HALAL AND HARAM (lawful and unlawful things)
(Source: Ihya-Ulum-Id-Din by Imam Ghazzali (r.a.) Revival
of Religious Learnings-
English Translation by Fazlul Karim Publisher Darul-Ishaat
Karachi Pakistan)
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said : It is
compulsory on every Muslim to seek lawful earnings. He termed this compulsory
subject as a thing of wisdom for a wise man out of other compulsory things.
Lawful things are clear and unlawful things are also clear. between these two ,
there are doubtful things which are not clear and difficult to know. All things
are limited within these three things.
In Holy Quran Allah says:
Eat of the good things and do good deeds- 2:168.
Allah ordered for eating good things before doing good
deeds. The object of this order is eating of lawful things.
Don’t eat properties of one another unjustly-2:188.
O believers, fear Allah and give up what remains of
interest (usury) if you are believes-2.278.
If you do not do it, then be prepared to fight with Allah
and His Prophet-2:289.
Then He says : If you repent, then for you is the capital.
Then He said: Those who turn away from that are the inmates of Hell. They will
abide therein. At first, eating of interest (usury) , then call for fight with
Allah and His Apostle and last of all residing in Hell have been mentioned.
There are innumerable verses regarding lawful and unlawful things.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said :
It is compulsory on every Muslim to seek lawful earnings.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said : He who makes efforts to maintain
his family out of lawful earnings is like a fighter in the way of Allah and he
who seeks lawful earnings after restraining himself will get the rank of a
martyr
If a man eats lawful food for forty days, Allah illumines
his heart and lets flow wisdom from his heart through his tongue.
Allah grants him renunciation in the world. Once Sayyidna
Sa’ad said to Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) Pray to Allah that He may
accept my invocation. Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said : Eat lawful
food and for that your invocation will be accepted.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) mentioned about
the worldly addicted men and said :
There are many men who have got dishevelled hairs, dust
laden dresses, are tired in journey, whose food is unlawful, whose dress in
unlawful, and who have been maintained by unlawful food. If they raise their
hands and say: ‘O Lord ‘ O Lord how can their invocation be accepted ?
:An angel residing in Baitul Muqaddas proclaims every
night: Saraf and Adal will not be accepted from a person who eats unlawful
food. Saraf means optional and sunnat actions and Adal means compulsory duties.
In other words, compulsory duties and optional duties will not be accepted from
him.
: If a man purchases a cloth with ten dirhams and if one
dirham out of them is unlawful, his prayer will not be accepted till a portion
of that cloth remains in his body. The fire of Hell is fit for the flesh which
has been grown by unlawful food.
if a man does not care where from he earns his wealth,
Allah will not care by which path he will enter Hell. He said : There are ten
shares of worship, nine of which are in lawful earnings.
He who passes times upto evening in search of lawful
earnings passes the night in a state of his sins being forgiven and rises at
dawn when Allah remains pleased with him.
If a man earns by sinful acts and gives it in charity or
action of an kindness or spends it in the way of Allah. Allah will throw him
into Hell after collecting everything.
:The best of your religion is to keep away from unlawful
things. He said : If a man meets Allah after refraining from unlawful things.
Allah will give him reward of the entire Islam. In an earlier scripture, Allah
said with regard to those who refrained from unlawful food : I feel ashamed to
take their accounts.
One dirham of interest (usury) is more serious to Allah
than thirty fornication.
: Stomach is the fountain of body and the veins come out
of it. When the stomach is sound, the veins come out with health, and when it
is unsound, they come out with disease. Food in religion is like the foundation
of a building. When the foundation is strong and firm, the building stands
straight and it can be raised up, and if the foundation is weak and curved, the
building inclines to a side.
Allah says: Is not he who establishes Fear of Allah and
Allah’s pleasure in the foundation of his religion better than he who lays
foundation by the side of Hell fire ?
:The wealth which a man earns from unlawful things will
not be accepted from him even if it is given in charity. If he leaves it after
his death, he will increase the fire of Hell therewith.
Wise and pious men saying.
It has been reported that once Sayyidna Abu Bakr drank a
little milk given by his female slave and asked her about it. She said : I
prophesied to a people who gave it to me for that. Then he thrust the fronts of
his fingers into his throat and vomited in such a way that his life was in
danger. Then he said :O Allah, I pray to You for forgiveness of what remains
attached to my throat and to my stool. In another narration, it is said that
when Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) was informed of it, he said : Don’t
you know that Abu Bakr does not allow anything to his belly except lawful food
?
In a similar way, Sayyidna Omar drank the milk,by mistake,
of a camel that was belongs to Zakat fund. He thrust his fingers into his
throat and vomited it, Sayyida Ayesha said : You are heedless of the best
divine service. That is to be safe from eating unlawful food.
Sayyidna Fuzail said : He who takes care of what thing he
admits in his belly, Allah records him as Siddiq. So, O needy man, look with
what thing you break fast. Sufiyan Saori said : He who spend in charity out of
unlawful wealth is like the person who washes impure clothes with wine. Impure
things cannot be purified except with water and there is no expiation of sins
without lawful things.
Sayyidna Ihya-b-Muaz said :To perform religious duties is
Allah’s secret treasure, invocation is its key and lawful food is its teeth .
Sayyidna Ibn Abbes said ;The prayer of a man in whose belly there is unlawful
food is not accepted by Allah.
Sayyidna Sahal Tastari said : The truth of faith does not
reach a man who does not possess four qualities
(a) Performance of
compulsory duties along with sunnat,
(b) carefulness in
eating,
(c) giving up the prohibited
things openly and secretly and
(d) observing those
rules with patience upto death.
He said : He who likes that the signs of a Siddiq should
be opened up for him should not eat except lawful things and should not follow
except the ways of the Prophet . It is said that the heart of a man who eats
doubtful things for 40 days becomes enveloped with darkness. That is the
meaning of the following verse : Never, rather rust has fallen upon their
hearts on account, of what earned 43:14. The Abdul Mobarak said : To return a
coin of doubt to its owner is better than charity of one hundred thousand
dirhmas.
Sahal Tastari said : The limbs of a man become disobedient
who eats unlawful food willingly or unwillingly, knowingly or unknowingly. The
limbs of man who eats lawful food become obedient to him and help him in doing
good deeds. There is a well-known Hadis :
There is account of lawful things in the world and punish
for unlawful things. The narrator added to it: There is rebuke for a doubtful
thing.
A certain religious man served food before an Abdal.
