He (Yusuf) said: “Do you know what you did with Yusuf and his brother when you were ignorant?” They said: “Are you indeed Yusuf?” He said: “I am Yusuf, and this is my brother (Benjamin). Allah has indeed been gracious to us. Verily, he who fears Allah with obedience to Him (by abstaining from sins and evil deeds, and by performing righteous good deeds), and is patient, then surely, Allah makes not the reward of the Muhsinun (good-doers) to be lost.” They said: “By Allah! Indeed Allah has preferred you above us, and we certainly have been sinners.” He said: “No reproach on you this day, may Allah forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy! [Yusuf 89-92]
They said: “By Allah! Indeed Allah has preferred you above us, and we certainly have been sinners.”
Meaning: “You have been given virtue over us due to your noble character and commendable traits, while we have wronged you to the utmost degree, striving to inflict harm upon you and to distance you from your father. (But) Allah, The Exalted, grant you gave you precedence by way of the status you desire”.
وَإِنْ كُنَّا لَخَاطِئِينَ
And we certainly have been sinners.
This serves as a complete admission of the wrongdoing they committed against Yusuf. So, Yusuf, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to them out of kindness and generosity:
“No reproach on you this day”, in other words, neither will you be reproached nor blamed. “May Allah forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy!”
He granted them complete forgiveness without any reference to their previous wrongdoing, and he supplicated for their pardon and mercy. This exemplifies the highest form of benevolence, which is only achievable by the most distinguished of the creation and the chosen ones.
If anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land – it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind. [Al-Ma’idah. 32]
Imam As-Sadi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
If a person is bold enough to kill someone who does not deserve to be killed, this implies that he does make a distinction between the one he killed and other than him; rather he would commit this act whenever his evil calls him to that. Therefore, his bold attitude that led him to kill is as if he has killed all humankind. On the other hand, if a person saves a life and does not kill – whilst his soul calls him to do so – due to fear of Allah, this is as if he has saved the lives of all humankind because the fear of Allah he possesses stops him killing one who does not deserve to be killed. [Tafsir As-Sadi]
Africans under Belgian King Leopold II, Jews under Nazis, and some other narratives
Numerous voices have emerged, some affirming and others contesting, regarding the estimated number of Jews who perished under Nazi rule, much like the varying figures regarding the toll of King Leopold’s colonial endeavours on African lives. Whether the figure stands at 6 million Jews, more or less, or 10 million Africans, again subject to debate, the loss of even a single life, judged by any standard other than divine law, is a profound injustice. Both the Nazis and colonial powers have drenched their hands in blood, as have many others throughout history. Thus, the onus of research falls upon you to ascertain the true number of Jews lost to Nazi atrocities and the Africans who suffered under King Leopold’s brutal regime. Yet, the scourge of violence and oppression persists in our current age. Conflicts among Africans often arise from tribal animosities and political affiliations, or are exacerbated by neocolonial interventions, where the greed of external exploiters incites turmoil in African and Asian nations. In a similar vein, with the backing of Christian Zionists, [Footnote a] the Zionist movement has inflicted suffering and death upon Palestinians for over seven decades. The perpetrators of these atrocities in our era are well-known. We can all recall the Rwandan genocide and other conflicts, yet it is essential to remember that Europe itself has a history steeped in brutal wars among themselves before it sought to export its violence through centuries of colonialism. Once again, we reiterate that these contemporary perpetrators are merely the successors of the ancient bloodshed. Herein lie examples of those who have historically reveled in violence.
The Tyrants of Aad
Allah stated that Prophet Hud, peace be upon him, said to his people:
وَإِذَا بَطَشۡتُم بَطَشۡتُمۡ جَبَّارِينَ
And when you seize, seize you as tyrants.
Meaning, when you want to attack with a whip or sword, you attack like tyrants, completely overpowering and being savagely violent- neither compassionate nor aim to discipline (within divine limits), nor contemplating on the consequences. (1)
Allah gave them great strength and it was obligated to them to use this strength in obedience to Allah, but they became boastful and haughty, and they said:
مَنۡ أَشَدُّ مِنَّا قُوَّةًۖ
“Who is mightier than us in strength?” [Fussilat. 15]
They utilised their strength in disobedience to Allah, fruitlessly and foolishly, thus, their Prophet forbade them from that. (2)
Their Prophet forbade them from that because it was done out of oppression. (3)
Verily, Fir’aun (Pharaoh) exalted himself in the land and made its people sects, weakening (oppressing) a group (i.e. Children of Israel) among them, killing their sons, and letting their females live. Verily, he was of the Mufsideen [i.e. those who commit great sins and crimes, oppressors, tyrants, etc.] [Al-Qasas. 4]
Cursed were the makers of the Ditch- the large ditch with the fire, given fuel (in abundance); when they sat around it, watching what they had (ordered to be done) to the believers, who they resented for no reason other than belief in Allah- The Almighty, the Praiseworthy, the One to Whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and earth. And Allah is a Witness over all things. [Al-Buruj. 4-9]
قُتِلَ أَصۡحَـٰبُ ٱلۡأُخۡدُودِ
Cursed were the makers of the Ditch.
