The Holy Quran (Arabic Text + Three English Translations)

The Holy Quran (Arabic Text + Three English Translations)4%

The Holy Quran (Arabic Text + Three English Translations) Translator: Mohammad Habib Shakir, Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall and Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Publisher: www.alhassanain.org/english
Category: Quran Text

The Holy Quran (Arabic Text + Three English Translations)
  • Start
  • Previous
  • 119 /
  • Next
  • End
  •  
  • Download HTML
  • Download Word
  • Download PDF
  • visits: 61585 / Download: 4780
Size Size Size
The Holy Quran (Arabic Text + Three English Translations)

The Holy Quran (Arabic Text + Three English Translations)

Publisher: www.alhassanain.org/english
English

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

سورة مريم (Maryam)

Sura 19

Aya 1 to 98

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

[Shakir] In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

[Pickthal] In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

[Yusufali] In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

كهيعص {1}

[Shakir 19:1] Kaf Ha Ya Ain Suad.

[Pickthal 19:1] Kaf. Ha. Ya. A'in. Sad.

[Yusufali 19:1] Kaf. Ha. Ya. 'Ain. Sad.

ذِكْرُ رَحْمَتِ رَبِّكَ عَبْدَهُ زَكَرِيَّا {2}

[Shakir 19:2] A mention of the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zakariya.

[Pickthal 19:2] A mention of the mercy of thy Lord unto His servant Zachariah.

[Yusufali 19:2] (This is) a recital of the Mercy of thy Lord to His servant Zakariya.

إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُ نِدَاءً خَفِيًّا {3}

[Shakir 19:3] When he called upon his Lord in a low voice,

[Pickthal 19:3] When he cried unto his Lord a cry in secret,

[Yusufali 19:3] Behold! he cried to his Lord in secret,

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي وَهَنَ الْعَظْمُ مِنِّي وَاشْتَعَلَ الرَّأْسُ شَيْبًا وَلَمْ أَكُنْ بِدُعَائِكَ رَبِّ شَقِيًّا {4}

[Shakir 19:4] He said: My Lord! surely my bones are weakened and my head flares with hoariness, and, my Lord! I have never been unsuccessful in my prayer to Thee:

[Pickthal 19:4] Saying: My Lord! Lo! the bones of me wax feeble and my head is shining with grey hair, and I have never been unblest in prayer to Thee, my Lord.

[Yusufali 19:4] Praying: "O my Lord! infirm indeed are my bones, and the hair of my head doth glisten with grey: but never am I unblest, O my Lord, in my prayer to Thee!

وَإِنِّي خِفْتُ الْمَوَالِيَ مِنْ وَرَائِي وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَتِي عَاقِرًا فَهَبْ لِي مِنْ لَدُنْكَ وَلِيًّا {5}

[Shakir 19:5] And surely I fear my cousins after me, and my wife is barren, therefore grant me from Thyself an heir,

[Pickthal 19:5] Lo! I fear my kinsfolk after me, since my wife is barren. Oh, give me from Thy presence a successor

[Yusufali 19:5] "Now I fear (what) my relatives (and colleagues) (will do) after me: but my wife is barren: so give me an heir as from Thyself,-

يَرِثُنِي وَيَرِثُ مِنْ آلِ يَعْقُوبَ وَاجْعَلْهُ رَبِّ رَضِيًّا {6}

[Shakir 19:6] Who should inherit me and inherit from the children of Yaqoub, and make him, my Lord, one in whom Thou art well pleased.

[Pickthal 19:6] Who shall inherit of me and inherit (also) of the house of Jacob. And make him, my Lord, acceptable (unto Thee).

[Yusufali 19:6] "(One that) will (truly) represent me, and represent the posterity of Jacob; and make him, O my Lord! one with whom Thou art well-pleased!"

يَا زَكَرِيَّا إِنَّا نُبَشِّرُكَ بِغُلَامٍ اسْمُهُ يَحْيَىٰ لَمْ نَجْعَلْ لَهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ سَمِيًّا {7}

[Shakir 19:7] O Zakariya! surely We give you good news of a boy whose name shall be Yahya: We have not made before anyone his equal.

[Pickthal 19:7] (It was said unto him): O Zachariah! Lo! We bring thee tidings of a son whose name is John; we have given the same name to none before (him).

[Yusufali 19:7] (His prayer was answered): "O Zakariya! We give thee good news of a son: His name shall be Yahya: on none by that name have We conferred distinction before."

