawful what Allāh has prohibited, and to make prohibited what Allāh has made lawful.^[37]

ʿAdī b. Ḥātim reports that he heard the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) reciting,

اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِّن دُونِ اللَّـهِ وَالْمَسِيحَ ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا إِلَـٰهًا وَاحِدًا ۖ لَّا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ سُبْحَانَهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

They have taken their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allāh, and also the Messiah, son of Maryam. Yet they were commanded to worship only one God. There is none worthy of worship save Him! Glory be to Him above anything they associate with Him![38]

and said, ‘But we never worshipped them?’ He said, “Did they not make unlawful what Allāh made lawful, and so you did too? Did they not make lawful what Allāh made unlawful, and so you did too?” He replied, ‘Yes.’ He said, “That was their worship.”^[39]

Similarly, passing a verdict, ruling something to be obligatory or recommended or prohibited without any evidence is an example of putting oneself before Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam).^[40]

Absolute precedence is given to Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam). Qatādah said, ‘Do not undermine Allāh’s Messenger in anything. Let Allāh pass judgement on his tongue.’^[41] Indeed, to not do so is to imply that someone else is more knowledgeable and wiser than Allāh and His Messenger, a mistake of epic proportion.^[42]

Not only does this apply during the Prophet’s lifetime (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam), but it also applies after his passing away. It is for this reason that Ibn ʿAbbās made his observation on this āyah, ‘Do not say anything that opposes the Book and Sunnah.’^[43]

All of the opinions voiced above by the Salaf are correct and fall within the general import of the āyah.^[44]

The āyah establishes a foundational principle for us as Muslims and that is to obey Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) without resistance, or opposition, or raising specious arguments against.^[45]

فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىٰ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُوا فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا

By your Lord, they will not be true believers until they let you decide between them in all matters of dispute, and find no resistance in their souls to your decisions, accepting them totally.[46]

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّـهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ ۖ فَإِن تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّـهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّـهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًا

You who believe, obey Allāh and the Messenger, and those in authority among you. If you are in dispute over any matter, refer it to Allāh and the Messenger, if you truly believe in Allāh and the Last Day, that is better and fairer in the end.[47]

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّـهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّـهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Say, ‘If you love Allāh, follow me, and Allāh will love you and forgive you your sins.’ Allāh is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.[48]

ʿĀʾishah reported that the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) said, “Order Abū Bakr to lead the people in prayer.” She replied, ‘Abū Bakr is a soft-hearted person and when he stands at your place, he will weep (so much that he will not be able to lead the prayer).’ The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) repeated the same order and she gave the same reply; and again. Then the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) said on the third or fourth time, “You are (like) the female companions of Yūsuf! Order Abū Bakr to lead the prayer.”^[49]

The āyah also establishes that the source of knowledge when it comes to religion is one: Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam). This principle saves a person and society from the confusion and the chaos of taking multiple sources as sources of law, where changes in society and values further confound the situation,^[50]

ضَرَبَ اللَّـهُ مَثَلًا رَّجُلًا فِيهِ شُرَكَاءُ مُتَشَاكِسُونَ وَرَجُلًا سَلَمًا لِّرَجُلٍ هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلًا ۚ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

Allāh puts forward this illustration: can a man who has for his masters several partners at odds with each other be equal to a man devoted wholly to one master? All praise belongs to Allāh, though most of them do not know.[51]

Part and parcel of not putting oneself forward before Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) is not to innovate in the religion: introducing something new in the religion that has not been legislated by Allāh,^[52]

أَمْ لَهُمْ شُرَكَاءُ شَرَعُوا لَهُم مِّنَ الدِّينِ مَا لَمْ يَأْذَن بِهِ اللَّـهُ

Do they have partners who ordain things for them which Allāh has not sanctioned in the practise of their religion.[53]

The religion of Allāh is complete and perfect,

الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا

This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour to you, and have chosen Islām as your religion.[54]

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) said, “I advise you to fear Allāh and to hear and obey even if an Abyssinian slave were to rule over you. For surely, he who lives from amongst you will see much differing, so it is upon you to be upon my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. Bite on to it with your molar teeth and beware of newly invented matters, for verily, every newly invented matter is an innovation, and all innovation is misguidance.”^[55]

“Be mindful of Allāh,” place a shield in front of you that will serve to protect you from His anger.^[56] This is brought about by having faith in Him, doing what He commands and avoiding what He prohibits.^[57]

Samaʿānī said, ‘Taqwā the basic meaning of which is setting a barrier between two things. This is why it is said that one ittaqā with his shield, i.e. he set it as a barrier between him and the one who wished him evil […] Therefore it is as if the one who has taqwā has used his following the commands of Allāh and avoiding His prohibitions as a barrier between himself and the punishment. Hence he has preserved and fortified himself against the punishment of Allāh through his obeying Him.’^[58]

Ibn ʿAbbās said, ‘The one who has taqwā is one who secures himself from shirk, major sins and all indecent actions.’ ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb asked Kaʿb al-Aḥbār, ‘Tell me what taqwā is,’ to which he replied, ‘Have you ever traversed a path beset with thorns?’ He replied, ‘Yes.’ Kaʿb asked, ‘So what did you do?’ He replied, ‘I gathered together my garments and trod cautiously.’ He said, ‘That is taqwā.’ Shahr b. Ḥawshab said, ‘The muttaqī is one who leaves that which contains no harm for fear of committing that which is harmful.’ ʿUmar b. ʿAbdu’l-ʿAzīz said, ‘Taqwā is abandoning all that Allāh has prohibited and performing all that He has ordered. Then that provision that Allāh gives you after this is goodness on top of goodness.’^[59]

This command complements and completes the previous prohibition and shows us that obedience to Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) is part of taqwā, and that to put oneself forward before them violates taqwā.^[60] The statement also alludes to the fact that implementing this one command contained in the āyah is not the be all and end all of obedience, one must not think that he has completed his duty to Allāh and His Messenger in this one matter, rather a person must have taqwā in all aspects of his life and it must accompany him in everything.^[61] This statement, then, encompasses the whole of the Sharīʿah.^[62]

“Allāh is All-Hearing, All-Knowing,” this sentence serves to furnish us with the reason behind the command to be mindful of Him, in turn following the prohibition of putting oneself forward before Allāh and His Messenger, and that is Allāh hears all and knows all, nothing whatsoever goes unheard by Him and nothing whatsoever is unknown to Him.^[63] The believer who knows this will then ensure that his outward conforms to his inward, that what he says is in agreement to what he believes, and what he does accords to what he says.^[64]

وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّـهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ فَاحْذَرُوهُ ۚ

Remember that Allāh knows what is in your souls, so be mindful of Him.[65]

Some have used this āyah as a proof against juristic analogy (qiyās), however this is incorrect as the usage of qiyās is proven by many texts and, as such, would not be a case of putting oneself in front of Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam).^[66]

Points of Benefit

1. Address people with gentleness and terms of endearment so as to encourage them to accept sincere advice
2. The Muslim does not rush to a verdict without first ascertaining what, if anything, Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) have to say on the subject
3. The Muslim does not knowingly oppose Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam)
4. It is not permissible for a Muslim to put forward his own personal opinion when a text exists on the issue in the Book or Sunnah
5. If a Muslim does hold to an opinion, and then discovers a text that goes against it, he must withdraw his opinion and follow the text.
6. The Muslim does not put the opinion or act of any other before that of Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam).
7. The Muslim does not view his intellect, or the intellect of any other, as being superior to revelation.
8. The Muslim does not behave presumptuously with Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam). He does not allow his own desires or personal preferences to take precedence over their guidance
9. Man-made law is not given precedence over what Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam) have legislated.
10. The source of Islām is one, not many: what comes from Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhī wa sallam)
11. The prohibition of innovation in religion
12. Not putting oneself forward before Allāh and His Messengers covers word and deed
13. The Muslim must always be mindful of Allāh
14. Part and parcel of taqwā is to obey Allāh and His Messenger
15. The Muslim has taqwā in everything he does
16. Allāh hears all and knows all, nothing is hidden from Him or unknown to Him
17. The Muslim is bashful and modest, knowing that he is being watched by Allāh
18. The Muslim is careful of what he says, and what he believes and thinks knowing that nothing is hidden from Allāh
19. The Muslim is not hypocritical in word or deed
20. Juristic analogy (qiyās) is valid

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] Sulaym, Tafsīr al-Mawḍūʿī

[2] Bukhārī #4367-4845-4847-7302. Wāḥidī, Asbāb al-Nuzūl quotes that it was this occasion that led to the revelation of verses 1 through 5 of this sūrah.

[3] Ḥākim 2:462, Bayhaqī, Shuʿab #1521

[4] Bazzār #56, Ḥākim 3:74

[5] Wāḥidī, Asbāb al-Nuzūl

[6] Sulaym

[7] Jazāʾirī, Shaʿrāwī

[8] Ṭabari

[9] Ibn Kathīr

[10] Ṭabarī, Qurṭubī

[11] Ṭabarī

[12] Sulaym, ʿAdawī

[13] Al-Qur’ān 40:7

[14] Aḥmad

[15] ʿAdawī

[16] Rāzī, Baqāʾī, ibn ʿĀshūr

[17] Ibn Abī Ḥātim, ibn al-Mubārak, al-Zuhd #36, ibn Kathīr to 5:1

[18] Ibn Abī Ḥātim, ibn Kathīr to 5:1

[19] Ibn ʿUthaymīn

[20] Ibn ʿĀshūr

[21] Wāḥidī, al-Basīṭ

[22] Rāzī, Shawkānī

[23] Ibn Kathīr

[24] Baqāʾī

[25] Ṭabarī

[26] Thaʿlabī, Wāḥidī

[27] Ṭabarī, Suyūṭī, al-Durr al-Manthūr referenced it to Ibn Abī Ḥātim and ibn Mardawayh

[28] Al-Qur’ān 5:3

[29] Muslim #131

[30] Muslim #1686

[31] Ṭabarī

[32] Abū Dāwūd, Tirmidhī, ibn Mājah

[33] Ibn Kathīr

[34] Ibn al-ʿArabī

[35] Ibn al-ʿArabī, Māwardī, Qurṭubī, Zajjāj

[36] Ṭabarī, ʿAbdu’l-Razzāq, ibn Abī Ḥātim

[37] Shanqīṭī

[38] Al-Qur’ān 9:31

[39] Tirmidhī #3095, Ṭabarānī, al-Kabīr 17:92, Ṭabarī to 9:31

Tirmidhī said it was ḥasan gharīb, ibn Taymiyyah, al-Īmān, pg. 64 said it was ḥasan as did Albānī, Taḥqīq al-Tirmidhī.

[40] Ibn ʿUthaymīn

[41] Bukhārī #4845, Ṭabarī, ʿAbd b. Ḥumayd, Bayhaqi, Shuʿab al-Īmān #1516

[42] Jazāʾirī

[43] Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Ṭabarī, Abū Nuʿaym 10:398

[44] Ibn al-ʿArabī, Qurṭubī

[45] Qurṭubī, ibn ʿĀshūr

[46] Al-Qur’ān 4:65

[47] Al-Qur’ān 4:59

[48] Al-Qur’ān 3:31

[49] Bukhārī #713, Muslim #418

[50] Sulaym

[51] Al-Qur’ān 39:29

[52] Sulaym, ibn ʿUthaymīn

[53] Al-Qur’ān 42:21

[54] Al-Qur’ān 5:3

[55] Abū Dāwūd #4607, Tirmidhī #2676

[56] Baqāʾī, Ibn ʿUthaymīn

[57] Ibn ʿUthaymīn

[58] Samaʿānī, Tafsīr 1:42

[59] Baghawī, Tafsīr 1:60

[60] Ibn ʿĀshūr, Ibn ʿUthaymīn

[61] Rāzī

[62] Ibn ʿUthaymīn

[63] Ibn ʿĀshūr

[64] Rāzī

[65] Al-Qur’ān 2:235

[66] Qurṭubī

The post Journey Through Surah al-Hujurat appeared first on Islam21c.

Part 1 | Part 2

“You who have faith,” having believed in Allāh and His Messenger, “Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet,” blurting out words thoughtlessly, rather observe due propriety when speaking to him, and do not speak in a voice louder than his,^[1] else you will be guilty of violating proper conduct with him.^[2] “and do not speak loudly to him,” in a way that would upset or irritate him,^[3] “as you do to one another”. Instead, speak calmly, with deliberation, restraint, solicitude, respect and love,^[4] falling silent when he speaks and deferring to him,^[5] “lest your actions come to nothing” devoid of any reward “without your realising it” because you risk upsetting him. If you upset him, Allāh is angered and Allāh would render the deeds of those who anger Him void without their even knowing.^[6]

The phrase “You who have faith” has been repeated to emphasise the point that the qualities mentioned are qualities of true faith, and to drive home the respect that is due to the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).^[7] The repetition also signifies that the second prohibition is not merely a repetition or emphasis of the first, but stands on its own merit.^[8]

“Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet” Qatādah said, ‘People would raise their voices in the Prophet’s presence and speak to him loudly, so in this āyah they were admonished and prohibited from doing so.’^[9]

The Muslim must engender an attitude within himself of receiving the revelation willingly and internalising it. He must treat the āyāt of the Qurʾān as if Allāh is addressing him directly and do all that he can to implement the guidance of that āyah in his daily life. There is a beautiful, compelling example of how the early Muslims would do just this.

When this āyah was revealed, the companion Thābit b. Qays, a famous orator of the Anṣār,^[10] sat down in the middle of the road and began to cry. ʿĀṣim b. ʿAdī happened to be passing and asked him what was wrong. He replied,

‘This verse. I fear it was revealed because of me as I have a loud voice.’

He was slightly deaf and so spoke loudly without realising. He then secluded himself in his house. When the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) heard about this, he called Thābit and asked him why he had done this. He replied,

‘An āyah which I read, I fear I may have raised my voice to you and spoken loudly, and I think all of my deeds could well have been ruined without my knowing!’

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Are you not content that you will live a praiseworthy life, that you will be killed a martyr and that you will enter Paradise?!” He replied, ‘I am content with the tidings given to me by Allāh and His Messenger and I will never raise my voice to Allāh’s Messenger.’ It was then that Allāh revealed the next āyah of this Sūrah.^[11]

Anas commented, ‘We used to see Thābit walking among us knowing that he was one of the people of Paradise. During the battle of Yamāmah,’ when the Muslims were fighting the forces of the false prophet, Musaylimah, ‘our forces suffered a setback. Suddenly, Thābit was there, having put on his perfume and shrouds, saying, “The worst habit is the one you acquire from your enemy! Do not set a bad example for your companions.” Then he fought until he was martyred, may Allāh be pleased with him.’^[12]

Bukhārī recorded another version of this incident from Anas b. Mālik who said, “One day, the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) noted that Thābit b. Qays was absent and asked after him. A man said, ‘Allāh’s Messenger! I will find out what is wrong.’ That man went to Thābit and found him sitting at home with his head lowered and asked, ‘What is the matter?’ Thābit replied, ‘An evil matter!’ He told him that he used to raise his voice above the voice of the Prophet and feared that his good deeds had become void and that he would be among the people of the Fire. The man went back to the Prophet and conveyed Thābit’s statement. The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,

“Go back to him and deliver him this news: you are not among the people of the Fire. Rather, you are among the dwellers of Paradise.”^[13]

When a Muslim hears a command from Allāh or His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), he is supposed to implement it as soon as possible, as evidenced by the companions here, rather than procrastinating and delaying.

There are, of course, exceptions to this prohibition which have been established through other texts such as the injunction to call adhān, or when saying the takbīrs of ʿĪd, etc.^[14]

The quality of fine conduct taught here applies not only to interactions with the Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) but to anyone else we may speak to.^[15]

The core reason for not raising one’s voice above that of the Prophet’s (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is due to the respect that is accorded him because of his status and the love a believer has for him. Therefore, the proscription of raising one’s voice over his also implies that one not speak a great deal in his presence because a person who is respectful and in awe of another will naturally not speak frequently or loosely with him. Moreover, it also implies that one should not consider his words above or more important than the Prophet’s (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).^[16]

“and do not speak loudly to him as you do to one another,”

With regard to this, Qatādah said, ‘They would speak loudly to him (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and raise their voices, so they were admonished and prohibited from doing so.’^[17] In another narration Qatādah also indicated that the prohibition did not just apply to addressing him in this manner, but also when people talked to each other in his (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) presence, ‘People would raise their voices in the Prophet’s presence and speak loudly, so in this āyah they were admonished and prohibited from doing so.’^[18] This understanding is supported by the event leading to the revelation of this āyah, quoted above.

The phrase ‘do not speak loudly to him as you do to one another’ is with regard to our addressing him and calling him in the same manner as one would any other. Mujāhid explained, ‘Do not call him as you would one another; instead speak gently, with due propriety, and say, “O Messenger of Allāh…”’^[19]

Ḍaḥḥāk said that this āyah was similar to the āyah

لَّا تَجْعَلُوا دُعَاءَ الرَّسُولِ بَيْنَكُمْ كَدُعَاءِ بَعْضِكُم بَعْضًا

Do not treat calling the Messenger like one of you calling another.^[20][21]

He went on to say, ‘Allāh forbade them from calling to him like they would call to one another. He ordered them to honour and respect him, and to call him by his titles of Prophethood,’^[22] i.e. by saying Yā Rasūlallāh or Yā Nabiyallāh instead of Yā Muḥammad.^[23]

In fact, this is the way of Allāh Himself in the Qurʾān. When He addresses the Prophets, He does so using their names, but when He addresses the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) He does so using his titles.^[24]

“and do not speak loudly to him as you do to one another”

When considering this āyah carefully, we can see that it does not simply prohibit speaking loudly in his presence but that it is the loose, carefree and jocular manner that they would speak with each other that is prohibited as is any manner that would upset or irritate him (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).^[25] They are instructed to speak to him with respect and love and with an audible voice.^[26]

Not speaking to the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) as one does to any other means giving him precedence when he speaks, falling silent, listening attentively and deferring to him.^[27] Allāh alludes to all of this with His words,

النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَىٰ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ

The Prophet is closer to the believers than they are themselves.[28]

Many scholars have correctly highlighted that the sanctity of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) remains intact after his death. His words that have been recorded and are read out after his passing have the same sanctity as if they were spoken by him during his lifetime. Therefore, when his words are read, those listening should be attentive, listen respectfully and with dignity, and not raise their voices. The listener should be keen to hear and obey without any reluctance, just as if the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) were alive and speaking to them directly.^[29]

The scholars have also disliked that a person raise his voice by the Prophet’s (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) grave.^[30] One time, ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb heard two people raising their voices in the Prophet’s Masjid. He went to them and said, ‘Do you not know where you are? Where are you from?’ They replied that they had come from Ṭāʾif. He said, ‘Had you been from Madīnah, I would have beaten you!’^[31]

The scholars have also disliked that voices be raised in the gatherings of the scholars, out of respect for them, since they are the inheritors of the Prophets.^[32]

“lest your actions,” the Arabic sentence, an taḥbaṭa, has the governing word omitted, and has been interpreted to mean ‘to avoid the risk of’ (liʾallā taḥbaṭā) as stated by ibn Qutaybah or ‘for fear that your actions’ (makhāfata an taḥbatā) as stated by al-Akhfash.^[33]

“lest your actions come to nothing,” Abū Isḥāq said, ‘This shows that it is obligatory to respect and honour the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) within what is permissible in Islām. A person needs to be mindful and circumspect when speaking about the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) because he could well say or do something improper thus sealing his fate without even realising.’^[34]

In this respect, Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “A man might utter a word that pleases Allāh, Most High, without giving it a second thought, and on its account Paradise is written for him. A man might utter a word carelessly that angers Allāh, Most High, and on its account he is thrown into the Fire farther than the distance between the heavens and earth.”^[35]

Some scholars stated that the implication of the āyah is that all one’s deeds will come to nothing, and that only ever applies to a disbeliever. Hence, the āyah suggests that disrespecting the Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) will lead a person to further disrespect, causing the respect and love due him to diminish in his heart, until he arrives at point that he will say words of kufr when speaking of Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam). May Allāh save us from reaching such a state.^[36]

“without your realising it” since someone who is gradually deteriorating will often not know that he is getting worse. A person who commits a sin once will feel regret, but if he keeps committing that sin, it will become habitual and that sense of regret and anguish will vanish.^[37]

Allāh has commanded the believers to respect and honour the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), to defend him and revere him. But He has also commanded the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) to be gentle and merciful to the believers in return,^[38]

وَاخْفِضْ جَنَاحَكَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Lower your wings over the believers.[39]

فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللَّـهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لَانفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ ۖ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ ۖ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّـهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ

Out of Allāh’s mercy you are gentle in your dealings with them – had you been harsh, or heard-hearted, they would have dispersed and left you – so pardon them and ask forgiveness from them. Consult with them about matters, then, when you have decided on a course of action, put your trust in Allāh. Allāh loves those who put their trust in Him.[40]

Points of Benefit

1. A Muslim is not allowed to raise his voice to the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), or speak loudly to him, or in his presence as we do with any other.