This is an invocation against them to be destroyed. The makers of the ditch were disbelievers and there lived amongst them believers, so they wanted to force the believers to accept their religion, but the believers refused. They dug a ditch in the ground, kindled fire in it, sat around it, oppressed the believers and exposed them to the fire; so whoever responded to their orders was released and whoever held onto their faith was casted in the fire. This is an intense act of waging war against Allah and the believers, so Allah cursed, destroyed and promised them punishment, saying:
قُتِلَ أَصۡحَـٰبُ ٱلۡأُخۡدُودِ
Cursed were the makers of the ditch.
Then Allah explained about the ditch and its makers, saying:
The large ditch with the fire, given fuel (in abundance); when they sat around it, watching what they had (ordered to be done) to the believers.
This is one of the greatest types of despotism and hardheartedness, because they combined between their disbelief in Allah’s signs and willfully denied them, waging war against the believers, tortured them with this agonising torture and were present to witness the believers being casted in the fire. And reality is that they resented the believers for no reason other than a characteristic for which they are to be praised and through which depended their happiness (in this life and the next), which is that they were believers in Allah -The Almighty, The Praiseworthy. (4)
Hajjaj Bin Yusuf Ath-Thaqafee
After Abdullah Bin Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, was murdered, Al-Hajjaaj sent someone to Asma [bint Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her), Abdullah’s mother] to come to him, but she refused to come. He again sent the messenger to her with the message that she must come, otherwise he would bring her forcibly by dragging her by her hair, but she again refused and said: By Allah, I will not come to you until you send one to me who would drag me by pulling my hair. So, he said: Bring me my shoes. He put on his shoes and walked on quickly puffed up with vanity and pride until he came to her and said: How do you find what I have done with the enemy of Allah? She said: I find that you wronged him in this world, whereas he has ruined your afterlife. It has been conveyed to me that you used to call him (Abdullah B. Zubair) as the son of one having two belts. By Allah, I am indeed (a woman) of two belts. One is that with the help of which I used to suspend high the food of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and that of Abu Bakr (making it out of the reach) of animals and, so far as the second belt is concerned, that is the belt which no woman can dispense with. Verily Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) told us that in Thaqif, there would be born a great liar and great murderer. The liar we have seen, and as far as the murderer is concerned, I do not find anyone else besides you. He (Hajjaj) stood up and did not give any reply to her. [Sahih Muslim 2545]
The Mongols
In the year 656 AH/1258 CE, Artughal’s son, Uthman, was born and it is to whom the Ottoman Empire was attributed. It was the year in which the Mongols, led by Hulagu, carried out a military expedition against Baghdad – the capital of the Ottoman Caliphate – which led to catastrophic events and great calamities. Imaam Ibn Katheer [may Allaah have mercy upon him] stated, “They (i.e. the Mongols) killed everyone they were able to kill, including men, women, boys, Shaikhs, the elderly and the young men. Many people entered the wells, the habitats of wild animals and the gutters, and they hid for days without appearing. A group of people would gather in the inns and shut the doors, but the Tartars either opened the doors by breaking them or setting them on fire; then they pursued the people who fled to the highest places and killed them on the rooftops until blood flowed in the alleys. Indeed to Allaah we belong and to Him we shall return! Likewise, in the local mosques and the big central mosques, no one escaped from them except the Jewish and Christian citizens of the Muslim land, and those who sought refuge with them”. (5)
American Colonialists
The 13 American colonies’ population grew from about 2,000 to 2.4 million between 1625 and 1775 while displacing Native Americans from eastern North America. After the colonies declared independence in 1776 from Great Britain and formed the US, the settlers started to move west, clashing with and eradicating the Apache, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chinook, Navajo and Sioux tribes. Some of the names today are sadly used for American warfare helicopters and ubiquitous sport utility vehicles. The national holiday, Thanksgiving, celebrated in November, is traced to the 1620s when European settlers invited Native Americans to a feast. The settlers later killed the population and gave thanks to God for allowing them to slaughter the “savages.” The surviving descendants of Native American tribes live in poverty on federally recognized Indian reservations across the US. Almost 100 million indigenous people in the Western Hemisphere have been killed or died prematurely because of the Europeans and their descendants in five centuries, according to