Adherence to the Words of Allah and His Messenger

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Adherence to the Words of Allah and His Messenger (1/5)

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah




Dispute Concerning the Authenticity of Certain Hadiths
Some people have disputed the authenticity of certain hadiths. Among such sayings is: "No prayer is accepted without ablution and no ablution is accepted without mentioning Allah's name." The first part of this hadith is to be understood as in the Prophet's saying: "There is no prayer without tuhur, purification.”[1] This is agreed upon among Muslims since tuhur is obligatory before performing prayer. If the obligatory tuhur, is negated, then the prayer is negated. Concerning the second part of the hadith, there is a well-known dispute about whether it is obligatory to mention Allah's name or not when performing ablution. Most scholars of the MalikI, Hanaff, and Shafi c I schools do not consider it obligatory. This is, however, one of the two opinions on the authority of Ahmad [Ibn Hanbal] that has been accepted by al-Khirqi,[2] Abu Muhammad[3] and others. The second, which is also on the authority of Ahmad and is accepted by some scholars, makes mentioning Allah's name when making ablution obligatory. Among them are Abu Bakr ‘Abd al-'AzIz and the judge Abu Ya'la[4] and his followers. The Prophet also said: "No prayer is accepted from the neighbor of the mosque except in the mosque itself (recorded by al-Daraqutn!).[5] Some scholars consider this hadith marfu'; while other scholars consider it as the words of 'AIi [Ibn Abi Talib], may Allah be pleased with him. Still others among them, such as c Abd al-Haqq,[6] have confirmed its authenticity. The Prophet also said: "No fast is accepted from the one who breaks the fast at night." This hadith was narrated by scholars of the books of al-Sunan, Books of Hadith, who said that it is not correct to consider it marfu’, but it is correct to consider it mawquf,[7] on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar and Hafsah.[8] It is not right for anyone to attest to words of the Messenger in order to fulfill a wish to negate a desire for perfection. Definitely if these words of the Prophet were correctly and properly claimed, then they would fulfill an obligation, otherwise they would not. For nothing can negate the essence of the Book and the Sunnah. It is very important to know what is intended by the words of Allah and His Messenger before anyone uses them in order to suit his own madhab, school of law. The statements of the scholars should follow the words of Allah and His Messenger, and not the reverse.
If there is a dispute concerning an obligatory matter among the religious scholars, the words of Allah have clear significance in this regard. Then it is not permissible to negate the well-known essence of the words of Allah and His Messenger by the disputed sayings of the scholars. But some people grew up knowing only one line of thought of a particular madhab. Those people believed that their opinion constitutes the religion in its totality. It is like the person who prays alone and not in congregation, thinking that he has completely fulfilled his obligation. The truth of the matter is that scholars have two well-known opinions concerning the reward of such a prayer. In the madhab of Ahmad [Ibn Hanbal] two opinions on this matter were expressed. The first opinion is of the older followers, represented by the judge Abu Ya'la, in explaining their madhab. The latter group, represented by Ibn ‘Aqil[9] and others, said: "It is permissible for one to pray the prescribed prayers alone, without excuse; he is like the one who prays the noon Friday prayer. If he could perform it in congregation after that, he should do so; otherwise it would result in a sin similar to that of the one who abandons the Friday prayer. In this case he could still receive repentance." The source of this statement is tendered by more than one among the scholars, and most of the reported traditions from the earlier Muslims, Companions, and Successors also support this.
The religious scholars affirmed and based their opinions on the hadith of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), who said: "Anyone who hears the call for prayer [at the masjid] and does not respond without having an excuse, his prayer will not be accepted."
Some scholars responded by referring to hadith al-Tafdil,[10] that it is in the realm of al-ma’dhur', the excused, who is permitted to pray alone. It was also affirmed that the Prophet said: "The prayers of a man who performs [his prayers] while sitting counts as only half of the prayer performed while standing, and the prayer of the one lying down counts as only half of the prayer of the one who is sitting." What is meant by "the excused one" mentioned above is that if someone becomes sick while praying, he will be excused. He also said that none of the earlier Muslims permitted the voluntary prayer while lying down without an excuse and none of them practiced this. However, it was permitted in one instance by the madhabs of al-Shafi'i[11] and Ahmad [Ibn Hanbal], and its source from earlier Muslims is not known. Indeed, this question could spread and bring calamity among the Muslims. If it were permissible for every Muslim to perform his voluntary prayer lying on his side when he is well, and not sick, it would be just as permissible to perform voluntary prayer while sitting or while riding on a camel. The Messenger (Peace be upon him) would certainly have pointed this out to his community and the Companions would have known it. Since there is a strong desire to do good, it is inevitable that some would do it. However, no one of them did that, thus this indicates that this practice was not allowed among the Muslims. This will be explained more fully in the proper place.