2. A Muslim is not allowed to address the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) directly using his name, rather we should call him by his titles.

3. A Muslim cannot speak loosely or frequently in the Prophet’s (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) presence.

4. A Muslim does not think his words are more important or better than the words of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).

5. When the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) speaks, a Muslim falls silent and defers to him.

6. A Muslim must not anger Allāh, lest his deeds be rendered null and void.

7. A Muslim must receive the revelation and internalise it, implementing it in his life.

8. A Muslim rushes to implement the command of Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).

9. The sanctity of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) remains after his passing.

10. His words are to be listened to respectfully and quietly. They are to be obeyed and his guidance followed.

11. Voices are not to be raised by his (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) grave.

12. He (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is to be defended and honoured.

13. Voices are not to be raised in the gatherings of the scholars.

14. In general, a Muslim is not to raise his voice or shout at others.

15. A Muslim is careful and prudent in word and deed.

16. A Muslim does not look down on any deed that he does; though it may seem small, it may be great in Allāh’s sight. Allāh has given a grievous warning to those who raise their voices to the Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) or speak loudly to him as they would to each other. He has also promised a great reward to those who subdue their voices in his presence as the following āyah shows.

17. It is possible for a person to have sins recorded against him without him even being aware.

18. Allāh is aware of everything down to the tiniest detail. Here, He shows us that He was fully aware of the dispute that Abū Bakr and ʿUmar had.

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] Ṭabarī

[2] Zuhaylī

[3] Qurṭubī

[4] Ṭabarī

[5] Wāḥidī

[6] Ibn Kathīr

[7] Ibn ʿĀshūr, Zuhaylī

[8] Rāzī, ʿAdawī

[9] Ṭabarī, ʿAbdu’l-Razzāq, ʿAbd b. Ḥumayd

[10] Muslim #119

[11] Ṭabarī, Ṭabarānī #1316, Ḥākim 3:234, Bayhaqī, al-Dalāʾil 6:355, ibn Saʿd. Ibn Ḥajr, al-Fath 6:621 said the isnād of the version cited by ibn Saʿd was ṣaḥīḥ.

[12] Aḥmad

[13] Bukhārī #4846, Muslim #119

[14] Qurṭubī, ibn ʿĀshūr

[15] Zuhaylī, Shaʿrāwī

[16] Rāzī

[17] Ṭabarī

[18] Ṭabarī, ʿAbdu’l-Razzāq, ʿAbd b. Ḥumayd

[19] Ṭabarī, Suyūṭi referenced it to ʿAbd b. Ḥumayd and ibn al-Mundhir

[20] Another interpretation of this āyah is, “Do not regard the Messenger’s summons to you as being like one of you summoning another.”

[21] Al-Qur’ān, 24:63

[22] Ṭabarī, Ibn Abī Ḥātim

[23] Qurṭubī, Thaʿālabī

[24] Shaʿrāwi, cf. al-ʿIzz, Bidāyatu’l-Sūl fī Tafḍīl al-Rasūl

[25] Qurṭubī, Abū Ḥayyān

[26] Ibn ʿUthaymīn

[27] Wāḥidī

[28] Al-Qur’ān, 33:6

[29] Ibn al-ʿArabī, Qurṭubī, ibn Kathīr

[30] Qurṭubī, Thaʿālabī, ibn Kathīr, Abū Ḥāyyān

[31] Bukhārī #470

[32] Qurṭubī, Thaʿālabī, Abū Ḥayyān

[33] Wāḥidī, Rāzī

[34] Wāḥidī

[35] Bukhārī #6478 from Abū Hurayrah.

[36] Rāzī, Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, ibn ʿĀshūr

[37] Rāzī

[38] Rāzī

[39] Al-Qur’ān, 15:88

[40] Al-Qur’ān, 3:159

The post Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet ﷺ appeared first on Islam21c.

Signs of the Last Day (Ashrāṭ al-Sāʿah)

Introduction

One day centuries ago, while a shepherd was tending to his flock, a wolf attacked a sheep and dragged it away. The shepherd gave chase and rescued the sheep, but the wolf sat on its tail and spoke to the shepherd saying, ‘Fear Allāh! You have taken provision from me which Allāh gave me.’ The shepherd said, ‘Amazing! A wolf sitting on its tail and speaking to me in the language of a human being.’ The wolf said, ‘Shall I tell you something more amazing than this? There is Muḥammad in Yathrib informing people about the past and the future.’ The shepherd then went to Madīnah driving his sheep. Leaving them to one side, he came to Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and told him the whole story.

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) then ordered that the call of prayer be made. He came out and asked the shepherd to tell the people his story and he did. Then Allāh’s Messenger said, “He has spoken the truth; by Him in whose hands my soul is, the Day of Resurrection will not be established until beasts of prey speak to human beings, until the stick and the shoelace of a person speak to him, and his thigh informs him about his family as to what happened to them after him.[1]

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) recounted events that would happen in the future, and in particular those leading up to the Last Day in great detail. Ḥudhayfah said, ‘The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) addressed us with a sermon in which he left nothing unmentioned that would occur until the Last Hour. The one who knows it, knows it and the one who is ignorant of it is ignorant. Sometimes I see something of which he mentioned which I had forgotten and I recognise it just as a person recognises someone he used to know after seeing him again.’[2]

ʿAmr b. Akhṭab al-Anṣārī (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) said, ‘Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) prayed Fajr with us, then he ascended the minbar and addressed us until Ẓuhr. After praying, he ascended the minbar and addressed us until ʿAṣr. After the prayer he ascended the minbar and addressed us until Maghrib, and during that whole time he told us about what would happen in the future, teaching it to us.’[3]

ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb said, ‘The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) stood and told us about the events from the beginning of creation until the time that people will enter Paradise and Hell. Some remembered everything that was said and some of us forgot.’[4]

Before the Last Hour occurs there will be a number of general indications that it is drawing close such as the increase of murder, natural disasters, and widespread ignorance of the truth. There are, however, some very specific events that will happen as well which are referred to as the Majors Signs of the Last Hour:

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) came out to the Companions who were involved in a discussion. He asked, “What are you discussing?” (The Companions) replied, ‘We are discussing the Last Hour.’ He (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “It will not come until you see ten signs: the Smoke, the Dajjāl, the Beast, the rising of the sun from the west, the descent of ʿĪsā, son of Maryam, the Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj, the sinking of the earth in three places, one in the east, one in the west and one in Arabia. After this a fire would burn, spreading from Yemen, and would drive mankind to the place of their assembly.”[5]

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Rush towards good deeds before six things happen: the sun rising from the place of its setting, the Dajjāl, the Smoke, the Beast, your death and the Last Day.”[6]

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “The first (of the truly extraordinary) signs will be the sun rising from the place of its setting and the coming of the Beast in the morning, whichever of these two happens first, the other will soon follow.”[7]

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Your Lord has warned you against three: The Smoke which will afflict the believers like a cold, but will afflict the non-believer by bloating him up so severely that it will come out of every orifice, and the Beast and the Dajjāl.”[8]

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Once three signs occur, the soul will not benefit from believing if it did not believe before: the Dajjāl, the Dābba (the Beast), and the sun rising from the West.”[9]

When the actual Last Hour will happen is known only to Allāh.

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَاهَا ۖ قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِندَ رَبِّي ۖ لَا يُجَلِّيهَا لِوَقْتِهَا إِلَّا هُوَ

They ask you about the Last Hour, ‘When will it arrive?’ Say, ‘My Lord alone has knowledge of it: He alone will reveal when its time will come.’[10]

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَاهَا ﴿٤٢﴾ فِيمَ أَنتَ مِن ذِكْرَاهَا ﴿٤٣﴾ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ مُنتَهَاهَا ﴿٤٤﴾ إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُنذِرُ مَن يَخْشَاهَا ﴿٤٥﴾ كَأَنَّهُمْ يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَهَا لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا إِلَّا عَشِيَّةً أَوْ ضُحَاهَا

They ask you about the Hour, saying, ‘When will it arrive?’ But how can you tell them that? Its time is known only to your Lord; you are only sent to warn those who fear it. On the Day they see it, it will seem they lingered only an evening or its morning.[11]

Rather than trying to find out exactly when it will happen, what we are required to do is to prepare ourselves for it. A bedouin once asked the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) about the Last Hour. He (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “It will surely come to pass but what have you prepared for it?” The man replied, ‘Messenger of Allāh, I have not prepared much in the way of prayer and good works, but I love Allāh and His Messenger.’ The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “You will be with those you love.”[12]

We will describe the Major Signs that will happen before the event of the Last Hour, but before we do, we must bear some principles in mind:

Principles:

1. Discussion of the Signs of the Last Day must be restricted to the texts of the Book and Sunnah, knowledge of this is known only to Allāh and therefore can only be received from Him

قُل لَّا يَعْلَمُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ الْغَيْبَ إِلَّا اللَّـهُ ۚ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ أَيَّانَ يُبْعَثُونَ

Say, ‘No one in the heavens or on earth knows the unseen except Allāh.’ They do not know when they will be raised from the dead.[13]

As such, we do not rely on Judeo-Christian narrations (Isrāʾīliyyāt) or dreams or the claimed inspirations of anyone.

2. Everything authentic from Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) must be believed

وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ ﴿٣﴾ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَىٰ

He does not speak of his own desire, it is nothing less than revelation that is sent to him.[14]

Imām Aḥmad said, ‘We accept everything that has come to us from Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) with a good isnād. Were we to reject it and repudiate it, we would be rejecting Allāh’s words,

وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا

 Accept whatever the Messenger gives you and abstain from whatever he forbids you.[15]

3. Refer to the trustworthy people of knowledge

In order to understand this topic correctly, to avoid mistakes and to avoid confusion, we need to refer to the people of knowledge

فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

Ask the people of knowledge if you do not know.[16]

Abū al-Ṭufayl said, ‘While I was in Kūfah, people started saying that the Dajjāl had appeared. So we rushed to Ḥudhayfah b. Usayd while he was teaching and said, “The Dajjāl has come!” He told us to sit down, then another person rushed in saying the same thing. He explained that the right Signs had not yet come and therefore, the person in question could not be the Dajjāl.’[17]

The further we get from the time of Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) the more prevalent ignorance becomes and correct knowledge is lost, making it more imperative to refer back to those who know. Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Amongst the signs of the Last Hour is that knowledge will decrease and ignorance will become more prevalent.”[18]

This will lead to people who are undeserving of being leaders, unfit to guide and advise, and unsuited for authority being given it. Imām Mālik once went to Rabīʿa and found him crying. He asked why he was crying and whether he had been struck with tragedy? He replied, ‘No, but something atrocious has started happening. People are now being asked for fatwa but they are not fit to be asked.’ Then he said, ‘Some of these people who are being asked are more deserving of imprisonment than a thief is!’[19]

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,

“Allāh does not remove knowledge by taking it away from His servants; rather He removes knowledge by taking away the scholars. Then, when no scholar remains, people will take the ignorant as leaders. They are asked and they issue judgments without knowledge; leading others astray and being astray themselves.”[20]

Points of Benefit

1. The Last Hour is Close

اقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِي غَفْلَةٍ مُّعْرِضُونَ

Ever closer to people draws their reckoning, while they turn away, heedless.[21]

إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُ بَعِيدًا وَنَرَاهُ قَرِيبًا

The disbelievers think it is distant, but We know it to be close.[22]

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, whilst holding up his index and middle fingers, “The time of my advent and the Last Hour are like these two fingers.”[23]

2. Allāh alone knows when it will happen

إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْأَرْحَامِ

Knowledge of the Hour belongs to Allāh; it is He who sends down relieving rain and He knows what is hidden in the wombs.[24]

يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَاهَا ۖ قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِندَ رَبِّي ۖ لَا يُجَلِّيهَا لِوَقْتِهَا إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ ثَقُلَتْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ لَا تَأْتِيكُمْ إِلَّا بَغْتَةً ۗ يَسْأَلُونَكَ كَأَنَّكَ حَفِيٌّ عَنْهَا ۖ قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِندَ اللَّـهِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

They ask you about the Last Hour, ‘When will it arrive?’ Say, ‘My Lord alone has knowledge of it: He alone will reveal when its time will come, a time that weighs heavy in both the heavens and earth. All too suddenly it will come upon you.’ They ask you about it as if you were eager (to find out). Say, ‘Allāh alone has knowledge of it, though must people do not know.’[25]

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “There are five things that none knows save Allāh,” then he recited

إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْأَرْحَامِ ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَّاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ

Knowledge of the Hour belongs to Allāh; it is He who sends down relieving rain and He knows what is hidden in the wombs. No soul knows what it will reap tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will die; it is Allāh who is all-knowing and all-aware.[26]

3. This is part and parcel of our faith (īmān) in the unseen (ghayb)

And like all matters related to the unseen, our duty is to submit and accept.

ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ﴿٢﴾ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ

That is the Book in which there is no doubt, guidance for those who are mindful of Allāh: those who believe in the unseen…[27]

4. Belief in the Last Day should encourage the Muslim to work good deeds, to turn to Allāh in penitence and not to overly depend on this world.

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Rush towards good deeds before six things happen: the sun rising from the place of its setting, the Dajjāl, the Smoke, the Beast, your death and the Last Day.”[28]

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Once three signs occur, the soul will not benefit from believing if it did not believe before: the Dajjāl, the Dābba (the Beast), and the sun rising from the West.”[29]

The belief also encourages the believer to avoid evil and to speak out against it, to do his utmost to curb it. Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Lā ilāha illAllāh! Woe to the Arabs for an evil that has drawn near. Today the size of this was opened of the barrier holding back Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj,” and he made a circle with his two fingers. Zaynab asked, ‘Messenger of Allāh, will we be destroyed if there are righteous amongst us?’ He replied, “Yes, if filth and evil is allowed to increase.”[30]

5. The Prophecies prove the truthfulness of Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam)

As we see the prophecies coming true, unfurling before our eyes, or are born testimony to by history itself, we are assured of the veracity of our Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and, as a result, our īmān increases.

6. They teach us how to react and deal with the events that follow

For example, there are many lessons to be learned for when the Dajjāl comes, so many things for us to do as we shall see, inshāAllāh.

We want this knowledge to translate into beneficial action, as recommended in the ḥadīth, “Rush towards good deeds before six things happen: the sun rising from the place of its setting, the Dajjāl, the Smoke, the Beast, your death and the Last Day.”[31]

Or, for example, when our Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Take refuge with Allāh from tribulations, the outer and inner,”[32] “Take refuge with Allāh from the tribulation of the Dajjāl.”[33]

7. Hope is increased, we learn that the future is for Islām

هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ

It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to show that it is above all [other] religions, even though the idolaters hate it.[34]

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “This affair will reach what is reached by the night and the day; and Allāh will not leave a dwelling of brick nor fur except that He will cause this religion to enter it – bringing honour or humiliation. Honour which Allāh gives to Islām and humiliation which Allāh gives to disbelief.”[35]

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Prophethood will remain amongst you for as long as Allāh wishes it to, then Allāh will raise it up when He wants to raise it up. Then there will be Khilāfah upon the manner of Prophethood and it will remain amongst you for as long as Allāh wants, then Allāh will raise it up when He wants to raise it up. Then there will be harsh kingship which will remain amongst you for as long as Allāh wishes it to, then Allāh will raise it up when He wishes to raise it up. Then there will be tyrannical kingship and it will remain amongst you for as long as Allāh wishes it to, then Allāh will raise it up when He wishes to raise it up. Then there will be Khilāfah upon the manner of Prophethood.” Then he was silent.[36]

As a final point, there is no clear text that tells us in what order the Major Signs of the Last Day will happen. But when they do come, they will follow each other in succession. Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “The Signs will start coming one after another in succession, like beads on a string.”[37]

We can, however, surmise their order by looking at the texts in a holistic fashion.

There are those Signs that show that Last Hour is truly close:

1. The Coming of the Mahdī
2. The Appearance of the Dajjāl
3. The Descent of Īsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām)
4. The Unleashing of the Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj tribes

And then there are those that show that the Last Hour has actually started:

1. Three earthquakes or khasf
2. The Dukhān (Smoke)
3. The Sun rising from the place of its setting
4. The Beast (Dābba)
5. The Fire driving people to the place of resurrection

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] Aḥmad #11792, ibn Ḥibbān #6494

[2] Bukhārī, Muslim

[3] Muslim

[4] Bukhārī

[5] Muslim #2901

[6] Muslim #2947

[7] Muslim #2941

[8] Ṭabarānī, al-Kabīr 3:292

[9] Muslim #158

[10] al-Aʿrāf 7:187

[11] al-Nāziʿāt 79:42-46

[12] Bukhārī #3688-6167-6171-7153, Muslim #2639

[13] al-Naml 27:65

[14] al-Najm 53:3-4

[15] al-Ḥashr 59:7

[16] al-Anbiyāʾ 21:7

[17] Ḥākim

[18] Bukhārī #5577

[19] Ibn ʿAbdu’l-Barr, Jāmiʿ Bayān al-ʿIlm

[20] Bukhārī #100, Muslim #2673

[21] al-Anbiyāʾ 21:1

[22] al-Maʿārij 70:6-7

[23] Bukhārī #4936-5301-6504-6505, Muslim #867-2951

[24] Luqmān 31:34

[25] al-Aʿrāf 7:187

[26] Luqmān 31:34

[27] al-Baqarah 2:2-3

[28] Muslim #2947

[29] Muslim #158

[30] Bukhārī #3346-3598-6530-7059-7135, Muslim #2880

[31] Muslim #2947

[32] Muslim #2867

[33] Muslim #2867

[34] al-Ṣaff 61:9

[35] Aḥmad #16957

[36] Bazzār #2796, Aḥmad #23432

[37] Ibn Ḥibbān #6794, Ṭabarānī, al-Awsaṭ #4271

The post The End of the World appeared first on Islam21c.

Sūrat al-Hujurāt | Verse by Verse

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

“Those who subdue their voices when they are with the Messenger of Allāh” lowering them when speaking to him directly or to others while in his presence out of respect for him (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) “are people whose hearts Allāh has tested for mindfulness (of Him),” selecting them and purifying them, refining them and separating the pure from the filth,[1] and making them a home for taqwā.[2] “They will have forgiveness” for any mistakes they make as man is bound to do “and an immense reward,” which is Paradise.[3]

“Those who subdue their voices when they are with the Messenger of Allāh” this is an example of the respect due to Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) as mentioned in the Qur’ān,

أَرْسَلْنَاكَ شَاهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا ﴿٨﴾ لِّتُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّـهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَتُعَزِّرُوهُ وَتُوَقِّرُوهُ وَتُسَبِّحُوهُ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا

We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of good news and warning, so that you (people) may believe in Allāh and His Messenger, support him, honour him, and praise Him morning and evening.[4]

This was the way of the Companions. They would subdue their voices when speaking in his presence as stated by ʿUrwah b. Zubayr.[5]

“are people whose hearts Allāh has tested for mindfulness (of Him),”

Alternative readings of this include “are people whose hearts Allāh has proven to be mindful (of Him)” and “are people whose hearts Allāh has tested so that mindfulness (of Him is reinforced).”[6] These are all correct and transmit the same essential meaning, that Allāh has tested them that they may be filled with taqwā and thus become a muttaqī.[7]

“are people whose hearts Allāh has tested for mindfulness (of Him),”

Allāh tested their hearts in order to refine them and extract the filth of opposition and base desires in much the same way that gold is refined from other materials. This is the ultimate goal of the test, and implied in the āyah, even if not explicitly stated.[8] Hence, when the Salaf came to comment on this āyah, they explained:

Qatādah said, ‘Allāh has purified their hearts so that they do what He loves.’[9] Ibn ʿAbbās said, ‘Allāh has purified their hearts of filth, and place the fear of Allāh and taqwā in its place.’[10] ʿUmar said, ‘Allāh removed lusts and desires from their hearts.’[11] Abū Hurayrah said that amongst these was Thābit b. Qays.[12]

This āyah illustrates, with one stark example, that throughout the course of one’s life, a Muslim will be tested in many ways with temptation to do evil or submit to his or her lusts and desires. To pass that test, he must fight that temptation and subdue it, and to do so signifies strength of faith and character, and is beloved to Allāh, Most High. A person who does this is upon istiqāmah, remaining firm on the path to Him.[13]

Allāh, Most High, says,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّـهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ

As for those who say, ‘Our Lord is Allāh,’ and then remain firm on the path to Him, the angels come down to them and say, ‘Have no fear or grief, but rejoice in the good news of Paradise which you have been promised.’[14]

Struggling against temptation and fighting the lower self and, as a result, avoiding sin is more beloved to Allāh than a person who avoids sin without that struggle. Aḥmad, al-Zuhd recorded that Mujāhid said, ‘Someone wrote to ʿUmar asking, “Leader of the Faithful! Who is better, a man who does not feel the desire to commit a sin and does not commit it, or a man who feels desire to commit a sin, but does not commit it?” ʿaski wrote in reply, “He who feels desire to commit a sin, but does not commit it,”’ and then he quoted this āyah.[15]

Humbling oneself before Allāh and His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is a sign of taqwā and a means of repressing arrogance in oneself.

