Increasing in Worship
Meaning to add from one’s own side to the commands given and act according to one’s own desires, such as their practices on the day of Ashura.
Decreasing in Worship
Reducing the divine commands has also been a habit of the people of ignorance, such as not standing at Arafat during Hajj. Allah Almighty says:
ثُمَّ أَفِيضُوا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَفَاضَ النَّاسُ
Then depart from the place from where others depart.
Meaning, return from Arafat, not from Muzdalifah. This address is general for everyone, and the act of the people of ignorance was invalidated by this verse, that instead of returning from Arafat, they returned from Muzdalifah, as the nobles of Quraysh used to do.
It is narrated from Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Quraysh and those who followed their ways used to stand at Muzdalifah and said, “We are Hums,” while the rest of the Arabs stood at Arafat. When Islam came, Allah Almighty commanded the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to stand at Arafat, as Allah Almighty says ثُمَّ أَفِيضُوا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَفَاضَ النَّاسُ Return from where all the people return, meaning all pilgrims, regardless of where they are from or who they are, are commanded to stand at Arafat and return from there, not from Muzdalifah.
Worship by giving up pure sustenance
One of the ways the people of ignorance practiced servitude was that they did not use lawful and pure things and considered abandoning divine adornment as worship, as Allah says:
يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ
قُلْ مَنْ حَرَّمَ زِينَةَ اللَّـهِ الَّتِي أَخْرَجَ لِعِبَادِهِ وَالطَّيِّبَاتِ مِنَ الرِّزْقِ قُلْ هِيَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا خَالِصَةً يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ كَذَلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ
“O children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every time of prayer, and eat and drink, but do not waste extravagantly. Indeed, He does not like the wasteful. Say, ‘Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has produced for His servants and the good things of provision?’ Say, ‘They are for those who believe during the worldly life, but exclusively for them on the Day of Resurrection.’ Thus does Allah make clear His verses to the people who know.”
The reason for the revelation of this verse is that some Arabs used to perform Tawaf of the House of Allah completely naked; a woman would perform Tawaf naked, only hanging a strip on her lower part like the fly guards placed on donkeys’ mouths to keep flies away, while reciting this couplet,
اليوم يبدوابعضه اوكله … وما بد امنه فلا احله
Today some or all parts of the body will be exposed… and whatever is exposed, I will not make it lawful.
Regarding this, Allah Almighty revealed this verse. According to Kalbi, the people of ignorance ate just enough to suffice and did not consume fat during the days of Hajj; by doing so, they showed the greatness of Hajj. Seeing this, the Muslims said to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that they should do the same. Then Allah commanded them: كلو واشربو “Eat and drink,” but ولا تسرفو “Do not commit excess,” meaning do not make lawful things unlawful, nor leave lawful things to use unlawful ones. Also, who has forbidden the use of fine clothes, eating, drinking, and other permissible pleasures? These are originally for the people of faith in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection, they will have no share in these things.
Worship by Whistling and Clapping
The custom of worshipping by whistling and clapping was common among the people of ignorance, as Allah Almighty said:
وَمَا كَانَ صَلاتُهُمْ عِنْدَ الْبَيْتِ إِلا مُكَاءً وَتَصْدِيَةً فَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ
“And near the House (Kaaba), their prayer was nothing but whistling and clapping, so taste the punishment for your disbelief.”
In the verse, عِنْدَ الْبَيْتِ refers not only to the Kaaba but to the entire Masjid al-Haram, whose sanctity is obligatory for everyone. However, the people of ignorance had made a mockery of it. Their prayer was just meaningless noise and commotion, which the Quran described as whistling and clapping. Another interpretation is that when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) wanted to pray, these evildoers would come and disrupt by clapping and whistling, saying that they themselves were praying. There is also a narration that the people of ignorance, men and women together, would perform naked circumambulation and whistle and clap with their fists tied.
The point is that all these acts are not worship but slogans of ignorance. Even today, some ignorant people whistle and clap in mosques in the same way and consider it worship, whereas all these are relics of ignorance. Someone has rightly said:
اقال الله صفق لي وعن … وقل كفرا وسم الفر ذكرا
Did Allah command clapping and singing and say to sell disbelief and call it remembrance?
Whereas Allah has called the sound of music the voice of Satan, He said:
وَاسْتَفْزِزْ مَنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ مِنْهُم بِصَوْتِكَ وَأَجْلِبْ عَلَيْهِم بِخَيْلِكَ وَرَجِلِكَ وَشَارِكْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلَادِ وَعِدْهُمْ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا
“And whoever among them can be led astray by My voice, I will lead him astray and I will bring upon them cavalry and infantry and share with them wealth and children and make promises to them. But Satan does not promise them except deception.”
Having Hypocrisy in Belief
One habit of the people of ignorance was that when they went to the believers, they called themselves believers, but when they left, they would become disbelievers as before.
Calling People to Misguidance Without Knowledge
One habit of the people of ignorance was that they would call people to misguidance without knowledge.
Deliberately Inviting to Disbelief
The people of ignorance used to deliberately invite people to disbelief.
Conspiring Great Plots
Conspiring greatly against Muslims was also a habit of the people of ignorance, as Allah said regarding the people of Prophet Nuh (Noah), peace be upon him:
وَمَكَرُوا مَكْرًا كُبَّارًا ٭ وَقَالُوا لَا تَذَرُنَّ آلِهَتَكُمْ وَلَا تَذَرُنَّ وَدًّا وَلَا سُوَاعًا وَلَا يَغُوثَ وَيَعُوقَ وَنَسْرًا ٭ وَقَدْ أَضَلُّوا كَثِيرًا وَلَا تَزِدِ الظَّالِمِينَ إِلَّا ضَلَالًا
“And they plotted a great plot, and said, ‘Never leave your gods, nor leave Wadd, nor Suwa’, nor Yaghuth, nor Ya’uq, nor Nasr.’ They have led many astray, and do not increase the wrongdoers except in error.”
All their schemes and plots were only to use trickery in religion and to prevent the servants of Allah from the path of truth, and to incite people to torment Prophet Nuh (Noah), peace be upon him, just as today the self-indulgent enemies of truth treat the callers to truth like the people of Nuh. Their hearts are all alike. May Allah protect those who support His religion and are on the side of truth from the evil of these rebellious, oppressive, and corrupt ones. Ameen.
وقد جربتهم فرايت منهم … خبائث بالهيمن نستجير
I tested them and found them to be equally wicked; from them we seek Allah’s refuge.
