Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 90 - Battle of Tabuk 3 ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 10th September 2014
Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 90 - Battle of Tabuk 3 ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 10th September 2014
So we discussed the fiqh benefits of the story of Ka'b ibn Malik. We now move on to other incidents. Recall again that the Battle of Tabuk really isn't a battle since no fighting took place. Rather it is a series of incidents from which we derive lessons and benefits. At least a dozen mini incidents. The interesting point of the Battle of Tabuk is, we will spend several episodes on it, but won't discuss any battle. It's not like Badr or Uhud when we discussed actual fighting. Rather we discuss the smaller stories. And because they go through the entire story of Tabuk (e.g. the masjid the hypocrites built took place throughout the 'battle'), so we are not going completely chronological.
So let us go back to Madinah where the Prophet PBUH is calling for sadaqa. There are many stories given about the sahaba who donated, and the problems and generosity shown, along with the sarcasm of the hypocrites.
The Famous Story of the Competition Between Abu Bakr RA and Umar RA
We begin with the very famous incident of the competition between Abu Bakr and Umar. It is a story narrated in the Sunan of Tirmidhi. That the Prophet PBUH stood up and continued to ask for charity until Umar RA thought, "Today is the day I can beat Abu Bakr." And he went back home and got half of his money.
Realize, money back then was a very scarce commodity. You did not know when the next batch of income would come. There was no monthly salary; the concept of a salary is very new. For the sahaba, money was very erratic. They might get one dinar today, nothing for weeks, and then suddenly hundred dinars. So the fact that Umar RA gave half his money is extraordinary. Even for us to give half our money, even though we have a constant income stream, is difficult to imagine. For Umar, it's a different level. So Umar RA said he will give half - and he brought forth half of his money. When the Prophet PBUH saw this money, he said, "O Umar what have you left for your family?" Umar ibn Khattab said, "I have left a similar amount." Then Abu Bakr RA came and he also has a bag of money. And he also isn't very rich, so the Prophet PBUH asks him, "What have you left for your family?" And he says, "I have left them Allah and His Messenger," i.e. no money, but only Taqwa in Allah. At this Umar said to himself, "I can never compete with Abu Bakr after this."
______________
Points of Benefit From the Story of the Competition
Of the benefits we can derive, the main one is the fact that the sahaba are competing with each other to do good deeds. This is something that has been lost amongst the Muslims. The sahaba are monitoring, "How much is someone praying, fasting, paying, etc." and they want to win the race in the eyes of Allah. That, "No one will beat me to the place in Jannah." This is something we do in the dunya in our job, education, etc. But when it comes to Islamic affairs we do the minimum. The sahaba were opposite and this is proven in many narrations; in one hadith the Muhajirun were complaining to the Prophet PBUH that, "Ya Rasulullah the Ansar fast as we fast, pray as we pray, but they give sadaqa and we don't have anything to give." So the Muhajirun are monitoring - so this shows the sahaba raced to do good deeds. And in fact Allah literally commands us to 'race' in doing good deeds. When it comes to racing in Jannah:
سَابِقُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا كَعَرْضِ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ أُعِدَّتْ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ
"Race toward forgiveness from your Lord and a Garden whose width is like the width of the heavens and earth, prepared for those who believed in Allah and His Messengers. That is the bounty of Allah which He gives to whom He wills, and Allah is the possessor of great bounty." [57:21]
However when it comes to this world, Allah says in the Quran in Surah al-Jumu'ah:
فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَانتَشِرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَابْتَغُوا مِن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ
"And when the prayer has been concluded, disperse within the land and seek from the bounty of Allah" [62:10] i.e. don't race, just walk away gently and seek Allah's sustenance. But when it comes to Jannah, Allah tells us to race.
We also have the concern of the Prophet PBUH for the women and children of the sahaba. That they too need money; when Umar brings his share the Prophet PBUH asks, "What did you leave for your family?" So he is worried about the family. This shows we are not asked to donate above our means. The priority is the family - no doubt Abu Bakr RA did something only he can do, and this is something that goes back to Abu Bakr's Iman, and indeed it's something even Umar RA did not do. It most definitely is not something we are encouraged to do. When we give, we should give between the two: Not being stingy but not being over extravagant. If our Iman was that of Abu Bakr then it's a different story, but we can never reach that level. So these stories motivate us, but we have to realize it's not something Islam dictates for us to do.