Without eating it, man asked Abdal about it and said :Who don’t eat except
lawful food for which our hearts remain firm, our conditions become lasting,
the affairs of heaven are disclosed to us and we see the next world. If we eat
only three days what you eat, knowledge of our sure faith will disappear, and
fear and actual vision will go from our hearts. The man said to him : I fast
throughout the year and recite the Quran 30 times every month. Abdal said to
him :The water which I drink at night and what you see are dearer to me than
your reciting the Quran thirty times in three hundred rakats of prayer. The
milk of deer was his drink. There is written in the Torah : If a man does not
care wherefrom he eats food, Allah also will not care by which door of Hell He
will throw him in Hell.
(1) Things which are
naturally unlawful.
(2) Earnings which are
unlawful.
(1) Things which are
naturally unlawful.
The things which are naturally unlawful are wine,
blood, meat of pigs, dead animals, etc.
Naturally lawful
The things fit for eating in the world are of three
kinds,
(A) Minerals and Natural
Resources
(B) Vegetation
(C) Animals or similiar
kind
(A) Minerals and Natural
Resources
Minerals are of different kinds. What grows out of
earth; is lawful for eating ( and drink) i.e. salt, water etc. except what
causes harm. There are things which have got the effect of poison. They are
unlawful as they are injurious things.
(B) Vegetation
They are lawful for eating such as vegetable, grains,
fruits etc. except those which remove intellect, take life and ruin health. The
things which destroy intellect are wine and intoxicants. The things which
destroy life are poisons. The things which ruin health are medicines used out
of time (out dated or inappropriate).
(C) Animals or similiar
kind
They are of two kind
(a ) What is eatable
(b) What is not eatable.
Birds, beasts and animals in land and water which are fit
for eating and which, if sacrificed according to the rules of Shariat, become
lawful . What is not sacrificed according to the rules of Shariat and what is
dead are unlawful,
However out of dead animals , two kinds are lawful—fish
and locusts.
The following animals are lawful according to this rule
worms in food-stuffs and fruits, etc. What is not liking to a particular person
is Makruh for eating.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said : Immerse a
fly if it falls in food.’
If an ant falls in food, it does not become impure. if a
portion of flesh of a dead man falls in food, the whole food becomes unlawful.
It is not on account of impurity, as man does not become impure after death,
but it is out of horror.
Animal (except fish and locusts) if sacrificed according
to Shariat, becomes lawful except its blood and what is attached to its
impurities. Regarding vegetables, what produces intoxication in unlawful and
what removes intellect is unlawful .One drop of an impure thing renders food
unlawful.
(2) Earnings which are
unlawful.
There are two kind of earning—what is taken willingly
or unwillingly and what comes to the owner spontaneously. What is taken
willingly or unwillingly are of two kinds.
(A) One kind is what is
taken without the knowledge of the owner, such as minerals underneath the
ground.
(B) Another kind is what
is taken from the owner himself. The latter is of two kinds.
(a) What is taken by
force from him, What is taken by force is again of two kind
(i) what is taken from
the maintenance and care of the owner, such as quadrupeds,
(ii) what is taken from
him by virtue of power of the ruling authorities, such as Zakat and other
economic liabilities
(b) What is taken with
his permission. . What is taken with the permission of the owner is of two
kinds
(i) What is taken from
him in exchange, such as buy and sale, dower, wages,
(ii) what is not taken
in exchange, such a gift, waist??.
Thus the things of earnings are of six kinds.
(1) To become owner of
the things of which there is no owner such as minerals and natural resources,
to make barren land fertile, to gather fuels and woods from jungles, to take
water from river, to take grass, etc. To take these things are lawful provided
there is no owner of these things.
(2) What is taken by
force and what is not prohibited are the properties gained after battle and
without actual battle. They are lawful for all Muslims when one-fifth is taken
out from the war booties and divided justly among those who are entitled to
them. It is unlawful to take booty from those unbelievers with whom there is
treaty.
(3) What can lawfully
be taken by force inspite of prohibition of the owner, such as Zakat . It can
only be taken by the ruling authorities.
(4) What is taken in
exchange of things with the consent of the owner is lawful, such as buy and
sale transactions.
(5) What is taken
simply with permission without exchange of things, such as gifts, will, etc, is
lawful.
(6) What comes
spontaneously in possessions, such as properties by inheritance after deduction
of necessary expense such as funeral expenses, death instructions by will or
otherwise, expenses of expiation of religious duties, expenses of pilgrimage,
etc. They are lawful.
Every thing unlawful is bad, but there are different
stages of illegality of things of which one is worse than another. All lawful
things are good and there are different stages of legality therein and one
thing is better than another . There are four stages of legality of things.
(1) First stage is
lowest and it is forbearance of just and ordinary Muslims. It is to save
oneself from the unlawful things prescribed by Shariat. This is the lowest
stage of piety.
No example is necessary in the case of the first
stage, as the unlawful things are clear and a religious man must keep himself
distant from these unlawful things.
(2) Second stage is the
forbearance of the pious. They refrain from lawful things bounding on
illegality. A faqih will give its decision as lawful as it is a subject of
doubt but the pious men keep away even from these doubtful things.
EXAMPLE: In the second stage, there is the
forbearance of the pious from every doubtful things bordering on illegality. It
is not compulsory to give them up, but it is commendable. Rasulullah
(sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said : Give up what raises doubt in your mind and
take what does not raise doubt in you. Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam)
said : Eat the games of hunting on which there are marks of shooting and which
die in presence. Don’t eat what goes beyond sight being wounded and then it is
presented dead in front.’ Though it is not unlawful, it is the forbearance of
the pious men. It is an order of the Prophet Give up what raises doubt in your
mind.
(3) Third stage. This
is the stage of forbearance of Allah. fearing men. Allah-fearing men keep aloof
from even such things as are lawful and free from doubt. If these are always
practised, these may turn into Halal and as a result they have Chance of falling
into doubtful things. For this, Allah-fearing men keep aloof even from things
free from doubt. Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said :If a man cannot
reach the stage of Allah-fearing men till he gives up things free from doubt
for fear of falling into things in doubt.
