Part of Riyad as-Salihin — Gardens of the Righteous (series completed)
· Lesson 26 of 190
Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (36) | Chapter on the prohibition of injustice and the command to redress injustices (1)
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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Riyad al-Salihin (The Meadows of the Righteous)
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from the words of the Master of the Messengers,
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peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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Chapter: The Prohibition of Injustice and the Command to Redress Injustices.
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Allah the Exalted said:
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“Warn them (O Muhammad) of the Day of the approaching (doom), when the hearts will be choking the throats, (when) there will be no friend for the wrong-doers, nor any intercessor who will be heard.” (40:18)
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And the Exalted said:
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“And they worship instead of Allah that for which He hath sent down no warrant, and that whereof they have no knowledge. For evil-doers there is no helper.” (22:71)
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On the authority of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him),
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the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
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"Beware of injustice,
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for injustice will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection;
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and beware of avarice,
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for avarice destroyed those who came before you:
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it led them to shed their blood
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and violate their sanctities."
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Related by Muslim.
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"Beware":
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that is, guard yourselves against.
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"Avarice":
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it is extreme stinginess coupled with covetousness.
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"It led them":
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that is, it was the cause of their action.
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"They violated":
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meaning they deemed lawful what Allah had forbidden them, such as unlawful sexual relations.
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Among the lessons of the hadith:
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The prohibition of injustice and the warning against it.
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Abstract matters
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will, by the command of Allah, turn into physical realities on the Day of Resurrection.
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Stinginess is an enemy to the people of faith,
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for generosity and munificence are among the characteristics of believers.
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Stinginess and injustice
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are among the causes of the spread of crime.
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Injustice and avarice
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are major sins that bring about ruin in this world
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and severe afflictions on the Day of Resurrection.
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Clinging greedily to worldly life
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drags the Ummah into sins and plunges them into immoral acts.
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On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
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the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
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"Rights will surely be restored to their claimants on the Day of Resurrection,
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to the extent that the hornless sheep will retaliate against the horned sheep."
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Related by Muslim.
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"Their claimants" means their rightful owners.
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"Will retaliate":
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meaning retribution will be exacted.
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"The hornless sheep":
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is the one that has no horns.
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Among the lessons of the hadith:
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On the Day of Resurrection,
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all creation will be resurrected,
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and animals will likewise be gathered,
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being restored just as human beings are restored.
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Exacting retribution from animals, though they are not legally accountable,
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is a declaration of the establishment of absolute justice.
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The obligation to restore rights to their rightful owners.
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Allah will exact retribution from the wrongdoer,
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which will be done by taking from the wrongdoer’s good deeds
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and transferring the victim's bad deeds onto him.
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The rights of people will not be overlooked
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until they are fully restored to their rightful owners.
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Allah the Exalted will gather the animals
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to exact retribution among them in manifestation of absolute justice;
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then they will turn to dust, as established in the hadith.
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On the authority of Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), he said:
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"We used to speak about the Farewell Pilgrimage
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while the Prophet (peace be upon him) was among us,
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yet we did not understand what the Farewell Pilgrimage meant,
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until the Messenger of Allah praised and glorified Allah,
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then mentioned the False Messiah (al-Masih al-Dajjal),
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speaking at great length about him, and said:
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'Allah has not sent any prophet except that he warned his nation about him;
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Noah and the prophets after him warned against him.
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If he appears among you,
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whatever aspect of his condition might remain hidden from you,
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this will not remain hidden from you:
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your Lord is not one-eyed,
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whereas he is blind in his right eye,
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as if his eye were a floating grape.
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Lo! Indeed Allah has made inviolable for you your blood and your wealth,
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just like the sanctity of this day of yours,
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in this city of yours,
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in this month of yours.
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Lo, have I conveyed the message?'
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They said: 'Yes.'
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He said:
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'O Allah, bear witness!'
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three times.
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'Woe to you!
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Do not revert after me as disbelievers,
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striking the necks of one another.'"
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Related by al-Bukhari,
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and Muslim related a part of it.
