“For the one who gives up arguing…”

Abu Umamah al-Bahili رضي الله عنه narrated that the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

أنا زعيم بيت في رَبَضِ الجنة لمن ترك المراء وإن كان مُحِقَّا، وبيت في وسط الجنة لمن ترك الكذب وإن كان مازحًا، وبيت في أعلى الجنة لمن حَسُن خلقه

I am the leader of a house in Paradise. I guarantee a house in Jannah for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right; and I guarantee a home in the middle of Jannah for one who abandons lying even if he is joking; and I guarantee a house in the highest part of Jannah for one who has good manners.”

[Abu Da’wud, 4800; also found in ‘Tahdhib al-Kamal’, 3/498; ‘Mu’jam al-Kabeer’, 7488; ‘al-Bayhaqi’, 10/249 and others – graded as Hasan by al-Albani in ‘Saheeh al-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb’, 6/3; and Ibn Baz in ‘Khashiyah Buloogh al-Maraam’, 810]

This hadeeth guidance and goodness in directing people towards building sublime characters and in dealing with people; along with the respective rewards attached to that.

وَلَا تُجَادِلُوا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ
“And argue not with the people of the Scripture, unless it be in (a way) that is better…” [Al-Ankaboot: 46]

وَلَا تُجَادِلْ عَنِ الَّذِينَ يَخْتَانُونَ أَنفُسَهُمْ
“And argue not on behalf of those who deceive themselves…” [An-Nisaa’: 107]

In regards to explaining or clarifying the Sunnah, Imam Ahmad was asked:

“I sometimes find myself in a gathering where the Sunnah is mentioned, and I have more knowledge of it. Shall I speak up and say something?’ Imam Ahmad replied: ‘State what the Sunnah is, but do not argue over it’. The man then repeated his statement and so Imam Ahmad said: ‘I only see you to be an argumentative man!”

And this is what Imam Malik meant in his saying (after one has informed the people of the Sunnah), “And if they don’t accept it from you, then be silent.”

[‘Al-Adab al-Shar’iyyah’, Ibn Muflih, p. 307]

110 Ahadith Qudsi

Some Ahadith hold a distinct place and are termed as Ahadith Qudsi (Sacred Ahadith) and the authority in these Ahadith is attributed to Allah through the Prophet (S). This is a collection of 110 such Ahadith.

Hadith no: 1
Narrated / Authority of: Abu Dhar
Allah’s Messenger said that Allah said: He who comes with a good deed, its reward will be ten like that or even more. And he who comes with vice, his reward will be only one like that, or I can forgive him. He who draws close to Me a hand’s span, I will draw close to him an arm’s length. And whoever draws near Me an arm’s length, I will draw near him a fathom’s length. And whoever comes to Me walking, I will go to him running. And whoever faces Me with sins nearly as great as the earth, I will meet him with forgiveness nearly as great as that, provided he does not worship something with me. (This Hadith is sound and reported by Muslim, Ibn Majah and Ahmad in his Musnad). Another prophetic tradition says: (He who met Allah associating anything with Him, will enter Hell) (Muslim)

Hadith no: 2
Narrated / Authority of: Abu Said Al-Khudri
Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: None of you will have argued for his right in the world more vehemently than the believers who will do with their Lord about their brethren who were admitted into Hell. The Prophet (SAW) added: They will say: O Lord! Our brethren used to offer prayers with us, observe fast with us and perform pilgrimage (Hajj) with us. But You cast them into fire. The Prophet (SAW) further said: Allah will say: Go and bring out whoever you know from amongst them. The Prophet (SAW) said: The believers will come to them and recognize them by face. Some of them will be those the fire would have seized up to half of their shanks and some of them up to their ankles. They will bring them and say: O Lord! We have taken out those for whom you gave us order. Then the Prophet (SAW) said: Allah will say: Bring out whoever has in his heart any belief weighing a Dinar (a coin). Then He will say: Take out whoever has in his heart the belief weighing half a Dinar until He will say: Take out whoever has in his heart the belief that equals the weight of an atom. (This Hadith is sound and reported by Nasai and Ibn Majah). After narrating this Hadith, Abu Sa’id said: He who does not accept it as true should read this verse: “Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases, and whoever sets up partners with Allah in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin.” (4:48)

