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nd that is the death of the leader of the munafiqun Abdullah ibn Ubay ibn Salool
. Probably around one month after Tabuk, ibn Salool felt sick and they realised
he was about to die. And he requested the prophet PBUH to visit him on his death
bed. Who is Abdullah ibn Ubay ibn Salool? He was going to be one of the main le
aders of Madinah pre Islam, and he was the senior most politician who was alive
when the prophet PBUH immigrated to Madinah (Yathrib). The other leaders had eit
her been killed in the wars of Buath, OR after the coming of the prophet PBUH th
ey fled within a year or two. So eventually the only senior elderly leader is Ab
dullah ibn Ubay ibn Salool. He embraced Islam after the battle of Badr as this w
as when the final idolators had to leave or accept Islam. He was the last batch
of people to convert. After Badr there was no choice: you either accept Islam or
leave Madinah. So he accepted Islam with the last batch of converts, he didn't
want to but he was forced to. And he showed us his true colours at Uhud - he tur
ned back with 1/3 of the army and abandonded the prophet PBUH. What was his excu
se? He criticised the prophet PBUH for not listening to him i.e. "you didn't lis
ten to me, so I'm not fighting for you". So he felt he was the leader above the
prophet PBUH, and this is kuffar in and of itself. And what did he do in Ahzab?
He tried to terrify the muslims, and he himself was genuinely terrified. And he
wanted somehow to get out and make some type of treaty. So he would go around th
e sahaba and keep on telling them "can't you see how many people are here aren't
you terrified?" etc. So he went around trying to make the sahaba scared. What d
id Allah say in the Quran? "Their (the sahaba) imaan went up". Had he actually c
ooperated with the Banu Quraydha or Quraysh, it's clear treason and he would hav
e been executed.
After this came the big incident - the slander of Aisha RA. Right before the sla
nder in the incident of Banu Mustaliq, Allah revealed surah Munafiqun. One of th
e worst things he did was that he publically said "when we return back to Madina
h, the people of honour will expel the people of lowliness". He met himself by '
honour' and the prophet PBUH by 'ajal' i.e. lowly people. And again this is pure
kuffar. And what happened on the way back? His son, Abdullah ibn Abdullah ibn U
bay ibn Salool, who was a true believer, when he heard his father said this, he
did not allow his own father to enter back into the city until ibn Salool went t
o the prophet PBUH and asked forgiveness. On more than one occasion Umar RA had
asked permission to execute Abdullah ibn Ubay ibn Salool but the prophet PBUH ke
pt on saying "let him be" or sometime "Allah did not ask me to open up the heart
s of men" or "let not others say Muhammad kills his own followers". So there is
a PR move that his pretending to be muslim is less harmful than executing him. A
nd of course one of his worst crimes was beginning the slander of Aisha RA. And
again Allah explicitly condones him in the Quran in surah Nuh. And Allah says "t
his is the one who took charge/the most arrogant of them". Allah uses a very har
sh word to describe him. And of course there was no witnesses to testify against
him, but Allah says He will take care of him in the next world with a harsh pun
ishment.
This is Abdullah ibn Ubay ibn Salool, and his entire CV is one evil of another.
So when he was on his deathbed he begged the prophet PBUH to visit him. And its
amazing to see the psychology of the munafiqun, that
at some level they believed in Allah. At another level they are too arrogant to
worship him. In this they have some type of similarity with iblees, and this is
why munafiqs are worse than a normal kaafir. The regular kaafir dosen't know Al
lah or Islam or dosen't believe in it. But the munafiq knows Islam; at some leve
l they believe in Allah yet they don't act. Indeed why does he want to the proph
et PBUH to visit him? He even says "ask forgiveness for me" - at some level ther
e is knowledge that Allah is his creator, yet at another level he is too arrogan
t to actually sumbit to Allah and His messenger. This is why Allah says in the Q
uran the munafiqun will occpuy the lowest depths of Hell. That is why, when the
call came to visit him, Umar RA asked "Ya RasulAllah will you visit such an enem
y of Allah?" So the prophet PBUH said "I hope that through him Allah will cause
(many) people to embrace Islam". This shows us again Islam takes into account th
prophet PBUH did not defend Abullah ibn Ubay when Umar RA s
of Allah". Rather the prophet PBUH said "I hope by this vis
of other men" i.e. there is a greater good. So you must wei
and look at what is better overall for the ummah.
