In an age where truth is presented as falsehood, righteousness is translated to nonsense and the preserving of ones land and dignity is called terrorism, there will naturally arise many confusions about the pillars of Iman and the facts of Islam. Those in whose hearts there is a deviation find it expedient to twist the meaning of many sacred texts because it does not conform with their desires and motives. Not even the principles of Al-Aqeedah can escape their ploys. Al-Walaa wa Al-Baraa is the creed that guides all the actions and sayings of a Muslim and it is by its practice and application that the ranks of the believers vary. It is imperative that this creed be unambiguous to the Muslim's mentality in order that it manifests and materialises correctly in his actions.
28. Let not the believers take the disbelievers as Awliya' (supporters, helpers, etc.) instead of the believers, and whoever does that will never be helped by Allah in any way, except if you indeed fear a danger from them. And Allah warns you against Himself (ie. His Punishment), and to Allah is the final return.
29. Say [O Muhammad (pbuh)]: "Whether you hide what is in your breasts or reveal it, Allah knows it, and He knows what is in the heavens and what is in the earth. And Allah is Able to do all things".
The Occasion of Revelation
The
Ayah (verse) was revealed concerning a group of believers who had
Jewish friends. Those believers were giving Muwalat (support, help,
etc.) to these Jews. Some of the Sahabah (ra) said to those believers:
"Keep away from those Jews and beware of their friendship for they could
seduce you away from your religion and guide you astray after you have
believed". However this group of believers disobeyed the advice and
remained loyal to their Jewish friends; and so Allah revealed "Let not
the believers take the disbelievers as Awliya'". Al-Qurtubi also reports in his Tafseer, narrated by Ibn Abbas (ra) that the Ayah was revealed with respect to Ubadah bin us-Saamet Al-Ansari Al-Badri who had a coalition of Jews. On the day of Al-Ahzaab, Ubadah said to the Prophet (pbuh): "O Prophet of Allah, I have a fellow of five hundred Jews; I see that they should come with me for support against the enemy". In this incidence, Allah revealed the aforementioned Ayah.
Allah
forbids His Believers from exhibiting any form of Muwalat to the
disbelievers. This includes the manifestation of love and compassion to
strengthen the ties with them or to regard them as companions and
friends because of their kinship or acquaintance. The Believer can not
be an ally of Allah's enemies and it is impossible for a person to
combine the love of Allah and the love of his enemies because this is a
combination of opposites; therefore, he who loves Allah, must also hate
His enemies.
It
is forbidden upon the Muslim to give Muwalat to the disbelievers and
forsake the believers. There is no association or relationship
whatsoever between Iman and Kufur. The preceding noble Ayah forewarns us
from Muwalat Al-Kafireen and alerts us to the consequences of such an
action, with one exception being in extreme necessity when one must
avoid or protect oneself from the harm or injury inflicted upon by
disbelievers by presenting an outer appearance that belies what one
conceals inside. This is known as Taqiyyah, and it is only permitted
under such circumstances.
The
noble Ayah concludes by strongly threatening those who disobey Allah
and show Muwalat to the disbelievers. This threat indicates the
magnitude of such a sin.
The Definition of Al-Walaa wa Al-Baraa in the Islamic Belief
The
legal meaning of Al-Walaa (love, support, help, follow, etc.) is to
totally agree with the sayings, deeds and beliefs which please Allah and
the persons whom He likes. Al-Baraa (despise, desert, keep innocent of,
etc.) is the complete opposite of Al-Walaa and it is to disagree and
hate with everything that Allah hates and condemns. Hence, there are
four issues related to the belief in Al-Walaa wa Al-Baraa, those being:
the sayings, the deeds, the beliefs and the individual persons. Some of
the things that pleases Allah are the saying of Dhikr, the deed of
Jihad, the belief in His Oneness and the love of the believing person.
Backbiting, fornication, Shirk and disbelief and the disbelievers are
some of the things that are hated by Allah and must also be hated by
the Believer.
