Muslim

Hadith Commentary:
➊ The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) himself participated in the digging of the trench so that the other noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum) would follow in his footsteps and remain actively engaged in this battle between truth and falsehood.

➋ In Arabia, it was not customary to dig a trench in times of danger. Upon the suggestion of Salman al-Farisi (radi Allahu anhu), the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) ordered the digging of the trench. It should be noted that this battle took place in the 4th year of Hijrah. Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) also inclines towards this view.

Now, in the present era, circumstances have changed; war is not fought on land but rather in the air, therefore it is necessary to adopt military strategies accordingly.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was not a poet, nor was composing poetry befitting of his status. The aforementioned verse was by Abdullah ibn Rawahah (radi Allahu anhu), which he recited on this occasion so that the zeal of the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum) would be further intensified.
In one narration, it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) recited poetry during the Battle of Khandaq:
“O Allah! Curse ‘Udl and Qarah, because of them we have been put to the trouble of lifting stones.”
(Fath al-Bari: 7/493)
In another narration, al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib (radi Allahu anhu) says: I saw the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) lifting earth, and his blessed abdomen was covered with dust, and he was reciting the following verses of Abdullah ibn Rawahah (radi Allahu anhu):
“O Allah! If it were not for You, we would not have been guided, nor would we have performed prayer, nor given charity.
So send down tranquility and reassurance upon us, and if we encounter the enemy, make us steadfast.
Indeed, the enemy has transgressed against us, and we strongly reject this rebellion.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Jihad wa’l-Siyar, Hadith: 2837)
➋
At the end of the hadith, the zeal for jihad of the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum) is described: that even when they received deficient and foul-smelling food, their enthusiasm and fervor did not diminish. Indeed, this is the true characteristic of a mujahid.

Hadith Commentary:
Maulana Waheed uz-Zaman rahimahullah has rendered the translation of the Prophetic supplication and the Ansar’s poem in verse as follows:
The only true benefit is the benefit of the Hereafter;
Grant it, O Allah, to the Ansar and the Emigrants!
The poetic translation of the Ansar’s poem in Urdu is as follows:
We have pledged allegiance to our Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam;
As long as we live, we shall always fight the disbelievers.

Hadith Commentary:
The Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) kinship with Banu Najjar was established.
Your grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, had maternal relatives among these people.
They came out to receive you, girded with swords, as an expression of joy and loyalty, and took you with special honor.
In the beginning, you stayed at the house of Abu Ayyub (radi Allahu anhu); after a few days, the construction of Masjid Nabawi began, and from here, the land was cleared of old graves and trees, etc.
It is from here that the translation of the chapter is derived.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah) states that the wall of the qiblah was constructed from the wood of those date-palm trees.
They were erected and reinforced with bricks and mortar.
Some say that these pieces of wood were used in the part of the roof facing the qiblah.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
The topic here is whether it is permissible to exhume the graves of polytheists and build a mosque there, and the evidence is that it is impermissible to build mosques over the graves of the Prophets (alayhim as-salam).
There are two possible ways of building mosques over their graves:
(a)
The graves are not exhumed, but rather left as they are and a mosque is built over them.
In this case, there would be resemblance to idol worship, which is impermissible.
(b)
The graves are exhumed and a mosque is built.
In this case, disrespect to the graves of the Prophets (alayhim as-salam) would necessarily occur, so this too is impermissible.
From this, it is understood that building mosques over the graves of the Prophets (alayhim as-salam) is not permissible in any circumstance.
In contrast, the graves of polytheists and disbelievers can be converted into mosques, provided that they are exhumed, whatever is found therein is thrown out, and the mosque is built on clean ground.
It is permissible to exhume the graves of disbelievers and polytheists, because their disrespect is not forbidden. Also, (wa ma yukrahu min as-salati fi al-qubur)
is not the second part of the heading, but rather another reason or cause for converting the graves of polytheists into mosques, and it is connected to the statement.
The meaning of the heading would be:
Is it permissible to exhume the graves of polytheists and build mosques over them?
Because the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) cursed those who built mosques over the graves of the Prophets (alayhim as-salam), and because praying in graves is disliked.
(wa ma yukrahu min as-salati fi al-qubur)
is not the second part of the heading, because Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) will establish a separate heading regarding the dislike of praying in graveyards, with the following words:
(Bab karahiyyat as-salati fi al-maqabir) (Sahih al-Bukhari, Salat, Chapter: 52)
If (wa ma yukrahu min as-salati fi al-qubur)
is considered part of the heading, then there would be repetition of chapters, which is not correct in principle, because if the purpose of the chapters is the same, then even a change of words results in repetition.
However, if the words are the same but the purposes are different, then this is not repetition, but here both chapters have the same purpose and the words are also nearly identical.
Such repetition of chapter headings does not occur in Bukhari, therefore (wa ma yukrahu min as-salati fi al-qubur)
should be considered the reason for the heading, not a part of the heading itself.
➋
From this hadith, it is understood that the place where the Prophet’s Mosque (Masjid Nabawi) was built was previously a graveyard of polytheists, and this graveyard belonged to Banu Najjar.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) expressed the desire to purchase it.
Initially, those people refused to accept payment, but eventually it was purchased by paying its price.
From this, it is understood that if a graveyard is not endowed (waqf) but is privately owned, it is permissible to sell or gift it.
In contrast, if it is endowed (waqf), then it is not permissible to buy, sell, or gift it to someone else.
➌
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah), quoting from Allamah Baydawi (rahimahullah), has written that the Jews and Christians used to perform prostration of reverence (sujud ta’zim) to the graves of the Prophets (alayhim as-salam) and made them their qiblah, i.e., they would face them in prayer, and for this reason they were cursed. If a mosque is built near the grave of a righteous person merely for the sake of seeking blessing (barakah), then it would not fall under the warning.
(Fath al-Bari: 1/680)
This means that the Prophet’s prohibition is only due to the risk that the grave might be turned into an idol or object of worship, but according to them, if there is no such risk, then there is no reason for prohibition.
We regret that a sensitive person like Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah) did not comment on this opinion, even though in previous nations, shirk with Allah and seeking intercession through others besides Allah always found its backdoor entry from here.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), considering the gravity of this issue, strongly refuted it, saying that the curse of Allah is upon the Jews and Christians who built mosques over the graves of the Prophets (alayhim as-salam) and the righteous, and also said that when a righteous man among them died, they would build a mosque over his grave and hang his images in it.
Such people will be the worst of creation on the Day of Resurrection.
The Noble Qur’an has also quoted the words of people with such a mentality, that after the death of the Companions of the Cave (Ashab al-Kahf), people decided to leave them as they were and close the entrance to the cave, but the influential people of the city openly said that they would build a mosque over their graves as a memorial.
(al-Kahf: 18:21)
Their purpose was probably also that they would pray in this mosque for blessing from their bodies and graves, so the opinion quoted by Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah) is not correct.

