Reasons Why Madh-habs Differ Part I

An Unfinished Masjid in Baghdaad

The Reasons for the Difference of Opinions of the Fuqahaa

All praise is due to Allaah. May the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the Messenger of Allaah.

Although Allaah decreed that unity of this Ummah is not possible, nevertheless it is obligatory to unite upon the rope of Allaah and it was prohibited to divide. In fact in several places in the Qur’aan, we are told that those who came before us were destroyed because they divided themselves and we are commanded not to imitate them. Not all differences of opinion should cause splitting and division (and consequently fighting and declaring Jihaad against one another!). Scholars elucidated that those differences in matters where ijtihaad is allowed, differing of opinions should not affect the hearts and cause hatred and enmity.

During the time of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم all matters were referred to him as per Qur’aanic instructions, O you who believe if you in disagreement over something refer it back to Allaah and His Messenger. (4:59)

Once when the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم sent a group of Companions on a mission to Banu Quraydha, he ordered them not to pray Asr until they reach it. So when time of Asr came, some of the companions prayed, thinking that what the Prophet meant to say was to hasten their travel so as to reach it even before Asr prayer. Other group of companions obeyed the Prophet literally and prayed the Asr prayer in Banu Quraydha although it had passed already beyond its time. After this incident they consulted the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم and he did not say anything against both groups. So during the time of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم the difference of opinion between the Sahaabah were resolved due to the intervention of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم himself.

Later during the time of the righteous caliphates difference of opinions amongst the Sahaabah were resolved under the decision of the Caliphs. One example is the compilation of the Qur’aan into a single book. Although, initially Abu Bakr refused the idea, his decision to undergo such task was one of the major decisions he made in his caliphate. Hence the decision of the Muslim Khaleefa is binding upon the Muslims as long as it is in accordance with the Sharee’ah. Even though it is binding upon the Khaleefa to do consultation (shoora), he is not bound by such. Example of this is the war of apostasy when some companions were of the opinion that war cannot be declared on those who don’t pay Zakaah. Yet Abu Bakr’s decision, as the Khaleefa, was binding upon them and they have to follow.

All of the above examples can be understood from the Qur’aanic verse: O you who believe, Obey Allah and Obey the Messenger, and those who are in authority (4:59)” the Khaleefa being the authority here that must obeyed – obedience that is bound to and must not contradict, the Qur’aan and Sunnah.

When the Islaamic Empire spread to the corners of the east and the west, several scholars from amongst the Sahaabah settled in different areas of the Muslim world at that time. Consequently, they carried only with them knowledge of Qur’aan and Sunnah that are known to them. Having settled in these areas, students began to gather around them and take knowledge from them. Hence several ‘schools’ evolved in these areas. Since we cannot say that a single Sahaabi knows everything about the details of Qur’aan and Sunnah in their totality, therefore, it can be said that not a single group from amongst these ‘schools’ have all the knowledge pertaining to Islam. These Sahaabah had with them a number of students who continued to practice Islam and teach it to the next generation according to how they learned it from their teachers and so on and so forth. This went on until the time of the great Imaams like Abu Haneefah, Imaam Maalik, Imaam Ash-Shaafi’ee and Imaan Ahmad and other Imaams less famous than them. Although even at this period, students of hadeeth travel to different places in the empire suffering untold hardships in order to gather the hadeeth of the Prophets, and gigantic collections of hadeeth have already been existent such as the Muwatta of Imaam Maalik and the Musnad of Imaam Ahmad, the golden age of hadeeth has yet to begun in the time of Imaam Bukhari, Imaam Muslim and the rest of the collectors of the Kutub as Sunan.

Therefore, what can be said at this point in time (the time of the Imaams of Madhhabs) is that Islaamic knowledge got scattered in the vast empire and the perfection of collection of hadeeth is yet to come. Thus, difference of rulings amongst the great Imaams of Fiqh occurred in light of these circumstances. Furthermore, after the Khulafaa ar Rashideen, Khilaafa came into the hands of less deserving people and less knowledgeable in the Sharee’ah. Ideally the Khaleefa should be knowledgeable of Islaamic issues so that he can save the Ummah from splitting due to differences in opinion.

Details of the processes of differences of opinions falls generally into the presence of evidence available, evaluation of such evidence as to its acceptability, Fiqh principles formulated by the Imaams, and natural tendency to differ of human understanding.

As we have narrated above, the expansion of the Islaamic borders causes knowledgeable Sahaabahs to dispersed and settled into these areas. Therefore not all evidence pertaining to a single issue is available for the scholars of a particular area. Alternatively, the evidence might be present but a scholar might not be able to retrieve it from memory once he made a decision.

Sociopolitical factors such as the shifting of the capital by the Caliphs to different regions away from Madeenah cause uneven distribution of ‘knowledge’ in terms of number of the Sahaabah living in an area. Naturally the more the Sahaabah is living in an area, the more the hadeeth of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم can be retrieved. Consequently some ‘schools’ relied more on Qiyaas than others in their rulings.

Moreover, even if the evidences are present, but differences as to its acceptability as proof in the Sharee’ah also caused difference of opinions. This is particularly true when there is a difference of opinion concerning a given narrator of a hadeeth in the Isnaad whether he is acceptable or not. This would make a hadeeth Sahih or Da’eef depending on the how a scholar evaluates a certain narrator and the conditions he sets for the acceptability of hadeeth. Thus an evidence of one scholar might not be evidence to another. Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal calls a hadeeth da’eef while in reality they are actually Hasan in the definition of other scholars.

The issue of abrogation also comes to mind. An evidence might be present but an abrogating text might have had escaped a scholar. Or some heavier evidence exists in contradiction to evidence held by a scholar, thereby making his evidence Shaadh (odd narrations opposing stronger narrations).





to be continued...

Usool at Tafseer Chapter 9

(A Masjid in Fresno California)

Usool at Tafseer
The Methodology of Qur’aanic Explanation
Summary

Chapter 9 Dialects and Recitations

Of all the dialects in the Arabian Peninsula, the Qurayshee dialect became the most respected of all for the following basic reasons:

1. The spiritual centers of the Arabs are in their lands
2. In Hajj season they provide siqaayah to pilgrims
3. Makkah is located in junction of trade routes

SAB’AH AHRUF (THE SEVEN FORMS/dialects)

Ahruf of well known tribes

Qurasyh
Huthayl
Thaqeef
Hawaazin
Kinaanah
Tameem
Yemen

Jibreel was instructed to recite the verses that he brought in seven forms corresponding to the dialects of the major tribes. The various forms represented the various ways in which the same word with the same meaning might be said according to the various dialects. The Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم said:

“Jibreel recited (the Qur’aan) to me in one form, and after I had revised it I asked him to recite some more, which he did, until he completed seven forms.”[1]

Not all companions are aware of this. Once Umar heard Hishaam ibn Hakeem reciting Soorah al Furqan in salaah. Noticing that Hishaam is reciting it differently from the way which the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم taught him, he wanted to jump on him but he restrained himself. He grabbed him by the neck of his cloak after finishing prayer and asked him who taught him this Soorah. Hishaam replied that it was the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم himself. Umar accused Hishaam of lying for he was sure that the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم taught him a different way. So he dragged him to the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم and related what happened. Thereupon the Prophet asked both men to recite Soorah al Furqan to him, confirming both recitations by reciting, “It was revealed in this way” Then the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم said,

This Qur’aan has been revealed in seven forms, so recite whichever is easiest for you[2].

Ibn ‘Abdul Barr however said that interpreting the seven forms as meaning seven tribal dialect is flawed since Umar and Hishaam were both from the Qurayshee tribe. He opined it as meaning seven facets of harmonious meanings conveyed by varying words (synonyms perhaps). Ibn Hajr offered the opinion that the two interpretations are not mutually contradictory. It may be that the variations consist of differing words for the same meanings and that the variations are from the dialects of seven Arabic tribes.

Ibn Qutaybah’s different interpretation

1. Variations in vowel markings while the letters and meaning are unchanged.
2. variations in the form of a verb
3. Variations in dots and letters
4. Variations due to substitution of one letter for another that is pronounced from a nearby location in the mouth or throat
5. Variation due to the transposition of words in a phrase
6. Variation due to addition or subtractions of letters or words
7. Variation due to the use of synonyms in place of another

Ar Razee: The variation of Language does not go outside seven aspects

1. Variations of nouns between singular, dual and plural and between masculine and feminine
2. Variation in verb tenses
3. Variation in I’raab
4. Addition and deletion of letters
5. Flipped word order
6. Substitution of one word for another
7. Variation in pronunciation

Ibn Hajr pointed out that there is considerable overlap between all these various explanations.

Significance of the Seven Forms

1. Played a vital role in actual preservation of Qur’aan (by ease of recitation and memorization: memorized by lots of people)
2. Played a key role in the accurate compilation of the Qur’aan (by lots of people who memorized it)

The Dialect of the Quraysh

The Qur’aan continued to be read according to seven forms until midway through Caliph ‘Uthmaan’s rule. After having problems in the provinces where some Arabs were boasting about the superiority of their dialects and some non Arabs new converts having problems with reading that changes the meaning of the Qur’aan, with the approval of all the sahaabah he decided to make an official copy of the Qur’aan according to the Qurayshee dialect and sent copies and official reciters to these provinces. All unofficial copies were destroyed and readings in different dialects were dropped and began to be read in only one dialect – this has what become our Qur’aan today recited and written according to the Quraysh dialect. Remember that the Sahaabah were given a choice to recite the Qur’aan in any seven forms. Discontinuance of one form does not in anyway represent a loss or any part of the Qur’aan. All these are with the unanimous approval of all the Sahaabah who would not allow any loss of even the smallest part of the Qur’aan[3].

