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Imam Malik one day entered the Masjid after
Asr. Towards the front of Masjid An-Nabawee
he drew closer and sat down. Rasul Allah
had commanded that anyone who enters the
Masjid should not sit until he first prays
2 rakas as a salutation of the Masjid.
Imam Malik was of the opinion however that
Rasul Allah's forbiddance of praying after
Asr took precedence and so he would teach
his students to not pray the tahiyyatul
Masjid if they entered between the Asr and
Maghrib time.
At that moment that Imam Malik sat down,
a young boy had seen him sit without first
praying the 2 raka's of Tahiyyatul Masjid.
The young boy scorned him, "Get up
and pray 2 rakas!"
Imam Malik dutifully stood up once again
and began praying the 2 rakas. The students
sat stunned: What was going on? Had Imam
Malik's opinion changed?
After he had completed the salah, the students
swarmed around and questioned his actions.
Imam Malik said, "My opinion has not
changed, nor have I gone back on what I
taught you earlier. I merely feared that
had I not prayed the 2 rakas as the young
boy commanded, Allah may include me in the
Ayah...
"And when it is said to them, 'Bow
(in prayer)', they do not bow." -
al mursalat 77/48.
Imam Ahmad held the opinion that eating
camel meat nullifies ones Wudhu, an opinion
that the majority of scholars differed from.
Some students asked him, "If you find
an Imam eating camel meat in front of you
and - without first making Wudu - then leads
the Salah, would you pray behind him?"
Imam Ahmad replied, "Do you think I
would not pray behind the likes of Imam
Malik and Sa'eed ibn Al-Musayyab?"
Allah created humans with differences.
It is the law of creation. Different tongues,
different colors, different cultures...all
that on the outside. On the inside, humans
were created with many degrees of knowledge,
intellect, and comprehension of concepts.
This is all a sign of Allah's all encompassing
power to do whatever He wills:
"And among His signs is the creation
of the heavens and the earth, and the
variations in your languages and your
colors: verily in that are signs for those
who know." [30:22]
Humans shall differ, that is not the issue.
The issue is: How as a Muslim should one
confront these differences of opinions and
what should be our relationship with someone
of a different opinion.
Allah ta'ala commanded us to call and advise
people in this Deen of Al-Islam. Many Muslims
set off on this mission blindfolded, not
realizing that the map was there in the
Qur'an also. In fact, in the very same verse
where Allah commanded us to call and advise
people in this Deen, Allah taught us how
to do it. Read the following verse carefully:
"Invite (fi'l Amr - Allah is commanding)
to the way of your Lord with wisdom and
good instruction and argue with them in
a way that is best! " - Surah An-Nahl
16/125.
There is no need to philosophize. No need
to talk in the flower gardens. It is right
there, plain and simple for anyone who would
take heed.
There in that Ayah are the three ingredients
to apply when we disagree with someone.
The same Allah that taught us to debate
the truth, taught us how to do it:
1 - With Hikmah (wisdom)
2 - With good instruction, and
3 - To argue in a way that is best.
What does it mean to have Hikmah when differing
with someone? The grandsons of Rasul Allah(saw)
once set one of the most beautiful examples
of Hikmah in advising others. Al-Hasan and
Al-Husayn - in their young age - once saw
a senior man performing Wudu incorrectly.
Together they arranged a plan to teach the
man without insulting him, advising him
in a manner befitting of his age.
Together they went to the senior and announced,
"My brother and I have differed over
who amongst us performs Wudu the best. Would
you mind being the judge to determine which
one of us indeed performs Wudu more correctly."
The man watched intently as the two grandsons
of Rasul Allah performed Wudu in an explicit
manner. After they had completed, he thanked
them and said, "By Allah, I did not
know how to perform Wudu before this. You
have both taught me how to do it correctly."
We must understand that there are two dimensions
to Hikmah. Firstly, there is the Hikmah
of knowledge - Hikmah Ilmiyyah. And secondly,
there is the Hikmah of Action - Hikmah Amaliyyah.
Some people may have Hikmah of knowledge.
But we see that when they try correcting
others, advising them, they lack the Hikmah
of Action. This causes many a common folk
to reject the Hikmah of knowledge.
To illustrate this hikmah of knowledge
without Hikmah of action, a brother once
completed the Salah in a local Masjid and
then proceeded to shake hands with the people
on his right and left. The brother to his
immediate right slapped his hand and snapped,
"That is not part of the Sunnah!"
The man replied most correctly, "Oh,
is disrespect and insult part of the Sunnah?"
Sincerity
One: If we differ, our intentions should
be that we are differing in the sincere
hope of coming away with the truth. Our
intentions should be sincere to Allah.
We should not differ just to release some
hate or envy in our heart. We should not
differ to embarrass someone like we may
have been embarrassed.
