Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 99 - Verse of Sword & Hajj of Abu Bakr ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 10th Dec 2014
Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 99 - Verse of Sword & Hajj of Abu Bakr ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 10th Dec 2014
We are winding up with the seerah now, maybe two or three more lessons after this and we will be finished alhamdulillah. Today we'll do the very final incidents in the 9th and 10th years. Again what we went through in the last few weeks was primarily delegations and family incidents. We had to break our chronology and we explained why: The delegations occurred from the 6th year all the way to the 10th year. And it's better to mix them all together. Of course the most significant delegations was the tribe of Thaqif accepting Islam in the 9th year, and the Christians of Najran in the 9th year also. Perhaps the most melodramatic was that of Musaylimah the Liar. Some of the delegations we discussed occurred in the 10th year as well, but for the sake of discussing them all together we jumped forward to the 10th year. Now however we go back chronologically and talk about the next big incident that occurred in the 9th year of the Hijrah, and that is the Hajj of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq RA.
Sending Abu Bakr RA to Perform Hajj
Now, when was the Conquest of Makkah? Ramadan of the 8th year of the Hijrah. In the 8th year, could the Prophet PBUH and Muslims have performed Hajj? Yes. Of course. Because they conquered Makkah in Ramadan, yet there was no concerted effort to do so. Why? If we say the Prophet PBUH was too busy with delegations then we say a fard is being delayed so that is nonsensical. The Battle of Hunayn was in Shawwal of the 8th year, so they could have come back for Hajj in the 8th year if they wanted to. So why didn't they? Makkah is not yet fully safe. Najran, Thaqif, Tabuk, etc. Ta'if is literally the next neighboring city with a huge population that is very hostile. Therefore the reason why the Prophet PBUH did not make an effort to do Hajj in the 8th year was because it simply was not feasible. There were too many security threats. Thus, in the 8th year of the Hijrah there was no special Hajj delegation coming from Madinah. Rather, there were a few Muslims who performed Hajj for the first time. This of course had not happened since the beginning of Islam, ever.
The books of seerah mention that the Prophet PBUH placed one of the members of the Banu Abd Shams, Attab ibn Asid, as the governor of Makkah. He converted at the Conquest of Makkah, so he's a late convert. Why then didn't the Prophet PBUH appoint one of the elites as the governor? Umar, Uthman, etc.? Why did all the sahaba go back? They have to go back. The Muhajirun are also obliged to go back. One of the points of the Hijrah, because of which they were honored by Allah, is that the Muhajir cannot go back to where he came from, or else his Hijrah is nullified. So none of the Muhajirun were able to go back to Makkah, including the Prophet PBUH. This is only special for the actual Muhajirun - as for us, if we do Hijrah from a dangerous land, we can go back if it becomes safe in the future. But that group of Muhajirun had to promise to give up everything and never return. So there was no permission for the Muhajir to go back to Makkah. Thus who was allowed to stay in Makkah? Those who never left.
Attab ibn Asid was the governor in Makkah. And for the first time, a small group of Muslims led by Attab performed Hajj in the 8th year. As for the Prophet PBUH and the sahaba in Madinah, they did not. In the 9th year, what happens? Tabuk takes place, and that is taken care of. Najran is also taken care of at the end of the 9th year / beginning of the 10th. The main threat was Thaqif, and as we know, that is also taken care of in Madinah. We discussed their delegation, how they didn't want to pray, they wanted to keep khamr, zina, riba, etc. So, the tribe of Ta'if accepted Islam, and now in the 9th year of the Hijrah, the Prophet PBUH decides to send Abu Bakr with an official delegation from Madinah to Makkah. The Prophet PBUH himself does not perform the Hajj. Why? He explicitly says to Abu Bakr, "Verily the mushrikun performed tawaf naked around the Ka'bah, and I do not wish to perform the Hajj until that is eliminated." So he gave the ultimate reason: It is not befitting for the Prophet of Allah PBUH to participate in the Hajj where you have mushriks acting in this manner.
