Want to be Successful?

Want to be Successful?

بسم الله الرحمان الحيم

الحمد الله

All Praise is due to Allah سبحانه و تعالى. May Peace and Blessings be upon Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم, his progeny, his companions رضي الله عنهم.

It would unreasonable that Allah سبحانه و تعالى will tell us about Jannah and not tell us how to get to it. And it would be impossible that Allah سبحانه و تعالى will inform us about Jahannam and not tell us how to escape it. Thus, He سبحانه و تعالى has said in a beautiful verse,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

“O you who believe! Endure and be more patient, and do Ribaat and have Taqwa of Allah, so that you may be successful.”

‘A’ishah رضي الله عنها says, “Whenever an ayah starts with ‘O’ you who believe’ then bring forth your ear to listen to it carefully.”

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا

The interpreters of the Qur`an have differed on the meaning of this ayah. Some have said “That’s means: Endure with your religion, be more patient with the disbelievers and do Ribaat against them.”

Qatadah رحمه الله says, “It is the forbearance on the obedience of Allah سبحانه و تعالى, being patient with the people of misguidance and guard the borderlines in the Path of Allah سبحانه و تعالى.”

Muhammad bin Ka‘b AlQuradhi رحمه الله has said about this ayah, “Endure with your religion, be patient with the Promise that you have been Promised with and do Ribaat against your enemies until they leave their religion to follow yours.”

Others have said something similar but with the only difference that it means, “Carry on with Jihaad.”[1]

Al Hasan Al Basri رحمه الله said, “The believers are commanded to be patient in the religion that Allah chose for them, Islam. They are not allowed to abandon it in times of comfort or hardship, ease or calamity, until they die as Muslims. They are also commanded to endure against their enemies, those who hid the truth about their religion.” Similar explanation given by several other scholars among the Salaf.[2]

Meaning of being Patient with the Obedience and Religion of Allah سبحانه و تعالى:

Al Haafidh Ibn Al Qayyim رحمه الله says, “Patience in worshipping Allâh سبحانه و تعالى and carrying out His instructions means that you perform the prescribed acts of worship regularly and do so sincerely and with knowledge. Worship that is not performed regularly is of no value. Even if worship is performed regularly, there are two dangers. Firstly, we risk losing our sincerity, if the motive for performing prayers is not to please Allâh سبحانه و تعالى and draw closer to Him. So to protect our worship we must make sure that we are sincere. Secondly, we must be sure never to deviate from the way of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم, so we have to ensure that our worship is done according to the Sunnah.”[3]

As have read in the quote above, patience in worship is make sure that one’s intention to do the act is for the sake of Allah سبحانه و تعالى or not and doing the action according to the Sunnah of RasuluLlah صلى الله عليه و سلم. This means we should not get frustrated with checking our intentions frequently in other words, being happy with Qadhaa’ wal Qadr. This includes the reaction of people and events that take place in one’s life as we learn from the following ayah,

يَا بُنَيَّ أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَاصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا أَصَابَكَ ۖ إِنَّ ذَ‌ٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ

“O My son! Aqim­is­Salât (perform As­Salât), Enjoin (people) for Al­Ma’rûf (Islâmic Monotheism and All that is good), and forbid (people) from Al­Munkar (i.e. disbelief In the Oneness of Allâh, polytheism of All kinds and All that is evil and bad), and bear with patience whatever befall you. Verily! These are some of the important Commandments ordered by Allâh with no exemption.”[4]

Meaning of Ribaat:

As for Murabatah, it is to endure in acts of worship and perseverance. It also means to await prayer after prayer, as Ibn `Abbas, Sahl bin Hanif and Muhammad bin Ka‘b Al Quradhi رضي الله عنهم stated. [5]

Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه that the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم said,

“Should I tell you about actions with which Allah forgives sins and raises the grade? Performing perfect ablution in unfavourable conditions, the many steps one takes to the Masajid, and awaiting prayer after the prayer, for this is the Ribaat, this is the Ribaat, this is the Ribaat.” [6]