QIRAA’AAT (RECITATIONS)

Qiraa’aat is a method of pronunciation used in the recitation of the Qur’aan. The Sahaabah Ubayy ibn Ka’ab, ‘Ali ibn Abee Taalib, Zayd ibn Thaabit, Ibn Mas’ood, Aboo ad-Dardaa’, and Aboo Moosa al-Ash’aree were most noted for their recitations. They recited the Qur’aan to the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم or in his presence and received his approval.

These Sahaabah dispersed throughout the Islaamic lands and had students under them who learned their recitations. In due time centers of Qur’aanic recitation developed in Madeenah, Makkah, Koofah, Basrah, and ash-Shaam.

10 best preserved Qira-aats from:

1. Aboo ‘Amr ibn al Aas 2. Ibn Katheer (a tabi’ee) 3. Naafi’ 4. Ibn ‘Aamir
5. ‘Aasim 6. Hamzah 7. Al Kisaa’ee 8. Aboo Ja’far 9. Ya’qoob 10. Khalaf

Conditions for Qiraa to be Saheeh

1. Authenticity of Narration
Unbroken chain of narrators
Narrators were known to be righteous
Known to possess good memories
Mutawaatir
2. The recitation variations match known Arabic grammatical constructions
3. Coincides with the script of Uthmaan

TAJWEED (PROPER QUR’AANIC RECITATION)

Great stress was placed on the recitation of the Qur’aan. The Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم encouraged us to read all of it once per month but not less than seven days. Scholars of Islaam has formulated rules of recitation based on the authentic recitations. These rules form the basic science of Arabic phonetics. Tajweed is defined as the articulation of each Arabic sound correctly and distinctly and the pronunciation of each consonant, vowel, word and sentence according to the standard Arabic spoken by the Prophet’s generation.

[1] Bukhari
[2] Bukhari
[3] (The seven forms were necessary for the actual preservation and accurate compilation of the Qur’aan but a single form is sufficient for the Muslims to guide them in this life.)

Q and A 5 Islamic Beliefs

(A Mosque in China)

Islamic studies Academy
Study Questions
Q and A Part 5

1. Explain the ruling regarding wearing a bracelet in the case where it is medically established that wearing a bracelet will cure a particular illness.

If it is established medically that wearing a bracelet will cure a particular illness then the matter falls into two issues:

If the wearer believes that the bracelet is independent of Allaah as a cause of cure then this is shirk.

If the wearer believes that it is Allaah who is ultimately gives the cure and the bracelet is only a means for the cure then this is not dissimilar to taking pills to cure particular illness.

2. What were the last words of Prophet Abraham before being thrown into the fire?

Hasbiyallaah wa ni’mal wakeel. Allaah is sufficient for me and He is the Best Disposer of affairs.

3. Mention the Islaamic ruling found in hadeeth texts regarding Qur’aanic talismans.

As for using the Qur’aan like a charm or amulet by wearing or carrying Qur’aanic verses on chains or in pouches to ward off evil or to bring good fortune, there is little difference between such practices and those of the pagans. Neither the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم nor his companions used the Qur’aan in this fashion, and the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم said. “Whoever innovates in Islaam something which does not belong to it will have it rejected.” [1]

4. Discuss the reason for the Prophetic instruction: “There shall not remain any necklace of bowstring or any other kind of necklace round the necks of camels except that it be cut off.”

They believed that it repelled evil eye from the camel. That is a false belief because attachment of a cause to something which is not a legal or natural cause is shirk. Because a cause has been assigned to something which Allaah has not assigned either by ruling or by Qadar. As a consequence the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم ordered that all such necklaces be cut and removed.

5. Explain the ruling concerning ‘ruqaa’ in the hadeeth: “Ruqaaa, tamaa’im and tiwalah are all shirk.”

This refers to ruqaa which contains shirk because the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم approved Qur’aanic ruqaa saying, with regard to Soorah al Faatihah, “What made you know that it is a ruqyah? (Sahih Muslim). ‘Awf ibn Maalik al-Ashja’ee related that they used to do ruqaa in the pre-Islaamic days so they asked: O Messenger of Allah, what is your opinion about it? He replied: “Present your ruqaa to me. For there is no harm in ruqaa which is free from shirk.” (Sahih Muslim). As-Suyootee said: for a Ruqyah to be legal it must meet three conditions:
a. It must be done using Allaah’s words, names or attributes
b. It should be said in Arabic (another language is acceptable as long as it is intelligible).
c. There must accompany it belief that the ruqyah by itself can do nothing. It is dependent on the Divine Decree.

6. How does the evil eye work and what are its two types and what were the prescribed prophetic treatments?

The evil eye work through the agency of the jinn.
Its two types are:
i. Evil eye of humans
ii. Evil eye of Jinns
Treatments
i. Recitation of Soorah al Falaq which contains the seeking of refuge from jealousy.
ii. Drinking truffle water. The Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم was reported by Sa’eed ibn Zayd to have said: “Truffles are a for of manna and their water is a cure for the evil eye” (Bukhari)
iii. Bathing. The Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم recommended bathing with water used by the person suspected to be the source of the evil eye. Ibn Abbaas quoted the Allaah’s Messenger as saying: “If you are asked to take a bath [as a cure] for the evil eye, do it”. (Sahih Muslim).

7. Why did the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم tell Ruwayfee’ that he disowned anyone who braided their beards?

Because it was believed that braided beards can repel the evil eye. Also, braided beard was worn due to pride and haughtiness.

8. Explain the reason why the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم forbade cleaning one’s behind with animal dung and bones.

Animal bones are food for our brothers, the (believing) Jinn. Their dung are fodder for their animals. In the case of dung, which is in of itself not Taahir, what is not pure cannot be used for purification.

9. Is seeking blessings from the Qur’aan shirk? Explain why or why not.

There are two kinds of Barakah[2]: 1) the Barakah of the Dhaat (physical essence) [such as the physical parts of the Prophets and Messengers] and the Barakah of Righteous Actions.

The barakah of physical essence was cut off after the death of the Messenger except what remains of his physical essence after his death (e.g. hair). The barakah of physical essence of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم can only be obtained if one is upon what they called to (Tawheed and Obedience), and who guide themselves by their righteous actions and who adhere to their commands. The presence of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم in the battle of Uhud did not benefit the companions due to disobedience of some of them.

The Barakah of Righteous Actions and Following the Messenger. Every Muslim has barakah of action within him to the same extent that he follows the commands and prohibitions of Allaah.
Seeking blessings from the Qur’aan is from the second type, which is getting blessings from it by reading it and implementing it in our lives. Reading it brings blessings because it contains guidance and mercy. It’s every letter contains blessings because reading every letter from it contains rewards.

10. Discuss the Islaamic ruling concerning the rock in the Dome of the Rock (In Palestine).

It doesn’t have any religious significance. People claim that from it the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم ascended into the heavens. It is housed in a structure with a golden dome called the Dome of the Rock. The building was built around the rock in such a way as to give illusion that it is suspended in the air, in support of the fable that it tried to follow the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم as he ascended in the Mi’raaj, but was instructed to stay behind on earth.

11. Explain whether kissing the Yemeni corner of the Ka’bah is permissible or not.

The Sunnah is touching the Yemeni corner, not kissing it. Kissing it is bid’ah.

12. What is the ruling concerning animal sacrifice for other than Allaah?

It is major shirk

13. Discuss the meaning of the word “co-wife” in the following verse from al-booseeree’s ode, “Indeed the world and its co-wife are from your generosity,” and explain the significance of the ode in general.

The ‘Co-wife” here means the life of the hereafter. It means that the life of this world and the hereafter are from the generosity of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم. The significance of the ode is attributing to the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم characteristics and attributes that belong only to Allah such as generosity of worldly life and after life and attributing knowledge of the preserved tablet as only a part of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم knowledge thereby leaving nothing for Allaah.

14. Identify three legal forms of sacrifice in Islam.

Hajj which is obligatory
Eid al Adha which is recommended
Aqeeqah also recommended

15. How did the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم explain that a person may curse his own parents?

A man curses another man’s parents and in turn, that man curses back his parents. He initiated this cursing which led to the cursing of his parents. In effect he cursed his own parents.

16. What is the general ruling governing innovation in religion and in life?

As far as religion (worship) is concerned, everything is forbidden unless there is a text from the Sharee’ah that supports it.
Concerning worldly life, everything is allowed unless there is a text in the Sharee’ah that forbids it.

17. Define Nathri (vow) in the Sharee’ah and mention the ruling concerning them.

Linguistically it means “obligation” or “promise”.
Legally it means “obliging oneself to do something for the sake of Allaah which was not already obligatory”.

If the vow were for something already obligatory, it would become doubly obligatory, from the perspective of the vow and from the perspective of the law. The consequence is expiation if the vow was not fulfilled.

18. Briefly explain the difference between a vow of disobedience and a vow to other than Allaah.

Vow of disobedience is a vow that involves something that is not accordance with Allaah’s laws and should not be fulfilled, but it requires expiation.

Vow to other than Allaah is shirk. Fulfillments of vows were commanded by Allaah, and all that Allaah commands are necessarily worship. Further, Allaah praised those who fulfill their vows and promises them rewards. If Allaah promises rewards or praise the doer of such action, it also means that it is an act of worship. Hence making vows are actions of worship. Making vow to other Allaah is therefore shirk.

19. Identify what the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم instructed if someone makes an oath to do something and then finds something better.

The Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم said: “… And if you take an oath and later find something better, then do what is better and make expiation for your oath.”[3]

20. What is the expiation of an unfulfilled vow?

Expiation of unfulfilled vows is the same as with oaths, namely:
i. Feeding ten poor persons according to the average of what you feed your family
ii. Clothing them
iii. Freeing a slave
iv. If unable, then fasting for three days

21. Discuss whether humans can control the Jinn or not

No humans cannot control the Jinns due to the prayer of Prophet Sulaymaan “O my Lord, forgive me and bestow on me a kingdom not allowed to anyone after me,” (38:35)

The Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم said: “Indeed an Ifreet among the Jinn spat on me last night trying to break my prayer. However, Allaah let me overpower him and I wanted to tie him to one of the columns in the mosque so that you all could see him in the morning. Then I remembered my brother Sulaymaan’s prayer: (The above verse)

22. What does the fact that the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم taught that refuge should be sought in Allaah’s Perfect Words indicate?

It indicates that the Qur’aan is not created. Because we cannot seek refuge in something that is created for that would be shirk.

Abu Khalid
[1] Bukhari
[2] The understanding of Tabarruk with Ahlus Sunnah by Salah bin Abdul Aziz bin Muhammad Aal ash Shaikh. www.salafipunlications.com
[3] Bukhari

Q and A 4

Islamic studies Academy
Study Questions

From the Book "A Commentary of The Book of Monotheism"

of Dr. Bilal Philips
Question 4

1. Where was Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul Wahhaab born and where did he study?

He was born in the city of al-‘Uyaynah, seventy kilometers northwest of Riyadh, currently the capital of Saudi Arabia. He acquired his primary education from his father and by the age of ten he had memorized the Qur’an by heart. He later proceeded to Madeenah to study under ‘Abdullah ibn Ibraaheem an-Najdee and Muhammad Hayaat Sindee (Teacher of Shah Waliullah Dihlawi). He also spent much time studying the works of Ibn Taymiyyah. Afterwards he went to Iraq and spent four years in Basrah in a village called al-Majmoo’ah where he preach against innovations and pagan tendencies without success. There is an anonymous account that he spent five years in Baghdad. He then went to Kurdistan for a year, two years in Hamadhan after which he went to Isfahan in Iran where he studied Sufism for four years before journeying to Qumm.

2. What was his most ambitious project in al Uyaynah?

After marrying al-Jawharah, the daughter of the governor of al-‘Uyaynah, ‘Uthmaan ibn Mu’ammar, he embarked on a program to free al-‘Uyaynah from the numerous tombs, caves, and trees, etc., which were worshipped in that area. The most ambitious project was the demolition of the tomb of Zayd ibn al-Khattaab, a Companion of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم and brother of the second caliph, who had died in the battle of Yamaamah against the false prophet, Musaylamah.

3. Who in Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhaab’s family were initially opposed to his teachings?

Brother who wrote treaties against him

4. Discuss briefly the main doctrine of Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul Wahhaab.

His main doctrine is the implementation of all the aspects of Tawheed in the society according to the Qur’an and Sunnah as it was understood by the Sahaabah. There are so many allegations against him and subsequently against his so called followers the 'Wahabi'. They weren't following him as having initiated some form of new sect in Islaam. If one were to read his books, never mind studying it in detail but by just quickly browsing the chapters and the evidences presented, one would find only quotations from the Qur'aan, Hadeeth and the sayings of the Scholars foremost among them are the Companions of the Messenger. This current book is a prime example of this.

He was slandered in his lifetime and even until today by those whom their unislamic beliefs he sought to rectify such as grave and saint worship. Today this slandering was picked up by non Muslims who are enemies of Islaam because if one were to examine objectively according to the Qur'aan and Sunnah, which country still follows (the Qur'aan and Sunnah) by the majority of the People and still adamant to the attacks of Western Civilization (that are degenerative and contrary to Islaam not the ones that are confirmed by Islaam such as the pursuit of science etc.) is still the place where his da'wah took roots. Further, the enemies of Islaam, in their usual divide and rule tactic, needed to alienate the followers of Qur'aan and pure Sunnah from the rest of their brothers in the Ummah.

Any sincere and truthful student of knowledge would first see the material and then pass judgment. If one were to say that Shakespeare doesn't have any literary skills, another person may well ask if the accuser had already read Hamlet or the Twelfth Night. Or in our local scene, what would you think if a person said that Rizal didn't know anything concerning 19th century Philippine socio-political issues ? Wouldn't an average person tell him to read first Noli Me Tangere or El Filibusterismo? Similarly, we say, before hurling to Ibn Abdul Wahhab anything, won't you read first Kitaab at Tawheed and see for your self if benefits you or not?

5. Identify the focus of the early books written on Tawheed and explain why.

Early books on Tawheed focus on Tawheed al Asmaa’ was Sifaat (names and attributes of Allah) because when Islam spread to areas that have well-established religious traditions, some converts brought aspects of their previous religions, which are confused concerning the nature of God, into Islaam and they tried to voice them out in Islaamic terminology. Issues of grave worship or intercession were not debated then because the inherited legacy of proper worship pf Allaah from the first generations was still quite strong.

6. Explain why the latter books focused on Tawheed of worship.

Cloaked in Islaamic terminology, foreign ideas of mysticism found their way into the Ummah in the later generations. The Mongol invasion further corrupted this situation where many innovations and pagan traditions were introduced at the hand of the Mongols who later converted to Islam. Subsequently, scholars of this generation focused in their writings in the field of theology on issues regarding Tawheed al-‘Ibaadah.

7. Why were Jinns and humans created to worship Allah?

The goal of worship is primarily to keep them conscious of Allah. Allaah said: “Establish prayer in order to remember me” (20:14). The reason being that when they are conscious of Allaah, they obey Him and when they forget Him they disobey Him.

8. Briefly discuss the three basic reasons for Allah sending prophets and messengers.

a. Establishing evidence against humankind that the purpose of their creation was conveyed to them[1].

b. A mercy from Allaah whereby the scriptures were explained and demonstrated. Human beings and the Jinn were neither left to follow their innate, divinely inspired knowledge of right and wrong[2].

c. Clarification of the path leading to Allaah. Because human beings do not know the details of what is obligatory on them regarding Allaah except by way of the prophets.[3]

9. Discuss why worship of Allah requires rejection of false gods along with it.

Because this is what the Shahaadah means and requires of us. ‘Lailaha’ is negating all form of worship to deities; ‘Illallaah’ is affirming that worship is for Allaah alone. This is also what the text of the Sharee’ah requires,

“And indeed I have sent among every nation a messenger (proclaiming): “Worship Allaah alone, and avoid the worship of false gods.” (16:36)

Belief in Allaah is invalidated if others are worshipped along with Him.

10. What are the two types of divine decree mentioned in the verse: “And your Lord decreed that you only worship Him…?

a. Qadaa shar’ee or Legal Decree. This degree may occur from the one for whom ot was decreed or it may not, and it involves only what is pleasing to Allaah. For example, the Almighty said: “Your Lord has decreed that you only worship Him…” (17:23) Decree here means “to make a law” or “to instruct”, etc.

b. Qadaa kawnee or the Creational decree. This decree must occur, and it involves what Allaah loves and what He does not love. For example, the Almighty said”

“I decreed for the Children of Israel in the Book that they will corrupt the land twice…”

The decree here is creational, because Allaah does not legalize corruption in the earth nor does He love it.

11. Clarify how Allah can decree in creation that He does not love.

What is loved may be loved for itself or for factors beyond itself. What is loved for other than itself maybe itself disliked, but it is loved because of some wisdom or benefit to be gained from it. It is therefore loved form one perspective and disliked from another.

It is similar to a sick person who will take the most horrible tasting, revolting-looking, foul-smelling medicine without any hesitation as long as there is a chance for him to be cured by it. Similarly, injections, surgical operations, chemotherapy, etc., they may all be disliked form one perspective while being loved from another.

12. What does the mention of duty to parents after the decree to worship Allah “And your Lord has decreed that you worship Him alone and that you be dutiful to your parents…”indicate?

It indicates that the most important right following Allaah’s right is that of the parents. Great stress is placed on the duty to parents because it is the final link holding the family together. If it breaks, the most basic building block of society crumbles.

13. When may a woman be alone with her brother-in-law?

The in-law of the wife is death itself.

14. Identify three reasons why a person may be killed in Islam.

a. A married fornicator

b. A life for a life

c. The deserter of the religion who splits the community

15. What does “straight path” in the verse: “Indeed this is My straight path so follow it and don not follow other paths…” mean?

The Straight Path is the religion of Islam.

16. Identify the right of Allah on His slaves and their right on Allah.

The right of Allah on His slaves is that they should worship Him alone without partners. Their right on Allaah is that He should not punish them if they worship Him alone without partners.

17. Mention the principle which may be deduced from the Prophet’s statement “Don’t inform them, in case they rely on it.”

Concealment of knowledge is fundamentally prohibited. Allaah curses those who hide knowledge. The Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم was reported to have said: Whoever concealed knowledge, Allaah will make him wear a bridle of fire on the Day of Judgment”. This is due to the harm resulting from concealment. However, where there is benefit in concealment, it is permissible in this case. In order to avoid people depending on this knowledge and getting lazy with regards to righteous deeds, the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم instructed that the knowledge of the reward be concealed.

18. Explain what “wrongdoing” in the verse “It is those who believe and do not confuse their belief with ”wrongdoing,” refers to.

It is no more that what Luqmaan said to his son: Verily shirk is the greatest wrongdoing. 31:13

19. Why does Allah refer to sin as “self oppression”?

Because the sinner oppresses himself by earning punishment.

