Faraz Rabbani – The Rawha #060 A Pledge of Allegiance in Faith The Inviolability of the Believer
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You're listening to the daily
guidance for seekers with Sheikh Rasra Behni, who
will be covering Imam Yusuf al Nabhani's beautiful
collection of 40 sets of 40 hadith of
the prophet, peace and blessings be upon him,
as well as imam Zarnoji's guidance for seekers
of knowledge regarding the ways of seeking knowledge.
We are continuing to look at
40 Hadith
on the virtues of
Iman and Islam
by Sheikh Youssef, ibn Ismail,
and Nabhani,
one of the great
scholars of the 20th century and one of
the great defenders
of
mainstream Islam from
a lot of concerning
10 trends that appeared,
you know,
Due to the challenges of of modernity
and many of the reactions
to colonialism
and
sort of the sense that the Muslims were
in crisis,
many people reacted with
revisionist
understandings
of Islam
that stepped away
from key traditional values,
of love
and reverence
as being the central pillars
of
sound religious understanding.
So in this beautiful collection,
which
is one of 40 sets of 40 hadiths,
And we're going through these systematically.
We are on hadith number 32 of the
40 hadiths on the virtues of iman and
Islam.
And we previously, of course, looked at 40
hadiths on the virtues
of
the Quran. And before that, 40 hadiths on
the virtues of
before 40 hadiths on praise of Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala. Before that, in the first collection,
40 Hadith
So this is the 4th set of 40
Hadith that we're looking at.
So he said,
why don't you
pledge your allegiance to the messenger of Allah
So we
stretched out our hands.
So we asked,
on what
do we
pledge allegiance to you?
You Rasool Allah, o messenger of Allah.
And this is one of characteristics that when
people
entered Islam, they would do 2 things.
Right? 1, they would say the testification of
faith, but they also pledge allegiance to the
prophet
They would make a commitment.
Right?
And this is the basis,
and there's different levels. There are different types
of bayah
of pledge of allegiance
in
the sharia.
There is the political pledge of allegiance.
Right, which
is
which
is 1, you know, where where Muslims would
pledge allegiance to
the 1
to the Khalifa,
to the to
the commander of the believers, the the
the the supreme political leader of the Muslims.
But there's also relative Be'ah,
relative political Be'ah. One pledges where where one
makes a pledge of allegiance
to follow a particular leader.
Like, if who are who is selected or
elected.
So there's an a general
and a specific political pledge of allegiance.
So
there is also
a
spiritual pledge of allegiance,
right, where one makes a particular commitment
to follow someone someone
in certain
spiritual matters.
And that too has a basis in the
teachings of the prophet
And then they could be other social pledges
of allegiance.
Right?
That people may make that we we pledge
to cooperate together on such and such
matter, for example.
The prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, of course,
gathered various types of allegiance because his role
the role of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam was both
as political leader
and religious leader
for general religious guidance and as the spiritual
leader of the Muslims.
But the various prophetic functions, each of which
had
different degrees of pledges of allegiance
associated,
these
are part of what is inherited
of the prophetic functions.
So they asked upon what upon what do
we pledge allegiance to you, O Messenger of
Allah?
The Messenger of Allah
said
to pledge allegiance
that you worship Allah and associate no partners
with him.
And that you pray
the 5 prayers.
And that you hear
and
you
obey.
And then he said something
silently,
Right? In a subtle way.
Right? And he said,
and don't ask people
anything.
And don't ask people anything.
And then and then
so this was a particular pledge that the
prophet took. Right? He
said,
he wrote
his and don't ask people anything.
So then the narrator of the hadith,
Alfred bin Malik said,
the the sayer of
he said, and then the narrator says, I
saw some of those some of that group
that 7, 8, or 9 people that came
to the prophet
says,
I have seen some of that group.
I have seen
some of that group that if even
the their salt, their their stick fell,
meaning when they're riding, because you're riding on
an animal,
you know, to to make the animal move,
you you'd be carrying a stick. So imagine
if you're on a camel
and
your and your stick falls down, they wouldn't
ask anyone to pick it up,
but they do it themselves.
Muslim
Muslim and others.
So here,
of course, the
the virtues
the the the relationship of this to iman
and Islam
is firstly, in terms of iman, the greatest
pledge to the messenger of Allah is
to believe
to believe in Allah
alone because that's what the messenger
has come with.
