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Inviolability of a Muslims life
Shaykh Saud Ash Shuraym [(Rabee'ul Awwal 11, 1425 (April 30, 2004)]
All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the
worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger, his household and companions.
Fellow Muslims! Our present situation is really pathetic. It is situation in
which darkness of crises collide like the collusion of waves. These crises have
besieged us from all sides and taken hold of our hearts. They had suddenly
seized us as the hurricane seizes the particle of the earth. It is these crises
that bewildered that wise one who was endowed with the trait that Allaah and His
Messenger love. The wise and the deliberate is the one who when abused, bears it
with patience.
Dear brethren! These crises that follow one another is actually a trial from
Allaah,
"in order that Allaah may distinguish the wicked (disbelievers, polytheists and
doers of evil deeds) from the good (believers of Islaamic Monotheism and doers
of righteous deeds), and put the wicked (disbelievers, polytheists and doers of
evil deeds) one over another, heap them together and cast them into Hell."
Allaah's Messenger said, "There will be afflictions (in the near future) during
which a sitting person will be better than a standing one, and the standing one
will be better than the walking one, and the walking one will be better than the
running one, and whoever will expose himself to these afflictions, they will
destroy him."
Fellow Muslims! There have been recently many occurrences in which security of
this Muslim society was seriously undermined and in which the blood of a Muslim
has lost its sacredness. The Muslim has pointed a weapon against his brother and
he had in fact attacked him with that weapon. This is a very unusual situation.
What is then is the cause of this sudden and unfortunate change? Why is today
different from yesterday and where is the way of this debacle?
The above are questions that should lead us to issues that need to be treated
with all sincerity. We need to deal with these issues with an intention to
reform ourselves from within so that Allaah could change our situation for
better.
One: The security disorder that gave birth to killing of many innocent people
with no justification is certainly one of the signs of the nearness of the last
hour that is known to Allaah alone. Allaah's Messenger said, "Time will pass
rapidly, good deeds will decrease, miserliness will be thrown (in the hearts of
the people) afflictions will appear and there will be much 'Al-Harj." They said,
"O Allah's Apostle! What is "Al-Harj?" He said, "[It is] killing! [It is]
killing!" (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)
Two: The stability of a Muslim society in which food and drink are enjoyed, in
which day is used for work and night for rest cannot materialise except in the
shade of abundance security. Security and safety are the goal of all societies.
When security is demeaned, the consequences of that will not affect the
perpetrator alone, it will rather affect me and you and my family and yours. The
reality is that an integrated society is the one in the one in which three
fundamental things are actualised: military security, nutritional security and
health security.
These three fundamentals cannot perfectly materialise except under the shade of
Islaam and its law. Allaah's Messenger said, "Whoever wakes up in the morning
safe in his flock, sound in his body and has his daily meal, it is as if he has
all this worldly life in his possession." (At-Timidhee)
Three: The recent bomb attacks in which innocent people were targeted are acts
that no religion, custom or sense will accept. Condemning them is definitely an
obligation. Accepting them or being happy with them is an act of betrayal. This
is because; there are many evidences from the Qur'aan and the Sunnah that imply
that inviolability of the Muslim's blood, respecting the rights of the Muslim
leader and the forbiddance of revolting against him and against the scholars.
Allaah says,
"The believers are but brothers."
(Al-Hujuraat 49:10)
Allaah also says,
"But whoever kills a believer intentionally- his
recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide eternally, and Allaah has become angry
with him and has caused him and has prepared for him a great punishment."
(An-Nisaa 4:93)
Allaah says while narrating the story of the two sons of Adam,
"And recite to them the story of Adam's two sons, in
truth, when they both offered a sacrifice [to Allaah], and it was accepted from
one of them but was not accepted from the other. Said [the latter], 'I will
surely kill you.'"
(Al-Maaidah 5:27)
The above is the story of Adam's two sons. The crime of murder was therefore
started by one of Adam's two sons.
Al-Bukhaaree reported that Allaah's Messenger said, "When anyone of you passes
by our mosque or market and he has with him an arrow, let him cover its head
with his hand lest it harms a Muslim."
The Messenger of Allaah also said, "He who takes arm against us is not of us."
He also said, "Insulting a Muslim is a sinful act and killing him is an act of
disbelief [kufr]"
Imaam Ahmad reported on the authority of Al-Hasan Al-Basree who said, "Alee [Ibn
Abee Taalib] sent for Muhammad ibn Maslamah and when he was brought before him
he asked him, 'Why you have not joined [us] in this matter [meaning the fighting
that was between 'Alee and his adversaries]?' Muhammad ibn Salamah replied,
'Your cousin [meaning Allaah's Messenger] gave me a sword and commanded, 'Fight
with it as long as the enemies are fought. But when you see Muslims killing one
another, just go to a rock and strike it with this sword. Then stay in your
house death comes to you.' When Alee heard this, he commanded that he be freed."
Ibn Abdil-Barr reported on the authority of some of the righteous predecessors
that he said, "There are three people who deserve honour the most: the scholars,
the brethren and the ruler. He who scorns the scholars has damaged his
manliness, he who scorns the ruler has destroyed his own worldly life and no
sane person would scorn anyone."
Four: This scourge needs to be given a sincere diagnosis that is free of
ambiguities and desires, and an appropriate cure should be searched for. Care
should be taken so that the diagnosis is done beyond the area of covered by the
disease. For example, it should not be attributed to religiosity, or to Islaamic
sciences and methodologies or to sincere scholars and callers to the way of
Allaah. This is because; a mosque should not be pulled down because a theft took
place there just as lack of understanding the Islaamic injunctions should not be
a cause of marginalising them in practical life. If a thief disguises under the
Muslim woman's hijaab, shall we then ban wearing of hijaab because of that?