What is intended here is that the Muslims should seriously value the words of Allah and His Messenger, and no one is permitted to transmit the words of other people except as they were originally intended, and not what they have been interpreted to mean. Some people may interpret certain texts of the Qur'an that express thoughts that are contrary to what they believe in terms that suit their thinking and their behavior. The intention behind this is to use a certain text as a proof, and this is wrong. We must believe in all that Allah and His Messenger said, for indeed we cannot believe in some parts of the Book and disbelieve in other parts. Thus, being careful of what is intended in one of the two versions of a particular text, without considering the other, is not necessarily good. Therefore, if the text is in harmony with what one believes, then follow what the Messenger intended. The same is true for the interpretation of other such texts. What is intended to be known is what the Messenger desired. This is what is intended in the explanation and interpretation of any situation in which two different meanings are possible. Anyone who merges the two into a single meaning, as is often the case among the interpreters, considers ta'wil to be like tafsir. But the real meaning of ta'wil, with regard to the words of Allah and His Messenger, is different from the meaning of tafsir, as commonly understood by the people, and its meaning is also different from what is meant by later religious scholars. This will be explained fully in its proper place.
Indeed everything that Allah and His Messenger negated concerning the obligatory constituents — such as Iman, Islam, religion, prayers, fasting, purification, pilgrimage, and other such obligation — was simply because the practice of such obligatory constituents has been abandoned. Allah says: "But no, by your Lord, they can have no belief, until they make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against your decisions, and submit with full submission" (Surah An-Nisa', 4:65). This verse indicates that one's belief is negated if he does not regard the Messenger as a judge in all his disputes, and hence it is an obligation for belief. On the contrary, whoever does not acknowledge the Messenger as a judge should be punished, as he lacks the true belief required for entering Paradise without punishment. It is well known that whosoever performs some obligations but neglects others is subject to punishment.
Also, Muslims unanimously agree that it is an obligation to regard the Messenger as a judge in all disputes, both in matters pertaining to their religion and in their worldly affairs. This applies to the essence of their religion as well as to its various branches. Thus they should find in their souls no resistance to the Prophet's judgments in disputes between themselves, but accept those decisions with the fullest conviction. Allah says: "Have you not turned your vision to those who declare that they believe in the revelations that have come to you and to those before you? Their real wish is to resort together for judgment in their disputes to the taghut, the evil one, though they were ordered to reject him. But Satan's wish is to lead them far astray from the right. When it was said to them: 'Come to what Allah has revealed, and to the Messenger,' you will see the hypocrites avert their faces from you in disgust." (Surah An-Nisa', 4:60-61)
His [Allah] saying, "to what Allah revealed" refers to the Book and Wisdom as illustrated in the following verses. Allah says: ". . . Remember Allah's favors to you, and that He revealed to you al-Kitab wal-Hikmah, the Book and the Wisdom, for your instruction . . ." (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:231); and ". . . For Allah has revealed to you the Book and the Wisdom and taught you what you did not know: and great is the grace of Allah unto you" (Surah An-Nisa', 4: 113). The call to acknowledge what Allah reveals indicated in "come to what Allah revealed, and to the Messenger," requires the call to acknowledge the Messenger, which in turn requires the call to accept what Allah reveals. Such a mutual connection is found between obedience to Allah and to His Messenger. That is, whoever obeys the Messenger obeys Allah, and whoever obeys Allah obeys the Messenger.
This connection is also found in the following verse. Allah says: "If anyone opposes the Messenger, even after guidance has been plainly conveyed to him, he follows a path other than the believers' way . . ." (Surah An-Nisa’, 4: 115). Thus, whoever opposes the Messenger, even after guidance has been plainly conveyed to him, follows a path other than that becoming to men of belief; and whoever follows a path other than that becoming to men of belief, and opposes the Messenger even after guidance has been plainly conveyed to him. This asserts the mutual connection between Allah and His Messenger. Therefore, if one thinks that he is following the way of the believers while he is wrong, he will be in the same position of the one who thinks that he is following the Messenger, yet he is wrong too.