20. Explain why Allaah described Prophet Abraham as a nation.

According to Ibn Abbas, Allaah described him as a nation because he was the only believer at that time.

21. For what reason in the hadeeth on the 70,000 did Husayn ibn Ábdir-Rahman explain that he was not praying when he saw a shooting star?

He said that so that people would not imagine that he was up praying and thereby praise him for something he did not do. His statement is not considered to be like a person who abandons a good deed out of fear of Riyaa. His statement is itself a good deed. Satanic forces may play with a person and beautify the abandonment of righteous acts. In such cases, one should go ahead and do the deed while repelling thoughts of Riyaa in his or her heart.

22. Those not treated by ruqyah of the 70,000 going to paradise without reckoning are who?

The people are those who do not ask others to treat them with ruqyah, nor do they believe in bird omens, nor do they get themselves cauterized. Instead they put their trust in their Lord.[4]

23. What does “other than that” in the verse “Indeed, Allaah does not forgive that partners should be attributed to Him, but He forgives other than that….” means?

It means sins that are less than Major Shirk

24. Identify the effect of Riyaa which creeps into worship and continues to the end.

If the origin of worship is for the sake of Allah, but Riyaa creeps into it, then this case has two subsections: a) That he repel it in which case it will not harm his worship; and b) That he continue with it, in which case it will invalidate his worship. In this case where the end of the act of worship depends on its beginnings [e.g. Salaah], the whole act of becomes invalidated. In the case where the beginning of the act of worship [is separate from its end [sawm, sadaqah, wudoo in relationship to Salaah], whatever precedes the act of Riyaa is valid, and whatever follows it is invalid.

25. Explain what one who calls to Allaah and finds the people fleeing from him should do.

Whoever calls to Allaah and finds the people fleeing from him should not despair and abandon the da’wah for the Messenger said to ‘Alee:

By Allaah! For Allaah to guide a single person by you is better for you than for you to have some red camels.[5]

If only a single person responds, it is sufficient. If no one responds, he has cleared his responsibility. The Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم described the state of some prophets on the Day of Resurrection who would come without even a single follower.

26. On whom is Da’wah an obligation?

Virtually everyone who has the ability to do it is obligated to call to Allaah. The Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم said: “Convey from me even if it be a single verse.” Anyone who knows a single verse of the Qur’an such as “Qul huwallahu ahad” is therefore obligated to share it to his shirk infested environment. This is especially true when there is a shortage of callers, when evil is prevalent and ignorance dominates; da’wah becomes fard ‘ayn on everyone according to their ability.

27. With regard to the principle that single narrations of hadeeth cannot be used to establish issues of ‘Aqeedah, the hadeeth of Muáath is proof of what?

That ahaad narration is accepted because he was sent by the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم along with Aboo Moosa al Ash’aree to Yemen to inform them first and foremost of their Aqeedah.

28. What was the color of the flag of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم and what was written on it?

The color of the flag of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم was black and “Laailaha Illallaah Muhammad ar Rasoolullah was written on it”.

29. Identify the waseelah which Prophet Muhammad told his followers to pray for.

“It is a rank in paradise fitting for only one of Allaah’s slaves, and I hope that I may be that one”.[6]

30. Briefly explain the two main types of intercession.

31. What is the ruling on asking others to pray for us?

It is permissible if they are still alive and pious themselves.

32. Discuss the ruling on calling on Allah using our good deeds as intercession.



33. How did Christian take their monks as lords besides Allah?

By their obedience to them when they make Halaal what Allah made haram and they obey them in this; and by obedience to them when they make Haram what Allah made halaal, and they obey them in this.

34. What is the ruling on one who legalizes the unlawful and prohibits the lawful as a result of ijtihaad?

If he is qualified for Ijtihaad then he would receive a single reward for his effort although he was mistaken.

35. Why was only the complete name of Prophet Jesus mentioned in the Qurán?

Because it is necessary to establish his lineage as having no father and because he was believed to be the “the son of god” by the Christians thereby saying that he is the son of Mary, a human being, refutes the claim that he was the son of God.

36. Explain the meaning of loving for the sake of Allaah.

Loving for the sake of Allaah is loving what Allaah loves.



[1] “Messengers as bearers of good news and warnings, in order that humankind would have no evidence [to plea] against Allaah after the coming of messengers.”(4:165)
[2] Í have only sent you as a mercy for the worlds. (21:107)
[3] from al Qawl al-Mufeed, p. 19.
[4] Part of hadeeth of Husayn ibn Abdur Rahmaan collected in Sahih Muslim.
[5] Bukhari and Muslim
[6] Sahih Muslim

Usool at Tafseer

The Methodology of Qur’aanic Explanation

Book of Dr. Bilal Philips
Summary
Chapter 8 The Qur’aanic Text

Order of the Verses and Chapters

It was the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم himself who ordered the arrangement of aayah in each Soorah as evident in the following hadeeth:

Once while I was sitting with Allaah’s Messenger صل الله عليه وسلم, he rolled his eye upwards in a stare, then after a while he lowered them and said, ‘Jibreel came to me and ordered me to place this aayah in this place in this Soorah.

He was making reference to 16:90.

Once Umar ibn al Khattaab was confused concerning the law of inheritance, he kept asking the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم about it until he became annoyed, prodded him in the chest and said,

Isn’t the verse (revealed) in the summer, the one at the end of Soorah an Nisaa enough for you?[1]

If the order of verses was not fixed, these hadeeths and other like them, which attach special benefits or particular verses would be meaningless.

Uthmaan personally checked the position of each aayah in every Soorah, making sure that everyone was in place, even if they were abrogated verses.

In their personal copies of the Qur’aan, some of the Sahaabah have different orders of the Soorah. For example, Alee ibn Abee Taalib compiled his copy chronologically. Other companions such as Ibn Mas’ood and Ubay ibn Ka’ab have different orders of Soorah as well. These great companions did not argue with the order Caliph ‘Uthmaan and the committee of Qur’aanic compilation. Further they even burned their copies. None of this would have taken place if the order of the Soorahs was not fixed.

While some Sahaabah were listening, Jibreel reviewed the Qur’aan with the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم during every Ramadaan. For such review to be of any value, a fixed order had to have been there.

THE ‘UTHMAANEE SCRIPT

There is nothing recorded from the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم to indicate that the script used to copy the Qur’aan during Caliph ‘Uthmaan’s era was fixed.

The ‘Uthmaanee Mus-haf differs slightly with standard Arabic. Al-Baaqillaanee argued that for someone to insist upon writing the Qur’aan according to a specific set of written symbols requires a proof from the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and there is no such proof. Some prominent Sahaabah had mus-hafs which differed from the writing system employed in the ‘Uthmaanee Mus-haf. Ibn Khaldoon argued that when the ‘Uthmaanee Mus-haf was written, the rules of Arabic writing had not yet been standardized, therefore there is no need to stick to its writing. The Qur’aan should be written so what ordinary people read according to standard Arabic in order to protect the ignorant to fall into errors of recitation that change the meaning. The changes were all made for one purpose: to make it easier for the average Muslim to recite the Qur’aan easily and correctly.

The ‘Uthmaanee Mus-haf were written without dashes to indicate the vowels, and without dots to distinguish the look alike letters. The verses were not numbered, nor were there any punctuation signs to indicate pauses or even ending of verses.

All the literate Arab Muslims of those days possessed a natural grasp of the language which enables them to read texts written in this simple form without any difficulty. Non Arabs new converts made errors in recitation due to their unfamiliarity of the language, especially in Iraq, that lead to drastic changes in meanings of text being recited.

Abul Aswad ad Du’alee developed some signs which the masses could more easily read. He developed the fist set of marks to indicate the vowelling of the Arabic text. Fathah was indicated by a dot above the beginning of the letter, a kasrah below the beginning of the letter, and a dammah was at the end of the letter. Later on dots were added to distinguish look-alike letters and vowel signs evolved from letters related to them (like what we have now).

Decoration of Text

Third century AH marked the beautification of Qur’aanic calligraphy. The name of the Soorah was written. A variety of names of Soorah became common since not all the names of Soorah were revealed or named by the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم. It was also divided into thirty equal parts (juz) etc during this time.

Scholars of this time opposed these additions. Most however were not against the dots and dashes as these had become a real necessity such as Al Hasan Al Basree, Ibn Sereen and Rabee’ah. The Qur’aanic texts of today are clear evidence that the opposition of the scholars was ignored, but the feared interpolation of decorative additions has not occurred, due mainly to the continuing tradition among Muslims of memorizing the whole text of the Qur’aan in its original purity.






Abu Khalid


[1] Muslim

The Collection of the Qur'aan

Book Summary
Chapter 7 of Usool at Tafseer by Dr Bilal Philips


THE ERA OF THE Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم 609-632 CE

The Qur’aan was not revealed all at once in its complete form but in section throughout twenty-three years of the Prophethood. Jibreel is sent whenever the circumstances dictate such as when problem arose or whenever Allaah wanted to give the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم and his followers special advice.

Preservation of the Qur’aan

Initially the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم used to repeat word for word what Jibreel recites to him, until he was later told not to do so. Instead he was told to listen to it carefully and Allaah caused him to remember everything without any effort on his part.

“Do not move your tongue to hastily (learn) it. Surely I will collect and recite it. So, when I recite it, follow its recital.”[1]

Making sure that he would pass on all of the Qur’aan to his companions, he used a number of ways so that they memorize and record it exactly as he learned it.

