Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 1059 [Read full issue]
Prophet's Community
The Prophet (peace be upon him) highlighted certain actions and made it clear that a person who resorts to them does not belong to the Muslim community. These are actions that are treacherous, hostile or unbecoming. One such action that is universally known by all Muslims is cheating, because the Prophet says: 'Whoever cheats us does not belong to us'. [Muslim]
The Prophet also makes it clear that a person whose attitude is such as to try to cause injury to a group of believers does not belong to that community of believers. Abu Hurayrah reports that the Prophet said: 'Whoever bears arms against us does not belong to us'. [Bukhari]
This is easily understood because a person who carries arms against a group of people certainly has no love for them and does not consider himself as belonging to them even though he may be related to them by blood. This applies in a wider context, to one who carries arms against a group of Muslims, in his own community or in a different community, and is thus pronounced as not belonging to the community of Muslims, i.e. he is not a Muslim. How could he belong to them when he is ready to fight them with arms?
All these hadiths that place certain individuals outside the Muslim community point out certain odious, contemptible or evil practices which cannot be associated with the Prophet, his message, or Divine faith. Hence, the Prophet always described them as not belonging to him or to his community. Only what is good, respectable and beautiful belongs to him.
Compiled From:
"Al-Adab al-Mufrad with Full Commentary: A Perfect Code of Manners and Morality" - Adil Salahi