LESSON FIFTEEN | 40 Ahâdeeth | Arba’een | of Imaam Nawawi رحمة الله عليه

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 • LESSON FIFTEEN •

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Lessons from Ahâdeeth Shareef by Moulana Naeem Motala  | Commentary on 40 Ahâdeeth | Arba’een | of Imaam Nawawi رحمة الله عليه with emphasis on perfecting one’s character

 

|   LESSON FIFTEEN   |


اَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنُؤمِنُ بِهِ وَ نَتَوَ كَّلُ عَلَيهِ ، وَنَعُوْذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُوْرِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ ، وَنَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ ، وَنَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَناَ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

Verily all praise is for Allah, we praise Him and seek His aid and ask for His forgiveness and we believe in Him and we place our trust upon Him, and we seek refuge with Allah from the evils of ourselves and our evil actions. Whomsoever Allah guides there is none who can misguide him, and whomsoever Allah misguides there is none who can guide him, and we bear witness that none has the right to be worshiped except Allah alone, having no partner, and we bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger

اَللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِناَ مُحَمَّدٍ ، وَعَلَى آلِ سَيِّدِناَ مُحَمَّدٍ وَبَارِكْ وَسَلِّمْ

Allahumma Salli ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammad Wa’ala Aali Sayyidina Muhammadin Wa Baarik Wa Sallim | Oh Allah shower blessings and peace upon our Master Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam and upon the family of Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam


|  HADITH 14  |

Honouring a Muslim

: عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم

لَا يَحِلُّ دَمُ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ [يشهد أن لا إله إلا الله، وأني رسول الله] إلَّا بِإِحْدَى ثَلَاثٍ: الثَّيِّبُ الزَّانِي، وَالنَّفْسُ بِالنَّفْسِ، وَالتَّارِكُ لِدِينِهِ الْمُفَارِقُ لِلْجَمَاعَةِ

[رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ] ، [وَمُسْلِمٌ]

Hazrat Abdullah ibn Mas’ood Radiallahu Anhu narrates that Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said :

“It is not permissible [legal] to spill the blood of a Muslim [who bears testimony to the fact that there is no god but Allah, and I am the Messenger of Allah] except in three [instances] : the married person who commits adultery ; a life for a life [ie: for murder] ; and one who forsakes his religion and separates from the community.”

[Saheeh Buhkaari] [Saheeh Muslim]

. . . 

|  BRIEF EXPLANTION  |

 

Human life is most valuable. Islam stresses on the value and importance of human life, especially that of a Muslim. A Muslim’s life must not be threatened unless it is under lawful circumstances, ie: when a serious violation of the Shari’ah has occurred.

  • In a Hadith, Hazrat Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri Radiallahu Anhu and Hazrat Abu Hurairah Radiallahu Anhu narrated that Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said :

لَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ السَّمَاءِ وَأَهْلَ الأَرْضِ اشْتَرَكُوا فِي دَمِ مُؤْمِنٍ لأَكَبَّهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي النَّارِ

 “If all the inhabitants of the heavens and the inhabitants of the the earth participate in shedding the blood of believer [murdering a Muslim], Allah will cast them all [face-down] into Jahannum.[Tirmidhi]

 

  • In another Hadith, Hazrat Abdullah bin ‘Amr Radiallahu Anhu narrated that Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said :

لَزَوَالُ الدُّنْيَا أَهْوَنُ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ قَتْلِ رَجُلٍ مُسْلِمٍ

 “The destruction of the entire Universe is lighter and insignificant on Allah, in comparison to the destruction of a single Muslim.[Tirmidhi]

Before the arrival of Islam, human life had no value. A person was easily killed for various reasons eg: revenge; tribal warfare; newborn females were killed and even buried alive [because she was considered to be a shame upon her father].

Islam is a peaceful religion that has established rules, to safeguard and respect the life of every person, to live peacefully together without any lives being threatened. Measures have been set up in Islam to minimize occurrences wherein a person’s life is wrongfully taken away, except in exceptional cases [where the taking of a human life is allowed].

It is not legal [permissible] to kill a Muslim except in one of these three [exceptional] instances, to show that the blood of a Muslim is valued and treasured by Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala. This Hadith was also mentioned by Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam in the farewell Hajj, to re-emphasize that a Muslims blood is most sacred in the eyes of Allah.

Islam wishes to avoid any kind of violence, blood-shed, injustice. The punishments that Allah Subhaanahu Wa Ta’ala has set-out [through various laws in Islam] are measures to protect society and community. These are precautionary measures to ensure that evil acts are minimized.

Islam promotes good values and encourages chastity via legal relationships [marriage] between men and women, and discourages Zinna [adultery] or any acts that lead to violence and evil. Therefore, one of the exceptional cases mentioned in this Hadith of Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, [where a life can be taken], is when a person commits Zinna [adultery], with the punishment being that the person is stoned to death.

The second instance being, when a person unjustly kills someone else, then the family [of the person killed] has the right to take revenge upon the person who committed the murder.

The third instance being, when a person becomes an apostate [renounces the religion of Islam].

A persons life can be taken in these three instances. However, for someone’s blood and life to be taken, is an important issue and not something one can take upon one’s own hands, nor something that is decided by mere opinion. These are established through textual sources through Qur’aan and Hadeeth and given as a ruling by a Muslim judge, in an Islamic country.