Another example given is that Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf gave 200 uqiya (200 bushels of grain). And this is a very large amount. What is interesting is Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf came with nothing to Madinah. He just had the clothes on his back. Now, he's reached a level within 8 years of a very rich person. This shows us having money is a positive if you are someone like Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf. There is nothing wrong in Islam with being rich, IF you are a generous person. How did he get rich? Buying, selling, and trading.
______________
The Famous Story of the Generosity of Uthman ibn Affan RA
The story of Uthman ibn Affan is also narrated in many books of hadith and seerah. That, the Battle of Tabuk coincided with the return of one of his caravans from Syria. So he had financed an entire caravan to Syria. When the Battle of Tabuk began, that was the time the caravan returned. And Uthman ibn Affan decided to sell the entire caravan, including all the goods, stock and camels, and he got around 1000 gold coins. And that is a fortune at any time, especially at that time. Even in our time it would be hundreds of thousands. And he didn't have a bag to carry so he walks back to the masjid with the gold coins being carried in his thobe. And he then pours it in front of the Prophet PBUH and says, "This is for the sake of Allah." And the Prophet PBUH begins looking at the huge pile of gold coins, flipping them around. And then he says, "Wallahi whatever ibn Affan does after today it will not affect him; he has earned Jannah with this."
Subhan'Allah this statement of the Prophet PBUH was used by Uthman ibn Affan around 30 years later when the Neo-Kharijites surrounded his house, and had come from all around demanding the most trivial matters, "Why did you appoint Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas as the governor, why this, why that, etc." And they are demanding so much, and they became harsher and harsher. One of the things Uthman said was, "Do you not know that the Prophet PBUH himself said when I gave the money for the Jaysh al-Usrah (Army of Difficulty) he PBUH himself said whatever I do will not affect me, who are you to question me?" In another version of this, the Prophet PBUH was giving a khutbah and encouraging people to give, so Uthman stood up and said, "I shall give 100 camels and all that they are carrying on them." So then the Prophet PBUH continued to ask. Then Uthman stood up and said, "I'll give 200 camels." Then Prophet PBUH continued exhorting until finally Uthman said, "I shall give 300 camels and all that is on them." And the Prophet PBUH then said, "Uthman has no sin after what he has done today." So it appears as if, Uthman had announced he would do this before the caravans came. When they came he brought it to the Prophet PBUH.
______________
Mocking of the Hypocrites
On the flip side, we have the mocking of the hypocrites. Firstly the hypocrites gave nothing at all, and on top of this they mocked those who gave. And they would mock anything that was given, either by publicly saying something or by nudging and winking. And they would say, "Oh, this guy gave so much, he's just showing off, he's not doing it for the sake of Allah." Or they would ridicule someone that gave a small amount. Allah exposed them in the Quran in a severe manner. Allah says, "These munafiqun are those who make fun of the believers when they give charity, and they scoff at those who have nothing to give except their sweat. And Allah will make fun of them, and what an evil and painful punishment." Al-Tabari mentions the story of this ayat, that the Prophet PBUH was asking for money daily. So one of the Ansar decided to give something. So he spent the entire night in labor, pulling water and selling it. It's the cheapest thing you can do. So he spends the whole night pulling water and selling it the next day. And this whole nights work earned his just two handful of dates. So he came the next day and said, "Ya Rasulullah here is one handful of dates for you, and the other handful to feed my family." So one of the munafiqun stood up and mocked him, saying, "Do you think Allah needs this quantity of dates?" Another said, "You are more in need of this than anyone else," i.e. you are so poor you need it more than anyone. This sahabi felt very hurt at this, as the munafiqun publicly embarrassed him. So this is when Allah revealed, "They think they are making fun of the believers, Allah will mock them and they shall have a painful punishment."