They also say that the Murabatah in the above Ayah refers to battles against the enemy, and manning Muslim outposts to protect them from enemy incursions inside Muslim territory. There are several ahadith that encourage Murabatah and mention its rewards.[7] Sahl bin Sa‘d As-Sa‘idi رضي الله عنه said that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم said,

“A Day of Ribaat in the cause of Allah is better than this life and all that is in it”[8]

Salman Al-Farisi رضي الله عنه said that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم said,

“Ribaat for a day and a night is better than fasting the days of a month and its Qiyaam (voluntary prayer at night). If one dies in Ribaat, his regular righteous deeds that he used to perform will keep being added to his account and he will receive his provision, and will be saved from the trials of the grave.”[9]

‘AbduLlah Ibn `Abbas رضي الله عنهما said that he heard the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم saying,

“Two eyes shall not be touched by the Fire: an eye that cried for fear from Allah and an eye that spent the night guarding in Allah’s cause.”[10]

And finally, Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه said that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه و سلم said,

“Let the servant of the Dinar, the servant of the Dirham and the servant of the Khamisah (of clothes) perish, as he is pleased if these things are given to him, and if not, he is displeased. Let such a person perish and be humiliated, and if he is pierced with a thorn, let him not find anyone to take it out for him. Paradise is for him who holds the reins of his horse, striving in Allah’s cause, with his hair unkempt and feet covered with dust: if he is appointed to the vanguard, he is perfectly satisfied with his post of guarding, and if he is appointed in the rearguard, he accepts his post with satisfaction; if he asks for permission he is not permitted, and if he intercedes, his intercession is not accepted.”[11]

وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

This means have Taqwa of Allah سبحانه و تعالى O’ believers! And beware of opposing His Commands or exceeding His limits  Muhammad bin Ka‘b Al Quradhi رحمه الله said regarding this verse, “Fear Me concerning what is between you and Me, so that you may acquire success when you meet Me tomorrow.” [12]

This is one of the ways to be successful Allah سبحانه و تعالى has talked about in Qur`an and indeed being successful does not mean achieving an engineering degree nor getting married rather it means being rewarded with Jannah and indeed Allah سبحانه و تعالى knows best

References

1 Tafsir Al Tabari

² Tafsir Ibn Kathir

³ ‘Uddaat Al Saabireen wa Dhaakiraat Al Shakireen

⁴ Surat Luqman, 31:17

⁵ Tafsir Ibn Kathir

⁶ Ibn Abi Hatim, Sahih Muslim and Sunan An-Nasa’i

⁷Tafsir Ibn Kathir

⁸ Sahih Al Bukhari

⁹ Sahih Muslim

¹⁰ Sunan Al Tirmidhi

¹¹ Sahih Al Bukhari

¹² Tafsir Al Tabari

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Fitnah

Fitnah

بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركته

الحمد الله

Meanings of the Fitnah:

1 – The word fitnah from a linguistic point of view:

Al-Azhari said: “The Arabic word fitnah includes meanings of testing and trial. The root is taken from the phrase fatantu al-fiddah wa’l-dhahab (I assayed (tested the quality of) the silver and gold), meaning I melted the metals to separate the bad from the good. Similarly, Allaah says in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the meaning): ‘(It will be) a Day when they will be tried [yuftanoona] (punished, i.e. burnt) over the Fire!’ [al-Dhaariyaat 51:13], meaning, burning them with fire.” (Tahdheeb al-Lughah, 14/196).

Ibn Faaris said: “Fa-ta-na is a sound root which indicates testing or trial.” (Maqaayees al-Lughah, 4/472). This is the basic meaning of the word fitnah in Arabic.