(Continued)

[1] The complete text of this hadith reads: The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "No prayer is accepted without purification and no charity is accepted from the ghulul, dishonest person."

[2] Al-Khirqi. ‘Umar Ibn al-Husayn Ibn 'Abd Allah Ibn Ahmad (?-334 A.H.), was a famous Hanbali jurist from Baghdad. [Ibn Badran, 'Abd al-Qadir. al-Madkhal II a Madhab al-lmam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, 2d. ed. Edited by 'Abd Allah Ibn 'Abd al-Muhsin al-Turkl. Beirut, 1981 [this work is referred to in the text as Ibn Badran, al-Madkhal], pp. 416-17 and Kitab al-Iman MZ, p. 54.]

[3] Abu Muhammad, Muwaffaq al-Din Ibn Ahmad Ibn Muhammad al-Hanbali (?-620 A.H.), was a scholar of fiqh. He wrote two books about jurisprudence, al-Kafi and al-Muqni'. [Kitab al-Iman MZ, p. 54.]

[4] Abu Ya’la, Muhammad Ibn al-Husayn (?-458 A.H.) was a well-known Hanbali jurist. He wrote several books, among which are al-Khilaf al-Kabir and al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyyah. [Ibn Badran al-Madkhal, p. 417.]

[5] Al-Daraqutni, Abu al-Hassan 'All Ibn 'Umar (306-385 A.H.), was born in one of the large quarters of Baghdad called Dar al-Qutn, where he obtained his nisbah. He was a man of wide earning, including hadith, recitation of the Qur'an, and fiqh. He contributed greatly to the critical study of hadith. Some of his well-known books are Kitab al-Sunan and Kitab (Ilal al-Hadith, which deal with the causes and weaknesses of the study of hadith. [EI 2, vol. 2, p. 136 and Sezgin, vol 1, pp. 418-24.]

[6] 'Abd al-Haqq, Abu Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd Rahman, also known as Ibn al-Kharrat (?-58 1 A.H.), was a jurist and a scholar of hadith. He wrote a book entitled al-Mu'tal Min al-Hadith concerning weaknesses of hadith. [Kitab al-Iman MZ, p. 54.]

[7] Hadith mawquf is the type of hadith whose isnad, chain of transmission, goes back to a Companion who received it from the Prophet (Peace be upon him).

[8] Hafsah, daughter of 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab and wife of the Prophet, was born about five years before Prophet Muhammad's mission. [EI 2, vol. 3, p. 63-65.]

[9] Ibn 'Aqil, Abu al-Wafa' ‘Ali Ibn ‘Aqil (431-513 A.H.), was a well-known Hanbal! Jurist and theologian and is considered one of the great scholars of Islamic religious thought. [El 2, vol. 3, pp. 699-700 and Ibn Badran, al-Mudkhal, pp. 410 and 416.]

[10] Hadith al-Tafdil, preference, is reported on the authority of Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet (Peace be upon him): "The prayer in congregation is preferred twenty-five [in some versions twenty-seven] times over praying alone."

[11] Al-Shafi’i Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad Ibn Idris (50-204 A.H.), was the founder of the Shafi’i school of law and a scholar of fiqh and hadith. His most famous work is al-Umm. [Al-Zirikh, vol. 6, p. 249 and El-old edition vol. 7. p. 252)

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Adherence to the Words of Allah and His Messenger (2/5)