The Condition of the Jahili Scholars
The condition of the ignorant scholars was such that some of them were corrupt scholars and some were ignorant worshippers. Allah Almighty said about them:
أَفَتَطْمَعُونَ أَن يُؤْمِنُوا لَكُمْ وَقَدْ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ كَلَامَ اللَّـهِ ثُمَّ يُحَرِّفُونَهُ مِن بَعْدِ مَا عَقَلُوهُ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ٭ وَإِذَا لَقُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَا بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ قَالُوا أَتُحَدِّثُونَهُم بِمَا فَتَحَ اللَّـهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لِيُحَاجُّوكُم بِهِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ ٭ أَوَلَا يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ اللَّـهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّونَ وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ ٭ وَمِنْهُمْ أُمِّيُّونَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ الْكِتَابَ إِلَّا أَمَانِيَّ وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَظُنُّونَ ٭ فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ الْكِتَابَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَـذَا مِنْ عِندِ اللَّـهِ لِيَشْتَرُوا بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا فَوَيْلٌ لَّهُم مِّمَّا كَتَبَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَوَيْلٌ لَّهُم مِّمَّا يَكْسِبُونَ
“(O believers) Do you hope that these people will believe in you, while some of them used to hear the Word of Allah (i.e., the Torah), then after understanding it, they deliberately altered it? And when they meet the believers, they say, ‘We have believed.’ But when they are alone with one another, they say, ‘Do you talk to them about what Allah has revealed to you so that they may argue with you before your Lord?’ Do you not understand? Do they not know that Allah knows what they conceal and what they reveal? And among them are illiterate ones who do not know the Book except in wishful thinking, and they do nothing but conjecture. So woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say, ‘This is from Allah,’ to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.”
From this verse, it is understood that a group of Jewish scholars used to listen to the Torah and then interpret it according to their own desires, even altering it by adding their own words. For example, regarding the description of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), they had written in the Torah that he was “fair-skinned, medium height,” but they changed it to “wheatish, tall.” Also, as mentioned in Bukhari, they altered the verse of stoning (Rajm) by blackening the face (Tasuweed al-Wajh). Another group among them only propagated false claims and fabricated desires.
In summary, distortion of divine speech, following the self, and attributing one’s own fabricated statements to Allah to derive meaning was a particular habit of the people of ignorance. This is exactly the condition of the corrupt scholars, innovators, and self-centered people nowadays who interpret the divine book according to their own desires to sustain themselves.
Claiming to be Saints of Allah
The Jews claimed that they are the great friends of Allah and no one else has this distinction. Allah Almighty has exposed the reality of this claim in various verses, saying:
قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ هَادُوا إِن زَعَمْتُمْ أَنَّكُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ لِلَّـهِ مِن دُونِ النَّاسِ فَتَمَنَّوُا الْمَوْتَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ ٭ وَلَا يَتَمَنَّوْنَهُ أَبَدًا بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَاللَّـهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالظَّالِمِينَ ٭ قُلْ إِنَّ الْمَوْتَ الَّذِي تَفِرُّونَ مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مُلَاقِيكُمْ ثُمَّ تُرَدُّونَ إِلَى عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
“Say: O Jews, if you claim that you are the friends of Allah and others are not, then if you are truthful, desire death. But they will never desire it because of what their hands have sent before them. And Allah is well aware of the wrongdoers. Say: The death from which you flee will surely meet you. Then you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do.”
In response to this false claim of guardianship by the Jews, Allah Almighty commanded the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to repeatedly say to them: If you are truly the friends of Allah, then why do you prefer to live in this filthy and sorrowful world? Why do you not desire death so that Allah may relieve you from here and call you to Himself? According to your claim نحن ابناء الله واحباؤه we are the sons and beloved of Allah, and that all the rewards of the Hereafter are exclusively for you because of your claim. لن يدخل الجنة الا من كان هودا Only those who are Jews will enter Paradise, and as Allah said about both groups of the People of the Book, Jews and Christians:
وَقَالُوا لَن يَدْخُلَ الْجَنَّةَ إِلَّا مَن كَانَ هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَى تِلْكَ أَمَانِيُّهُمْ قُلْ هَاتُوا بُرْهَانَكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ ٭ بَلَى مَنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّـهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ فَلَهُ أَجْرُهُ عِندَ رَبِّهِ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
“And (Jews and Christians) say that none will enter Paradise except Jews and Christians. These are false ideas of theirs. (O Prophet, say to them) if you are truthful, then bring your proof. Indeed, whoever submits his face to Allah while being a doer of good will have his reward with his Lord, and there will be no fear upon them, nor will they grieve.”
When the prophethood of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) appeared, the Jews of Medina wrote to the Jews of Khaybar that if you follow Muhammad (peace be upon him), we will also follow; if you reject, we will also reject. The Jews of Khaybar replied that we are the sons and beloved of Allah. The sons of Allah include Uzair and other prophets from among the Children of Israel. How long did prophethood remain among the Arabs? Therefore, we are the rightful heirs of prophethood, not Muhammad, so following him is out of the question. At this occasion, this verse was revealed, and Allah Almighty said ولا يتمنونه ابدا These Jews will never desire death. Accordingly, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) addressed them and said: “By Allah, whoever among you desires death will immediately die.” Upon hearing this, none desired death because they firmly believed in your truthfulness. They well knew that if after your statement we desired death, we would surely die according to this warning. Reflect on this; it was a miracle of the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself بما قدمت ايديهم meaning these Jews were so fearful of their past evil deeds that they were terrified of death. Allah here used the word يد meaning “hands” for deeds because the hand is a symbol of both human actions and power. والله عليم بالظلمين means Allah is fully aware of their false talk and all kinds of oppression and rebellion they have committed and will commit, so He will surely punish them. قل ان الموت الذى تفرون منه Say: The death you flee from, lest you receive the punishment of your evil deeds through it, فانه ملاتيكم that death will surely overtake you; no one can delay it nor can you escape from it. ثم تردون اليٰ عام الغيب والشهادة Then after being killed, you will be brought before the Being who knows the unseen and the witnessed; nothing is hidden from Him. فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ That is, He will give you full recompense for your disbelief and sins. The same is the condition of atheists and foolish people, as Allah Almighty said about the Jews:
نَحْنُ أَبْنَاءُ اللَّهِ وَأَحِبَّاؤُهُ ۚ قُلْ فَلِمَ يُعَذِّبُكُم بِذُنُوبِكُم ۖ بَلْ أَنتُم بَشَرٌ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقَ
“And the Jews and Christians say, ‘We are the sons and beloved of Allah.’ Say: Then why does He punish you for your misdeeds? No, you are but His creatures like others.”
This boastful nature is found in most sects of the Muslim Ummah; in fact, all claim to be نَحْنُ أَبْنَاءُ اللَّهِ وَأَحِبَّاؤُهُ like the Jews, although the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said that the saved sect is only the one that follows my way and that of my companions.
Claiming Divine Love Without Adherence to Shariah
The People of the Book on one hand violated the divine law and on the other hand claimed to love Allah. Allah Almighty demanded from them:
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّـهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّـهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ
“(O Prophet, say to the people) If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins.”