______________
Excuses the Hypocrites Gave to Not Participate
So they not only didn't participate in the fundraising, the munafiqun gave excuses before and after the battle. They gave bizarre stories as excuses. The Prophet PBUH asked one of the friends of Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul named al-Jad ibn Qays, "O Jad, are you not interested in going to fight the Romans?" And Jad said, "O Messenger of Allah, can you please excuse me, for by Allah my people know that I have a weakness for women and I am worried if I see the women of the Romans, I will not have any patience." What a flimsy and pathetic excuse. They called the Romans the yellow people, 'bani al-asfar'; for the Arabs white was fair brownish. So the Prophet PBUH said, "Okay, don't go" and Allah revealed in the Quran, "There are those who say, 'Give me permission and don't test and try me'; they have fallen head first into the fitna." And Allah revealed in Surah al-Tawba, "The hypocrites are happy, overjoyed that they are not going with the Prophet PBUH, and they are sitting down lazily. And they are telling one another, 'Don't go in this hot weather.'" Allah says, "The Fire of Jahannam is much hotter than this if you only understood. Let them stop their laughing and start crying because of what they have done." Very powerful verses. Allah says, "If the journey was small, the distance was easy and a lot of money gained they would have followed you. But they felt uncomfortable with the distance so they all lied with their excuses."
Contrast this to the sahaba who were called the Bakka'un.
______________
Those Who Got the Ajr of Tabuk Without Physically Participating
There were some among the sahaba who were called the Bakka'un (the Criers). Why were they called the Bakka'un? Because even though they were eager to participate, they did not have neither the means to give money, nor the personal possession of a camel to go. The Prophet PBUH ran out of money to purchase camels for everybody. So groups of sahaba were left behind without any camels. And they kept on wailing to the very end. And some of these were relatives of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari; of them were some of the later Muhajirun. So this group (around 12-13) to the very end were not able to purchase camels. And it's reported in the Quran that the Prophet PBUH told them, "I have no money to give you a camel to ride on." So Allah describes what happened: "They turned away, their eyes full of tears. They were so sorry and grieved they couldn't find the money to go." Contrast this difference of Iman. Some are overjoyed with a false excuse, others are crying with a legitimate excuse. Subhan'Allah.
And when Allah revealed in the Quran the verses that defended the sahabi that gave a handful, one of the sahaba (his name was Ulba) stood up. And he had nothing at all, so he said, "Ya Rasulullah I have no money to give you, but I give you my honor and dignity that in the way of Allah, I will defend you against those people that are irritating you (munafiqun)." And the Prophet PBUH said, "I have accepted your charity," and this shows us the sahaba were so eager to give the Prophet PBUH even that which is non-monetary. With regards to these sahaba, Ulba and the Bakka'un, the Prophet PBUH said at Tabuk, "There are people in Madinah, such that you have not traveled even a step except that they have accompanied you and they will get the reward of you." The sahaba said, "Ya Rasulullah even while they are in Madinah?" And the Prophet PBUH said, "Even while they are in Madinah because they had a legitimate excuse."
This is a beautiful hadith for the benefits of intention.
______________
The Reward of Deeds Depends Upon the Intentions
Having the correct, sincere intention, "If I had a million dollars I would do this," etc. You don't lose anything by having these intentions, and in fact just making the intention Allah will give us good deeds. Thus we should make positive intentions constantly. With regards to these people, their intention was so strong, the entire reward of the whole journey of the army, they get it while they are sitting at home in Madinah.
We also have the story of al-Wathila ibn al-Asqa'. He kept on asking and waiting for money until finally there was no money available and he did not have a camel. So he kept on going to the marketplace everyday saying, "Who is going to allow me to come with him on the expedition?" And for whatever reason, he was not chosen. Until finally on the last day before the expedition departed, he said, "Who will take me and I will give him my share of the ghanima." (Note: Remember, the military at the time was voluntary (unpaid). For those who participated, there are rulings of fiqh for how much ghanima they get, and it's essential for their livelihood. For the Battle of Khaybar, the sahaba got ghanima that gave them wealth for the rest of their life. So participating in battles had monetary gain too, and there is nothing wrong with this. No doubt, you must have 100% ikhlas when it comes to intention for doing it for the sake of Allah VS the praise of the people. If you mix sincerity with the people's praise, it ruins the sincerity of the act. You cannot mix a good dead for the sake of Allah and for the praise of the people. But you can however mix a good deed for the sake of Allah and for some monetary benefit. This is not shirk at all, in fact it is 100% halal.)