قَالَ رَبِّ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَتِي عَاقِرًا وَقَدْ بَلَغْتُ مِنَ الْكِبَرِ عِتِيًّا {8}

[Shakir 19:8] He said: O my Lord! when shall I have a son, and my wife is barren, and I myself have reached indeed the extreme degree of old age?

[Pickthal 19:8] He said: My Lord! How can I have a son when my wife is barren and I have reached infirm old age?

[Yusufali 19:8] He said: "O my Lord! How shall I have a son, when my wife is barren and I have grown quite decrepit from old age?"

قَالَ كَذَٰلِكَ قَالَ رَبُّكَ هُوَ عَلَيَّ هَيِّنٌ وَقَدْ خَلَقْتُكَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَلَمْ تَكُ شَيْئًا {9}

[Shakir 19:9] He said: So shall it be, your Lord says: It is easy to Me, and indeed I created you before, when you were nothing.

[Pickthal 19:9] He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me, even as I created thee before, when thou wast naught.

[Yusufali 19:9] He said: "So (it will be) thy Lord saith, 'that is easy for Me: I did indeed create thee before, when thou hadst been nothing!'"

قَالَ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ لِي آيَةًۚ قَالَ آيَتُكَ أَلَّا تُكَلِّمَ النَّاسَ ثَلَاثَ لَيَالٍ سَوِيًّا {10}

[Shakir 19:10] He said: My Lord! give me a sign. He said: Your sign is that you will not be able to speak to the people three nights while in sound health.

[Pickthal 19:10] He said: My Lord! Appoint for me some token. He said: Thy token is that thou, with no bodily defect, shalt not speak unto mankind three nights.

[Yusufali 19:10] (Zakariya) said: "O my Lord! give me a Sign." "Thy Sign," was the answer, "Shall be that thou shalt speak to no man for three nights, although thou art not dumb."

فَخَرَجَ عَلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ مِنَ الْمِحْرَابِ فَأَوْحَىٰ إِلَيْهِمْ أَنْ سَبِّحُوا بُكْرَةً وَعَشِيًّا {11}

[Shakir 19:11] So he went forth to his people from his place of worship, then he made known to them that they should glorify (Allah) morning and evening.

[Pickthal 19:11] Then he came forth unto his people from the sanctuary, and signified to them: Glorify your Lord at break of day and fall of night.

[Yusufali 19:11] So Zakariya came out to his people from him chamber: He told them by signs to celebrate Allah's praises in the morning and in the evening.

يَا يَحْيَىٰ خُذِ الْكِتَابَ بِقُوَّةٍ وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْحُكْمَ صَبِيًّا {12}

[Shakir 19:12] O Yahya! take hold of the Book with strength, and We granted him wisdom while yet a child

[Pickthal 19:12] (And it was said unto his son): O John! Hold fast the Scripture. And we gave him wisdom when a child,

[Yusufali 19:12] (To his son came the command): "O Yahya! take hold of the Book with might": and We gave him Wisdom even as a youth,

وَحَنَانًا مِنْ لَدُنَّا وَزَكَاةً وَكَانَ تَقِيًّا {13}

[Shakir 19:13] And tenderness from Us and purity, and he was one who guarded (against evil),

[Pickthal 19:13] And compassion from Our presence, and purity; and he was devout,

[Yusufali 19:13] And piety (for all creatures) as from Us, and purity: He was devout,

وَبَرًّا بِوَالِدَيْهِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ جَبَّارًا عَصِيًّا {14}

[Shakir 19:14] And dutiful to his parents, and he was not insolent, disobedient.

[Pickthal 19:14] And dutiful toward his parents. And he was not arrogant, rebellious.

[Yusufali 19:14] And kind to his parents, and he was not overbearing or rebellious.

وَسَلَامٌ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ وُلِدَ وَيَوْمَ يَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ يُبْعَثُ حَيًّا {15}

[Shakir 19:15] And peace on him on the day he was born, and on the day he dies, and on the day he is raised to life

[Pickthal 19:15] Peace on him the day he was born, and the day he dieth and the day he shall be raised alive!

[Yusufali 19:15] So Peace on him the day he was born, the day that he dies, and the day that he will be raised up to life (again)!

وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ مَرْيَمَ إِذِ انْتَبَذَتْ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا مَكَانًا شَرْقِيًّا {16}

[Shakir 19:16] And mention Marium in the Book when she drew aside from her family to an eastern place;

[Pickthal 19:16] And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she had withdrawn from her people to a chamber looking East,

[Yusufali 19:16] Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East.

