Stopping oppression: an obligation and a right, not favour!

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Stopping oppression: a right and obligation, not favour! Unstopped if we can—harm to ourselves; while oppressed aided, even if unbelievers

Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

“Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one”. People asked: “O Allah’s Messenger! It is all right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?” The Prophet said: “By preventing him from oppressing others.” [1]

After Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, praised Allah and Exalted Him, he said:

O people! You recite this verse and place (or apply) it in other than its rightful place:

عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ مَنْ ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ

Take care of your ownselves. If you follow the right guidance, no hurt can come to you from those who are misled from the straight path. [Al-Ma’idah 105]

Indeed, we heard the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him say:

“When the people see an oppressor and do not prevent him Allah will soon punish them all”. I heard Allāh’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. say: “If acts of disobedience are done among any people and do not change them though they are able to do so, Allah will soon punish them all.” [2]

Aa’isha, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated:

There was a black slave girl belonging to an Arab tribe and they freed her but she remained with them. The slave girl said:

“Once one of their girls (of that tribe) came out wearing a red leather scarf decorated with precious stones. It fell from her or she placed it somewhere. A kite (i.e. a medium to alarge long-winged bird of prey) passed by that place, saw it lying there and mistaking it for a piece of meat, flew away with it. Those people searched for it but they did not find it. So they accused me of stealing it and started searching me and even searched my private parts.”

The slave girl further said: “By Allah! While I was standing (in that state) with those people, the same kite passed by them and dropped the red scarf and it fell amongst them. I told them, ‘This is what you accused me of and I was innocent and now this is it.”

Aisha added, “That slave girl came to Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and submitted in Islam. She had a tent or a small room with a low roof in the Masjid. Whenever she visted me, she had a conversation with me and whenever she sat with me, she would recite the following, ‘The day of the scarf (band) was one of the wonders of our Lord, verily He rescued me from the disbelievers’ town’ Aisha added, ‘Once I asked her, what is the matter with you? Whenever you sit with me, you always recite these poetic verses.’ So she told me the whole story'”. [al-Bukhari 439]

Al-Hafidh Ibn Hajr, may Allah have mercy upon him, stated:

In the hadith is that it is permissible to stay overnight and sleep in the Masjid for those Muslims – whether a man or woman – who do not have a place to live if that would not lead to trouble.

The permissibility of placing a covering in the Masjid by way of a tent and the like.

To leave the land where a person is put to trial in the hope of relocating to a better place for oneself just as what happened to this woman.

The virtue of migrating from the land of disbelief.

Allah’s response to the supplication of an oppressed person even if he (or she) is a disbeliever because the context of this hadith shows that she became a Muslim after arriving in Medinah. Allah knows best. [3]

Imam Abdul Azeez Bin Baz, may Allah have mercy upon him, stated:

This oppressed woman was aided by Allah, for indeed Allah aids a person (even) an unbeliever.

Exit the Masjid if menses begin in the Masjid or stay out of necessity. [see footnote a]

There is no harm in erecting a tent for a woman who is in need until a safe place is found.

There’s no harm in sleeping in the Masjid if that would not lead to harm. [4]

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Footnote a: There is a difference of opinion regarding whether a woman on her menses is allowed in the Masjid. Visit link in which Shaikh Abu Khadeejah [may Allah preserve him, has transmitted the opinion of Imam Al-Albaanee [may Allah have mercy upon him] on this subject matter, but take note that other scholars hold a different position.https://abukhadeejah.com/menstruating-women-can-visit-the-masjid-recite-the-quran-read-from-the-mushaf/

May Allah aid all those who are oppressed. May Allah aid those who are able to stop oppression and are doing so, in private and public, such as Shaikh Fawwaz Al-Mad’khali and others Amin.

[1] Al-Bukhari 2444

[2] Sahih Abi Dawud 4338

[3] Fath Al-Bari Sharh Sahih Al-Bukhari 1/692. Publisher: Dar As-Salam. 1st Edition 1421AH (Year 2000)]

[4] Al-Hulal Al-Ibreeziyyah Min at-Ta’leeqaat Al-Baaziyyah Ala Sahih Al-Bukhari 1/141-142