There are millions of examples: The Quran teacher. He needs some money for his time. The Islamic studies teacher; the imams of the masjids. The Hajj businessman who organizes travels to Makkah. These people spend months preparing the package - of course they need a profit. So they combine an act of worship with monetary need. By unanimous consensus this is absolutely fine, and we thank Allah for this. The Quran explicitly allows it, and the Prophet PBUH himself said, "The best salary anyone can ever take is teaching the Quran." (Bukhari)
_______________
Generosity of the Companion of Wathila RA
The rules state that the one who is going on a camel shared by someone else will get one share. The owner of the animal gets three shares (or two in some madhhabs). So Wathila gets a share - but he is saying, "Who will take me and I will give him my percentage." So now the stakes have changed - there is the possibility of getting even more ghanima. So one of the Ansar said, "You want me to take you, on the condition you will give me your share?" Wathila said, "Yes." And the Ansari said, "We will have to take turns riding and share the meals, etc." So Wathila says, "Yes I agree." And Wathila said, "I traveled with my best companion I ever had. And when I came back to Madinah I had a bunch of camels so I brought them to the Ansari." And Wathila said, "Here this is the share I promised you." So the Ansari looked at the herd of camels and said, "Show me the camels." So Wathila brings them and the Ansari sits down on the camel and says, "Bring them back and forth." And the Ansari says, "Subhan'Allah, masha'Allah." Then the Ansari said, "Your camels are very beautiful." Wathila said, "These aren't my camels, these are your camels as I promised you this share." The old man said, "Oh my dear nephew, go and take your camels for I didn't intend this, I intended something else." This shows us the Iman of the sahaba and the Ansar.
______________
The Story of Abu Khaythama al-Ansari
We also have the story of Abu Khaythama al-Ansari. And this story shows us even the sahaba have to struggle sometimes, and some of them take more struggling than others. Ka'b we discussed in depth; Abu Khaythama almost got to the level of Ka'b. Almost didn't leave Madinah. So the same thing happened; he delayed and delayed until finally the Prophet PBUH departed. He went back to his home and entered his garden, and his wife had prepared a rug for him under the date palms, and she had sprinkled some water on the rug, and had prepared some food, etc. So he entered the garden and sees his wives having prepared everything. Upon seeing this he says to himself, "What am I doing here? I am here in this pleasure while the Prophet PBUH is in the heat. Wallahi I am not even going to sit down." Right then and there he rushed out to catch up with the Prophet PBUH. And the next day when the Prophet PBUH woke up, he saw a lone rider racing and the Prophet PBUH said, "May it be Abu Khaythama" and it turned out to be him. The Prophet PBUH knew Abu Khaythama wasn't a munafiq and it was hurting him Abu Khaythama is not in the army. This again shows us the Prophet PBUH is monitoring the sahaba. Abu Khaythama is not of the elite but he is a well known sahaba. When Abu Khaythama came, the Prophet PBUH asked him, "Why did you delay?" Abu Khaythama told him the whole story and the Prophet PBUH said, "Woe to you, you just saved yourself Abu Khaythama." This shows us the tough love of the Prophet PBUH. He is gently rebuking him saying, "You are here but you just made it."
______________
The Story of Abu Dhar al-Ghifari
Another famous story is that of Abu Dhar al-Ghifari. Abu Dhar seems to have had an issue with his camel. Either his camel was on loan to someone, or it fell sick. He was supposed to go, but his camel wasn't there for him to go. It was his intention to go but he didn't have a camel. This is the famous narrator of hadith. So he then took the stuff that was supposed to be his backpack for the camel, and he put it on his back. And he started walking from Madinah all the way non-stop. And the sahaba see a lone figure; a man walking in the distance. And the sahaba are astonished, "Who is this man walking with his backpack." And these are the bags you are supposed to put on the camel; but he didn't even have a camel so he is trudging along. So after 2-3 days he catches up with the caravan, and the sahaba are wondering who is this man? And the Prophet PBUH says, "Let it be Abu Dhar," and indeed it was. The Prophet PBUH said to the sahaba around him, "May Allah have mercy upon Abu Dhar, he is walking by himself, he will die by himself and he will be resurrected alone." This is exactly what happened with Abu Dhar.