فَاتَّخَذَتْ مِنْ دُونِهِمْ حِجَابًا فَأَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهَا رُوحَنَا فَتَمَثَّلَ لَهَا بَشَرًا سَوِيًّا {17}

[Shakir 19:17] So she took a veil (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her Our spirit, and there appeared to her a well-made man.

[Pickthal 19:17] And had chosen seclusion from them. Then We sent unto her Our Spirit and it assumed for her the likeness of a perfect man.

[Yusufali 19:17] She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent her our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.

قَالَتْ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِالرَّحْمَٰنِ مِنْكَ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَقِيًّا {18}

[Shakir 19:18] She said: Surely I fly for refuge from you to the Beneficent Allah, if you are one guarding (against evil).

[Pickthal 19:18] She said: Lo! I seek refuge in the Beneficent One from thee, if thou art Allah-fearing.

[Yusufali 19:18] She said: "I seek refuge from thee to (Allah) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear Allah."

قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَنَا رَسُولُ رَبِّكِ لِأَهَبَ لَكِ غُلَامًا زَكِيًّا {19}

[Shakir 19:19] He said: I am only a messenger of your Lord: That I will give you a pure boy.

[Pickthal 19:19] He said: I am only a messenger of thy Lord, that I may bestow on thee a faultless son.

[Yusufali 19:19] He said: "Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.

قَالَتْ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِي بَشَرٌ وَلَمْ أَكُ بَغِيًّا {20}

[Shakir 19:20] She said: When shall I have a boy and no mortal has yet touched me, nor have I been unchaste?

[Pickthal 19:20] She said: How can I have a son when no mortal hath touched me, neither have I been unchaste?

[Yusufali 19:20] She said: "How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?"

قَالَ كَذَٰلِكِ قَالَ رَبُّكِ هُوَ عَلَيَّ هَيِّنٌ وَلِنَجْعَلَهُ آيَةً لِلنَّاسِ وَرَحْمَةً مِنَّاۚ وَكَانَ أَمْرًا مَقْضِيًّا {21}

[Shakir 19:21] He said: Even so; your Lord says: It is easy to Me: and that We may make him a sign to men and a mercy from Us, and it is a matter which has been decreed.

[Pickthal 19:21] He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me. And (it will be) that We may make of him a revelation for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing ordained.

[Yusufali 19:21] He said: "So (it will be): Thy Lord saith, 'that is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us':It is a matter (so) decreed."

فَحَمَلَتْهُ فَانْتَبَذَتْ بِهِ مَكَانًا قَصِيًّا {22}

[Shakir 19:22] So she conceived him; then withdrew herself with him to a remote place.

[Pickthal 19:22] And she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a far place.

[Yusufali 19:22] So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place.

فَأَجَاءَهَا الْمَخَاضُ إِلَىٰ جِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ قَالَتْ يَا لَيْتَنِي مِتُّ قَبْلَ هَٰذَا وَكُنْتُ نَسْيًا مَنْسِيًّا {23}

[Shakir 19:23] And the throes (of childbirth) compelled her to betake herself to the trunk of a palm tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died before this, and had been a thing quite forgotten!

[Pickthal 19:23] And the pangs of childbirth drove her unto the trunk of the palm-tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died ere this and had become a thing of naught, forgotten!

[Yusufali 19:23] And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: She cried (in her anguish): "Ah! would that I had died before this! would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!"

فَنَادَاهَا مِنْ تَحْتِهَا أَلَّا تَحْزَنِي قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا {24}

[Shakir 19:24] Then (the child) called out to her from beneath her: Grieve not, surely your Lord has made a stream to flow beneath you;

[Pickthal 19:24] Then (one) cried unto her from below her, saying: Grieve not! Thy Lord hath placed a rivulet beneath thee,

[Yusufali 19:24] But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree): "Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee;

وَهُزِّي إِلَيْكِ بِجِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ تُسَاقِطْ عَلَيْكِ رُطَبًا جَنِيًّا {25}

[Shakir 19:25] And shake towards you the trunk of the palmtree, it will drop on you fresh ripe dates:

[Pickthal 19:25] And shake the trunk of the palm-tree toward thee, thou wilt cause ripe dates to fall upon thee.

[Yusufali 19:25] "And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee.