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Jahili Arabs Used to Perform Tawaf Naked
Now, this concept of doing Hajj without your clothes is mentioned in the Qur'an in Surah al-A'raf verse 28. Note right before this verse Allah mentions how Adam and Hawa AS were persuaded by Iblis to eat from the Tree, which got them to get rid of their clothes [7:27]. And Allah says before this in verse 26, "O children of Adam, We have sent down clothes (from the heavens)..." What does that mean? Clothes are not natural. We are the only creation in this world that wears something on our bodies. So Allah is saying, He sent clothes down to us. The very next verse (28), in the context of clothes and covering oneself up, Allah says, "When the Quraysh do something evil..." and the word for evil is 'fahsha' or 'fahisha.' Note, 'fahsha/fahisha' is a sin of a sexual, lewd, or perverse nature. So Allah says when they do a 'fahisha,' "They say as an excuse, 'our forefathers did it,' and, 'Allah commanded us to do it.'" Then Allah negates this and says, "Tell them, Allah does not command that which is a 'fahsha.'"
يَا بَنِي آدَمَ قَدْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ لِبَاسًا يُوَارِي سَوْآتِكُمْ وَرِيشًا ۖ وَلِبَاسُ التَّقْوَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ
7:26. O children of Adam, We have bestowed upon you clothing to conceal your private parts and as adornment. But the clothing of righteousness - that is best. That is from the signs of Allah that perhaps they will remember.
يَا بَنِي آدَمَ لَا يَفْتِنَنَّكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ كَمَا أَخْرَجَ أَبَوَيْكُم مِّنَ الْجَنَّةِ يَنزِعُ عَنْهُمَا لِبَاسَهُمَا لِيُرِيَهُمَا سَوْآتِهِمَا ۗ إِنَّهُ يَرَاكُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا تَرَوْنَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
7:27. O children of Adam, let not Satan tempt you as he removed your parents from Paradise, stripping them of their clothing to show them their private parts. Indeed, he sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them. Indeed, We have made the devils allies to those who do not believe.
وَإِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً قَالُوا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهَا آبَاءَنَا وَاللَّهُ أَمَرَنَا بِهَا ۗ قُلْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ ۖ أَتَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
7:28. And when they commit an immorality, they say, "We found our fathers doing it, and Allah has ordered us to do it." Say, "Indeed, Allah does not order immorality. Do you say about Allah that which you do not know?"
The sahaba and tabi'un interpreted this verse and said, "The 'fahisha' was to perform tawaf without clothes on." Clearly the context before verse 28 is about clothes, and then Allah mentions the fahisha. The Quraysh gave 2 reasons for doing tawaf naked. Allah let go of the first reason because it was factual. Not because it was valid, but it was true, that their forefathers did it. However Allah responded to the second accusation; the first one was technically true, but obviously not legitimate. However the second reason they gave was, 'Allah told us to do it,' and then Allah immediately said, "No."
Ibn Kathir and others mention two justifications for them doing such a desecrated act.
1. They said that, "We should do tawaf the same way our mothers gave birth to us." Meaning they are saying, 'We should return to our original state that Allah created us in.' Now, this is intriguing because this is exactly the same excuse we find today. There is this nudist movement, and they implement the exact same logic. That, "God created us this way, why should we pervert 'nature'?" Subhan'Allah it's exactly the same pathetic excuse as the people of Jahiliyyah in the time of the Prophet PBUH. However, Allah says in the Quran, 'No,' for He sent down clothes for us.
2. The second excuse they give is, "How can we do tawaf in the exact same clothes we disobey Allah in? Isn't it shameful that in these garments we've disobeyed Allah we do tawaf in them?" This really shows us how easy it is to find any logic for anything. Without any divine guidance and sharia, anyone can justify anything. Subhan'Allah this notion of our intellect being all powerful, our intellect can justify anything. You want to torture innocent people, your 'intellect' will give you reasons to do so. Whatever it is, you will find your justification. That's why you need a sharia from Allah to tell you right from wrong. Otherwise left to our own whims and desires, anyone can justify anything as we have indeed seen. Here we have people justifying doing tawaf, the greatest of deeds around the greatest of houses, fully naked. They too believe the Ka'bah is sacred like us. But somehow they say, 'Let us be natural the way Allah created us.'