1. He صل الله عليه وسلم recites prayers aloud in Salaah so that his followers would hear parts of Qur’aan. Umm Hishaam reported that she memorized Soorah Qaaf simply from hearing the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم recite it during the Khutbah on Fridays[2].
2. Every new Muslims were taught Qur’aan to be used in their daily prayers.
3. He encouraged his companions by saying, “The best among you are those who learn the Qur’aan and teach it to others.”
4. Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم asking Companions to write portions of the Qur’aan.

The Qur’aan was written on any material that was available such as on date palm leaves, flat stones, tree bark, wood, dried animal skins, and shoulder blades of camels. Thus the verses of the Qur’aan was preserved in the hearts of Muslims, as well as written down during the lifetime of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم. All of the companions memorized portions of the Qur’aan but only a few memorized all of them during the Prophet’s lifetime. The Qur’aan was continued to be revealed up until before the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم death, so the companions were more concerned with recording and memorizing rather than putting it in one book.

THE ERA OF ABOO BAKR 632-634 CE/11-13 AH

Categories of Apostates whom Abu Bakr fought

1. Those who refuse to pay Zakaah thinking that it is only a tax impose by the conquerors (The Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم conquered them, after he died, they were no longer his subjects)
2. People who joined the first group to escape defeat. (thinking that the army against the Muslims will win)
3. The Dajaajeel (fals prophets): Musailamah al Kaddhab, al Aswad al Ansi, Sajaah.

Due to the war of Apostasy, many of those who memorized large portion of the Qur’aan were killed. So Umar ibn al Khattaab suggested to Abu Bakr to compile the Qur’aan. Although initially Abu Bakr refused, he eventually agreed and tasked Zaid ibn Thaabit (who also initially refused) to spearhead the compilation of the Qur’aan.

The First Writing

Reasons why Zaid ibn Thaabit was chosen to lead in Qur’aan’s compilation:

1. One of the best reciters of Qur’aan
2. Memorized whole Qur’aan
3. One of the scribes of Qur’aan
4. Present when the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم recited the whole Qur’aan in the last Ramadaan of his life.

The process was to collect all the written parchments of the Qur’aan in materials that are available to them at that time then they compared this with their memorization. If all agreed, he would then write it down on pages of leather. Once done, he turned it over to Caliph Abu Bakr who kept it until his death. Then it was given to Umar, being the next Caliph and stayed with him until he died. The Qur’aan was then turned to Hafsah who made it available to anyone who wish to check the accuracy of heir memorization.

THE ERA OF ‘UTHMAAN 644-656 CE/23-25 AH

Upon the death of Caliph Umar (634-644) CE/23-35 AH, the Islaamic state has already into Egypt, Syria and ‘Iraaq and in the time of ‘Uthmaan it reached Persia, India, Russia, China, Turkey and across North Africa where many non Arabic people accepted Islaam

The Second Writing

In the Muslim provinces, some Arabs began to boast that their dialect is superior to that of others and some new Muslims made mistakes in their Qur’aanic recitations that it was difficult to tell whether or not it was from the seven readings of the Qur’aan taught by the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم. These became a source of confusion in these areas outside of Arabia which was noticed by a Sahaabi Hudhayfah ibn al Yamaan who in turn told Caliph Uthmaan. Realizing the seriousness of the situation Caliph Uthmaan called the major Sahaabah to find a solution – the decision was to make official copies of the Qur’aan from the one compiled in the time of Abu Bakr and limit the people to its recitation. Again Zaid ibn Thaabit was tasked to head a committee of four Qur’aanic scholars who would make the official seven copies. They were sent to Makkah, Syria, Basrah, Koofah, Yemen, Bahrain and one kept in the capital Madeenah with their official reciters in order t clear up any problems which might later arise. Other unofficial copies were destroyed.

Where are the original Mus-hafs now?

1. Madeenah Mushaf – some report suggest that it was transferred to Istanbul during WWI.
2. Syrian Mushaf (destroyed during fire) – a handwritten copy transferred to Istanbul WWII.
3. An early manuscript in Egypt arguably the Mushaf which Uthmaan was reading when he was assassinated.
4. Manuscript in Tashkent – the Best candidate

Ancient manuscripts from all periods of Islaamic history found in the Library of Congress in Washington, the Chester Beatty Museum in Dublin, and at the London Museum was compared with those museums in Tashkent, Turkey and Egypt using same principle of analysis applied to the bible (which exposed its many flaws and changes). The result of the studies confirms that there has been not any change in the text from its original writing. After some fifty years of study with over 42,000 complete and incomplete copies of the Qur’aan, the Institute fur Koransfurshung in University of Munich (destroyed by American bombs in WWII) reported that there were no variants, except occasional mistakes of copyists which could easily be ascertained.

MEMORIZATION OF THE QUR’AAN

Memorized Qur’aan as reported by Anas bin Malik

1. Aboo ad Dardaa
2. Muaadh ibn Jabal
3. Zaid Ibn Thaabit
4. Aboo Zayd


Abu Ammaar’s book includes:

5. Abu Bakr
6. Umar
7. Uthmaan
8. Ali

Other Sahaabah who memorized whole Qur’aan

9. Aboo Moosa al Ash'ari
10. Ubay Ibn Ka’ab
11. Ibn Mas’ood
12. Saalim
13. Abdullaah ibn Aamir al Aas

From other Hadeeths: Seventy reciters who died fighting against the Apostates (All or most of Qur’aan memorized Qur'aan)

For the sake of argument, even if only a few Sahaabah memorized the whole Qur’aan in the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم lifetime hence making the Qur’aan not reaching Mutawaatir, many others had memorized substantial overlapping portions (and had memorized the whole of it after his death) and this [would still make the Qur’aan to the level of Mutawaatir]. In fact in every succeeding generation, the numbers of those who memorized all of the Qur’aan is progressively increasing that at present time there are literally hundreds of thousands of Muslims throughout the world who have done so.

The Qur’aan is the only book that has been memorized on this scale in history. Nothing remotely close can be said with the New Testament. If all the books in the world were to be burned, the only book that could be reproduced exactly as it was is the Qur’aan.

Orientalists

Kenneth Cragg: This phenomenon of Qur’aanic recital means that the text has traversed the centuries in an unbroken living sequence of devotion. It cannot therefore be handled as an antiquarian thing, nor as a historical document out of a distant past.[3]


William Graham: For countless millions of Muslims over more than fourteen centuries of Islamic history, ‘scripture’, al-kitab, has been a book learned, read and passed on by vocal repetition and memorisation. The written Qur’aan may ‘fix’ visible authoritative text of the Divine World in a way unknown in history, but the authoritativeness of the Qur’anic book is only realised in its fullness and perfection when it is correctly recited.[4]

John Burton: The method of transmitting the Qur’an from one generation to the next by having the young memorise the oral tradition of their elders had mitigated somewhat from the beginning worst perils of relying solely on written records.

…the text which has come down to us in the form I which it was organized and approved by the Prophet…What we have today in our hands is the mus-haf of Muhammad.[5]

Significance of the Preservation of the Qur’aan

1. Earlier books sent only to previous prophets’ own people hence there was no need to preserve it by Allaah. Preservation was left to them, and when people went astray, new prophets would be sent.
2. Prophet Muhammad صل الله عليه وسلم was the last prophet and he was sent to all mankind[6], thus the Qur’aan had to be specially preserved to all generations of man.
3. The Qur’aan was the main miracle and the main proof of Prophet Muhammad’s Prophethood. It has to be saved so that later generations will know that he was really the last Prophet of Allaah.

The significance of the preservation of the Qur’aan is to keep Islaamic teachings in its original purity. The preservation of the Qur’aan is the preservation of Islaam in its final form. The loss of Gospel of Jesus means one can never return to his true teachings except by accepting Islaam. Likewise, the loss of Torah by the destruction of Solomon’s temple means that Jews cannot return to pure teachings of Moses except by following Islaam. Islaam is the only religion that will be accepted by Allaah.[7]

Abu Khalid

[1] 75:16-8
[2] Muslim
[3] The Mind of the Qur’aan, p. 26. Usool at Tafseer p. 160
[4] Beyond the Written Word, p. 80. Usool at Tafseer p. 160
[5] The Collection of the Qur’aan p. 239-40. Usool at Tafseer p. 160
[6] 34:28
[7] 3:19

The Gradual Revelation of the Qur'an

Book Summary

Usool at Tafseer by Dr. Bilaal Philips

Chapter 6: The Revelations of the Qur’aan [1]

Two distinct revelations of the Qur’an can be found in Allah’s book: It is revealed in its totality in Ramadaan or on Laylatul Qadr and continuous segmental revelation up until just before the death of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم. To clear up apparent contradictions it is important to understand this issue.

The First Revelation

Hâ-Mîm. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur'ân and none but Allâh (Alone) knows their meanings]. By the manifest Book (this Qur'ân) that makes things clear. We sent it down on a blessed night. (Ad-Dukhan 44:1-3)

Similar meanings also can be found in 2:185 and 97:1. Theses verses refer to the initial revelation of the Qur’an due to the fact that the Qur’an was not revealed to Prophet Muhammad صل الله عليه وسلم on a single night in Ramadan.

Two da’eef[2] narrations but with shawaahid (supporting narrations)[3] reported from Ibn Abbas that says that the Qur’an was first separated from its station in the upper heavens and placed in Bayt al-‘Izzah in the lowest heaven, with the second version stating that it was in the Night of Decree in Ramadan. In contrast earlier revelations were sent down all at once as argued by as Suyootee to be practically an Ijmaa’.