David E. Stannard in his book, American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World. Around 12 million indigenous people died within present US geographical boundaries between 1492 and 1900, according to Russell Thornton in American Indian Holocaust and Survival: A Population History since 1492. Despite having unalienable rights — life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – as enshrined in the American Declaration of Independence, not all in the new colonies were considered equal. The colonies had a system of slavery, which European settlers carried as a practice into the Americas from the Old World, despite English Protestants praising themselves as Puritans. A conservative estimate of 35 million men, women and children were brought from Africa to the New World between the 16th and 19th centuries. Around 12.5 million of those brought to North America were used as free labor in fields and worked under grueling conditions, according to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database. The systematic repression of Africans continues to the present day in the US government application of laws, health and education. (6)
Colonialists and The Atlantic Slave Trade: By Shaikh Abu Khadeejah- may Allah preserve him
Colonialists In Australia: Professor Lyndall Ryan and her research team has found that there were at least 270 frontier massacres over 140 years of Australian history, as part of a state-sanctioned and organised attempts to eradicate First Nations people. For Ryan’s work, a massacre is defined as the deliberate killing of six or more defenceless people in one operation. If you investigate some of these massacres in depth you can see how systematic they were. Ryan’s work is in no means comprehensive as many massacres were not documented and many others covered up. Because of colonial genocidal actions like state-sanctioned massacres, the First Nations population went from an estimated 1-1.5 million before invasion to less than 100,000 by the early 1900s. (7)
Finally, it is important to reflect upon the tragic events that have unfolded in Palestine, a situation that has persisted for over seventy years. We continue to condemn the recent instances of violence perpetrated by some members of Netanyahu’s Zionist forces, but we must also unequivocally denounce any acts of violence committed by Muslims – whether Hamas or other than them- on October 7th- against unarmed civilians and non-combatants who identify with Judaism. Visit link below:
Here we’ll mention some atrocities committed by some Zionist groups against Palestinians since 1948.
The Deir Yassin Massacre: Took place on April 9, 1948, near Jerusalem, during which between 107 to 254 Palestinians were massacred at the hands of the extremist “Stern” gang.
The Nasr al-Din Massacre: Took place in April 1948. Al-Lajjun Massacre: Took place on April 13, 1948, in a Palestinian Arab village in the Jenin District, where the Zionist Haganah gang attacked it and killed 13 people.
The Saliha Massacre: Took place in May 1948, during which 75 Palestinians were massacred.
The Abu Shusha Massacre: Took place on May 14, 1948, near the village of Deir Yassin, and claimed the lives of (50) citizens, including women, men, children, and the elderly.
The Beit Daras Massacre: Took place in northeastern Gaza on May 21, 1948.
The Tantura Massacre: Took place on May 22, 1948, in the occupied city of Haifa, and claimed the lives of about (200) Palestinians.
The Lydda Massacre: Took place on July 12, 1948, in the occupied city of Lydda, and resulted in the massacre of about (500) Palestinians, including (150) who were massacred inside the city’s Grand Mosque. The Zionists threw many of them alive into the town’s wells.
The Dawayima Massacre: Took place on October 29, 1948, when a battalion from the terrorist “Lehi” organization led by Moshe Dayan attacked the village and then began searching homes and shooting at its residents. Entire families were exterminated in the massacre, which resulted in the killing of 200 men, women, and children.
The massacres by some Zionist groups did not stop after the Nakba of 1948, but rather their frequency, intensity, and brutality increased in light of the use of more lethal and destructive weapons. Among the most prominent of these massacres were: The Sharafat Massacre, which took place in February 1951, in which 11 Palestinians were massacred, and the rest of the village’s people were displaced. The Bethlehem Massacre took place in January 1952, in which 10 Palestinians were massacred. The Qibya Massacre took place on October 14, 1953, in the village of Qibya, east of Jerusalem, during which (67) Palestinians were massacred, most of whom were women and children, and during which 56 homes were destroyed. The Qalqilya Massacre took place on October 10, 1956, when the occupation forces attacked citizens in the city of Qalqilya in the West Bank, during which about seventy citizens were massacred.
The Kafr Qasem Massacre took place on October 29, 1956, in which 49 Palestinians were massacred, including 11 children, when they were all returning home from work. The Khan Yunis Massacre took place on November 3 and 12, 1956, in which between 280 and 500 Palestinians were massacred.