Hasan and Ibn Jurayj narrated that during the time of the Prophet ﷺ some people claimed that they loved Allah. On this occasion, Allah revealed this verse.
And it is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas رضي الله عنهما that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went to the Sacred Mosque among the Quraysh and saw that they had set up their idols and hung ostrich eggs on them and placed long earrings on them, and they were prostrating to them. The Prophet ﷺ said: O people of Quraysh, you are acting against the religion of your forefathers, Hazrat Ibrahim and Ismail, who were steadfast on Islam. They replied, Muhammad! We worship them only out of love for Allah so that they bring us closer to Allah. Allah Almighty revealed this verse on this occasion. In other narrations, the same theme is mentioned about the Christians that when they said they honored Hazrat Messiah only for Allah’s sake, Allah revealed this verse. In short, a person who is involved in sins is not befitting to claim love for Allah. Someone said a very good thing,
تعصي الاله وانت تظهر حبه … هذا لعمري فى القياس بديع
You disobey Allah and at the same time claim to love Him; by Allah, this is a strange and absurd assumption.
لو كان حبك صادقا لاطعته … ان المحب لمن يحب مطيع
If your love were true, you would obey Him; the one who loves obeys his beloved.
Having False Hopes from Allah
The people of ignorance, despite their misdeeds and false beliefs, were under the misconception that they were greatly beloved by Allah and safe from Hellfire, and if they were admitted, it would only be nominally for a few days. Allah has refuted this misconception in these verses:
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا نَصِيبًا مِّنَ الْكِتَابِ يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى كِتَابِ اللَّـهِ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَلَّى فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ وَهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ ٭ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا لَن تَمَسَّنَا النَّارُ إِلَّا أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَاتٍ وَغَرَّهُمْ فِي دِينِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ
“Have you not seen those who were given the Scripture (i.e., the Torah) and are invited to the Scripture of Allah to judge between them, but a party of them turns away with crookedness? That is because they say, ‘The Fire will not touch us except for a few days.’ And their falsehood that they were inventing has deceived them.”
It is narrated from Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) went to a group of Jews in their synagogues and invited them to accept the divine religion. Upon this, Nu’man bin Amr and Harith bin Zaid asked him, “Muhammad! What is your religion?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, “I am upon the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham) and his nation.” They said, “But Ibrahim was a Jew.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “If so, then bring the Torah, and it will be decided from it who among us is upon the religion of Ibrahim.” At that moment, this verse was revealed.
Another narration in “Al-Bahr” states that a Jew committed adultery with a woman. At that time, the law of stoning had not yet been revealed in Islam. The Jews brought this matter to the Prophet (peace be upon him) for judgment, hoping that he would show leniency out of respect for the man and woman involved. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “I will judge according to your book.” They denied the presence of the stoning ruling in the Torah, so the Torah was brought, but Jurhum bin Surayya concealed the verse about stoning by placing his hand over it. Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “O Messenger of Allah! Please extend your hand.” The verse then became visible, and both were stoned according to it, which greatly angered the Jews. At that time, this verse was revealed.
And the verse ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا لَن تَمَسَّنَا النَّارُ إِلَّا أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَاتٍ tells us that the fire of Hell will only touch them for a few days. In this false hope, they turned away from the divine scripture and openly committed sins. أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَاتٍ The “few days” refer to the days when they worshipped the calf. وَغَرَّهُمْ فِي دِينِهِم مَّا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ Their fabrications deceived them regarding the religion. Among their fabricated claims were: first, their lies; second, the belief that “the fire of Hell will not touch us”; third, that “we are the sons and beloved of Allah”; fourth, that “our ancestors were prophets who will intercede for us”; fifth, that “Allah promised Prophet Ya’qub (Jacob) that He would only punish his descendants nominally to fulfill the oath.”
Allah Almighty responded to all their claims by saying:
فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جَمَعْنَاهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ لَّا رَيْبَ فِيهِ وَوُفِّيَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
“So what will be their condition when We gather them together on a Day about which there is no doubt, and every soul will be fully compensated for what it earned, and they will not be wronged?”
It is narrated that among the ranks of the disbelievers on the Day of Gathering, the first banner to be raised will be that of the Jews, and Allah will disgrace the Jews before everyone and admit them to Hell.
In the present era, many people, deluded by false hopes, commit sins and immoral acts thinking that they will be interceded for on the Day of Judgment or that they are superior by lineage and thus will be saved from punishment, etc.
In Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah has spoken about such people:
وَقَالُوا لَن تَمَسَّنَا النَّارُ إِلَّا أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَةً قُلْ أَتَّخَذْتُمْ عِندَ اللَّـهِ عَهْدًا فَلَن يُخْلِفَ اللَّـهُ عَهْدَهُ أَمْ تَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّـهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ٭ بَلَى مَن كَسَبَ سَيِّئَةً وَأَحَاطَتْ بِهِ خَطِيئَتُهُ فَأُولَـئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
“And they say, ‘The Fire will not touch us except for a few days.’ Say, ‘Have you taken a covenant with Allah? Then Allah will not break His covenant, or do you say about Allah that which you do not know?’ Yes, whoever earns evil and his sin surrounds him, those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.”
Making the graves of the righteous places of prostration
The people of ignorance used to prostrate on the graves of their prophets and righteous ones and considered them as places of prostration like mosques. Among the people of ignorance, it was a common practice especially among the People of the Book, the Jews and Christians. There is an authentic hadith regarding this:
لعن الله اليهود والنصريٰ اتخذوا قبورا انبيائهم مساجد
May Allah curse the Jews and Christians; they made the graves of their prophets places of prostration.
And it is narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) in Sahihain:
ان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قاتل الله اليهود والنصاريٰ اتخذوا قبورا انبيائهم مساجد
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: May Allah destroy the Jews and Christians; they made the graves of their prophets places of prostration.
And in Muslim it is stated:
لعن الله اليهود والنصاريٰ اتخذوا قبورانبيائهم مساجد
May Allah curse the Jews and Christians; they made the graves of their prophets places of prostration.
In Sahihain, it is narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) fainted, he began to remove the cloth from his face. When he regained consciousness, he uncovered his face and said in that state:
لعن الله اليهود والنصريٰ اتخذوا قبورانبيائهم مساجد
May Allah curse the Jews and Christians; they made the graves of their prophets places of prostration.
He was emphasizing to avoid this cursed act.
In Sahihain, it is narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that Umm Salamah and Umm Habibah mentioned to the Prophet (peace be upon him) the church they had seen in Abyssinia, known as “Maria’s Church.” They praised the beauty of this church and the pictures kept in it, to which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
أُولَئِكَ إذَا مَاتَ فِيهِمْ الرَّجُلُ الصَّالِحُ بَنَوْا عَلَى قَبْرِهِ مَسْجِدًا , ثُمَّ صَوَّرُوا فِيهِ تِلْكَ الصُّورَة، أُولَئِكَ شِرَارُ الْخَلْقِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ
“These are the people who, when a righteous person among them died, would build a mosque over his grave and place these pictures in it. They are the worst people in the sight of Allah.”