EXAMPLES: it is the forbearance of the Allah-fearing
people. This Hadis bears witness :A man cannot reach the stage of a
Allah-fearing man till he gives up things free from doubt for fear of things of
doubt. Sayyidna Omar said : We have given up nine portions of lawful things out
of ten portions for fear of falling into unlawful things. Sayyidna Abu Darda’a
said : Allah-fear gains perfection at the time when a servant fears a very
small thing. Even when he sees a lawful thing, he gives it up for fear of
falling into unlawful things. Some examples are given below
(1) A certain religious
man took- loan of one hundred dirhams. When he brought the dirhams for payment,
the creditor took only 99 dirhams. Ali-Ma’bad said :I took a house on rent. I
wrote a letter thought that I should take a little earth from its wall and soak
the ink of the letter and I did accordingly. When I slept, I dreamt that a
certain man was saying ;O Ali-Ma’bad, you will know tomorrow on the
Resurrection Day that the owner of the house will demand the little earth you
used. By this act he fell from the rank of Allah’s fear.
(2) During the
Caliphate of Sayyidna Omar, the musk of Bahrain gained as result of battle
reached him. He wife began to measure it when Sayyidna Omar said: I don’t want
that you should place your hands on it and say afterwards that something of it
remained in your hands on account of touch. This is the property of the Muslims
in general and you can’t get more than what you are entitled to from the
property of the general Muslims.
(3) Once musk was
measured before Caliph Abdul Aziz. He kept his nose shut up lest its smell
entered his nose. He said : What benefit has it got except its scent ? This
benefit only is sought from it.
(4) Once the Prophet’s
grandson Hasan put into his mouth one dried grape out of the grapes of Zakat.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said : Throw it off, Throw it off.
(5) Once a man went to
see his friend at night. Soon after his death, he put out the light and said :
The right of inheritance has occurred in the oil.
(6) Sayyidna Omar gave
to his wife some musk for sale. She sold it to another seller. At the time of
sale, she began to break one piece by her teeth for which something was
attached to her fingers. Sayyidna Omar smell scent from her and said: You have
taken the scent of the Muslim in general. This he did to become a truly Allah
-fearing man though i t is not unlawful.
(7) Imam Ahmad-b-Hambal
said : To smell sent of a tyrant ruler destroys the piety of a man.
(8) When Sayyidna Omar
became Caliph, he had only one wife whom he loved very much. He, however,
divorced her for fear the she might intercede to him for an unlawful thing and
perchance he might accept her intercession. For this reason, things free from
doubt were even given up for fear of falling into doubtful things. Being
habituated to many lawful things, one is led to-unlawful things, such as too
much eating, excessive use of scent, etc. If too much food is eaten, sexual
passion rises high and it leads to unlawful cohabitation. Similarly to look at
the beautiful buildings and the pomp and grandeur of the rich may tempt one to
follow them.
(9) There is no benefit
to white-wash the walls of a building. Imam Ahmad held it as Makuh or a
abominable. When the Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) once was asked
about painting in the mosque. He said: There is no Arish like the Arish of
Moses. Arish is a pearl-like antimony with which a thing is painted. The
Prophet did not hold it lawful.
(10) The ancient
wise men said : The life religion of a man whose cloth is thin is also thin.
(4) Fourth stage: In
this stage, these Allah-fearing men give up even lawful things free from doubt
even if there is no feat of falling into doubtful things, because they fear
that those things may not be for Allah. They are called Siddiq.
EXAMPLE: Fourth stage is the forbearance of the
Siddiqs. To them, those things are lawful in which there is no transgression
and which do not help the commission of sin. The object of their every action
is to please Allah and they have Fear of Allah in all their deeds. They live
for Allah and they think that what is done except for Allah is unlawful. They
follow this verse: Say Allah and then leave them sporting in their useless
talks. This is the rank of those who follow Tauhid. The following are some
examples of their piety.
(A) Once the sage
Ihya-b-Quran used a medicine. His wife said to him: Walk for a while within the
house, so that the medicine may work. He said : I don’t know of such walk. I am
counting my breaths for the last thirty years. He d id not consider it
connected with religion.
(B) Sayyidna Sufiyan
Saori said : Once I got upon a hill and saw a fountain and vegetables. I wished
to eat something of the vegetables and to drink water. Then I thought that I
would eat a lawful thing today . An unseen voice said :Wherefrom has the
strength which has taken you to this stage come ? Then I became repentant and
begged forgiveness.
(C) The sage Zunnun
Misri was once imprisoned and began to pass time without food. He then became
hungry. A woman sent some food to him through the hand of one of the men of the
prison, but he did not eat it on the ground that the hand of an oppressor took
it to him.
(D) The sage Bashar Hafi
did not-drink water of a canal dug by a tyrant ruler although this was lawful.
For this reason. Sayyidna Abu Bakr vomited the milk he drank for fear that the
strength of unlawful thing would increase therefor.
(E) Once a servant of a
sage took some fuel that belongs to a transgressor. He put it off on the ground
that the fuel was unlawfully earned.
These are some of the instances of Fear of Allah of the
early wise,and pious men. Fear of Allah reaches its climax in the fourth stage
of the Siddiq or greatly truthful man.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said: Lawful
things are clear and unlawful things are also clear and between them there are
the doubtful things. Most of the people do not know them. He who saves himself
from doubtful things purifies his honour and religion. He who falls in doubtful
things may fall in unlawful things like the shepherd who has got chance of
falling into reserved grazing ground he grazes his nock of sheep round it. What
is troublesome and unknown to the majority of the people are the doubtful
things which should be discussed.
A lawful things is what is naturally free from unlawful
things, such as the water of sky. Before it goes into the possession of
someone, The people take it and store it in their lands. An unlawful thing is
that which is naturally unlawful for its own defect, such as intoxicant, wine,
steal or that thing which is earned by unlawful method, such as the earnings by
oppression, interest (usury), etc. These are fixed, open and clear. In between
these Halal and Haram or lawful and unlawful things, there are doubtful things
which change the condition of Halal and Haram. A lawful thing become
unlawful-when it goes into possession of another for which doubt arises in most
cases. If a man Set free a fish and thinks that it has come from the possession
of another, there arises doubt in his mind whether it is lawful or unlawful for
him. This doubt should have reason and not only mere conjecture. Doubt arises
out of two conflicting beliefs which come into clash with each other.
(1) First place is
doubt in the course of Halal and Haram: It has got four classes
(A) A man knows a thing
to be unlawful before but doubt arises in the matter of its being lawful. It is
compulsory to give up this doubt and to take it as unlawful. For instance, an
hunted animal falls into water and it is lifted up as dead from water. To eat
its meat is unlawful .There is no place of doubt in it. Rasulullah (sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) said to Ad: Don’t eat it. your dog perchance has not killed
it. Whenever anything was brought to Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam),
he used to enquire if doubt arose in his mind, till he knew whether it was gift
or Zakat.