The Rank of the Belief in Al-Walaa wa Al-Baraa
The
belief in Al-Walaa wa Al-Baraa occupies a meritorious rank in the
Islamic Aqeedah. This can be understood from the following reasons:
- Al-Walaa wa Al-Baraa is part of the Shahadah (testimony of faith) that being 'La ilaha' which is the portion from 'La ilaha illallah'. This means to be free and immune from all that is worshiped besides Allah as He the Almighty states: "And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): 'Worship Allah (alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Taghut (all false deities, ie. do not worship Taghut besides Allah)" (16:36).
- The eminent creed of Al-Walaa wa Al-Baraa is the strongest bond of Iman. Al-Barra' bin A'aazeb (r.a.a.) narrates that the Prophet (pbuh) said: "The strongest bond of Iman is the love for Allah's sake and the hatred for Allah's sake" (Reported by Imam Ahmad).
- It is one of the basis by which the heart can experience the beauty of Iman and absolute assurance. The Prophet (pbuh) said: "Whoever possesses the following three (qualities) will have the sweetness (delight) of faith: The one to whom Allah and His Messenger become dearer than anything else, who loves a person and he loves him only for Allah's sake, and who hates to revert to atheism (disbelief) as he hates to be thrown into the fire". [Bukhari and Muslim]
- It is the foundation by which all relationships and dealings in a Muslim community is built upon as described by the Prophet (pbuh): "None of you will have faith till he likes for his (Muslim) brother what he likes for himself" (Bukhari), and by Wisdom of the Almighty: "The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islamic religion)" (49:10).
- The great and abundant reward is due to those who are characterized by the love of each other for the sake of Allah The Prophet (pbuh) articulates: "Those who love me will be (standing) upon pulpits made of light on the day of Resurrection". He (pbuh) also said: "There will be seven (categories of people) for whom Allah will Shed (Protect) under His Shade, when there will not be any shade except His", one of those categories is "Two men who loved each other for Allah's sake. They congregate for His Sake, and they separate for His Sake".
- It is the most powerful tie or relationship that links between people. Allah has given it the precedence and priority over all types of ties by Asserting: "Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight ... are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His Cause, then wait until Allah brings about His Decision (torment). And Allah guides not the people who are Fasiqun (the rebellious, disobedient to Allah)" (9:24).
- It is by the means of the creed of Al-Walaa wa Al-Baraa that Allah grants His Walayah (the protection, power, authority and kingdom). Ibn Jareer reports the saying of Ibn Abbas (r.a.a.): "He who loves for Allah's sake and hates for Allah's sake, he who gives Muwalat (support, help, etc.) for Allah's sake and exhibits enmity for Allah's sake, will attain Allah's Walayah".
- The relationship of Al-Walaa wa Al-Baraa will be there to remain on the Day of Reckoning as foretold by Allah the All-Knowing: "When those who were followed, disown (declare themselves innocent of) those who followed (them), and they see the torment, then all their relations will be cut off from them" (2:166).
- He who loves other than Allah and His Religion and hates Him, His Religion or followers is a definite disbeliever, "And if any amongst you takes them (Jews and Christians) as Awliya', then surely he is one of them" (5:51).
- The Al-Walaa wa Al-Baraa is an integral part of Iman and is necessary for its perfection. In a Hadith: "He who loves for Allah's pleasure, hates for Allah's pleasure, donates for Allah's sake and deprives for Allah's sake, then that person has perfected his Iman" [Sound Hadith related by Ahmad and Tirmithi]
118. O you who believe! Take not as (your) Bitanah (advisers, consultants, protectors, helpers, friends, etc.) those outside your religion (pagans, Jews, Christians, and hypocrites) since they will not fail to do their best to corrupt you. They desire to harm you severely. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, but what their breasts conceal is far worse. Indeed We have made plain to you the Ayah (proofs, evidences, verses) if you understand.