In 1970, Bahr al-Baqar Primary School and Abu Zaabal factories were attacked, killing more than 150 Egyptian students and workers. In 1980, the extremist Jewish organization Kach attempted to blow up Al-Aqsa Mosque, and a shipment of explosives weighing 120 kg was discovered. The Sabra and Shatila massacre took place in September 1982. This massacre lasted three days, and its direct perpetrators were members of the Lebanese Phalange forces allied with the Zionists led by Ariel Sharon. The Ibrahimi Mosque Massacre took place on February 25, 1994, when a Zionist named “Barog Goldstein” stormed the Ibrahimi Mosque in the city of Hebron, and fired bullets and bombs at the worshipers. This massacre resulted in the massacre of 29 Palestinians. The Qana Massacre took place on April 18, 1995. [8]
Listen to what Prince Turki Al-Faisal – may Allah preserve him- said about the Zionists and Hamas:
What is presented in this article does not mean that those mentioned are the only ones guilty of brutality, rather, there have been many other incidents throughout history. Whoever carries out research will come across a lot on this subject matter. Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
“Every sin is a legacy inherited from a nation that was destroyed by Allah Almighty. Taking more than one is entitled to is a legacy from the people of Shu’ayb, peace be upon him. The corruption and arrogance displayed on earth are inherited from the people of Pharaoh, and the pride and tyranny are legacies from the people of Prophet Hud, peace be upon him. Thus, the sinner is adorned in the garments of these nations, which are enemies of Allah”. [Ad-Da’u Wad Dawa’u. page 142]
We recite to you some of the news of Musa (Moses) and Fir’aun (Pharaoh) in truth.
Meaning: Because their story is remarkable and amazing indeed (1)
for a people who believe.
Meaning: those who believe in this Qur’an, and in the Oneness of Allah.(2)
Verily, Fir’aun (Pharaoh) exalted himself in the land and made its people sects, weakening (oppressing) a group (i.e. Children of Israel) among them, killing their sons, and letting their females live.
“Verily, he was of the Mufsidun”. Meaning: Those whose intention is neither to rectify the religious nor worldly affairs, and this was from his corrupt behaviour in the earth; (3) committing unlawful killing and being disobedient [to Allah]. (4)
[1] Tafseer As-Sadi
[2] Noble Qur’an
[3] Tafseer As-Sadi
[4] Zaad Al-Maseer Fee Ilm at-Tafseer by Imam Ibn Al-Jawzi
The chiefs of Fir’aun’s (Pharaoh’s) people said: “Will you leave Musa (Moses) and his people to spread mischief in the land, and to abandon you and your gods?” He said: “We will kill their sons, and let live their women, and we have indeed irresistible power over them.” (Al-A’raf 127)
What does Netanyahu say?!
On Saturday 28th October, Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Netanyahu’ Mileikowsky announced in Hebrew: “You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible. And we do remember.” Of all the thousands of verses in the Old Testament that Mileikowsky could have quoted, he chose the ones pertaining to genocide of the Amalekites in Deuteronomy 25: 17-19. In this passage, we read the following: “You shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!” (1)
For further details about some statements of specific people among Netanyahu’s henchmen, read on the link below:
As for man, when his Lord tries him by giving him honour and gifts, then he says (puffed up): “My Lord has honoured me.” But when He tries him, by straitening his means of life, he says: “My Lord has humiliated me!” [Al-Fajr. 15-16]
Meaning: When tried with richness and wealth, and given in abundance, he says that his lord has honoured him due to what he has been given. And when afflicted with poverty, he says that his lord has degraded him. However, this view of his is incorrect; rather he should praise Allah in both circumstances-in times of poverty and richness. (1)
The human being is ignorant and unjust. He has no knowledge of final outcomes. He thinks that the situation in which he finds himself is to continue and will never cease; that the kind treatment and blessings he receives from Allah in the worldly life is an indication that he is honoured by Allah, and that he is one close to Him. However, not everyone who receives Allah’s blessings in this worldly life is one honoured by Allah, and not everyone whom Allah afflicts with poverty is one humiliated by Allah; rather riches and poverty, scarcity and abundance are a trial and a test by way of which Allah makes known those who will show gratitude and those who will exercise patience. (2)
[1] An Excerpt from Zaad Al-Maseer Fee Ilm at-Tafseer by Imam Ibn Al-Jawzi, rahimahullah.
[2] An Excerpt from Tayseer Al-Kareem Ar-Rahmaan Fee Tafseer Kalaam Al-Mannan by Imam As-Sadi, rahimahullah.
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Usamah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “Once the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, stood at the top of a (lookout from upon one) castle amongst the castles (or the high buildings) of Medina and said, “Do you see what I see? (No doubt) I see the spots where afflictions will take place among your houses (and these afflictions will be) as numerous as the spots where raindrops fall.” [Al-Bukhari 1878 and Muslim 2885]
Al-Allamah Salih Al-Fawzan, may Allah preserve him, stated in his explanation of this hadith:
The prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, possessed miracles, and among them is this one: The prophet stood at the top of a lookout, meaning, a high castle among the lookouts of Madinah. There were lookouts over there (i.e. Madinah) and they are strong towers where they would observe the enemy’s (movements, circumstances, situation). They would climb up these towers to watch the approaching enemy.
He, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, climbed onto one of them and said: “Do you see what I see?” They replied: “No”. (This) is because they cannot see what the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah, sees; this is from [خصائصه ] and [معجزاته]. [Footnote a]
This (i.e. the statement “do you see what I see”) is a warning to the Ummah. He said: “(No doubt) I see the spots where afflictions will take place among your houses”, upon or close to your homes, because Fitna (affliction, temptation, etc) will engulf the people in their houses. This serves as a warning from him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that there will be Fitan (afflictions) that will reach the people.
What is common (or what normally takes place) is that when people stay in their homes, they are safe from Fitan, but when they exit them, they are exposed to Fitan, it afflicts them; however, the houses are not safeguraded from this (specific fitna). These are Fitan that will reach the people in their homes, while they are dwelling in them. This – and Allah knows best- is during the end times when media, satellite broadcasting, have advanced, as they say that evil can easily spread through these channels, reaching homes via screens and devices that relate events. The person looks at it while he is in his home- while he is at the furthest region of the earth- as if he is present at the scene. [Footnote b]
The Messenger does not speak out of desire, and indeed, this is something that will occur, and Fitan will invade the homes, entering them. This serves as a warning- a notification from him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to warn people. When these widespread Fitan arise, a person must be vigilant and protect his home from these Fitan. This carries difficulty, but with patience and hoping for Allah’s reward, Allah will aid him. [Paraphrased: Sharh Kitab Al-Fitan Wal Hawadith pages 18-19]
وله عن
أُسَامَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ أَشْرَفَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى أُطُمٍ مِنْ آطَامِ الْمَدِينَةِ فَقَالَ “ هَلْ تَرَوْنَ مَا أَرَى إِنِّي لأَرَى مَوَاقِعَ الْفِتَنِ خِلاَلَ بُيُوتِكُمْ كَمَوَاقِعِ الْقَطْرِ
النبي له معجزات، ومن ذلك هذه المعجزة: أشرف النبي على اطم يعنى قصر مرتفع من اطام المدينة، كانت فيها أطام، وهي أبراج قوية يرقبون فيها أحوال العدو، يصعدون عليها، ويرتفعون عليها، ينظرون العدو المقبل عليهم
صعد على واحد منها، فقال: هل ترون ما أرى ، قالوا : لا. لأنهم لا يرون ما يراه الرسول، هذا من خصائصه ومعجزاته وهذا من باب التحذير للأمة
قال: (إِنِّي لَأَرَى مَوَاقِعَ الفِتَنِ خِلالُ بُيُوتِكُمْ) عند أو قريب من بيوتكم لأن الفتنة ستغشى الناس في بيوتهم، وهذا تحذير منه أنه سيكون
هناك فتن تصل إلى الناس
العادة أن الناس إذا بقوا في بيوتهم، يسلمون من الفتن، إذا خرجوا منها وتعرضوا للفتن، تصيبهم، لكن هذه لا تقي منها البيوت، هذه فتن تصل إلى الناس في بيوتهم، وهم ساكنون فيها، وهذا والله أعلم – في آخر الزمان، إذا تطورت وسائل الإعلام والبث الفضائي والأقمار الصناعية – كما يقولون،
فإن الشر ينتقل معها بسهولة، ويصل إلى البيوت بواسطة الشاشات بواسطة المعدات التي تنقل الأحداث، ينظر إليها الإنسان وهو في بيته، وهي في أقصى الأرض كأنه موجود عندها
والرسول لا ينطق عن الهوى، وإن هذا شيء سيحصل وإن الفتن ستغزو البيوت، تدخل عليها، وهذا من باب التحذير، هذا إخبار منه يحذر الناس، عند وجود هذه الفتن المنتشرة الإنسان يأخذ حذره، ويصون بيته من وصول هذه الفتن إليه، وهذا فيه صعوبة، ولكن مع الصبر والاحتساب يعينه الله
Footnote a: [خصائصه ] meaning his unique characteristics (traits) or features that are bestowed on him alone among humankind which distinguishes him from others. [معجزاته] meaning his miracles.