The Second Revelation

“And (it is ) a Qur’an which I have divided into parts in order that you (Muhammad) may recite it to the people gradually, and I have revealed it by successive revelation.” (17:106)

For a period of twenty three years, Jibreel takes down sections of the Qur’an from the lowest heaven that began with Soorah al Alaq. The last chapter revealed according to Ibn Abbas is Soorah an Nasr although other Companions disagree. Further also according to Ibn Abbas the last verse revealed is the last of verses in Soorah al Baqarah dealing with riba’. [4]

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SEGMENTED REVELATION

1. Steadying the Prophet’s صل الله عليه وسلم heart

And those who disbelieve say: "Why is not the Qur'ân revealed to him all at once?" Thus (it is sent down in parts), that We may strengthen your heart thereby. And We have revealed it to you gradually, in stages. (Al-Furqan 25:32)

The Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم faced unbearable pressure from his enemies so whenever the pressure reach its peak, Allah would send down revelation to comfort him. Allah would give him confidence (6:34), promise him help and victory (48:3), or inform him of the failure of his enemies (3:12).

2. Gentleness with the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم

The descent of revelation was a great burden on the prophet that makes him sweat even on a cold day as described by the hadeeth of Aishah.[5] Allah also described in the Qur’an that the revelation is weighty and burdensome,

“Verily, I will cast on you a heavy set of words” (73:5)

“If I were to have revealed this Qur’an to a mountain, you would have seen it humbly crumble into pieces out of fear of Allah.” (59:21)

3. Gradation in Legislation

This method is particularly important for the first generation of Muslims who would later establish Islaam in the earth. Aishah said: “If the first thing to be revealed had been, ‘Don’t drink liquor,’ or ‘Don’t commit adultery and fornication,’ they would have said, ‘We will never give (it) up.’”.[6]

4. Facilitating the Preservation of the Qur’an

Majority of the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم followers were illiterate therefore the main method of preserving the Qur’an is by memorization. They would have been unable to memorize all of it due to its length. Even those few who could write wouldn’t have enough writing materials. Further, gradual revelation gave them a greater opportunity to contemplate on its meanings or ask the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم concerning verses that they need clarifications. The Sahaabah was able to gain deep understanding of the Qur’an and this is very important because their understanding and implementation became a guide for all the Muslim generations to come. This preservation is critical to maintaining the purity of the teachings of Islam, as it was the alterations in earlier books of revelation which led their followers astray.

5. Dealing with Problems as They Arose

Many verses of the Qur’an deal with problems faced the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم and his companions. Sometimes the Qur’an is revealed to answer the questions ask to the Prophet [7]صل الله عليه وسلم. Other times it correct an error[8] made by the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم himself. Verses were also revealed to correct wrong attitude of Muslims at that time[9]. By dealing with various incidents at the time they occurred, the Qur’an was able to reach those involved more directly, which yielded greater impact and treated these problems within their context. All of these advantages would have been not possible were the whole Qur’an revealed at one time long before or after their occurrences.

6. An Indication of the Qur’an’s Source (this section is so beautifully written that it is a shame to summarize it)

The unity and consistency of expression of the Qur’an from beginning to the end for a period of twenty three years is a clear proof that is Allah’s word, alone and not that of Prophet Muhammad صل الله عليه وسلم. Its subject matter is intimately interwoven throughout its one hundred and fourteen chapters, and all of the chapters seem interconnected like priceless pearls on a single necklace. Its rhyme and rhythm flow unhindered through every verse in the book in a unified style, in spite of the variations in subject matter and sentence structure.

How could such a consistency arise when the Qur’an was not available in its complete form from the beginning? How could it arise when it verses and chapters often dealt with incidents occurring at various stages of the movement? How could it be the product of the mid of a man who could either read or write, nor had he displayed any special ability to compose prior to the beginning of his mission? Even the greatest of writers have variations in their styles, especially over long periods of time. Therefore, the fact that the Qur’an was revealed in sections over a period of twenty three years clearly proves that its origin was not of this world. Its source had to be the Lord of the Worlds, Allah the Most Great and Glorious. Allah Himself pointed to this fact in the Qur’an, saying,

Won’t they contemplate the Qur’an? If it had come from other than Allah, they would have found in it many contradictions.

Whenever the Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم had a new revelation, he would tell his companions to put it after other revelations or before them. The Prophet صل الله عليه وسلم had no idea what he was going to ace in the future or how long he was going to live. His life was filled with a multitude of incidents which, without doubt, altered his mood and his mode of expression. Yet the Qur’an in no way reflected these differences. The Qur’an is definitely not the product of Muhammad as some would like to claim and that fact is proven by the Qur’an itself.

Educational Benefits of Segmented Revelation

The process of education depends on the following two basic principles:
1. Taking into account the mental level of the students
2. Developing their mental, spiritual and physical abilities with material which guides their thought processes in the correct direction.

Abu Khalid

[1] Summary of Chapter 6, Usool at Tafseer by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
[2] A subnarrator, al ‘Amash, is reliable yet a Mudallis used ‘an ‘anah in these narrations.
[3] Two reports from al Mustadrak and an Nasaa’ee. Supporting Sahih narrations collected by An Nasaa’ee. Usool at Tafseer pg. 132-133.
[4] The former is collected by Muslim and the latter by Bukhari.

[5] Bukhari, vol. 1, p. 2, no. 2
[6] Bukhari vol. 6, pp. 483-4, no. 515.

[7] 18:83
[8] 9:43
[9] 9:25

Three Acts to Consider

This issue is concerning Tabarruk or seeking blessings from the creation.

1. Kissing the Yamani Corner or touching the wall or kiswah (black cloth that covers the ka’bah) for cure.

It is established in the Sunnah that the Messenger of Allah used to touch the Yamani corner.

· Abdullah ibn Umar (reported) that he had not seen Allaah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) touching anything in the House, except the two Yamani corners. (Muslim)
· Nafi’ reported on the authority of ‘Abdullah (Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) did not touch but the stone and the Yamani corner. (Muslim)

The ruling concerning touching the Yamani corner is based on the intention behind touching it.
· If the intention is following the Messenger of Allah in his way of performing hajj then this is recommended as he told us to take from him the rituals of hajj.
· Touching it for any other purpose without basis from the text of the Shari’ah is similar to the Hadeeth of Umar:
o Narrated By Zaid bin Aslam: From his father who said: "Umar bin Al-Khattab addressed the corner (Black Stone) saying, 'By Allah! I know that you are a stone and can neither benefit nor harm. Had I not seen the Prophet touching (and kissing) you, I would never have touched (and kissed) you.' Then he kissed it and said, 'There is no reason for us to do Ramal (in Tawaf) except that we wanted to show off before the pagans, and now Allah has destroyed them.' 'Umar added, '(Nevertheless), the Prophet did that and we do not want to leave it (i.e. Ramal).' [1]

· If the intention of touching the Yamani corner is to get blessings from it or to get healing from it then the issue can be divided into two:

If one believes that Yamani corner has independent power on its own to give blessings or grant healing to whomever touches it and one act upon this belief, then this is Major Shirk.
If one believes that the Yamani corner doesn’t have power on its own but by doing it one can be healed then this is bid’ah that doesn’t have any basis in the Shari’ah. This is also minor shirk as it leads to major shirk.

The ruling concerning touching the wall or the Kiswah is bid’ah as the hadeeth above clearly states that the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam did not touch anything from the ka’bah except the Yamani corner. Whether this is bid’ah with major shirk or not depends the intention of touching it similar to what was said above.

2. Kissing and wiping the Qur’an (Mushaf) for barakah or kiss it if one drops it; wearing hijaab if one reads it.

· First of all the Qur’an revealed to Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam is the speech of Allah. Since speech is one of Allah’s attributes, and His attributes are not created, therefore, the Qur’an is not created. What is written between the pages is referred to in Arabic as Mushaf and not the Qur’an as defined above. Due to our respect to the words of Allah, we are not supposed to recite the Qur’an in the toilet and we should not bring written verses of Qur’an into the toilet as well. A woman in menses should not touch the Mushaf although she can recite it.
· Scholars said that they don’t know any hadeeth of the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam kissing the Qur’an or kissing the materials in his time where verses of the Qur’an is written. Therefore kissing it, if one intends it as an act of Ibaadah, is bid’ah.

Kissing the Mushaf with the hope of getting blessings from it has two issues:

o If one does it with the belief that it in of itself can grant blessings or benefit is an act of major shirk.
o If one does it believing that it is Allah who grants barakah then this is an act of Bid’ah since there is no basis in it in the Shari’ah.

3. Drinking the blood of the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam and setting a pilgrimage to a Masjid in Kashmir where his hair is kept in a box.

The Physical body of the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam does contain blessings and as long as there is Isnaad to establish that such and such is indeed from him then it is a source of blessings.

Making pilgrimage to his hair is not sanction in the Shari’ah because we are only allowed to travel for to only three masjids, Masjidil Haram, Masjid an Nabawi and Masjid al Aqsa.

One must believe that the source of such blessings is only Allah.

If one believes that such part of the Prophet’s body contains blessings independent of Allah, then such belief is major shirk.

[1] Vol. 2, Book 26. Pilgrimage (Hajj). Hadith 675. Islamsoft Hadeeth software version 1.0

Tafseer 4:66

In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious the Most Merciful

And if We had decreed upon them, ‘Kill yourselves” or “Leave your homes” they would not have done it, except for a few of them. But if they had done what they were instructed, it would have been better for them and firmer position (for them in faith)[1]. (An-Nisa 4:66)


All praise is due to Allah. The peace and blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad the Messenger of Allah. Although this assignment is supposedly a tafseer of the verse 66 in Soorah an-Nisaa’, what is written below is hardly a tafseer and represents only the thought process of the student as he tried to understand the verse.