Hadith no: 3
Narrated / Authority of: Abu Huraira
that Prophet (SAW) Muhammad said: On the Day of Resurrection, Ibrahim (Abraham) will see his father Azar (in such a pitiable condition) that his face will be dark and covered with dust. Then Ibrahim will remind him: Did I not warn you against denying me? His father will reply: Today I will not deny you. Then, Ibrahim will say: 0 Lord! You have promised not to disgrace me on the Day of Resurrection. So what will be more disgraceful to me than my wretched father. Allah will say: I have forbidden Paradise for disbelievers. Then it will be said: 0 Ibrahim, Look! what is underneath your feet? He will look and see his father as a Hyena besmeared with dirt caught by the legs and thrown into Hell. Due to infidelity, Azar will not be forgiven inspite of his son Ibrahim’s intercession for him and he will be transformed into an animal and cast into Hell. It also proves that the pagans whoever they are by kinship, will be forbidden from entering Paradise for ever. They will remain in Hell and suffer the agonies of torment which they had been frightened of by the Messengers of Allah at different times.

Hadith no: 4
Narrated / Authority of: Anas bin Malik
on the authority of the Prophet (SAW), who said: Allah (SWT) will say to the least tormented person among the people of Hell on the Day of Resurrection: Do you have any thing on earth, that you would give as a ransom (to protect yourself against the torment of Fire)? He will say: Yes. Then Allah will say: While you were in the backbone of Adam, I had demanded you much less than that, i.e. to associate nothing with Me; but you declined and worshipped others besides Me. (This Hadith is sound and reported by Bukhari and Muslim). This Hadith concludes that a believer with his sins covering the entire globe will be forgiven so long as he does not associate partners to Allah.

Hadith no: 5
Narrated / Authority of: Mahmud bin Labid
Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) said: The most dreadful thing which I fear about you is minor polytheism. The companions asked: What is the minor polytheism? He said: It is hypocrisy; and he added that on the Day of Judgment, when rewarding people for their deeds, Allah (SWT) will say to the hypocrites: Go to those for the sake of whom you used to perform good deeds; and see whether you can get any reward from them. (This Hadith is sound and mentioned in Musnad Ahmad).

Quraysh of the Hollow

MUHAMMAD

his life based on the earliest sources

By Martin Lings

OTHER of the most powerful Arab tribes of Abrahamic descent was Quraysh; and about four hundred years after Christ, a man of Quraysh named Qusayy married a daughter of Hulayl who was then chief of Khuza’ah, Hulayl preferred his son-in-law to his own sons, for Qusayy was outstanding amongst Arabs of his time, and on the death of Hulayl, after a fierce battle which ended in arbitration, it was agreed that Qusayy should rule over Mecca and be the guardian of the Ka’bah.

He thereupon brought those of Quraysh who were his nearest of kin and settled them in the valley, beside the Sanctuary -his brother Zuhrah; his uncle Taym; Makhzum, the son of another uncle; and one or two cousins who were less close. These and their posterity were known as Quraysh of the Hollow, whereas Qusayy’s more remote kinsmen settled in the ravines of the surrounding hills and in the countryside beyond and were known as Quraysh of the Outskirts. Qusayy ruled over them all as king, with undisputed power, and they paid him a tax every year on their flocks, so that he might feed those of the pilgrims who were too poor to provide for themselves. Until then the keepers of the Sanctuary had lived round it in tents. But Qusayy now told them to build themselves houses, having already built himself a spacious dwelling which was known as the House of Assembly.

All was harmonious, but seeds of discord were about to be sown. It was a marked characteristic of Qusayy’s line that in each generation there would be one man who was altogether pre-eminent. Amongst Qusayy’s four sons, this man was’Abdu Manaf, who was already honoured in his father’s lifetime. But Qusayy preferred his first-born, ‘Abd ad-Dar, although he was the least capable of all; and shortly before his death he saidto him: “My son, I will set thee level with the others in despite of men’s honouring them more than thee. None shall enter the Ka’bah except thou open it for him, and no hand but thine shall knot for Quraysh their ensign of war, nor shall any pilgrim draw water for drink in Mecca except thou give him the right thereto, nor shall he eat food except it be of thy providing, nor shall Quraysh resolve upon any matter except it be in thy house.”[ LL 83. Throughout this book, everything between quotation marks has been translated from traditional sources.]

Muslims Explore America

Muslims have exerted a great and largely unrecognized impact on American society, beginning with their exploration of America more than 300 years prior to the “discovery” of the “New World” by Christopher Columbus.