He [Fir’awn] said, “Have you come to drive us out of our land with your magic, O Musa? Then verily, we can produce magic the like thereof, so appoint a meeting between us and you, which neither we, nor you shall fail to keep, in an open wide place where both shall have a just and equal chance (and beholders could witness the competition)”. [Musa] said, “Your appointed meeting is the day of the festival, and let the people assemble when the sun has risen (forenoon)”. So Fir’awn withdrew, devised his plot and then came back. Musa (Moses) said to them, “Woe unto you! Invent not a lie against Allah, lest He should destroy you completely by a torment. And surely, he who invents a lie (against Allah) will fail miserably”. [Surah Taa Haa. 57-61]
Imam As-Sadi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:
“He (Fir’awn) claimed that the signs Musa, peace be upon him, that showed him were nothing more than sorcery and illusions and that the aim behind them was to drive them from their land. Fir’awn’s statements were intended to influence his people because people are naturally attached to their homelands and it is difficult for them to abandon them. He told them that this was Musa’s goal so that they would hate and oppose him”. [1]
They said: “O Musa (Moses)! Either you throw first or we be the first to throw?” [Musa (Moses)] said: “Nay, throw you (first)!” Then behold, their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast. So Musa (Moses) conceived a fear in himself. We (Allah) said: “Fear not! Surely, you will have the upper hand. “And throw that which is in your right hand! It will swallow up that which they have made. That which they have made is only a magician’s trick, and the magician will never be successful, no matter whatever amount (of skill) he may attain.” So the magicians fell down prostrate. They said: “We believe in the Lord of Harun (Aaron) and Musa (Moses).” [Fir’aun (Pharaoh)] said: “Believe you in him [Musa (Moses)] before I give you permission? Verily! He is your chief who taught you magic. So I will surely cut off your hands and feet on opposite sides, and I will surely crucify you on the trunks of date-palms, and you shall surely know which of us [I (Fir’aun – Pharaoh) or the Lord of Musa (Moses) (Allah)] can give the severe and more lasting torment.” They said: “We prefer you not over the clear signs that have come to us, and to Him (Allah) Who created us. So decree whatever you desire to decree, for you can only decree (regarding) this life of the world. “Verily! We have believed in our Lord, that He may forgive us our faults, and the magic to which you did compel us. And Allah is better as regards reward in comparison to your [Fir’aun’s] reward, and more lasting (as regards punishment in comparison to your punishment).” [Surah Taa Haa. Ayaat 65-73]
Allah informs us in Surah Al-A’raaf Ayaat 123-126 that when the sorcerers abandoned their misguidance and accepted Prophet Musa’s message, Fir’awn said to them:
ءَامَنتُم بِهِۦ قَبۡلَ أَنۡ ءَاذَنَ لَكُم
You have believed in him (Musa) before I give you permission].
Meaning, Fir’awn -the cruel and opinionated judge- considered himself the only one deserving of passing judgements on the statements of the people and in the assemblies. It was established and accepted by his people that he was the one to be followed and no one was allowed to oppose his judgements and statements. Thus, contradicting his judgements and statements is tantamount to bad behaviour and disrespect. [2]
Fir’aun (Pharaoh) said: “Leave me to kill Musa (Moses), and let him call his Lord (to stop me from killing him)! I fear that he may change your religion, or that he may cause mischief to appear in the land!” [Ghaafir. 26]
Imam As-Sadi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: Allah, The Most High, said:
[وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ – Fir’aun (Pharaoh) said] – Meaning, with haughtiness and tyranny, while deluding his foolish people;
[ذَرُونِي أَقْتُلْ مُوسَىٰ وَلْيَدْعُ رَبَّهُ – Leave me to kill Musa (Moses), and let him call his Lord (to stop me from killing him)!]
This was his claim that had it not been for his consideration of the wishes of his people, he would have killed Musa and that (Musa’s) supplication to his Lord would not have prevented him from that.
Fir’awn then mentioned what made him want to kill Musa and that he is a sincere adviser to his people, and that he wished to remove mischief from the land. Allah, The Most High, stated that Fir’awn said:
I fear that he (Musa) may change your religion, or that he may cause mischief to appear in the land!
This is the most amazing the affair can be! The most evil one among the creation gives advice to the people against the best among the creation. This is (nothing but) disguised falsehood and propaganda, which cannot seize except the intellects of those (people) about whom Allaah stated:
Thus he Fir’aun (Pharaoh)] befooled and misled his people, and they obeyed him. Verily, they were ever a people who were Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah). [Az-Zukhruf. 54] [3]
And (when) it is said to those who are pious, “What is it that your Lord has sent down?” They say: “That which is good.” For those who do good in this world, there is good, and the home of the Hereafter will be better. And excellent indeed will be the home (i.e. Paradise) of the pious. Adn (Eden) Paradise (Gardens of Eternity) which they will enter, under which rivers flow, they will have therein all that they wish. Thus Allah rewards the pious. Those whose lives the angels take while they are in a pious state, saying (to them): Salamun ‘Alaikum (peace be on you) enter you Paradise, because of (the good) which you used to do (in the world).” [An-Nahl. 30-32]
And (when) it is said to those who are pious, “What is it that your Lord has sent down?” They say: “That which is good.”