(B) Though a thing is
lawful, yet one doubts that it may be unlawful. The thing is basically lawful
but owing to peculiar circumstances, one doubts whether the legality of that
thing still remains. For instance, two men quarrelled with each other, one man
said to another :Your are a hater. A Allah-fearing man should leave them on
doubt :
(C) A thing is basically
unlawful but a cause prevails upon it so strongly that it becomes lawful. It
becomes a subject matter of doubt and becomes strong of its being legal. For
instance, an animal after being shot disappeared. Afterwards it was found .
with signs of only shooting in its body. It might be that it died owing to
other reasons. Thus doubt arises weather its meat is lawful. A Allah-fearing
man refrains from eating its meat. Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said
:Eat it although it disappear from you till you find the sign of your arrow on
its body
(D) A thing is knowingly
lawful, but it becomes unlawful at last owing to the decision of Shariat. For instance,
a pot is lawful but doubt arises whether there is any impurity in it. So to
drink water from it becomes unlawful.
(2) Second place of
doubt-mixture of Halal and Haram: Halal and Haram become mixed and are not kept
separate and therefore doubt arises whether it is lawful or unlawful .There are
three kinds of this mixture of lawful and unlawful things.
(A)One unlawful thing is mixed up with limited number
of lawful things, for instance the meat of a dead goat is mixed up with the
meat of some sacrificed goats. Doubt in these things are to be given up, as
there is no sign therein that the meat of a dead goat has been mixed. If there
is reasonable doubt that the meat of a dead goat has been mixed, it will be
unlawful.
(B) The second is the mixture of limited number of
unlawful things with unlimited number of lawful things, for instance two foster
sisters separated a town. One can marry any woman of the town if the foster
sisters cannot be identified, or if there is prevalence of interest (usury) in a
certain town, it is lawful to accept coins of that town.
(C) The third kind is the
mixture of unlimited number of lawful things with an unlimited number of
unlawful things. In such a case, if the unlawful things can be identified, it
will be unlawful to enjoy them, otherwise not, but to give up a doubtful thing
is a sign of piety. The soldiers of Yezid looted the properties of Medina for
three days, but yet the companions did not prohibit the people from buy and
sale of the goods of the Medina market which consisted also the looted goods.
If there is impurity on the path ways, prayer can be said on them, as the earth
of pathways are pure. The companions sometimes prayed with their sandals and
shoes.
(3) Third place of
doubt: Any sin found in any cause making a thing lawful relates to the thing
itself, or to its end, or to its beginning or to another thing in exchange of
the thing, but it is not such a sin which nullifies an agreement or any cause
which makes a thing lawful. Sin relating to a thing itself is, for instance,
buy and sale after Azan for Jumma prayer, cutting wood by a stolen axe, selling
over the sale of another. These are not unlawful things. Sin relating to the
end of a thing is all extravagant expenses which show the path towards sin, for
instance, to sell grapes to those who prepare wine, to sell instruments to
robbers. There is difference of opinion among the jurists whether these are
lawful or unlawful. Sin relating to the beginning of a thing relates to three
stages-highest, middle and lowest. The most detestable is to eat the meat of a
goat which has eaten then the grass taken illegally. The less detestable than
the former is not to use water of a canal dug by a tyrant. Still less
detestable is to restrain oneself from lawful thing that has come through the
hand of a tyrant. Sin relating to a thing of exchange has got also different
stages-highest, middle and lowest. The most detestable is to purchase a thing
on credit and to pay its price by unlawfully acquired money. The less detestable
is to give grapes to a drunkard, to give instruments to a robbers in lieu of
price. The least detestable is to accept the price of a n unlawful thing, such
as wine.
(4) Fourth place of
doubt: This arises out of diversity of proofs of Shariat in order to
distinguish between a lawful thing and unlawful thing. This doubt is of three
kinds
(A) Contradictory proofs
of Shariat,
(B) Contradictory signs,
(C) Contradictory
doubts.
(A) Contradictory proofs
of Shariat,
EXAMPLES: the verses of the Quran or the sayings of
the Prophet that contradict each other. This creates doubt in mind. In this
case, what is strong prevails and if any proof does not become strong, it
reverts to its original proof. If illegality of a thing is not strong, it
becomes lawful. If there is doubt, it is better for piety to give it up and it
is the subject matter of dispute between jurists and Ulema. It is better to
accept the opinion of a Mufti who is well-known in a locality for learning and
piety, just as it is better to go to a physician who is well-known in a
locality for his knowledge of medical science. If the Ulema are unanimous with
regard to a certain conclusion, all should accept it. If any proof of legality
of a thing is not strong, he should better give it up. There are three stages
with regard to this matter.
(i)First stage: It is better to give up a matter
which has got a weak proof in favour of a matter which has got a strong proof.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) is reported to have said :A believer
sacrifices in the name of Allah, whether he utters ‘Bismillah’ of not. This is
contradictory to a clear verse of the Quran and some traditions in which it is
said that to utter the name of Allah at the time of sacrifices is compulsory.
So the former tradition shall have to be given up.
(ii) Second stage: It
is near baseless conjecture. For instance, to give up eating the young one of
an animal found in its womb after lawful sacrifice. There is in authentic Hadis
that the sacrifice of mother should be considered as also the sacrifice of its
young one in its womb. So the former conjecture is to be given up.
(iii)Third stage: A thing is authenticated as legal
by only one tradition. It is better not to come to a decision relying on only a
single Hadis on a particular subject if there are differences of opinion . It
is not unlikely that the narrator might have committed mistake in narrating it
or he might have committed mistake in hearing it. But there is no reason to
oppose the tradition without a cause. ‘There is no mention of a grandson
becoming an heir to his grand father in the Quran, but the companions are
unanimous in holding that a grandson becomes an heir to his grandfather in
absence of his father. When difficulty arises in these matters, one should take
decision according to his conscience as it does not dictate without truth.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) instructed us to take decision
according to our conscience in case of doubtful things.
(B) Contradictory signs,
If the is greater proof towards illegality, it should
be considered as unlawful ;and if there is greater proof towards legality, it
should be considered as lawful.
(C) Contradictory
doubts.