Ibn al-‘Atheer said: “Fitnah: trial or test… The word is often used to describe tests in which something disliked is eliminated. Later it was also often used in the sense of sin, kufr (disbelief), fighting, burning, removing and diverting.” (al-Nihaayah, 3/410. Ibn Hajar said something similar in al-Fath, 13/3).

Ibn al-‘Arabi summed up the meanings of fitnah when he said: “Fitnah means testing, fitnah means trial, fitnah means wealth, fitnah means children, fitnah means kufr, fitnah means differences of opinion among people, fitnah means burning with fire.” (Lisaan al-‘Arab by Ibn Manzoor).

2 – Meanings of the word fitnah in the Qur’aan and Sunnah:

1-     Testing and trial, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: ‘We believe, and will not be tested [la yuftanoon]” [al-‘Ankaboot 29:2]

i.e., that they will not be subjected to trial, as Ibn Jareer said.

2-     Blocking the way and turning people away, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“but beware of them lest they turn you [yaftinooka] (O Muhammad) far away from some of that which Allaah has sent down to you” [al-Maa’idah 5:49]

Al-Qurtubi said: this means blocking your way and turning you away.

3-     Persecution, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“Then, verily, your Lord for those who emigrated after they had been put to trials [futinoo] and thereafter strove hard and fought (for the Cause of Allaah) and were patient, verily, your Lord afterward is, Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Nahl 16:110]

Put to trial means persecuted.

4-     Shirk and kufr, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“And fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allaah)” [al-Baqarah 2:193]

Ibn Katheer said: this means shirk (worshipping others besides Allaah).

5-     Falling into sin and hypocrisy, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“(The hypocrites) will call the believers: “Were we not with you?” The believers will reply: “Yes! But you led yourselves into temptations [fatantum anfusakum], you looked forward for our destruction; you doubted (in Faith) and you were deceived by false desires” [al-Hadeed 57:14]

Al-Baghawi said: i.e., you made yourselves fall into hypocrisy and you destroyed yourselves by means of sin and whims and desires.

6-     Confusing truth with falsehood, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“And those who disbelieve are allies of one another, (and) if you (Muslims of the whole world collectively) do not do so [i.e. become allies, as one united block under one Khaleefah (a chief Muslim ruler for the whole Muslim world) to make victorious Allaah’s religion of Islamic Monotheism], there will be Fitnah (wars, battles, polytheism) and oppression on the earth, and a great mischief and corruption (appearance of polytheism)”[al-Anfaal 6:73]

What this means is that “unless believers are taken as close friends instead of disbelievers, even if they are relatives, there will be fitnah on earth, i.e., truth will be confused with falsehood.” This is how it is explained in Jaami’ al-Bayaan by Ibn Jareer.

7-     Misguidance, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“And whomsoever Allaah wants to put in Al‑Fitnah (error, because of his rejecting of Faith), you can do nothing for him against Allaah” [al-Maa’idah 5:41]

The meaning of fitnah here is misguidance. Al-Bahr al-Muheet by Abu Hayaan, 4/262.

8-     Killing and taking prisoners, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“if you fear that the disbelievers may put you in trial [yaftinakum] (attack you)”

[al-Nisa’ 4:101]

This refers to the kaafirs attacking the Muslims whilst they are praying and prostrating, in order to kill them or take them prisoner, as stated by Ibn Jareer.

9-     Difference among people and lack of agreement, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“and they would have hurried about in your midst (spreading corruption) and sowing sedition among you [yabghoonakum al-fitnah]” [al-Tawbah 9:47]

i.e., they would have stirred up differences amongst you, as it says in al-Kashshaaf, 2/277.

10-Insanity, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“Which of you is afflicted with madness (maftoon)” [al-Qalam 68:6] Here it means madness.

