Day the Shin is Unveiled (68:42) Interpretation of Ibn Abbas

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ 

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

Allah, holy and exalted is He, says:

یَوۡمَ یُکۡشَفُ عَنۡ سَاقٍ وَّیُدۡعَوۡنَ اِلَی السُّجُوۡدِ فَلَا یَسۡتَطِیۡعُوۡنَ 

The Day the Shin is laid bare; they will be called to prostrate but will be incapable to do so

(Surah 68, Ayah 42)

Based on this Ayah, some Muslims believe Allah literally has a shin. But the superior interpretation of its meaning is reported from the Salaf, including the Prophet’s Companion Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him and his father.

He interpreted it to mean an expression of the severity of the Day of Resurrection, and not a literal shin attributed to God. Hence, the great Mufassir, Ibn Jarir at-Tabari, says:

جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ وَالتَّابِعِينَ مِنْ أَهْلِ التَّأْوِيلِ  يَبْدُو عَنْ أَمْرٍ شَدِيدٍ

“A group from the Sahabah and Tabi’in, from the Ahl it-Ta’wil (people of interpretation) interpreted it as a severe matter” (Tafsir at-Tabari, v.23, p.186)

He then brings forth several narrations from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, to that effect:

هُوَ يَوْمُ حَرْبٍ وَشِدَّةٍ

“It is a Day of war and severity”

عَنْ أَمْرٍ عَظِيمٍ كَقَوْلِ الشَّاعِرِ

وَقَامَتِ الْحَرْبُ بِنَا عَلَى سَاقِ

“An immense matter, as the poet said: ‘And the war was established upon a Saq (shin)’”

يُكْشَفُ عَنْ أَمْرٍ عَظِيمٍ

“Unveiling of an immense matter”

هُوَ الْأَمْرُ الشَّدِيدُ الْمُفْظِعُ مِنَ الْهَوْلِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ

“It is a severe and terrifying matter of terror on the Day of Resurrection”

هِيَ أَشَدُّ سَاعَةٍ فِي يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ

“It is the severe hour in the Day of Resurrection” (ibid, pp.187-188)

Whoever Saved a Soul As Though Saved All Mankind (5:32)

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ 

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

In a previous article, I argued that Muslims should not dismiss the Talmud. Indeed, it preserves many original divine revelations and inspirations that may not otherwise appear in the ancient, written Scriptures.

Islam totally rejects the Sola Scriptura doctrine, associated with Protestantism and heresies like the “Quran-only” movement. Some Muslims object to the Talmud and characterize it as a fabricated and even satanic text. While there are some objectionable passages in the Talmud, and some of it is merely the baseless opinions of various Rabbis, there are certainly parts of the Talmud which refer to an original revelation or teaching from God.

Allah says in the Holy Quran:

کَتَبۡنَا عَلٰی بَنِیۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِیۡلَ اَنَّہٗ مَنۡ قَتَلَ نَفۡسًۢا بِغَیۡرِ نَفۡسٍ اَوۡ فَسَادٍ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ فَکَاَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِیۡعًا ؕ وَمَنۡ اَحۡیَاہَا فَکَاَنَّمَاۤ اَحۡیَا النَّاسَ جَمِیۡعًا

We wrote upon the Children of Israel that one who killed a soul, except for (killing) a soul, or made corruption in the land, it is as though he killed all mankind. And whoever saved the life (of a soul) it is as though he saved the life of all mankind

(Surah 5, Ayah 32)

Yet this principle is not found anywhere explicitly in the written Scriptures of the Jews—the Hebrew Bible. However, it is in the Talmud:

המאבד נפש אחד מישראל מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו איבד עולם מלא וכל המקיים נפש אחת מישראל מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו קיים עולם

“Whoever destroyed a single soul of Israel it as though he destroyed an entire world, and whoever saved a single soul of Israel it is as though he saved an entire world.”

(Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5)

Incidentally, some manuscripts and variant readings of the Talmud do not even include the words “of Israel” making it a universal principle. 

From this we may conclude that the Rabbinic Jewish doctrine that Moses received at Mount Sinai an oral law in addition to the written Torah is true. Much of the teachings and ordinances of that oral Torah have been preserved in the Talmud.

And Allah and His Apostle know best!

Short Haircuts Forbidden for Ladies

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ 

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

الصلاة والسلام عليك يا سيدي يا رسول الله

Among the calamities of our time is the turning away from the tradition of our Muslim antecedents and elders in favor of Western fashion and trends.

The modernists and liberals of the Community often refer to the permissive but irresponsible Fatawa (legal opinions) which, as an instance, permit ladies to cut their hair short.

They cite a Hadith to argue that since the Prophet’s wives, may Allah be pleased with them, cut their hair short after he passed away, to the length of their earlobes, therefore, the ladies of the Community may do the same.

