”O Allah, I seek refuge in You from KNOWLEDGE THAT DOES NOT BENEFIT and the deed that does not get accepted and a heart that does not fear You and words that are not heard” Allaahumma inni a’uthubika min ilmin laa yanfaoo, wa amalin la yurfaoo, wa qalbin la yakhshaaoo, wa qawlin la yusmaaoo
Hakim, Ibne Habaan, narrated by Ans Radi Allahu anhu
Imam Ahmad recorded that Ibn `Abbas said: The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was in Makkah, then he was commanded to emigrate, and Allah revealed these words: At-Tirmidhi said, “This is Hasan Sahih.”
Al-Hasan Al-Basri commented on this Ayah, “When the disbelievers of Makkah conspired to kill the Messenger of Allah , or expel him or imprison him, Allah wanted him to fight the people of Makkah, and commanded him to go to Al-Madinah.
What Allah said was:
(And say: “My Lord! Let my entry be good…”) means, my entry to Al-Madinah.
(and (likewise) my exit be good, ) means, my exit from Makkah. This was also the view of `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam.
(And grant me from You a helping authority.) Al-Hasan Al-Basri explained this Ayah; “His Lord promised to take away the kingdom and glory of Persia and give it to him, and the kingdom and glory of Byzantium and give it to him.”
Qatadah said, “The Prophet of Allah knew that that he could not achieve this without authority or power, so he asked for authority to help him support the Book of Allah, the Laws of Allah, the obligations of Allah and to establish the religion of Allah.
Authority is a mercy from Allah which He places among His servants, otherwise some of them would attack others, and the strong would consume the weak.” Alongside the truth, he also needed power and authority in order to suppress those who opposed and resisted him, hence Allah said:
(Indeed We have sent Our Messengers with clear proofs,)
When Musa Alaihissalaam reached Madyan and went to drink from its water, for it had a well where shepherds used to water their flocks,he found there a group of men watering, and besides them he found two women who were keeping back. They were stopping their sheep from drinking with the sheep of those shepherds, lest some harm come to them.
When Musa Alaihissalaam , peace be upon him, saw them, he felt sorry for them and took pity on them.
(He said: “What is the matter with you”) meaning, `why do you not water your flocks with these people’
They said: “We cannot water (our flocks) until the shepherds take (their flocks). meaning, `we cannot water our flocks until they finish.’
(And our father is a very old man.) means, `this is what has driven us to what you see.’
(24. So he watered (their flocks) for them, then he turned back to shade, and said: “My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!”)
Ibn `Abbas, Ibn Mas`ud and As-Suddi said: “He sat beneath a tree.” `
Ata’ bin As-Sa’ib said: When Musa Alaihissalaam said this dua,the women heard him.
(25. Then there came to him one of them, walking shyly. She said: “Verily, my father calls you that he may reward you for having watered (our flocks) for us.” So when he came to him and narrated the story, he said: “Fear you not. You have escaped from the people who are wrongdoers.”) (26. And said one of them (the two women): “O my father! Hire him! Verily, the best of men for you to hire is the strong, the trustworthy.”)
One of the two daughters of the man said this, and it was said that she was the one who had walked behind Musa Alaihissalaam , peace be upon him.
Her father said to her, `What do you know about that’ She said to him, `He lifted a rock which could only be lifted by ten men, and when I came back with him, I walked ahead of him, but he said to me, walk behind me, and if I get confused about the route, throw a pebble so that I will know which way to go.”’ `Abdullah (Ibn Mas`ud) said, “The people who had the most discernment were three: Abu Bakr’s intuition about `Umar; the companion of Yusuf Alaihissalaam when he said, `Make his stay comfortable’; and the companion of Musa Alaihissalaam , when she said:
(O my father! Hire him! Verily, the best of men for you to hire is the strong, the trustworthy.).”
(27. He said: “I intend to wed one of these two daughters of mine to you, on condition that you serve me for eight years; but if you complete ten years, it will be (a favor) from you. But I intend not to place you under a difficulty. If Allah wills, you will find me one of the righteous.”) (28. He (Musa Alaihissalaam ) said: “That (is settled) between me and you: whichever of the two terms I fulfill, there will be no injustice to me, and Allah is Surety over what we say.”)
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Ali bin Rabah Al-Lakhmi said, “I heard `Utbah bin An-Nadar As-Sulami, the Companion of the Messenger of Allah narrating that the Messenger of Allah said:
(Musa Alaihissalaam , peace be upon him, hired himself out for the purpose of keeping chaste and to feed himself.)
(128. Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger from among yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He is eager for you; for the believers ﴿he is﴾ full of pity, kind, and merciful.) (129. But if they turn away, say: “Allah is sufficient for me. There is no God but He, in Him I put my trust and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne.”)