Let those who cause trouble by attacking our religion and criticising our
adherence to its teachings, whenever there is an incidence fear Allaah. They
should desist from attributing whatever incidence that happens to our upholding
of Islaamic teachings lest the infidels who are enemies of Islaam seize that as
justification for attacking Muslim countries and imposing pressures on them.
Dear brethren! The disturbance from within is undoubtedly more dangerous and
painful from the one from outside. The example of those who make noise in the
mass media against Islaam and adherence to its teachings and against people's
uprightness in matters of their religion is like that of the hadeeth narrated by
Imaam Ahmad on the authority of Ibn 'Umar that Allaah's Messenger said, "A man
among the children of Israel who has a dog in his house hosted another man. The
dog said, 'By Allaah, I will not bark at my master's guest.' So its puppies
howled in her womb. And it was asked, 'What is this?' Allaah then revealed to a
man among them, 'This is the similitude of a nation that will come after you
whom its foolish ones them will subdue its dreams.'"
The point here, dear brethren, is that ideology should be confronted with
ideology. No mistake should be used to cause disunity among the Muslims or to
weaken adherence to religious teachings and those who adhere. 'Alee Ibn Abee
Taalib was killed in a crisis greater that this and the accusing finger was not
pointed at Islaam and those who adhere to its teachings. It was the carriers of
erroneous ideologies like the Khawaarij and those who revolted against 'Alee
believed erroneously that killing him was one of the greatest acts of worship
who were blamed.
In fact, one of the Khawaarij's poets had praised Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Muljim, the
murderer of 'Alee as the one whose weight of good deeds is the fullest in the
sight of Allaah. The poet was Imraan ibn Hattaan who said in his poem:
'How excellence was the strike [of the sword or spear] by which the striker
hoped for nothing but the pleasure of Allaah.
Each day that I remember him, I regard him as one whose weight of good deeds is
the fullest in the sight of Allaah.'
Most grievous is the word that he uttered and he uttered nothing but falsehood.
Someone among Ahlus-Sunnah replied him with the following poetical verses:
'It is rather a strike from a wretched that cast him to Hell and he shall meet
Allaah's wrath in it.
Each day that I remember him [the striker], I curse him and I cause 'Imraan
Hattaan [who praised him].'
Dear Muslims! The message here is that, the atrocious deed of the Khawaarij did
not dissuade the Prophet's companions from greater adherence to the teachings of
their religion, asking Allaah for mercy and compassion and remaining steadfast
on their religion in spite of the isolated incidence.
Allaah says,
"O you who have believed, upon you is [responsibility
for] yourselves. Those who have gone astray will not harm when you have been
guided. To Allaah is your return all together; then He will inform you of what
you used to do."
(Al-Maaidah 5:105)
Fellow Muslims! There is another issue that is not less important than the ones
previously mentioned. We have to ponder over our present situation and call
ourselves to account for our shortcomings in our obligations to Allaah. We need
to rectify ourselves and our society for no calamity befalls except as a result
of a sin and it is not removed except through a sincere repentance.
Allaah says,
"And We will surely test you with something of fear and
hunger, and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the
patient."
(Al-Baqarah 2:155)
Allaah also says,
"And Allaah presents an example: a city [i.e. Makkah]
which was safe and secure, its provision coming to it in abundance from every
location, but it denied the favours of Allaah. So Allaah made it taste the
envelopment of hunger and fear for what they had been doing."
(An-Nahl 16:112)
Allaah says,
"And when We intend to destroy a city We command its
affluent but they defiantly disobey therein; so the word [i.e. deserved decree]
comes into effect upon it, and We destroy it with [complete] destruction."
(Al-Israa 17:16)
Dear brethren! Sins and lack adhering to Allaah's injunctions regarding selves,
properties and the society is undoubtedly a cause security deficiency.
Successive calamities should therefore lead us to seek refuge with Allaah and
hope for His mercy so that He can change our situation to better. Allaah says,
"Allaah will not change the condition of a people until
they change what is in themselves. And when Allaah intends for a people ill,
there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides him a patron."
(Ar-Ra'd 13:11)
Ibn Maajah and Al-Bayhaqee reported on the authority of Ibn 'Umar that he said,
I was one of some ten Muhaajiroon [immigrants] that were with Allaah's Messenger
when he turned his face to us and said, "O you group of Muhaajiroon, I seek
refuge with Allaah from five things that you should not meet them: if sexual
promiscuity is widespread among a people so much so that they practise it
publicly, they will be afflicted with plagues and diseases that were unknown to
their ancestors; if a people cheat in the measures, they will be afflicted with
famine, serious poverty and injustice of the ruler; if a people refuse to pay
the Zakaah of their wealth, they will be denied rain from the heaven and if not
because of animals they will not have rain at all; if a people violate a pact,
Allaah will impose an enemy from outside on them and the enemy with take some of
what they have; and if the leaders of a people do not rule by what Allaah has
revealed in His Book, Allaah will create enmity and hostility among them."
Allaah says the truth in His Book,
"Why [is it that] when a single disaster stuck you on
the day of Uhud], although you had struck the enemy on the battle of Badr with
one twice as great, you said, 'From where is this?' Say, 'It was from yourselves
[i.e. due to your sin].' Indeed, Allaah is over all things Competent."
(Aal-'Imraan 3:165)
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