119. Lo! you are the ones who love them but they love you not, and you believe in all the Scriptures [ie. you believe in the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel), while they disbelieve in your Book, the Qur'an]. And when they meet you, they say, "We believe". But when they are alone, they bite the tips of their fingers at you in rage. Say: "Perish in your rage. Certainly, Allah knows what is in the breasts (all the secrets )."
120. If a good befalls you, it grieves them, but if some evil overtakes you, they rejoice at it. But if you remain patient and become Al-Muttaqun (the pious and righteous persons), not the least harm will their cunning do to you. Surely, Allah surrounds all that they do.
The Occasion of Revelation
Allah
warned the Muslims to guard against the hypocritical attitude of the
Jews who lived in the suburbs of Al-Madinah. The two clans, 'Aus and
Khazraj, had been on friendly terms with them from very ancient times
and kept sincere relations with them even after embracing Islam. In
contrast to this, the Jews, who had turned into the enemies of the Holy
Prophet (pbuh) and his Mission, could not be friendly with anyone who
had joined the new Movement. Accordingly, they kept up an outward show
of friendship with the Ansaar, but in their hearts they had become their
bitter enemies. They, however, exploited this outward friendship and
tried to sow seeds of dissension and create chaos in the Muslim
community. They also tried to draw out secrets from the Muslims and pass
them on to their enemies. That is why Allah has warned the Muslims that
they should not take such people
into their confidence.
The General Meaning of the Verses
In
the discourse preceding these verses, Allah clearly describes the
miscreant behaviour and false arguments of the People of the Book and
how they conceal hatred to Muslims and try their best to fight them.
After this, comes the Eternal and Divine Warning; to take not those
outside our religion into our confidence by revealing our secrets to
them and regarding them as our Bitanah (advisers, consultants,
protectors, helpers, friends, etc.) since they will never miss an
opportunity to exploit any of our weakness and they ever desire our
harm. We have seen and are seeing this malice so many times from their
speech, but what they conceal in their hearts is far worse. This Qur'anic insight into the nature of the dark souls and the hidden feelings of our enemies, casts a light for our consciousness pertaining to every time and place in order that we learn from these signs and become wise and cautious in our relations with them. Yet, the people of this living Qur'an are still in inadvertence and negligence, while their hostile enemy continues to deceit and conspire against them during the night and day. It is strange and ironic that we show love to people, who reject our Book and proclaim their grievance against us!
The Rights of Al-Walaa
Any
Muslim who claims to have Iman must fulfil its conditions and
requirements in order to deserve that title. Undoubtedly, fulfilling the
rights of Al-Wala' (to love, support, help, follow, defend, etc. Islam
and Muslims) and fulfilling the rights of Al-Baraa (to despise, desert,
denounce, maintain innocence of and immunity from, etc. Kufr and Kuffar)
is the true manifestation of the Muslim's adherence to this Deen. The
rights of Al-Walaa towards Islam and Muslims can be concisely presented
by the following: - The migration from a non-Muslim land to a Muslim land to safeguard the Religion, with exception to those who are weak and oppressed, and those who cannot migrate due to geographical and contemporary political reasons. Also in strict exemption are those who migrate to a Disbelievers land to spread Islam, seek medical treatment, business or necessary knowledge provided that that Muslim is knowledgeable in Islam and is able to preserve his religion, openly practice Islamic rituals without compromise and maintain the rights of Al-Walaa wa Al-Baraa.
- Supporting and helping any Muslim community, whether it is by our sayings, souls or wealth in all matters of Deen and Dunia. Allah Says: ".. but if they seek your help in religion, it is your duty to help them except against a people with whom you have a treaty of mutual alliance." [8:72]
- Sharing the times of joy and the times of agony with other fellow Muslims. The Prophet (pbuh) said: "The believers in their mutual love, are like the human body where when the eye is in agony, the entire body feels the pain; when the head aches, all the body will suffer." [Muslim] Showing concern in Muslims' issues and circulating their news in the media is included in this category.