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah





The Consensus of the Believers Is Used as a Proof
The above mentioned Qur'anic verse, "If anyone opposes the Messenger even after guidance has been plainly conveyed to him, and follows a path other than that becoming to men of belief," indicates that the believers ijma', consensus of opinion, is used as a proof. Therefore, disagreement with them is mutually connected to disagreement with the Messenger, because whatever the believers unanimously agreed on was based on nass, words or evidence, from the Messenger. Thus, every unanimously resolved issue is certainly true, while disagreeing with such unanimity leads to unbelief, exactly like disagreeing with al-nass al-bayyin, the clear text [Qur'an]. However, if unanimity is not decisive, then disagreeing with it may not lead to unbelief. For it may happen that the indecisive unanimity is false and that the truth is something else.
A question was posed concerning ijma’, consensus of opinion. Does it mean qatiyyun, definitive, or zanniyyun, mere assumption? Some people use it in the affirmative and some in the negative. The truth is clear, it is considered as a consensus of opinion and, for certain, there is no dispute to begin with among the believers. This matter must be decided upon justly. This is exactly what the Messenger pointed out as al-huda, the guidance. This is explained fully elsewhere.
When specific aspects of an obligation are described with interconnected attributes, this is an indication that any attribute will become a duty that must be followed. This is the Sirat al-Mustaqim, Straight Path, which Allah commands us to follow as guidance. Indeed, this means Islam, following the Qur’an, and obedience to Allah and His Messenger. It is also the way to worship Allah correctly. All the attributes, regardless of how numerous they may be, eventually lead to the obligation of worshiping Allah. These attributes are similar to the different names of Allah, the Exalted, the names of His Book, and the names of His Messenger. These are all like the names of His religion. Thus every constituent and its attributes refer to one and the same thing.
Allah says: "And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah stretches out for you, and be not divided among yourselves . . ." (Surah Al-‘Imran, 3: 103). In this verse, the phrase habl Allah, Allah's rope, has the following interpretations: Din al-Islam, the religion of Islam, the Qur'an, Allah's Covenant, Allah's Obedience and Commands, and the Muslim community. And all of these are haqq, true.
Connotation of the Book, the Sunnah, and Ijma’ as One
Accordingly, the three constituents— the Book, the Sunnah, traditions, and ijma’ consensus of opinion, should have the same connotation. For whatever is in the Book is agreed upon by the Messenger, and the Muslim community in its totality is in agreement on this matter. Indeed, all the believers must follow the Book as an obligation. The same applies to the Sunnah. That is, whatever is in the Sunnah, the Qur'an commands that it be followed; so do the believers. Similarly, whatever Muslims unanimously agree on is nothing other than the truth consistent with what is in the Book and the Sunnah. For Muslims learn about their religion from the Messenger, who had true Revelations revealed to him: the Qur'an and Wisdom. The Messenger (Peace be upon him) said: "I have received the Book, along with it, and the like of it [wisdom]."
Hassan Ibn 'Atiyyah [1] said: "Gabriel used to descend to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to teach him the Sunnah as well as to teach him the Qur'an." For not everything included in the Sunnah is necessarily interpreted in the Qur'an. This is contrary to what people of ijma’ say must be inferred from both the Qur’an and the Sunnah. For the Messenger was a mediator between Allah and the people by transmitting His commands, His permission, and His prohibitions.
Some of the Signs of Iman
Illustrating the above point are the following sayings of the Prophet (Peace be upon him): "A person who believes in Allah and the Last Day never nurses a grudge against the al-Ansar, the Helpers," and "The love of al-Ansar is the sign of Iman, and hatred against them is the sign of hypocrisy." For whoever knows what al-Ansar did for the Prophet, like obeying Allah and supporting His Messenger, and loves Allah and His Messenger, definitely loves al-Ansar, which is in turn a sign of heartfelt belief. However, for he who hates them, Allah has ordained no belief in his heart.
Whoever does not have hatred in his heart against what Allah and His Messenger hate — what He prohibits like unbelief, sin, and rebellion — does not have true belief in his heart. To put it differently, whoever does not hate what Allah prohibits, does not have belief, as will be indicated later, in sha'a Allah. Likewise, whoever does not love his brother, the believer that, which he loves for himself, does not have true belief, for Allah does not negate one's belief unless he abandons part of that required belief. Hence, he will be one of those subject to punishment, and he does not deserve Paradise without punishment.
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "Whoever cheats us is not one of us and whoever takes up arms against us is not one of us," for if one neglects an obligation or commits what Allah and His Messenger prohibit, his true belief is negated and he is not one of the believers who deserve Paradise without punishment.
Likewise, Allah says: "They say, we believe in Allah and in the Messenger, and we obey: then after that, a group of them turn away: they are not believers. And when they are summoned to Allah and His Messenger, in order that He may judge between them, behold, a group of them decline. If the right is on their side, they come to Him with all submission. Is it that there is an affliction in their hearts? Or do they doubt? Or are they in fear that Allah and His Messenger will deal unjustly with them? No, it is they themselves who are wrongdoers. The answer of the believers, when summoned to Allah and His Messenger, in order that he may judge between them, is no other than this. They say: ' We hear and we obey.' Those are the successful ones" (Surah An-Nur, 24:47-51).
Indeed, the word Iman, belief, if used in an absolute sense in the sayings of Allah and His Messenger, indicates fulfilling one's obligations and abandoning what is prohibited. Thus, whoever Allah and His Messenger declared to be without belief, must have abandoned an obligation or committed something prohibited. Hence, he is subject to punishment and does not deserve Paradise without punishment.
The same applies to Allah's saying: ". . . Allah has endeared belief to you, and has made it beautiful in your hearts, and He has made hateful to you unbelief, sin, and rebellion: such indeed are the righteousness ones" (Surah Al-Hujuraat, 49:7).

(Continued)

[1] Hassan Ibn 'Atiyyah, Abu Bakr al-Muharibi (7-130 A.H.), was one of the scholars of hadith in Syria and also one of al-Awza’i’s teachers. [Kitab al-Iman MZ, p. 59.]