Proof is equal towards legality and illegality and
doubt is also equal in both the cases. For instance, a man is to distribute
some money among the poor. There are poor persons who have got something but
they are not rich. So doubt arises whether such persons are really poor fit for
acceptance of the money. This is a very subtle (difficult)question. In this
case if one possesses only necessary things, he can accept the charity but if
he possesses more than what is necessary for him, it is prohibited. There is
also no limit to necessity. For this reason, Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) said :Give up what raises doubt in your mind and take to what is free
from doubt. For this reason, it is written in the Zabur that Allah revealed to
David :Tell the children of Israil : I do not look to your prayers and fasts. I
look to the person who gives up a thing when doubt arises in his, mind for My
sake. I help him with My help and take glory for him before My angles.
Whatever comes to you as food or gift or whatever thing
you wish to buy or to make gift, you should not raise questions in all cases or
say this : I shall not accept it as lawful till enquire about it. On the other
hand, don’t give up enquiry in some matters. In some case, therefore, it is
compulsory to enquire, in some cases unlawful ,in some cases praise-worthy in
some cases not commendable. So there is place of doubt, in cases of questions
and enquiries. The place of doubt has got connection (1) owner (2) Things
(a) The first state
comes when the owner is unknown
When you enter an unknown town or place, you meet with
strangers and unknown persons and donot know their character and conduct and so
you entertain doubt about them. Eusul-b-Asbat said : I used to give up doubt
whenever it arose in my mind for the last 30 years. The rule is that if any of
them gives you food or drink, you should enjoy it without doubt and you should
not entertain evil conjecture about him as some conjectures are sins. If there
is sufficient cause of doubt, it is unlawful to enjoy them. Rasulullah
(sallallaho alaihe wasallam) used to accept any invitation without enquiry.
Once a tailor invited him and he accepted it. Once a Parsee invited the Prophet
to which he asked him :I and Ayesha ? The Parsee said :You and not Ayesha.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) did not accept the invitation but when
he invited both, he accepted it. Sayyidna Abu Bakr enquired about the earnings
of a slave when a strong doubt arose in his mind. It is not good to ask ;
Wherefrom his this thing been procured, as it gives pain to the mind of a
Muslim. Allah says : Give up most conjectures. Some conjecture is sin. Don’t
spy and let not some of you backbite others. Once Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe
wasallam) ate the food of Barirah. He was informed that it was Zakat property.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said : It was Zakat property for her
but for us, it is a gift . So baseless doubt should be given up.
(b) The second state
comes when there is doubt about the owner.
It occurs when there is doubt about the owner owing to
the causes of proof. The causes of proof that a thing is unlawful are the
character of the owner, his dresses, his actions etc. or he is a well known
robbers, thief, tyrant or his actions are opposed to the fundamental principles
of Shariat. In such cases, two sorts of doubt arise in mind. One sort of doubt
arises from the fact of possession of a thing which indicates ownership of the
thing. It is lawful to accept the thing, from such possessor. The second sort
of doubt arises strongly from the sign of a thing that it may not be lawful. In
such a case, it is better to give it up. The Prophet said :Give up what raises
doubt in your mind for what does not raise doubt. It is commendable ...
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) also said : Doubt of mind is a sin.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) also enquired in case of doubt whether
a thing is zakat or present. Sayyidna Omar enquired about milk and Sayyidna Abu
Bakr about the earnings of a slave in case of doubt.
(c) The third state is
to know the condition of the owner by some sort of proof.
Experience or news give indication of a thing being
lawful or unlawful. if a man is honest pious and trustworthy, his thing can be
considered as lawful even though it may be otherwise. In this case, it in
unlawful to enquire about such a thing in his possession. To eat food of the
pious was the rule of Prophet and friends of Allah. Rasulullah (sallallaho
alaihe wasallam) said : Don’t give your food to be eaten except by the pious and
don’t eat food except of the pious.
In this instance, lawful and unlawful things become mixed.
In the market where the looted properties and properties gained by theft and
robbers are mixed with lawful properties. A buyer should not enquire about the
legality or otherwise of the properties of the market. If however, it is
disclosed that most of the properties of the market are unlawful , the enquiry
becomes compulsory, otherwise not. The companions used to do it. They did not
enquire except in doubtful cases.
Sayyidna Ibn Masud said : You are the inhabitants of such
a town where there are the Magians also. So look to the meats of sacrificed
animals and the hides of dead animals : If most of the properties are unlawful,
it is not lawful to take them. If the meat of a sacrificed animals is mixed
with the meat of ten unsacrificed animals, it becomes compulsory to give up the
meat.
Sayyidna Ali said :Take what a ruler gives you as he
generally gives from lawful things.
Sayyidna Ibn Masud was once asked by a man : Shall I take
loan from a man whom I know to be a bad man ? Yes he replied. He was once asked
by another :Shall I accept the invitation of a man who takes interest (usury) ?
Yes he replied.
Sayyidna Ali did not accept anything from the state
treasury. He had only one wearing cloth and he had no-other cloth even for his
bath.
Once Sayyidna Abu Hurairah produced before the Caliph Omar
abundant wealth of the state to which he enquired : Are these properties lawful
? In a similar way Sayyidna Ali said :There is nothing dearer to Allah than the
justice and kindness of a Leader and nothing more hated than injustice and
oppression of a leader.
If any man has got in his possession unlawful things mixed
with lawful things, he should adopt two means—
(1) To separate the
unlawful things from the lawful things and
(2) to know the modes of
spending the lawful things. With regard to the first means, it has got two
conditions-
(a) mixture of lawful
and unlawful things of the same kind, for instance crops, money oily things
etc.
(b) mixture of unlawful
thing with a different kind of thing, such s dresses, houses etc. In such
cases, quantity is either known or unknown. If for instance, half, of the thing
is unlawful ,it should be separated . It is lawful to keep doubtful thing but
to give it up is better and piety. The repentance of a man is not accepted till
the total income of a property taken by oppression is returned to the rightful
owner.
The mode of spending unlawful things taken out of lawful
things. It is compulsory to return the unlawful things to the rightful owner
and in his absence to his heirs. It is also compulsory to return the income and
profits arising out of these properties to them. If the owner or his heirs are
unknown, they may be given in charity to the poor.
Question may arise how can an unlawful thing be given in
charity when he has got no right to do it ? In support of this, there are
traditions of the Prophet.
When cooked mutton was presented to Rasulullah (sallallaho
alaihe wasallam), the mutton informed him that it was unlawful. Rasulullah
(sallallaho alaihe wasallam) then ordered it to be given in charity saying
:Give it to the war prisoners for eating.
Once the property of gambling was brought by Abu Bakr to
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) who said : It is unlawful. Give it in
charity.