But the pledge to the messenger
is also
towards particular obligatory actions.
The most important of them is
the the obligatory prayer. That's a that's a
pledge, and the prophet referred to it as
pledge.
The covenant between us and them is the
prayer.
Right?
That is the
the rope.
Right? That
by which one holds onto
faith safely.
Right, it
it
prayer
performed
establishing
prayer, praying
properly,
outwardly
with inward sincerity
and striving for presence
is what keeps one's faith rejuvenated.
Right? So it's very critical. So the pledge
of the prophet is a pledge of faith
and a pledge
of general
submission,
right, of obligatory
submission,
but then there are also
virtuous matters that the prophet encouraged,
which
sometimes he took pledges with particular people over.
They're not obligatory. Is it permitted for me
to ask
someone
for something?
What's the rule? If I asked Yasmin,
can you get me a cup of water?
Is this permissible?
Is it disliked?
No. Is it blameworthy?
Yasmin, could you have me a glass of
water?
Is it blameworthy?
No.
But it is
but it so it's not obligatory.
It is not
an emphasized sunnah
not to ask someone else. It is not
even.
It's not even contrary to what is better.
It's permitted to ask someone. But what is
higher resolve?
What is higher resolve?
Is not to ask.
Right? It's not to ask.
Even though it's not at all blameworthy. If
someone asks you
for
something,
are you allowed to think that they shouldn't
have asked?
No. If someone does,
just take these 2.
There's you know, you're sinful for thinking that.
Right? It's sinful. It's from.
It's to think ill of people.
So the prophet also took pledges
related to
virtues.
Okay? That it's not related to doing the
obligatory
or doing an emphasized sunnah or leaving
the sinful or the blameworthy.
But it's a pledge
to some virtuous
state or commitment.
Right? That is not
religiously expected,
but it is a way of high resolve.
It's a.
It's a way
of. Right?
The Sahab
so from that, the ulema took that sometimes
part of
nurturing high resolve.
They would take a spiritual commitment from someone
for a particular
an ex an
a particular expression of virtuous
conduct
to nurture high resolve
in people.
Right?
And people, you know, they,
many
guilds, for example, in Islamic history, they'd have
guilds related to different occupations.
And they would take pledges.
Right? That we will pledge that
it's something they they didn't have to do.
They say that we will
like, for example, there are some,
carpenters, for example. They would take a pledge
that we will
we will not refuse anyone who wants to
learn about carpentry and who agrees to our
conditions.
Right?
Right? For example,
now you can agree that we don't wanna
teach anybody.
But they would take a certain pledge as
a like an expression of high resolve.
And they pledge together.
And that has a basis in the prophet
say
that some of the some of the olema
when they would get when they give
their their permission
to,
to to to teach Quran
to a student,
right, who who studied under them, they gave
them Ijazah in teaching Quran. They'd say that
you will not refuse to teach anyone
the Quran
unless
there is a genuine religious
consideration in not doing so.
Right? And that you you pledge that you
will never take any money for teaching Quran.
Or
they they take a pledge.
You don't have to teach every everyone, but
they'll take a certain pledge. So that that's
the basis
of that.
Of course,
as someone who takes a pledge, one should
not make a a pledge is like a
promise.
So one should not make a pledge
unless one has the resolve to fulfill it,
and one is reasonably sure that one will
in fact fulfill it.
Because a pledge,
especially on on a religious matter, Allah
puts it in very weighty terms.
Your own Allah. And those who pledge allegiance
to you, oh messenger,
are only pledging allegiance to Allah.
And think about that.
Allah's hand
is upon their hands.
So a religious pledge there of course, the
Sahaba had the honor of pledging allegiance directly
to the prophet but any other pledge,
that is the consequence,
that that really is a pledge with Allah.
Allah's hand is above their hand. And that
does not apply only to the messenger of
Allah SWATHAM. It's kind whether it's a political
pledge
of a to
listen and obey in all that is permissible,
or it'd be a religious pledge or
a spiritual pledge. 1 makes a commitment to
follow a spiritual path. For example, from one
of those who are
inheritors of the prophet
in
in the spiritual role of
spiritual guides.