Rasul Allah said, "Whoever learns
knowledge - knowledge from that which should
be sought for the sake of Allah - only to
receive a commodity of the material world,
he shall not find the fragrance of jannah
on the day of resurrection." - An authentic
hadith narrated by Abu Dawood in Kitab Al-Ilm.
Kindness and Gentleness
Two: To have Hikmah when differing means
we should rarely depart from an atmosphere
of kindness and gentleness, we should seldom
allow ourselves to become angry and raise
our voices.
Fir'own (Pharaoh) was one of the evilest
people that lived. Musa was one of the noblest.
Look at how Allah told Musa to advise Fir'own...
"Go, both of you, to Fir'own. Indeed,
he has transgressed. And speak to him with
gentle speech, perhaps he may remember or
fear (Allah)."
A man once entered upon the Khalifah and
chastised him for some policies he had taken.
The Khalifah replied, "By Allah, Fir'own
was more eviler than me. And by Allah, Musa
was more pious than you. Yet, Allah commanded
him...'And speak to him with gentle speech,
perhaps he may remember or fear (Allah).'"
Take Your Time and Clarify
Three: To have Hikmah when dealing with
others is to be patient and clarify things
before snapping to conclusions.
Imam Ahmad narrates with his chain of narrators
leading to Ibn Abbas who said, "A man
from Bani Saleem passed by a group of the
Prophet's companions. (At that time of war)
The man said 'as salamu alaykum' to them.
The companions concluded that he only said
'as salamu alaykum' to them as a deception
to save himself from being caught. They
surrounded him and Malham ibn Juthaamah
killed him. From that event Allah revealed
the verse...
"O you who have believed, when you
go forth (to fight) in the cause of Allah,
investigate, and do not say to one who
gives you (a greeting of peace), "You
are not a believer," Aspiring for
the goods of worldly life; for with Allah
are many acquisitions. You (yourselves)
were like that before; then Allah conferred
His favor (i.e. guidance) upon you, so
investigate. Indeed, Allah is ever with
what you do, acquainted." - Surah
AnNisa, 4/94. From Tafseer Ibn Katheer.
Speak Kindly
Fourthly, never trade in kind words for
harshness, especially when dealing with
other Muslims.
Look at the power of a sincere and polite
word: Mus'ab ibn Umayr was the first of
ambassador of Rasul Allah in Madinah. Before
Rasul Allah had arrived in Madinah, Mus'ab
taught ahl al-Madinah about Islam and they
began to enter the Deen.
This enraged Sa'd ibn 'Ubaadah, one of
the chieftains of Madinah. He sheathed his
sword and set off for the head of Mus'ab
ibn 'Umayr. When he confronted Mus'ab he
threatened, "Stop this nonsense you
speak or you shall find yourself dead!"
Mus'ab replied in the way that should be
a lesson for us all. This man before him
did not stop at rudeness and ignorance,
he wanted to slit his throat.
Mus'ab said, "Shall you not sit and
listen for a few moments. If you agree with
what I say then take it, and if not, we
shall desist from this talk." Sa'd
sat down.
Mus'ab spoke about Allah and His messenger
until the face of Sa'd ibn Ubaadah's face
shone like a full moon and he said, "What
should a person do who wishes to enter into
this Deen?" After Mus'ab had told him
he said, "There is a man, if he accepts
this Deen, there shall be no home in Madinah
that will not become Muslim. Sa'd ibn Mu'aadh."
When Sa'd ibn Mu'aadh heard what was happening,
he was infuriated. He left his home to go
and kill this man called Mus'ab ibn Umayr
for the dissention he had caused. He entered
upon Mus'ab and announced, "You shall
desist of this religion you speak of or
you shall find yourself dead!"
Mus'ab replied, "Shall you not sit
and listen for a few moments. If you agree
with what I say then take it, and if not,
I shall desist from this talk." Sa'd
sat.
Mus'ab spoke about Allah and His messenger
until the face of Sa'd ibn Mu'aadh's face
shone like a full moon and he said, "What
should a person do who wishes to enter into
this Deen?"
Look at what a kind word did. Sa'd ibn
Mu'aadh went home to his Madinan tribe that
night and announced to them all, "Everything
of yours is Haram upon me until you all
enter into Islam."
That night, every home in Madinah went
to bed with Laa ilaaha illa Allah...all
because of a kind word.
Mu'aawiyah ibn al-Hakam al-Salami. When
he came to Madeenah from the desert, he
did not know that it was forbidden to speak
during the salaah. He relates: "Whilst
I was praying behind the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
a man sneezed, so I said 'Yarhamuk Allaah
(may Allaah have mercy on you).' The people
glared at me, so I said, 'May my mother
lose me! What is wrong with you that you
are looking at me?' They began to slap their
thighs with their hands, and when I saw
that they were indicating that I should
be quiet, I stopped talking (i.e., I nearly
wanted to answer them back, but I controlled
myself and kept quiet).