Sayyidna Ibn Masud purchased a slave girl but he could not
find her master inspite of continued search. Then he gifted away her price to
the poor on behalf of the master. Imran, Ahmad . Hares and Mohasabi supported
this view. Where the owner is not found, either such an unlawful property shall
be destroyed or spent for the good of the people. The latter method is better.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said : A
cultivator or a planter of trees will get rewards for the crops and fruits
which the people and birds and beasts eat. The rule that except the lawful
things nothing can be given in charity applies to the case where we seek
rewards for charity. In the case of charity of unlawful things, we seek
salvation only for ourselves.
The saying what we love for ourselves, we should love for
others is true, but in case of charity of unlawful things, it is unlawful for
our enjoyment, but lawful for the poor. If the receiver of unlawful property is
himself poor, and the owner is not traceable, he can legally use it up to the
limit of necessity for himself and for his family members. The Quran also allowed
taking of unlawful foods like wine or swin flesh in case of extreme necessity
to save life.
A man is required to look to three things, in accepting
the allowances and gifts from the rulers and kings--(1) the source of wealth.
(2) the right of acquiring it, and (3) the quantity of lawful and unlawful
things there in.
(1) The source of wealth
of the rulers: The ruler has got right along with his subjects in reclaimed
lands, booties gained in war and without war against the unbelievers,
properties that have got no heirs and waqf properties which have got no
mutawallis or managers. Besides these, all other properties are unlawful for
him such as revenues, fines, taxes and other sources of income to the state. If
a ruler gives any Estate, gift or rewards to any man, he gives them generally
out of eight kinds of properties poll-tax, hairless property Waqf, reclaimed
land, purchased property, revenue realised from the Muslims, wealth out of
merchandise or specially fixed revenue. With regard to poll-tax on the
unbelievers, four-fifth will be spent for the good of the people and one-fifth
only for special purpose. With regard to the property without heir, it is to be
spent for the good of the Muslims. Waqf property is to be spent for the
purposes as fixed by the Wad for donor . In the lands reclaimed by the ruler,
he has got freedom to spend it in any way he likes. Similar is his freedom in
case of landed properties, dresses horses and other things purchased by the ruler.
The taxes imposed upon the Muslims, the booties, fines etc, are all unlawful
for a ruler except in case of the profits arising out of his personal business
with others. The taxes specially imposed upon a person are unlawful for a
ruler.
(2) Right of
acquisition: Some learned men say that if it is not established that there is
any illegality in a property, it may be accepted. In support, they cite the
following instances. There were many among the companions who lived up to the
time of the tyrant rulers and used to accept properties from them. Such were
Abu Hurairah, Abu Sayeed Khodri, Zaid-b-Sabet. Abu Ayyub Ansari,
Jarir-b-Abdullah, Anas-b-Malek and others. Some of them received from Caliphs
Merwan and Yezied-b-Abdul Malek.,
(3) Quantity: some from
the tyrant governor Hijjaj Imam Shafeyi received once from Caliph Harun Rashid
one thousand dinars. Imam Malek also received them from different Caliphs.
Sayyidna Ali said: Whatever a ruler gives you he gives out of lawful things. He
himself did not accept it out of a greater sense of piety, When Imam Hasan came
to Caliph Muwayiah, the latter gave him four hundred thousand dirhams which he
accepted. These wise men used to accept the properties of tyrant rulers, The
supporters of the above opinion say that some of the pious did not accept them
out of greater sense of piety. This does not show that it is illegal. Such men
were the-rightly guided Caliphs, Abu Zarr and other pious who renounciated the
world.
There are four stages of piety in relation to the
acceptance of properties from rulers.
First stage of Piety: In this stage of highest piety, the
rightly guided Caliphs and a party of extremely pious men did not accept
anything from the state Treasure and rulers. The allowance which Sayyidna Abu
Bakr received from the state Treasury as a ruler amounted to six thousand
dihrams after accounting. He afterwards deposited it in the Treasury. Once when
Sayyidna Omar was counting the wealth of the State Treasury, his young daughter
concealed a dirham therefrom. When he found it on enquiry, he deposited it in
Baitual Mal (Treasury). Sayyidna Abu Musa Ash’ari found dirham at the time of
sweeping the house of the Treasur and gave it to the young daughter of Sayyidna
Omar .The latter took it from her and deposited it in the Treasury. Sayyidna
Omar said in connection with the wealth of State of Treasury I see myself in
connection with this wealth as a care taker of an orphan’s property. If I am
solvent, I refrain from taking anything from it. If I am in want, I enjoy from
it in a just manner.
Second stage of Piety: Take from the ruler when you know
that his wealth is legal. He will not suffer if anything unlawful in it is
disclosed afterwards. This is supported by the companions. The companion Ibn
Omar said about the tyrant ruler Hajjaj : I have not eaten to my satisfaction
since he captured the seat of Khilafat ‘ till to-day . It is related of
Sayyidna Ali that he had some wheat in a sealed cup out of which he used to eat
and drink. On being questioned, he said :I don’t wish to fill up my belly
except with pure things
Third stage of Piety: You can accept the gifts from a
ruler and give them in charity to the poor or divide them among those who are
entitled to them, even though the ruler is a tyrant. For this reason, many
persons used to accept gifts from the rulers. Whatever Ibn : Omar got from the
rulers was distributed by him among the poor. One day he distributed Sixty
thousand dirhams among the ‘poor. After’ this, a poor man came to him and he
gave him some dirhams after taking loan from a man. Sayyida Ayesha also used to
do like that. Imam Shafeyi accepted. gifts from· Caliph Harun Rashid and
distributed them among his relatives without keeping anything for him.
Fourth stage of Piety : In this stage, the properties of
the rulers have been established to be illegal and therefore cannot be
accepted, nor can be given in charity. Accept from the rulers such properties
as are mostly lawful.
These are the four stages of piety. In our times, most of
the properties of the rulers are unlawful, as Islamic State Treasury consisted
of only Zakat and the properties gained by war and without war but now nothing
of these items is found in the present State Treasuries. Besides there is
difference of the people who received gifts from the rulers of past ages and
the people who receive gifts now from the present rulers. The rulers of past
ages used to make gifts to the learned and the pious who attracted their minds
in their favour while the present rulers make gifts to the people who can make
flattery to them by falsehoods.
