Zia Sheikh – Ramadan Khatira Day 9
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AI: Transcript ©
In the name of God, the Most Gracious,
the Most Merciful.
In
the
name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most
Merciful.
Last night we completed Surah Al-Anfal and
the majority of Surah At-Tawbah.
I just want to focus on a verse,
and I want you to pay attention to
it, and listen to the translation, and then
make an assumption.
And this is the assumption, basically, that people
would like you to make, who want to
portray Islam in a negative light.
In Ayah number 5 of Surah At-Tawbah,
Allah SWT says, فَإِذَا سَلَخَ الْأَشْهُرُ الْحُرُمُ فَاقْتُلُوا
الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ وَخُذُوهُمْ وَحْسُرُوهُمْ وَقُعُدُوا
لَهُمْ كُلَّ مَرْصَدٍ When the Ashur-ul-Hurum,
meaning the sanctified months have passed by, then
kill the polytheists, kill the disbelievers, wherever you
find them.
And grab them, imprison them, meaning, وَحْسُرُوهُمْ وَقُعُدُوا
لَهُمْ كُلَّ مَرْصَدٍ And sit and lie in
ambush for them in every place of ambush.
So, this seems like a very severe kind
of verse on the surface of it.
And this is actually one of the verses
put out there by non-Muslims when they
want to show Islam in a negative light
as being a very barbaric and a very
gruesome and a murderous religion.
The reality is very different.
And whenever we talk to people who portray
these verses or present these verses, we would
tell them that there are two things you
need to keep in mind.
Firstly, you need to keep in mind the
surrounding verses which bring the verse in question
into context.
And also the background of the verses that
you are reciting, the history behind them.
Because there may be a historical relevance to
them which is not relevant at all times.
So, going back to the beginning of the
surah, and I'll do it quickly because I
realize many people have to go to work
today.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in the first
ayah, بَرَاءَةٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ إِلَىٰ ٱلَّذِينَ عَاهَةٌ
مِّنَ الْمُشْتِكِينَ This ayah Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala declares that there is a freedom from
all the contracts that the Muslims had made
with the mushrikeen in the past.
So, this surah was revealed, surah al-tawbah
was revealed, immediately after the conquest of Mecca.
Now, when you see conquests that take place
and people taking over countries, إِنَّ الْمُلُوكَ إِذَا
دَخَلُوا قَرْيَةً أَفْسَدُوهَا وَجَعَلُوا أَعِزَّةَ أَهْلِهَا أَذِلَّةً
According to surah al-naml, when people enter
into a town and conquer it, they basically
destroy it and the respectful dwellers of those
towns are basically made, disgraced in front of
the eyes of people.
So, what did the Muslims do and what
did Islam teach?
The first ayah says that Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala declared that previous covenants and previous
treaties that had been done with the mushrikeen
prior to the fatah of Mecca, prior to
the conquest of Mecca, they had been nullified
and from this point on a new treaty
was going to start.
And the first point of that treaty was
this, which is the second verse.
فَسِيحُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّكُمْ غَيْرٌ
مُعْجِزِ اللَّهِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ مُخْزِي الْكَافِرِينَ Those mushrikeen
that were still remaining in the areas of
the harameen, they were told that go around,
four months you are free to do whatever
you please.
Stay in the area, watch the Muslims, watch
how Muslim governance is taking place, watch what
Islam teaches, look at the beauty of Islam
and then within four months we are pretty
sure that you are going to become Muslim
anyway.
Okay, but you have four months.
And now if you look historically, any conquering
nation, whether they have given the people within
the city four months to dwell and thrive
and live without any kind of questioning whatsoever,
I don't think you will find anything like
that in the books of history.
It's not found anywhere.
So Islam told them, these mushrikeen, that you
are allowed to do whatever you please, stay
in the area for four months continuously and
at the same time وَعْلَمُوا أَنَّكُمْ غَيْرٌ مُعْجِزِ
اللَّهِ that in the course of your staying
here you will understand that you are not
going to defeat Allah SWT.
The plan of Allah SWT is complete, it
will be completed and any plan that you
make against Islam is not going to work.
وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ مُخْزِي الْكَافِرِينَ Allah SWT will disgrace
the disbelievers.
Any person who tries to stand up against
Islam, he will be disgraced.
وَأَذَانُوا مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ إِلَى النَّاسِ يَوْمَ الْحَجِّ
الْأَكْبَرِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ بَرِيءٌ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ وَرَسُولُهُ And
there is an announcement from Allah SWT and
His Prophet to the people on the day
of Al-Hajjul Akbar.
Al-Hajjul Akbar refers to the Hajj that
the Prophet SAW made.
Many people say that if the day of
Hajj falls on a Friday, that's Hajjul Akbar.
Really, there is no basis of that in
Sharia.
There is no basis for that in Sharia.
You will never find that in any Hadith
or any Quranic verse.
What Al-Hajjul Akbar refers to according to
the Mufassireen is as opposed to Al-Hajjul
Azghar which is Umrah.
So, there was an announcement that was made
by Allah SWT and His Prophet that Allah
is now free from and He is absorbing
Himself from all responsibilities towards the Mushrikeen.
This announcement took place on the day of
Hajjul, Hajjatul Wada'a by the Prophet SAW.
فَإِنْ تُبْتُنْ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ The Mushrikeen are
being addressed and they are being told that
if you make Tawbah in the course of
these four months now, then this is better
for you.
وَإِنْ تَوَلَّيْتُنْ فَعَلَمُوا أَنَّكُمْ غَيْرٌ مُوَجِزَلَهَا Allah SWT
says again, if you turn away from this
opportunity you have of four months of making
Tawbah, then be aware that you will not
be able to defeat Allah SWT.