Allah the Exalted commanded His Messenger in this honorable Ayah that if they turn away, from the glorious, pure, perfect and encompassing Law that you — O Muhammad — brought them,
(then say: “Allah is sufficient for me. There is no God but He,)
Similarly, Allah said,
((He alone is) the Lord of the east and the west; there is no God but He. So take Him alone as a guardian.) ﴿73:9
(and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne) ﴿9:129﴾. He is the King and Creator of all things, and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne (`Arsh), which is above all creation; all that is in and between the heavens and earths is under the Throne (`Arsh) and subservient to Allah’s power. His knowledge encompasses all things, and His decision will certainly come to pass over all matters. He is the guardian of all things. Imam Ahmad recorded that Ibn `Abbas said that Ubayy bin Ka`b said, “The last Ayah revealed from the Qur’an was this Ayah.
“Those who answered (the Call of) Allah and the Messenger after being wounded; for those of them who did good deeds and feared Allah, there is a great reward. Those to whom the people said, “Verily, the people have gathered against you, therefore, fear them.” But it (only) increased them in faith, and they said: “Allah is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs.”. So they returned with grace and bounty from Allah. No harm touched them; and they followed the pleasure of Allah. And Allah is the Owner of great bounty. It is only Shaytan that suggests to you the fear of his friends; so fear them not, but fear Me, if you are indeed believers.” (3:172-175)
The Battle of Hamra’ Al-Asad
Allah said,
“Those who answered (the Call of) Allah and the Messenger after being wounded” (3:172)
This occurred on the day of Hamra’ Al-Asad. After the idolators defeated the Muslims (at Uhud), they started on their way back home, but soon they were concerned because they did not finish off the Muslims in Al-Madinah, so they set out to make that battle the final one. When the Messenger of Allah Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam got news of this, he commanded the Muslims to march to meet the disbelievers, to bring fear to their hearts and to demonstrate that the Muslims still had the strength to fight. The Prophet Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam only allowed those who were present during Uhud to accompany him, except for Jabir bin `Abdullah Al-Ansar.
The Muslims mobilized, even though they were still suffering from their injuries, in obedience to Allah and His Messenger Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam .
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Ikrimah said, “When the idolators returned (towards Makkah) after Uhud, they said, `You neither killed Muhammad Peace be upon him) nor collected female captives. Woe to you for what you did. Let us go back.’ When the Messenger of Allah Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam heard this news, he mobilized the Muslim forces, and they marched until they reached Hamra Al-Asad. The idolators said, `Rather, we will meet next year’, and the Messenger of Allah Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam went back (to Al-Madinah), and this was considered a Ghazwah (battle).
Allah sent down,
Those who answered (the Call of) Allah and the Messenger said: “Allah is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs.”
Some people threatened the Muslims, saying that the disbelievers had amassed against them, in order to instill fear in them, but this did not worry the Muslims, rather, they trusted in Allah and sought His help,
Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn `Abbas Radi Allahu anhu said,
“Allah Alone is Sufficient for us and He is the Best Disposer of affairs for us.”
Ibrahim Alaihissalaam said it when he was thrown in fire.
Muhammad Sallal laahoo alahi wassallam said it when the people said, `Verily, the people have gathered against you, therefore, fear them.’ But it only increased them in faith, and they said this.
So they returned with grace and bounty from Allah. No harm touched them, for when they relied on Allah, Allah took care of their worries. He confounded the plots of their enemies, and the Muslims returned to their land, with grace and bounty from Allah, safe from the wicked plots of their enemies.
Allah then said,
“It is only Shaytan that suggests to you the fear of his friends” )3:175(
This means, Shaytan threatens you with his friends and tries to pretend they are powerful and fearsome.
Allah said next,
“So fear them not, but fear Me, if you are indeed believers.” meaning, if Shaytan brings these thoughts to you, then depend on Me and seek refuge with Me. Indeed, I shall suffice you and make you prevail over them.
Similarly, Allah said,
“Is not Allah Sufficient for His servant, yet they try to frighten you with those besides Him” (39: 36) until [Say: “Sufficient for me is Allah; in Him those who trust must put their trust.” (39:38)
” (9. Do you think that the people of Al-Kahf and Ar-Raqim were a wonder among Our signs) (10. When the young men fled for refuge to Al-Kahf. They said: “Our Lord! Bestow on us mercy from Yourself, and facilitate for us our affair in the right way!”) (11. Therefore, We covered up their hearing in Al-Kahf for a number of years.) (12. Then We raised them up, that We might test which of the two parties was best at calculating the time period they tarried.)
Al-Kahf refers to a cave in a mountain, which is where the young men sought refuge. With regard to the word Ar-Raqim, Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas that it is a valley near Aylah.
Ad-Dahhak said: “As for Al-Kahf, it is a cave in the valley, and Ar-Raqim is the name of the valley.”
Here Allah tells us about those young men who fled from their people for the sake of their religion, fearing persecution. So they fled taking refuge in the cave of a mountain, where they hid from their people.
Allah states that they were boys or young men, and that they were more accepting of the truth and more guided than the elders who had become stubbornly set in their ways and clung to the religion of falsehood. For the same reason, most of those who responded to Allah and His Messenger were young people. As for the elders of Quraysh, most of them kept to their religion and only a few of them became Muslims. So Allah tells us that the people of the cave were young men.
