They Can Have No Faith Until.. (Ahadith 2045 – 2047)

Bismillah.

Volume 3, Book 40, Number 548 :
Narrated by ‘Abdullah bin Az-Zubair (radiallaahu `anhu)
An Ansari man quarrelled with Az-Zubair (radiallaahu `anhu) in the presence of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) about the Harra Canals which were used for irrigating the date-palms. The Ansari man said to Az-Zubair (radiallaahu `anhu), “Let the water pass’ but Az-Zubair (radiallaahu `anhu) refused to do so. So, the case was brought before the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) who said to Az-Zubair (radiallaahu `anhu), “O Zubair! Irrigate (your land) and then let the water pass to your neighbor.” On that the Ansari got angry and said to the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam), “Is it because he (i.e. Zubair) is your aunt’s son?” On that the color of the face of Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) changed (because of anger) and he said, “O Zubair! Irrigate (your land) and then withhold the water till it reaches the walls between the pits round the trees.” Zubair (radiallaahu `anhu) said, “By Allah, I think that the following verse was revealed on this occasion”: “But no, by your Lord they can have no faith until they make you judge in all disputes between them.” (4.65)

Volume 3, Book 40, Number 549 :
Narrated by ‘Urwa (radiallaahu `anhu)
When a man from the Ansar quarrelled with AzZubair (radiallaahu `anhu), the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “O Zubair! Irrigate (your land) first and then let the water flow (to the land of the others).” “On that the Ansari said, (to the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam)), “It is because he is your aunt’s son.” On that the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “O Zubair! Irrigate till the water reaches the walls between the pits around the trees and then stop (i.e. let the water go to the other’s land).” I think the following verse was revealed concerning this event: “But no, by your Lord they can have no faith until they make you judge in all disputes between them.” (4.65)

Volume 3, Book 40, Number 550 :
Narrated by ‘Urwa bin Az-Zubair (radiallaahu `anhu)
An-Ansari man quarrelled with Az-Zubair (radiallaahu `anhu) about a canal in the Harra which was used for irrigating date-palms. Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam), ordering Zubair (radiallaahu `anhu) to be moderate, said, “O Zubair! Irrigate (your land) first and then leave the water for your neighbor.” The Ansari said, “Is it because he is your aunt’s son?” On that the color of the face of Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) changed and he said, “O Zubair! Irrigate (your land) and withhold the water till it reaches the walls that are between the pits around the trees.” So, Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) gave Zubair (radiallaahu `anhu) his full right. Zubair (radiallaahu `anhu) said, “By Allah, the following verse was revealed in that connection”: “But no, by your Lord they can have no faith until they make you judge in all disputes between them.” (4.65) (The sub-narrator,) Ibn Shihab said to Juraij (another sub-narrator), “The Ansar and the other people interpreted the saying of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam), ‘Irrigate (your land) and with-hold the water till it reaches the walls between the pits around the trees,’ as meaning up to the ankles.”

The ayah:

فَلاَ وَرَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّى يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لاَ يَجِدُواْ فِى أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجاً مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً

But no, by your Lord, they can have no faith, until they make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission. [Quran 4:65]

Ibn Katheer’s commentary:

One Does not Become a Believer Unless He Refers to the Messenger for Judgment and Submits to his Decision

Allah said,

﴿فَلاَ وَرَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّى يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ﴾

(But no, by your Lord, they can have no faith, until they make you judge in all disputes between them,) Allah swears by His Glorious, Most Honorable Self, that no one shall attain faith until he refers to the Messenger for judgment in all matters. Thereafter, whatever the Messenger commands, is the plain truth that must be submitted to inwardly and outwardly. Allah said,

﴿ثُمَّ لاَ يَجِدُواْ فِى أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجاً مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً﴾

(and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.) meaning: they adhere to your judgment, and thus do not feel any hesitation over your decision, and they submit to it inwardly and outwardly. They submit to the Prophet’s decision with total submission without any rejection, denial or dispute. Al-Bukhari recorded that `Urwah said, “Az-Zubayr quarreled with a man about a stream which both of them used for irrigation. Allah’s Messenger said to Az-Zubayr,

«اسْقِ يَا زُبَيْرُ ثُمَّ أَرْسِلِ الْمَاءَ إِلى جَارِك»

(O Zubayr! Irrigate (your garden) first, and then let the water flow to your neighbor.) The Ansari became angry and said, `O Allah’s Messenger! Is it because he is your cousin’ On that, the face of Allah’s Messenger changed color (because of anger) and said,

«اسْقِ يَا زُبَيْرُ ثُمَّ احْبِسِ الْمَاءَ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ إِلَى الْجَدْرِ،ثُمَّ أَرْسِلِ الْمَاءَ إِلى جَارِك»

(Irrigate (your garden), O Zubayr, and then withhold the water until it reaches the walls (surrounding the palms). Then, release the water to your neighbor.) So, Allah’s Messenger gave Az-Zubayr his full right when the Ansari made him angry. Before that, Allah’s Messenger had given a generous judgment, beneficial for Az-Zubayr and the Ansari. Az-Zubayr said, `I think the following verse was revealed concerning that case,

﴿فَلاَ وَرَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّى يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ﴾

(But no, by your Lord, they can have no faith, until they make you (O Muhammad ) judge in all disputes between them.)”’ Another Reason In his Tafsir, Al-Hafiz Abu Ishaq Ibrahim bin `Abdur-Rahman bin Ibrahim bin Duhaym recorded that Damrah narrated that two men took their dispute to the Prophet , and he gave a judgment to the benefit of whoever among them had the right. The person who lost the dispute said, “I do not agree.” The other person asked him, “What do you want then” He said, “Let us go to Abu Bakr As-Siddiq.” They went to Abu Bakr and the person who won the dispute said, “We went to the Prophet with our dispute and he issued a decision in my favor.” Abu Bakr said, “Then the decision is that which the Messenger of Allah issued.” The person who lost the dispute still rejected the decision and said, “Let us go to `Umar bin Al-Khattab.” When they went to `Umar, the person who won the dispute said, “We took our dispute to the Prophet and he decided in my favor, but this man refused to submit to the decision.” `Umar bin Al-Khattab asked the second man and he concurred. `Umar went to his house and emerged from it holding aloft his sword. He struck the head of the man who rejected the Prophet’s decision with the sword and killed him. Consequently, Allah revealed,

﴿فَلاَ وَرَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ﴾

(But no, by your Lord, they can have no faith).

Imam Bukhari derives three benefits from these three ahadith:

1. permissibility of making river dams
2. the land near the source of water to be irrigated first
3. the land to be covered with water up to the ankles

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