Abu Dhar is a very interesting sahabi - he had certain views of economics and politics that were unpalatable with the sahaba and even the Prophet PBUH. In fact even the Prophet PBUH said to Abu Dhar, "You are a weak man when it comes to politics," i.e. he isn't capable of being a leader. And, "Being a leader is a trust, and it will be asked by Allah, so never take charge of someone else." Abu Dhar did not believe in collecting possessions for the next day, or having money for future events. So he believed everything you have should just be given to others. When the money began to flow in, and the sahabi built larger buildings, Abu Dhar could not stand this. But of course it is halal; but Abu Dhar was on the extreme side, and he demanded others to be the same. But this led to so many complaints from the sahaba, so Uthman asked him to leave Madinah. So Abu Dhar took his wife and servant and they just went to live in the desert by himself. And ibn Sa'd reports his wife began to cry when Abu Dhar was on his deathbed. And Abu Dhar said, "Why are you crying." She said, "Because I don't even have cloth to shroud you, or power to bury you." Abu Dhar said, "Do not cry, for I heard the Prophet PBUH say one day when we were sitting with a group of people, 'One of you will die all alone, yet a group of believers will pray over him.' And every other companion in this sitting has passed away and they weren't in this condition, and I'm the only one left in the wilderness. So when I die take my body and go sit on the path; somebody will come."
His wife said, "Why would anyone come? It isn't Hajj season." So Abu Dhar said, "Do as I say, go on the path for wallahi neither am I lying nor was I lied to." So he passed away and his wife did what he said. And lo and behold almost instantly a massive caravan riding out of nowhere sees on the side of the road a dead body, an old lady, and a weak servant who says, "Stop, stop help me bury a Muslim." One of the people say, "Who is this?" And the servant says, "This is Abu Dhar, the companion of the Prophet PBUH." Lo and behold Ibn Mas'ud is in the gathering, Ammar ibn Yasir, and many others. And ibn Mas'ud begins to cry and weep and says, "The Prophet PBUH has spoken the truth." And they gave their own garments for the kafan of Abu Dhar, and they prayed janazah in the middle of the desert. And this incident took place in the khalifa of Ali RA when the wars were going on.
_______________
The Incident of Masjid al-Dirar (Masjid of Harm)
The hypocrites. Recall they gave excuses not to go, and they didn't donate even a penny. They gave all sorts of flimsy excuses, and the Prophet PBUH accepted any excuse. So much so Allah mildly chastised the Prophet PBUH, "Why are you accepting all their excuses?" Allah Himself said, "Allah has forgiven you but why are you giving permission all the time." So when the situation became tense and these verses were revealed, they decided to build their own masjid so they would have full freedom to do as their please. So they could speak and preach without any harassment from the true believers.
Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul was supposed to be the leader; and they had the audacity to collect funds and build the masjid, even while the Prophet PBUH is asking for funds for Tabuk. They didn't give a penny for Tabuk, yet they got the funds to build their own false masjid. And they are giving excuses to not go forth in the battle, but they build their own masjid even before the Prophet PBUH left for Tabuk. And the masjid itself was within walking distance from Quba. Note there is another reason given for them building their masjid: That, there was one final attempt from the hypocrites to try to counter the message of the Prophet PBUH. The leader was not ibn Salul, but rather his friend, Abu Amir al-Rahib. He was one of the elite of the Khazraj, and one of the few elders alive after the Battle of Bu'ath, the civil war between the Ansar and Khazraj where many elders were killed. This is one of the reasons why the Ansar embraced Islam, because they wanted a new leader with new ways. Some of the elders who were supposed to become a leader had their popularity taken away - the main person was ibn Salul, and the other was Abu Amir al-Rahib. Al-Rahib was called 'the Monk' because he converted to Christianity (pre-Islam), and he was very respected amongst the people of Madinah.