The receivers of gifts should be qualified to receive them
according to Shariat. For instance, there are definite persons prescribed by
the Quran to receive Zakat, war spoils, one fifth of properties gained without
war, heirless properties. The properties fixed for the Muslims in general must
be spent for them only and it will be illegal to spend them for others.
Sayyidna Omar said : Every Muslim has got right to get
money from Baitul Mal, because he is a Muslim and he increases the number of
Islamic Brotherhood.
The wealth of Baitul Mal is for good of the people. The
good is connected with the religion and with the State. The learned men of the
religion are the guards of the religion and the soldiers are the guards of the
State. The religion and the state are interconnected, one cannot be separated
from the other. So the learned men of the religions as well as soldiers of the
state are entitled to receive wealth from the State Treasury .The officers of
the state come under the category of the guardians of the state and so they
have got right in it. The rightly guided Caliphs used to give allowances to the
Refugees and Ansars from the State Treasury and did not see their wants. It
rested on the wishes of the rulers regarding the amount.
Sayyidna Muwayiah gave Hasan one day four Hundred thousand
dirhams.
Sayyidna Omar fixed twelve thousand dirhams yearly for
particular persons including Ayesha, ten thousand dirhams for some persons and
six thousand dirhams for some persons. Even there remained no thing after
distribution in Baitual Mal.
Sayyidna Abu Bakr used to distribute equally. Sayyidna
Omar amended it and used to give more or less as he wished. He used to give to
Ayesha 12 thousand dirhams. Zuairiyah six thousand, Zainab ten thousand,
Sayyidna Ali a Estate, Sayyidna Osman five gardens. All the companions agreed
to the distribution of these two Caliphs as they believed in their sense of
justice and honesty of purpose.
Three conditions arise in frequenting the rulers (1) evil
effects of frequenting them, (2) the manner to be observed, (3) and to keep
aloof from them.
(1) First conditions :
It is not commendable to frequent the rulers and administrators according to
Shariat. A great deal of warnings to this effect was given by the pious and
learned men of the religion.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) mentioned
about the tyrant rulers and said : He who keeps away from them will get
salvation. He who keeps separate from them will be safe or near safety. He who
falls with them in their worldly passions will belong to them.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said : There
will be false and oppressive rulers after me. He who supports their falsehood
as true and helps their tyranny does not belong to my followers and I am also
not of him. He will not be able to take drink from my Fountain.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said . The
learned man who frequent the rulers is an object of hatred near Allah. He said
: The rulers who frequent the learned are good and the learned men who frequent
the rulers are bad.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said : So long
as the learned men do not mix with the rulers. they become guardians of trust
of the Prophet for the servants of, Allah ; when they mix with them, they
commit treachery with the Prophet .So be careful of them and keep away from
them.
Wise sayings :Sayyidna Huzaifa said : Be careful of
ruinous places. He was questioned : What are those places ? He said : The
Offices of the rulers.
Sayyidna Abu Zarr said to Salma : Don’t frequent the
office of the rulers, as the harms of religion will be greater than the
benefits you get from them.
Sayyidna Sufiyan said : There is a valley in Hell. The
learned men who frequent the rulers will live in it. Sayyidna Obadah-b-Swamet
said : if a pious learned man loves the rulers, he commits hypocrisy and if he
loves the rich he commits show.
Sayyidna Omar-b-Abdul Aziz appointed an officer. He
was then informed that the was an officer of tyrant. Hajjaj. He dismissed him
on this ground. The wiseman Fuzail said :The nearer a man goes to the rulers,
the distant he becomes from Allah.
From the above tradition and wise saying, it appears
that many dangers and difficulties arise out of mixing with the rulers and
frequenting their offices. He who frequents them faces sin, as by his actions,
silence, words and invocations, he commits disobedience to Allah. If he bends his
head to a tyrant ruler, or kisses his hand and does actions like that he
commits sin. If he sees actions in the Offices of the ruler which are unlawful,
he commit sin by his silence as it is his duty then to protest against such
illegal actions. If one praises him and supports his illegal actions, he
commits sin.
If he invokes Allah for the long life of a tyrant, it
is illegal.Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam): He who prays for long life
of a tyrant loves sins.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said :When any
man praises a transgressor, Allah him??? He said : When a man honours
transgressor, Allah hates him. He said. When a man honours a transgressor, he
helps the destruction of Islam.
A pious man Sayeed-b-Musayyeb was asked by Caliph Abdul
Malek to swear allegiance to his two sons Walid and Solaiman. he said : I will
not take allegiance to them till night and day turn as the Prophet prohibited
allegiance to two persons. As a result, he was flogged and made to wear dress
of disgrace.
(2) Second condition:
Salute a tyrant ruler and stand up in his honour as in the contrary case,
disturbance may occur among the subjects. After interview, give him sound
advice and inform him of the injunctions and prohibitions of Shariat. Once
Caliph Muhammad-b-Solaiman went to the a pious man Mammad-b-Salam who had then
before him a mat for sitting, one copy of the Quran, one bag for keeping books
and a pot for ablution; The Caliph said : Whenever I see you my mind is filled
up with fear. What is the reason ? Hammad said: The cause is this tradition of
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam). Everything fears a man who seeks Allah’s
pleasure by his learning. The Caliph then placed before him forty thousand
dirhams as a gift which he refused to accept.
(3) Third condition. The
learned men should not frequent the offices of the rulers. If anybody remembers
their rewards and presents, he should recall to his mind the sayings of the
sage Hatem Asem. He said : There is the difference of only one day between me and
the rulers . They did not get the joys of yesterday and they and myself have
got the fear of tomorrow. Only to-day remains. What is possible to occur by
to-day?
Once Caliph Hesham-b-Abdul Malek went to Mecca for
pilgrimage. When he entered the sanctuary of the Ka’ba he called for a pious
man Taus Yemeni. When he came to him, he took off his shoes and kept them by
the side of the royal carpet. He said : O Hisham, peace be on you. He then sat
by the side of the Caliph and asked him: O Hesham, how are you ? At this
conduct of the sage, he was about to kill him but as he was in the sanctuary,
he was not killed. The Caliph asked Taus :Why have you treated me like this ?
