Mut`im ibn `Adi (Hadith No. 2764)

Bismillah.

Volume 4, Book 53, Number 367 :
Narrated by Jubair bin Mutim (radiallaahu `anhu)
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) talked about war prisoners of Badr saying, “Had Al-Mutim bin Adi been alive and interceded with me for these mean people, I would have freed them for his sake.”

Mut`im ibn `Adi was a non-Muslim. His son, Jubair ibn Mut`im, however, did convert to Islam. Why did the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) say such praiseworthy words about him? For more than one reason, actually. He did more to support Islam and its followers being an idol worshiper than most Muslims at the time. He provided support during the social boycott in Makkah and after the incident of Ta’if when Abu Lahab had disowned the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam), not allowing him to come home.

For more, watch the video below:

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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

Don’t Be Hard on People (Hadith No. 2672)

Bismillah.

Hadith no. 2671 (below) is a repeat. Read it here.

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 274 :
Narrated by Abu Hazim
The people asked Sahl bin Sad As-Sa’ idi (radiallaahu `anhu), “With what thing (medicine) was the wound of Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) treated?” He replied, “There is none left (living) amongst the people who knows it better than. ‘Ali (radiallaahu `anhu) used to bring water in his shield and Fatima (i.e. the Prophet’s daughter) (radiallaahu `anhaa) used to wash the blood off his face. Then a mat (of palm leaves) was burnt and its ash was inserted in the wound of Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam).”

Today’s Hadith:

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 275 :
Narrated by Abu Burda
That his father said, “The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) sent Mu’adh and Abu Musa (radiallaahu `anhumaa) to Yemen telling them. ‘Treat the people with ease and don’t be hard on them; give them glad tidings and don’t fill them with aversion; and love each other, and don’t differ.”

Why do we make it hard for people to practice Islam, to come close to Allah and increase in His love? Why do we have to act like “haraam police” all the time? Take a chill pill, a’ight?

Just for laughs..

Apostasy and Punishment by Fire (Ahadith 2655 – 2656)

Bismillah.

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 259 :
Narrated by Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu)
Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) sent us on a mission (i.e. am army-unit) and said, “If you find so-and-so and so-and-so, burn both of them with fire.” When we intended to depart, Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “I have ordered you to burn so-and-so and so-and-so, and it is none but Allah Who punishes with fire, so, if you find them, kill them.”

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 260 :
Narrated by Ikrima
Ali (radiallaahu `anhu) burnt some people and this news reached Ibn ‘Abbas (radiallaahu `anhu), who said, “Had I been in his place I would not have burnt them, as the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, ‘Don’t punish (anybody) with Allah’s Punishment.’ No doubt, I would have killed them, for the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, ‘If somebody (a Muslim) discards his religion, kill him.’ “

It is impermissible to punish by fire in Islam, as clear from the above ahadith. When it comes to apostates, execution is the prescribed punishment but there are some guidelines that must be followed. For example, the apostate is not to be murdered in cold blood, he deserves to be given a chance to repent. What follows is some basic information about apostasy and what it constitutes of. Read on for clarity.

The ruling of execution because of a word that somebody utters is what the Muslim scholars call al-riddah (apostasy). What is apostasy and what constitutes apostasy? What is the ruling on the apostate (al-murtadd)?

1 – Riddah (apostasy) refers to when a Muslim becomes a disbeliever by saying a clear statement to that effect, or by uttering words which imply that (i.e., which imply kufr or disbelief), or he does something that implies that (i.e., an action which implies kufr or disbelief).

2 – What constitutes apostasy

The matters which constitute apostasy are divided into four categories:

(a)   Apostasy in beliefs, such as associating others with Allaah, denying Him, or denying an attribute which is proven to be one of His attributes, or by affirming that Allaah has a son. Whoever believes that is an apostate and a disbeliever.

(b)  Apostasy in words, such as insulting Allaah or the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

(c)  Apostasy in actions, such as throwing the Qur’an into a filthy place, because doing that shows disrespect towards the words of Allaah, so it is a sign that one does not believe. Other such actions include prostrating to an idol or to the sun or moon.

(d)  Apostasy by omission, such as not doing any of the rituals of Islam, or turning away from following it altogether.

3 – What is the ruling on the apostate? 

If a Muslim apostatizes and meets the conditions of apostasy – i.e., he is of sound mind, an adult and does that of his own free will – then his blood may be shed with impunity. He is to be executed by the Muslim ruler or by his deputy – such as the qaadi or judge, and he is not to not be washed (after death, in preparation for burial), the funeral prayer is not to be offered for him and he is not to be buried with the Muslims.

The evidence that the apostate is to be executed is the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Whoever changes his religion, execute him.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2794). What is meant by religion here is Islam (i.e., whoever changes from Islam to another religion).

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “It is not permissible to shed the blood of a Muslim who bears witness that there is no god except Allaah and that I am His Messenger, except in one of three cases: a soul for a soul (i.e., in the case of murder); a married man who commits adultery; and one who leaves his religion and splits form the jamaa’ah (main group of Muslims).” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6878; Muslim, 1676)

See al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 22/180.

To read more on some of the rulings on apostasy and apostates, click here.

Is Nouman Ali Khan a Deviant?

Bismillah.

So the other day my husband came home from work and opened his Facebook in a hurry, said he wanted to see a recently shared clip from Nouman Ali Khan’s Surah Yaseen tafseer series that was creating some sort of hype. I thought to myself, ugh! he’s such a “NAK fanboy” but he would never admit it (LOL)! Anyway, we watch that 6-minute long clip in silence, he turns to me at the end of it with a straight sarcastic face and says, “this is why only scholars should talk about Islam”. My response: “Convey from me, even if it is one verse” [Bukhari]. :3
After some back and forth we agreed that what NAK said wasn’t entirely incorrect, but it was the way he said it. There was disrespect in his sarcasm. And that was that.

Notice the captions during and after the video. Just for laughs. :D

Until.. two days later, Shaykh Assim Alhakeem posted about this video on his Facebook page. He doesn’t take names, but we all know who he’s talking about! Now that was disturbing. He says things he didn’t need to say, for example:

“If he is ignorant, he can be taught, providing he is willing to learn. Unfortunately, when you are too famous and have followers, your ego, driven by Satan would not allow you to do so!”

I is sad. Even sadder to read the comments under this post. Sigh. :(
With utmost respect for the shaykh, I think what he said was a bit too harsh. I’m sure he meant well and was only trying to point out a mistake that could mislead people, but it could have been done in a better way. May Allah reward him for his intention and effort.

Right on!

As for Nouman Ali Khan, he is not a scholar, he does an amazing job talking about Quran in a way that hits home with our youth, but is his understanding/opinion always supposed to be correct? Absolutely not. So if he makes a mistake, we can easily overlook it and move on, assuming good of his intentions and praying for his guidance. Take the good and leave the bad. Period.