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No Questions Asked (Hadith No. 2769)
Bismillah.
Hadith no. 2768 (below) is a repeat. Read it here.
Volume 4, Book 53, Number 371 :
Narrated by Urwa bin Az-Zubair
Hakim bin Hizam (radiallaahu `anhu) said, “I asked Allah’s Apostle for something, and he gave me. I asked him again, and he gave me, and said to me. ‘O Hakim! This wealth is like green sweet (i.e. fruit), and if one takes it without greed, then one is blessed in it, and if one takes it with greediness, then one is not blessed in it, and will be like the one who eats without satisfaction. And an upper (i.e. giving) hand is better than a lower (i.e. taking) hand,’ I said, ‘O Allah’s Apostle! By Him Who has sent you with the Truth. I will not ask anyone for anything after you till I leave this world.” So, when Abu Bakr (radiallaahu `anhu) during his Caliphate, called Hakim to give him (some money), Hakim (radiallaahu `anhu) refused to accept anything from him. Once ‘Umar (radiallaahu `anhu) called him (during his Caliphate) in order to give him something, but Hakim refused to accept it, whereupon ‘Umar (radiallaahu `anhu) said, “O Muslims! I give him (i.e. Hakim) his right which Allah has assigned to him) from this Fai ‘(booty), but he refuses to take it.” So Hakim (radiallaahu `anhu) never took anything from anybody after the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) till he died.
Today’s Hadith:
Volume 4, Book 53, Number 372 :
Narrated by Nafi
‘Umar bin Al-Khattab (radiallaahu `anhu) said, “O Allah’s Apostle! I vowed to observe Itikaf for one day during the Pre-lslamic period.” The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) ordered him to fulfill his vow. ‘Umar (radiallaahu `anhu) gained two lady captives from the war prisoners of Hunain and he left them in some of the houses at Mecca. When Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) freed the captives of Hunain without ransom, they came out walking in the streets. ‘Umar (radiallaahu `anhu) said (to his son), “O Abdullah! See what is the matter.” ‘Abdullah (radiallaahu `anhu) replied, “Allah’s Apostle has freed the captives without ransom.” He said (to him), “Go and set free those two slave girls.”
(Nafi added:) Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) did not perform the ‘Umra from Al-Jarana, and if he had performed the ‘Umra, it would not have been hidden from ‘Abdullah.
Of Captives and POWs (Ahadith 2679 – 2681)
Bismillah.
Volume 4, Book 52, Number 282 :
Narrated by Abu Musa (radiallaahu `anhu)
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “Free the captives, feed the hungry and pay a visit to the sick.”
Volume 4, Book 52, Number 283 :
Narrated by Abu Juhaifa
I asked Ali (radiallaahu `anhu), “Do you have the knowledge of any Divine Inspiration besides what is in Allah’s Book?” ‘Ali (radiallaahu `anhu) replied, “No, by Him Who splits the grain of corn and creates the soul. I don’t think we have such knowledge, but we have the ability of understanding which Allah may endow a person with, so that he may understand the Qur’an, and we have what is written in this paper as well.” I asked, “What is written in this paper?” He replied, “(The regulations of) blood-money, the freeing of captives, and the judgment that no Muslim should be killed for killing an infidel.”
Volume 4, Book 52, Number 284 :
Narrated by Anas bin Malik (radiallaahu `anhu)
Some Ansari men asked permission from Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) saying, “O Allah’s Apostle! Allow us not to take the ransom of our nephew Al Abbas.” The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) replied, “Do not leave a single Dirham thereof.”
(In another narration) Anas (radiallaahu `anhu) said, “Some wealth was brought to the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) from Bahrain. Al Abbas came to him and said, ‘O Allah’s Apostle! Give me (some of it), as I have paid my and ‘Aqil’s ransom.’ The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, ‘Take,’ and gave him in his garment.”
Islam is the religion of mercy and justice; it commands us to call others to the religion of Allaah in a kind and good manner, and to encourage people to enter this great religion. If some people persist in rejecting the religion of Allaah and stand in the way of ruling by that which Allaah has revealed on earth, or they fight against the call to Allaah, then we give them the choice of three things:
Either they become Muslim; or if they refuse they pay the jizyah (whereby they pay a specified amount to the Muslims in return for being allowed to remain their land, and the Muslims undertake to protect them); or, if they refuse that, there is nothing left but the way which they themselves have chosen, which is fighting and dealing violently with those who have persecuted the Muslims and put obstacles in the path of the Islamic da’wah. In this way the Muslims will gain the upper hand and the enemies will be humiliated; then when we have killed and wounded many of them and gained the upper hand over them, we may take prisoners and bind a bond firmly on them [cf. Muhammad 47:4], because in that case it is more in tune with the idea of mercy by choice (not because we are afraid of them); at that point war should not continue any longer than is necessary. War in Islam should not be waged for the sole purpose of shedding blood or seeking vengeance. If the Muslims capture them and take them to a place that has been prepared for them, they should not harm them or torture them with beatings, depriving them of food and water, leaving them out in the sun or the cold, burning them with fire, or putting covers over their mouths, ears and eyes and putting them in cages like animals. Rather they should treat them with kindness and mercy, feed them well and encourage them to enter Islam.