And he purifies them from Surat Al Imran
verse 164
of the 4 prophetic roles highlighted in the
verse. And he purifies them.
And if one takes on
one of the prophetic inheritors as one's
spiritual guide, and one may yeah. One can
follow general spiritual teaching generally, but one pledges
an allegiance, that is a weighty matter. That's
a that's a.
That's why it's called. That's a a pledge.
But the pledge is to Allah
ultimately that I am making this commitment
as part of my commitment to you. I
am
making that commitment. And
religiously, it has it it is like a
promise.
Right? You cannot you should you you cannot
make a promise.
It's
unethical to make a promise
unless
one
has the resolve to fulfill the promise and
is reasonably sure that one will be able
to do so. Right? So one should find
out one is what one is making pledging
allegiance to and why
and if and whether one will be able
to fulfill that promise.
So, these are some of the things in
this hadith. Much more could be said about
it.
The hadith number 33
So
relates to the messenger of Allah
said, whoever affirms that there is no god
but Allah and who disbelieves
in all that is worshipped besides Allah, Allah
makes
inviolable
makes inviolable
their wealth
and
their life and literally their blood meaning their
life
and their reckoning is with Allah.
Their reckoning is with Allah. This is related
by Imam Muslim.
And this is particularly true in the context
of war. If someone
believes,
you can you can no longer fight
them. Right? They become
inviolable. Of course, person's life is also inviolable
if, you know,
if, you know,
in a state of peace where
one has,
you know,
there like, if the, you know,
there there are general or specific,
treaties
with people.
Right?
Those treaties
are
have are like their covenants.
Right? Their covenants,
and they cannot be violated.
Right? They cannot be violated.
This tells us, you know, about the great
consequence of.
Alright.
And there's other
similar narration. So this is related by a
Muslim, hadith number 30
4.
So the prophet the messenger of Allah
said, the Muslim is one
whom other Muslims are safe from their tongue
and their hand.
Which Islam is this talking about?
Which Islam is this talking about?
And we talked about
there's degrees of of Iman and there's degrees
of Islam.
Right?
There's mere
Islam,
which is that you accept to submit.
There's sound Islam, and then there's perfected Islam.
Likewise, there's mere faith,
sound faith,
perfected faith.
Right? So this is talking about
sound Islam. Right?
Like, not just a mere Muslim. A Muslim
is anyone who's
who accepts to submit to Allah Subha'ala.
But who is
truly a Muslim?
Right?
So you could say it's mere submission, true
submission, and perfected submission.
Yeah. So here's some a true Muslim is
one whom others are free from their tongue
and hand. And if you look at the
commentaries on this hadith,
they'll tell you
that
the condition here of Muslim,
this is called a.
And this is a non exclusionary
specification.
Right? Because the Muslims were a community together.
So who are you interacting with on a
daily basis?
Other
Muslims. But it is not
it is not exclusionary.
Right? It's not exclusionary, which is why many
would say, particularly in our times when there
is a very exclusionary
attitude when it has to do with rights
and dealings,
it would be better to translate a hadith
like this as a Muslim is someone others
are safe from their tongue and hand. Why?
Because that's the meaning of the hadith.
That's the meaning of the hadith. And just
to put a footnote,
literally,
the Hadith says, whom other Muslims are safe
from their tongue and hands,
but as the scholars explain,
the the the specification of Muslim there is
an
is an incidental
specification,
not an exclusionary
specification.
Because
a clause,
right, that specifies
can be of 2 types.
Incidental
or
exclusionary.
Right? And the commentators on hadith, if you
look at
this and similar hadiths, and it's also related
with similar wording in both Bukhari and Muslim.
You can you can see this, and it's
also explained
by the other
authorities on hadith. And falls under a general
principle
that
when it comes to social rights,
as Sayna Umar has reported to have said,
The social rights of a non Muslim are
the same as the social rights of a
Muslim
except in those things that are exceptional
Except in those things that are exceptional.
Right?
But that's the khilaf al Asl. So, you
know, a non Muslim dies, we don't bury
and there's no one to bury and they
don't have immediate family. We don't bury them
as a Muslim.
Why? Because
they wouldn't want to be buried like a
Muslim because they didn't die a Muslim.