Background of the Verse

It seems that the overall theme of the verse is about obedience to the Judgment of Allah and His Messenger as apparent in few verses preceding it,

O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result. (4:58)

An important question that should be asked in this verse is who are those who will not obey Allah’s commandment of “Kill your selves” and “Leave your homes”?

If one reads from verse 59 to 70 it appears that those who will disobey the commandments (especially of killing one’s self) mentioned in this verse primarily refers to the hypocrites as the few verses before it suggests,

Have you not seen those who claim to have believed in what was revealed to you [O Muhammad], and what was revealed before you? And when it is said to them, “Come to what Allah has revealed and to the Messenger,” you see the hypocrites turning away from you in aversion. So how [will be] when disaster strikes them because of what their hands have put forth and then they come to you swearing by Allah, “We intended nothing but good conduct and accommodation.”4:59-62

Further, the verse that immediately precedes it negates the possession of Imaan unless judgment concerning dispute is referred back to the Messenger, peace be upon him and find no hesitation in accepting his judgment,

But not, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission. 4: 65

The two verses following the verse being discussed suggest that the “them” referred are not in yet in guidance from Allah:

And then we would have given them for Us a great reward. And we would have guided them to a straight path. (4:67-68)

Hence, it can be understood from the context that those who will not follow the order are the hypocrites. Although Allah did not command them to kill themselves, yet had He commanded them, then this could be as a form of testing to those who claim Imaan to see if they really believe in their hearts what they say on their tongues. The goal of such testing is not for Allah to know who the real believers are but probably to expose the hypocrites to the Muslims, to bring fear in their hearts and to warn them. Allah’s knowledge encompasses the pass, present, future, and events that could have happened but did not happen, as evident in His saying, “…they would not have done it, except for a few of them. But if they had done what they were instructed, it would have been better for them and firmer position (for them in faith)”. But it is possible that the harm of exposing these hypocrites to the Muslims is greater than concealing them, that is why in a preceding verse Allah said to the Prophet (s),

“Those are the ones of whom Allah knows what is in their hearts, so turn away from them (use not violence against them) but admonish them and speak to them a far-reaching [i.e. effective] word”. (4:63)

There are instances during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him) where exposing and chastising the hypocrites would do more harm than good to the nascent Muslim state. There is a specific principle in the Shari’ah concerning the prohibition of removing evil if the consequential result is even more evil. Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned:

An example of this issue from the Sunnah is the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) leaving Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salool and others like him among the leaders of hypocrisy and corruption because of their many helpers and people loyal to them. The removing of their evil through punishment would have brought on the removal of other good of greater degree because of the anger of his tribe and the arousal of their tribalistic hostility against the Prophet and the Muslims.

Also, this would have resulted in the repulsion of the people when they heard that the Prophet of Allah kills his companions. Thus when he spread among the people that which he spread in the slander against A'isha (May Allah be pleased with her) and then denied it, and when Sa'ad ibn Mu'adh spoke to him harshly as he deserved, and pointed out his hypocrisy, and then Sa'ad ibn Ubadah - though he was a believer and companion and righteous man - invoked his protection that Abdullah ibn Ubayy be left alone, the tribe of each of these two men gave their loyalty to the position of their tribesman until chaos and bloodshed nearly resulted.[2]

The problem with the understanding that those who will disobey the command and trial of this verse refers to the hypocrites is the word of Allah “except for a few of them”. Does the verse imply that there are few hypocrites who are so bent in hiding their hypocrisy that they are willing to die for it? This is highly unlikely.

The command was for everyone with the Prophet at that time. And those who would have comply with the order, had it been given, are the elite amongst the companions of the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam (see the tafseer of the scholars below that agrees with this understanding). Therefore at this stage the verse could mean that aside from the hypocrites, there are still some Muslims who might not be able to comply with the order, had it been promulgated. This understanding is feasible because if we take the words of Allah “except for a few of them” refers only to the believers, it would imply that the majority of those who surrounds the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam are hypocrites and this is not so[3]. And perchance, it is also the reason why Allah did not command it - out of mercy to the believers.

Interpreting the Qur’aan should not be done according to opinions thus we turn to the scholars of Tafseer.

Tafseer of the Mufassiroon

Abu Jaafar At-Tabari[4] mentioned a narration from Mujahid, the student of Ibn Abbas:

Muhammad bin Amr told us saying: Abu ‘Aasim told us, from ‘Eesa, form Ibn Abee Najeeh, from Mujaahid concerning the saying of Allah, the Most High: “And if We had decreed upon them, ‘Kill yourselves”, they are about the Jews, meaning: wal ‘Arab - just like what was commanded to the companions of Musa alaihis salam.[5]

At Tabari is referring to the verse in Soorah al Baqarah,

And [recall] when Moses said to his people, “O my people, indeed you have wronged yourselves by your taking the calf [for worship]. So repent to your Creator and kill yourselves [i.e. the guilty among you]. That is best for [all of you] in the sight of your Creator.” Then He accepted your repentance; indeed, He is the One Who accepts repentance, the Merciful. (2:54)

Ibn Katheer[6] quoted at-Tabaree saying:

Allah ordered Musa to command his people to kill each other. He ordered those who worshipped the calf to sit down and those who did not worship the calf to stand holding knives in their hands. When they started killing them, a great darkness suddenly overcame them. After the darkness lifted, they had killed seventy thousand of them. Those who were killed among them were forgiven, and those who remained alive were also forgiven.[7]


Al Qurtubi[8] in his Tafsir of the verse mentions:

The reason of revelation (for this verse) is what was narrated from Thaabit ibn Qays bin Shammaas (while) he was boasting with a Jew. So the Jew said: By Allah! Truly it was decreed for us to kill ourselves so we killed ourselves, (until) those who were killed reached seventy thousand. So Thaabit said: By Allah if Allah decrees for us “Kill your selves” indeed we would have killed ourselves.

Abu Is-haaq As Sabi’ee said: When the verse “and if we had decreed upon them ‘Kill yourselves’” (until the end of the verse) was revealed, a man said: If we were commanded, we would have done so, and praise be to Allah who forgives us (alladhee afaana). This has reached the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him, so he said: Verily there are men from my Ummah whose Imaan in their hearts is firmer than the unshakeable mountains[9].

Ibnul Wahhab said that Malik said: The one who said that is Abu Bakr as Siddeeq radiallahu anhu; and this is also what Makkee mentioned that certainly he is Abu Bakr. An Naqqaas mentioned that he is Umar ibnul Khattab radiallahu anhu. It was mentioned from Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu that he said: If that were decreed for us, certainly I would have started with myself and my family.
Al Qurtubi quoted another scholar of Tafseer Abul Layth As-Samarqandee[10] who said:

From amongst those who were (the saying of the Prophet Muhammad about the men of his Ummah who will kill themselves if they were told to) were Ammaar Ibn Yaasir, Ibn Mas’ood and Thaabit ibn Qays, so they said: Indeed had Allah commanded us to kill ourselves and leave our homes we would have done it. That is why the Messenger of Allah said: Verily there are men from my Ummah whose Imaan in their hearts is more firm than the unshakeable mountains.

The word “If” points to the prohibition of something lil imtinaa’ ghairihi[11]. Indeed Allah subhanahuwataala informed us that He did not command us to do that (kill ourselves) as a clemency toward us so as not to expose our sins. How many from the commandments that we have broken while we fear Him, so how about carrying out the burden of this commandment?

Alhamdulillah, just as we have thought that those who will abide by this commandment are the elite from amongst the Sahaabah. Indeed it requires special Imaan like Ibraaheem sacrificing Ismaa’eel.

Consequently the following categories of this issue can possibly be derived:

1. Killing one’s own self

a. Suicide: This is unequivocally forbidden in Islam. Allaah said in Soorah an-Nisaa’,

O you who have believed, do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allaah is to you ever Merciful. (4: 29)

The Messenger of Allah forbade suicide in no uncertain terms:

"He who commits suicide by throttling shall keep on throttling himself in the Hell Fire (forever) and he who commits suicide by stabbing himself shall keep on stabbing himself in the Hell-Fire."[12]

There is a narration wherein a Muslim military commander ordered his troops to jump in to the fire. His troops were ready to enter it until a young man said to bring this matter to the Messenger of Allah. Ibn Katheer mentioned in his tafseer a narration collected by Imaam al Bukhaaree,

Ibn Abbas said that the Áyah, “Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger, and those of you who are in authority”, was revealed about ‘Abdullah bin Hudháfah bin Qays bin ‘Adi, who the Messenger of Allah sent on a military expedition.

This statement was collected by the Group[13], with the exception of Ibn Majah. At-Tirmidhi said, “Hasan, Ghareeb”. [14]

Imam Ahmad recorded that ‘Ali said, “The Messenger of Allah sent a troop under the command of a man from Al-Ansár. When they left, he became angry with them for some reason, and said to them, ‘Has not the Messenger of Allah commanded you to obey me?’ They said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Collect some wood’, and then started a fire with the wood, saying, ‘I command you to enter the fire.’ The people almost entered the fire, but a young man among them said, ‘You only ran away from the Fire to Allah’s Messenger. Therefore do not rush until you go back to Allah’s Messenger, and if he commands you to enter it, then enter it.’ When they went back to Allah’s Messenger, they told him what had happened, and the Messenger said,

“Had you entered it, you would never have departed from it. Obedience is only in righteousness.” [15]

Obedience to this military commander is a form of suicide as hinted by the words of the Messenger of Allaah, “Had you entered it, you would never have departed from it” possibly alluding to the entrance into the hellfire, which is the punishment of those who commit suicide. The order of this military commander has no military objective whatsoever; hence it cannot be included as a military tactics.