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Adherence to the Words of Allah and His Messenger (3/5)

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah





The Relationship between Obedience and Disobedience with Regard to Iman
Muhammad Ibn Nasr al-Marwaz! said that some acts of disobedience can be classified as unbelief but others cannot. Three kinds are noted: kufr, unbelief; fusuq, sin, but not kufr; and ‘Isyan, rebellion, which is neither unbelief nor sin. All these are made hateful to believers. And since all acts of obedience comprise one's belief, they are not divided into kinds. Allah endears belief, obligations, and all acts of obedience to believers. Indeed, He combines them all by saying: ". . . Allah has endeared belief to you. . ." (Surah Al-Hujuraat, 49:7). Here, the word belief implies all acts of obedience. For example, Allah endears prayer, zakah, and all acts of obedience to the believers. He says that He endears belief to them and has made it beautiful in their hearts: ". . . Allah endears belief to you . . .” (Surah Al-Hujuraat, 49:7). He also makes hateful to the believers all acts of disobedience, whether unbelief or sin. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "Whoever's good deed pleases him and his bad deed displeases him is a believer." For Allah endears good deeds and makes bad deeds hateful to believers.
Concerning this, the author remarks: making all kinds of disobedience hateful requires liking all kinds of obedience. Thus, abandoning acts of obedience leads to disobedience. It is inevitable that the heart should have a will. If one hates all evil, then he must love the good. Whatever is a lawful act through good intent is good, and by bad intent is evil. Thus an act is performed willingly and by one's own desire. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "The most beloved names to Allah are ‘Abd Allah and ‘Abd al-Rahman, and the most sincere names are Harith and Humam, and the ugliest of names are Harb and Murrah, as these two names mean war and bitter respectively."
The reason that the Prophet said that Harith and Humam are sincere names is because every human being is Harith or Humam. The literal meaning of Harith is the one who works and earns, and the literal meaning of Humam is the generous and heroic one. Every person is considered sensitive by his own will. If one does a lawful deed, he must have an ultimate goal related either to himself or to others. For if his ultimate goal is worshiping none but Allah and if Allah is dearer to him than anything else, then this will lead him to the love of Allah. Consequently, a person is rewarded for his lawful deeds, through which he aims at obeying Allah, as recorded in Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari from the Prophet (Peace be upon him), who said: "What a man spends on his family is recorded by Allah as charity." When the Prophet visited Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas,[1] who fell ill in Makkah, he said to him: "Whenever you make an expenditure for the sake of Allah, you will be raised to a higher degree, even when you place a morsel in the mouth of your wife."
Mu'adh Ibn Jabal [2] said to Abu Musa: "Indeed, I am reckoning when I go to sleep and I am reckoning when I get up." A certain tradition also stated that the sleep of a religious scholar is reckoning to [praising] Allah.
Nevertheless, if one's basic goal is worshiping anyone other than Allah; good things are not made lawful for him. For Allah makes good things lawful for the believers among His servants. Indeed, unbelievers, criminals, and the sinful will be questioned on the Day of Judgment about every kind of joy they indulged in, without being grateful to Allah or worshiping Him. Allah says: ". . . You received good things in the life of this world, and you took your pleasure out of them; but today you will be recompensed with a penalty of humiliation: for you were arrogant on earth without just cause, and that you ever transgressed" (Surah Al-Ahqaf, 46:20).
Allah also says: "Then, you will be questioned on that Day about al-na’im, the pleasure, you indulged in!" (Surah At-Takaathur, 102:8); that is, you will be questioned about praising Allah. The unbeliever does not praise Allah for the pleasure he indulges in; therefore, he will be punished. By contrast, Allah makes these pleasures lawful for believers to indulge in and commands them to praise Him for this. He [Allah] says: "Oh you who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you, and be grateful to Allah . . ." (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2: 172).
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "May Allah be gracious to a servant of His who praises Him when he eats food and praises Him when he drinks" (recorded in Sahih Muslim). Similarly, in the Sunun of lbn Majah and others, it is said: "The grateful eater is in the same status as the one who fasts patiently."
Allah says to the Messengers: "Oh Messengers! Eat all good things and do righteous deeds . . ." (Surah Al-Mu'minun, 23:51). Allah also says: ". . . Lawful for you [as food] is any livestock animal, with the exceptions named. What is not permitted are animals of the chase while you are in the state of pilgrimage . . ." (Surah Al-Ma’idah, 5:1). Al-Khalil, [the Prophet Abraham] said that Allah says: ". . . And feed His people with fruits, such of them as believe in Allah and the Last Day . . ."(Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:126); and Allah says: ". . . As for the one who rejects belief, I will grant him his pleasure for a short period, but will soon drive him to the torment of Fire, an evil destination indeed!" (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:126). Thus, al-Khalil prayed that Allah would grant good things, particularly to the believers; Allah permits livestock for food but forbids game. The believers were ordered by Him to eat good things and to be thankful to Him. In this saying, Allah distinguishes between addressing people in an absolute sense and addressing the believers specifically. Allah says: "Oh, you people! Eat from what is on earth, lawful, and good; and do not follow in the footsteps of Satan, for he is to you an avowed enemy. For he commands you to do what is evil and shameful, and that you should say of Allah that of which you have no knowledge. When it is said to them: 'follow what Allah reveals,' they say: 'No! we shall follow the ways of our fathers.' What! Even though their fathers were void of wisdom and guidance?" (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2: 168-70). These verses indicate that Allah permits people to eat what is on earth on two conditions: if the food is good and if it is lawful. Then, He adds: "Oh, you who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah, if it is Him you worship. He has only forbidden you maytah, a dead animal, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that on which any other name has been invoked besides that of Allah . . ." (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:172-73).[3] Allah makes it permissible for the believers to eat the good things and does not place a condition on disbandment. Nothing was prohibited except what is specified above. Thus, other than what has been specifically prohibited, the believers are permitted to eat everything else. Even though He did not specify what is permissible in His words, it falls in the realm of excuse [to eat what they desire]. As reported in the hadith of Salman: "The permissible is what Allah makes permissible in His Book, the prohibited is what Allah prohibits in His Book, and what He is silent about is what He places in the realm of excuse." This hadith is reported as mawquf, and may be marfu’.