Note not everyone did tawaf naked. It was something that, believe it or not, was a sign of piety amongst the jahili Arabs. And therefore not everyone did it, but it was something that wasn't uncommon. The people of Makkah by the way did not follow this practice. Why? They view themselves as being elitist. They literally thought they were elite, and so they reasoned, "These rules don't apply to us because we are people of the Haram, people of the holy place." So this was the custom of the non-Qureshis. And that is why in Hajj season this act increased because that's when the non-Qureshis came. And there were ways out of this too. Even those who wanted to do it had ways out of it. They would either purchase brand new clothes, or they would get a Qureshi to lend one of his garments because his clothes for some reason are 'holy' since they are being used in Makkah. Sh. YQ says such a theory must have been invented by a merchant seller; of course they will benefit a lot from such a thing.
The books of seerah mention even the women would sometimes do this. Can you imagine the vulgarity? For the women however there was a license to wear a garment to cover their private parts; the rest of their body would be covered with their hands, and they would versify a poem, that, "Today my body is apparent, but whatever is apparent I don't allow anyone to stare at it." Allegedly when she says this nobody will be able to look at her (of course this is ridiculous in and of itself). Also the books mention it was common for women to do this during the night i.e. not during the day in public.
The point is this was the custom that existed, and so the Prophet PBUH explicitly said he did not want to do Hajj in this environment. It's very interesting to note the Prophet PBUH made a very firm stand to not go for Hajj because of this. This is definitely the appropriate thing for him to do. BUT, he sends Abu Bakr and 300 other people. And, for the first 53 years of his life, without a doubt this (jahili custom of doing tawaf naked) must have been taking place in Makkah. Obviously this must have been happening during his life and of course he was lowering his gaze. But the point is that, merely being in an environment of 'fahisha' is not in and of itself haram. The Prophet PBUH did not leave Makkah for 53 years of his life even though women were doing tawaf of this nature.
And it is clear that it's public. We do have a lot of people who think everything is haram, living in the West is haram, etc. Why? They say, because there is fahisha everywhere. In response, the east has probably the same if not even more fahisha. Especially with the internet, there is no place on earth where there is no fahisha; there is no more safe haven utopia. Secondly, this incident clearly shows our Prophet PBUH when he is the minority and oppressed, what will you do? You lower your gaze and fight your own battle. Just because it's happening outside, doesn't mean your presence there is haram. This is especially true when there is no place to go, especially in our times. As long as we protect ourselves, there is no sin for us to be in the West.
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Revelation of the Beginning of Surah al-Tawba incl. the 'Verse of the Sword'
So the Prophet PBUH sent Abu Bakr to lay the foundations for the final year of his own life, and his first and last Hajj, Hajjat al-Wada'. There are no idols in Makkah, but there are still going to be pagans coming from all over Arabia with their weird and bizarre customs. So he sends Abu Bakr RA to make sure that there are no paganistic rituals, and further no pagans from henceforth. As soon as Abu Bakr RA left the city of Madinah, Allah revealed the first 3 pages of Surah al-Tawba. And these verses are directed at the pagans of Arabia. Why did Allah delay it? Allah knows best, but maybe it was because of exactly what happened: When someone said to the Prophet PBUH, "Why don't you send these verses to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq?" The Prophet PBUH said, "No one shall convey these verses on my behalf other than someone from my own household." So he chose Ali ibn Abu Talib, who wasn't part of the initial congregation to Makkah. There was a group of 300 chosen to go, along with 25 sacrificial animals. At the head was Abu Bakr, Ali stayed in Madinah. However within in a few hours, Surah al-Tawba comes down, so the Prophet PBUH tells Ali ibn Abu Talib to catch up to Abu Bakr, take these verses, and announce them to the people during Hajj.
What are these verses of Surah al-Tawba? Of course this surah was one of the very final surahs to be revealed. Some scholars say it was the final large surah to be revealed, others say it was Surah al-Ma'idah. And al-Tawba of course we all know does not start with Bismillah. There are a number of opinions on why this is, but here are the 2 most popular opinions:
1. Narrated from Ali ibn Abi Talib, he was asked why there is no Bismillah; and he says, which makes sense from today's lecture: "Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim is what you write at the beginning of a contract of protection. Of mercy. Surah al-Tawba is about cutting off and dissociation. Thus you will not start this Surah by saying ,'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.'" Because Allah is saying He has, "Nothing to do" with the pagans. So Ali is saying it's not befitting that such a Surah start with Bismillah.
وَأَذَانٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ إِلَى النَّاسِ يَوْمَ الْحَجِّ الْأَكْبَرِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ بَرِيءٌ مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ۙ وَرَسُولُهُ ۚ فَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَإِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّكُمْ غَيْرُ مُعْجِزِي اللَّهِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
"And [it is] an announcement from Allah and His Messenger to the people on the day of the greater pilgrimage that Allah is disassociated from the disbelievers, and [so is] His Messenger. So if you repent, that is best for you; but if you turn away - then know that you will not cause failure to Allah. And give tidings to those who disbelieve of a painful punishment." [9:3]
2. There is a hadith in Tirmidhi which says Uthman ibn Affan was asked by one of his students why he didn't put Bismillah at the beginning of Tawba. And also why did he combine Anfal and Tawba even though the former is early Madinah, while the latter is late Madinah. Recall Anfal is Badr yet Tawba is Tabuk and post Tabuk (all 9th year). So the student is asking why Uthman combined these two surahs? Uthman replied that, "The content of the two are similar, and Tawba was revealed very late, and we didn't know whether it was a separate Surah or not, so we just put it with Anfal. And because we did this we didn't write a Bismillah."
So let us go over a few verses of Tawba:
بَرَاءَةٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ إِلَى الَّذِينَ عَاهَدتُّم مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
9:1. [This is a declaration of] disassociation, from Allah and His Messenger, to those with whom you had made a treaty among the polytheists.
It's a very powerful beginning from Allah. That He begins by cutting off all ties. There is no such word in English like 'Bara-a' in Arabic. So Allah is saying he is cutting off all the treaties with any pagan. Note you cannot surprise break off a treaty. Before you break a treaty off, you have to tell the other party. It's against Islam and etiquette that there is no notice. This is why our sharia also operates; if you have a peace treaty with someone you cannot break a treaty as you attack someone. That is completely haram. So this is what is happening: Allah is revealing this Surah to break any and all treaties.
فَسِيحُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّكُمْ غَيْرُ مُعْجِزِي اللَّهِ ۙ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ مُخْزِي الْكَافِرِينَ
9:2. So travel freely, [O disbelievers], throughout the land [during] four months but know that you cannot cause failure to Allah and that Allah will disgrace the disbelievers.
Then Allah gives the conditions and time period, and that is 4 months. All treaties will come to an end within 4 months. So for these 4 months they are completely safe and free to go anywhere they want. And this is not because Allah is weak, rather it's a generous gift to the pagans.
وَأَذَانٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ إِلَى النَّاسِ يَوْمَ الْحَجِّ الْأَكْبَرِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ بَرِيءٌ مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ۙ وَرَسُولُهُ ۚ فَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَإِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ فَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّكُمْ غَيْرُ مُعْجِزِي اللَّهِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
9:3. And [it is] an announcement from Allah and His Messenger to the people on the day of the greater pilgrimage that Allah is disassociated from the disbelievers, and [so is] His Messenger. So if you repent, that is best for you; but if you turn away - then know that you will not cause failure to Allah. And give tidings to those who disbelieve of a painful punishment.
So Allah is saying this will be announced after the day of Arafat, the day of sacrifice, that Allah and His messenger has cut of all relationships with the pagans.
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ عَاهَدتُّم مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَنقُصُوكُمْ شَيْئًا وَلَمْ يُظَاهِرُوا عَلَيْكُمْ أَحَدًا فَأَتِمُّوا إِلَيْهِمْ عَهْدَهُمْ إِلَىٰ مُدَّتِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَّقِينَ
9:4. Excepted are those with whom you made a treaty among the polytheists and then they have not been deficient toward you in anything or supported anyone against you; so complete for them their treaty until their term [has ended]. Indeed, Allah loves the righteous [who fear Him].
However Allah gives an exception. Here Allah is saying if there is a pre-set specific time clause already in place and they have not broken their promise at all, then in that case Allah is telling the Prophet PBUH to fulfill that treaty to the end of the agreed time. For some tribes the Prophet PBUH put a time clause and Allah in his fairness puts an exception to these treaties.
