Islam

Tafseer by the Sunnah of the Prophet of Allah, peace and blessings upon him, has multiple purposes. Explains: It explains vague commands such as Hajj, and clarifies details. It also explains unclear concepts, such as the “white thread of dawn [seperated from] the black thread of night”. Connotations: Example forthcoming inshaAllah. Clarifies: With commands like “amputate the hand of the theif”, it clarifies (they must steal something worth 25 dinar or more, the item must be properly guarded, it cannot be food, etc.

In Surah Nisaa, Allah says: وَمَن يُطِعِ اللّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاء وَالصَّالِحِينَ وَحَسُنَ أُولَـئِكَ رَفِيقاً Translation: And who-so-ever obeys Allah and the Messenger, shall be with those whom Allah has blessed-the Prophets, the truthful (siddiyqin) and the martyrs (shuhada) and the righteous (saliheen). What excellent companions these are that one may get! [Surah An-Nisaa, verse 69] Prophets are those Allah blessed with divine revelation.

In Surah Baqarah, verse 24, Allah says: Translation: […] Fear the fire whose fuel is people and stones (Surah Baqara: 2:24) Why stones, you ask? Because idols are made of stones. Subhanallah. People and stones will fuel the Hellfire, the way gasoline fuels cars. May Allah protect us all from that horrid end, ameen. References (1) Pickthall, Muhammad M., trans. Al-Qur’an Al-Kareem: Parallel Arabic text with English Translation. One Ummah Network.

Musaylimah used to pray three times a day. He used to lie and say Qur’an was revealed to him, and he’d make up verses of “Qur’an”. In one instance, the people came to him and asked “was anything revealed?” “Not yet.” And later, “anything yet?” “Nope.”. And later “Anything yet?” “Nope.” At one point, some people came to him and one said “was anything revealed to the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم)?

A man came to the Prophet (salallhu alayhi wa sallam) from Al-Yamamah, learned some Quran, and apostated and joined Musalimah. His kunya (pet-name) was Ar-Rajal (“the man”). He endorsed Musaylimah. His fitna was more intense then Musaylimah. People thought he was learned and scholarly, and he believed in Musaylimah. It caused a huge doubt among the ignorant people. They felt that if Ar-Rajal listened, they should listen, too. Today, everyone has endorsements.

To know your identity, know your roots. One way to destroy a people is to isolate them from their roots. Muslims today remain ignorant of their identity. Who was the Prophet, (صلي الله عليه وسلم)? What was he like? Who are Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Aisha, Az-Zubayr, Abu Darda? Who was Imam Shafi’ee, Imam Malik, Salahuddin (may Allah be pleased with all of them)? So study your history! Read the seerah of the Prophet, the seerah of the Khulafa, and Islamic history — including major figures like the four imams, Salahuddin, and others.

Musaylimah al-Kadhab (Musaylimah the Liar) claimed prophethood during the time of the Prophet, sallalahu alayhi wa sallam. He sent a letter to the prophet saying “Good news, I’m a prophet too! So you be the prophet of the Hijaz area (very hilly area near the sea where the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) resided) and I’ll be the prophet of the Najd area.” The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) replied with “From Muhammad the Messenger of Allah to Musaylimah the liar.

In Surah Nisaa, Allah says: وَلَوْ أَنَّا كَتَبْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَنِ اقْتُلُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ أَوِ اخْرُجُواْ مِن دِيَارِكُم مَّا فَعَلُوهُ إِلاَّ قَلِيلٌ مِّنْهُمْ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ فَعَلُواْ مَا يُوعَظُونَ بِهِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ وَأَشَدَّ تَثْبِيتًا وَإِذاً لَّآتَيْنَاهُم مِّن لَّدُنَّـا أَجْراً عَظِيمًا وَلَهَدَيْنَاهُمْ صِرَاطًا مُّسْتَقِيمًا Translation: If We had ordered them to sacrifice their lives or to leave their homes, very few of them would have done it. But if they had done what they were (actually) told, it would have been best for them, and would have gone farthest to strengthen their (faith).

Among the culture of the mujahideen is that they honoured each others’ families. If someone died in battle, their wives were married to people of equal stature after the ‘iddah (mourning period). Malik ibn An-Nuwayrah, during the time of Abu Bakr as-Siddique, radiallahu ‘an, did not want to pay zakaah. There’s a difference of opinion, and Allahu ‘alim, he (Malik ibn An-Nuwayrah) was not Muslim. Kahlid bin Walid killed him one night.

Storytelling is a fundamental da’wah technique. It effortlessly communicates a message in a memorable medium. Storytelling is so powerful that you see it in the Qur’an (Surah Baqarah and Surah Yusuf, for example), in ahadith (The People of the Ditch). Among the benefits: storytelling communicates a message without spelling it out. Human beings recall stories more easily then they recall other forms of teaching. With a story, you can continually extract lessons and benefit from it.