There are two reports: one report is Abdullah ibn Ubay himself asked the prophet
PBUH for his shirt as a kuffin. The more authentic report is that after he died
his son asked the prophet PBUH for his shirt. It could be both are valid. In an
y case what is clear that the prophet PBUH actually did give his shirt; and this
is an example of baraqah. Further the son asked the prophet PBUH to lead the ja
nazah salah. So the body was brought to the masjid, and when the prophet PBUH st
ood up, Umar RA held on to his lower garment and said "Ya RasulAllah will you pr
ay for him after he's done etc" and Umar listed a whole long of evils. And then
Umar said "and even after Allah has prohibited you for praying for them". This s
hows us the level of comfort Umar RA felt with the prophet PBUH, for him to actu
ally remind the prophet PBUH of a verse of the Quran. This also shows us that th
e leader can be politely challenged. Umar RA is just saying "I don't understand
how can you pray for him?" And the prophet PBUH said "Rather Allah has given me
a choice and I've chosen to ask" and he quoted surah Tawbah verse 80. This shows
us much of the surah had been revealed already. So this verse says "seek forgiv
eness or don't seek forgiveness". So this is a choice given by Allah to the prop
het PBUH. Then Allah says "if you were to ask 70 times, Allah won't forgive"; so
the prophet PBUH said "If I knew 71 times would have forgiven them, I would hav
e done that". Then the prophet PBUH prayed, and in at-Thabari its mentioned the
prophet PBUH himself went into the grave and helped bury this man who was such a
n enemy. This shows us you don't want the fire of hell for even your worst enemy
. So the prophet PBUHs mercy and tenderness was so much he even wanted ibn Ubay
to be forgiven.
Then, after this incident, Allah revealed verse 84 in which Allah says "Never pr
ay for any of them who dies and never stand at their grave". Why? Because the pr
ophet PBUH stood at the grave of ibn Ubay, and he made a long dua for him as was
his custom. After he did it for ibn Ubay, then Allah said "if a known munafiq d
ies you cannot pray for him". For us this verse is not applicable because we do
not know who is a munafiq. But for the prophet PBUH, and Jibreel AS had told him
the names of the munafiqs as we know; after this, the prophet PBUH was told "ne
ver ever pray for these people or stand at their graves. They are kuffar". With
this incident we conclude all the events of Tabuk. We will now discuss Surah Taw
bah, and its a very long surah; 2/3 of it deals with Tabuk so we cannot possible
cover all these verses. Also note the first 37 verses were revealed later on in
a few months (in Dhul Qa'da of the 9th year).
Now, of course surah Tawbah is the only surah which does not 'Bismillah...' at t
he start. It's also one of the last surahs to be revealed, beacuse we are alread
y in the 9th year of the Hijrah. There is literally one year left. So this is on
e of the last to be revealed. Why is there no Bismillah? There are two opinions
narrated from the sahaba:
1. First is a hadith in Sunan Tirmidhi, that Uthman ibn Uffan, the compiler of t
he mushaf was asked "Oh Ameer al Mu'mineen why is there no Bismillah and why did
you put Tawbah in its place (i.e. after Anfal when its early Madinah, and Tawba
h is late Madinah)"? So Uthman said "Tawbah was one of the last revealed; and th
e matter was unclear to us where it should go. Therefore we put it with Anfal be
cause the content is the same. And we did not put a 'Bismillah' not knowing if t
he two are connected or not". Because of this some of the tabioon actually said
Tawbah and Anfal are one surah. Remember the sahaba did not write the names of t
he surah inside the mushaf, nor did they write the ayah numbers. Therefore some
of the tabioon understood Tawbah and Anfal are one surah, so there are reports t
here are 113 surahs in the Quran - not because a surah is missing, but because t
hey've joined Anfal and Tawbah. This is reported by Kitaada, the student of ibn
Abbass. But this is a position hardly anyone else agreed with; the bulk of the u
mmah, and what has become the ijmah, is that Anfal and Tawbah are two seperate s
urah.