Abu Salih narrated from Ibn Abbas who said: “The Quraish polytheists sent sixteen men to the main mountain roads during the days of hajj and dispersed four men on each road to hinder people from believing in Allah’s Messenger, saying, ‘Whoever comes to you asking about Muhammad, then some of you should say, he is a poet, and some of you should say, he is a Soothsayer, and some of you should say, he is a mad man, so it is better that neither you see him nor he sees you. And when the people come to us, we will agree with what you said to them on the roads’.
When this reached Allah’s Messenger, he also sent four believers on each main road – and amongst them were Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud – and commanded them to belie what the Quraish were saying. So, when the people would go past the polytheists, they said what they said about the Messenger, but the Muslims would say, “You have lied, rather he calls to the truth, commands good and forbids evil”. So they said, “What is the good he calls to?” They said:
For those who do good in this world]- Meaning, the good of “none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, the best of deeds in reward and that which they are blessed with of its good and obedience to Allah; [وَلَدَارُ ٱلۡأَخِرَةِ خَيۡرٌ۬ۚ – and the home of the Hereafter will be better.
Meaning, nobility in the sight of Allah in the Hereafter and paradise. [4]
[1] An Excerpt from “Tafseer As-Sadi”
[2] An Excerpt from “Tafseer As-Sadi”
[3] An Excerpt from “Tafseer As-Sadi”
[4] Excerpt from “Zaadul Maseer Fee Ilmit Tafseer” by Imaam Ibnul Jawzi
Verily, in Yusuf (Joseph) and his brothers, there were Signs for those who ask. When they said: “Truly, Yusuf (Joseph) and his brother (Benjamin) are loved more by our father than we, but we are ‘Usbah (a strong group). Really, our father is in a plain error.
Kill Yusuf (Joseph) or cast him out to some (other) land, so that the favour of your father may be given to you alone, and after that you will be righteous folk.
One from among them said: “Do not kill Yusuf (Joseph), but if you must do something, throw him down to the bottom of a well, he will be picked up by some caravan of travellers.”
They said: “O our father! Why do you not trust us with Yusuf (Joseph), – when we are indeed his well-wishers? Send him with us tomorrow to enjoy himself and play, and verily, we will take care of him.”
He [Ya’qub (Jacob)] said: “Truly, it saddens me that you should take him away. I fear lest a wolf should devour him, while you are careless of him.”
They said: “If a wolf devours him, while we are ‘Usbah (a strong group) (to guard him), then surely, we are the losers.”
So, when they took him away, they all agreed to throw him down to the bottom of the well, and We inspired in him: “Indeed, you shall (one day) inform them of this their affair, when they know (you) not.”
And they came to their father in the early part of the night weeping. They said:”O our father! We went racing with one another, and left Yusuf (Joseph) by our belongings and a wolf devoured him; but you will never believe us even when we speak the truth.” And they brought his shirt stained with false blood.
He said: “Nay, but your ownselves have made up a tale. So (for me) patience is most fitting. And it is Allah (Alone) Whose help can be sought against that which you assert.” [Surah Yusuf. 7-18]
Kill Yusuf (Joseph) or cast him out to some (other) land, so that the favour of your father may be given to you alone, and after that you will be righteous folk.
Imam As-Sadi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said, “They first made a commitment to repent before the sin to make it easy for them to do it”
And they came to their father in the early part of the night weeping in.
Imam As-Sadi said:
They came later than their unusual time (of return) and their weeping was to be something in their favour, and an indication of their truthfulness. Then they gave a false excuse, saying:
O our father! We went racing with one another, and left Yusuf (Joseph) by our belongings and a wolf devoured him; but you will never believe us even when we speak the truth].
وَجَآءُو عَلَىٰ قَمِيصِهِۦ بِدَمٍ۬ كَذِبٍ۬ۚ
And they brought his shirt stained with false blood]- Meaning, claiming that it is Yusuf’s blood when the wolf devoured him; but their father did not believe them and said:
Nay, but your ownselves have made up a tale. So (for me) patience is most fitting. And it is Allah (Alone) Whose help can be sought against that which you assert.
After all that severe hardship, Allah raised Yusuf, peace be upon him. Allah, The Most High, informed us of Yusuf’s final encounter with his brothers:
They said: “Are you indeed Yusuf (Joseph)? “He said: I am Yusuf (Joseph), and this is my brother (Benjamin). Allah has indeed been gracious to us. Verily, he who fears Allah and is patient, then surely, Allah makes not the reward of the good-doers to be lost.”
They knew that the one who addressed them was Yusuf, so they said:
I am Yusuf, and this is my brother (Benjamin). Allah has indeed been gracious to us.
Meaning: Allah granted us Iman, piety and authority in the worldly life, and that is due to patience and piety.