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"The Farewell Pilgrimage":
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it is the Hajj of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
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in the tenth year of the Hijrah;
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and it was so named
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because the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
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bade them farewell during it, saying:
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"Perhaps I shall not meet you after this year of mine."
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"Al-Masih" (The Messiah):
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meaning the one whose eye is wiped out / defective.
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"Spoke at great length":
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meaning he elaborated thoroughly.
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"Warned his nation":
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meaning he cautioned them against his evil and clarified some of his attributes.
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"Floating":
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meaning prominent and protruding.
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"Wayl" or "Wayh" (Woe):
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a word used for warning.
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Among the lessons of the hadith:
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The comprehensive methodology of the prophets in calling to Allah.
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Recognizing the path of the criminals in order to warn against them,
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so that it is not confused with the path of the believers.
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And among the greatest of criminals
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is the Dajjal;
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therefore, Allah did not send any prophet
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except that he warned his nation about him;
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Noah and the prophets after him warned against him.
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Clarifying the path of the criminals in detail is necessary so it becomes distinct;
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and for this reason, Allah the Exalted said:
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“Thus do We expound the revelations that the way of the unrighteous may be manifest.” (6:55)
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Caution against tribulations
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by knowing the attributes of their purveyors and their methods.
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The compassion of the Messenger (peace be upon him) for his Ummah,
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shown through his warning them against falling into injustice and tribulations.
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Affirming the attribute of the Eye for Allah the Exalted,
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without anthropomorphism, asking "how", negating the attribute,
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distorting its meaning, or consigning its meaning to ambiguity.
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And we know that Allah the Exalted has two eyes,
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because our Lord is not one-eyed,
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and one who is one-eyed possesses only a single functioning eye.
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The prohibition of internal fighting,
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and that doing so is among the deeds of disbelievers.
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The blood, wealth, and honor of Muslims are inviolable to one another.
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Allah, Blessed and Exalted, has designated days, months, and places
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that possess an inherent sanctity, virtue, and inviolability
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over all other days, months, and places.
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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) truly conveyed
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the messages of his Lord,
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fulfilled their exposition completely,
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and did not conceal anything of the religion.
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Certain acts of disobedience are referred to with the word "disbelief" (kufr),
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which is practical disbelief,
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counted among the destructive and major sins;
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and the committer of a major sin does not become a disbeliever
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so long as he does not deem it lawful.
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On the authority of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her),
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the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
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"Whoever usurps unjustly even a handspan of land,
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it will be tied around his neck like a collar from seven earths."
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Agreed upon.
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"Usurps unjustly" means taking it without right.
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"A handspan" means the measure of a handspan.
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"It will be tied around his neck like a collar from seven earths":
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meaning Allah will burden him with carrying what he usurped from it
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on the Day of Resurrection to the place of gathering,
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and it will be like a collar around his neck;
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or he will be punished by being swallowed down into seven earths,
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so that all the earth in that state becomes a collar around his neck.
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Among the lessons of the hadith:
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Injustice must never be taken lightly,
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even if it is seemingly minor.
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Usurping land is among the major sins.
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Whoever owns a piece of land owns what lies beneath it down to its depths,
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and he has the right to prevent anyone from digging a tunnel or a well beneath it without his consent.
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Likewise, he owns its interior
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and whatever minerals or other resources lie within it,
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and he may dig down as far as he wishes,
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provided he does not cause harm to his neighbor.
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The seven earths are in layers, just like the heavens,
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which is the evident meaning of the words of the Exalted:
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“Allah it is who hath created seven heavens, and of the earth the like thereof. The commandment cometh down among them slowly, that ye may know that Allah is Able to do all things, and that Allah surroundeth all things in knowledge.” (65:12)
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Warning against wronging people of their rights.
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Encouraging promptness in restoring rights to their owners, no matter how small.
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On the authority of Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him), he said:
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The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
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"Indeed, Allah grants respite to the wrongdoer,
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but when He seizes him, He does not let him escape."