(Continued)


[1] Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas, Abu Ishaq (?-675 A.D.), was a Companion of the Prophet, a military leader, and a governor. [Al-Zirikli, vol. 3, p. 139.]

[2] Mu'adh Ibn Jabal (?- 18 A.H.) was a very close Companion of the Prophet, a great supporter of Islam, and a transmitter of hadith. The Prophet sent him on missions, the most famous of which was when he led a delegation to Yemen, where he was appointed (by the Prophet) as a judge of that country. In addition, he helped to collect the revelations of the Qur'an. [M. M. Azami, p. 53 and al-Fihrist, vol. 2. p. 1045.]

[3] The word al-maytah, which is translated as dead meat, refers to the meat of an animal that dies by itself. The meat which it is lawful to eat in Islam, is killed while pronouncing the takbir, Allahu Akbar. Of course, this does not apply to some creatures of the sea, such as fish.

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Adherence to the Words of Allah and His Messenger (4/5)

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah





Furthermore, it is reported by Abu Tha'labah' [1] from the Prophet (Peace be upon him): "Indeed Allah decrees certain obligations, so do not neglect them; stipulates certain limits, so do not go beyond them; and makes sacred ordinances, so do not violate them. However, Allah is silent about certain things as a mercy for you, but He does not forget, so do not go searching for them."
Allah, the Exalted, also says: "Say: I find not in what is revealed to me any [meat]
prohibited to be eaten by anyone except that of the dead animal [maytah] . . ." (Surah Al-An'am, 6:145).
What is not specified here is not negated by prohibition. Consequently, what is not spoken about as prohibited is excused. Permission needs to be through the words [of Allah]; thus he says in the Surah Al Ma'idah, Chapter of The Table, which was revealed thereafter: "They ask you [Oh Muhammad] what is lawful for them [as food]. Say: lawful to you [are all] things good and pure; and what you have taught your trained hunting animals [to catch] in the manner directed to you by Allah. Eat what they catch for you, but pronounce the name of Allah over it; and fear Allah, for Allah is swift in taking account." (Surah Al-Ma’idah, 5:4). And He says: "This day [all] good things are made lawful for you. The food of the people of the Book is lawful for you and your food is lawful for them . . ." (Surah Al-Ma’idah, 5:5). So on the day of the revelation of these verses, the good things to eat became permissible for them. Before that, nothing was prohibited.
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) prohibited eating the meat of predatory animals with canine teeth, and of birds with claws. This is not invalidation of the Book. It is not simply because the Book did not specifically permit this but because it is silent about prohibiting it. So the start of the prohibition is also the start of its legislation. For this reason, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said it in a hadith that is reported in different versions. One of the versions is the hadith reported by Abu Rafi’,[2] Abu Tha'labah, Abu Hurayrah, and others. The Prophet said: "I could see one of you sitting with pride on his comfortable chair receiving my commands concerning what is prohibited and what is allowed." Then he continued: "The Qur'an stands as [a judge] between us. Whatever we find in it is permissible, we accept it; and whatever we find in it is prohibited, we forbid it. Indeed I am the one who received the Book, along with it, and the like of it [wisdom]."
In another version of this hadith the Prophet said: "Indeed it [wisdom] is like the Qur'an and even provides more details, indeed I prohibit [eating] the flesh of predatory animals with canine teeth." The Prophet made it clear that Allah revealed to him a different kind of revelation. It is the Hikmah, the Wisdom, which is different from the Book. Allah revealed to him [the Prophet] what is prohibited through this revelation, and the Prophet informed the people of this prohibition. This is not an abrogation of the Book since the Book did not permit this to begin with, but only made the good things permissible to eat. The prohibited [items] are not considered among the good things to eat. Allah says: "Oh, you who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you . . ." (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:172). The connotation of this verse is not in the realm of an absolute sense; however Allah does not make the good things permissible or prohibited. It is simply left in the domain of the ‘afw, excuse. As for the unbelievers, Allah does not allow, permit, prohibit, or even excuse anything for them to eat or not to eat. He says: "Oh, you people! Eat from what is lawful and good on earth . . ." (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2: 168).