And it is narrated from Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them):
لعن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم زائرات القبور، والمتخذين عليها المساجد والسرج
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) cursed women who visit graves and those who build mosques and lamps on graves.
All these warnings and prohibitions against building mosques on the graves of elders, resembling the People of the Book, is a clear proof of the prohibition of imitating the Jews. Also, it is evidence to avoid all their deeds because all their actions are of this kind.
And it is well known to everyone how many Muslims, imitating the Jews, have built structures over the graves of their elders making them places of prostration, and how many prostrate on graves even without building structures. Both acts are forbidden and the doer is cursed, as explicitly mentioned in these hadiths. There is no opportunity here to collect all the hadiths and reports on this subject. Due to the importance of the issue, the pious predecessors used to be very emphatic and insistent in forbidding this.
Making the Memorials of the Prophets Places of Prostration
The people of ignorance used to build mosques on the memorials of the noble Prophets. One of their innovations, which the idolaters of this Ummah also copied, was that wherever the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, showed even a little respect or placed his blessed foot, or worshipped, they built structures there. This is highly reprehensible in the Muhammadan Shariah because it leads to excessive personality cult. In Iraq, people have built many structures, for example, where it is known that Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani worshipped, or the stone with the palm print which the Shi’as have taken to be the mark of Hazrat Ali’s hand, they have built mosques there. Many buildings have been constructed on the belief that Hazrat Khidr used to appear there, although there is no truth to this.
It is obligatory upon Muslims to avoid visiting such places without fear of reproach and to also forbid others from doing so. There are many details regarding this issue which need not be mentioned here.
Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said that regarding the places where the Prophets and righteous people stayed or worshipped but did not build mosques, I know of two opinions among the famous scholars. The first opinion is that people should be prevented from visiting them and it should be considered disliked (makruh), and it is not recommended to intend to go to any particular place for worship unless it is legally established, for example, if the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, specifically worshipped at that place. Like praying at Maqam Ibrahim, or when he deliberately prayed by the pillar, or those mosques where it is permissible to go with the intention of prayer, or trying to be in the first row, etc.
The second opinion is that there is no harm in acting upon this in insignificant and ordinary circumstances. Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar used to seek out places where the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, passed by unintentionally (but Hazrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, acted completely oppositely and strictly forbade it).
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, was asked about going to relics and places of observation. He said, in light of the hadith of Ibn Umm Maktum, who requested the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, to pray somewhere in his house so that he could make that place a musalla (prayer place), or as Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar used to seek out places where the Prophet passed by, according to these hadiths, if someone goes to these relics and places of observation, there is no harm. But people have taken this permission as a pretext and exaggerated and intensified it greatly.
Similarly, Ahmad bin Qasim narrated from Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal that he was asked the same question and he replied that in view of the two aforementioned hadiths, including the one where Ibn Umar was seen pouring water at a place and when asked, he said, “I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, pouring water here, so I am doing the same,” so if someone does this, there is no harm.
However, people have acted very carelessly and exaggerated this matter. In this regard, he mentioned people’s conduct with the grave of Hazrat Hussain. Al-Khallal narrated in Kitab al-Adab that Abu Abdullah Imam Ahmad gave a detailed mention about places of observation (mashahid), meaning those places where the relics of Prophets and righteous people are found even if their mosques no longer exist there, such as some places in Madinah where fairs and gatherings do not take place, or most of those places which people have made gathering places. In this detailed explanation, relics and sayings of the Companions are all collected, as Bukhari narrated from Musa bin Uqbah that he said: I saw Salim bin Abdullah searching for these paths and praying in them, saying that their father Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, also prayed there.
And they saw the Prophet, peace be upon him, praying at those places. This is the mention of permission according to Imam Ahmad on this issue. As for dislike, Saeed bin Mansur narrated in his Sunan that Abu Muawiyah narrated from Al-A’mash from Ma’rur bin Suwaid on the authority of Hazrat Umar that they set out with Hazrat Umar for Hajj. During the Fajr prayer, Hazrat Umar recited الم تركيف فعل ربك باصحاب الفيل in one rak’ah and لايلف قريش in the other. When they returned from Hajj, Hazrat Umar saw people running to a mosque and asked what it was. They said that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, had prayed in that mosque. He said: The People of the Book were destroyed because they made the relics of their Prophets into synagogues, where prayer was obligatory. Whoever needs to pray there should pray, but whoever does not need to pray should not pray there at all and continue their journey.
Hazrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, did not like turning the place where the Prophet, peace be upon him, prayed into a festival or a place of visitation and said that the People of the Book were destroyed because they followed the relics of their Prophets and turned them into synagogues and churches.
Muhammad bin Waddah and others narrated that Hazrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, cut down the tree under which the pledge of allegiance was taken from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, because people began to frequently visit under that tree. Hazrat Umar feared that people might fall into fitnah. What Hazrat Umar said is worthy of acceptance and is also the creed of the majority of the Companions, except for his son Hazrat Abdullah who preferred to act upon it and trusted it.
Lighting Lamps on Graves
Lighting lamps on graves has also been a custom of ignorance (Jahiliyyah), the prohibition of which is established by all the hadiths mentioned in the above issue, where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) cursed those who do this. Today, observe how many candles are lit at the shrines of the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt, especially during Ramadan and other blessed nights, and you will understand the reality. It is regrettable that those who do this consider it an act of reward.
Making Festivals of Graves
The people of ignorance used to hold festivals and fairs at graves. Eid refers to any gathering that, according to a just custom, recurs weekly, monthly, or yearly. The word Eid encompasses many matters, such as the fixed day of Friday and Eid al-Fitr, and it also refers to gatherings. These rituals and acts of worship performed during such gatherings are also called Eid. Eid can be related to a specific place or a non-specific place. For example, in Iraq, a specific day is designated for the grave of each saint, on which people gather for visitation, such as the visitation of Azir and the place of Ras Hussain. Certain days of the week are designated for the graves of some saints, such as Friday for one saint’s grave, Tuesday for another, and so on. Similarly, blessed days and nights have been specially designated for visiting these graves, such as Laylat al-Qadr, Eid, the fifteenth night of Sha’ban, etc., although there is no evidence from the Quran or Hadith to justify these practices.
Slaughtering Animals Near Graves
Slaughtering animals near graves has also been an ancient custom of the people of ignorance. Allah’s command is:
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّـهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ٭ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَبِذَٰلِكَ أُمِرْتُ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
“Say, indeed my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. He has no partner. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims.”