It has been mentioned that they were followers of the religion of Al-Masih `Isa, `Isa bin Maryam, but Allah knows best. It seems that they lived before the time of Christianity altogether, because if they had been Christians, the Jewish rabbis would not have cared about perserving because of their differences. We have mentioned above the report from Ibn `Abbas that the Quraysh sent a message to the Jewish rabbis in Al-Madinah to ask them for things with which they could test the Messenger of Allah , and they told them to ask him about these young men, and about Dhul-Qarnayn (the man who traveled much) and about the Ruh. This indicates that this story was something recorded in the books of the People of the Book, and that it came before Christianity. And Allah knows best.
Allah says: `We gave them the patience to go against their people and their city, and to leave behind the life of luxury and ease that they had been living.’ Several of the earlier and later Tafsir scholars have mentioned that they were sons of the kings and leaders of Byzantium, and that they went out one day to one of the festivals of their people. They used to gather once a year outside the city, and they would worship idols and offer sacrifices to them. They had an arrogant, tyrannical king who was called Decianus, who commanded and encouraged the people to do that. When the people went out to attend this gathering, these young men went out with their fathers and their people, and when they saw their people’s actions with clear insight, they realized that the prostrations and sacrifices the people were offering to their idols should only be dedicated to Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth. Each of them started to withdraw from his people and keep aloof from them. The first one of them to move away on his own went and sat in the shade of a tree, then another came and sat with him, then another came and sat with them, then four more followed suit one by one. None of them knew the others, but they were brought together by the One Who instilled faith in their hearts.
As it says in the Hadith recorded by Al-Bukhari with an incomplete chain of narrators from `A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), the Messenger of Allah Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam said:
(Souls are like recruited soldiers. Those that recognize one another will come together, and those that do not recognize one another will turn away from each another). Muslim also recorded this in his Sahih from the Hadith of Suhayl from his father from Abu Hurayrah from the Messenger of Allah Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam . People say that similar qualities or characteristics are what bring people together. So each of the young men was trying to conceal what he really believed from the others, out of fear of them, not knowing that they were like him. Then one of them said, “O people, you know by Allah that only one thing is making you leave your people and isolate yourselves from them, so let each one of you say what it is in his case.” Another said, “As for me, by Allah I saw what my people are doing and I realized that it was false, and that the only One Who deserves to be worshipped Alone with out partner or associate is Allah Who created everything, the heavens, the earth and everything in between.” Another said, “By Allah, the same thing happened to me.” The others said the same, and they all agreed and became brothers in faith. They adopted a particular location as a place of worship and began worshipping Allah there, but their people found out about them and told their king about them. The king ordered them to appear before him, and asked them about their beliefs. They told him the truth and called him to Allah
It was said that when they called their king to believe in Allah, he refused, and warned and threatened them. He commanded them to be stripped of their clothing bearing the adornments of their people, then he gave them some time to think about the situation, hoping that they would return to their former religion. This was a way that Allah showed kindness for them, because during that time they managed to escape from him and flee from persecution for the sake of their religion. This is what is prescribed in the Shari`ah during times of trial and persecution — a person who fears for his religion should flee from his persecutors
These young men were determined to flee from their people, and Allah decreed that for them.
So they left and fled to the cave where they sought refuge. Then their people noticed they were missing, and the king looked for them, and it was said when he could not find them that Allah concealed them from him so that he could not find any trace of them or any information about them, as Allah concealed His Prophet Muhammad and his Companion ﴿Abu Bakr﴾ As-Siddiq, when they sought refuge in the cave of Thawr.
When they entered the cave, they asked Allah to show mercy and kindness towards them,
(Our Lord! Bestow on us mercy from Yourself,) meaning, `give us Your mercy and conceal us from our people.’
(and facilitate for us our affair in the right way.) means, direct our matter well, i.e., grant us a good end.
As was reported in the Hadith:
(Whatever You have decreed for us, make its consequences good).
Allah says in the Holy Quran:-
(Therefore, We covered up their hearing in the cave for a number of years.) meaning, `We caused them to sleep when they entered the cave, and they slept for many years.’
That is from the Ayat of Allah. He whom Allah guides, he is the rightly-guided; but he whom He sends astray, for him you will find no guardian to lead him.)
Ibn Hibban in his Sahih (no. 2427), and Ibn As- Sunni (no. 351). Al-Hafidh (Ibn Hajar) said that this Hadith is authentic. It was also declared authentic.
“O Allah! Increase us [in Your Blessings and rewards] and do not decrease us, HONOUR us and do not humiliate us, give us [from Your Gifts] and do not deprive us, be in FAVOUR of us and not against us, and make us satisfied and be satisfied with us.”
Allahumma zidna wa la tanqusna, wa akrimna wa la tuhinna, wa atina wa la tahrimna, wa athirna wa la tu’thir alayna, wa ardhina war-dha anna
Tirmidhi, Hakim
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