Allah SWT's plan is going to come to
fruition and it's going to succeed.
وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ And give the
tidings of the disbelievers that they are going
to get a painful punishment.
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ عَاهَدْتُمْ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَنْقُصُوكُمْ
شَيْئًا وَلَمْ يُظَاهِرُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَحَدًا فَأَتِمُوا إِلَيْهِمْ عَهَدَهُمْ
إِلَى مُدَّتِهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَّقِينَ Here Allah
SWT is talking about the importance of treaties
that had been made with various tribes, various
nations.
Allah is saying that as long as those
people maintain those treaties as Muslims, you have
to maintain those treaties also.
So إِلَّا الَّذِينَ عَاهَدْتُمْ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ Except for
those people that you had made a treaty
with from the مشركين, from the polytheists, then
they did not break those treaties in the
least.
ثُمَّ لَمْ يَنْقُصُوكُمْ شَيْئًا They didn't break the
treaties.
وَلَمْ يُظَاهِرُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَحَدًا And they didn't try
to attack you.
فَأَتِمُوا إِلَيْهِمْ عَهْدَهُمْ إِلَى مُّدَّتِهِمْ Complete the treaties
until they expire.
Until they expire, you have to complete the
treaties.
You have to make sure that you don't
break those treaties.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَّقِينَ Indeed, Allah SWT, He
loves the people of Taqwa.
Now this verse that I recited comes into
play.
Now we've understood the context, the background.
Now this verse which I recited comes into
play.
فَإِذَاً سَلَقَ الْأَشْرُ الْحُرُمُ When these four months
have passed.
أَشْرُ الْحُرُمُ here refers to the four months
which they had been allowed.
What Allah SWT told them, four months stay
and witness and observe, whatever you want to
do, do.
So these four months after they have passed,
then the rule is that if they haven't
become Muslim yet, then فَقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ
Wherever you find the Mushrikeen, then you have
to destroy them, you have to kill them.
وَخُذُوهُمْ Arrest them.
وَحْسُرُوهُمْ Surround them.
And then وَقُعُدُوا لَهُمْ كُلَّ مَرْسَدٍ And lie
in wait, in ambush for them, at every
place of ambush.
But then, that's not where it finishes.
The ayat go on.
So you don't just stop there, you have
to read what's after that.
فَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةِ وَآتَوُوا الزَّكَاةِ فَخَلُّوا
سَبِيلَهُمْ If they make Tawbah, still they have
an opportunity.
If they make Tawbah, they start establishing Salah,
they start giving the Zakah, then leave them.
Leave them alone.
And again, when a person declares his Shahada,
he says he's a Muslim, then you don't
delve further than the tongue.
You don't open up the heart and see
if he's telling the truth.
So even if a person wants to save
his life, to say the Shahada, it would
be sufficient for him to save his life.
So Allah says, if they make Tawbah, establish
Salah, give Zakah, as a proof of their
Iman, obviously, then you leave them alone.
Indeed, Allah SWT, He is Ghafoor, He is
Forgiving, He is Merciful.
وَإِنْ أَحَدٌ مِّنَ الْمُشْتِكِينَ اَسْتَجَارَكُ And again it
continues.
If any of these polytheists, they want refuge
from you, فَأَجِرْهُ Give him refuge.
What it means is, even after the four
months have passed, a Mushrik, he's caught in
this, you know, difficulty, he's being, maybe he's
going to be attacked by the Muslims, he
raises up a white flag.
And he says, I want an opportunity to
learn about Islam.
Give me a chance.
Give me a little bit more of an
opportunity.
Allah SWT gives him an opportunity.
If any of these Mushrikeen, they seek refuge
from you, then give them refuge, until they
hear the words of Allah SWT, ثُمَّ أَبْلِغْهُ
مَأْمَنًا Then put him in a place of
peace.
Put him in a place where he is
at peace.
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ This is because
there are people that do not know.
And then I'll just do one more ayah.
كَيْفَ يَكُونُ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ عَهَدٌ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَعِنْدَ رَسُولِهِ
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ عَاهَدْتُمْ عِنْدَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ There were
some tribes that had made an ahad and
treaties with the Prophet SAW at Al-Masjid
Al-Haram.
There were three in particular, Banu Kinana and
Banu Khizar, I believe, were two of them.
I can't remember the three.
But they had made an ahad with the
Prophet SAW.
So Allah SWT says, how can the polytheists
make an ahad with Allah SWT and with
the Prophet SAW except for those that you
made a treaty with at Al-Masjid Al
-Haram?
But again, Allah SWT says, Those treaties, فَمَسْتَقَامُوا
لَكُمْ فَاسْتَقِيمُوا لَهُمْ As long as they continue
to observe the treaty on their end, you're
supposed to observe the treaty of Muslims on
your end.
Because, إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَّقِينَ Indeed, Allah SWT
loves the people of taqwa.
So the summary, if you have probably understood
by now, is that when somebody presents a
verse to you, don't get confused.
Don't think that, you know, wow, this is
a very shocking verse.
You have to know the background of the
verse, the history of the verse, and the
surrounding verses to get a complete idea of
what the subject matter actually is.
And that's why the concept of tafsir is
very very important.
Going into the foundations of what the meaning
of the Qur'an is, and understanding what
the true meaning is, so that you can
understand it yourself, and also teach other people,
this is what tafsir is all about.
I pray that Allah SWT gives us tawfiq
to understand and practice what has been said
and heard.
Was that verse applied to them or not?
No, because it was specifically for that time.
It was for that time.
Thank you.