تِلْكَ الدَّارُ الْآخِرَةُ نَجْعَلُهَا لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُرِيدُونَ عُلُوًّا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فَسَادًا ۚ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

We grant the Home in the Hereafter to those who do not seek superiority on earth or spread corruption: the happy ending is awarded to those who are mindful of Allāh.[16]

“They will have forgiveness and an immense reward”

The words maghfira (forgiveness) and ajr (reward) are indefinite nouns. The indefinite sense is used to aggrandise and enhance the recompense for showing due respect to Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and the extent of Allāh’s pleasure.[17] It also illustrates the severity of not showing due propriety as the implication is that they will not enjoy this reward.[18]

A believer can fall into error and sin but he should not succumb to despair or give up hope because Allāh is the forgiving. He should remain optimistic at all times.[19]

The āyah also shows us that fine conduct leads to forgiveness and great reward.[20] Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “There is nothing heavier on the scales than fine conduct.”[21]

Points of Benefit

1. Showing propriety with Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) bears a great status. It leads to taqwa residing in hearts, forgiveness and great reward.
2. No one is above reminder and admonition, even the companions Abū Bakr and ʿUmar who were reminded.
3. Allāh purifies the heart of the true believer through testing it.
4. Allāh offers solace to His servants, showing them how they can attain exalted and sublime stations with Him.
5. The pitfalls of the tongue are highlighted here.
6. The Qurʾānic method in correcting mistakes is that the names of those in error are not highlighted, rather the mistake is. This allows a person to be more open to correction.
7. The relationship of the tongue to heart.
8. Allāh tests His servants to purify them and allows them to draw closer to Him.
9. The goal is to fill the heart with taqwa of Allāh.
10. Allāh is All-Forgiving.
11. Allāh is Merciful.
12. The Muslim should turn to Him in penitence.
13. The Muslim does not despair of Allāh’s mercy.
14. The Muslims remains optimistic.
15. Fine conduct leads to great reward.

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] Ṭabarī

[2] Ibn Kathīr

[3] Baqāʾī

[4] Al-Qur’ān, 48:8-9

[5] Bukhārī #2731-2732

[6] Abū Ḥayyān

[7] Ibn ʿĀshūr

[8] Wāḥidī

[9] Ṭabarī

[10] Qurṭubī

[11] Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, Qurṭubī

[12] Ibn Mardawayh as cited by Shawkānī

[13] cf. Ibn ʿAṭiyyah

[14] Al-Qur’ān, 41:30

[15] Ibn Kathīr, Suyūṭī

[16] Al-Qur’ān, 28:83

[17] Ibn ʿĀshūr

[18] Abū Ḥayyān

[19] ʿAdawī

[20] ʿAdawī

[21] Tirmidhī #2004, Abū Dāwūd #799

The post Showing due respect for Allah’s Messenger ﷺ appeared first on Islam21c.

Sūrat al-Hujurāt | Verse by Verse

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

“As for those” bedouins, coarse by nature and loud by habit[1] “who call out to you” simultaneously raising their voices to the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and speaking loudly to him as they would to each other[2] “from outside your private quarters,” which were the houses of his wives, simple one room apartments numbering nine in total. The bedouin arabs did not know which house the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) was in which resulted in their going from quarter to quarter, calling out to him. “Most of them” amongst them were two Muslims who did not address or agree to address the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) like this.[3] However, the others “lack understanding,” speaking to him as if he were the lowliest of people at their beck and call.[4] They are ignorant of Allāh’s religion and, as such, do not know the right and the respect due to the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).[5] A rational, intelligent person would be well-mannered and approach him with due decorum and fine conduct.[6] “If they had only been patient” holding themselves back, putting a tight rein on their selves, stopping them from calling out to him[7] “until you came out to them,” patience is better than haste “it would have been better for them,” because Allāh has commanded that he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) be honoured and respected, and proscribed us from calling him like this.[8] Moreover, the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) would only withdraw from people when he had some private matters to deal with, so to call on him at such times constitutes poor manners.[9] “But Allāh is Ever-Forgiving,” should you repent from addressing him (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) in this way and from any other evil you may have done.[10] “Most Merciful,” and from His mercy is that He has merely admonished you for treating His Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) in this way, and counselled you towards the correct path.[11]

This āyah then encourages us to turn to Allāh in repentance.[12]

These verses were revealed when some bedouins from Banū Tamīm came to the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) in the 9^th year after the Hijra[13] while he was taking the afternoon nap (qaylūla).[14] Standing outside his private quarters, they shouted out, “Muḥammad! Come out to see us!”[15] Zayd b. Arqam said, ‘This āyah was revealed when some Arabs came to the Prophet’s apartments (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and called out, “Yā Muḥammad, Yā Muḥammad!”’[16]

Al-Barāʾa said, when explaining this verse, ‘A man known as al-Aqraʿ b. Ḥābis al-Tamīmī came to the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and shouted out for him but he did not respond. Then he said, “Muḥammad! My praise (for someone) is adornment and my censure (of him) is disgrace.” He remarked, “That only holds true for Allāh!”’ then these verses were revealed.[17] This was a phrase employed by the arabs when they wanted to encourage a leader or king to lavish favours and gifts on them.

“from outside your private quarters,” (min waraʾ) literally: from behind. The rooms of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) prevented them from seeing him and, as such, were likened to a situation wherein someone is behind another and unable to see him.[18]

“most of them lack understanding,”

What is meant by ʿaql in this āyah is reason and common sense, not sanity.[19] It is animals that lack ration and reason, unlike man. Therefore, it is as if a person who calls out to him (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) without due decorum, propriety and regard is like an animal calling out.[20]

“If they had only been patient until you came out to them,”

If patience were applied at all levels of society, nothing but good would result. Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said to al-Ashajj ʿAbdu’l-Qays (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu),

“You have two qualities beloved to Allāh: forbearance and deliberation.”[21]

The imāms of the past took lesson from this āyah and applied it to their interactions with their teachers. Abū ʿUbayd (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu), for example, said, ‘I have never knocked on the door of a scholar. I would wait for him to come out of his own accord.’[22]

“But Allāh is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful,”

It is from Allāh’s generosity to us that He forgives and is merciful.[23]

Some narrations mention that these bedouins had come seeking the release of some prisoners, however, due to the manner in which they addressed the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), he only released half of them. Had they been patient, he might have released all of them and that “would have been better for them.” These narrations are not authentic.

Points of Benefit

1) Patience is always the better course.

2) The bedouin Arabs were, by nature, coarse and loud.

3) The way of the intelligent is to follow the path of decorum and fine conduct.

4) A person with no sense is bad mannered.

5) One should be precise when rebuking or criticising others. Allāh has stated clearly and precisely that “most of them lack understanding,” since there were some amongst them who did not call out to him (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) in this way or did not agree with the act.

6) Despite what theseb did, Allāh reminded them that He is Ever-Forgiving and Merciful. He did not leave them to despair.

7) Allāh’s generosity is illustrated in that He forgives and shows mercy.

8) Muslims should not disturb the scholars at times when they are resting or going about their private affairs.

9) The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is to be loved, honoured, respected and talked about with due propriety.

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] Thaʿālabī

[2] Ibn ʿĀshūr

[3] Ibn ʿĀshūr

[4] Abū Ḥayyān

[5] Ṭabarī

[6] Saʿdī, Zuhaylī

[7] Baqāʾī

[8] Ṭabarī

[9] Qurṭubī

[10] Ṭabarī

[11] Zuhaylī

[12] Zuhaylī

[13] Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr

[14] Qurṭubī

[15] As stated by Mujāhid and recorded by Ṭabarī and al-Bayhaqī, al-Shuʿab #1516. Wāḥidī also cited this as the view of Jābir and ibn ʿAbbās.

[16] Ṭabarānī, Abū Yaʿlā with a ḥasan isnād. cf. Zuhaylī

[17] Aḥmad #15991, Ṭabarānī #878. cf. Tirmidhī #3267, Nasāʾī, al-Kubrā #11515

[18] Ibn ʿĀshūr

[19] Ibn ʿUthaymīn

[20] Rāzī

[21] Muslim #25

[22] Abū Ḥayyān

[23] Ibn ʿUthaymīn

The post “You have two qualities beloved to Allāh….” appeared first on Islam21c.

Signs of the Last Day (Ashrāṭ al-Sāʿah)

The Mahdī

Part 1 | 2 | 3

In the last days, before the Final Hour, a man will appear. A righteous and unique leader, he will be a descendant of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) through whom Allāh will grant ascendancy to the religion. He will appear at a time of many earthquakes, and when people will be consumed in dispute and caught up in fighting and killing. He will fill the earth with justice and equity where before it had been filled with tyranny and injustice. The people of earth and the inhabitants of heaven will be pleased with him and he will distribute wealth equitably.[1] Indeed wealth will be so abundant that a man will stand and ask for wealth, and he will give it to him freely.[2] This leader, the Mahdī, will rule for seven to nine years, during which time the earth will grow its produce freely and rain will come down in abundance.[3][4][5] Livestock will increase and the Muslim nation will grow in number.[6]

The Mahdī will have the Prophet’s name and the name of the Prophet’s father, so he will be called Muḥammad b. ʿAbdullāh (or Aḥmad b. ʿAbdullāh). Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,

“Even if there remains only one day before the world ends, Allāh will prolong it to send a man from me, from the members of my House. His name will be similar to my name and his father’s name similar to my father’s name. He will fill the Earth with equity and justice where (previously) it was filled with oppression and injustice.”[7]

He will be a descendant of Fāṭimah, daughter of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) through al-Ḥasan b. ʿAlī (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu).[8]

Although he will not resemble the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) in appearance, he will resemble him in character.[9] He will closely follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and call to it.[10]

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) described what the Mahdī would look like stating that he would have a broad, clear forehead and a handsome, prominent nose.[11]

When he passes away, the Muslims will pray over him and his death will give way to great evil and tribulation on earth.[12] There will be no good left in the living.[13]

Before Muḥammad b. ʿAbdullāh declares himself as being the Mahdī, three claimants to leadership of the Muslims will try to take the treasure of the Kaʿbah by force, each being sons of a Khalīfah. They will be killed, one after another, leading to internecine strife.[14] At that time the Mahdī will be in Madīnah but will be forced to flee to Makkah seeking refuge there.[15] The people of Makkah will come to his house asking him to declare himself, but he will refuse, reluctant to take on such a huge responsibility. In a single night, Allāh will prepare him for the mantle of leadership,[16] forgiving him, guiding him and inspiring him to take his position.[17] The people of Makkah will then take him out to the Kaʿbah between the black stone and the station of Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhi al-Salām) and there, give him the pledge of allegiance.[18]

When this happens, an army will march out from Syria against him, challenging his leadership and his claim.[19] In the face of this existential threat, the Muslims will be worried as the Mahdī at this time has no real power, strength or any quantity of arms but Allāh will cause the army to be swallowed at al-Baidāʾ (an area of desert between Makkah and Madīnah) by a landslide.[20][21] When the people see this, the eminent of Syria and Iraq will come and give him the pledge of allegiance between the black stone and the station of Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhi al-Salām).[22]

Black flags will be raised on the lands of the east, Khurasān,[23] the standards of a mighty army and they will come to the Mahdī, support him and fight under him with a ferocity not seen before. The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) advised all the Muslims of the time, that when they are to see this happening, they are to give him the pledge of allegiance even if they had to crawl over ice to do so.[24]

Another army sent by a man from Quraysh, descended from the tribe of Kalb, will march out against the Mahdī and a battle will ensue in which the Mahdī will be victorious.[25]

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) warned, “No one shall make this House permissible except its own people. When they make it permissible than do not ask about the destruction of the Arabs.”[26] Meaning: make the shedding of blood and attacking it permissible.

Some narrations mention that the Mahdī will conquer Jerusalem, and that the authority of the Islamic state will reach there. It is said that once this happens, earthquakes and calamities will begin anew, and the Last Hour will be close.[27] The Mahdī will also conquer Constantinople after fighting the Romans at al-Aʿmāq or Dābiq. A third of those who joined the Muslim army will flee, and the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) declared that Allāh would never forgive them, a third would be martyred in the war, and the remaining third would finally conquer Constantinople. While the victors are distributing the war booty, Satan will cry out,

‘The Dajjāl has come and taken your place amongst your families!’

They will throw away what they have in their hands and set out for him, sending ahead ten horsemen as a scouting party. They will find that the claim is false. Soon after this, the Dajjāl will actually appear and the Muslims will fight him in a succession of battles. At one such battle, while the Muslim armies who will be in Syria at the time are preparing to face him, ʿIsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) will return to earth.[28]

The Return of ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām)

While the Mahdī is ruling as the Imām or Khalīfah of the Muslims, ʿĪsā b. Maryam (ʿalayhi al-Salām) will return to earth. He will descend close to the white minaret to the east of Damascus just before Fajr time.[29] He will be wearing garments lightly coloured with saffron and his hands will be placed on the wings of two angels. Whenever he lowers his head droplets fall, and whenever he raises his head, precious stones that look like pearls fall.[30] The Mahdī and others will ask him to lead them in prayer but he will refuse saying, ‘Your Imām should lead,[31] as a grace from Allāh.’”[32]

ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) will not have returned as a new Prophet but rather as follower of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), adhering to the Sharīʿah he brought. As such, he will accede to the authority of the Khalīfah at the time, the Mahdī. The ummah of Islām will start with the best of people and end with the best of people. The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,

“An ummah that has me at its beginning, the Mahdī in its middle, and ʿIsā at its end can never be destroyed.”[33]

The details of the advent of the Dajjāl and the return of ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) will be given in later articles.

Final points

1) Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is reported to have said, “There is no Mahdī except ʿĪsā b. Maryam.”[34]

This is a weak ḥadīth, but even if assumed to be authentic, the meaning is that there is no Mahdī in the complete sense of the word, the absolute sense, except for ʿĪsā as stated by Qurṭubī and others. As such, the ḥadīth would be employing the word mahdī in its linguistic sense, and not as a title for a specific person.

2) The Khilāfah existed once in Islāmic history, and it will exist again

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,

“Prophethood will remain amongst you for as long as Allāh wishes it to, then Allāh will raise it up when He wants to raise it up. Then there will be Khilāfah upon the manner of Prophethood and it will remain amongst you for as long as Allāh wants, then Allāh will raise it up when He wants to raise it up. Then there will be harsh kingship which will remain amongst you for as long as Allāh wishes it to, then Allāh will raise it up when He wishes to raise it up. Then there will be tyrannical kingship and it will remain amongst you for as long as Allāh wishes it to, then Allāh will raise it up when He wishes to raise it up. Then there will be Khilāfah upon the manner of Prophethood.” Then he was silent.[35]

When the Khilāfah returns, it will be a great khilāfah, “There will come towards the end of time a Khalīfah who will distribute money and not even count it,”[36] and the people living under that rule will “enjoy a life the likes of which they had never lived before.”[37]

The Khilāfah will return, it seems, with the return of the Mahdī and we know how he will judge with justice and equity above, and how the earth will give its produce freely.

3) This is not the Mahdī of the Shīʿa

They too are waiting the re-appearance of their 12^th Imām who went into hiding or a state of occultation: Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-Askarī, at a very young age, and is still in hiding 10 centuries later. They believe that he will be from the children of Ḥusayn and that he will be the Mahdi. However, there is no authentic evidence supporting their stance.

4) The Shīʿa also believe that the People of the Cave will return and they will be the Mahdī’s Companions. There is nothing authentic to prove this.

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] Aḥmad

[2] Tirmidhī #2232

[3] Abū Dāwūd #4285

[4] Tirmidhī #2234, Ṭabarānī 19:32

[5] Ibn Mājah #4083

[6] Ḥākim #6873

[7] Abū Dāwūd #4282-4283, Tirmidhī #2230-2231

[8] Abū Dāwūd #4284-4290, ibn Mājah #4086.

A ḥadīth in Ibn Mājah #4087 states that the Mahdī would be one of the leaders of Paradise but it is mawḍūʿ

[9] Abū Dāwūd #4290

[10] Abū Dāwūd #4286, Ṭabarānī

[11] Abū Dāwūd #4285

[12] Abū Dāwūd #4286

[13] Aḥmad. This will not happen immediately after his death, but some time after the passing of ʿĪsā (AS).

[14] Ibn Mājah #4084

[15] Abū Dāwūd #4286

[16] Aḥmad #645, ibn Mājah #4085

[17] Ibn Kathīr, al-Nihāyah

[18] Abū Dāwūd #4286

[19] Abū Dāwūd #4286

[20] Muslim #2883

[21] Bukhārī&Muslim #2882-2883

[22] Abū Dāwūd #4286

[23] Tirmidhī #2269. The narration mentions that this army will reach īliyāʾ in Jerusalem and erect their banners there. The ḥadīth has weakness, but other narrations do state that the authority of the Muslim state under the Mahdī will reach Jerusalem.

Khurasān then was bigger than Khurasān now, and encompassed Naisapur, Harra, Marwa, and Balkh, i.e. it covers northeast Persia (Iran) and parts of central Asia and Afghanistan.

[24] Ibn Mājah #4084, Aḥmad #22378.

Some scholars argue that the Mahdī will come from Medīnah and his army from Khurasān reconciling the ḥadīth of Abū Dāwūd and the ḥadīth of ibn Mājah. Others said that the ḥadīth of Abū Dāwūd was ḍaʿīf and therefore, the Mahdī would come from the lands of the east as indicated by the ḥadīth of ibn Mājah

[25] Abū Dāwūd #4286

[26] Aḥmad

[27] Aḥmad #22540, Abū Dāwūd #2535

[28] Muslim #2897-2898-2899

[29] Aḥmad #14954

[30] Muslim #2937

[31] Aḥmad #14954

[32] Musnad al-Ḥārith, Muslim #156

[33] Nasāʾī

[34] Ibn Mājah #4039

[35] Aḥmad

[36] Muslim

[37] Ḥākim #6873

The post A Just Ruler for the End of Times appeared first on Islam21c.

Signs of the Last Day (Ashrāṭ al-Sāʿah)

The Dajjāl

Part 1 | 2 | 3

The actual title given to the Dajjāl is al-Masīḥ al-Dajjāl. Al-Masīḥ means Messiah; and the particularisation is due to there being two Messiahs, one of guidance (ʿĪsa (ʿalayhi al-Salām)) and one of misguidance (the Dajjāl).[1] Al-Dajjāl means the Great Deceiver.[2]

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) told us that, “No tribulation on the face of the earth since Allāh created Ādam’s (ʿalayhi al-Salām) progeny will be greater than the trial of the Dajjāl. Every Prophet Allāh sent warned his people against the Dajjāl.”[3]

And he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Between the creation of Ādam (ʿalayhi al-Salām) and the coming of the Last Hour, there will arise no creation that is more dangerous than the Dajjāl.”[4]

There are a number of events that will occur leading up to the appearance of the Dajjāl:

1) The Conquest of Constantinople.[5]

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is reported to have said,

“The flourishing of Jerusalem will mark the (beginnings of the) desertion of Yathrib (Madīnah). The desertion of Yathrib will mark the start of the Great War.[6] The start of the Great War will mark the conquest of Constantinople. The conquest of Constantinople will mark the appearance of the Dajjāl.”[7]

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “The Great Battle, the conquest of Constantinople, and the appearance of the Dajjāl will occur within (a period of) seven months.”[8]

2) The Lake of Tiberius (Sea of Galilee) will dry up.[9]

3) The Arab population will have decreased.[10]

4) Religion itself will be questioned, its adherents will be few and there will be a loss of knowledge.[11]

5) “The Dajjāl will not come until a time when people have forgotten about him and the Imāms no longer mention him on the minbars.”[12]

6) Thirty false dajjāls will already have made a claim to Prophethood. The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,

“The Hour will not come until thirty dajjāls have appeared, all of them claiming to be a Prophet of Allāh,”[13] another narration has, “all of them lying against Allāh and His Messenger.”[14]

7) Trials that will afflict mankind such that during them a man will awake a believer but become a disbeliever by the evening. People will eventually end up in one of two camps: the camp of faith which will contain no hypocrisy, and the camp of hypocrisy which will contain no faith. “When that happens,” the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “expect the Dajjāl that day or the next.”[15]

8) Before his coming there will be drought and famine for three years. In the first year, one third of rain will be withheld and the earth will not produce one third of its produce. In the second year, two-thirds of rain will be withheld and two-thirds of the earth’s produce. In the third year all rain will be withheld and the earth will grow no produce. During these times, in place of food and drink, takbīr, taḥmīd and tasbīḥ will suffice the believers.[16]

Description:

In order to fully caution us against him, the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) described the Dajjāl in some detail so that his ummah might recognise him by his appearance when he arrives.