Hadith Commentary:
In the hadith, there is mention of digging a trench (khandaq) around the blessed city of Madinah.
This is precisely the subject of the chapter heading (tarjamat al-bab).

Hadith Commentary:
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) made this supplication for the Muhajirun and Ansar on multiple occasions, using different words, for example:
“O Allah! Grant them honor.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Jihad, Hadith: 2961)
And in another place he said:
“O Allah! Rectify their affairs.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Virtues of the Ansar, Hadith: 3795)

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: Except for the north of Madinah, the remaining sides were surrounded by lava rock formations, mountains, and gardens. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), as a skilled and experienced commander, had the trench dug only on the northern side, as a large army could attack only from there. He (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) assigned every ten men the task of digging forty cubits of the trench, and the Muslims began digging the trench with full effort and dedication. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would encourage them in this work and would also participate fully in it himself.

Explanation:
1:
This hadith has been cited as supporting evidence for the following hadith;
this is the relevance it has to this chapter.

703. Commentary:

➊ This refers to the arrival at the time of migration (hijrah). The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) stayed in the outlying settlement of Quba near Madinah al-Munawwarah. He stayed here for a few days, either four or fourteen days.

➋ Banu Najjar was the Prophet’s maternal relatives. The wife of Hashim and the mother of Abdul Muttalib were from this tribe. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) wished to honor them, so he sent them a message.

➌ By “the goat enclosure” is meant the place where goats are tied.

➍ This enclosure was directly in front of the Prophet’s temporary residence. He considered it suitable for a mosque and for his own residence.

➎ “Graves of the polytheists”: Since the graves of polytheists are not worthy of respect, they can be removed. These graves were old. Their close heirs must have passed away; otherwise, it is also prohibited to hurt the feelings of Muslim heirs. In narrations, it is mentioned that this enclosure belonged to two orphan boys from Banu Najjar, which is why, despite their offer, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not accept it without payment. Rather, he instructed Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (radi Allahu anhu) to pay the boys their due price.

➏ “Rajaz” is a type of poetry and rhythmic speech. It also has meter. If the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) recited such speech in any battle or on any special occasion, he did not become a poet, because a poet is one who adopts poetry as a profession and art, not one who occasionally utters rhythmic and metered speech without any intention of composing poetry, or recites poetry composed by someone else.

Benefits and Issues:

➊
It is permissible to purchase land for a mosque, and the owner of the land may sell it to the mosque administration.
Similarly, it is permissible to receive wages for other works related to the mosque, such as construction and repair, or for the labor involved in installing water and electricity systems.

➋
Donating land for a mosque free of charge, performing mosque-related work without compensation, and providing necessary items for the mosque without cost is superior and a cause of great reward.

➌
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would personally participate in virtuous deeds.
In this way, if a respected individual or a scholar of a tribe personally takes part in such works, it is a good thing, because it encourages others and motivates those who are already participating.

➍
The graves of non-Muslims do not have the same respect as the graves of Muslims; therefore, they may be demolished when needed.

➎
It is prohibited to perform prayer in a graveyard, but if the signs of the graves have disappeared, then that place takes the ruling of ordinary land, and a mosque may then be built there.

➏
Similarly, it is permissible to demolish a temple or church and construct a mosque in its place.
Or, the building may be altered in such a way that outwardly it no longer appears to be a temple or church, but rather a mosque.

➐
It is permissible to recite and listen to such poetry whose words and meanings do not contain anything contrary to the Shariah, but the use of musical instruments is forbidden.

➑
Where there is no mosque nearby, prayer may be performed at any suitable place; the rulings of a mosque will not apply to that place until a building is constructed with the intention of it being a mosque.