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From Issue: 452 [Read full issue]

Living the Quran

Al-Tawbah (The Repentance)
Chapter 9: Verse 122 (Partial)

Understanding the Religion
".. so that they may understand the religion ..."

The term in the original for "understanding" has its root in "faqiha". Fiqh in Islamic literature is applied to the knowledge of the Shariah and what would help obtain it, such as the knowledge of the Arabic language, its grammar, or the knowledge of principles of Islam. (Shawkani)

Imam Ghazali has said that among the first generation of Muslims the word "fiqh" was used for:

  1. the knowledge of the Hereafter,
  2. knowledge of the things harmful to the soul,
  3. knowledge of those things that destroyed the good effects of deeds,
  4. the power to belittle this world,
  5. an impassioned desire to obtain the blessings of the next world, and
  6. the heart being overtaken by the fear of Allah.

It was not used then in the sense of knowledge of the rules of divorce, trade, renting out buildings, etc.

Hasan al-Busri once said, "A Faqih is someone who is not inclined to this world, rather, is inclined to the Hereafter, well aware of the quality of his religion, all the time devoted to his Lord, abstains from touching upon the honour of the Muslims, disinterested in their possessions, and always concerned of their welfare."

Source:
"Tafsir Ishraq Al-Ma'ani" - Syed Iqbal Zaheer
Understanding the Prophet's Life

Proxy Hajj

The majority of scholars agree that it is permissible to perform Hajj on behalf of others in the following two cases:

First, performing Hajj on behalf of a deceased person: It has been narrated by Ibn Abbas that a woman asked Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) if she should perform Hajj for her mother who had vowed to perform Hajj for the sake of Allah but died before fulfilling that vow. He said, "Perform Hajj for her. If she had a debt, you would have paid for her, wouldn't you?" She said, "Yes." He said, "So pay it. For Allah has more right to be paid" (Al-Bukhari).

It is also narrated by Ibn Abbas that a man asked the Prophet, "O Messenger of Allah, my father died and he has not performed Hajj. Can I perform Hajj on his behalf?" The Prophet replied, "Yes, for the debt to Allah has more right to be paid" (An-Nasai).

Second , performing Hajj on behalf of a sick person who is not expecting recovery or a person who is not able to handle the difficulties of the journey: It is narrated by Ibn Abbas that Al-Fadl ibn Abbas was riding [the mount] with the Prophet when a woman came to the Prophet and said, "O Messenger of Allah, the command of Allah to His slaves to perform Hajj has come when my father is an old man who cannot sit firmly in the saddle. Can I perform Hajj on his behalf?" He said, "Yes." and this was during the Prophet's farewell pilgrimage (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

It is also narrated by Abu Ruzayn Al-Uqayli (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said, "O Messenger of Allah, my father is an old man and he cannot perform Hajj and Umrah and cannot travel, can I perform Hajj on his behalf?" The Prophet said, "Perform Hajj and Umrah on behalf of your father" (An-Nasai).

Additionally, it is narrated by Abdullah ibn Al-Zubayr that a man came to the Prophet and said, "My father is an old man who cannot travel, and the command of Allah to perform Hajj has come. Can I perform Hajj on his behalf?" The Prophet replied, "Are you his eldest son?" The man said, "Yes." The Prophet asked, "If your father had a debt, would you have paid it for him?" The man said, "Yes." The Prophet said, "Then perform Hajj on his behalf" (Ahmad and An-Nasai).

Source:
Islamonline.net - Husam Al-Din ibn Musa `Afana
Blidspot!

Heresy

"You heretic! I swear by God, I will do you in!"

Who shouted these words? To whom were these words uttered?

It was the Abbasid Caliph al-Mahdî who said these words. He said them to none other then the illustrious and celebrated judge Shurayk b. `Abd Allah al-Nakha`î.

This word "heretic" – zindîq – How much grief and misery has been caused by it over the centuries? How much has it been abused and used for various ignoble ends?

"Heresy" – zandaqah – laws have been enacted about it. Books have been written on it. People have sought to describe it. Theologians have tried to define it. Nevertheless, Islam never came with it.

The word for it – zandaqah – was alien to the Arabic language during the early years of Islam. It is a Persian word. The concept that it communicates derives from Zoroastrian thought.

The ancient Persians had used the term zandaqah to describe those who interpreted their scriptures – the Avesta – contrary to their literal meanings. More particularly, the term was used to describe Mani and his followers the Manichaeans.

This term and the notion it refers to were initially alien to Islamic thought. Allah never makes reference to it in the Qur'ân. The Prophet (peace be upon him) never brought it in the Sunnah. It is not part of Islamic teachings.

The sacred texts speak of three categories of people. There are the Muslims, the unbelievers, and finally the hypocrites. As for the hypocrites, they are to be treated no differently than the Muslims in this world. Their fate rests with their Lord.

With respect to Islam, there are only believers and unbelievers. Allah says: "It is He who created you. Among you are those who disbelieve and those who believe."

The term "heretic" remained unknown to Islamic discourse during the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. It was also unheard of during the Ummayad Era. Only when the Abbasid dynasty ascended to power in the Muslim world did the term gain currency in Muslim society.

The popularity of this term during Abbasid times and the role that it played in Abbasid politics – in their staking their claims to power and in negating those of their opponents – indicates to us that the term might in fact be more political in nature than religious. This makes it a questionable and wasteful practice to try and derive religious teachings and edicts on the basis of this term – that is if we are trying to represent Islamic teachings authentically and accurately.

It is always best to keep our religious discourse upon the terms of Islam and avoid extraneous terms that, even when they turn out to be harmless, fail to make any useful contribution.

When new terminology is introduced into religious discourse, it is rarely adopted in a vacuum. Often there are political motives behind it – and those motives are often loaded with a variety of vested interests. In the case of the word zandaqah and the notion of heresy that it introduced, the motives were political. Sometimes they are sectarian or factional. They usually stem from one sort of conflict or another.

Therefore, it is often useful to investigate the historical origins of the terminology that people use. This can often help us get to the root of some deep-seated and long-lasting problems. When the underlying cause of the conflict is revealed, the problems can be resolved and the terminology of dissention and factionalism – that causes so much grief and misery for society – can be dispensed with.

Why should we let ourselves be divided by terminology we blindly inherited, saying: "This is what we found our forefathers of old upon." The guidance that Allah has given us is far greater than the ideological notions of our forefathers. Will we not take heed?

Source:
IslamToday.com - Hamid Al-Hamid

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