11-Burning with fire, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, those who put into trial [fatanoo] the believing men and believing women (by torturing them and burning them)”[al-Burooj 85:10]

Ibn Hajar said: the meaning may be understood from the context. (al-Fath 11/176)

Note:

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: With regard to the “fitnah” which Allaah attributes to Himself or which His Messenger attributes to Him, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning), ‘Thus We have tried [fatannaa] some of them with others’ [al-An’aam 6:53] and the words of Moosa, ‘It is only Your trial [fitnatuka] by which You lead astray whom You will’ [al-A’raaf 7:155 – interpretation of the meaning], that carries a different meaning, which is a test or trial from Allaah to His slaves by means of good things and bad, blessings and calamities. This is one thing; the fitnah of the mushrikeen is another thing; the fitnah or trial of the believer by means of his wealth, children and neighbour is another thing; the fitnah (tribulation, differences) that happen amongst the Muslims, like the fitnah that happened between the supporters of ‘Ali and Mu’awiyah, and between him and the people of the camel, and between Muslims when they fight one another or boycott one another, is another thing. (Zaad al-Ma’aad, vol. 3, p. 170).

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A Collection of Tafasir of Surat AlBaqarah, Juz’ #1, ayah 9

بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم

الحمد الله

Ayah 9:

يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَمَا يَخْدَعُونَ إِلَّا أَنفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ

“They (think to) deceive Allah and those who believe, while they only deceive themselves, and perceive (it) not!”

يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا

The hypocrite’s attempted deception (khidaa‘) of his Lord and of the believers is the verbal attestation of the truth which he declares with his tongue contrary to the doubt and denial in his heart. By it he seeks to ward off Allah سبحانه وتعالى’s judgement of death or captivity which would otherwise necessarily fall on whoever makes a denial as he does. ^[52]

Their deception; what is apparent from them is Iman which is different from the hidden which is kufr making their blood and wealth halal (rather than being haram for another Muslim if the person is a Muslim). They think that they can be safe (from Allah سبحانه وتعالى’s punishment) and can deceive (Allah سبحانه وتعالى and Muslims) ^[53]

وَمَا يَخْدَعُونَ إِلَّا أَنفُسَهُمْ

Allah سبحانه وتعالى stated that the hypocrites only deceive themselves by this behaviour, although they are unaware of this fact. Allah سبحانه وتعالى also said,

إِنَّ الْمُنَـفِقِينَ يُخَـدِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَادِعُهُمْ

“Verily, the hypocrites try to deceive Allah, but it is He Who deceives them” ^[54]

Also, Ibn Abi Hatim رحمه الله narrated that Ibn Jurayj رحمه الله commented on Allah سبحانه وتعالى‘s statement previously mentioned by saying, “The hypocrites pronounce, `There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah’ seeking to ensure the sanctity of their blood and money, all the while concealing disbelief. ”

Sa‘id bin Jubayr رحمه الله said that Qatadah رحمه اللهsaid regarding ayaatayn 8 &9, “This is the description of a hypocrite. He is devious; he says the truth with his tongue and defies it with his heart and deeds. He wakes up in a condition other than the one he goes to sleep in, and goes to sleep in a different condition than the one he wakes up in. He changes his mind just like a ship that moves about whenever a wind blows.” ^[55]

وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ

‘AbduLlah bin Wahb رحمه الله said, “I asked ‘Abdur Rahman bin Zayd about this verse… He said, ‘They were unaware that they were harming themselves by concealing their unbelief and hypocrisy.’ Then he recited His words, ‘Upon the day when Allah shall awaken the all together.’ Ad said, ‘They are hypocrites’ – up to ‘and think they are on something’^56] ‘belief would have been useful for them before you.’” ^[57]

Benefits of this ayah:

From amongst the benefits of this ayah are:

1) That we know the hypocrites are people of plotting

2) That we should protect ourselves from the hypocrites. Then someone might ask, “How do recognise a hypocrite so we can save ourselves from him?” The answer is, “We will know from observing his sayings and actions; are they identical or contradictory? If we learn that this man is playing with us and outwardly loves Islam and loves the religion but when he is alone, we learn that for certainty he is fighting the religion then we know he is a hypocrite then it is an obligation upon us to save ourselves from him.