The only condition is that they eat lawful food — that which is permitted by Allah and His Messenger. Allah gives permission regarding eating only to the believers; thus He does not give them permission unless they believe. Consequently, their possessions do not belong to them legally. To own something legally one must have the ability and permission of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), and he did not grant them the permission to deal freely with their possessions. This permission comes only under one condition: Iman. Thus, their possessions can be claimed by anybody. Consequently, when a group conquers another group by force, it is legal in their religion to claim their possessions and take them from them. The new owners then have the same claim on the possessions. On the other hand, if the Muslims claim the property and capture it by force, it becomes legally theirs because Allah makes the spoils permissible for them and not others. They also allow their captives to be bought from each other because this falls in the category of claiming permissible things.
Thus, Allah calls what is claimed of their possessions by the Muslims fay’, booty, because He grants booty to those who deserve it (i.e. He returns it to the believers who worship Him and seek His sustenance through worship). Allah creates creatures in order to worship Him and creates this sustenance for them to help them to worship Him. In addition to fay', the word ghanimah may also be used to mean booty. As the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said with regard to the battle of Hunayn: "For me only one-fifth of the booty that Allah gave you, and even the one-fifth, will be returned to you." Allah says: "What Allah has bestowed on His Messenger from them for this you made no expedition with any horses or riding camels . . ." (Surah Al-Hashr, 59:6). The word fay', as understood by the religious scholars, means: what has been taken from the property of the unbelievers without 'Ijaf, engaging, horses or riding camels. The word 'ljaf is used in the sense of making some kind of movement.
However, if a believer does what is lawful because he is in need of doing it, as well as not wanting to commit evil, he will be rewarded for it. This is illustrated in the Prophet's saying: "Allah will reward you for your sexual practice with your wives." When his Companions heard this they asked with astonishment: "Are we even rewarded for fulfilling our sexual desires?" "Yes," replied the Prophet. "Do you not know that if you engaged in *** illegally, you would be punished for it? Therefore, you will be rewarded if you engage in it legally" (recorded by Muslim). Similar to this is the saying of Ibn ‘Umar from the Prophet (Peace be upon him): "Allah loves for the acts He has made lawful to be practiced and hates to be disobeyed" (recorded by Ahmad [Ibn Hanbal], Ibn Khuzaymah[3] in his Sahih, and others). The Prophet said that Allah loves His decisions to be carried out. For permissible acts are made lawful in order to help the believers in the worship of Allah. Thus, Allah loves the acts He permits to be practiced, for a generous one likes his charity to be accepted. As the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said [about shortening prayer from four to two rak'ahs]: "Allah granted you charity, so accept His charity." For through this charity, His worship and obedience are complete. As for unnecessary words and actions of a person, these are recorded as against, not for him, as indicated in the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) saying: "All the sayings of the son of Adam are recorded against rather than for him, except commanding good or forbidding evil or remembering Allah."
It is reported in the two Sahihs that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) also said: "He who believes in Allah and the Last Day let him either say that which is good, or keep silent."
That is, he commanded the believer either to utter good words or to keep silent.
It follows that to speak good is better than to keep silent, which in turn is better than to speak evil. For Allah says: "Not a word does one utter but there is with him a vigilant guardian" (Surah Qaf, 50: 18).

(Continued)

[1] 'Abu Tha'labah (?-75 A.H.) was a transmitter of hadith and a Companion of the Prophet. [Kitab al-Iman MZ, p. 64.]

[2] Abu Rabi’ (?-40 A.H.) was a Companion of the Prophet and a transmitter of hadith. He was also a source of information for the other Companions, such as ‘Abd Allah Ibn 'Abbas, who used to ask him about the deeds and the sayings of the Prophet with regard to certain events and occasions. [M. M. Azami, p. 39.]

[3] Ibn Khuzaymah (?-31 1 A.H.) was a scholar and a transmitter of hadith. [M. M. Azami, pp. 302-3.]