2. Attacking overwhelming enemy forces that tantamount to sure death
The story of Az-Zubair in the battle of Yarmouk is an excellent example of this category:

In this battle the Muslim Army was 30,000[16] strong and the Romans were 200,000. It was a great and fierce battle and one of the Muslims said “ what is more abundant then the Romans “ and “ who is less than the Muslims ” meaning - look how many the Romans are against our small numbers and so Az Zubair said “ don ’ t be afraid for verily victory is with Eemaan ” and when the battle got very fierce Zubair stood up and said to the Muslims “ who will give me Ba’aih until death ” and go and fight the Romans.

So a group of Muslims stood up with him and they went straight into the ranks of the Romans they were all killed except Zubair. He returned by himself, he said this a second time to the Muslims encouraging them to fight, “who will, give me Ba’aih until death”. So another group stood up like the first and went straight into the thicket of the Romans and all of them were killed except Zubair. He returned by himself, he said this a third time trying to kindle the love for death, and the spirit of Jihad among the souls of the Muslims saying “who will give me Ba’aih until death” and none of them stood up because they had seen what had happened the first two instances: that all of them were killed. So Zubair did something which was very, very remarkable, he took his son Abdullah, who was only ten years old and put him on his horse and he took two swords, something which only he and Khalid Ibn Waleed could do and went into the thicket of the Romans and thereby he achieved victory.[17]

Perhaps the Juramentados of Bangsamoro during the Moro-Spanish wars (that lasted from 16th until the late 18th century) can also be mentioned in this category[18]. For a fuller account see The Swish of the Kris by Vic Hurley published in http://www.bakbakan.com/swishkb.html.

In the contemporary Islaamic world, there is a difference of opinion whether suicide bombing is legal in Islam or not. This issue is beyond the scope of this article but it merits a brief mention. It seems that the issue can be furthered divided into 2 sub issues:

a. Suicide Bombing is not allowed in Islam as involves two sins: suicide and indiscriminate killing of non combatants. As far as I know, the scholars of Saudi Arabia hold this view. http://www.fatwa-online.com/. (free e-book can be downloaded). I think this is the strongest opinion and this is the opinion I follow.

b. Suicide Bombing is allowed everywhere it is needed and justified. I think the Al Qaeda group and their ilk is of this opinion.

Should there be a Khaleefa, difference of opinion in Fiqh matters such as this is avoided for his decision is binding on Muslims as long as it is not in sin. Perhaps sections of this Ummah don’t have to resort to such desperate measures if Khilaafa is established.

2. Kill others amongst your own group

The command “Kill yourselves” could also mean “kill others among your own group”. As previously stated, this was what happened between the children of Israel when some of them worshipped the calf while Moses was away in the mountains.

Allah said in Soorah al An’aam

“…And do not kill the soul which Allaah has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right…” (6:151)

Thus, it includes Qisaas for premeditated murder and Hudood or prescribed punishment for crimes punishable by death such as adultery.

4. The case of Ibraheem alaihis salam and Khidr.

There is a fourth type of a command to kill that is seemingly quite separate from the first three above categories. This is because the reason behind command to kill here is not retribution.

The story of Ibraheem on the verge of sacrificing Ismaa’eel is recalled:

And when he reached with him [the age of] exertion (i.e. the ability to work and be of assistance), he said, “O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you, so see what you think.” He said, “O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, of the steadfast.” 37:102

This commandment to Ibraheem is a revelation from Allah as the dreams of the Prophets are true dreams.

Another strange story is that of al Khidhr when he killed a young lad to the bewilderment of Moosa alaihis salam.

So they set out, until when they met a boy, he [i.e. al Khidhr] killed him, [Moses] said, “Have you killed a pure soul for other than [having killed] a soul? You have certainly done a deplorable thing. (18: 74)

And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared that he would overburden them by transgression and disbelief. So we intended that their Lord should substitute for them one better than him in purity and nearer to mercy. [19](18:80-81)

Al Khidhr’s action is based on a revelation from Allah as it involves matters of the future over which only Allah has knowledge of.

“And they found a servant from among our servants [i.e. al-Khidhr] to whom We had given mercy from Us and had taught him form Us a [certain] knowledge.” (18:65)

The Islamophobes

Missionaries promoting Islamophobia have actually used this very verse to point that Islam makes a fanatic out of a Muslim. They quote the verse in discussion and say that in Islam, Allah commands Muslims to kill their own selves. This is a shallow argument because even in their bible, the story of Ibraheem sacrificing his son is mentioned and they don’t have any problem with that. As we have came to know, that the verse in hand is more of a trial to test the Imaan of those who are around the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam as it was a trial to Ibraheem and Allah didn’t actually command it to us.

Hijrah: Another issue of this verse

Detailed discussion concerning Hijrah is also beyond the scope of this article. It is noteworthy to mention that the trials of this verse have parallelism between the children of Israel in the time of Moosa and the Muslims at the time of the Prophet.

As for the first part of the command “kill your selves” then it is already discussed above. The second parallelism is the command to migrate. As we know, the Prophet and the Muslims migrated from Makkah to Madeenah – thus they were called the Muhaajiroon. Similarly, the children of Israel were also told to migrate from the land of Egypt to the promise land.




Abu Khalid








[1] Translations of the meanings of Qur’aan in this work are taken from Saheeh International unless otherwise stated.
[2] Enjoining Right and Forbidding Wrong by Ibn Taymiyyah. Translated into English by Salim Morgan.
[3] Read Soorah an Nasr when the Prophet was told by Allah that people will be entering Islam in great numbers. This implies that when the Prophet died and his mission is done, people indeed entered Islam and became Muslims, contrary to the views of the Rawaafida Shi’a.
[4] He is Abu Jaafar Muhammad Ibn Jareer at-Tabaree (839-923 CE/225-310 AH) (who) was from Tabreez, in what is now western Iran, and was a well known legalist, hadeeth scholar, and historian. Although originally a Shaafi’ee scholar, he reached the level of ijtihaad and became independent of the school. His tafseer is the oldest to reach us intact. All later tafseers have depended on this tafseer in one way or another. Usool at Tafseer (The Methodology of Qur’aanic Explanation by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, pg. 54.) His tafseer is considered those type of tafseer based upon narrations (Tafseer bil Riwaayah).
[5] See http://www.thenoblequran.com/ for the Tafsir of 4:66
[6] He is Abul-Fidaa ’Ismaa’eel ibn Katheer ad-Dimashqee (1300-1373 CE/699-774 AH) was a Shaafi’ee fiqh scholar and a student of Ibn Taymeeyah. He was also an eminent hadeeth scholar and historian. His historical work, al Bidaayah wa a-Nihaayah, is considered the most authentic Islaamic history book. Tafseer ibn Katheer is also considered the most authentic book of tafseer and is second only to tafseer at Tabaree in popularity among scholars. (Usool at Tafseer , The Methodology of Qur’aanic Explanation by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, pg. 56)
[7] Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Eng. Trans.) vol. 1, pg. 230.
[8] He is Aboo Abdillaah Muhammad ibn Ahmad al Ansaaree al Qurtubee (d. 1273 CE/671 AH) who was born in Cordoba in what is now Spain. His Tafseer is characterized by a heavy emphasis on fiqh issues. His tafseer is considered one of the monumental works in this field, and is indispensable for the fiqh issues of the Qur’aan. (Summarized from Usool at Tafseer, The Methodology of Qur’aanic Explanation by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, pg. 559-61).
[9] No reference of the hadeeth was cited by al Qurtubee.
[10] He is Abul Layth Ibn Ibraaheem as-Samarqandee (d. 983 CE/372 AH) was a fiqh scholar of the Hanafee school and was nicknamed “Imaam al Hind”. His tafseer was based on hadeeths and narrations from the Sahaabah, the taabióon and later scholars. However it does contain some weak narrations and the chain of narrations for statements from the Sahaabah and taabi’oon were not mentioned, nor were their opinions analyzed. This tafseer consists of four volumes and is in print. (At Tafseer wal Mufassiroon, vol. 1, pp. 235-7. Quoted in Usool at Tafseer by Dr Bilal Philips, pg. 53)
[11] I’m still waiting for help to translate these sentences.
[12] Saheeh al Bukhaaree, the Book of Funerals hadeeth no: 1284
[13] Or the Seven (As-Sab’ah) Al Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, An-Nasaa’ee, At-Tirmidhee and Ibn Majah.
[14] Muslim 3:1465, Abu Dawood 3:92, Tuhfat Al-Ahwadhi 5:364 and An-Nasaa’ee 7:154 (Quoted in Tafsir Ibn Kathir [Eng Trans] pg 495.
[15] Ahmad 1:82 (Quoted in Tafsir Ibn Kathir [Eng Trans] pp. 495-96
[16] According to ar-Raheeq al Makhtoom, the number of Muslim fighters was only 3000.
[17] The Life of Abdullah Ibn Az-Zubair by Shaikh Muhammad al Anjaaree. Transcribed for http://www.salafipublications.com/ by bint Ahmed ibn Sulaiman Dhul Hijjah 1419 (April 1998), pg. 3.
[18] The purpose of mentioning the Juramentados is not pride of ancestry by the student but upon consideration that this article will also be presented to Bangsamoro readers.
[19] From the benefits of knowing the story of Moosa and al Khidhr is that whatever seemingly evil things may have befallen us, if we are believers, it is good for us. This gives us Imaan in what Allah has decreed and be patient with it.