When the Prophet PBUH came, he wanted power and fame so Abu Amir rejected Islam. After Badr when there were no more pagans allowed, ibn Salul pretended to accept Islam but Abu Amir fled to Makkah. And before the Battle of Uhud, Abu Amir told the Quraysh, "Look just let me speak before the battle you will see ALL of them will listen to me." He kept on boasting, "You will see how much respect they have for me, they will hand over the Prophet PBUH on a silver platter." So the Quraysh were so happy, "He is our secret weapon." Right before the battle he gave his speech and he says to his people, "O my people, it is me, al-Rahib, you know me, hand over the Prophet PBUH." When they heard this, they began saying the worst things and said, "You are Abu Amir al-Kafir" and you're this and that. And they said, "Who do you think you are, etc." And he turns back to the Quraysh and says, "I don't know what happened to my people." So when he realized he can't even be in Makkah, he left for Rome and managed to get into the circles of the Caesar. And it's not unrealistic: Here is an Arab who speaks fluent Arabic, who is willing to tell you the inner mechanisms of other lands. So Abu Amir makes his way up into the circle of the Caesar. So he writes to his best friend ibn Salul and tells him, "Make for me a base in Madinah, and allow me access to the people," i.e. It's a revolt. Honestly it's bizarre, way too late in the game but it is desperation, that he wants to regain power in Madinah. And his plan was to have a footing in Madinah, and then send in the Romans to take over the city. So when ibn Salul got this letter, that is when he decided to open up a new masjid which would be the headquarters of this new revolt. So he then built Masjid al-Dirar which means the Destructive Masjid, the Evil Masjid, etc. as called by Allah in the Quran. And the Prophet PBUH made a du'a against Abu Amir that, "Make you die a stranger," and this is exactly what happened - he died in Rome with no family or friends around him. And it was a punishment for him to live in Rome as a stranger for so many years.
So ibn Salul constructs the masjid, and as a token of utmost disrespect he asks the Prophet PBUH, "Why don't you come bless the masjid?" And the Prophet PBUH felt very uncomfortable because the whole idea of Ibn Salul building a masjid at this time, and the verses of the Quran have been revealed, etc. The Prophet PBUH asked them, "Why did you build the masjid?" And they said, "Oh, we have weak people, if it rains it will just be right there," so the Prophet PBUH said in his gentleness, "We are busy now preparing for travel, insha'Allah when I come back." He didn't say yes - he said, 'If Allah wills.' And they built the masjid, the masjid was in operation for around a month but the Prophet PBUH never prayed there. They opened it before Tabuk - now on the way back from Tabuk Allah revealed Surah al-Tawba verse 107 to 108:
وَالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مَسْجِدًا ضِرَارًا وَكُفْرًا وَتَفْرِيقًا بَيْنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَإِرْصَادًا لِّمَنْ حَارَبَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ مِن قَبْلُ ۚ وَلَيَحْلِفُنَّ إِنْ أَرَدْنَا إِلَّا الْحُسْنَىٰ ۖ وَاللَّهُ يَشْهَدُ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ
"And [there are] those [hypocrites] who took for themselves a mosque for causing harm and disbelief and division among the believers and as a station for whoever had warred against Allah and His Messenger before. And they will surely swear, "We intended only the best." And Allah testifies that indeed they are liars." [9:107]
لَا تَقُمْ فِيهِ أَبَدًا ۚ لَّمَسْجِدٌ أُسِّسَ عَلَى التَّقْوَىٰ مِنْ أَوَّلِ يَوْمٍ أَحَقُّ أَن تَقُومَ فِيهِ ۚ فِيهِ رِجَالٌ يُحِبُّونَ أَن يَتَطَهَّرُوا ۚ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُطَّهِّرِينَ
"Do not stand [for prayer] within it - ever. A mosque founded on righteousness from the first day is more worthy for you to stand in. Within it are men who love to purify themselves; and Allah loves those who purify themselves." [9:108]
In these verses Allah causes the masjid the masjid of pain/suffering. And Allah says it's a masjid of:
1. ضِرَارًا - Harm
2. كُفْرًا - Disbelief
3. وَتَفْرِيقًا بَيْنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ - To divide the believers - When there is masjid Quba right there, there is no need to make this masjid
4. وَإِرْصَادًا لِّمَنْ حَارَبَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ مِن قَبْلُ - As a secret ambush for someone who has already waged war against Allah and His messenger (reference is Abu Amir)
And Allah says, "They will swear to you, 'we only want good - only for sick, poor, etc.'" Allah is testifying, "They are a bunch of liars." And Allah says, "Never ever go and stand there; verily, the masjid that was built from the very first day upon Taqwa, that masjid is more befitting for you to pray in." So when Jibril AS came down with these verses on the way back from Tabuk, the Prophet PBUH commanded Ammar ibn Yasir and other sahaba to burn the masjid to the ground because it is a masjid of kufr, pain, suffering, etc. And this was one of the final stances between the Prophet PBUH and the hypocrites.