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

Adherence to the Words of Allah and His Messenger (5/5)

Imam Ibn Taymiyyah



Indeed, interpreters have differed about the two guardians' record. For example, Mujahid and others said that these guardians make a complete record of every word, thought, and act, even a moan when one is sick. ‘Ikrimah[1] said that these guardians record what one is rewarded or punished for. However, the Qur'an indicates that the guardian makes a complete record of words, thoughts, and actions. Allah says: "Not a word does he utter . . . ," which means that every single word spoken is recorded by the guardian. Moreover, since he is rewarded or punished for a given statement, then this implies that he should know what he is rewarded or punished for, and in order to affirm the knowledge [of the guardian], he should record it. Furthermore, he is commanded either to utter good words or to keep silent. Thus, if he prefers to speak what he is commanded or to keep silent about his statement, this will be recorded against him. For the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "For the goodness of one's Islam is not to intrude in others' affairs." Thus, if he speaks about what does not concern him, the goodness of his Islam decreases. For his saying is recorded against him. However, this does not necessarily mean that he will go to Hell. It only means that his rank is reduced. For Allah says: ". . . It [the soul] gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns . . ." (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:286).

Hence, whatever one does is recorded for him; otherwise it will be recorded against him and his rank will be reduced if the act does not deserve punishment. By nature, the soul is always in a state of flux; it is not static.

However, Allah forgives the believers if their intention to speak evil is not carried out or acted upon. When they do act upon it, it enters into the realm of command and denial since Allah made all unlawful acts undesirable to the believers. Also, he endeared to them Iman, which entails adhering to all obedient acts unless they are being opposed by the consensus of all the people. The Murji’ites do not question that Iman, which is in the heart, leads to and necessitates an act of obedience, and that obedience is one of its fruits and results. However, they do question whether Iman necessitates acts of obedience. For indeed, if it [Iman] calls for acts of obedience, there will be a mu'arid, adversary, from the soul and from Satan. Then if this adversary made it [Iman] undesirable to the believers, the need for the actual obedience will consequently be safe from this adversary.

When believers hate all kinds of evil, nothing is left over except what is good or lawful. The latter is only made legitimate for believers in order to help them worship Allah; for He does not make lawful what enables one to disbelieve, to commit sins, or to reject belief. An illustration is the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) putting a curse on the one who presses wine, on the one for whom it is pressed, as well as on the one who drinks it. Although the presser squeezes grapes into juice that is lawful to drink and may be of benefit to one's health, it is only when he intends to make the juice into wine that he helps the drinker disobey Allah. The Prophet put a curse on him because Allah neither makes it lawful to aid someone who rejects belief in his disobedience nor does He make lawful anything that helps one to reject belief. Indeed, nothing is made lawful unless it helps in doing good. And it can be inferred that not doing evil means that only good deeds are done.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "People who strive in this life are of two types. The first one includes those who sacrifice their souls to attain salvation, whereas the second type includes those who sacrifice to destroy themselves. Hence, he who is a believer loves good and hates evil; therefore, he is pleased by doing good and displeased by doing evil. However, if he does not do so, he lacks true belief."

A believer may commit an evil act but later repent or perform good deeds to erase it; or if a misfortune befalls him, that may erase it also. However, he must feel hatred for it [evil], in order for Allah to redeem him. For Allah endears belief to believers and He makes unbelief, sin, and rebellion hateful to them. Hence, whoever does not have hatred for these three things is not among the believers.

However, Muhammad Ibn Nasr [al-Marwazi] said: "Al-fasiq, the sinner, hates them as an act of belief." In response to this it is stated that what is intended is that he believed that his religion prohibited them and he loved his religion and these are simply from among its totality; however, if he still disliked them, even when he liked his religion in its totality and there was no hate in his heart for them, he would be deprived from Iman in the same amount, as indicated in the Prophet's saying: "He who among you sees an evil act should change it by his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then with his tongue, and if he is not able to do that, then he should abhor it from his heart; and that is the weakest sort of belief."

In another hadith (recorded in Sahih Muslim) the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: "He who struggles against them with his hand is a believer, and he who struggles against them with his tongue is a believer, and he who struggles against them with his heart is a believer, and beyond that there is no belief even to the extent of the weight of a mustard seed."

Consequently, when one's heart does not hate what Allah hates, then he does not have the true belief for which he can be rewarded. His saying "and beyond that there is no belief," in the hadith above means absolute belief. That is, beyond these three kinds of struggle there is no absolute belief, even to the extent of the weight of a mustard seed. It also means that this is the end point of belief and no belief is beyond it. However, it is worthy of note that this hadith does not mean that whoever does not struggle against unbelievers with his hand, tongue, or heart, no longer has belief. Thus the words of the above hadith refer to the first meaning.


[1] 'Ikrimah (25-105 A.H.) was famous for his commentary on the Qur'an and was a transmitter of hadith. [M. M. Azami, p. 66.]