فَإِذَا انسَلَخَ الْأَشْهُرُ الْحُرُمُ فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدتُّمُوهُمْ وَخُذُوهُمْ وَاحْصُرُوهُمْ وَاقْعُدُوا لَهُمْ كُلَّ مَرْصَدٍ ۚ فَإِن تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَخَلُّوا سَبِيلَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
9:5. And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakat, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
THEN, the 5th verse comes. This is the MOST misinterpreted verse by Islamophobes. It is called 'the verse of the sword.' And you have to understand this verse in the context of the entirety of the seerah, and Hijrah. After the Conquest of Makkah, paganism is being eliminated, etc. Now what are the 'sacred months' being referred to? Some say the famous Sacred Months of the Hijri calendar. Others say, Allah called the four months in verse 2 the 'sacred months' because those are the four months you cannot fight for this particular year. So basically, when those months finish, then what? Then there is an open license to attack, kill, take them prisoner, etc.
Here's the point: This verse was revealed for the Haram and the Arabian Peninsula. To ensure there is no paganism and idol worship in that sacred land anymore. You cannot worship an idol in the lands of the Haram. So they were given four months, and two options: Either get rid of paganism and accept Islam which is exactly what Allah says in verse 5 (if they repent and start praying then they are your brethren and allow them to be whatever they want), OR leave; otherwise face war. Because it is not allowed in our shariah for idolatry to be practiced in the Arabian Peninsula.
Historically speaking, all the Muslim rulers tolerated idol worshiping outside the Arabian Peninsula. By unanimous consensus Jews and Christians can live in an Islamic state if they pay the jizya. The ikhtilaf comes over non-Jews, non-Christians, and non-Zoroastrians. Umar RA was the first to conquer a non-Ahl al-Kitab land. When he conquered Persia there were Zoroastrians, so the sahaba differed what to do. Umar RA said, "Treat them like you treat the People of the Book except you cannot marry their women or eat their meat." Based on this, all of the madhhab agree Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians can live in Dar al-Islam if they pay the jizya. There is no ikhtilaf at all - they can practice their faith, have their churches, etc. as long as they pay jizya they are protected by the state.
Of course there are conditions, we aren't painting a post-liberal, post-modernist society. You are allowed to be a Jew, Christian, Zoroastrian, but you cannot convert others. The ikhtilaf came, "What if you're not one of these?" Some say only these are allowed. Others say, "No it's okay, what Umar said of the Zoroastrian applies to every other religion." And we have to understand fiqh is one thing, history and reality is another. The khulafa basically allowed every single religious group to be who they are as long they didn't cross the line. Classic example: The Yazidis have existed under the Abbasids for hundreds of years. They have bizarre beliefs which go back to ancient times. They are called 'satan worshipers' which isn't technically true, but the point is they were tolerated. Another example is the Mughals who were the largest Indian empire, but the Muslim states had no problems with these Indians being there.
The point is, this verse cannot be taken as a point blank execution order of all non-Muslims. One simple historical fact: Not a single person lost his or her life over this verse. This verse is a threat, they have four months to leave or else they will die. It's a threat and it was meant to be a threat to scare the people. And indeed because of it paganism disappeared from Arabia. So to take this verse, "Kill the infidels wherever you find them" and to ignore the entire context, or even more so the very next verse, is just plain wrong. Allah says in verse 6:
وَإِنْ أَحَدٌ مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ اسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّىٰ يَسْمَعَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ أَبْلِغْهُ مَأْمَنَهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَّا يَعْلَمُونَ
9:6. And if any one of the polytheists seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the words of Allah . Then deliver him to his place of safety. That is because they are a people who do not know.
Subhan'Allah, verse 6 clearly says, if anyone wants protection, give him protection, explain Islam to him, accompany him to the borders and let him go. He goes his own way safely. Not one person was killed or executed as a result of this verse. It was meant to threaten the pagans. Either accept Islam or leave. And that's exactly what happened. Paganism was wiped out of Arabia, and that was the goal of the Prophet PBUH. We do not want idolatry to take place in the Arabian Peninsula.