فَكُلِي وَاشْرَبِي وَقَرِّي عَيْنًا فَإِمَّا تَرَيِنَّ مِنَ الْبَشَرِ أَحَدًا فَقُولِي إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ صَوْمًا فَلَنْ أُكَلِّمَ الْيَوْمَ إِنْسِيًّا {26}

[Shakir 19:26] So eat and drink and refresh the eye. Then if you see any mortal, say: Surely I have vowed a fast to the Beneficent Allah, so I shall not speak to any man today.

[Pickthal 19:26] So eat and drink and be consoled. And if thou meetest any mortal, say: Lo! I have vowed a fast unto the Beneficent, and may not speak this day to any mortal.

[Yusufali 19:26] "So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man, say, 'I have vowed a fast to (Allah) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into not talk with any human being'"

فَأَتَتْ بِهِ قَوْمَهَا تَحْمِلُهُ قَالُوا يَا مَرْيَمُ لَقَدْ جِئْتِ شَيْئًا فَرِيًّا {27}

[Shakir 19:27] And she came to her people with him, carrying him (with her). They said: O Marium! surely you have done a strange thing.

[Pickthal 19:27] Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing.

[Yusufali 19:27] At length she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They said: "O Mary! truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!

يَا أُخْتَ هَارُونَ مَا كَانَ أَبُوكِ امْرَأَ سَوْءٍ وَمَا كَانَتْ أُمُّكِ بَغِيًّا {28}

[Shakir 19:28] O sister of Haroun! your father was not a bad man, nor, was your mother an unchaste woman.

[Pickthal 19:28] O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot.

[Yusufali 19:28] "O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!"

فَأَشَارَتْ إِلَيْهِ قَالُوا كَيْفَ نُكَلِّمُ مَنْ كَانَ فِي الْمَهْدِ صَبِيًّا {29}

[Shakir 19:29] But she pointed to him. They said: How should we speak to one who was a child in the cradle?

[Pickthal 19:29] Then she pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young boy?

[Yusufali 19:29] But she pointed to the babe. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?"

قَالَ إِنِّي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ آتَانِيَ الْكِتَابَ وَجَعَلَنِي نَبِيًّا {30}

[Shakir 19:30] He said: Surely I am a servant of Allah; He has given me the Book and made me a prophet;

[Pickthal 19:30] He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet,

[Yusufali 19:30] He said: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet;

وَجَعَلَنِي مُبَارَكًا أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُ وَأَوْصَانِي بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ مَا دُمْتُ حَيًّا {31}

[Shakir 19:31] And He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and He has enjoined on me prayer and poor-rate so long as I live;

[Pickthal 19:31] And hath made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive,

[Yusufali 19:31] "And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live;

وَبَرًّا بِوَالِدَتِي وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْنِي جَبَّارًا شَقِيًّا {32}

[Shakir 19:32] And dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed;

[Pickthal 19:32] And (hath made me) dutiful toward her who bore me, and hath not made me arrogant, unblest.

[Yusufali 19:32] "(He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable;

وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيَّ يَوْمَ وُلِدْتُ وَيَوْمَ أَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ أُبْعَثُ حَيًّا {33}

[Shakir 19:33] And peace on me on the day I was born, and on the day I die, and on the day I am raised to life.

[Pickthal 19:33] Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!

[Yusufali 19:33] "So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)"!

ذَٰلِكَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَۚ قَوْلَ الْحَقِّ الَّذِي فِيهِ يَمْتَرُونَ {34}

[Shakir 19:34] Such is Isa, son of Marium; (this is) the saying of truth about which they dispute.

[Pickthal 19:34] Such was Jesus, son of Mary: (this is) a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt.

[Yusufali 19:34] Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute.

مَا كَانَ لِلَّهِ أَنْ يَتَّخِذَ مِنْ وَلَدٍ سُبْحَانَهُۚ إِذَا قَضَىٰ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ {35}

[Shakir 19:35] It beseems not Allah that He should take to Himself a ! son, glory to be Him; when He has decreed a matter He only says to it "Be," and it is.

[Pickthal 19:35] It befitteth not (the Majesty of) Allah that He should take unto Himself a son. Glory be to Him! When He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is.

[Yusufali 19:35] It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! when He determines a matter, He only says to it, "Be", and it is.

وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُوهُۚ هَٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُسْتَقِيمٌ {36}

[Shakir 19:36] And surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, therefore serve Him; this is the right path.