This also raises the question of who did the ordering of the surah? It appears i
t was the sahaba. The ordering of the verses everyone agrees the prophet PBUH di
d that. There is a famous german orientalist, Angelica Newath, and her specialit
y is the Quran and the harmony and structure of the Quran. And she actually has
some very unique research of analysing the melody and rhyme of the surahs. And s
he's shown there is an internal structure of ryhme and harmony. The point is, th
e arrangment of the verses are from Allah; but the arrangement of the surahs is
something that has been contraversial. Allah knows best but it appears to be the
sahaba who did this. The evidence for this is that every sahabi who had his own
Quran arranged the surahs differently. But once Uthman standardised it, then it
became binding on us to follow the set arrangement to respect the ijma' of Uthm
ans compilation.
2. This leads to the second opinion narrated from Ali RA. He was asked by one of
his sons "why is there no Bismillah?" And Ali RA said "this is a surah wherein
Allah cuts off his ties with the pagans; it is not befitting he begins it with m
ercy". The very first line "Baraa..." means to completely cut off. So it is not
befitting. And the rest of the surah is very harsh, so again it's not befitting
the surah begins with mercy.
As we said the first 37 verses were revealed later right before the hajj. Let us
move to verse 38 which deals with Tabuk.
38. O you who have believed, what is [the matter] with you that, when you are to
ld to go forth in the cause of Allah , you adhere heavily to the earth? Are you
satisfied with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But what is the
enjoyment of worldly life compared to the Hereafter except a [very] little.
Here begins the severe warning to go forth. And these verses are very powerful v
erses of Jihad, but they need to be put in the correct contexts. It is unislamic
for any muslim to take this verse and apply it to his paticular cause. Allah is
referring to the battle of Tabuk; to take it and apply to oneself is dangerous.
39. If you do not go forth, He will punish you with a painful punishment and wil
l replace you with another people, and you will not harm Him at all. And Allah i
s over all things competent.
Here is a very explicit reference that the battle of Tabuk was simply a command
and test from Allah. There is no legitimate reason i.e. threat or danger as to w
hy the prophet PBUH went up north, but the reason is most likely a test to raise
the bar.
40. If you do not aid the Prophet - Allah has already aided him when those who d
isbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the c
ave and he said to his companion, "Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us." And
Allah sent down his tranquillity upon him and supported him with angels you did
not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of
Allah - that is the highest. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.
So Allah is referencing the Hijrah - and this is the verse that explicitly affir
ms Abu Bukr RA is a true sahabi. Anyone who denies that Abu Bukr is a sahabi has
contradicted the Quran, and therefore is not apart of Islam.
41. Go forth, whether light or heavy, and strive with your wealth and your lives
in the cause of Allah . That is better for you, if you only knew.
This is the most powerful verse about Tabuk. Allah is saying to GO whatever your
state is. This shows us Tabuk was fard ayn - once again the wisdom is to demost
rate who is the real believer to prepare them for the battles to take place with
in a year of the death of the prophet PBUH.
42. Had it been an easy gain and a moderate trip, the hypocrites would have foll
owed you, but distant to them was the journey. And they will swear by Allah , "I
f we were able, we would have gone forth with you," destroying themselves [throu
gh false oaths], and Allah knows that indeed they are liars.
Here begins the tyraid, criticisms of the munafiqun. That Allah exposes them as
liars.
43. May Allah pardon you, [O Muhammad]; why did you give them permission [to rem
ain behind]? [You should not have] until it was evident to you who were truthful
and you knew [who were] the liars.
This is a beautiful verse in the Quran in that Allah midly rebukes the prophet P
BUH but before He does He says first that "Allah has forgiven you, BUT why did y
ou...". This is a reference to when the prophet PBUH accepted any and all excuse
s from the munafiqun that "I'm not well" or "my family is.." and whatever excuse
was given, the prophet PBUH accepted. So Allah says to the prophet PBUH he shou
ld not have accepted the excuses.
44. Those who believe in Allah and the Last Day would not ask permission of you
to be excused from striving with their wealth and their lives. And Allah is Know
ing of those who fear Him.
How does this verse apply to us? Think about how many excuses we make when it co
mes to salah, Quran, praying in the masjid etc. Those with imaan do not give exc
uses
45. Only those would ask permission of you who do not believe in Allah and the L
ast Day and whose hearts have doubted, and they, in their doubt, are hesitating.
Here the prophet PBUH is being told to look at the preperations of those who has
given excuse.
46. And if they had intended to go forth, they would have prepared for it [some]
preparation. But Allah disliked their being sent, so He kept them back, and the
y were told, "Remain [behind] with those who remain."