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Sunni-Shia Controversy:
"Are You Being Sent to Be a Commander Over Me?" Asked Abu Bakr to Ali
Another major controversy is the issue of Ali ibn Abi Talib being chosen to convey this message to the pagans of the Hajj of the 9th year. Note, 9th year is the only year ever where Muslims and pagans performed tawaf and Hajj simultaneously. Never before did an official delegation of Muslims and pagans perform tawaf together. That there were pagans from far north, south, etc. that came to do Hajj. So, Ali ibn Abu Talib is sent to announce, "Go back to your people and tell them, either leave or convert to Islam, you have four months. If you don't, we will attack you." The question is why was Ali RA chosen? As we know Ali RA was given the first two pages of Surah al-Tawba, he rushes to catch up to Abu Bakr, Abu Bakr sees Ali who had the personal camel of the Prophet PBUH to be a representative. When Abu Bakr saw Ali riding on the camel immediately he asked, "Are you being sent to be a commander over me? Or am I still the commander?" Ali RA said, "No, you are still the commander but I've come to recite Surah al-Tawba." Of course this causes huge tension between Sunni and Shia groups.
The Shia interpret this and say this is explicit evidence that Ali RA should have been the khalifa. Of course their main evidence is Ghadir Khumm which we'll discuss later on. But here, they say that the Prophet PBUH clearly said, "No one shall represent me other than my family," and he chose Ali RA. This is very easy for us to understand in the proper way. Al-Baghawi and other mufassirun mention that it was the custom of pre-Islam that when a ruler wants to make a treaty or break a treaty, you have to send someone from his family to do so. Because the Prophet PBUH is dealing with the Jahiliyyah Arabs, he wants there to be no excuse that someone can say, "O you sent the wrong person." Don't forget these people are still pagans; to them lineage and family is everything. So the Prophet PBUH wanted to provide no excuse, so he sends Ali RA to break the treaty he himself enacted. The simplest correct understanding is that Abu Bakr and Ali are both in the same convoy of Hajj. Ali RA literally says to Abu Bakr, "No, you are still the amir, and I am still the ma'moor."
In this incident you have two of the greatest sahaba together, and the Prophet PBUH sends the both of them but Ali RA is not sent as the amir (leader). He is sent for a task which is to break the treaties; Abu Bakr is the overall amir. For us this clearly demonstrates what is true. For us we love Ali RA the way he should be loved. We are more rightful to be Shiat al-Ali (the Party of Ali) i.e. we are the ones who support him, and believe in him the way he deserves to be believed in. We have no problems giving every blessing that is given to him; this is indeed a great honor to be chosen by the Prophet PBUH to break the treaties. And we have no stinginess in saying he is Ahl al-Bayt and he represents the Prophet PBUH, etc. But that doesn't mean he should have been the khalifa over Abu Bakr RA.
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Four Major Announcements During the Hajj
So as we said it was the only Hajj performed by both pagans and Muslims. It was also the only Hajj wherein the rights of Hajj were performed according to the old ways. The Prophet PBUH did not show the correct way of Hajj; so Abu Bakr does it in the old way. How many Hajj did the Prophet PBUH do? Was Hajj an institution? Not as we know it. They had their own Hajj, and much of it was taken from Ibrahim AS. Doing tawaf, sa'i, etc. Did the Prophet PBUH do it? The books of seerah don't mention it, but it is understood that he must have done Hajj after the prophethood. The average Makkan living in Makkah obviously must be doing Hajj. How could the Prophet PBUH not have done Hajj? There was nothing wrong with the Hajj of those times. Arafat, tawaf, sa'i, etc. And of course back then he couldn't enforce law since he was being persecuted.
So Abu Bakr RA, Ali RA, and Abu Hurairah RA performed the Hajj, Ali RA along with Abu Hurairah RA make four major announcements. They first recite Surah al-Tawba (first 2 pages), so now people are aware of the 4 months period. Then they announce:
1. No one shall enter Jannah other than a Muslim.
2. No one shall perform tawaf naked.
3. No mushrik shall ever perform tawaf ever again after this year.
4. Any contract that exists with the pagans with any tribe shall exist for four more months. After this there is no treaty (unless there's a pre-set time clause).
So these were the four major announcements in the Hajj of Abu Bakr RA. The first point is very interesting. Why mention this? This is now perhaps the final dawah being given to groups of people that might decide to leave Arabia forever. They know they have two options: Convert or leave. It's never ever convert or die. So they are being told the most important thing, which is that there is no way to Jannah other than Islam. This is a very important point in modern times, because this principle of Islam is being watered down, and many youth find it difficult to swallow. The fact is, the first announcement in the final Hajj of the pagans really demonstrates Quranic-wise and logic-wise, that if you believe in a certain religion, it better be the one that saves you. If other religions also save you, why believe in a specific one? The purpose of Islam is to guide us to Jannah and the pleasure of Allah. If we say many religions do it, why even follow one religion? Religion by its nature, logically, should be exclusive. In terms of this world, the fiqh is clear: We have our way and they have theirs. No issues in this world. But in the akhira not all religions can be valid. So the Prophet PBUH is telling the mushrikun you only have one way to get to Jannah.