[Pickthal 19:36] And lo! Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So serve Him. That is the right path.

[Yusufali 19:36] Verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord: Him therefore serve ye: this is a Way that is straight.

فَاخْتَلَفَ الْأَحْزَابُ مِنْ بَيْنِهِمْ فَوَيْلٌ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ مَشْهَدِ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ {37}

[Shakir 19:37] But parties from among them disagreed with each other, so woe to those who disbelieve, because of presence on a great

[Pickthal 19:37] The sects among them differ: but woe unto the disbelievers from the meeting of an awful Day.

[Yusufali 19:37] But the sects differ among themselves: and woe to the unbelievers because of the (coming) Judgment of a Momentous Day!

أَسْمِعْ بِهِمْ وَأَبْصِرْ يَوْمَ يَأْتُونَنَا لَٰكِنِ الظَّالِمُونَ الْيَوْمَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ {38}

[Shakir 19:38] How clearly shall they hear and how clearly shall they see on the day when they come to Us; but the unjust this day are in manifest error.

[Pickthal 19:38] See and hear them on the Day they come unto Us! yet the evil-doers are to-day in error manifest.

[Yusufali 19:38] How plainly will they see and hear, the Day that they will appear before Us! but the unjust today are in error manifest!

وَأَنْذِرْهُمْ يَوْمَ الْحَسْرَةِ إِذْ قُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ وَهُمْ فِي غَفْلَةٍ وَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ {39}

[Shakir 19:39] And warn them of the day of intense regret, when the matter shall have been decided; and they are (now) in negligence and they do not believe.

[Pickthal 19:39] And warn them of the Day of anguish when the case hath been decided. Now they are in a state of carelessness, and they believe not.

[Yusufali 19:39] But warn them of the Day of Distress, when the matter will be determined: for (behold,) they are negligent and they do not believe!

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَرِثُ الْأَرْضَ وَمَنْ عَلَيْهَا وَإِلَيْنَا يُرْجَعُونَ {40}

[Shakir 19:40] Surely We inherit the earth and all those who are on it, and to Us they shall be returned.

[Pickthal 19:40] Lo! We, only We, inherit the earth and all who are thereon, and unto Us they are returned.

[Yusufali 19:40] It is We Who will inherit the earth, and all beings thereon: to Us will they all be returned.

وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِبْرَاهِيمَۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ صِدِّيقًا نَبِيًّا {41}

[Shakir 19:41] And mention Ibrahim in the Book; surely he was a truthful man, a prophet.

[Pickthal 19:41] And make mention (O Muhammad) in the Scripture of Abraham. Lo! he was a saint, a prophet.

[Yusufali 19:41] (Also mention in the Book (the story of) Abraham: He was a man of Truth, a prophet.

إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ يَا أَبَتِ لِمَ تَعْبُدُ مَا لَا يَسْمَعُ وَلَا يُبْصِرُ وَلَا يُغْنِي عَنْكَ شَيْئًا {42}

[Shakir 19:42] When he said to his father; O my father! why do you worship what neither hears nor sees, nor does it avail you in the least:

[Pickthal 19:42] When he said unto his father: O my father! Why worshippest thou that which heareth not nor seeth, nor can in aught avail thee?

[Yusufali 19:42] Behold, he said to his father: "O my father! why worship that which heareth not and seeth not, and can profit thee nothing?

يَا أَبَتِ إِنِّي قَدْ جَاءَنِي مِنَ الْعِلْمِ مَا لَمْ يَأْتِكَ فَاتَّبِعْنِي أَهْدِكَ صِرَاطًا سَوِيًّا {43}

[Shakir 19:43] O my father! truly the knowledge has come to me which has not come to you, therefore follow me, I will guide you on a right path:

[Pickthal 19:43] O my father! Lo! there hath come unto me of knowledge that which came not unto thee. So follow me, and I will lead thee on a right path.

[Yusufali 19:43] "O my father! to me hath come knowledge which hath not reached thee: so follow me: I will guide thee to a way that is even and straight.

يَا أَبَتِ لَا تَعْبُدِ الشَّيْطَانَ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ كَانَ لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ عَصِيًّا {44}

[Shakir 19:44] O my father! serve not the Shaitan, surely the Shaitan is disobedient to the Beneficent Allah:

[Pickthal 19:44] O my father! Serve not the devil. Lo! the devil is a rebel unto the Beneficent.