(l)you have placed your shoes by my carpet (2) you have not kissed my hand, (3)
you have not addressed me ‘O Commander of the Faithful, (4) you have taken your
seat by me without my permission, (5) you have asked me by my name : How are
you ? The sage Taus replied : Regarding the placing of my shoes by your carpet,
I put off my shoes daily five times when go to my Lord for prayer. He does not
punish me for it. Regarding the kissing of your hand. I heard Sayyidna Ali say
: Let nobody kiss the hand of anyone except his kissing his wife’s hand out of
passion and his kissing of his parents hand out of reverence, Regarding
addressing you as Commander of the Faithful, the people are not satisfied with
your rule and I don’t wish to tell lies. Regarding my addressing you by your
name, Allah even addressed His dear friends and Prophets by their names. Regarding
my sitting by your side, I heard Sayyidna Ali say : If you wish to see anyone
of the in mates of Hell, look to one who keeps himself seated with the people
standing around him. Then Taus went away from him.
Sayyidna Suhan said: I went once to Caliph Mansure. I
said to the Caliph : You have reached to this honour by the help of Muhajirs
and Ansars but their descendants are dying of starvation at present . So fear
Allah and give them what they are entitled to.
The sage Ibn Abi Shamilah went once to the office of
Caliph Ahdul Malek who said to him :Give me some instruction. He said : The
people will no t get salvation from the severe chastisement t of the
Resurrection Day. Only those will get salvation who incur the pleasure of Allah
causing displeasure to their baser selves. Abdui Malek wept and said : I will
keep this advice before my eyes until my death.
Once Caliph Solaiman came to Medina and called the
sage Abu Hazem. When he came to him, he said : O Abu Hazem, why is death so
disliking to me ? He said :It is because you have destroyed your hereafter and
adorned your world with numerous adornments. The Caliph said : How shall we
approach Allah ? He said : O Commander of the Faithful, the pious men will
return to the families in happiness like one absent, and the sinners like a
fugitive slave to his master. The Caliph then burst into tears and said :What
will be my condition ? Abu Hazem said : Look. to this verse :The pious will be
in bliss and the transgressors in Hell. Soliman asked : Where is the mercy of
Allah ? He said: Near the pious. The king asked : Who among Allah’s servants is
the most honourable ? He said :The pious and the Allah-fearing. He asked :Who
among the believers is the wisest ? He said :The believer’ who obeys the
religion of Allah and calls. the people towards it.
;The Caliph Omar-b-Abdul Aziz said once to Abu Hazem :
Give me advice. He said : Place death near your head when you go to bed and
then look to what you love; you will then give up what you do not like.
Once a desert Arab came to the Caliph Soliman who said
to him : Give me some advice. On being assured of his safety, he said , he said
: O Commander of the Faithful, there are som men among your special friends who
have adopted dishonest way and purchased the world in lieu of their next world
and look to your pleasure by incurring the displeasure of their Lord. They fear
you in the matters of Allah and they do not fear Allah in your matters. You are
in good terms with the world after forgetting the next world. You have not
given security to the people about the matters from which Allah has given you
security. They are in dire wants and needs. You will be asked for what they do
you will not do good to your world by selling your hereafter, as he is fool who
sells his hereafter for his world. Solaiman said : O desert Arab, beware, the
sharpness of your tongue is more than that of your sword. He said , O Commander
of the Faithful that is true, but it is for you and not against you.
Once Sayyidna Abu Bakr said to Sayyidna Muwayiah : O
Muwayiah, fear Allah and know that the day which goes, out from you and the
night which comes take you away from this world and near the hereafter. There
is such as searcher behind you from whom you can never save yourself. You have
got a fixed limit which you cannot cross. The sooner you reach the limit, the
searcher will arrest you : The properties we are in will all pass away and what
we proceed to still remains. Take to what is good and give up what is bad.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said: This
community will not cease to be in the help and protection of Allah so long as
the learned ??? men of Quran are not attracted towards the rulers. Allah says :
Don’t be inclined towards the oppressors. In other words : Don’t remain satisfied
with their actions. Sunfiyan Sori said : Don’t mix with the rulers and don’t
mix with those who mix with the rulers. The owners of pens, the owners of ink
and the owners of papers are cosharers ??? . What he said is true,
As Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) cursed ten
persons in connection with wine. Sayyidna Ibn Masud said : Those who devour
interest (usury), those who give interest (usury), those who are witnesses to
it, those who write it are all cursed by the tongue of the Prophet,
Allah said : When the angels will take the lives of
those who have oppressed themselves this verse was revealed in connection with
those Muslims who increased the numbers of polytheists by mixing with them. It
has been narrated that Allah revealed to the Prophet Uusha : I will destroy
forty thousands of the good people and sixty thousands of other people from
among your followers. He asked Allah : What sin have the good people committed
? Allah said : They do not become displeased with actions of My displeasure.
They eat and drink with the unbelievers. This proves that to love for Allah and
hate for Allah is compulsory .
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said :Allah
cursed the children of Israil as they lived with the transgressors.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said :Give present
to one another, you will then beget love for one another : Any present is
lawful provided nothing is expected in return. If present is given to a man
knowing that he is a poor man but in fact he is not poor, the latter’s
acceptance of the present is unlawful. So is the case in all similar matters.
If any person has got any administrative and official power, such as judge,
magistrate, Zakat collector, revenue collector, tax collector and others, and
if any present is given to him, it will be considered as bribe as it is given
for a special purpose. When any such officer is transferred, he is not given
such present.
The Prophet said A time will come over men when they will
consider an unlawful present as lawful and will kill innocent people as being
lawful in the form of carefulness, so that the general public become cautious.’
two sons of Sayyidna Omar accepted some loans from the
State Treasury. Sayyidna Omar took the profits of the loans from them and
deposited them in the Treasury saying. These loans have been given to you as
you are the sons of the Caliph .
The wife of Sayyidna Abu Obaidah sent a casket of otto as
present for the queen of Byzantium. In return, the queen sent her a valuable
necklace decorated with jewels. Sayyidna Omar took it from her and deposited it
is the State Treasury after giving the price of the casket to her. When the
Caliph Omar-b-Abdul Aziz returned back his present, it was said to him that
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) used to accept present. He said : It
was present for Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) but it is a bribe to
us.
Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) sent a man to collect Zakat from the tribe of Azad. When he collected Zakat and returned it to Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) he kept something which was given to him as present. Rasulullah (sallallaho alaihe wasallam) then said to him. Tell me with truth, whether it would have been given to you if you kept stay in your parents house. By one in whose hand there is my life, let nobody take from you except what is due to him. Beware, he will come to Allah with the thing he accepts. Let nobody come on the Resurrection Day bearing a high sound-making sound making camel on his back, or a bellowing cow or a sound-making goat. Then he raised his hands so high that the whiteness of his armpit was visible and he said : O Allah, have I communicated Thy message ?