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Then he recited:
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“Even thus is the grasp of thy Lord when He graspeth the townships while they are doing wrong. Lo! His grasp is painful, very strong.” (11:102)
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“Even thus is the grasp of thy Lord when He graspeth the townships while they are doing wrong. Lo! His grasp is painful, very strong.” (11:102)
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Agreed upon.
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"Grants respite" (yumli) comes from imla',
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which is forbearance and delay.
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"Seizes":
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that is, punishes.
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"He does not let him escape":
10:24
meaning He does not release him nor lift the punishment from him.
10:28
Among the lessons of the hadith:
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Allah grants respite to wrongdoers, but He does not neglect them,
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which is the evident meaning of the words of the Exalted:
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“Deem not that Allah is unaware of what the wicked do. He but giveth them a respite till a day when eyes will stare (in terror),” (14:42)
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"of what the wrongdoers do."
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The intelligent person does not feel secure from the plan of Allah if he commits wrong and no harm befalls him;
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rather, he knows that this is a gradual enticement to destruction,
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so he hastens to restore rights to their rightful owners.
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Allah gradually draws wrongdoers on so that they increase in sin,
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and thus He multiplies the punishment for them.
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The best explanation of a hadith or the Qur'an
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is the speech of Allah and His Messenger;
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and for this reason, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) recited
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the words of the Exalted:
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“Even thus is the grasp of thy Lord when He graspeth the townships while they are doing wrong. Lo! His grasp is painful, very strong.” (11:102)
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“Even thus is the grasp of thy Lord when He graspeth the townships while they are doing wrong. Lo! His grasp is painful, very strong.” (11:102)
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On the authority of Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him), he said:
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"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) dispatched me,
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He said:
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"You are going to a people from the People of the Book,
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so invite them to testify that there is no god but Allah
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and that I am the Messenger of Allah.
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If they obey you in that,
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then inform them that Allah has obligated upon them
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five prayers every day and night.
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If they obey you in that,
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then inform them that Allah has obligated upon them a charity
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to be taken from their rich
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and given back to their poor.
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If they obey you in that,
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then beware of taking the most precious of their wealth,
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and fear the supplication of the oppressed,
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for there is no veil between it and Allah."
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Agreed upon.
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"The most precious of their wealth" means their prized possessions.
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"Fear the supplication of the oppressed"
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means: lest an oppressed person invoke a curse upon you
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and that supplication strikes you,
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for it is accepted by Allah,
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even if he is a disbeliever or a wicked sinner.
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"A veil" means any barrier preventing it from reaching Allah the Exalted.
12:52
Among the lessons of this hadith:
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The leader ought to dispatch delegations to the people
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to convey to them the message of Islam,
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which is among the greatest duties incumbent upon him.
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The people of knowledge are the callers whom the leader should send forth;
13:11
and if the Muslims have neither a unified body nor a leader,
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it is incumbent upon the scholars to take the lead in calling to Allah and guiding its vessel,
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lest those unqualified jump on the bandwagon
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and cause the ship to sink.
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The very first thing people should be called to
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is the matters of faith and the unification of creed (Tawhid),
13:32
because that is the axis around which the entire religion revolves.
13:35
Moving from one pillar to another
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must only take place after fulfilling what precedes it,
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which underscores a foundational principle of calling to Allah:
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gradual progression in nurturing the Ummah
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and burdening it only with what it can bear.
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The leader should counsel his emissaries
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with instructions that bring about benefit, ward off harm,
13:59
and inflict no injury upon the Muslims.
14:02
Zakat is a right due to the poor from the wealth of the rich.
14:07
The supplication of the oppressed is never rejected, whether Muslim or disbeliever;
14:13
retribution arrives swiftly from the Lord of Glory, Blessed and Exalted is He.
14:19
How excellently the poet expressed it:
14:21
"Do not commit injustice when you have the power to do so,
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for the end result of injustice brings only regret.
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Your eyes sleep while the oppressed remains awake,
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praying against you, and the eye of Allah never sleeps."