Ibn ʿUmar said, ‘The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) stood up to address the people. He praised Allāh as He deserved to be praised, then he spoke about the Dajjāl saying, “I warn you against him; there is no Prophet who has not warned his people against him, even Nūḥ (ʿalayhi al-Salām) did so. But I will tell you something which no other Prophet has told his people. You must know that the Dajjāl is one-eyed, and Allāh is not one-eyed.”[17]

The Dajjāl is one eyed;[18] he will be blind in the right eye which will be like a floating grape,[19] neither protruding nor sunken.[20] The left eye will also be impaired, partially covered with a piece of flesh protruding from the inner part of the eye.[21] One of his eyes will have a greenish tinge, as if it were a piece of glass.[22]

He will have the word kāfir (kāf fa ra) written on his forehead[23] which only the believers will be able to read,[24] be they literate or illiterate.[25]

This writing will be real, and the fact that some will see it while others will not, and that illiterate people will be able to read it is not problematic.

“This is because Allāh causes people to understand something when looking at it, as He wills and when He wills. So the believer will see with his insight, even if he is illiterate, and the non-Muslim will not be able to see it, even if he is literate. By the same token, the believer will see with his insight evidence that the non-Muslim will not see. Allāh will enable the believer to understand without him being literate, because at that time, extraordinary things will be happening.”[26]

He will be stocky and short,[27] fleshy and light-skinned,[28] with coarse and curly hair[29] that is plaited[30] and resembles branches of trees.[31] He will be relatively young,[32] with a broad upper chest,[33] a hairy body,[34] and a shiny and wide forehead.[35] He will be slightly hunched,[36] pigeon-toed[37] and sterile with no children.[38] Amongst the people who resembled him most was Ibn Qaṭan, a man from the tribe of Khuzāʿa who had passed away in the Days of Jāhiliyyah.[39]

By all accounts, the Dajjāl will not be pleasant to behold, but he will do seemingly miraculous deeds that will fool people into believing in him, and he will, perhaps, play on people’s sympathies.

He will come from the lands of the east,[40] from Khurasān,[41] at a time when the Muslims are split in groups and differing amongst one other.[42] To be more precise, he will come from a place called Yahūdiyyah in Asbahān,[43] a province of Khurasān, and with him will be seventy thousand Jews.[44] Also accompanying him are devils who will speak to people.[45]

He will first claim to be a Prophet, and then later claim to be Allāh,[46] asking, “Am I not your Lord? Do I not give life and death?”[47] He will kill some people and it will seem to others that he brings them back to life and he will ask, “Who but your Lord can do this?”[48] But the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) remarked, “You must know that no one will be able to see his Lord until he dies.”[49] He (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) further said,

“Whoever responds to him by saying, ‘You are not our Lord! Our Lord is Allāh, and it is upon Him that we trust and to Him we turn in penitence. We take refuge in Him from shirk!’ Then he will have no authority over such as person.”[50]

He will bring with him something which will resemble Paradise and Hell; but what he calls Paradise will in fact be Hell, and what he calls Hell will in fact be Paradise.[51] “He will have two flowing rivers: one will appear to be pure water, and the other will appear to be flaming fire. Whosoever lives to see that, let him choose the river which seems to be fire, then let him close his eyes, lower his head and drink from it, for it will be cool, sweet water.”[52] This is the essence of his fitna: making falsehood look like truth and truth like falsehood, putting people to trial in their very faith.

Upon his order, the sky will bring down rain, and the earth will produce crops for those who believe in him. Their animals will graze on the land and return to them in the evening with large udders full of milk and their flanks stretched and full. He will leave those who refuse to believe in him alone without coercing them, but when they wake up in the morning they will find that they are penniless, and all their properties have been destroyed.[53] All those who do not follow him will be put to trial and endure great difficulty.[54]

He will pass by wastelands and say, ‘Bring forth your treasures,’ and its treasures will follow him like swarms of bees.[55] He will have mountains of bread and meat and water, and those who follow him will eat freely of it.[56] He will call a young man, strike him with a sword and cut him in two, then place the two pieces apart the distance of an archer from his target. Then he will call out to him, and the young man will come forward smiling, with his face shining.[57]

One time, he will approach a Bedouin whose parents have passed away and will ask him, ‘Will you believe that I am your Lord if I bring your parents back to life?’ The Bedouin will reply, ‘Yes.’ The devils that accompany the Dajjāl will assume the appearance of his parents and say to the Bedouin, ‘Son! Believe in him and follow him, he is your Lord.’ The Bedouin will thus be deceived into believing in the Dajjāl.[58]

Other narrations mention him curing the blind and healing the leper.[59]

As a result, he will attract a large, dedicated following.[60] He will be followed by seventy thousand Jews from Aṣbahān wearing heavy striped garments or turbans.[61] He will go down to Khūz (lands east of Iran) and Kerman (a region in Iran) with seventy thousand (soldiers) whose faces look like flat beaten iron (like shields).[62] And he will lure women to him.[63] The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) told us that the Dajjāl will make a stop at a place called Marriqanāh (near Taif, Saudi Arabia). On hearing about his arrival, most of those who go to him will be women, to the point that the men will be forced to tie their mothers, daughters and sisters down to prevent them going to him.[64]

He will travel all over the world, spreading mischief left and right, like a cloud driven by wind,[65] but he will be unable to enter Makkah and Madīnah because it is protected by Angels surrounding them.[66] Madīnah, in particular, will have seven gates at that time, each one protected by two Angels and the fear of him will not enter it,[67] unlike all other places.[68] He will attempt to enter Madīnah but will be unable to do so, and will instead camp at a swamp nearby,[69] behind Uḥud.[70] Madīnah will be shaken by three earthquakes, and after each one there will be an exodus of disbelievers and hypocrites to the Dajjāl.[71] In this way Madīnah will become purified from filth.[72]

While camped there, one of the believers will go out to him, described by the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) as “the best of people.”[73] The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “On hearing about the Dajjāl, a true believer will head towards him. However, on the way, he will be stopped by Dajjāl’s soldiers and asked where he is intending to go. Replying that he is going to meet the person who claims that he is Allāh, the soldiers doubtingly ask, ‘Do you not believe in our Lord?’ He will reply, ‘There is nothing hidden about our Lord, Allāh, so how can I take Dajjāl as my Lord?’ Angry at his reply, they decide to kill him. But all of a sudden, one of them will say, ‘Hasn’t our Lord prohibited us from killing anyone without his permission’ Thus, they will take him to the Dajjāl. On seeing the Dajjāl, the believer will shout, ‘People! This is the Dajjāl that the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) mentioned and warned the believers against!’ The Dajjāl will give an order for him to be killed. He will be placed on his belly and tortured, then he will be asked, ‘Do you still not believe in him’ ‘No! You are the lying Dajjāl!’ he will reply. The believer will then be cut into two pieces and the Dajjāl will walk in between the two pieces and address him, ‘Stand up.’ The believer will come back to life and stand up in one piece. Yet again, he will be asked, ‘Do you now believe in me?’ He will reply, ‘This has only added to my certainty concerning you that you are really the Dajjāl.’ The believer will then proclaim, ‘People, he will not be able to do anything to any man after me.’ The Dajjāl, angry at his refusal, will grab hold of him and place a knife on his throat to slaughter him, but he will be unable to because Allāh will have put copper in that area which the knife will not be able to penetrate. The Dajjāl will grab hold of his hands and legs and throw him into the fire. However, the fire will turn into a pleasant garden for him. This person will be the greatest martyr in the eyes of Allāh and achieve the highest position due to his first death, which was caused by severance of the body in two pieces.”[74]

Eventually the Angels (protecting Madīnah) will direct his attention to Syria and he will march there, and there will he perish.[75]

In addition, although his dominion will reach everywhere, he will also be unable to enter Masjid al-Ṭūr and Masjid al-Aqṣā.[76]

He will remain on earth for forty days: one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week, and the remaining days like normal days.[77] The Companions asked, ‘Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), for the day which is like a year, will one day’s prayers be sufficient?’ He replied, “No, you must estimate the time and observe the (regular daily) prayers.”[78]

He, with his forces, will fight the Muslims and the Muslims will not be able to defeat him. Instead they themselves will be facing defeat. Those who will fight him most ferociously will be the Banū Tamīm of the Arabs.[79]

By then, some people will have fled to the mountains.[80] Some Muslims will have fled to Jabal al-Dukhān in Syria and the Dajjāl will go there and lay siege to them, forcing them to endure extreme difficulty.[81]

Then, at one such battle, while the Muslim armies, at that time in Syria, are preparing to face him, ʿIsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) will return to earth just before Fajr time.[82]

He will ask those besieged, “Why aren’t you fighting this filthy liar?” They will reply, ‘This person is no less than a jinn!’[83]

After they have prayed Fajr, the Muslims will go out to face him;[84] this will be the final battle fought between them and the armies of the Dajjāl. The very fragrance of the breath of ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) will kill any disbeliever it reaches, and it will extend as far as the eye can see.[85] The battle will be so fierce that forces of the Dajjāl will flee and hide behind boulders and trees, but those boulders and trees themselves will cry out, ‘Muslims, there is a Jew behind me, come kill him!’[86] except for the Gharqad tree because that is a tree of the Jews.[87]

As soon as the Dajjāl sees ʿĪsa (ʿalayhi al-Salām), he will start to dissolve just like salt dissolves in water and run away. ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) will pursue him and kill the Dajjāl with his lance at the gate of a place called Ludd (near Tel Aviv, in today’s Israel).[88] He will show the blood on his lance to those around him,[89] proving conclusively that he was just a human being and in no way divine.

The appearance of the Dajjāl is one of a group of signs which, once they occur, a person’s accepting true faith will no longer be of any benefit. Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,

“Once three signs occur, the soul will not benefit from believing if it did not believe before: the Dajjāl, the Dābba (the Beast), and the sun rising from the West.”[90]

Protection against Dajjāl

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) also taught us how to protect ourselves against the Dajjāl. A summary follows:

1 – Sticking firmly to Islām, learning the correct creed, and thereby seeing through his falsehood just as the best of martyrs did.

2 – Seeking refuge with Allāh against the fitna of the Dajjāl, especially in the prayer.

3 – Memorising the first ten verses of Sūrah al-Kahf, “he will be saved from the fitna of the Dajjāl,”[91] and some narrations mention last ten verses.[92]

4 – Fleeing from him, and best of all: residing in Makkah and Madīnah.

“Whoever hears about the Dajjāl should stay well clear. By Allāh a person can come to him thinking he is a believer, then be so confused by the doubts he brings that he will end up following him.”[93]

Ḥadīth of Tamīm al-Dārī

One time the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) asked the people to gather, after leading them in prayer, he turned to them and asked,

“Do you know why I had asked you to assemble? They said: Allāh and His Messenger know best. He said: By Allāh. I have not made you assemble for exhortation or for a warning, but I have detained you here, for Tamim Dari, a Christian, who came and accepted Islām, told me something, which agrees with what I was telling you about the Dajjāl. He narrated to me that he had sailed in a ship along with thirty men of Banī Lakhm and Banī Judham and had been tossed by waves in the ocean for a month. Then these (waves) took them (near) the land within the ocean (island) at the time of sunset. They sat in a small side-boat and entered that island. There was a beast with long thick hair (and because of these) they could not distinguish his face from his back. They said: Woe to you, who can you be? Thereupon it said: I am al-Jassasa. They said: What is al-Jassasa? And it said: O people, go to this person in the monastery as he is very much eager to know about you. He (the narrator) said: When it named a person for us we were afraid of it lest it should be a devil. Then we hurriedly went on until we came to that monastery and found a well-built person there with his hands tied to his neck and having iron shackles between his two legs up to the ankles. We said: Woe be upon thee, who are you? And he said: You would soon come to know about me. But tell me who are you? We said: We are people from Arabia and we embarked upon a boat but the sea-waves had been driving us for one month and they brought as near this island. We got into the side-boats and entered this island and here a beast met us with profusely thick hair and because of the thickness of his hair his face could not be distinguished from his back. We said: Woe be to thee, who are you? It said: I am al- Jassasa. We said: What is al-Jassasa? And it said: Go to this very person in the monastery for he is eagerly waiting for you to know about you. So we came to you in hot haste fearing that that might be the Devil. He (that chained person) said: Tell me about the date-palm trees of Baisan. We said: About what aspect of theirs do you seek information? He said: I ask you whether these trees bear fruit or not. We said: Yes. Thereupon, he said: I think these would not bear fruits. He said: Inform me about the lake of Tabariyya. We said: Which aspect of it do you want to know? He said: Is there water in it? They said: There is abundance of water in it. Thereupon he said: I think it would soon become dry. He again said: Inform me about the spring of Zughar. They said: Which aspect of it you want to know? He (the chained person) said: Is there water in it and does it irrigate (the land)? We said to him: Yes, there is abundance of water in it and the inhabitants (of Madīnah) irrigate (land) with the help of it. He said: Inform me about the unlettered Prophet; what has he done? We said: He has come out from Makkah and has settled in Yathrib (Mādinah). He said: Do the Arabs fight against him? We said: Yes. He said: How did he deal with them? We informed him that he had overcome those in his neighbourhood and they had submitted themselves before him. Thereupon he said to us: Has it actually happened? We said: Yes. Thereupon he said: If it is so that is better for them that they should show obedience to him. I am going to tell you about myself. I am Dajjāl and I will soon be permitted to get out and so I shall get out and travel in the land, and will not spare any town where I would not stay for forty nights except Makkah and Madīnah as these two (places) are prohibited (areas) for me and I will not make an attempt to enter any one of these two. An angel with a sword in his hand will confront me and will bar my way and there will be angels to guard every passage leading to it.”

It is then that Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), striking the pulpit with the help of the end of his staff, said: This implies Taiba meaning Madīnah. Have I not told you an account (of the Dajjāl) like this? The people said: Yes. To which the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,

‘This account narrated by Tamim Dari was liked by me for it corroborates the account which I gave to you in regard to him (Dajjāl) at Madīnah and Makkah. Behold he (Dajjāl) is in the Syrian sea (Mediterranean) or the Yemen sea (Arabian sea). Nay, on the contrary, he is in the east, he is in the east, he is in the east’ and he pointed with his hand towards the east.[94]

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] Aḥmad #7905, Ibn Ḥibbān #6812, Bazzār #3396 where the Prophet (SAW) called him, masīḥ al-ḍalālah

[2] The wazn of faʿʿāl is a ṣīgha of mubālagha.

[3] Ibn Mājah #4077

[4] Muslim #2946

[5] Muslim #2898

[6] ar: al-Malḥamah referring to the war that will start between the Romans and the Muslim forces before the Muslims conquer Constantinople for the second time

[7] Abū Dāwūd #4294, Aḥmad #22023.

[8] Abū Dāwūd #4295, Tirmidhī #2388, Ibn Mājah #4092 with a ḍaʿīf isnād

[9] Muslim #2942

[10] Muslim #2945

[11] Aḥmad #14954

[12] Aḥmad #16667. Haythamī 7:335 said it was ṣaḥīḥ

[13] Bukhārī #3609-7121, Muslim #157, Abū Dāwūd #4333

[14] Abū Dāwūd #4334

[15] Abū Dāwūd #4242

[16] Ibn Mājah #4077, Aḥmad #27568-27579 with a ḍaʿīf isnād

[17] Bukhārī #3057-3337-6175-7127, Muslim #169

[18] Bukhārī #3440-6999, Muslim #273-274-277

[19] Bukhārī #3440-3441-5902-6999-7123-7407, Muslim #169

[20] Abū Dāwūd #4320

[21] Muslim #2934, Aḥmad #12145-13081

Some authentic narrations mention that it is his left eye that is blind. Ibn Ḥajr states that the narrations which state that it is his right are more authentic. Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ said that the word aʿwar used in the ḥadīth means defective, and not necessarily blind. He said that the ḥadīths show that both his eyes are defective, one more so than the other. Nawawī said that this was an excellent reconciliation.

[22] Ibn Ḥibbān #6795, Aḥmad #21145

[23] Bukhārī #7131-7408, Muslim #169-2933

[24] Bukhārī #, Muslim #169-2933

[25] Muslim #2934, Aḥmad #27580-13145-13149-13385-13394-13621-23279-23439

[26] Ibn Ḥajr 13:100

[27] Aḥmad #3546, Abū Dāwūd #4320

[28] Bukhārī #3441-7128, Muslim #275-277

The ḥadīth actually mentions having a reddish complexion, but this term was used to refer to light skinned people.

[29] Bukhārī #3440-3441-5902-6999-7128, Muslim #273-274-277-2934

[30] Aḥmad #23159-23487

[31] Aḥmad #3546

[32] Muslim #2937

[33] Aḥmad #7905

[34] Muslim #2934

[35] Aḥmad #7905

[36] Aḥmad #7905

[37] Abū Dāwūd #3763

[38] Muslim #2937

[39] Bukhārī #3440-3441-7026-7128, Muslim #274-275-277

[40] Muslim #, ibn Ḥibbān #6792

[41] Tirmidhī #2237, ibn Mājah #4072. cf. Mubārakpūri 6:495

Khurasān then was bigger than Khurasān now, and encompassed Naisapur, Harra, Marwa, and Balkh, i.e. it covers northeast Persia (Iran) and parts of central Asia and Afghanistan.

[42] Ibn Ḥibbān #6812, Bazzār #3396

[43] Aḥmad #13344-24467

[44] Muslim #2944

[45] Aḥmad #14954

[46] Muslim #, Ibn Mājah #4077, Aḥmad #23159

[47] Aḥmad #21929

[48] Aḥmad #14954

[49] Muslim #169

[50] Aḥmad #23159-23487

[51] Bukhārī #, Muslim #2934

[52] Bukhārī #3450-7130, Muslim #2934-2935

[53] Muslim #2937

[54] Aḥmad #14954

[55] Muslim #2937

[56] Bukhārī #7122, Muslim #2152-2939, Aḥmad #23090-23683

[57] Muslim #2937

[58] Ibn Mājah #4077

[59] Aḥmad #20151

[60] Muslim

[61] Muslim #2944, Aḥmad #13344

[62] Tirmidhī #2237, ibn Mājah #4072

[63] Aḥmad #5353-14112

[64] Aḥmad #5353

[65] Muslim #2937

[66] Bukhārī #1880-1881, Muslim #2943, Aḥmad #10265-26047

[67] Bukhārī #1879-7125-7126

[68] Aḥmad #20428-20464, ibn Ḥibbān #6652

[69] Bukhārī #1882-7132, Muslim #2943

[70] Muslim #1380

[71] Bukhārī #1881-7124, Muslim #2943

[72] Aḥmad #14112, Muslim #1381

[73] Bukhārī #1882-7132, Muslim #2938

[74] Muslim #2938

[75] Muslim #1380

[76] Aḥmad #23090-23683-23685

[77] Muslim #2937, Abū Dāwūd #4321

[78] Muslim #2937

[79] Bukhārī #2543-4366, Muslim #2525

The majority of the people of the Arabian peninsula are from the Banū Tamīm

[80] Muslim #2945

[81] Aḥmad #14954

[82] Aḥmad #14954

[83] Aḥmad #14954

[84] Aḥmad #14954

[85] Aḥmad #14954

[86] Bukhārī #2925-3593, Muslim #2921, Aḥmad #5099

[87] Muslim#292

[88] Musim #2937, Abū Dāwūd #4321, Tirmidhī #2244

[89] Ḥākim 4:482

[90] Muslim #158

[91] Muslim #809

[92] Muslim #809, Abū Dāwūd #4323, Aḥmad #27516

[93] Abū Dāwūd #4319

[94] Muslim #2942

The post Dajjāl: The Great Deceiver appeared first on Islam21c.

Signs of the Last Day (Ashrāṭ al-Sāʿah)

ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) & Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

ʿĪsā, the Messiah, son of Maryam (ʿalayhimā al-Salām) is one of great Messengers of Allāh. He was sent to Banī Isrāʾīl but was rejected by them and ultimately, in their eyes, killed by them. However, the Qurʾān teaches us that they did not actually kill him, rather it was made to seem so to them, and that Allāh raised him up to Himself.

وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا الْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولَ اللَّـهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَـٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ ۚ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ

They said, ‘We have killed the Messiah, ʿĪsā, the son of Maryam, the Messenger of Allāh.’ They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, though it was made to appear like that to them; those who disagreed about him are (in reality) beset with doubts.[1]

إِذْ قَالَ اللَّـهُ يَا عِيسَىٰ إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ

Allāh said, ‘ʿĪsā, I will take you back and raise you up to Me: I will purify you of the disbelievers. To the Day of Resurrection I will make those who followed you superior to those who disbelieved.’[2]

We are taught in the Qurʾān and Sunnah that ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) will return towards the end of time and it is then that the Ahlu’l-Kitāb will all believe in him as he truly is: a Messenger of Allāh (ʿalayhi al-Salām), neither an imposter, a divine being nor the son of Allāh.

وَإِن مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ ۖ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا

There is not one of the People of the Book who will not believe in him before his death, and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them.[3]

The aḥādīth concerning the return of ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) are mutawātir, and the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) highlighted the special relationship that he has with ʿIsā,

“The Prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one. I, more than any other person, have more right to ʿĪsā, son of Maryam, in this world and the next, for there was no Prophet between me and him.”[4]

In another ḥadīth, the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “I hope that I would live long enough to see ʿĪsā, but if my death comes before that, whoever meets him should convey my salām to him.”[5]

Description

ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) is a well-built man of middle height,[6] light brown skinned with a broad chest, and straight, ample hair that hangs down beyond his ears.[7][8] He looks like ʿUrwah b. Masʿūd.[9]

The Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,

“In a dream, I saw myself at the Kaʿbah and Allāh showed me a brown skinned man,[10] a colour that is as beautiful as a brown man could be, with combed hair that hung down over his ears. His hair was dripping water, and he was leaning on the shoulders of two men while circling the Kaʿbah. I asked, ‘Who is this man?’ I was told, ‘This is the Messiah, son of Maryam.’”[11]

Where will he Descend?

While the Mahdī is ruling as the Imām or Khalīfah of the Muslims, and preparing for battle against the forces of the Dajjāl in Syria, shortly after having conquered Constantinople, ʿĪsā b. Maryam (ʿalayhi al-Salām) will return to earth. He will descend close to the white minaret to the east of Damascus just before Fajr time.[12] He will be wearing garments lightly coloured with saffron and his hands will be placed on the wings of two angels. Whenever he lowers his head droplets fall, and whenever he raises his head, precious stones that look like pearls fall.[13] The Mahdī and others will ask him to lead them in prayer but he will refuse saying, ‘Your Imām should lead,[14] as a grace from Allāh.’”[15]

ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) will not have returned as a new Prophet but rather as follower of the Prophet Muḥammad (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), adhering to the Sharīʿah he brought.[16] As such, he will accede to the authority of the Khalīfah at the time, the Mahdī. Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “How will you be when the son of Maryam descends amongst you, judging by the law of the Qurʾān and not the law of the Injīl?”[17] and he once told ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb, “Were Mūsā alive today, he would have no option but to follow me.”[18]

The ummah of Islām will start with the best of people and end with the best of people. The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,

“An ummah that has me at its beginning, the Mahdī in its middle, and ʿIsā at its end can never be destroyed.”[19]

After they have prayed Fajr, the Muslims will go out to face him;[20] this will be the final battle fought between them and the armies of the Dajjāl. The very fragrance of the breath of ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) will kill any disbeliever it reaches, and it will extend out for as far as the eye can see.[21] The battle will be so fierce that the forces of the Dajjāl will flee and hide behind boulders and trees, but those boulders and trees themselves will cry out, ‘Muslims, there is a Yahūdī (that allied with Dajjāl) behind me, come kill him!’[22] except for the Gharqad tree because that is their tree.[23]

As soon as the Dajjāl sees ʿĪsa (ʿalayhi al-Salām), he will start to dissolve just like salt dissolves in water and run away. ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) will pursue him and kill the Dajjāl with his lance at the gate of a place called Ludd (near Tel Aviv, in today’s Israel).[24] He will show the blood on his lance to those around him,[25] proving conclusively that he was just a human being and in no way divine.

The group with ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) will be the saved sect of the time mentioned by the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam). “There will always be a group of my people fighting to make the truth uppermost until the Last Day.”[26] The army with ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) will be saved from the Fire,[27] and the group of people who, by Allāh’s help, survived the Dajjāl will pass by ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) who will stroke their faces and inform them about their grades in Paradise.[28]

What will he do?

He will be a judge, fair and even-handed. He will break the cross,[29] literally and symbolically proving once and for all the falsehood of Christianity; destroying the symbol. He will abolish the jizya,[30] and kill all swine.[31]

Wealth will become abundant, flowing so copiously throughout the lands that there will be none to accept it if offered in charity,[32] even the most valuable camels will be left untended because people are just not concerned about their worth anymore.[33] At that time a single prostration will be worth more than the earth and all that it contains.[34] Abū Hurayrah, after quoting this ḥadīth, commented, ‘Recite if you want,

وَإِن مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ ۖ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا

There is not one of the People of the Book who will not believe in him before his death, and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them.[35]’[36]

He added, ‘Meaning that they will believe in him before he dies.’[37]

He will call the people to Islām and during his time, Allāh will end all religions except Islām.[38] Safety will fill the earth, so much so that the lions will mingle with camels, tigers with cattle and wolves with sheep. Children will play with snakes, and they will not harm them,[39] the sting or poison of every such animal will have been taken away.[40] Rancour, hatred and envy will disappear for a time. [41]

After the Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj (discussed next) are killed, the time of Jihād will have ended,[42] and so swords will be taken as scythes, the sky will bring down rain, the earth will freely grow its produce,[43] and people will take to tilling the land.

ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) will perform Ḥajj or ʿUmrah, saying the talbiyah from Rawḥāʾ (a place on the way to Makkah from Madīnah).[44]

The Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj (Gog and Magog)

The Qurʾān teaches us of a just and righteous leader whose vast dominion extended across the earth, covering the east and the west. He was given the title, Dhū’l-Qarnain. This king is not Alexander the Great as surmised by some, but rather lived thousands of years before him.

During his travels he came across a population who were being terrorised by two tribes called the Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj and they asked him to build a barrier for them that would hold them back and protect them.

حَتَّىٰ إِذَا بَلَغَ بَيْنَ السَّدَّيْنِ وَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمَا قَوْمًا لَّا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ قَوْلًا ﴿٩٣﴾ قَالُوا يَا ذَا الْقَرْنَيْنِ إِنَّ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ مُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَهَلْ نَجْعَلُ لَكَ خَرْجًا عَلَىٰ أَن تَجْعَلَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمْ سَدًّا ﴿٩٤﴾ قَالَ مَا مَكَّنِّي فِيهِ رَبِّي خَيْرٌ فَأَعِينُونِي بِقُوَّةٍ أَجْعَلْ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمْ رَدْمًا ﴿٩٥﴾ آتُونِي زُبَرَ الْحَدِيدِ ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا سَاوَىٰ بَيْنَ الصَّدَفَيْنِ قَالَ انفُخُوا ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَعَلَهُ نَارًا قَالَ آتُونِي أُفْرِغْ عَلَيْهِ قِطْرًا ﴿٩٦﴾ فَمَا اسْطَاعُوا أَن يَظْهَرُوهُ وَمَا اسْتَطَاعُوا لَهُ نَقْبًا قَالَ هَـٰذَا رَحْمَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّي ۖ فَإِذَا جَاءَ وَعْدُ رَبِّي جَعَلَهُ دَكَّاءَ ۖ وَكَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّي حَقًّا ﴿٩٨﴾ وَتَرَكْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَمُوجُ فِي بَعْضٍ ۖ وَنُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَجَمَعْنَاهُمْ جَمْعًا

He travelled on; then, when he reached a place between two mountain barriers, he found besides them a people who could barely understand him. They said, ‘Dhū’l-Qarnain, Gog and Magog are ruining this land. Will you build a barrier between them and us if we pay you a tribute?’ He answered, ‘The power my Lord has given me is better than any tribute, but if you lend me your strength, I will put up a fortification between you and them: bring me great lumps of iron!’ and then, when he filled the gap between the two mountainsides, he said, ‘Work your bellows!’ and then, when he had made it glow like fire, he said, ‘Bring me molten metal to pour over it!’ [Their enemies] could not scale the barrier, nor could they pierce it. He said, ‘This is a mercy from my Lord. But when my Lord’s promise is fulfilled, He will raze this barrier. My Lord’s promise always comes true.’ On that Day, We shall let the surge against each other like waves. Then the Trumpet will be blown and We shall gather them all together.[45]

He built a mighty barrier, completely sealing them away. So complete in fact that we do not even know where it is or where they are, just somewhere to the east – perhaps underground. But the Qurʾān also teaches us that one day the Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj will break free and unleash their terror on the world once again.

حَتَّىٰ إِذَا فُتِحَتْ يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ وَهُم مِّن كُلِّ حَدَبٍ يَنسِلُونَ

Until when the peoples of the Gog and Magog are let loose and they swarm swiftly from every highland.[46]

They will be let loose after the killing of Dajjāl.

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Lā ilāha illAllāh! Woe to the Arabs for an evil that has drawn near. Today the size of this was opened of the barrier holding back Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj,” and he made a circle with his two fingers. Zaynab asked, ‘Messenger of Allāh, will we be destroyed if there are righteous amongst us?’ He replied, “Yes, if filth and evil is allowed to increase.”[47]

Their Appearance:

They will have wide faces, small eyes, with a redness or blondness in the hair, and faces like beaten iron or shields.[48] Unlike the Dajjāl who is clever, scheming and plotting; they just want to kill, maim and destroy. They are almost animalistic in nature, have conjugal relations with whichever of their women they want.[49]

They are two tribes of human beings[50] and there are multitudes of them. “On the Day of Resurrection, Allāh will say, ‘Ādam bring out from your children the people destined for Hellfire.’ He will ask how many and Allāh will reply, ‘From every thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine.’ On that day, hearing that, the child will become grey haired and every pregnant woman will drop her load. It will then be said, ‘You have a sacrifice in the Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj,’ i.e. they make up a large proportion of this.”[51] Another narration has, “One of us, nine hundred and ninety nine of them.”[52]

Behind that barrier, the Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj tribes dig every day until they see the rays of the sun peeking through from the other side. They then rest by night, only to find the next day that the barrier has been restored to how it was previously. Then one day, at time that Allāh has decreed, after having dug, they will say, ‘Let us return tomorrow, in shā Allāh’ and the next morning they will find that the barrier has not been restored. They will break through and swarm through, swooping down from every highland, slaughtering everything in their path. They will drink lakes and ponds dry, and ruin everything they pass,[53] coming from somewhere east of Madīnah.[54] The first of them will pass by the lake of Tiberius, drinking from it, and it will be dry by the time the last of them passes by it who will observe, ‘Once there used to be water here.’[55]

People will flee in terror, barricading themselves and their livestock in cities and fortresses. Once all the people have fled, and Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj reach Bayt al-Maqdis,[56] they will say, ‘This is the people of earth sorted.’ They will then shoot arrows and spears into the sky which will fall back down covered in blood, and they will claim that they have killed the inhabitants of the heaven.[57]

ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) and his companions will withdraw to Mount Ṭūr after Allāh tells them that they have no hope of defeating Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj and there, they will be besieged; food will become so scarce that the head of an ox would be dearer to them than one hundred dīnārs.[58]

ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) and his companions will make duʿā to Allāh[59] and eventually Allāh will send a type of worm to the back of their necks which will kill them, and they will die like locusts piled one on top of the other. The Muslims will awake the next day and hear no sound from them and so send one of their own to investigate what has happened. He will return and give them the glad tidings that the enemy has died. The Muslims will then leave and find that there is not even a hand span of land that is free of their corpses.[60] They will let loose their animals to graze, but having nothing to eat, they will instead grow fat on their flesh, as if they were grazing on the best vegetation they ever found.[61] The earth will fill with the stench of their rotting corpses, and ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) will again make duʿā for relief. Allāh will send birds with necks like the necks of Bactrian camels, which will pick them up and throw them wherever He wills. Then Allāh will send down rain that will wash them away into the sea, and clean house and earth until it is left like a smooth rock or mirror.[62] Then it will be said to the earth, ‘Bring forth your fruits and bring back your blessings.’ On that day a group of people will eat from a (single) pomegranate and it will suffice them, and they will seek shelter beneath its skin. Allāh will bless a milk-camel so that it will be sufficient for a large number of people, and a milk-cow will be sufficient for a whole tribe and a milk-ewe will be sufficient for a whole clan.[63]

The time of war will have come to an end,[64] and the Muslims will use the shields, bows and arrows of the Yaʾjūj and Maʿjūj as firewood for seven years.[65] And they will once again make Ḥajj and ʿUmrah at the Kaʿbah.[66]

ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) Passes Away

ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) will remain on earth for forty years after killing the Dajjāl and then pass away. The Muslims will offer the funeral prayer for him,[67] and bury him.[68]

Some narrations which are weak mention that he will be buried as the fourth grave alongside the Prophet, Abū Bakr and ʿUmar,[69] or that he will be buried with the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).[70]

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] al-Nisāʾ 4:157

[2] Āli ʿImrān 3:55

[3] al-Nisāʾ 4:159.

This is the view of ibn ʿAbbās and ibn Masʿūd in explanation to this āyah, and the view preferred by Ṭabarī: that they will all believe in him (AS) before his death. As such the āyah is referring to his return since it is at that point that they will all believe in him; before that time, as we can see, they either reject him or hold a false belief in him.

[4] Bukhārī #3442-3443, Muslim #2365

[5] Aḥmad #7970-7971-7978-9121

[6] jaʿd: can refer to someone who is well built, or someone who has curly hair. Nawawī, Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2:195, 2:200 argues that most scholars state that the first is meant here since most reports mention that ʿĪsā (AS) has straight hair.

[7] Bukhārī #3438

[8] Bukhārī #5902, Muslim #169

[9] Muslim #167

[10] Some narrations mention that he was brown skinned, and some that he was light skinned. Both sets of narrations can be reconciled by stating that his complexion was light brown.

[11] Bukhārī #3440-3441-5902, Muslim #169

[12] Aḥmad #14954

[13] Muslim #2937

[14] Aḥmad #14954

[15] Musnad al-Ḥārith, Muslim #156

[16] Aḥmad, Muslim #155

[17] Ibn Ḥajr, Fatḥ 7:304

[18] Aḥmad #15156

[19] Nasāʾī

[20] Aḥmad #14954

[21] Aḥmad #14954

[22] Bukhārī #2925-3593, Muslim #2921, Aḥmad #5099

[23] Muslim#292

[24] Musim #2937, Abū Dāwūd #4321, Tirmidhī #2244

[25] Ḥākim 4:482

[26] Muslim #156

[27] Nasāʾī #3175

[28] Muslim #2937

[29] Bukhārī #2222-2476-3448, Muslim #155

[30] Some scholars have understood this to mean that the only thing he will accept from the non-Muslims will be Islām.

[31] Bukhārī #2222-2476-3448, Muslim #155

[32] Bukhārī #2222-2476-3448, Muslim #155

[33] Muslim #155

[34] Bukhārī #3448, Muslim #155

i.e. simply because money is seen as having such little value; or that people will have realised how close the Last Hour will be and therefore, worship is more precious to them than anything else.

[35] al-Nisāʾ 4:159.

This is the view of ibn ʿAbbās and ibn Masʿūd in explanation to this āyah, and the view preferred by Ṭabarī: that they will all believe in him (AS) before his death. As such the āyah is referring to his return since it is at that point that they will all believe in him; before that time, as we can see, they do not believe in him or hold a false belief in him.

[36] Bukhārī #3448, Muslim #155

[37] Aḥmad #7903

[38] Abū Dāwūd #4324

[39] Abū Dāwūd #, Aḥmad #9270

[40] Ibn Mājah #4075, Aḥmad #10261

[41] Muslim #155

[42] Aḥmad #9323

This will happen after the Yaʿjūj and Maʿjūj are killed as mentioned in Nasāʾī, al-Kubrā #8659

[43] Aḥmad #10261

[44] Muslim #1252

[45] al-Kahf 18:92-99

[46] al-Anbiyāʾ 21:96

[47] Bukhārī #3346-3598-6530-7059-7135, Muslim #2880

[48] Aḥmad #22331

[49] Nasāʾī, al-Kubrā #11271

[50] Ibn Kathīr mentioned that there is no difference concerning this.

[51] Aḥmad #19901

[52] Bukhārī #3348-4741, Muslim #222

[53] Ibn Mājah #4081, Aḥmad #3556

[54] Tirmidhī #3153, Ibn Mājah #4079-4080, Aḥmad #11731

[55] Muslim #2937, Ibn Mājah #4075

[56] Tirmidhī #2240

[57] Tirmidhī #3153, Ibn Mājah #4079-4080

[58] Ibn Mājah #4075

[59] Ibn Mājah #4081

[60] Muslim #2937, Ibn Mājah #4075

[61] Ibn Mājah #4079-4080, Tirmidhī #3153, Aḥmad #11731

[62] Muslim #2937, Ibn Mājah #4075-4081

[63] Muslim #2937, Ibn Mājah #4075

[64] Nasāʾī, al-Kubrā #8659. cf. Aḥmad #9323

[65] Ibn Mājah #4076, Tirmidhī #2240

[66] Bukhāri #1593

[67] Abū Dāwūd #4324, Aḥmad #9270-24511

[68] Aḥmad #9632

Some narrations indicate that he will remain seven years before dying. Some such as ibn Kathīr said that he will have already lived for thirty three years before being raised up, and then he will remain seven years during his second coming. However, a narration of Ṭayalisī has, “He will live for forty years after having descended…” and Aḥmad #24511 mentions he will live forty years after killing the Dajjāl

[69] Bukhārī, al-Tārīkh #839

[70] Tirmidhī #3617

The post The Return of Jesus appeared first on Islam21c.

Signs of the Last Day (Ashrāṭ al-Sāʿah)

The Mark of the Beast

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Al-Dukhān (The Smoke)

While in Makkah, in the face of persecution and obstinate rejection, Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) made a duʿā’ against the Quraysh, “O Allāh, afflict them with years like the seven (years) of Yūsuf!”[1]

The polytheists were afflicted with a severe drought. Their livestock began to die and their crops stopped growing. Their situation became so bad that they were forced to eat animals that had just died because of the drought. They ate their skins, their bones, everything. They were so hungry that the Quraysh began to imagine a haze in the sky like smoke.[2]

Ibn Masʿūd and others were of the opinion that this is the smoke referenced in the Qurʾān as a Sign of the Last Day,

فَارْتَقِبْ يَوْمَ تَأْتِي السَّمَاءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُّبِينٍ ﴿١٠﴾ يَغْشَى النَّاسَ ۖ هَـٰذَا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ﴿١١﴾ رَّبَّنَا اكْشِفْ عَنَّا الْعَذَابَ إِنَّا مُؤْمِنُونَ

Watch for the day when the sky brings forth clouds of smoke for all to see. It will envelop people. This is a terrible punishment. Lord relieve us of our torment, we believe![3]

Then some people, amongst them Abū Sufyān (leader of the Quraysh who accepted Islām after the conquest of Makkah) came to him (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and asked him to make duʿā’ for rain to Allāh and he did, and rain came,

إِنَّا كَاشِفُو الْعَذَابِ قَلِيلًا ۚ إِنَّكُمْ عَائِدُونَ

We shall hold back the torment for a short while, but you are sure to revert.[4]

They did return to their disbelief, and then Allāh promised them,

يَوْمَ نَبْطِشُ الْبَطْشَةَ الْكُبْرَىٰ إِنَّا مُنتَقِمُونَ

On the Day We shall seize them mightily, We shall exact retribution.[5]

Ibn Masʿūd said that this retribution was exacted at Badr.[6]

Ibn Masʿūd was of the opinion that this particular Sign has already come to pass. He said, ‘Five have already happened: al-Lizām (the defeat of the Quraysh at Badr),[7] the Sign relating to the Romans, al-baṭsha[8] (the retribution at Badr), the splitting of the moon, and the Smoke.’[9] This was also the position championed by Ṭabarī.

However, Ibn ʿAbbās and numerous others were of the view that this Sign is yet to occur. This is the view preferred by Ibn Kathīr who argues that the aḥādīth support this view and that the verse in question itself supports this position. It talks of a clear smoke that everyone will see, whereas the event Ibn Masʿūd cites references something akin to a hallucination that only some people saw.