[Yusufali 19:44] "O my father! serve not Satan: for Satan is a rebel against (Allah) Most Gracious.

يَا أَبَتِ إِنِّي أَخَافُ أَنْ يَمَسَّكَ عَذَابٌ مِنَ الرَّحْمَٰنِ فَتَكُونَ لِلشَّيْطَانِ وَلِيًّا {45}

[Shakir 19:45] O my father! surely I fear that a punishment from the Beneficent Allah should afflict you so that you should be a friend of the Shaitan.

[Pickthal 19:45] O my father! Lo! I fear lest a punishment from the Beneficent overtake thee so that thou become a comrade of the devil.

[Yusufali 19:45] "O my father! I fear lest a Penalty afflict thee from (Allah) Most Gracious, so that thou become to Satan a friend."

قَالَ أَرَاغِبٌ أَنْتَ عَنْ آلِهَتِي يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ لَئِنْ لَمْ تَنْتَهِ لَأَرْجُمَنَّكَ وَاهْجُرْنِي مَلِيًّا {46}

[Shakir 19:46] He said: Do you dislike my gods, O Ibrahim? If you do not desist I will certainly revile you, and leave me for a time.

[Pickthal 19:46] He said: Rejectest thou my gods, O Abraham? If thou cease not, I shall surely stone thee. Depart from me a long while!

[Yusufali 19:46] (The father) replied: "Dost thou hate my gods, O Abraham? If thou forbear not, I will indeed stone thee: Now get away from me for a good long while!"

قَالَ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكَ سَأَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكَ رَبِّي إِنَّهُ كَانَ بِي حَفِيًّا {47}

[Shakir 19:47] He said: Peace be on you, I will pray to my Lord to forgive you; surely He is ever Affectionate to me:

[Pickthal 19:47] He said: Peace be unto thee! I shall ask forgiveness of my Lord for thee. Lo! He was ever gracious unto me.

[Yusufali 19:47] Abraham said: "Peace be on thee: I will pray to my Lord for thy forgiveness: for He is to me Most Gracious.

وَأَعْتَزِلُكُمْ وَمَا تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَأَدْعُو رَبِّي عَسَىٰ أَلَّا أَكُونَ بِدُعَاءِ رَبِّي شَقِيًّا {48}

[Shakir 19:48] And I will withdraw from you and what you call on besides Allah, and I will call upon my Lord; may be I shall not remain unblessed in calling upon my Lord.

[Pickthal 19:48] I shall withdraw from you and that unto which ye pray beside Allah, and I shall pray unto my Lord. It may be that, in prayer unto my Lord, I shall not be unblest.

[Yusufali 19:48] "And I will turn away from you (all) and from those whom ye invoke besides Allah: I will call on my Lord: perhaps, by my prayer to my Lord, I shall be not unblest."

فَلَمَّا اعْتَزَلَهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَكُلًّا جَعَلْنَا نَبِيًّا {49}

[Shakir 19:49] So when he withdrew from them and what they worshipped besides Allah, We gave to him Ishaq and Yaqoub, and each one of them We made a prophet.

[Pickthal 19:49] So, when he had withdrawn from them and that which they were worshipping beside Allah, We gave him Isaac and Jacob. Each of them We made a prophet.

[Yusufali 19:49] When he had turned away from them and from those whom they worshipped besides Allah, We bestowed on him Isaac and Jacob, and each one of them We made a prophet.

وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُمْ مِنْ رَحْمَتِنَا وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ لِسَانَ صِدْقٍ عَلِيًّا {50}

[Shakir 19:50] And We granted to them of Our mercy, and We left (behind them) a truthful mention of eminence for them.

[Pickthal 19:50] And we gave them of Our mercy, and assigned to them a high and true renown.

[Yusufali 19:50] And We bestowed of Our Mercy on them, and We granted them lofty honour on the tongue of truth.

وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ مُوسَىٰۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ مُخْلَصًا وَكَانَ رَسُولًا نَبِيًّا {51}

[Shakir 19:51] And mention Musa in the Book; surely he was one purified, and he was a messenger, a prophet.

[Pickthal 19:51] And make mention in the Scripture of Moses. Lo! he was chosen, and he was a messenger (of Allah), a prophet.

[Yusufali 19:51] Also mention in the Book (the story of) Moses: for he was specially chosen, and he was a messenger (and) a prophet.