47. Had they gone forth with you, they would not have increased you except in co
nfusion, and they would have been active among you, seeking [to cause] you fitna
h. And among you are avid listeners to them. And Allah is Knowing of the wrongdo
ers.
This is a very powerful verse - in it Allah is saying there are three types of p
eople: the first, the fitnah mongers, second those who hearts will be swayed by
the fitnah mongers. Third, those who won't be swayed by the fitnah mongers. This
shows us that there are people of weak hearts. The point is when we think of th
e sahaba we think of Abu Bukr, Umar, Ali etc and yes those are the elite. But le
t's not forget, for every known sahabi there is at least 1000 sahabi that are no
t known. And the reason is because they are not on that level. So even in the ti
me of the prophet PBUH people could be persuaded to do evil by the fitnah monger
s. So what do you think about our times? When someone comes with bad thoughts, t
here are those whose hearts will be swayed. So Allah is saying people who would
listen to such evil things, Allah saved the sahaba by not having them in the arm
y.
48. They had already desired dissension before and had upset matters for you unt
il the truth came and the ordinance of Allah appeared, while they were averse.
49. And among them is he who says, "Permit me [to remain at home] and do not put
me to trial." Unquestionably, into trial they have fallen. And indeed, Hell wil
l encompass the disbelievers.
The reference for this verse is for that person who said he can't go because the
Roman women would be too much temptation. The most flimisiest of excuses. You a
re fighting jihad on a battlefield - if you a women from miles away what will ha
ppen? Yet this is one of the excuses a munafiq gave. So this is what Allah is re
ferencing and He is mocking them.
50. If good befalls you, it distresses them; but if disaster strikes you, they s
ay, "We took our matter [in hand] before," and turn away while they are rejoicin
g.
So if good happens they are angry, but if a disaster falls they are happy and wi
ll say "you should have listened to us". This shows us if a muslim is happy when
Islam is smeared then he has no imaan. But if a muslim feels pain when Islam is
smeared this is a sign of imaan. This ayat proves this.
51. Say, "Never will we be struck except by what Allah has decreed for us; He is
our protector." And upon Allah let the believers rely.
This is one of the most powerful and beautiful verses in the surah.
52. Say, "Do you await for us except one of the two best things while we await f
or you that Allah will afflict you with punishment from Himself or at our hands?
So wait; indeed we, along with you, are waiting."
So Allah is saying the sahaba are winners in every situation: if they win they w
in, if they die they go to Jannah.
56. And they swear by Allah that they are from among you while they are not from
among you; but they are a people who are afraid.
57. If they could find a refuge or some caves or any place to enter [and hide],
they would turn to it while they run heedlessly.
Allah repeats this in surah Hashar.
58. And among them are some who criticize you concerning the [distribution of] c
harities. If they are given from them, they approve; but if they are not given f
rom them, at once they become angry.
59. If only they had been satisfied with what Allah and His Messenger gave them
and said, "Sufficient for us is Allah ; Allah will give us of His bounty, and [s
o will] His Messenger; indeed, we are desirous toward Allah ," [it would have be
en better for them].
This is a reference not to the battle of Tabuk, but the battle of Hunayn which t
ook place after the conquest of Mecca. When the bedouin leader went up to the pr
ophet PBUH and said "give me money". The leader of the neo-kharijites; and he wa
s also a munafiq because he outwardely said he's a muslim.
60. Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those emp
loyed to collect [zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for fr
eeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and
for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allah . And Allah is Kn
lah except in Him. Then He turned to them so they could repent. Indeed, Allah is
the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.
Here Allah says the remaining three are forgiven too.
Then Allah concludes by talking about those who people who weren't able to go but still they get the reward of those who went because of their intention. And
then Allah concludes the surah by reminding of the dangers of the hypocrites. An
d then the concluding two verses:
128. There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous
to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is k
ind and merciful.
129. But if they turn away, [O Muhammad], say, "Sufficient for me is Allah ; the
re is no deity except Him. On Him I have relied, and He is the Lord of the Great
Throne."
Recall we are in the 9th year of the Hijrah, in Dhul Qa'da. The next incident wi
ll be the hajj of Abu Bukr; then its one or two year of delegations and then its
the hajj of the prophet PBUH. The bulk of the Quran has been revealed already the laws of Islam are pretty much finalised, and Mecca has been solidified. Aft
er this one by one in these final years every single tribe in Arabia will embrac
e Islam. So we have a few lessons left and we'll come to end of the seerah.