Another view reported from Ibn Masʿūd is that this Sign will happen twice: once during the Prophet’s lifetime and the second near the Last Day, when it will afflict the believer like a cold but pierce every orifice of the disbeliever.[10]

This was the Smoke spoken of by the Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) when he said, “Your Lord has warned you against three: The Smoke which will afflict the believers like a cold, but will afflict the non-believer by bloating him up so severely that it will come out of every orifice; the Beast; and the Dajjāl.”[11]

The Smoke will remain for forty days and nights, afflicting the believers like a cold but it will put the disbelievers in a state akin to intoxication, and it will come out of their nostrils, ears and posterior.[12]

Ibn Abī Mulaykah said, ‘One day, I went to Ibn ʿAbbās who said, “I could not sleep at all last night!” I asked him, “Why not?” He said, “They said that a star with a tail (a comet) had appeared, and I was afraid that the smoke had started, so I could not sleep at all.”’[13]

When will it happen?

It seems likely that the Smoke will appear after the killing of the Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj tribes, and after the destruction of the Kaʿbah.[14]

The Sun Rising from the Placing of Setting

This will happen sometime after the passing away of ʿĪsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) and perhaps after the appearance of the Smoke.

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “The first (of the truly extraordinary) signs will be the sun rising from the place of its setting and the coming of the Beast in the morning, whichever of these two happens first, the other will soon follow.”[15]

These events will go hand-in-hand. When the sun rises from the place of its setting, the door to repentance will be closed, the profession of faith will no longer be accepted, and the Beast will be sent to mark mankind.[16]

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Once three signs occur, the soul will not benefit from believing if it did not believe before: the Dajjāl, the Dābba (the Beast), and the sun rising from the West.”[17]

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “The Last Hour will not be established until the sun rises from the place of its setting. When it does so, and people see it, all those on earth will profess faith. But that will be the time that faith will not avail anyone who did not believe prior to this.”[18]

Here, the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is making reference to the āyah in which Allāh says,

يَوْمَ يَأْتِي بَعْضُ آيَاتِ رَبِّكَ لَا يَنفَعُ نَفْسًا إِيمَانُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ آمَنَتْ مِن قَبْلُ أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِي إِيمَانِهَا خَيْرًا

But on the Day some of your Lord’s Signs come, no soul will profit from faith if it had none before, or has not already earned some good through its faith.[19]

In explaining this āyah, Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said that it refers to the sun rising from the place of its setting.[20]

Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī said, ‘The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) asked me, “Abū Dharr! Do you know where the Sun goes when it sets?” I said, “Allāh and His Messenger know best.” He said, “It goes until it prostrates beneath the Throne. Then it seeks permission and permission is granted to it. Soon it will prostrate and it will not be accepted from it, and seek permission and will not be granted permission. It will be told, ‘Go back where you came from.’ Then it will rise from its setting place. This is Allāh’s statement,

وَالشَّمْسُ تَجْرِي لِمُسْتَقَرٍّ لَّهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ

‘And the Sun runs on to its settled place. That is the determination of the Mighty the Knowing.’ [21]”’[22]

Some narrations state that the night preceding its rising from the West will be the length of two or three nights. The stars won’t be seen and people will become alarmed. Terrified, they will wonder at where the sun and stars have gone. Then while they are wondering and waiting, it will rise from the place of its setting.[23]

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) mentioned a door to the east whose width was forty or seventy years journey which Allāh created on the day He created the heavens and the earth, open for repentance. It will not close until the sun rises from the place of its setting.[24]

And he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Repentance will be accepted until such time that the sun rises from the West. When it does so, every heart will be sealed in the state that it was in at that time, and they will be accounted for the deeds they did.”[25]

He (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Allāh extends His hand by night so that those who sinned by day may repent; and He extends His hand by day so that those who sinned by night may repent. This will happen until the Sun rises from the place of its setting.”[26]

And he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Hijra will not end until repentance ends, and repentance will not end until the sun rises from the place of its setting.”[27]

The Beast of the Earth

Immediately after this, a creature never seen before will appear.

وَإِذَا وَقَعَ الْقَوْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَخْرَجْنَا لَهُمْ دَابَّةً مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ تُكَلِّمُهُمْ أَنَّ النَّاسَ كَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا لَا يُوقِنُونَ

When the verdict is given against them, We shall bring a creature out of the earth, which will speak to them: people had no faith in Our revelations.[28]

Ibn Masʿūd remarked that ‘this will happen when the scholars pass away, when knowledge is lost and the Qurʾān is raised up.’ Ibn ʿUmar said that this would happen ‘when they stop enjoining the good and prohibiting the evil.’[29]

This creature, the Beast, will brand people on their noses. Those branded will then live amongst the rest of the population, integrating, buying and selling so much so that when people are asked where they bought a certain item from, a camel for example, the answer will be, ‘From one of the branded people.’[30]

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “The Beast will come out and it will have the staff of Mūsa and the stamp (for sealing) of Sulaymān. With the stamp it will brand the nose of the non-Muslim and with the staff it will light up the face of the believer.” And people will recognise each other saying, ‘O Kāfir, O Muʾmin.’”[31]

Not only will the Beast brand non-Muslims, but it will also speak to all people – Muslim and non-Muslim. It will tell them who is a true believer and who is a disbeliever, it will point out the falsity of all religions save Islām. And it will stress that people had no faith in Allāh’s revelations (as mentioned in the aforementioned āyah).[32]

Where will it appear?

Some weak narrations mention that the Beast will first appear in a desert near Makkah,[33] or that it will actually appear three times: in the farthest part of the desert, then it will disappear and reappear in some towns, then it will appear in the Masjid al-Ḥaram.[34]

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] Bukhārī #4496, Muslim #2798

[2] Bukhārī #4416-4496-4536-4547, Muslim #2798

[3] al-Dukhān 44:10-11

[4] al-Dukhān 44:15

[5] al-Dukhān 44:16

[6] Bukhārī #4545

[7] cf. al-Furqān 25:77

[8] cf. al-Dukhān 44:16

[9] Bukhārī #962-1007-1020-4416-4693-4496-4767-4774-4809-4821-4823-4824-4825, Muslim #2798

[10] Qurṭubī

[11] Ṭabarānī, al-Kabīr 3:292, Ibn Abī Ḥātim

[12] Ṭabarī with a ḍaʿīf isnād

[13] Ibn Abī Ḥātim, Ṭabarī to 44:10

[14] Saffārīnī, ʿUlūm al-Ākhirah

[15] Muslim #2941

[16] ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr was of the view that the Sun would rise from the place of its setting and then the Beast would appear. cf. Abū Dāwūd #4310, Ibn Mājah #4069

[17] Muslim #158

[18] Bukhārī #6704, Muslim #157

[19] al-Anʿām (6): 158

[20] Tirmidhī #3071

[21] Yā Sīn (36): 38

[22] Bukhārī #3199-7424, Muslim #159

[23] Ibn Mardwayh

[24] Tirmidhī #3602, ibn Mājah #4070

[25] Aḥmad #1671

[26] Muslim #2759

[27] Abū Dāwūd #2479

[28] al-Naml (27): 82

[29] al-Ḥākim

[30] Aḥmad #22362

[31] Aḥmad #7937, Tirmidhī #3187 who said it was ḥasan. Aḥmad Shākir said it was ṣaḥīḥ but Albāni and Arnaʿūṭ said it was ḍaʿīf

[32] There is no clear text from the Prophet (SAW) about what it will say. These are all based on words of the Salaf when explaining 27:82. cf. Ṭabarī, ibn Kathīr, Baghawī

[33] Ibn Mājah #4067

[34] Ḥākim #8490

The post The Mark of the Beast appeared first on Islam21c.

Sūrat al-Hujurāt | Verse by Verse

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن جَاءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَإٍ فَتَبَيَّنُوا أَن تُصِيبُوا قَوْمًا بِجَهَالَةٍ فَتُصْبِحُوا عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلْتُمْ نَادِمِينَ

⁶You who have faith! If a deviator brings you a report, scrutinise it carefully in case you attack people unwittingly and later deplore what you have done.

“You who have faith!” having believed in Allāh and His Messenger “If a deviator” someone who has stepped outside the bounds of the Sharīʿah, “brings you a report, scrutinise it” investigate and establish the truth “carefully” rather than accepting it unthinkingly and hastily believing it without careful forethought and investigation “in case you attack people” treating them coarsely and harshly: the consequences of ignorance (jahl) “unwittingly” without knowledge (ʿilm), patience and discernment (ḥilm) “and later deplore what you have done,” after seeing the damage you have wrought.

Due propriety with the Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is not enough to establish a strong society, Muslims must act with propriety amongst themselves as well, this is the only way that brotherhood in faith and love can be engendered. Hence, the narrative now moves to correct some of the most harmful traits present in people when dealing with each other in general. Reports should be verified, the Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) should be referred to and his judgment should be followed, even where it does not accord to one’s own desires. False reports bring about animosity and can upheave society itself.

This is the third time in this Sūrah that Allāh address the Muslims with the term of faith, yet again highlighting that what follows the vocative is something we should pay attention to and implement in our lives.

The word fāsiq used in this āyah is the opposite of ʿādil (just). It signifies deviation from the straight path and someone who has left the boundaries of the Sharīʿah.[1] Ibn Zayd said that fāsiq refers to a habitual liar (kadhdhāb). Abū’l-Ḥasan al-Warrāq said it was someone who openly sins. Ibn Ṭāhir said it refers to someone who has no shame of Allāh.[2] These are all case examples of the essential meaning of the word.

There are two recitations of this āyah: one which uses the word tabayyanū and the other which uses the word tathabbatū in its place.[3] The meaning of the first would be an order to clarify the issue and the meaning of the second would be a command to establish the truth. Both readings have the same meaning.[4]

There was a reason that this āyah was revealed. Al-Walīd b. ʿUqbah b. Abū Muʿayṭ was sent by Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) to Banū Muṣṭaliq to collect their zakāt payments. In their excitement and eagerness to receive an envoy of Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), they came out in their crowds, and some rode out to meet him. But when Walīd saw them from afar Shayṭān planted a suspicion in his heart that they had come out to kill him. There was enmity between the two previously and so he turned and beat a retreat. Returning to Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) he told him, based on his own assumptions, that the tribe had apostated and refused to give the zakāt. This angered Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and the Muslims; but while he was deciding if he should launch a military expedition against them, a delegation from the tribe arrived at Ẓuhr time and prayed behind him. They then approached him and said, ‘We take refuge with Allāh from His anger and the anger of His Messenger.’ They explained that they had gone out to receive the envoy happily and then saw him at a distance turning back and, fearing that something may have happened to cause Allāh’s displeasure, they themselves came to investigate what had happened. They remained in discussion until ʿAṣr time and then Allāh revealed this verse excusing them.[5]

Walīd was therefore referred to as a fāsiq, i.e. a liar (kādhib) in this case,[6] but by way of warning and stressing the possible outcome of such an act. This is because he was a Companion and therefore a man of justice and integrity.[7] So what is emphasised here is the danger of rushing to a conclusion in this way and then passing it on.

Spreading rumours and gossip is incredibly dangerous. It destroys reputations, breaks down relationships and can upheave society itself. We are living in times where such acts have become very common, where people are losing basic decency and chivalry, and where the tabloid press thrives on such news. Therefore, the believer should receive such gossip carefully, first verifying the truth of it before deciding if there is any benefit in passing it on; and in most cases there is not. In the Qurʾān we find that Allāh harshly critiques those who spread rumours without verification.

وَإِذَا جَاءَهُمْ أَمْرٌ مِّنَ الْأَمْنِ أَوِ الْخَوْفِ أَذَاعُوا بِهِ ۖ وَلَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ وَإِلَىٰ أُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَنبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ

Whenever news of any matter comes to them, whether concerning peace or war, they spread it about; if they had referred it to the Messenger and those in authority among them, those seeking its meaning would have found it out from them.[8]

And there is severe warning for those who agitate the community by spreading false news

لَّئِن لَّمْ يَنتَهِ الْمُنَافِقُونَ وَالَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ وَالْمُرْجِفُونَ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ لَنُغْرِيَنَّكَ بِهِمْ ثُمَّ لَا يُجَاوِرُونَكَ فِيهَا إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

If the hypocrites, the sick at heart, and those who spread lies in the city do not desist, We shall rouse you against and then they will be your neighbours in this city for a short while.[9]

The Muslim is intelligent and deliberate in what he does. He does not rush headlong thoughtlessly into something without due consideration,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ فَتَبَيَّنُوا وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَنْ أَلْقَىٰ إِلَيْكُمُ السَّلَامَ لَسْتَ مُؤْمِنًا تَبْتَغُونَ عَرَضَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا فَعِندَ اللَّـهِ مَغَانِمُ كَثِيرَةٌ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ كُنتُم مِّن قَبْلُ فَمَنَّ اللَّـهُ عَلَيْكُمْ فَتَبَيَّنُوا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا

You who have faith, be careful when you go to fight in Allāh’s Way, and do not say to someone who offers the salām, ‘You are not a believer,’ out of desire for the chance gains of this life. – Allāh has plenty of gains for you. You yourself were in the same position but Allāh was gracious to you. So be careful: Allāh is fully aware of what you do.[10]

Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Deliberation and forethought should go in everything except for deeds pertaining to the Hereafter.”[11] “Deliberation is from Allāh and haste is from Shayṭān.”[12]

Both the words fāsiq and nabaʾ in this āyah are indefinite nouns and therefore treated as unconditional (muṭlaq),[13] i.e. any fāsiq who comes with any news should be verified.

It is interesting to note that Allāh does not tell us to reject their narration without condition, no matter what; rather He asks us to investigate, because there is the possibility that it be true.[14] Indeed, Ibn al-Qayyim points that it is possible that a fāsiq be truthful and take pride in telling the truth, and his deviation lie in another area. We should be nuanced in our analysis of people and not fall for stereotype and prejudice.

We also learn that the report of a trustworthy individual is accepted, in general, since Allāh ordered the investigation of the reports of an open sinner.[15] Conveying something accurately and honestly is a trust, and openly sinning is a sign strongly suggesting that such a person cannot be trusted.

However, even if the person is trustworthy, his report can be rejected in certain circumstances. If there are indications that something is odd such as the reports contradicting established fact, or contradicting the reports of other trustworthy individuals, the report in question can be rejected. Even truthful people can make mistakes. One time the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) prayed Ẓuhr as two rakʿahs and then completed it with the salām. One of the Companions, nicknames Dhū’l-Yadāin, asked, ‘Messenger of Allāh, has the prayer been shortened or have you forgotten?’ The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) first asked the others if what Dhū’l-Yadain said was correct, and after ascertaining the truth of what he said, he completed the prayer.[16] The point being that here, the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) did not unconditionally accept the report of a trustworthy individual due to the existence of external factors that gave rise to the need to investigate further.

“In case you attack people unwittingly and later deplore what you have done”

An tuṣībū: for fear that or in case you.[17]

Jahālah: the opposite of ʿilm (knowledge) and ḥilm (discernment and patience), both are meant. The first in that knowledge is the direct opposite of ignorance; the second in that treating people with the opposite of ḥilm, i.e. with coarseness and harshness is a consequence of ignorance.[18]

The āyah shows us that we should avoid things that lead us to regret later on, such as the regret for sin.[19]

Also, what is prohibited in this āyah is acting on ignorance and unverified reports, it does not condemn building on ghalaba al-ẓann such as accepting the testimony of two witnesses or the opinion of a mujtahid scholar.[20]

Points of Benefit

1. The Muslim acts with due propriety with other Muslims
2. The obligation to verify and establish the truth of reports conveyed by a fāsiq
3. The danger of rushing to conclusions
4. Conjecture and surmising could lead a person to be regarded as a liar
5. The danger of spreading gossip and rumour
6. The Muslim is intelligent and deliberate
7. The report of a fāsiq could be true
8. The report of a trustworthy individual is accepted in general
9. A truthful person can make mistakes
10. Rumours and gossip can lead people to attack others without knowing
11. Rumours can engender hatred and enmity amongst each other
12. Rumours can lead to treating each other harshly
13. We should avoid things that lead us to regret later on

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] Wāḥidī

[2] Qurṭubī

[3] Ṭabarī

[4] Ibn ʿĀshūr

[5] Ṭabarī, Ṭabarānī 23:401, Bayhaqī 9:54, Ibn Hishām 2:296

[6] Qurṭubī

[7] Wāḥidī

[8] al-Nisāʾ 4:183

[9] al-Aḥzāb 33:60

[10] al-Nisāʾ 4:94

[11] Abū Dāwūd #4810

[12] Bayhaqī 10:104, cf. Tirmidhī #212

[13] Abū Ḥayyān

[14] Ibn al-Qayyim, ʿAdawī

[15] Qurṭubī

[16] Bukhārī

[17] Abū Hayyān

[18] Ibn ʿĀshūr

[19] Ibn ʿĀshūr

[20] Qurṭubī

The post Believers, verify news! appeared first on Islam21c.

Sūrat al-Hujurāt | Verse by Verse

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ فِيكُمْ رَسُولَ اللَّـهِ ۚ لَوْ يُطِيعُكُمْ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْرِ لَعَنِتُّمْ وَلَـٰكِنَّ اللَّـهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَزَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ ۚ أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الرَّاشِدُونَ

“Know,” you who believe in Allāh and His Messenger[1] “that the Messenger of Allāh is among you,” so honour him, respect him and show him due propriety. Obey him because he knows better what is good for you and is more compassionate to you than you are to yourselves.[2] Fear Allāh lest you spread lies and falsehood because Allāh may well inform him of it and keep him firm on the truth[3] “If he were to follow your wishes in many things,” without due deliberation and consideration[4] “you would suffer for it,” by making things difficult for yourselves, perhaps even falling into sin. “However,” you should remain resolute in following him because[5] “Allāh has given you love of faith” in Him and His Messenger so you willingly obey Him and hence receive His blessings. This is something only Allāh can do[6] “and made it beautiful to your hearts,” such that you can appreciate the beauty of Islām in its entirety, and this in turn will lead you love it more, and to increase in your love of Allāh and His Messenger “and He has made disbelief, deviance and disobedience hateful to you. It is people such as these who are rightly guided.”

“Know that the Messenger of Allāh is among you”

This is a statement of fact but the goal is to highlight the consequences of this, to make us think of what Allāh wants from us by His saying this as it cannot be a statement without purpose.[7] This is a common style in the Qurʾān, for example when talking about the ḥaram:

فِيهِ آيَاتٌ بَيِّنَاتٌ مَّقَامُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ۖ وَمَن دَخَلَهُ كَانَ آمِنًا

“There are clear signs in it; it is the place where Abraham stood to pray; whoever enters it is safe.”[8]

“Whoever enters it is safe,” is a statement of fact, but it is stated with a specific goal in mind which is that those living there should make it a place of safety and security.

So, by highlighting that the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is amongst them, what does Allāh want from us as a result?

Highlighted here is that having the Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) amongst them is a great honour for them.[9] Allāh has blessed the Companions by choosing them to be the people who would accompany His final Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), have the opportunity to look upon his blessed face, believe in him, support and defend him.

Ibn Masʿūd said, ‘Allāh looked at the hearts of the servants and He found that the heart of Muḥammad (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) was the best among them, so He chose him for Himself and He sent him with His message. Then He looked at the hearts of His servants after Muḥammad (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), and He found that the hearts of his Companions were the best among them. He made them the ministers of His Prophet, fighting for the sake of His religion. Therefore, whatever the Muslims view as good is good in the sight of Allāh, and whatever they view as evil is evil in the sight of Allāh.’[10]

Therefore, to have an expectation somehow that He (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) should accede to the wishes of other people; that he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) should somehow obey other people is to demean him and disrespect him.[11] It is to go against the very purpose of Allāh sending him to mankind and, in fact, it goes against the point being made in the very first verses of the Sūrah. Therefore, this āyah really acts as a conclusion to the thread that has been running throughout the opening verses of obedience to Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).

Also highlighted is that because Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), the best of all creation, is amongst them, he must be honoured, respected and have due propriety shown to him. He is to be obeyed because, in his capacity as the Messenger of Allāh, he knows better what is good for you and is more compassionate to you than you are to yourselves. This is like His saying,

النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَىٰ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ ۖ وَأَزْوَاجُهُ أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ ۗ

“The Prophet is closer to the believers than they are to themselves, while his wives are their mothers.”[12]

“If he were to follow your wishes in many things, you would suffer for it”

The word ʿanata used in this āyah means to find things difficult and hard,[13] or it can mean sin as well.[14] What is being emphasised here is that, contrary to their expectations, were the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) to follow them in their desires, rather than things being better, they would actually end up worse; they would end up in difficulty in the long run, and possibly fall into sin.

For example, were he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) to have acted on the words of al-Walīd, war could have erupted and innocent blood shed.[15]

In a similar vein, Allāh says,

وَلَوِ اتَّبَعَ الْحَقُّ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ لَفَسَدَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ

“But if the truth were in accordance to their desires, the heavens, the earth and everyone in them would disintegrate.”[16]

Truth remains the truth, whether we like it or not, whether it conforms to what we think is right or not. In fact, the opposite is often true: what we think is good could actually be bad and vice-versa.