As for the issue of doing tawaf naked, it was enforced even during the Hajj of Abu Bakr RA. So even in the 9th year, no one did tawaf naked. Because that was immediately enforced. As for the pagans not doing tawaf, that was not enforced yet since they were already there. That started from the 10th year onwards. Last, they are told they have four months left. Therefore this was a clear signal that Islam had triumphed over idolatry. This was the final nail in the coffin for idolatry. And as we've said many times, it's one of the most amazing U-turns in human history. That in just 20 years, an entire civilization gives up its heritage of over 3000 years, and accepts a new religion. There are no pagans anymore that are Arabs. There are still Arab-Christians. There used to be Arab-Jews up until 1948, and Islam tolerated this. But nowhere were there Arab-pagans. Why? Because of these verses. And subhan'Allah it's one of the most interesting miracles of Islam, that it eliminated idolatry completely amongst an entire civilization and our Prophet PBUH saw the culmination of his efforts.
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Sending Out Governors and Religious Teachers to Various Places
Also towards the end of the 9th year, our Prophet PBUH sent many sahaba as either governors or teachers of Islam to various places around the kingdom. Especially in the north and south; Mu'adh ibn Jabal was sent and we know the story how the Prophet PBUH walked with him. Others were also sent down south, and it seems people there accepted Islam very quickly and easily.
One final incident of accepting Islam also took place in the 9th year in the province of Najran. And Najran is a little bit above Yemen and south of Hejaz. It's the southern most province of modern Saudi Arabia. This province, our Prophet PBUH sent Khalid ibn al-Walid in the beginning of the 10th year. And he told Khalid, "Do not attack them until you give them three days and tell them they have the option of accepting Islam, or if they're Christian or Jew they pay jizya, or they have to leave." So three days: This shows us again the mercy of the shariah that the Prophet PBUH gave three days. So Khalid ibn al-Walid sent criers to inform the people of Najran, and lo and behold, the entire province of Najran accepted Islam. And so Khalid ibn al-Walid was really confused since he brought an army but there's no fighting. So he sent a letter to the Prophet PBUH to tell him the people have all accepted Islam and asking what he should do next. The Prophet PBUH said, "Send a delegation up to me," i.e. he wants to test them.
So a delegation comes from Najran and Ibn Ishaq mentions an interesting conversation. The group enters in and the Prophet PBUH did not recognize them, so he asks them the equivalent of, "Who do I have the pleasure of welcoming?" And it's reported he said, "You look like the people of Hind (i.e. Indians)." Why would the Prophet PBUH say this? We don't know of any Indians (Hind) that the Prophet PBUH ever met so this is interesting. Perhaps the Prophet PBUH said this because the people of Najran have a complexion that is different from other Arabs. Also it's known the people of Najran had a different hairstyle (round and curly) so maybe this is why he said what he said, but Allah knows best. When the group said, "We are from Najran," the Prophet PBUH had some back-and-forth with them; a little bit is harsh, but he is testing their Iman. He wants to see if they are genuinely Muslim. In the end they pass the test with flying colors, so the Prophet PBUH asks, "Tell me what is the secret you are always the victors against anyone who attacks you?" They say two things: "First, we are always united when we make a decision; and second, we have never done wrong to other people." Subhan'Allah this shows us, if you want to be successful, ensure teamwork and don't take advantage of other people.
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The Prophet's PBUH Letter to Amr ibn Hazm al-Ansari RA
So the Prophet PBUH then sent Amr ibn Hazm al-Ansari to be their religious leader and governor. And he sent a letter to Amr one month before he passed away instructing him how to be a religious leader. Maybe we'll discuss the letter itself next time. But it is one of the most famous letters in the seerah. Why? Because it was the last letter our Prophet PBUH dictated in his life. And it's over a page long and is directed to Amr ibn Hazm, and it's basically a whole bunch of commandments (wasiyyas) telling him how to teach the people. It is one of the very last things he PBUH did.