Thumaamah ibn Athaal – the leader of Bani Haneefah – was brought (to Madeenah) as a prisoner and tied to one of the pillars of the mosque. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to him and said, “What do you think, O Thumaamah?” He said, “What I think, O Muhammad, is good. If you kill me, you will kill one with blood on his hands – i.e., I will deserve to be killed because I have killed Muslims – and if you release me you will release one who will be grateful. If you want money, then ask, and I will give you whatever you want.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) left him for three days, and each day he would come and ask him similar questions, and Thumaamah would give similar answers. After the third day, he commanded that he should be released. Thumaamah went to a stand of date-palms near the mosque where he bathed (did ghusl), then he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, “I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the slave of Allaah and His Messenger.” Then he said: “O Messenger of Allaah, by Allaah there was no one on earth whose face was more hateful to me than yours, but now your face is the most beloved of all faces to me. By Allaah, there was no religion that was more hateful to me than your religion, but now your religion has become the most beloved of all religions to me. By Allaah, there was no land more hateful to me than your land, but now your land has become the most beloved to me. Your cavalry captured me when I was on my way to perform ‘Umrah, so what do you think I should do?”
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) congratulated him, and told him to go for ‘Umrah. When he came to Makkah, someone asked him, “Have you changed your religion?” He said, “No, but I have submitted with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and by Allaah you will not get a grain of wheat from al-Yamaamah unless the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gives permission.”
Think about this story, may Allaah bless you, and how the kind treatment of Thumaamah led to his embracing Islam, which could not have happened were it not primarily by the grace of Allaah, and also the kind treatment which Thumaamah received.
In the Qur’aan, Allaah says of the righteous (interpretation of the meaning):
“And they give food, in spite of their love for it (or for the love of Him), to the Miskeen (the poor), the orphan, and the captive,
(Saying): ‘We feed you seeking Allaah’s Countenance only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you’”
[al-Insaan 76:8-9]
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Ibn ‘Abbaas said: in those days their prisoners were mushrikeen; on the day of Badr the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded them to be kind to their prisoners, so they used to put them before themselves when it came to food… Mujaahid said, this refers to the one who is detained, i.e., they would give food to these prisoners even though they themselves desired it and loved it.”
The ruling on tying up prisoners:
It is well known that if prisoners are able to escape they will not hesitate to do so, because they may be afraid of dying and they do not know what awaits them. Hence the Muslims were commanded to tie up their prisoners and to tie their hands to their necks, lest they run away. This is something that still happens and is well known to all people.
The wisdom behind permitting the taking of prisoners is so as to weaken the enemy and ward off his evil by keeping him away from the battlefield so that he cannot be effective or play any role; it also creates a means of freeing Muslim prisoners by trading the prisoners whom we are holding.
Detaining prisoners:
Prisoners should be detained until it is decided what is the best move. The ruler of the Muslims should detain prisoners until he decides what is in the Muslims’ best interests. He may ransom them for money, or exchange them for Muslim prisoners, or release them for nothing in return, or distribute them among the Muslims as slaves, or kill the men, but not the women and children, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade killing the latter. The purpose behind detaining prisoners is so that the Muslims may be protected from their evil. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to enjoin the Muslims to treat prisoners well, whereas the Romans and those who came before them the Assyrians and Pharaohs, all used to put out their prisoners’ eyes with hot irons, and flay them alive, feeding their skins to dogs, such that the prisoners preferred death to life.
Source: IslamQA
Praying Two Nawaafil Before Being Killed – Whose Sunnah is it? (Hadith No. 2678)
Bismillah.