The last straw was when ibn Salul dies in a few months and Allah says, "Don't even ask for forgiveness for them." So Tabuk ended the aspirations of the hypocrites - after this they did nothing. And note from this we learn that even a masjid, if it's built for the wrong reasons, can become a masjid of evil and harm. Allah calls this a masjid of kufr. And our Prophet PBUH was prohibited from praying in it, and eventually he was prohibited from praying for them at all. This also shows the hypocrites were well known - the one who says, "Don't tell me to go to Tabuk, I will see the Roman women and not be able to control myself, etc." he was a well known hypocrite. So they were well known to the sahaba, but the books of seerah don't really mention their names.
______________
Masjid Built Upon Taqwa
Now Allah says in this series of verses, "The masjid that was built upon Taqwa from the very first day has more right that you stand on that masjid. In it are people who love to purify themselves." Which masjid is Allah referring to? There are three opinions:
1. Masjid al-Quba - this is narrated in a hadith in Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi, "The people of Quba were asked that Allah has praised you and that you want to 'clean yourselves,' so why did Allah specify you as people of extra cleanliness?" The people of Quba said, and this hadith is mentioned in the chapter of istinja', "We have a habit that we always use water when we wash ourselves." This is what the fiqh of istinja' is based on - so they always used water to clean themselves. In our culture, we are accustomed to using water (indeed a water jug next to the toilet is a give away sign of a Muslim house). For us, we cannot imagine using the restroom without a jug. But it is surprising for every Muslim to find out, all of the madhhab are in unanimous consensus that you do not have to use water. Not that we should stop using water; it's a great habit. But we must realize water was scarce back then, and it was not possible for every society to use water for cleansing. So it is allowed to use dry material i.e. toilet paper. Now it is by unanimous consensus better to use water. Thus when the people of Quba were asked why Allah described them as people of extra cleanliness, they said, "We are a people who use water when cleaning ourselves." So Allah said, "Yatatahharu."
2. Masjid of the Prophet PBUH. Another hadith in Imam Ahmad, where two sahaba were arguing in the lifetime of the Prophet PBUH as to which masjid Allah was talking about. Is it Masjid al-Quba, or is it the masjid of the Prophet PBUH? So they took their matter to the Prophet PBUH right then and there. So the Prophet PBUH swore by Allah and said, "This is this masjid right here (Masjid al-Nabawi)." And this hadith is an authentic hadith.
3. It is a generic verse; every masjid built with taqwa is better than Masjid al-Dirar. And this is the correct opinion, and it incorporates both of the previous opinions within it. That both Masjid al-Quba, and the Masjid of the Prophet PBUH are verses built on taqwa.
Note some of the scholars have derived from the beginning of the Islamic calendar from this verse. When the sahaba gathered together and said, "We need a calendar," during the time of Umar ibn Khattab, they said, "When shall we begin the calendar?" Some said with the death of the Prophet PBUH, others said Isra wal-Mi'raj, others said Badr, etc. And then the sahaba said, "No with the Hijrah" and of course that is what stuck. Later scholars read into this verse, "The masjid that was built on the first day," so the first day of the calendar i.e the Hijrah is the 'first day.' And that's a bit of a stretch but it's true if you read it in that way.
______________
Lesson From the Incident of Masjid al-Dirar
The Masjid al-Dirar was destroyed and the Prophet PBUH never even entered or came close to it.
Masjid al-Dirar is a reality and we firmly believe it is possible for another masjid to become a type of Masjid al-Dirar. But, what we have seen happen is that when a community breaks into two, and that group forms another masjid; the first community says, "Oh, that is Masjid al-Dirar because they disagreed with us." This is very dangerous and arrogant. Because Masjid al-Dirar did not break away from the uncles of the community. Breaking away from a group of people does not make you kafir. Breaking away from the Prophet PBUH is a huge deal. If you disagree with someone sincerely on particular views, and you have another scholar you follow, that's okay. This is your right; and we shouldn't call that masjid 'masjid Dirar.' We have to be very careful in this regard. It is possible a masjid can be a masjid Dirar but we leave that verdict to Allah. If someone breaks away and builds their own masjid for a semi-legitimate reason, so they break away. Okay - let them be. We should not label each other's mosques 'masjid Dirar.' To do this would mean to go and torch the masjid down. You are implying it's a masjid of kufr: Are you really going to accuse them of being hypocrites and kafir? This is arrogant, dangerous and un-Islamic. Let them go and build their masjid and if it's sincere it will flourish; if not, Allah will expose them.