Note the people of Najran accepted Islam four months before he PBUH passed away which was one month before the Prophet's PBUH Hajj. It's the last major province under Hejaz. It converts to Islam, and then he sends this letter to Amr ibn Hazm. It is a very famous letter because there is one phrase in it which most of the fuqaha discuss so much about. And that is, "No one should touch the Qur'an except if he is 'tahir.'" From this the majority of the madhahib all say to touch the Qur'an you need to have wudu. This is the number one evidence, the hadith of Amr ibn Hazm.
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Tangents About Shia Groups
Final interesting tidbit: These days Najran has an interesting twist. Theologically, Najran is the only place that has Ismaili Arabs. Saudi Arabia has places where there are Twelver Shia. Other places have fiver Shia. Najran is the one place that is predominantly Ismaili Shia. In the Fatimid reign, al-Azhar university was founded by the Fatimids. And they were also the ones to coin the term 'dawah' which we now all use. That a caller to Islam is called 'da'i.' So they were the first group to give it a technical term, to say, 'We are going to send people out to teach people Islam, called da'is.' So they sent out da'is across the globe to give 'dawah' to Ismaili Islam. And so groups of people converted in India and in Yemen, and across the places. The group that converted in Yemen remained loyal to the Fatimid empire.
Slowly and surely this empire disintegrated; their was civil war between two strands: The Musta'li and the Nizari. The Nizari strand became Aga Khanis. So the Aga Khani imam claims biological descent from Nizar, the Fatimid khalifa. Whether that claim is true or not is not known. And Nizar's brother, Musta'li, his chain eventually disappears which became 'Bohra Ismaili Shiism.' So Bohras and Aga Khanis are blood brothers in terms of Shiism. Musta'li, slowly but surely his line disappeared, there was a baby by the name of Tayyib. And so the Musta'lis say he is in hiding, as all Shia groups say their imam is in hiding. The Aga Khanis are the only Shia group who say their imam is clear, meaning they know their Imam.
The Twelvers say their imam is in hiding. The fivers (Zaidis) say anyone can be imam. The Ismailis split into many groups. The Bohri, Musta'li, Tayyibi Ismailis (Bohri from the Gujarati term 'buhra' meaning businessman) - they split into two branches. You have Dawoodi Bohra and Sulaymani Bohra. Why Dawoodi? Because there is a split with Sulaymani, and the split is over: Who is in charge of running the Ismailis? Not who's the imam, because he is in hiding. The Dawoodi Bohra and Sulaymani Bohra had a split between two people named Dawud and Sulayman. So the Dawoodi Bohras went with Dawud, the Sulaymani Bohras went with Sulayman. And the Dawoodi Bohras eventually primarily ended up in Gujarat, India. The split occurred in the 1500s. Sulayman was denied leadership, so the Yemeni community accepted him as the leader so they called him from India to come to Yemen. So he started the 'Sulaymani Bohra Musta'li Tayyibi Ismaili' branch. From that time on, they call him 'Da'i al-Mutlaq' i.e. The Big Da'i. That is the title given to the big guy by both the Sulaymani and Dawoodi Shia.
So the Da'i al-Mutlaq is the representative of the imam. And because of this he gets a large share of money from the people (each person gives 10%) and they live a good lifestyle, etc. The point is, the Da'i al-Mutlaq of the Sulaymani branch lives in Najran to this day. And the Saudi political establishment has a very tense relationship with this. Because Najran is of course in Saudi Arabia. So there is HUGE tension; and the human rights watch have lots of reports that these Shias are persecuted, deprived of jobs, education, etc. which are probably true. Because obviously they are viewed to be of a heretical branch of Islam. So the Da'i al-Mutlaq is a Saudi, living in Najran, and at least maybe half a million people are following that version of Islam. They are all Najrani. The majority of that region, especially two/three of the prominent tribes are Ismaili. And it's something that is very interesting. In any case that is Najran who converted back in the day.
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Q&A
Q: Did the sahaba have the ihram before Islam?
A: There is no evidence which suggests this. Rather our Prophet PBUH explicitly commanded the Muslims to wear the ihram and therefore, it is estimated that ihram is something that the Prophet PBUH came with. Because he clearly says, "Don't wear this, don't wear that, but instead wear this" - the fact that he has to make this command seems to indicate that the ihram is not known to those before.