But
but the the right to still remains expressed
in a different way. The basis if you
find out someone died
and you're the only person who who knows
about it, you owe a social right, which
is not that you wash and bury them,
but then you hand them over to people
of their faith community.
Right?
Such that it will be fulfilled.
And then if there's no one to fulfill
it,
then you bury them, but without going through
the religious rituals.
Why?
Because
because they did not
They they did not take that on. Right.
And that's very important. So all the social
duties, the rights of the neighbor, visiting
the sick,
assisting the needy,
giving to the poor,
taking care of the orphan, taking care of
widows,
feed you know, feeding the hungry. All these,
the the the principle applies. And also the
principle of not harming others in any way
whatsoever, which they say is
That the basis of adab is that you
do not hurt anyone.
So here,
the Muslim, meaning that the true Muslim is
the one whom others are safe
from their tongue and their hand,
meaning from their words
and their actions.
So that's the basis of the Adababa Muslim
is
do not
thou shall not harm.
Right? With your tongue
and
with your
hands, meaning
your actions.
And and hand, there is not just referring
to hands that don't punch somebody.
Right? If by your scheming, you hurt someone,
but it wasn't with my hands. It's not
a permission to kick somebody. Right? That's understood.
Hand there meaning
your actions. The tongue meaning your speech even
if it's in writing,
and your hands
meaning your actions.
And then the prophet
said,
and the believer.
So the Muslim
because at one level, there's 3 grades
of the believer.
1st, you agree to submit.
Then you are faithful believer.
So you're a Muslim.
Then you're a Mu'min.
Right? So you agree to submit,
then you are faithful.
Right? And then you you're a Mahsin, then
you're a person of spiritual excellence.
Right? So there's degrees
of
of religiosity.
Islam
then iman then ihsan.
Right? Submission,
you agree to submit, then you are a
faithful believer,
then you are
a virtuous believer, a person of spiritual excellence.
See here, the and the believer,
and this is a higher state. So do
not only are you not harm you so
Islam entails
and yet
that others are at peace with you. They're
safe
from you,
from your words and your actions.
Right?
And the believer, right, is a higher rank,
and the believer is the one
whom others
are
and and
right?
Whom others trust
with their
lives and their
wealth.
So the Muslim does not harm.
The Mu'min
is trusted.
K? But
not harming
is It's from
being free.
Yeah. That you'd you know, you do not
you do not harm others.
Higher than that is Tahlia,
where others trust you,
but the trust
begins with not harming.
The trust begins with not harming.
Right?
So these are 2 things that all of
us need to work on. That to be
a Muslim,
people have to be in a state of
salama with you. They have to feel
they they have to be safe from your
harm, your speech and your tongue,
your speech and your actions.
But higher that strive to be a believer,
a true believer, the test of a true
believer, others
trust you with their
lives and
their wealth.
But, of course, the Ulema point out many
lessons from that. One of the the lessons
from that is
that a believer is someone
Right? They the believer is out there helping
other people.
None of you believes until they wish for
others of the good that they wish for
themselves.
Right? So the believer helps other people,
fulfills other people's needs instead of how do
people trust them?
Because the believer is someone
who fulfills the mandate the prophetic concern. None
of you believes until they
wish for others of the good that they
wish for themselves.
So you want,
you know, all the things you want for
yourself, health and well-being
and financial security,
safety,
all of
the worldly and religious concerns that you
have. You have those concerns.
You strive to just as you fulfill this
you strive to
fulfill
the basic worldly good and the basic religious
good for yourself, you strive to fulfill the
basic worldly good and religious good for others.
And if you do so
and you prove true in that, then they
will trust you.
Right? That's the test. Then do people trust
you? If nobody knows you,
right, part of the reason is because you
don't do anything for other people.
That's not being a believer
in the sense that you're not a true
believer in that sense.
Right? So the believer cannot be self centered.
Right? That's all the things. Because the only
way people trust you is that if you're
there for them.
And that's
That was the messenger of Allah.
So
this,
the people will trust with their lives.
Okay.
And their property
is related by
and in. And there's other,
similar narrations in,
Bukhari and Muslim
as well. Right?
So we'll
we'll continue with hadith number 35
tomorrow.
Thank you for listening to the raha, daily
guidance for seekers with Sheikh Farazrabani.
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