But as we shall see, the Hadith of Abu Salamah has been mistranslated:

وَكَانَ أَزْوَاجُ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَأْخُذْنَ مِنْ رُءُوسِهِنَّ حَتَّى تَكُونَ كَالْوَفْرَةِ

“The Wives of the Prophet, peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, would take from (the hair of) their heads until they were like Wafrah.” (Sahih Muslim)

The term Wafrah is often translated into English to mean hair extending to the earlobes. However, this is not necessarily the correct translation, as Imam an-Nawawi has pointed out:

الْوَفْرَةُ أَشْبَعُ وَأَكْثَرُ مِنْ اللُّمَّةِ وَاللُّمَّةُ مَا يَلِمُّ بِالْمَنْكِبَيْنِ مِنَ الشَّعْرِ قَالَهُ الْأَصْمَعِيُّ

“The Wafrah is more copious and abundant than the Lummah, and the Lummah is hair that reaches the shoulders, as stated by al-Asma’i.” (Sharh an-Nawawi ala Muslim, v.4, p.4)

From this we come to know that the Prophet’s wives, may Allah be pleased with them, kept lengthy hair during his apparent life, and when he, peace be upon him, passed away from this world, they shortened it to shoulder length.

Therefore, it is permissible for Muslim ladies to trim their hair, but not shorter than shoulder length—for to do so would be resemblance with men. And the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, cursed women who resemble men and vice versa:

لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الْمُتَشَبِّهِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ بِالنِّسَاءِ وَالْمُتَشَبِّهَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ بِالرِّجَالِ

The Apostle of Allah, peace be upon him, cursed men who resemble women and women who resemble men (Sahih al-Bukhari)

In the Hanafi school the ruling is that a lady may not cut her hair short, as Imam al-Haskafi says:

قَطَعَتْ شَعْرَ رَأْسِهَا أَثِمَتْ وَلُعِنَتْ زَادَ فِي الْبَزَّازِيَّةِ وَإِنْ بِإِذْنِ الزَّوْجِ لِأَنَّهُ لَا طَاعَةَ لِمَخْلُوقٍ فِي مَعْصِيَةِ الْخَالِقِ

“A woman who cuts the hair of her head is sinful and cursed.” And in al-Bazzaziyyah is the addition, “Even if the husband permitted her for there is no obedience to the creation in disobedience to the Creator.” (Radd ul-Muhtar)

It is so tragic that today many Muslim ladies cut their hair short, in imitation of men or Western fashion trends.

The beauty of women was traditionally associated strongly with their long, waist length hair.

The cancer of feminism is spreading in the Muslim Body at an alarming rate. Short hair is almost universally recognized as a political and social statement of rejection of patriarchy and tradition.

All Muslims must strive sincerely to return to the traditions of our Islamic ancestors and elders for whom these modern fashions and trends were not only alien but would be perceived by them as abominable.

والله ورسوله اعلم

And Allah and His Apostle know best!

Depiction of the Prophet عليه السلام

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

سبوحٌ قدوسٌ

Holy Holy

A major scandal has broken out in Pakistan related to the depiction of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, as aired on a program broadcast by Geo News.

This media outlet is a significant force for evil in Pakistan; part of the diabolical conspiracy to secularize and liberalize Pakistan.

The media in Pakistan for many decades has been working to normalize indecency and nudity, by regularly exposing unveiled women to the public and presenting views that challenge the conservative orthodoxy of Islam and its “patriarchal” teachings.

Any Islamic government of Pakistan would be expected to put an end to such immoral media, as the Taliban have put an end to it in Afghanistan by the grace of Allah.

Returning to the sacrilege committed by Geo News in attempting to depict the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, those who defend it argue that the depiction is not intended to be derogatory or blasphemous, unlike the insulting caricatures of the Holy Prophet published in Europe.

Additionally, they argue that depiction of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, is permitted in Shi’ism.

Indeed, this is one of the fundamental differences between orthodox Sunni Islam and the heresy of Twelver Shi’ism. The latter enthusiastically make and display art that depicts the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, and the twelve Imams, including Ali, Hasan and Husain, may Allah be pleased with them all.

The most authoritative living Shi'ite cleric today is Ali al-Sistani, whose fatwa allows for the depiction of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him.

Hence, if one sees an image of a religious figure, usually wearing a green turban, it is likely that it is an example of Shi’ite religious iconography which is strictly forbidden in orthodox Sunni Islam.

All Sunni Muslims must be educated in this issue to know that this, the depiction of Prophets especially the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is an extremely sensitive matter for us.

Tragically, Muslims have become negligent of observing this prohibition in modern times. Films have and continue to be produced, both animated and live action, which depict the Prophet, peace be upon him, other Prophets, and the Sahabah. All of this is wrong and evil.