3) Evil plots do not result in anyone getting into trouble expect oneself

4) Evil actions lead to the blindness of ones understanding. ^[58]

Important point to note: This verse is one of the clearest proofs of Allah سبحانه وتعالى’s rebuttal of those who claim that Allah سبحانه وتعالى only chastises one who obstinately refuses to believe in Him after he comes to know of His Oneness and affirming the genuineness of His Books and Messengers عليهم السلام, in doing which he stubbornly opposes his Lord. ^[59]

Personal Comments:

1) We learn from this ayah another characteristic of a hypocrite which is that he has a deceptive nature. This is also clearly mentioned in the hadith of RasuluLlah صلى الله عليه و سلم “Whoever has (the following) four characters will be a hypocrite, and whoever has one of the following four characteristics will have one characteristic of hypocrisy until he gives it up. These are: Whenever he talks, he tells a lie; whenever he makes a promise, he breaks it; whenever he makes a covenant he proves treacherous…” ^[60] Breaking promises and covenants is also a form of deception

2) Hypocrites also possess the trait of fearing people not Allah سبحانه و تعالى when committing sins in private not public. This, in fact, is type of riyaa’ which is show off and thus a minor shirk as one prevents himself from sins in public so people might think good of him.

May Allah سبحانه و تعالى protect us from being hypocrites. Ameen And Allah سبحانه وتعالى knows best.

References:

^[52] Tafsir AlTabari

^[53] Tafsir AlQurtubi

^[54] Qur`an AlKareem {4:142}

^[55] Tafsir Ibn Kathir

^[56] Qur`an AlKareem {58:18}

^[57] Tafsir Ibn Kathir

^[58] Tafsir Ibn Al’Uthaymeen

^[59] Tafsir AlTabari

^[59] Sahih AlBukhari

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A Collection of Tafasir of Surat AlBaqarah, Juz’ #1, ayah 8

بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم

الحمد الله

Ayah 8:

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَبِالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَمَا هُم بِمُؤْمِنِينَ

“And of mankind, there are some (hypocrites) who say: “We believe in Allah and the Last Day” while in fact they believe not.”

On the authority of Ibn Zuray‘رحمه الله,Mujahid رحمه الله said, “Four verses were revealed in Surat AlBaqarah about the believers, two attributing the disbelievers, and thirteen for the hypocrites.” [44]

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ

This is for division i.e. some of the people (but not all). And Allah سبحانه وتعالى has not referred them with the character of Iman nor with kufr because they are as Allah سبحانه وتعالى has characterised in Surat AlNisaa’,

مُّذَبْذَبِينَ بَيْنَ ذَ‌ٰلِكَ لَا إِلَىٰ هَـٰؤُلَاءِ وَلَا إِلَىٰ هَـٰؤُلَاءِ

“(They are) swaying between this and that, belonging neither to these nor to those…” [45][46]

‘AbduLlah bin ‘Abbas رضي الله عنهما said, “This verse refers to the hypocrites from the tribes of Al Aws and Al Khazraj, and those who agreed with them.”

Meaning of Nifaaq:

Nifaaq means to show conformity – or agreement – and to conceal evil. Nifaaq has several types: Nifaaq in the creed that causes its people to reside in Hell for eternity, and Nifaaq in deed, which is one of the major sins. Thus Ibn Jurayj رحمه الله said of the hypocrite that, “His actual deeds are different from what he publicizes, what he conceals is different from what he utters, his entrance and presence are not the same as his exit and absence.” [47] [48]

Benefits of the Verse:

From the benefits of this verse are:

1) The eloquence of the Qur`an: Indeed the eloquence of the Qur`an is in categorisation for Allah سبحانه و تعالى started this Surah with the description of pure believers, then the disbelievers and then of the hypocrites

2) That verily the saying of the tongue will not benefit man as the saying of Allah سبحانه وتعالى ,

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَبِالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَمَا هُم بِمُؤْمِنِينَ

“And of mankind, there are some (hypocrites) who say: “We believe in Allah and the Last Day” while in fact they believe not.”