إِنَّهُ مَنْ يَتَّقِ وَيَصْبِرْ
Verily, he who fears Allah and is patient.
Meaning: One who keeps away from what Allah has forbidden, exercises patience when facing pain and calamities, and when fulfilling the commandments;
فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِين
then surely, Allah makes not the reward of the good-doers to be lost.
This is because it is part of Ihsan [perfection in worship and good doing] and Allah makes not the reward of the one who perfects his deeds to be lost. [1]
Prophet Salih, peace be upon him, and those Who plotted against Him
And indeed We sent to Thamud their brother Salih, saying: “Worship Allah (Alone and none else). Then look! They became two parties (believers and disbelievers) quarreling with each other.” He said: “O my people! Why do you seek to hasten the evil (torment) before the good (Allah’s Mercy)? Why seek you not the Forgiveness of Allah, that you may receive mercy?” They said: “We augur ill omen from you and those with you.” He said: “Your ill omen is with Allah; nay, but you are a people that are being tested.” And there were in the city nine men (from the sons of their chiefs), who made mischief in the land, and would not reform. They said: “Swear one to another by Allah that we shall make a secret night attack on him and his household, and afterwards we will surely say to his near relatives: ‘We witnessed not the destruction of his household, and verily! We are telling the truth.'” So they plotted a plot, and We planned a plan, while they perceived not. Then see how was the end of their plot! Verily! We destroyed them and their nation, all together. These are their houses in utter ruin, for they did wrong. Verily, in this is indeed an Ayah (a lesson or a sign) for people who know. [An-Naml. 45-52]
And there were in the city nine men (from the sons of their chiefs), who made mischief in the land, and would not reform.
Meaning: They caused corruption through their disbelief and sins, shed blood, confiscate wealth and violate people’s honour through immoral conduct, and they were the ones who executed the plan to kill the she-camel. [2]
They said: Swear one to another by Allah that we shall make a secret night attack on him and his household, and afterwards we will surely say to his near relatives: We witnessed not the destruction of his household, and verily! We are telling the truth.
Meaning, we’ll go to him and his family at night and murder them. Then when his relatives pursue us and make a claim against us, we reject and negate it, and attest by way of an oath that we are truthful.
[وَمَكَرُوا مَكْرًا – So they plotted a plot]
Meaning, they were determined to murder Salih and his family secretly, and hiding the matter from their own people, out of fearing his closest family members.
Allah said: [ وَمَكَرْنَا مَكْرًا – and We planned a plan]…
Meaning, by aiding our Prophet Salih, facilitate ease for him and destroy those amongst his people who rejected his message;
[وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ – while they perceived not].
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated:
There was no trait more hated to Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, than lying. A man would speak based on lies in the presence of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and he would not be content until he knew that he had repented”. [Sahih at-Tirmidhi 1973]
Abdullah Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, reported that Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
“When Allah gathers the earlier and later generations on the Day of Resurrection, He will raise a banner for every treacherous person and it will be announced that this is the treachery of this person, the son of this person”. [Muslim.1735]
In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.
Ka’b Bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “When the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, intended to go on an expedition (against a people with whom there is no treaty and war was declared), he always pretended to be going somewhere else, and he would say, ‘War is stratagem'”. [1]
Imam at-Tabari, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “To give a wrong impression – during war – through Mu’aaradah [i.e. making one’s statements or actions obscure (ambiguous) to mislead the opponent about one’s real plans] is allowed”. [2]
Ibn al-Arabi Al-Maliki, may Allah have mercy upon him, said, “Stratagem during war takes place through concealment and giving a wrong impression (to the opponent)”. [3]
The scholars unanimously agree that it is permissible to deceive the unbelievers (i.e. when a Muslim country declares war), but this is not permissible if it violates a covenant or an agreement that was made for a guarantee of safety. [4]
However, stratagem does not necessitate treachery. Abu Al-l Fayd, may Allah have mercy upon him, narrated that Sulaym Ibn Amir, may Allah have mercy upon him, reported that there was a peace treaty between Mu’aawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, and the Byzantines. He was marching towards their country and when the covenant came to an end, he would attack them. A man came on a horse, saying, “Allah is the Most Great! Allah is the Most Great! Let there be fulfillment and not treachery!” Mu’aawiyah sent for him and questioned him about that. He said: “I heard Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say, “When one has a covenant with people he must not strengthen or loosen it until its term comes to an end or he brings it to an end in agreement with them”. He said, “So Mu’aawiyah returned with the people”. [5]
Abdullah Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, reported that Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “When Allah gathers the earlier and later generations on the Day of Resurrection, He will raise a banner for every treacherous person and it will be announced that this is the treachery of this person, the son of this person”. [6]