In this verse, Allah commands to tell those polytheists who worship others besides Allah and slaughter animals for them that prayer and sacrifice are exclusively for Allah. The polytheists used to worship idols and slaughter animals for them. Allah has commanded opposition to this and emphasized sincerity and devotion to Allah alone. Those who intend to seek nearness to other than Allah, thinking they will remove harm or bring benefit, are actually honoring the disbelief and associating partners in belief that the people of ignorance practiced. The reason for the permissibility of saying Bismillah at the time of slaughter is only this: such major acts as slaughtering are exclusively for Allah, the true God. Therefore, slaughtering with the intention of other than Allah should be even more strictly forbidden. It is narrated in Abu Dawood that a person vowed to slaughter a camel for Allah at the place called Buwana and sought permission from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to fulfill it. The Prophet asked, “Is there any idol in Buwana?” He said, “No.” The Prophet asked, “Is there any festival of polytheists there?” He said, “No.” Then the Prophet said, “Fulfill your vow.” He was a monotheist, seeking nearness only to Allah, the Lord of Glory. But the Prophet investigated whether there was ever an idol or a polytheist festival there. If any of these had existed, the Prophet would not have allowed slaughtering even in Allah’s name there, so that the belief in monotheism would be protected and all means of polytheism would be closed. But since there was no such thing, the Prophet permitted it.
Similarly, it is proven from an authentic hadith that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that one person entered Paradise because of a fly, and another entered Hell because of a fly. People asked how this happened. The Prophet said: Two men passed by an idol of a tribe where every passerby had to offer some kind of sacrifice to the idol. The neighbors demanded from both that they offer something, even if it was just a fly. One of them offered a fly and was freed, but he entered Hell because he offered a fly to the idol. The same demand was made to the other, who said, “I cannot offer even a fly for other than Allah.” The people martyred him, and thus he entered Paradise.
There are many lessons in this hadith. The person who offered a fly to the idol is destined for Hell, even though his intention was not to sacrifice to the idol but merely to save himself, and he was a Muslim. Still, he was warned of entering Hell. If he had been a non-Muslim, there would have been no need to say he entered Hell because non-Muslims are destined for Hell anyway. This shows the importance and greatness of the actions of the heart and the belief in monotheism. Indeed, this is the greatest purpose and main pillar of Islam. Reflect well on the story of the fly: truth is solid and falsehood is hollow. Also consider that the polytheists used to offer sacrifices to their idols merely because they believed these idols would bring them closer to Allah and intercede for them, thinking these idols were Allah’s messengers, angels, or saints. Reflecting on these matters will give you a clear understanding of the polytheistic state of today’s grave-worshipping Muslims.
Gaining Blessings from the Traces of the Elders
Seeking blessings from the relics of elders was also a characteristic of ignorance, such as the House of Sorrow and boasting about being its custodian. For example, when Hakim bin Hizam was told that he had sold the honor of Quraysh, he replied that all virtues except piety had vanished. The innovation of seeking blessings from the relics of elders is deeply ingrained in the ignorant Muslims of today, and in this field, they are far ahead of the Jews, Christians, and the Arabs of the age of ignorance. There could be no better response from Hakim bin Hizam al-Qurashi al-Asadi than the one he gave to the person who objected that he had sold the honor of Quraysh. He had sold it to Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) for one hundred thousand dirhams, and his reply was that all virtues except piety had vanished. How could it be otherwise? He was a great wise man, pious, a leader, and wealthy because of his possessions. In the age of ignorance, he had freed one hundred slaves and given one hundred camels for riding. After embracing Islam, he performed Hajj with one hundred camels draped in cloth. In Arafat, he freed one hundred young boys who had silver plates hanging around their necks inscribed with “Freed in the way of Allah by Hakim bin Hizam.” He gave one thousand goats as a gift. He lived sixty years in the age of ignorance and sixty years after embracing Islam, and he was born in the Kaaba.
To Recite Elegies
The proof of the falsehood of these four issues is a hadith narrated by Abu Malik Al-Ash’ari in Bukhari and Muslim, in which the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to him:
أربع فى أمتي من أمر الجاهلية لا يتركونهن: الفخر فى الأحساب، والطعن فى الأنساب، والاستسقاء بالنجوم، والنياحة، وقال: النائحة إذا لم تتب قبل موتها تقام يوم القيامة وعليها سربال من قطران ودرع من جرب
Four things from the time of ignorance will remain among my Ummah which people will not abandon: boasting about lineage, insulting others’ ancestry, seeking water through the stars, and he also said that a woman who laments (wails) and does not repent before she dies will be raised on the Day of Judgment wearing a garment of tarcoal on her body and a shirt of itching.
Boasting about lineage means to take pride in one’s forefathers by name, and insulting others’ ancestry means to disparage the forefathers of others and give preference to one’s own forefathers over them. Seeking water through the stars means holding the belief that when a certain star is in the west at dawn and another is rising in the east, it will rain. That is why the people of ignorance used to say that they received rain because of the star of success. This lying became their livelihood. As Allah Almighty said in Surah Al-Waqi’ah: وَتَجْعَلُونَ رِزْقَكُمْ أَنَّكُمْ تُكَذِّبُونَ “You have made lying your livelihood.”
The punishment of the woman who laments with the garment of tarcoal is because she used to wear black mourning clothes, so on the Day of Judgment she will also wear black tarcoal cloth. The shirt of itching is because just as a shirt covers the body, similarly her entire body will be covered with itching, because she used to wound the hearts of afflicted people with her free words.
This hadith refutes all these habits of the people of ignorance, but the inheritors of ignorance in the present age have gone beyond their ignorant predecessors. They boast loudly about the virtues of their ancestors and take pride over others, but they themselves are not even equal to a fraction of them. They also insult others’ lineage in the same way, saying that so-and-so’s father was such and such, while our forefathers were of such and such status. Their condition in star worship is the same, and their belief is that rain occurs not by the power of the Creator of the heavens and the earth, but due to the stars. Mourning over men is also considered a great act of reward today. Especially the annual mourning of Hussain—what to say, may Allah protect us.
To shame someone because of their parents
To shame someone for the actions of another, especially to shame them because of their parents, was a custom of ignorance (Jahiliyyah). In Bukhari, there is a narration from Ma’rur regarding the narration of Hazrat Abu Dharr Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him). He said that I met Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) at the place called Rabdha and saw that he and his servant were wearing the same kind of cloth. I asked the reason for this equality and similarity. Hazrat Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I had an argument with a person and shamed him because of his mother. Upon hearing this, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to me:
إنك امرؤ فيك جاهلية، إخوانكم خولكم، جعلهم الله تحت أيديكم، فمن كان أخوه تحت يده، فليطعمه مما يأكل، وليلبسه مما يلبس، ولا تكلفوهم ما يغلبهم، فإن كلفتموهم فأعينوهم
“There is the smell of Jahiliyyah in you. These brothers of yours are your servants whom Allah has placed under your authority. Therefore, the one whose brother is under him should feed him what he himself eats and clothe him with what he himself wears. Do not burden them with too much work, and if you assign work, then help them.”