The Muslim explorers accessed the interior of the continent by using the Mississippi River. The traces of their early presence may be found in the architecture and calligraphy of towns such as St. Augustine, Florida (America’s oldest town), in the names of islands such as Islamadora, and in the customs of the American Indians.

Some little known but very intriguing statistics follow:

In 1178, a Chinese document known as the Sung Document records the voyage of Muslim sailors to a land known as Mu-Lan-Pi (America). This document is mentioned in The Khotan Amirs, published in 1933.

Abu Bakari, a Muslim king from the Malian Empire, leads a series of nautical voyages to the New World in 1310.

In 1312, African Muslims from Mandinga arrive in the Gulf of Mexico and explore the American interior via the Mississippi River.

1513, Piri Reis completes his first world map, including the Americas, after researching maps from all over the world. The map is unsurpassed in its practicality and artistry.

1530, African slaves arrive in America. More than 10 million were uprooted from their homes and brought to America, and more than 30 percent of these were Muslim. These slaves formed the backbone of American economy.

In 1539, Estevanico of Azamor, a Muslim from Morocco, lands in Florida and becomes the first Muslim to cross the American continent At least two states owe their beginnings to this Muslim, Arizona and New Mexico.

A Mujaddid (reviver of Islam) will come in every Century

• Allah’s Apostle said, “There will always be in my nation a group who will safeguard the truth until the day of resurrection comes” (Hakim Mustadrak)
• The Holy Prophet said, “Allah shall send for this Ummah at the head of every hundred years a person who shall revive their religion for them” ( Abu Dawood, Hakim, Baihaqi)
• The Holy Prophet said, “The scholars are the inheritors of the prophets”.(Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, Nasai, Ibn Maja, Ahmad, Ibn Hibban)

The Meaning Of The Word Mujadid

Mufti Taqi Uthmani

Q. “I would like to learn the meaning of the words Mujaddid and Tajdeed.
i) How have these words been used in Hadith?
ii) Is it true that one Mujaddid will appear at the beginning of every century after Hijrah?
iii) Can there be more than one Mujaddid in a century? If yes, then, is there a pattern of geographical dispersion of Mujaddids, or time dispersion?
iv) Can Mujaddid be identified by common Muslim? By scholars? If yes how?

A. The word Mujaddid has been derived from a well-known hadith reported by Imam Abu Dawood in his sunan, one of the six Authentic Books of Hadith. The text of the Hadith is as follows:

“Surely, Allah will send for this ummah at the advent of every one hundred years a person (or persons) who will renovate its religion for it.”

One of the narrators of this hadith is slightly doubtful about whether this hadith is reported by Sayyidna Abu Huraira as a saying of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi Wassallam) or as his own saying, though he affirms it as a saying of the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi Wassallam) “to the best of his knowledge”. But even if it is held to be a saying of Abu Hurairah himself, he could not have predicted this happening with such certainty unless he had learnt it from the Holy Prophet (Sallallaho Alaihi Wassallam). For this reason the scholars of hadith have taken it as an authentic hadith.

The act of “renovation of the religion” mentioned in this hadith has been referred to by the word Tajdeed. It means the restoration of the original beliefs and practices after their being changed, distorted or forgotten. The hadith indicates to the fact that some circles from within the Ummah may forget the original teachings of the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah, and some foreign elements may creep into the original beliefs and practices. But the distorted version of Shari’ah, based on such foreign elements will not achieve the universal acceptance among the Muslims, and even if it succeeds in attracting a large number of people, Allah will send a person or a number of persons who will correct the error, restore the original beliefs and practices and explain the true intent of Shari’ah. This act of renovation is called Tajdeed, and those who carry out this remarkable work are named as Mujaddid (renovator).

It is mentioned in the hadith that such people normally apppear at the advent of a new century. The Arabic word used for the time of their appearance may also admit the possibility of their appearance at the end of a century, but the first meaning seems to be more probable in the context of the hadith. The word advent does not necessarily mean that hey appear in the very first year of a new century. No such definite time has been given in the hadith. They can appear within the first or second decade of a century. The construction of the hadith has two possibilities with regard to the number of the renovators. There may be only one person who undertakes the task at the beginning of a century, and there may be more than one person whose efforts, as combined together, may be termed as the efforts of tajdeed. They may work in different geographical divisions without having a formal relation between them or, possibly, without knowing each other. Still the work carried out by them can be termed as Tajdeed.