3) That the hypocrites are not believers (Mu’mineen). But are the ones who submit to Allah سبحانه وتعالى (Muslimeen)? If what is meant by Islam as an outward submitting then they are Muslims. But is it is meant by the Islam of the heart, then they are not Muslims

4) That Iman must be in conformity with the heart and the tongue. And the proof for this is that these (hypocrites) say, “We Believe!” with their tongues and don’t believe with their hearts. [49]

Personal Comments:

We can also learn many other aspects from this verse:

1) That the hypocrites are those who lie when they speak and this is supported by the hadith of RasuluLlah صلى الله عليه و سلم when he said, “Four traits whoever possesses them is a hypocrite and whoever possesses some of them has an element of hypocrisy until he leaves it: the one who when he speaks, he lies…” [50] Imam AlHasan AlBasri رحمه الله has said, “Nifaaq is the difference between the inner and the appearance, between statement and action, between entering and leaving and it used to be said that the foundation of Nifaaq upon which it is built is lying.” It is because when one lies, he does something else in private and when asked about it in public; he says something that contradicts his action and this in reality the definition of hypocrisy given by RasuluLlah صلى الله عليه و سلم, AlHasan AlBasri and Ibn Jurayj رحمهما الله

2) Hypocrites are those are deceptive as the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم said, “…He who deceives is not from us.” [51] “…not from us.” Means not following the conduct of Muslims or not following their way.

3) This ayah talks about the people who commit Nifaaq in ‘Aqeedah and thus are not Muslims.

And Allah سبحانه وتعالى knows best.

References:

[44] Tafsir AlQurtubi

[45] Qur`an AlKareem {4:143}

[46] Tafsir Ibn Al’Uthaymeen

[47] Tafsir Ibn Kathir

[48] Tafsir AlTabari

[49] Tafsir AlTabari & Tafsir Ibn Kathir

[50] Tafsir Ibn Al’Uthaymeen

[51] Sahihayn

[52] Sahih Muslim

May Allah سبحانه وتعالى forgive for my mistakes. Ameen

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Suicide or Martyrdom?

Suicide or Martyrdom?

By Imam Anwar Al ‘Awlaqi حفظه الله

بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم

الحمد الله

In the argument of whether operations where the person brings death upon himself are allowed or not, the ones who oppose this form of Jihad use the main argument that it is suicide because death was not brought by the enemy but by the person himself.

Ibn al Athir, in al-Kamel, mentions an incident that happened during the siege of Acre by Salahudeen. Unfortunately, he mentions it in passing without a comment.

He mentions that Salahudeen needed men so he asked for a ship to transport some of his soldiers from Beirut. This was a large ship carrying 700 soldiers full with equipment and provisions. King Richard of England succeeded in intercepting the ship and it was the decree of Allah that the wind stops and the Muslims were surrounded with a fleet of forty sails. Nevertheless the Muslims defended themselves against this overwhelming force. They succeeded in killing many of Richard’s men but the attack of the enemy was fierce. When the Muslim leader saw that the enemy was overcoming them he said we will not die but honorable and we will not hand over to them anything. He did not want them to take them as prisoners and did not want their equipment to fall into the enemies’ hands. So he descended to the bottom of the ship and broke a hole into it and they all drowned. The entire Muslim force of 700 men strong drowned in the sea.

According to the view held by the ones against martyrdom operations this operation is clearly suicide because not only did the Muslims kill themselves with their own hands but they did not inflict any harm on the enemy in doing so. All what was achieved by the Muslims was to avoid capture and prevent the enemy from making use of their equipment. I would also need to note here that death was far from certain if they fell into the hands of Richard because as the events of the time clearly show that many times Muslim prisoners, especially soldiers,  were kept alive by the Crusaders for the sake of ransom and labor.