وَعَسَىٰ أَن تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰ أَن تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

“You may dislike something although it is good for you; or like something although it is bad for you. Allāh knows and you do not.”[17]

فَإِن كَرِهْتُمُوهُنَّ فَعَسَىٰ أَن تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَيَجْعَلَ اللَّـهُ فِيهِ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا

“If you dislike them, it may well be that you dislike something in which Allāh has put much good.”[18]

Twisting the truth so that it fits artificial constructs invented by people, or trying to appease people such as the disbelievers can only ever end in corruption and destruction, it can only ever end in loss.

This āyah also shows us that, contrary to what certain people claim, if we follow our own opinions, things will get difficult, but not so if we follow the Sharīʿah. The very nature of Islām is that it is a religion of ease:

يُرِيدُ اللَّـهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ

“Allāh intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship.”[19]

يُرِيدُ اللَّـهُ أَن يُخَفِّفَ عَنكُمْ ۚ وَخُلِقَ الْإِنسَانُ ضَعِيفًا

“Allāh wants to lighten your burden; man was created weak.”[20]

Every ruling is in its correct place, every ruling is best and most suited for mankind:

إِنَّ هَـٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ يَهْدِي لِلَّتِي هِيَ أَقْوَمُ وَيُبَشِّرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا كَبِيرًا

“This Qurʾān does show the straightest way. It gives the faithful who do right the good news that they will have a great reward.”[21]

It is a known fact that the Prophet Muḥammad (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) always resisted any tendency toward religious excessiveness, and would direct people to the path of moderation and ease. He once asked his Companion, ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr, “Have I heard right that you fast every day and stand in prayer all night?” ʿAbdullah replied, ‘Messenger of Allāh, yes.’ The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Do not do that. Fast sometimes, and eat and drink other times. Stand in prayer, but sleep as well. This is because your body has a right upon you, your eyes have a right upon you, your wife has a right upon you, and your guest has a right upon you.”[22]

He (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) would exemplify his own guidance when he said, “Give glad tidings and do not make people averse; make matters easy and do not make them difficult.”[23] This meaning is supported by the ḥadīth reported on the authority of ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr that the Messenger of Allāh (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “This religion is powerful so walk through it gently.”[24]

As a final point of note, Qatādah pointed out that this āyah was being said to the Companions of Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) who were the best of this ummah. So what then of us who are lesser than them, have less knowledge and understanding of the religion and whose opinions are generally weaker? So beware, he said, of giving into mere opinion[25] as a means of overriding the Sharīʿah.

“However, Allāh has given you love of faith and made it beautiful to your hearts”

Allāh has gifted the true believer two things: love of īmān and appreciation of its beauty which in turn will lead to loving it even more.[26]

It is the combination of these two things that lead a person to choose Islām, to willingly obey Him and want to follow it.[27]

فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىٰ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُوا فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا

“By your Lord, they will not be true believers until they let you decide between them in all matters of dispute, and find no resistance in their souls to your decisions, accepting them totally.”[28]

Allāh’s gifting His servant with these two is a sign that He loves him. Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Allāh, Most High, gives the world to those He loves and to those He does not love, but He only gives religion to those He loves. Whoever is given the religion, then Allāh has loved him.”[29]

Allāh tells us in numerous places that it is He who choses those who deserve guidance and those who are to be left to themselves,

وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَآمَنَ مَن فِي الْأَرْضِ كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعًا ۚ أَفَأَنتَ تُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ حَتَّىٰ يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ

“Had your Lord willed, all the people on earth would have believed. So would you compel people to believe?”[30]

This is why the believers will say on the Last Day, recognising Allāh’s grace

وَقَالُوا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ الَّذِي هَدَانَا لِهَـٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِيَ لَوْلَا أَنْ هَدَانَا اللَّـهُ

“Praise be to Allāh who guided us to this: had Allāh not guided us, We would never have found the way.”[31]

Loving īmān includes loving those who have īmān for the sake of Allāh, since He loves the believers. Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Allāh will say on the Day of Rising, ‘Where are those who love one another for My sake? Today I shall give them shade in My shade on a Day when there is no shade but My shade.’”[32]

Faith and Islām is beautiful, it should be beautiful in our hearts. If we fail to realise this beauty then there is a defect in our īmān which we need to pinpoint and rectify. Similarly, we look at the people of īmān through the lens of faith; a righteous practising brother or sister in our eyes is beautiful because he or she possesses that true inner beauty.

A person who is like this will taste the sweetness of faith. Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said,

ثَلاَثٌ مَنْ كُنَّ فِيهِ وَجَدَ حَلاَوَةَ الإِيمَانِ أَنْ يَكُونَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِمَّا سِوَاهُمَا، وَأَنْ يُحِبَّ الْمَرْءَ لاَ يُحِبُّهُ إِلاَّ لِلَّهِ، وَأَنْ يَكْرَهَ أَنْ يَعُودَ فِي الْكُفْرِ كَمَا يَكْرَهُ أَنْ يُقْذَفَ فِي النَّارِ ‏”‏‏

“There are three qualities, whoever has them will taste the sweetness of faith: that Allāh and His Messenger are more beloved to him than anyone else; that he loves a person only for the sake of Allāh; and that he abhors renegading to disbelief as much as he would hate being thrown into the Fire.”[33]

“And He has made disbelief, deviance and disobedience hateful to you.”

Kufr: disbelief; fusūq: major sins and ʿiṣyān: sins in general.[34]

Allāh is taking us – step by step – through some of His greatest favours,[35] and here a third gift is highlighted. Another sign of true īmān is to hate everything that opposes it and would debilitate it. Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “The strongest handhold of faith is to love for Allāh’s sake and to hate for Allāh’s sake.”[36]

Does this mean we end up oppressing and being unjust to those who have the quality of disbelief? Of course not, but we neither do we approve of their disbelief.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُونُواْ قَوَّامِينَ للهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالقِسْطِ وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَئَانُ قَوْمٍ عَلَى أَلَّا تَعْدِلُواْ اعْدِلُواْ هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَى وَاتَّقُواْ اللهَ إِنَّ اللهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

“You who believe!  Stand devoutly for Allāh as witnesses of justice, and do not let your animosity for some people prevent you from being fair.  Be fair, as it is closer to piety, and observe your duty to Allāh. Allāh is all-informed of what you do!”[37]

Because of this, the believer feels happy at good and is saddened by evil. Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “The believer is someone who is delighted by good deeds and saddened by evil deeds.”[38]

Also implied here is that those who refuse to obey and follow the Messenger do so because traces of kufr and fusūq and sin remain in them.[39]

We also learn that if the Sharīʿah has blocked the avenues to a certain act, but our desires and wants are calling us to that, we must not do it.[40]

To follow whatever we want, and not be concerned with what the Sharīʿah wants, is from the traits of pre-Islamic ignorance (Jāhiliyya) and from lingering traces of kufr, fusūq and ʿiṣyān. [41]

“It is people such as these who are rightly guided,” those who have these qualities, and what great qualities – they are walking the path of truth. We have a switch here from second to third person (iltifāt),[42] and is used here to highlight the great status of such people.

This āyah closes the thread of discussion started at the beginning of this sūrah: i.e. for all of these reasons do not put yourself before Allāh and His Messenger, do not speak before they speak, do not put your opinion above theirs, do not behave presumptuously with them and do not allow your own desires to take precedence over their guidance.[43]

فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللَّـهِ وَنِعْمَةً ۚ وَاللَّـهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

“A great favour from Allāh and a blessing,” both words are in the indefinite to emphasise the greatness of the favour and blessing. Every blessing from Allāh is pure grace, and every punishment is pure justice. “Allāh is All-Knowing,” He knows best who deserves guidance and who is to be left to his own devices.[44]

يَعْلَمُ خَائِنَةَ الْأَعْيُنِ وَمَا تُخْفِي الصُّدُورُ

“Allāh is aware of the most furtive of glances, and of all that the hearts conceal”[45]

“All-Wise,” in His words, actions, legislation and decree. Everything is in its correct place.[46]

These great blessings come from Allāh Himself.

وَمَا بِكُم مِّن نِّعْمَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّـهِ

“Whatever good things you possess come from Allāh.”[47]

Sometimes we fail to appreciate this fact. Allāh has graced us with īmān and Islām and by doing do, He has given us the key to Paradise. This, in turn, requires gratitude (shukr) from us.[48]

وَاشْكُرُوا لِلَّـهِ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ

“Be grateful to Allāh if it is Him that you worship.”[49]

وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ

“Remember that your Lord declared, ‘If you are grateful, I will give you more, but if you are thankless, My punishment is severe indeed.’”[50]

مَّا يَفْعَلُ اللَّـهُ بِعَذَابِكُمْ إِن شَكَرْتُمْ وَآمَنتُمْ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّـهُ شَاكِرًا عَلِيمًا

“Why would Allāh make you suffer torment if you are grateful and believe in Him?”[51]

Sahl b. ʿAbdullāh said, ‘Shukr is to strive in obedience and avoiding disobedience in secret and open.’ Shiblī said, ‘Shukr is to be humble and to upkeep the performance of good deeds, to oppose lusts and desires and to strive in obedience, and to be constantly aware of the Lord of the heavens and earth.’ Dhū’l-Nūn said, “Shukr for the One above you is through obedience, for those of the same level as you it is to repay a kindness with a kindness, and for those beneath you it is to be kind and charitable to them.”[52]

The last two Names are mentioned as they suit the context and also pre-emptively answer a question that may arise: why has Allāh given this person hidāyah but not that person?[53] The answer being: Allāh is all-knowing and all-wise.

Similarly, we see many other places in the Qurʾān where questions are pre-empted and answered, for example

وَلَوْ بَسَطَ اللَّـهُ الرِّزْقَ لِعِبَادِهِ لَبَغَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَـٰكِن يُنَزِّلُ بِقَدَرٍ مَّا يَشَاءُ ۚ إِنَّهُ بِعِبَادِهِ خَبِيرٌ بَصِيرٌ

“If Allāh was to grant His plentiful provision to all His creatures, they would act insolently on earth, but He sends down in due measure whatever He wills for He is well-aware of His servants and watchful over them.”[54]

The fact that He is well-aware and watchful over His servants answers the question as to why He gives plentiful provision to some and not others.

Points of Benefit

1. The blessing of having Allāh’s Messenger amongst them
2. The humility of the Messenger prevented him from speaking out on this issue, so Allāh did it.
3. The excellence of the Companions since He chose them to accompany His Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).
4. The Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) is to be honoured, loved, respected and followed.
5. To treat the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) as any other person is disrespectful
6. To follow the Sharīʿah is to follow the path of ease and moderation
7. Allāh guides and misguides
8. The great blessing of īmān and guidance
9. Allāh knows all and is all-wise
10. Truth does not change on whim
11. Allāh knows best what is good for us, not us.
12. Allāh has gifted the believer with īmān and the ability to appreciate the beauty of Islām
13. The believers freely and willingly follow the path of Truth
14. Loving īmān includes loving those who have īmān
15. Faith and Islām is beautiful
16. The true believer hates disbelief and deviance
17. The true believer is not unjust to those who are on disbelief and deviance
18. The believer delights in good deeds and is saddened by evil
19. Those who refuse to obey Allāh and His Messenger do so because traces of kufr and deviance remain in him
20. The believer must be grateful to Allāh for His gifts

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] Ṭabarī

[2] Ibn Kathīr

[3] Ṭabarī, Qurṭubī

[4] Qurṭubī

[5] Baqāʿī

[6] Ibn al-Qayyim

[7] ʿAdawī

[8] Āli ʿImran 3:97

[9] Baqāʿī, Ibn ʿĀshūr

[10] Aḥmad #3589

[11] Baqāʿi

[12] al-Aḥzāb 33:6

[13] Ṭabarī

[14] Qurṭubī

[15] Ṭabarī, Qurṭubī

[16] al-Muʾminūn 23:71

[17] al-Baqarah 2:216

[18] al-Nisāʾ 4:19

[19] al-Baqarah 2:185

[20] al-Nisāʾ 4:28

[21] al-Isrāʾ 17:9

[22] Bukhārī #127

[23] Muslim

[24] Aḥmad #13052

[25] Ṭabarī

[26] Ibn al-Qayyim

[27] Qurṭubī

[28] al-Nisāʾ 4:65

[29] Aḥmad

[30] Yūnus 10:99

[31] al-Aʿrāf 7:43

[32] Bukhārī

[33] Bukhārī and Muslim

[34] Ibn Kathīr

[35] Ibn Kathīr

[36] Aḥmad

[37] al-Māʾidah 5:8

[38] Tirmidhī #2165

[39] Ibn ʿĀshūr

[40] Ibn ʿĀshūr

[41] Ibn ʿĀshūr

[42] Abū Ḥayyān

[43] Ibn al-Qayyim

[44] Ibn Kathīr

[45] Ghāfir 40:19

[46] Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr

[47] al-Naḥl 16:53

[48] Baqāʿī

[49] al-Baqarah 2:172

[50] Ibrāhīm 14:7

[51] al-Nisāʾ 4:147

[52] Qurṭubī

[53] ʿAdawī

[54] al-Shūrā 42:27

The post “Know that the Messenger of Allah is among you” appeared first on Islam21c.

Signs of the Last Day (Ashrāṭ al-Sāʿah)

Death & Resurrection

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

During the sojourn in the grave, souls visit each other and converse with one another,[1] regardless of whether they are buried close together or far apart.[2] One such example is mentioned by the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam): The souls of the believers are brought to the believing soul and are overjoyed at receiving him, just as a person is when his absent, loved-one visits him. They will ask the person, ‘What has so-and-so and so-and-so been doing?[3] What has so-and-so done, did she marry again?’[4] The Angels will say, ‘Let him rest, he has toiled through this worldly life.’[5] They will ask about a person who has already passed away, he will reply, ‘He has passed away,[6] has he not already come?’ When they realise he has not, they will say, ‘Inna lillāhi wa inna ilayhi rājiʿūn.[7] He has been taken to his mother, al-Hāwiyah,[8] the worst of all mothers, the worst of murabbīs!’ [9]

The deeds he did are then presented to them and when they see the good, they delight in them and say, ‘Allāh, this is your blessings bestowed on Your servant, so complete it.’ When they see bad deeds, they say, ‘Allāh, forgive Your servant.’

This meeting will happen to the souls that are blessed, not the souls that are punished as they are too preoccupied with their punishment.[10]

In the life of the Barzakh, the souls, even though they are joined to the bodies in the graves, are simultaneously in other places as well. The souls of the Prophets are in the highest levels of Paradise. The souls of martyrs are in the bodies of green birds flying about in paradise wherever they want. Some martyrs, however, are prevented from entering Paradise because of debt. Some souls will be by a river running by the door of Paradise. Some souls will remain trapped in the grave and some will be punished in the grave.[11]

As the Last Day draws near, on earth, Allāh will dispatch a cool breeze originating from Yemen and Shām.[12] A pure wind with a scent sweeter than musk and a caress softer than silk.[13] It will seize every believer on earth, even those with just an atom’s weight of faith, under their arms and take their lives. Only the worst of people will then be left on earth,[14] not a single person who can say Allāh Allāh[15] or lā ilāha illAllāh,[16] devoid of any shame and engaging in public intercourse just like donkeys or animals.[17] They will once again worship the idols of their forefathers,[18] having succumbed to the temptations of Shayṭān, and not a single person will be left who can distinguish good from bad.[19]

Some time later, a fire will burn from a depression in ʿAdn, Yemen and from Haḍramawt—both by the Red Sea—and it will drive everyone to the place of the gathering:[20] Shām.[21] They will be driven there, walking, riding, and even crawling on their faces,[22] along with monkeys and pigs. The fire will  follow them all the way, spending the night where they spend the night, with them when they rest, and consuming any who are left behind.[23]

Friday is a day that concerns the angels brought close to Allāh, the sky, the earth, wind, the mountains and the seas. This is the day on which the Last Day will fall,[24] during the daytime,[25] soon after Fajr and before sunrise.[26] It will fall so suddenly,[27] that two persons spreading a garment between them will not be able to finish their bargain, nor will they be able to fold it up. A man will be carrying the milk of his she-camel, but cannot drink it. Another will not be able to prepare the tank to water his livestock from it. Some people will have raised food to their mouths but will not have time to eat it.[28]

The Trumpet will blast, reverberating through creation. The earth will convulse, the mountains will disintegrate, and the oceans will boil over. Everything will be destroyed and everyone will die,

إِنَّ زَلْزَلَةَ السَّاعَةِ شَيْءٌ عَظِيمٌ يَوْمَ تَرَوْنَهَا تَذْهَلُ كُلُّ مُرْضِعَةٍ عَمَّا أَرْضَعَتْ وَتَضَعُ كُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمْلٍ حَمْلَهَا وَتَرَى النَّاسَ سُكَارَى وَمَا هُم بِسُكَارَى وَلَكِنَّ عَذَابَ اللَّهِ شَدِيدٌ

“The final earthquake will be a terrifying event: on the Day you see it, every nursing mother will think no more of her baby, every pregnant woman will miscarry, you will think people are drunk when they are not, so severe is Allāh’s punishment.”[29]

The first person to hear that trumpet will be someone busy in setting right the tank meant for providing water to the camels. He will swoon and the rest of mankind will also swoon.[30]

Then, after the passage of forty [years],[31] Allāh will send down rain which will be like dew and from it the bodies of people will grow out of the earth.[32] A second trumpet blast will sound and man will be resurrected, standing and looking (around),[33] coming out as if they were swarming locusts,[34]

يَوْمَ تَرْجُفُ الرَّاجِفَةُ ﴿٦﴾ تَتْبَعُهَا الرَّادِفَةُ ﴿٧﴾ قُلُوبٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَاجِفَةٌ ﴿٨﴾ أَبْصَارُهَا خَاشِعَةٌ ﴿٩﴾ يَقُولُونَ أَإِنَّا لَمَرْدُودُونَ فِي الْحَافِرَةِ ﴿١٠﴾ أَإِذَا كُنَّا عِظَامًا نَّخِرَةً ﴿١١﴾ قَالُوا تِلْكَ إِذًا كَرَّةٌ خَاسِرَةٌ ﴿١٢﴾ فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ زَجْرَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ ﴿١٣﴾ فَإِذَا هُم بِالسَّاهِرَةِ

“On the Day when the Blast reverberates, and the second blast follows, hearts will tremble, eyes will be downcast. They say: What! Shall we be brought back to life after we have turned into decayed bones? They say: that would truly be a fateful return! But all it will take is single blast, and see, they will be back above the ground!”[35]

وَنُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَإِذَا هُم مِّنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَنسِلُونَ قَالُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا مَن بَعَثَنَا مِن مَّرْقَدِنَا هَذَا مَا وَعَدَ الرَّحْمَنُ وَصَدَقَ الْمُرْسَلُونَ إِن كَانَتْ إِلَّا صَيْحَةً وَاحِدَةً فَإِذَا هُمْ جَمِيعٌ لَّدَيْنَا مُحْضَرُونَ فَالْيَوْمَ لَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْئًا وَلَا تُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

“The Trumpet will be sounded and behold! They will rush out to their Lord from their graves. They will say, ‘Woe to us! Who has resurrected us from our resting place?’ They will be told, ‘This is what the Lord of Mercy has promised, and the messengers told the truth.’ It was just one single blast and then – behold! They were all brought before Us. Today no soul will be wronged in the least; you will only be repaid for your deeds.”[36]

The souls will be fully reunited with their bodies which will be the same as they were in this life except that they will be uncircumcised, they will have no need of urinating or defecating, they will not die, and, in this state, they will be able to see Angel and jinn.[37]

Man will be raised naked, barefoot and uncircumcised, in far too much terror to take note of his nakedness.[38] Some may be raised in their clothes or their shrouds, but these will quickly disintegrate leaving them naked.[39] They will all stand on a vast land that is reddish white, like a fine loaf of bread, with no landmarks at all.[40] Each person will only have the space of his own two feet to stand therein.[41]

The first to be raised will be the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam).[42] The martyrs will be raised with their wounds red and bleeding, exuding the scent of musk.[43] The pilgrim who died in the state of iḥrām will be raised reciting the talbiyyah.[44] The Muʾadhdhin will be raised calling the adhān,[45] and having the longest necks.[46] In general people will be raised doing the deed they did when they passed away.[47]

The disbeliever will be resurrected deaf, dumb and blind,[48] as he was in the grave, and given back his sight just before he is to be hurled into Hell.[49] Some will be resurrected crawling on their faces.[50] The arrogant will be resurrected like ants in the form of men, humiliation enveloping them from all sides. They will be driven to a prison in Hell, its hottest fire rising over them and their drink will be the puss falling from the inhabitants of Hell.[51] A leader of ten people or more will be resurrected in chains, the only thing able to release him being justice if he was just in this world, otherwise his injustice and oppression will seal his fate.[52] Whoever concealed religious knowledge will be raised wearing a bridle of fire and whoever spoke about the Qurʾān without knowledge will also be raised wearing a bridle of fire.[53] A person who had wealth, but did not pay the zakāh due on it, will be raised and a bald-headed poisonous serpent with two black spots over its eyes will encircle his neck and bite his cheeks and say, ‘I am your wealth, I am your treasure.’[54]

A period of time after this, people will be clothed. The first to be clothed will be Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhi al-Salām) from the garments of Paradise,[55] then Muḥammad (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), also from garments of Paradise the likes of which has never been seen,[56] then the rest of the Prophets.[57] The righteous will be clothed in noble garments and the evil doers in trousers of tar and other awful garments.[58]

The sun will draw close, until it is just a mile away and people will stand in their own sweat, the level of which is determined by their deeds. Some will be ankle deep in that sweat, others knee deep, shoulder deep or bridled by it.[59] The sweat would be so copious that Allāh’s Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said that ships could even sail on it![60] All will be affected by this except for a select group of people who will be standing under the shade of Allāh’s Throne. Amongst these will be: a just ruler, a youth who grew up worshipping Allāh, a man whose heart is attached to the Masjid, two people who love each other for Allāh’s sake, a man who is tempted by a woman of standing and beauty but says, ‘I fear Allāh,’ a man who gives in charity and hides it such that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given, and a man who remembers Allāh in private and his eyes shed tears while doing so.[61]

There they will stand for one day the length of which is 50,000 years by the reckoning of this world. However, for the believer it will be made to seem the same as the length of one obligatory prayer he prayed in this world or less,[62] or like the time when the sun is about to set to when it has set.[63]

Man will be in such terror, difficulty and despair during that standing that they will go from Prophet to Prophet asking them to intercede with Allāh to at least start the Judgement and allow them to move from that place. Each Prophet will refuse, saying, ‘Myself! Myself!’ until finally they go to the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) who will accept the request and intercede with Allāh. Judgement Day will then begin.[64]

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Rūh, pp. 17-18. Cf. Ibn Abī al-Dunyā from Jābir that Allāh’s Messenger (SAW) said, ‘Shroud your deceased well because they will have visitors in their graves,’ and ibn Ḥajr, Fatḥ 11:386 said the isnād was ḥasan.