Volume 4, Book 52, Number 281 :
Narrated by Abu Huraira
Allah’s Apostle sent a Sariya of ten men as spies under the leadership of ‘Asim bin Thabit al-Ansari, the grandfather of ‘Asim bin Umar Al-Khattab. They proceeded till they reached Hadaa, a place between ‘Usfan, and Mecca, and their news reached a branch of the tribe of Hudhail called Bani Lihyan. About two-hundred men, who were all archers, hurried to follow their tracks till they found the place where they had eaten dates they had brought with them from Medina. They said, “These are the dates of Yathrib (i.e. Medina), “and continued following their tracks. When ‘Asim and his companions saw their pursuers, they went up a high place and the infidels circled them. The infidels said to them, “Come down and surrender, and we promise and guarantee you that we will not kill any one of you” ‘Asim bin Thabit; the leader of the Sariya said, “By Allah! I will not come down to be under the protection of infidels. O Allah! Convey our news to Your Prophet. Then the infidels threw arrows at them till they martyred ‘Asim along with six other men, and three men came down accepting their promise and convention, and they were Khubaib-al-Ansari and Ibn Dathina and another man So, when the infidels captured them, they undid the strings of their bows and tied them. Then the third (of the captives) said, “This is the first betrayal. By Allah! I will not go with you. No doubt these, namely the martyred, have set a good example to us.” So, they dragged him and tried to compel him to accompany them, but as he refused, they killed him. They took Khubaib and Ibn Dathina with them and sold them (as slaves) in Mecca (and all that took place) after the battle of Badr. Khubaib was bought by the sons of Al-Harith bin ‘Amir bin Naufal bin ‘Abd Manaf. It was Khubaib who had killed Al-Harith bin ‘Amir on the day (of the battle of) Badr. So, Khubaib remained a prisoner with those people. Narrated Az-Zuhri: ‘Ubaidullah bin ‘Iyyad said that the daughter of Al-Harith had told him, “When those people gathered (to kill Khubaib) he borrowed a razor from me to shave his pubes and I gave it to him. Then he took a son of mine while I was unaware when he came upon him. I saw him placing my son on his thigh and the razor was in his hand. I got scared so much that Khubaib noticed the agitation on my face and said, ‘Are you afraid that I will kill him? No, I will never do so.’ By Allah, I never saw a prisoner better than Khubaib. By Allah, one day I saw him eating of a bunch of grapes in his hand while he was chained in irons, and there was no fruit at that time in Mecca.” The daughter of Al-Harith used to say, “It was a boon Allah bestowed upon Khubaib.” When they took him out of the Sanctuary (of Mecca) to kill him outside its boundaries, Khubaib requested them to let him offer two Rakat (prayer). They allowed him and he offered Two Rakat and then said, “Hadn’t I been afraid that you would think that I was afraid (of being killed), I would have prolonged the prayer. O Allah, kill them all with no exception.” (He then recited the poetic verse):– “I being martyred as a Muslim, Do not mind how I am killed in Allah’s Cause, For my killing is for Allah’s Sake, And if Allah wishes, He will bless the amputated parts of a torn body” Then the son of Al Harith killed him. So, it was Khubaib who set the tradition for any Muslim sentenced to death in captivity, to offer a two-Rak’at prayer (before being killed). Allah fulfilled the invocation of Asim bin Thabit on that very day on which he was martyred. The Prophet informed his companions of their news and what had happened to them. Later on when some infidels from Quraish were informed that Asim had been killed, they sent some people to fetch a part of his body (i.e. his head) by which he would be recognized. (That was because) ‘Asim had killed one of their chiefs on the day (of the battle) of Badr. So, a swarm of wasps, resembling a shady cloud, were sent to hover over Asim and protect him from their messenger and thus they could not cut off anything from his flesh.
Isn’t it a beautiful end to a beautiful story? Here are the original verses of Khubaib’s (radiallaahu `anhu) poetry that he said before being martyred:
“I being martyred as a Muslim, Do not mind how I am killed in Allah’s Cause, For my killing is for Allah’s Sake, And if Allah wishes, He will bless the amputated parts of a torn body.”
Your Real Job As A Muslim (Hadith No. 451)
Salam,
Bismillah.
Read this Hadith, and carefully!
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet sent some horsemen to Najd and they brought a man called Thumama bin Uthal from Bani Hanifa. They fastened him to one of the pillars of the mosque. The Prophet came and ordered them to release him. He went to a (garden of) date-palms near the mosque, took a bath and entered the mosque again and said, “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah an Muhammad is His Apostle (i.e. he embraced Islam).”
Background: Thumama was a captive. When an enemy is captured, you can basically do anything you want with them. Companions had intended to teach him a lesson, at least. So they tied him up to one of the pillars of the mosque. But Prophet (SAW) released him despite having the upper hand. Seems crazy apparently. But the results prove otherwise.
Seeing Prophet (SAW) character, Thumama accepted Islam. Yes, character was the only reason.
O you who claim to follow the Prophet (SAW), your real job as a Muslim is to BE the best Muslim. Be the best father, the best brother, the best husband, leader, Imaam etc. in light of the Seerah of Muhammad (SAW). When you’re playing your part, you’re automatically inviting people to Islam. This, brothers and sisters, is called silent Da’wah. We all need to get better at this inshaAllah.
Reminds me of a recent talk Nouman Ali Khan gave stressing on the same point:
Ready to be the best? Take out a book on Seerah and start reading!
(Personal favorite is: Muhammad (SAW) his life based on the earliest sources by Martin Lings)
Wassalam.
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