This incident happened before Hazrat Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reached the highest level of knowledge and faith. One day, Hazrat Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him), the Abyssinian Mu’adhdhin of the Messenger, had an argument with him, during which Abu Dharr, in a moment of passion, called him “O son of the black woman,” meaning “O offspring of a black woman.” When Hazrat Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) complained to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), he said to Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him): “You insulted Bilal and mocked him because of the black color of his mother.” Hazrat Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) admitted his fault, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
حسبت انه بقي فيك شئ من كبرالجاهلية
“I think that the pride of Jahiliyyah still remains in you.” Upon hearing this, Hazrat Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) laid his cheek on the ground and said that he would not raise his head until Hazrat Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) placed his foot on his cheek. Allahu Akbar! Look at the condition of people today, how deeply ingrained the habits of Jahiliyyah are in them that often an entire city is insulted because of the actions of one person. If this is not Jahiliyyah, then what else is it?
Taking Pride in Being the Custodian of the House of Allah
The people of Mecca used to take pride in being the custodians of the House of Allah. Allah Almighty has said about them:
قَدْ كَانَتْ آيَاتِي تُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ فَكُنْتُمْ عَلَى أَعْقَابِكُمْ تَنْكِصُونَ (23-المؤمنون:66)
“When My verses were recited to you, you turned back in arrogance, behaving insolently towards the Qur’an.”
The full meaning of the verse, combined with the previous one, is: لَا تَجْأَرُوا الْيَوْمَ إِنَّكُمْ مِنَّا لَا تُنْصَرُونَ “Do not call on us; there is now no helper for you from Us.”
Now no help will come because you have committed a great sin by rejecting Our verses. When the Qur’an was recited before you, you were not only unwilling to accept it and act upon it, but you were also intolerant of even listening to it. مُسْتَكْبِرِينَ بِهِ You were very proud of being the servants of the House of Allah. سَامِرًا You always discussed the Qur’an in your assemblies, sometimes calling it poetry, sometimes magic. تَهْجُرُونَ You continuously spoke ill against the Qur’an, its owner, and their group. أَفَلَمْ يَدَّبَّرُوا الْقَوْلَ And if they had pondered over the Qur’an, they would have realized how miraculous it is and that it is the true Book of their Lord, so that they might have been granted the ability to believe in it. أَمْ جَاءَهُمْ مَا لَمْ يَأْتِ آبَاءَهُمُ الْأَوَّلِينَ Or they do not believe because it contains something that their forefathers did not have, but this is also not correct because all the Prophets have called to the message according to the Qur’an.
The conclusion is that the people of ignorance used to be arrogant because of their sacred positions of authority and leadership, just as many today boast of false honors. Some are those who show their greatness over ordinary Muslims because they are chiefs of Mecca and Medina; some take pride in being servants of the shrines and tombs of the saints of Allah; the custodians of the grave of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani in Baghdad consider being its caretakers an honor; and Indian men who give offerings, alms, and sacrifices to shrines consider that a matter of respect and pride. Such people may consider themselves something, but the reality is that in the sight of Allah they have no status; rather, they will be extremely humiliated before Allah, and nothing will save them from the punishment of Allah. In the eyes of His servants, they are even more insignificant than a speck and far from Allah’s mercy.
Taking Pride in Being from the Lineage of Prophets
The people of ignorance used to take pride in the fact that they were from the lineage of the Prophets. Allah Almighty refuted this ignorant arrogance:
تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَلَكُم مَّا كَسَبْتُمْ وَلَا تُسْأَلُونَ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
“This was a nation who has passed away. Their deeds are for them, and your deeds are for you. You will not be asked about what they used to do.”
Here, the passed-away nation refers to Prophet Ibrahim and his descendants, as Allah has said:
وَمَن يَرْغَبُ عَن مِّلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِلَّا مَن سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ وَلَقَدِ اصْطَفَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَإِنَّهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
“And who would be averse to the religion of Abraham except one who makes a fool of himself? And We had chosen him in this world, and indeed he, in the Hereafter, will be among the righteous.”
The word “Ummah” (nation) has many meanings derived from “umm,” which means to intend or aim. Here, “Ummah” refers to a group, and every group is called an Ummah when something gathers them in one place—whether a religion, a time, or a location—because the members of an Ummah meet and gather together. لها ماكسبت ولكم ما كسبتم meaning your attributing yourself to them is useless because their deeds will not benefit you at all. Benefit can only come when you follow their path and adhere to their Shariah, as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: The closest people to the Prophet are those who are pious; just follow the Prophet’s path, and understand that people cannot meet me in a state where the burden of their deeds is on their necks, and if you meet me in this world, I would hide my face from you. Also, Allah Almighty said:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّـهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ
“O mankind! We created you from a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Indeed, the most honorable of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.”
ولا تسئلون عما كانوا يعملون meaning neither will you be held accountable for the sins of your ancestors nor will you receive the reward for their good deeds. “My father was a king” is an old slogan of ignorance on which a large segment of Muslims still rely today. Today, their greatest wealth is to take pride in the names of their forefathers. How many people today boast of being descendants of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Rifa’i? How many call themselves Bakri Siddiqi, how many Umari Farooqi, how many Alawi, Hasani, Husaini, and keep boasting? While those who boast are completely devoid of any virtue or piety, and these lineages will not benefit them at all on the Day when only a sound heart’s religion will be accepted by Allah, neither lineage nor wealth will avail anyone. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself clearly told Hazrat Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her):
يا فاطمة بنت محمد، لا اغني عنك من الله شيئا “O Fatimah bint Muhammad, I will not be able to benefit you in any way from Allah.”
And those who are devoid of the virtues and noble qualities of their forefathers and are without deeds want to live merely on the name of their father. There is a famous proverb:
كن عصاميا ولا تكن عظاميا “Be the owner of personal nobility, do not be a worshiper of the dead.”
ان الفتي من يقول ها أنا ذا . . . ليس الفتيٰ من يقول كان ابي
The brave one is he who presents himself in bravery… the brave one is not he who says my father was brave.
Someone rightly said:
اقول لمن غداني ل يوم . . . يباهينا باسلاف عظام
Whoever boasts of his ancestors’ names… I say to him daily:
اتقنع بالعظام وانت تدري . . . بان الكب يقنع بالعظام
You are content with bones, although you know how many are content with bones.
Someone else said:
وما الفخر بالعظم الرميم وانما . . . فخار الذى عبغي الفخار بنفسه
It is not appropriate to boast about decayed bones… true pride is when a person boasts of his own ability.
Taking Pride in One’s Profession
The people of ignorance used to take pride in their work and professions, such as those who traveled for trade in the hot and cold seasons in Sham and Yemen, looking down upon laborers. Generally, traders considered farmers, small-scale craftsmen, and people related to professions like shoemakers, weavers, etc., as inferior. This is purely an ignorant habit. All lawful professions are means of worshiping and obeying Allah and are a means of salvation in the Hereafter; they are not a source of disgrace but of pride. Business and trade are worldly means and transient matters; taking pride in them and belittling others is not the act of a wise person, for who knows when decline will come and one will have to give up worldly means.