When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) had finished
praying - may my father and mother be sacrificed
for him, I have never seen a better teacher
than him before or since - he did not scold
me or hit me or put me to shame. He just
said, 'This prayer should contain nothing
of the speech of men; it is only tasbeeh
and takbeer and recitation of the Qur'aan.'"
(Saheeh Muslim, 'Abd al-Baaqi edn., no.
537).
Islam showed us how to differ with one
another. Some people think that we should
never differ at all and all disagreements
should be avoided. Nay, this is an incorrect
assumption, for the Qur'an and Sunnah show
clearly that when a mistake is made it should
be corrected. Indeed helping others do what
is right is a requirement of the Deen, sincere
Naseeha.
We see when Rasul Allah turned away from
AbdAllah ibn Umm Maktoom, the blind man,
Allah corrected him in the Qur'an...
"(The Prophet) frowned and turned
away, Because there came to him the blind
man But what could tell you that perchance
he might become pure (from sins)? Or that
he might receive admonition, and that
the admonition might profit him?"
- surah Abasa, 1-4
When Haatib ibn Abi Balta'ah (may Allaah
be pleased with him) made the mistake of
writing to the kuffaar of Quraysh and informing
them of the direction in which the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
was headed on a military campaign against
them, Allaah revealed the words:
"O you who believe! Take not My
enemies and your enemies as friends..."
- Surah Mumtahinah/1
And so on. Thus we learn that when a mistake
happens it should be corrected. However,
the method of correction is what needs our
attention. Whenever Muslims argue, it is
as if each party carries a banner of: 'I
must win and you must lose!' Careful study
of the Sunnah however shows us that this
is not always the case with the way Rasul
Allah acted. Consider the following examples:
"I lose and you win!"
A Bedouin came to Rasul Allah and told
him, "Give me from what Allah gave
you, not from the wealth of your mother
nor from the wealth of your father."
The Sahaabah were furious at the man and
step forward to discipline him for what
he said. Rasul Allah commanded everyone
to leave him.
Then by the hand, Rasul Allah took him
home, opened his door and said, "Take
what you wish and leave what you wish."
The man did so and after he completed, Rasul
Allah asked him, "Have I honored you?"
"Yes, by Allah," said the Bedouin.
"Ash hadu an laa ilaaha illa Allah,
wa ashhadu anna Muhammadar Rasul Allah."
(Meaning he embraced Islam)
When the Sahabah heard of how the man changed,
Rasul Allah taught them. "Verily the
example of myself, you and this Bedouin
is that of a man who had his camel run away.
The townspeople tried capturing the camel
for him by running and shouting after the
camel, only driving it further away. The
man would shout, 'Leave me and my camel,
I know my camel better.' Then he took some
grass in his hand, ruffled it in front of
the camel, until it came willingly.
'By Allah, had I left you to this Bedouin,
you would have hit him, hurt him, he would
have left without Islam and eventually have
entered hellfire."
"I win and you lose!"
A Muslim should not have an apologetic
stance to everything he is confronted with.
There are times when the truth must be said,
when there is no room for flattery.
When the Makhzoomi women - a women from
an affluent family - stole, people approached
Rasul Allah to have her punishment canceled.
Rasul Allah became very angry and stood
on the pulpit and announced, "By Allah,
had Fatima the daughter of Muhammad stole
I would have cut her hand off."
No room for flattery, the truth must be
stood up for. It is here that the etiquette
of disagreement that we talked earlier about
should shine.
"I win and you win!"
There doesn't always have to be a loser.
We see in many cases that Rasul Allah gave
a way out for the people he differed with.
When he sent the letter to Caesar, he said
in it, "Become Muslim and you shall
be safe, Allah shall give you your reward
double!"
He did not say surrender or die! Nothing
of the sort. Become Muslim and you shall
win, rather your victory shall be double.
I shall end with this shining example of
how to act with other Muslims from our role
model, Abu Bakr:
Abu Bakr once disputed with another companion
about a tree. During the dispute Abu Bakr
said something that he rather would not
have said. He did not curse, he did not
attack someone's honor, he did not poke
a fault in anyone, all he said was something
that may have hurt the other companion's
feelings.
Immediately, Abu Bakr - understanding the
mistake - ordered him, "Say it back
to me!" The companion said, "I
shall not say it back." "Say it
back to me," said Abu Bakr, "Or
I shall complain to the Messenger of Allah."
The companion refused to say it back and
went on his way.
Abu Bakr went to Rasul Allah and related
what had happened and what he said. Rasul
Allah called that companion and asked him,
"Did Abu Bakr say so and so to you?"
He said, "Yes." He said, "What
did you reply." He said, "I did
not reply it back to him." Rasul Allah
said, "Good, do not reply it back to
him (do not hurt Abu Bakr). Rather say,
'May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr!'"
The Companion turned to Abu Bakr and said,
"May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr!
May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr!"
Abu Bakr turned and cried as he walked away.
Let us leave today with a resolve to revive
this air Rasul Allah and his companions
breathed, an air of mercy and love and brotherhood.
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