Ibn Shaddad, a Shafi jurist, in al-Nawader al-Sultaniyya also mentions this incident. But he closes with the following:
“People were very depressed and the Sultan received the news and considered it to be counted as an act in the path of Allah and he was being patient with the tests of Allah and Allah does not waste the efforts of the good doers.”

This closing comment from Ibn Shaddad reflects his view on what Yaqub, the head of the Muslim force, has done. He says about him: “He was a good man, courageous, and an expert in warfare.” As I quoted above he says: Allah does not waste the efforts of the good doers. This is exactly what the scholars who approve of martyrdom operations say. If the intentions of the Muslim are good and for the sake of Allah then he is a shaheed whether he died by the enemy or by his own hands. It is the intention that counts.
Suicide is one of the kaba’ir (great sins) so is it possible that such a large number of Muslims would commit suicide and be destined to Hellfire and then Ibn al Athir passes over this incident without a note of disapproval? Salahudeen counted the casualties as martyrs in the path of Allah. You may say he was not a scholar. True, but he was the Sultan of Muslims who understood the reality of war, acted responsibly, and was a man that according to his biographers was greatly influenced by al Qadi al Fadhil, a great scholar of his time, and he would not take any decisions without consulting him.
The action of the Muslim leader, Yaqub, was done with the knowledge of his soldiers. In fact, in the narration of Ibn Shaddad it states that they all participated collectively in breaking apart the ship. Is it possible for seven hundred soldiers in the army of the righteous leader Salahudeen al Ayubi to commit such a mass suicide and no one as far as we know disapproves of it? At least Ibn al Athir or Ibn Shaddaad would have asked Allah to forgive them for the sin they committed or something to that effect. Instead Ibn Shaddad a scholar steeped in knowledge praises this amir and says about him and his soldiers “and Allah does not waste the efforts of the good doers.”

The approval of Salahudeen and Ibn Shaddad, and the action of 700 Muslim soldiers are not a source of legislation in Islam so we cannot claim that this is an evidence for the legality of martyrdom operations. The evidence for that needs to be derived from Quran and Sunnah and the understanding of the early generations of the text and I have covered this matter in the series of Mashari al -Ashwaaq. But the above mentioned incident is a reflection of how Muslims in the time of Salahudeen, a time of victory for the ummah, felt.

Also in general by reading into the words of Ibn Shaddad, Ibn al-Athir, al Qadi al Fadhil, al Imad al Kattib, and the other giants of the time one would see a spirit of strength, sacrifice, hatred of the enemies of Allah and love of the servants of Allah. One would find these scholars rallying behind their leaders of Jihad and standing with the ummah against the enemy in their fatwa and speeches. The ummah were in love with their leaders because they were soldiers in the path of Allah and they loved their scholars because they who spoke the truth.

Scholars of those times even if they disagreed on some issues they would not speak out loud against the Muslim fighters of the day and would not give fatawa that would play into the hands of the enemy. The reputation of the Turkish soldiers who were the Muslim armies of the day was that of corruption and consumption of alcohol. Nevertheless al-Imam al Ghazali said these are the protectors of Islam and had plenty of praise for them. Ibn Taymiyyah in his own words said many of soldiers of his time (the Mamluks) were corrupt but he went as far as calling them al Ta’ifah al Mansoorah.
Today the world turns upside down when one Muslim performs a martyrdom operation. Can you imagine what would happen if that is done by seven hundred Muslims on the same day?!
Brothers and sisters whether you agree or not with martyrdom operations let’s leave our differences behind us, and let us support our Muslim brothers who are in the frontlines. Just like we disagree on many other issues, we should not let our disagreements stand in the way of our solidarity in the face of our adversaries.

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