- The Muslim must like for his brethren the acquiring of good and repelling of evil, in the same way that he loves these for himself. The Prophet (pbuh) said: "None amongst you (truly) believes till he loves for his brother that which he loves for himself." [Muslim]
- The abstinence from abusing, mocking or backbiting other Muslims. Allah has likened this to eating the flesh of the Muslim [49:11-12].
- To belong to the Muslim Jama'a (community) in unity and to avoid division as Allah Orders "And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (ie. this Qur'an), and be not divided among yourselves." [3:103] and by the Prophets (pbuh) saying: "Whoever dissociates oneself from the Jama'a by the span of the hand will die a Jahili (the age of ignorance) death."
The Rights of Al-Baraa
To
become a Mu'min, it is not sufficient for the Muslim to merely fulfil
the rights of Al-Walaa towards Islam and Muslims, he must also sincerely
fulfil the rights of Al-Baraa towards Kufr and Kuffar. The most
important of these rights include: - Despising Kufr (disbelief), Shirk (polytheism), and their people; and to maintain your enmity towards them as stated in Allah's Words: "Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Ibrahim (Abraham) and those with him, when they said to their people: 'Verily, we are free from you and whatever you worship besides Allah, we have rejected you, and there has started between us and you, hostility and hatred for ever, - until you believe in Allah Alone'." [60:4]
- Taking not the Kuffar as Awliya' (supporters, helpers, etc.), dealing with them in affection because Allah commands: "O you who believe! Take not my enemies and your enemies (ie. disbelievers and polytheists, etc.) as friends, showing affection towards them." [60:1]
- Migrating from their lands and not travelling to it except in necessity. Narrated Samurah bin Jundub (ra): Allah's Messenger (pbuh) said: "Anybody (from among the Muslims) who meets, gathers together, lives, and stays (permanently) with a Mushrik (polytheist or a disbeliever in the Oneness of Allah, etc.) and agrees to his ways, opinions, etc. and (enjoys) his living with him (Mushrik) then he (that Muslim) is like him (Mushrik). [Abu Dawud]
- Not to imitate the Kuffar in their religious rituals or their way of life as stated by the Prophet (pbuh): "Whoever imitates a (group of) people, then that person is one of them." The Prophet (pbuh) taught us that: "Jews and Christians do not dye their hair so you should do the opposite of what they do." [Bukhari]
- Avoiding their company and friendship as Stated by Allah: "And incline not toward those who do wrong, Lest the Fire should touch you , and you have no protectors other than Allah, nor you would then be helped." [11:113], especially with those who mock and ridicule Islam.
- In dealing with the Kuffar, no compromise in religion for the sake of courtesy and respect should be offered. Allah Said: "They wish that you should compromise (in religion out of courtesy) with them, so they (too) would compromise with you." [68:9] Furthermore, the Monotheist must not ask Allah forgiveness and mercy for the Kafir as Commanded by Allah: "It is not (proper) for the Prophet and those who believe to ask Allah's Forgiveness for the Mushrikun even though they may be of kin, after it has become clear to them that they are the dwellers of the Fire (because they died in a state of disbelief)." [9:113]
It should be remembered, that our enmity for the Kuffar as regulated by Al-Baraa does not mean that the Muslim can be unjust and offend those Kuffar who are not transgressors. Allah Commands justice and beneficence, "Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion and did not drive you out of your homes. Verily Allah loves those who deal with equity." [60:8] Notice that Allah Said 'to deal justly and kindly' with them and did not Say, 'to show them love and take them as Awliya'.
Finally, we should be amongst those who Allah Praises: "You will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers or their kindred (people). For such he has written Faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with Ruh (proofs, light and true guidance) from Himself. And We will admit them to Gardens (Paradise) under which rivers flow, to dwell therein (forever). Allah is pleased with them, and they with Him. They are the Party of Allah. Verily, it is the Party of Allah that will be the successful." [58:22]
No comments:
Post a Comment