[2] Ibn Taymiyyah, al-Majmūʿ 24:368

[3] Nasāʾī #1833

[4] Ibn al-Mubārak, al-Zuhd #443, cf. Albānī, al-Ṣaḥīḥah #2758

[5] Nasāʾī #1833

[6] Ibn al-Mubārak, al-Zuhd #443

[7] Ibn al-Mubārak, al-Zuhd #443

[8] Ibn al-Mubārak, al-Zuhd #443

[9] Nasāʾī #1833

[10] Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Rūh, pp. 17-18

[11] Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Rūḥ, pp. 344-349

[12] Muslim #2940 from ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr.

[13] Muslim #1924 from ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr. Muslim #2937 from Nawās b. Samʿān

[14] Muslim #2937 from Nawās b. Samʿān

[15] Muslim #148 from Anas. Muslim #177 from Abū Hurayrah

[16] Aḥmad #13860 from Anas

[17] Muslim #2937 from Nawās b. Samʿān

[18] Muslim #2940 from ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr

[19] Muslim #2940 from ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr

[20] Muslim #2901. Abū Dāwūd #4311, Tirmidhī #2183 from Ḥudhayfah b. Asad. Tirmidhī #223 from ibn ʿUmar

[21] Aḥmad #20022 from Ḥakīm b. Muʿāwiyah. Bazzār #3965 from Abū Dharr

[22] Aḥmad #20022, Tirmidhī #2192 from Ḥakīm b. Muʿāwiyah

[23] Abū Dāwūd #2482, Aḥmad #6871 from ibn ʿAmr

[24] Ibn Mājah #1084, Aḥmad #15548 from Abū Lubābah. ʿIrāqī said the isnād was ḥasan. Aḥmad #7687-10303 from Abū Hurayrah.

[25] Abū Nuʿaym as the statement of Abū Hurayrah. Muslim #854 from Abū Hurayrah.

[26] Aḥmad #10303 from Abū Hurayrah

[27] They ask you about the Hour, when will it arrive? Say: My Lord alone has knowledge of it: He alone will reveal it, a time that is momentous in both the heavens and the earth. It will come upon you suddenly. [Q7:187]

[28] Bukhārī #6506, Muslim #2954 from Abū Hurayrah

[29] al-Ḥajj (22):1-2

[30] Muslim #2940 from ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr

[31] Muslim #2955 from Abū Hurayrah where he mentioned that the period of forty but refused to say if it was days, weeks or months. Some of the Companions were of the view that the period was forty years, cf. Ṭabarī 11:27, Qurṭubī, al-Tadhkira 1:491-510

[32] Muslim #2940 from ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr

[33] Muslim #2940 from ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr

[34] Qamar 54:7

[35] al-Nāziʿāt 79:6-14

[36] Yā Sīn 36:51

[37] Ḥākim, cf. Albānī, al-Ṣaḥīḥah #1668 and Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmūʿ 7:253

[38] Bukhārī #6527, Muslim #2194 from ʿĀʾishah. Bukhārī #6525, Muslim #6860 from ibn ʿAbbās. Ṭabarānī, al-Awsaṭ #833 from Umm Salamah. Ṭabarānī, al-Kabīr 24:34 from Sawdah

[39] Allāh’s Messenger (SAW) said, “The deceased will be resurrected in the clothes in which he died.” [Abū Dāwūd #3114. cf. Albānī, al-Ṣaḥīḥah #1671] “When one of you is given the duty of preparing his brother (for the funeral), cover him in his shrouds well because they will be raised in those shrouds.” [Khaṭīb, cf. Albānī, al-Ṣaḥīḥah #1425].

The scholars differed about how to reconcile these ḥadīths with the one that states that man will be raised naked, falling into one of three views: 1) They will be raised in them initially, but then they will disintegrate leaving them naked. 2) It refers to the martyrs specifically who are buried in their clothes 3) Garments here refers metaphorically to deeds, as is used in the Qurʾan in 7:26. cf. Ibn Ḥajr, Fatḥ 11:467

[40] Bukhārī #6521

[41] Ḥākim from Jābir

[42] Muslim #2278 from Abū Hurayrah, ibn Ḥibbān #6478 from ʿAbdullāh b. Sallām

[43] Bukhārī #2803, Muslim #1876 from ibn ʿUmar

[44] Bukhārī #1267, Muslim #1206 from ibn ʿAbbās

[45] Ibn Shāhīn, al-Targhīb #567

[46] Aḥmad #12729 from Anas

[47] Muslim #2878 from Jābir

[48] cf. al-Furqān 25:34

[49] Qurṭubī, al-Tadhkira

[50] cf. al-Isrāʾ 17:97 and Bukhārī #4760 and Muslim #2806 from Anas.

[51] Tirmidhī #2493, Aḥmad #6677

[52] Aḥmad #9570-22516 from Abū Hurayrah.

[53] Abū Yaʿlā #2585

[54] Bukhārī #1403-4565 from Abū Hurayrah

[55] Bukhārī #3349-3447-4626, Muslim #2860 from ibn ʿAbbās

[56] Bayhaqī 1:320, Bayhāqī, al-Asmāʾ #839. cf. Ibn Ḥajr 6:480,11:467, Qurṭubī, al-Tadhkira 2:533

[57] Ibn Shaḥin, al-Targhīb #567. Bayhaqī, Shuʿab 1:549. Ḥalīmī, al-Minhāj

[58] Muslim from Abū Mālik concerning the woman who wails.

[59] Muslim #2864 from al-Miqdād b. al-Aswad

[60] Ahmad #12588

[61] Bukhārī #6806, Muslim #1031 from Abū Hurayrah.

[62] Aḥmad #11717 from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī. Ibn Ḥibbān #7419 from ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr

[63] Ibn Ḥibbān #7333 from Abū Hurayrah

[64] Bukhārī#4712, Muslim #194 from Abū Hurayrah

The post When the Trumpet is Blown appeared first on Islam21c.

Signs of the Last Day (Ashrāṭ al-Sāʿah)

The Beginning of Judgement Day

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

وَأُزْلِفَتِ الْجَنَّةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ وَبُرِّزَتِ الْجَحِيمُ لِلْغَاوِينَ

Paradise is brought forward for the pious, and Hell is displayed and brought near for the sinners.[1]

Paradise will be displayed, exuding a beautiful fragrance but its scent and joy will be veiled from the disbeliever.

Hellfire will be dragged forward on seventy thousand chains, with each chain dragged by seventy thousand angels,[2] and it will be stoked to a blaze,

وَإِذَا الْجَحِيمُ سُعِّرَتْ

When Hellfire is stoked to a blaze.[3]

نَارُ اللَّـهِ الْمُوقَدَةُ

It is the fire of Allāh, kindled to a blaze.[4]

Its heat will become so intense that it will release clouds of black smoke.[5] The heat of the Hellfire will be seventy times more intense than the fire of this world.[6] When it sees the disbeliever from afar, they will hear it raging and roaring,[7] shooting out sparks as large as tree-trunks and as bright as copper.[8]

When man sees Hell, he will be overcome with abject terror.[9]

Follow what you worshipped

Mankind will be standing there and a voice will announce, ‘Let every nation follow what they used to worship’ or ‘Whoever worshipped something should follow it.’ Those who worshipped the sun will follow the sun, those who worshipped the moon will follow the moon, and those who worshipped idols will follow the idols.

The Jews will be asked, ‘What did you worship?’ They will reply, ‘Ezra, son of Allāh.’ They will be told, ‘You are liars, for Allāh has neither a wife nor a son! What do you want (now)?’ They will reply, ‘We want You to provide us with water.’ They will be told to drink but will fall down into Hell (instead).

The Christians will be asked, ‘What did you worship?’ They will reply, ‘The Messiah, son of Allāh.’ They will be told, ‘You are liars! Allāh has neither a wife nor a son! What do you want (now)?’ They will reply, ‘We want You to provide us with water.’ They will be told to drink but will fall into Hell instead.

Finally, only the Muslims will remain – the believers and the hypocrites, the righteous and the sinners. They will be asked, ‘What keeps you here when everyone else has gone?’ They will reply, ‘We parted with them (in the world) when we were in greater need of them than we are today, we heard someone say, “Let every nation follow what they used to worship,” and now we are waiting for our Lord.’ Then Allāh will come to them in a form other than His own and say, ‘I am your Lord,’ and they will say, ‘You are not our Lord,’ ‘when our Lord comes we will recognise Him.’ None will speak to Him then but the Prophets. They will then be asked, ‘Do you know of any sign by which you will recognise Him?’ They will reply, ‘The Shin,’ and so Allāh will then uncover His shin and every believer will prostrate before Him except for those who would prostrate just to show off and to gain a good reputation. These people will try to prostrate but their backs will become rigid like one piece of a wood, and hence unable to bow down.[10]

The Pond (Ḥawḍ)[11]

The believers are then taken to the Pond. Each Prophet (ʿalayhim al-Salām) has his own Pond and each will be hoping that he has the most followers drinking at it.[12] Each nation has its mark by which their respective Prophet will recognise them and they will summon them to their pond, standing by it with their walking stick.[13] The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) told us that the mark of this ummah was unique to it[14] and when asked about it, he replied, “If a man has a horse with a white blaze and white feet among horses that are black, do you not think he will recognise it? In the same way (my ummah) will come with white foreheads and white hands because of their wuḍūʾ.”[15]

The Pond of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) will be exceptional. So huge that a person standing at one end will not be able to see a person standing at the other.[16] The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) described its size in different ways when speaking to different people in order for them to better appreciate its size.[17] He said that its length and breadth was the same[18] and the distance of one month’s journey,[19] or the distance between Mount Bayḍāʾ and Buṣra,[20] or Jarbāʾ and Adhruḥ in Syria,[21] or Madīnah and Amman[22] or Madīnah and Sanaʿāʾ[23] or Aylāʾ and Sanaʿāʾ[24] or Aylāʾ and ʿAdn[25] or the Kaʿbah and Bayt al-Maqdis.[26]

It has goblets surrounding it, in number and luminosity like the stars of the sky[27] or more, and made of gold and silver.[28]

The water in that pond is whiter than milk[29] or silver,[30] cooler than ice[31] and sweeter than honey,[32] exuding a fragrance more exquisite than musk.[33] Water pours into it via two sprouts from Paradise, one made of gold and the other made of silver,[34] and that water in turn comes from a river in Paradise, the Kawthar.[35] Whoever takes a single sip of water from it will never be thirsty again,[36] and his face will never turn black.[37]

The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) himself will be there waiting and receiving the believers.[38] He (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) was asked by Mālik b. Anas (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) where he should look for him on that Day and he replied, “Look for me at the Ṣirāṭ, if you do not see me there, at the Mīzān, if you do not see me there, at the Ḥawḍ. These are the three places I will be.”[39] He (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) also said, “I will be waiting for you at the Pond, and I would hope to have the largest following, so do not kill each other after me.”[40]

Now some people will come to it but be turned away by the Prophet himself or by the Angels[41] like stray camels are driven away from someone’s private pond.[42] Some will be followers of other Prophets who came there by mistake, and the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) will not recognise them by the marks of their wuḍūʾ.[43] Some, however, he will recognise and will cry out, “My Lord! My companions! My companions!”[44] or “My people! My people!”[45] “They are from me and my nation!”[46] He (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) will be told by Angels, “You do not know what they innovated after you,” and then he (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) will say, “Away with these people who changed (the religion) after me!”[47]

Qurṭubī said, ‘Our scholars have stated that everyone who apostatises from Allāh’s religion or introduces innovations with which Allāh is not pleased and did not give permission for is one of those who will be driven away from the Pond. Those most forcibly driven away will be those who differed from the jamāʿah of Muslims and split from them, such as the Khārijites, Rāfiḍīs and the Muʿtazilites. These are all sects that changed (the religion of Islām). The same applies to the evildoers and oppressors who tried to extinguish the truth, kill its followers and humiliate them, and those who openly committed major sins and took the matter of sin lightly, and all those who followed deviant whims, desires and innovation.[48]

The first to drink from it will be the destitute amongst the Muhājirūn. In this life they had dishevelled hair, faces thin and parched, wearing tattered garments. People would close their doors to them, and they would not be considered for marriage. People who would fulfil their obligations, but waive their rights.[49]

They will be followed by the people of Yemen[50] who, at the time of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), believed in him and came forward to support him. The Anṣār of Madīnah are regarded as being from Yemen as well,[51] and it was to the Anṣār that the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “Be patient until you meet me at the Pond.”[52] The Messenger (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) himself will summon them, clearing a path for them with his stick.[53]

The Records

Everyone will then be given their Book, a record of all that they said and did in this world, omitting nothing whatsoever, whether significant or insignificant.

وَكُلَّ إِنسَانٍ أَلْزَمْنَاهُ طَآئِرَهُ فِي عُنُقِهِ وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ كِتَابًا يَلْقَاهُ مَنشُورًا

We have bound each person’s destiny around his neck, and on the Day of Rising We shall bring out a record for each of them, which they will find spread wide open.[54]

فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ ﴿٧﴾ وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ

So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of bad will see it.[55]

When resurrected, people will have forgotten some or all of what they did, but their records will remind them in detail.[56]

يَوْمَ يَبْعَثُهُمُ اللَّهُ جَمِيعًا فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا عَمِلُوا أَحْصَاهُ اللَّهُ وَنَسُوهُ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ

On the Day when Allāh will raise them all up and make them aware of what they have done, Allāh has taken account of it all though they may have forgotten. Allāh is witness to everything.[57]

Some will be given the record in their right hands, others in their left or with their left behind their backs. Some said the righteous believers would be given it with their right, the sinful with their left, and the non-Muslims from behind their backs.[58]

فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَيَقُولُ هَاؤُمُ اقْرَؤُوا كِتَابِيهْ إِنِّي ظَنَنتُ أَنِّي مُلَاقٍ حِسَابِيهْ

فَهُوَ فِي عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ فِي جَنَّةٍ عَالِيَةٍ قُطُوفُهَا دَانِيَةٌ كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا هَنِيئًا بِمَا أَسْلَفْتُمْ فِي الْأَيَّامِ الْخَالِيَةِ

وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِشِمَالِهِ فَيَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُوتَ كِتَابِيهْ وَلَمْ أَدْرِ مَا حِسَابِيهْ يَا لَيْتَهَا كَانَتِ الْقَاضِيَةَ مَا أَغْنَى عَنِّي مَالِيهْ

هَلَكَ عَنِّي سُلْطَانِيهْ

Anyone who is given his Record in his right hand will say, ‘Here is my Record, read it. I knew I would meet my Reckoning,’ and so he will have a pleasant life in a lofty Garden, with clustered fruit in his reach. ‘Eat and drink to your heart’s content as a reward for what you have done in days gone by.’ But anyone who is given his Record in his left hand will say, ‘If only I had never been given any Record and knew nothing of my Reckoning. How I wish death had been the end of me. My wealth hasn’t helped me, and my power and authority has vanished.’[59]

وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ وَرَاء ظَهْرِهِ فَسَوْفَ يَدْعُو ثُبُورًا وَيَصْلَى سَعِيرًا

Whoever is given his record behind his back will cry out for destruction, he will burn in the blazing Fire.[60]

This is the second time the whole of mankind will be in terror and not ask after one another, waiting in trepidation to see which hand they are given their record in.[61] After this follows nothing but the Reckoning (Ḥisāb) that all Prophets and Messengers warned about, which will be the subject of the next article, God willing.

Source: www.islam21c.com

Notes:

[1] al-Shuʿarāʾ (26):90-91

[2] Muslim #842

[3] al-Takwīr 81:12

[4] al-Ḥumaza 104:6

[5] cf. al-Wāqiʿah 56:43

[6] Bukhārī #

[7] al-Furqān 25:12

[8] al-Mursalāt 77:32-33

[9] Aḥmad #24793

[10] Bukhārī #, Muslim #299

[11] The ḥadīths concerning this are mutawātir. Ibn Ḥajr stated that they are reported by 50 Companions and some scholars said 80

[12] Tirmidh­ī #2433

[13] Ṭabarānī #6881-7053

[14] Muslim #247

[15] Muslim #247-249-367

[16] Ibn Ḥibbān #6450

[17] Qurṭubī, al-Tadhkirah 1:706, Saffārīnī

[18] Muslim #2300

[19] Bukhārī #6208, Muslim #2292

[20] Ibn Ḥibbān #6450

[21] Bukhārī #6206, Muslim #2299

[22] Ibn Mājah #4304

[23] Bukhārī #, ibn Mājah #4304

[24] Bukhārī #6209, Muslim #2303

[25] Muslim #247-248

[26] Ibn Mājah #4301

[27] Bukhārī #6579, Muslim #2292-2298

[28] Muslim #2303

[29] Bukhārī #6579, Muslim #2292-2301

[30] Bukhārī #6208, Muslim #2292

[31] Aḥmad #6162

[32] Muslim #2301, Aḥmad #22210

[33] Bukhārī #6579, Muslim #2292

[34] Muslim #2301, Aḥmad #22210

[35] Muslim #400

[36] Bukhārī #6579, Muslim #2292, Tirmidhī #2444

[37] Aḥmad #22210

[38] Bukhārī #6215-6220, Muslim #2293, ibn Mājah #3944, Aḥmad #14719

[39] Tirmidhī #2433

[40] Ibn Mājah #3944

[41] Bukhārī #6211-6213-6215, Muslim #247-400-2304

[42] Bukhārī #2194-2238-2367, Muslim #247-249-2302

[43] Muslim #247, Saffārīnī

[44] Bukhārī #6211, Muslim #2304

[45] Muslim #400

[46] Bukhārī #6220, Muslim #2293

[47] Muslim #247-400

[48] Qurṭubī, al-Tadhkirah 1:710-711

[49] Tirmidhī #2444, Aḥmad #6162

[50] Muslim #2301

[51] Qurṭubī, al-Mufhim 6:96

[52] Bukhārī #3794, Muslim #1059

[53] Muslim #2301

[54] al-Isrāʾ 17:13

[55] al-Zalzalah 99:7-8

[56] Qurṭubī, al-Tadhkirah 1:619

[57] al-Mujādilah 58:6

[58] Saffārīnī 1:659

[59] al-Ḥāqqah 69:19-29

[60] al-Inshiqāq 84:10-12

[61] Aḥmad #24696-24793, Abū Dāwūd #4755

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