Having a Sense of the World’s Greatness in the Heart
The people of ignorance considered the world and worldly honor as the standard of truth, and the world was the greatest thing in their eyes, as Allah Almighty said about them:
وَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمُ الْحَقُّ قَالُوا هَـٰذَا سِحْرٌ وَإِنَّا بِهِ كَافِرُونَ ٭ وَقَالُوا لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ هَـٰذَا الْقُرْآنُ عَلَىٰ رَجُلٍ مِّنَ الْقَرْيَتَيْنِ عَظِيمٍ ٭ أَهُمْ يَقْسِمُونَ رَحْمَتَ رَبِّكَ نَحْنُ قَسَمْنَا بَيْنَهُم مَّعِيشَتَهُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَرَفَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ لِّيَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُهُم بَعْضًا سُخْرِيًّا وَرَحْمَتُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ
“And when this Quran was brought to them, they said, ‘This is magic, and we do not accept it.’ And they said, ‘Why was this Quran not sent down upon a great man from the two cities?’ Do they distribute the mercy of your Lord? We have apportioned their livelihood in the life of this world and have raised some of them above others in degrees so that some of them may take others in service. But the mercy of your Lord is better than what they accumulate.”
The people of ignorance initially denied your prophethood by saying that you are a human and a human cannot be a prophet. But when they had to remain silent in the face of evidence and did not see their objection succeeding, they raised a new objection that if this Quran were true, it would have been revealed to a great person from Mecca or Taif. Among the people of Mecca, they meant Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi, and among the people of Taif, they meant Habib ibn Amr ibn Umayr al-Thaqafi. Both were wealthy and honorable men. Walid ibn Mughira was even called ريحانة القريش “the bouquet of Quraysh.”
But their view was extremely ignorant and hollow because for a sacred and pure office like prophethood, worldly vices and material causes are not needed, but rather human perfections, divine virtues, and noble qualities are required. That is why Allah Almighty replied to them: اهم يقسمون رحمة ربك meaning how ignorant and foolish these people are who want to divide a blessing like the Quran according to their own desires نحن قسمنا بينهم معيشتهم فى الحياة الدنيا whereas we, out of our wisdom and consideration, have bestowed our blessings on whom we deemed worthy because we know that such people are completely ignorant and helpless regarding the management of the universe. ورفعنا بعضهم فوق بعض meaning in provision and means of livelihood, we have given preference of one over another درجٰت and have kept different ranks for all, some weak, some rich, some poor, some servants, some masters, some rulers, some ruled ليتخذ بعضهم بعضا سخريا so that every person benefits from one another according to their needs and interests and lives together in harmony. Neither does the wealthy person gain any superiority from this, nor does the poor person suffer any deficiency. If this responsibility were given to these worldly people, they would be destroyed. When they cannot manage their personal and worldly affairs, how could they handle the sacred responsibility of managing religious matters and prophethood?
نحن قسمنا All matters depend on Allah’s distribution; one should not rely on their own efforts in seeking the world but should rely on Allah Almighty’s help after all avenues are cut off.
فاعتبر نحن قسمنا بينهم . . . تلقه حقا و بالحق نزل
Learn a lesson from (We have apportioned among the people), this is the truth, you will find it correct ورحمة ربك خير مما يجمعون Your Lord’s mercy is better than their worldly wealth. Mercy here means prophethood and the felicity of the two worlds, which is far better than these worldly temporary blessings. Therefore, the great one is he who is blessed with divine mercy; the wealth of this perishable world does not make anyone great. But unfortunately, even today in the world, the standard of honor and greatness is considered the same old false customs, and even today wealth is preferred over knowledge, and riches over morals, and the worldly ignorant are considered superior to the poor scholars. Someone rightly said:
رب علم اضاعه عدم المال . . . وجهل عطي عليه النعم
How much knowledge has been wasted by poverty… and how many ignorances have been covered by blessings.
Considering the Poor as Inferior
The people of ignorance used to consider the poor and needy very contemptible. Allah Almighty has mentioned them in detail in Surah Al-An’am:
وَأَنذِرْ بِهِ الَّذِينَ يَخَافُونَ أَن يُحْشَرُوا إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ لَيْسَ لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِ وَلِيٌّ وَلَا شَفِيعٌ لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ ٭ وَلَا تَطْرُدِ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ مَا عَلَيْكَ مِنْ حِسَابِهِم مِّن شَيْءٍ وَمَا مِنْ حِسَابِكَ عَلَيْهِم مِّن شَيْءٍ فَتَطْرُدَهُمْ فَتَكُونَ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
“And do not drive away those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His face. Not upon you is any blame concerning them, nor upon them is any blame concerning you, so would you drive them away and thus be of the wrongdoers?”
Allah Almighty commanded to frighten the people mentioned in the verse so that perhaps they would be influenced and join the pious, but He also stated that this does not mean to drive them away.
In the exegesis of these verses, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Al-Tabarani narrated from Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that a group of Quraysh passed by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) when Suhaib, Ammar, Bilal, Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with them) and other poor Muslims were sitting with him. The Quraysh group pointed towards these people and said: “Muhammad! Do you only love these among your people? Has Allah favored them over us? Should we follow such people? It is better that you remove them from your presence so that we may follow you.” At that moment, these two verses were revealed.
Ibn Jarir and Al-Bayhaqi narrated from Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with him) that Iqra’ ibn Habis Al-Tamimi and ‘Uyna ibn Hisn Al-Fazari came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) where Bilal, Suhaib, Ammar (may Allah be pleased with them) and other poor Muslims were sitting. Seeing them, they burned with contempt and took the Prophet aside, saying: “We want you to make a separate gathering for us, where we can sit with you away from these people, so that the Arabs will recognize our status, because the Arab delegations always come to you, and seeing us sitting with these slaves embarrasses us. So when we come to you, remove these people from the gathering, and when we leave, you may sit with them.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Okay.” Then these people requested a written statement on this matter. The Prophet called Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) with paper, and we were sitting aside when Jibril (peace be upon him) descended with these verses. Then the Prophet called us and recited this verse:
سلام عليكم كتب ربكم على نفسه الرحمه Your Lord has decreed mercy upon Himself. After that, it became a habit that we would sit in the gathering, and when the Prophet wanted to rise, he would leave us and rise. Then this verse was revealed:
وَاصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ وَلَا تَعْدُ عَيْنَاكَ عَنْهُمْ تُرِيدُ زِينَةَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَلَا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُ عَن ذِكْرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُ فُرُطًا
“And keep yourself patiently with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His face; and let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life, and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever [in] neglect.”
After this, it became the habit of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to sit with us, and when it was time for him to rise, we would rise ourselves so that he would also rise.