Most such productions are by the heretical Shi’ites but even some otherwise ordinary Sunni Muslims might be ignorant of the orthodox Islamic teaching and ruling on this matter and out of ignorance produce a depiction or image of the Prophet, peace be upon him.

The hanging of portraits and images of the Prophets and Imams, a common practice of the Shi’ites, is forbidden in Islam because, among other reasons, it is the gateway to idolatry. 

Another reason is that it is disrespectful to the Prophet, because any manmade depiction of him could never even come close to matching his perfect beauty. Since the depiction is objectively not the Prophet, peace be upon him, to consider it is a a representation of him is to consider someone or something else to be the Prophet, which is bordering on unbelief.

Apart from these damned Shi’ites, Muslims have by and large avoided depictions of our most important religious figure, unlike Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Zoroastrians, and Sikhs.

If one walks into the house of a Hindu, one is likely to see a portrait or idol of one of their false gods, such as Ram, Krishna, Ganesh, Hanuman, Durga, etc. If one walks into a Sikh home, one is likely to see a portrait of Nanak and the other Gurus. If one walks into a Zoroastrian home, one will likely see a portrait of Zoroaster. If one walks into a Buddhist home, a portrait or idol of Buddha. If one walks into a Christian home, one may see a portrait of Jesus Christ.

But Muslim homes will not have a portrait of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. This in fact demonstrates that Muslims have more respect for our most important religious figure than the adherents of the other major world religions have for theirs. It says that we consider our Prophet so holy that to even depict him with the intention of reverence is forbidden, because no depiction can match his perfect beauty or express his true glory. Any attempt to do so is vain and futile, and will only serve to diminish in one’s mind that perfect beauty and glory of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

Imam Husain's Offer To Pledge Allegiance to Yazid

 بِسۡمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

سبوحٌ قدوسٌ

Holy Holy

Those misguided people who argue that revolution and armed uprising against the government is allowed in Islam most frequently cite as evidence for their position the martyrdom of Imam Husain, may Allah be pleased with him, at Karbala.

According to this narrative, Imam Husain, may Allah be pleased with him, launched an armed revolt against the government of Yazid bin Mu’awiyah, and was subsequently killed by the forces of Yazid which intercepted him at Karbala.

However, the truth is that Imam Husain, may Allah be pleased with him, refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid, due to the corrupt and wicked character of the latter, at the time when Yazid’s establishment over the throne was still incomplete or uncertain.

But when Imam Husain, may Allah be pleased with him, reached Iraq and witnessed for himself that the people of Kufah had betrayed him and had been won over to Yazid, he had a change of heart.

Yazid’s governor in Iraq, the cursed Ibn Ziyad, dispatched Umar bin Sa’d to fight Imam Husain, may Allah be pleased with him.

But Umar bin Sa’d was a somewhat reasonable man who was willing to negotiate with Imam Husain, whom he was reluctant to fight due to his status as a great Imam and the Prophet’s grandson.

It was during those negotiations that Imam Husain, may Allah be pleased with him, made the following offer:

اختاروا مني خصالا ثلاثا إما أن أرجع إِلَى المكان الَّذِي أقبلت مِنْهُ وإما أن أضع يدي فِي يد يَزِيد بن مُعَاوِيَة فيرى فِيمَا بيني وبينه رأيه وإما أن تسيروني إِلَى أي ثغر من ثغور الْمُسْلِمِينَ شئتم فأكون رجلا من أهله لي مَا لَهُمْ وعلي مَا عَلَيْهِم

“Choose one of three options for me: either I return to the place from which I came [Mecca], or I place my hand in the hand of Yazid bin Mu’awiyah and he decides what is between us, or you send me to any of the frontier posts of the Muslims you wish, and I will be one of its people, with the same rights and obligations as them.” (Tarikh al-Tabari, Dar al-Mu’arif, v.5, pp.413-414)

Umar bin Sa’d conveyed Imam Husain’s offer to Ibn Ziyad in a letter, but Ibn Ziyad, counseled by the cursed Shimr bin Dhi il-Jawshan, rejected the proposal. These damned criminals were thirsty for the blood of Imam Husain and were committed to killing him at all costs.

Yet, the offer of Imam Husain, may Allah be pleased with him, disproves the narrative of those who sanction rebellion against a corrupt or tyrannical government.

Once Imam Husain, may Allah be pleased with him, realized that the people had gathered upon Yazid and accepted him as their ruler, he abandoned any intention of establishing his own Imamate in Kufah, to avoid dissension and bloodshed. 

Along with the options of peacefully returning back to Mecca, or accepting exile to one of the far off frontiers of the empire, Imam Husain even offered to pledge allegiance to Yazid!

This fact totally demolishes the narrative of those misguided groups and individuals, especially the Shi’ites, that Imam Husain was committed to a political revolution against the central government in Damascus.

And Allah and His Apostle know best!