Ibn Al-Mundhir narrated from Ikrimah that the nobles of the tribe of Banu Abd Manaf—Rabiah’s sons Utbah and Shaybah, Qaztah ibn Abd Amr ibn Nawfal, Harith ibn Amir ibn Nawfal, and Mut’im ibn Adi—went to Abu Talib and said: “If your nephew would remove these slaves from his presence when we are present, we would be very pleased and would have no excuse not to confirm and follow him.” Abu Talib conveyed this to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), upon which Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) advised that it would be better to act on this and see their reaction and how far they would uphold their words. At that time, these verses from وانذربه الذين يخافون to اليس الله باعلم بالشكرين were revealed.
Among these slaves and companions were Bilal, Ammar ibn Yasir, Salim Mawla Hudhayfah, Subaih Mawla Asir, and among the companions Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, Miqdad ibn Amr, Waqid ibn Abdullah, Amr ibn Abd Amr, and Murshid ibn Abu Marthad, etc.
Regarding the leaders of disbelief among Quraysh, their clients, and allies, وكذلك فتنا بعضهم ببعض was revealed. When these verses were revealed, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) began to apologize for his opinion, and then this verse واذا جاءك الذين يؤمنون باياتنا was revealed. In between, verse ما عليك من حسابهم من شيء was mentioned as an interjected phrase.
This clarifies that there is no need to remove the weak from your presence, nor should you be deceived by the words of these nobles, because no one’s responsibility is upon you, just as the elders of the people said to Prophet Nuh (peace be upon him): ما نراك اتبعك الا الذين هم اراذ لنا بادي الراي meaning “We see that most of your followers are of low status and weak intellect.”
The meaning is that you have no concern with the inner deeds and heartfelt faith of people to establish your judgment and actions based on what these polytheists say. As a Prophet, your duty is only to observe the outward condition and issue appropriate rulings accordingly, leaving the matters of the heart to Allah. Since the outward condition of these weak ones is that they engage in supplication and invocation before Allah morning and evening, judge based on these outward acts.
One meaning of ما عليك من حسابهم من شيء is also that why would you expel these poor Muslims at the indication of the polytheists? Is it your responsibility to remove their poverty and provide for them? And what harm comes to you from their poverty? The summary of the next detail is also that no one’s responsibility is upon you, nor can anyone bear another’s burden.
Angels, Revelation, Prophethood, and Denial of the Day of Judgment
The people of ignorance did not believe in angels, Allah’s books, His messengers, and the Day of Resurrection. Detailed discussions on this subject are available in books of Aqeedah, Hadith, and Tafseer, and there are many verses as well, for example:
زَعَمَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَن لَّن يُبْعَثُوا قُلْ بَلَىٰ وَرَبِّي لَتُبْعَثُنَّ ثُمَّ لَتُنَبَّؤُنَّ بِمَا عَمِلْتُمْ وَذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّـهِ يَسِيرٌ
“Those disbelievers think that they will not be resurrected. Say, ‘Yes, by my Lord, you will surely be resurrected; then you will be informed of what you did. And that is easy for Allah.’”
And these ignorant poems also destroy their belief:
يحدثنا الرسول بان سنحيا . . . وكيف حياه اصداء وهام
The Messenger says that we will be resurrected again… but how will the dead and skulls come to life?
Another said:
حياة ثم موت ثم نشر . . حديث خرافة يا ام عمرو
Life, then death, then rising again… O Umm Amr, this is nonsense.
Similarly, in Surah As-Saffat 16, 17 and Surah Al-Waqi’ah 47, 48, etc., the disbelievers of ignorance held the belief that:
اأَإِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا وَعِظَاماً أَإِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ أَوَ آبَآؤُنَا الأولون
“Will we, when we have died and become dust and bones, be resurrected? And will our forefathers?”
And it is said:
أَإِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا ۖ ذَٰلِكَ رَجْعٌ بَعِيدٌ
“When we have died and become dust, will we then be resurrected? That is impossible.”
We have already written much about the beliefs of the people of ignorance before this.
Belief in idols and Satan
Belief in idols and Satan and preferring the religion of the polytheists over the religion of the Muslims was also the way of the people of ignorance, as Allah Almighty says:
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا نَصِيبًا مِّنَ الْكِتَابِ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْجِبْتِ وَالطَّاغُوتِ وَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا هَـٰؤُلَاءِ أَهْدَىٰ مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا سَبِيلًا
“Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Scripture, who believe in idols and Satan and say about the disbelievers, ‘These are better guided than the believers’?”
A detailed discussion on this subject has already passed in Issue No. 50; here it is only intended to mention that the ignorant People of the Book used to say to the polytheists that you are more guided than the Muslims and your religion is better than the religion of Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his community.
Just as today so-called Sufis and extremist bigots say to the grave-worshippers’ scholars and innovators that you are better than the people of Tawheed and Sunnah. فيا للعجب
Deliberately Hiding the Truth
The people of ignorance deliberately hid the truth, as Allah Almighty has stated regarding the Jewish and Christian scholars of the Children of Israel, that they concealed the glad tidings and circumstances about the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, which were mentioned in their books. This discussion is very detailed in the book of Sheikh al-Islam Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, “Al-Jawab al-Sahih liman Badala Din al-Masih,” and it should be studied. No such comprehensive and rare book has been written.
Speaking about Allah without Knowledge
Speaking about Allah without knowledge is the root of misguidance and corruption. Many innovators among the theologians have said things about this for which there is no evidence in the Book and Sunnah, and they have made arbitrary interpretations of the texts of the Shariah, such as Fakhr al-Din al-Razi wrote in his book “Asas al-Taqdis.” May Allah reward Sheikh al-Islam Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, who refuted this and undermined its foundation, sealing Razi’s ignorance and misguidance and silencing him. Indeed, ولولا دفع الله الناس بعضهم ببعض لفسدت الارض if it were not that Allah repels some people by means of others, the whole earth would be filled with corruption.
Contradiction
Saying contradictory things was also a particular habit of the people of ignorance, as Allah Almighty says in Surah Qaf:
بَلْ كَذَّبُوا بِالْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ فَهُمْ فِي أَمْرٍ مَّرِيجٍ
“They denied the truth when it came to them, though it was in a state of instability.”
This is the condition of all extreme innovators who, while claiming Islam, act against the religion.
Practicing Fortune-telling and Similar Matters
Divination by sand, throwing dice, taking bad omens by throwing pebbles, taking bad omens from birds, believing in astrologers, accepting tyrants as rulers and taking decisions accordingly.
We have explained these issues in detail in our book بلوغ الادب فى الاحوال العرب and have clearly described these ignorant practices and superstitions of Muslims which are mistakenly considered acts of reward today. To understand the reality and truth of these matters, study the book “Iqtidha al-Sirat al-Mustaqim” by Sheikh al-Islam Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him.