وَنَادَيْنَاهُ مِنْ جَانِبِ الطُّورِ الْأَيْمَنِ وَقَرَّبْنَاهُ نَجِيًّا {52}

[Shakir 19:52] And We called to him from the blessed side of the mountain, and We made him draw nigh, holding communion (with Us).

[Pickthal 19:52] We called him from the right slope of the Mount, and brought him nigh in communion.

[Yusufali 19:52] And we called him from the right side of Mount (Sinai), and made him draw near to Us, for mystic (converse).

وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ مِنْ رَحْمَتِنَا أَخَاهُ هَارُونَ نَبِيًّا {53}

[Shakir 19:53] And We gave to him out of Our mercy his brother Haroun a prophet.

[Pickthal 19:53] And We bestowed upon him of Our mercy his brother Aaron, a prophet (likewise).

[Yusufali 19:53] And, out of Our Mercy, We gave him his brother Aaron, (also) a prophet.

وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِسْمَاعِيلَۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ صَادِقَ الْوَعْدِ وَكَانَ رَسُولًا نَبِيًّا {54}

[Shakir 19:54] And mention Ismail in the Book; surely he was truthful in (his) promise, and he was a messenger, a prophet.

[Pickthal 19:54] And make mention in the Scripture of Ishmael. Lo! he was a keeper of his promise, and he was a messenger (of Allah), a prophet.

[Yusufali 19:54] Also mention in the Book (the story of) Isma'il: He was (strictly) true to what he promised, and he was a messenger (and) a prophet.

وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ أَهْلَهُ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ وَكَانَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ مَرْضِيًّا {55}

[Shakir 19:55] And he enjoined on his family prayer and almsgiving, and was one in whom his Lord was well pleased.

[Pickthal 19:55] He enjoined upon his people worship and almsgiving, and was acceptable in the sight of his Lord.

[Yusufali 19:55] He used to enjoin on his people Prayer and Charity, and he was most acceptable in the sight of his Lord.

وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِدْرِيسَۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ صِدِّيقًا نَبِيًّا {56}

[Shakir 19:56] And mention Idris in the Book; surely he was a truthful man, a prophet,

[Pickthal 19:56] And make mention in the Scripture of Idris. Lo! he was a saint, a prophet;

[Yusufali 19:56] Also mention in the Book the case of Idris: He was a man of truth (and sincerity), (and) a prophet:

وَرَفَعْنَاهُ مَكَانًا عَلِيًّا {57}

[Shakir 19:57] And We raised him high in Heaven.

[Pickthal 19:57] And We raised him to high station.

[Yusufali 19:57] And We raised him to a lofty station.

أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ آدَمَ وَمِمَّنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوحٍ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْرَائِيلَ وَمِمَّنْ هَدَيْنَا وَاجْتَبَيْنَاۚ إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُ الرَّحْمَٰنِ خَرُّوا سُجَّدًا وَبُكِيًّا۩ {58}

[Shakir 19:58] These are they on whom Allah bestowed favors, from among the prophets of the seed of Adam, and of those whom We carried with Nuh, and of the seed of Ibrahim and Israel, and of those whom We guided and chose; when the communications of the Beneficent Allah were recited to them, they fell down making obeisance and weeping.

[Pickthal 19:58] These are they unto whom Allah showed favour from among the prophets, of the seed of Adam and of those whom We carried (in the ship) with Noah, and of the seed of Abraham and Israel, and from among those whom We guided and chose. When the revelations of the Beneficent were recited unto them, they fell down, adoring and weeping.

[Yusufali 19:58] Those were some of the prophets on whom Allah did bestow His Grace,- of the posterity of Adam, and of those who We carried (in the Ark) with Noah, and of the posterity of Abraham and Israel of those whom We guided and chose. Whenever the Signs of (Allah) Most Gracious were rehearsed to them, they would fall down in prostrate adoration and in tears.

فَخَلَفَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا {59}

[Shakir 19:59] But there came after them an evil generation, who neglected prayers and followed and sensual desires, so they win meet perdition,

[Pickthal 19:59] Now there hath succeeded them a later generation whom have ruined worship and have followed lusts. But they will meet deception.

[Yusufali 19:59] But after them there followed a posterity who missed prayers and followed after lusts soon, then, will they face Destruction,-

إِلَّا مَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَأُولَٰئِكَ يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا {60}

[Shakir 19:60] Except such as repent and believe and do good, these shall enter the garden, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly in any way:

[Pickthal 19:60] Save him who shall repent and believe and do right. Such will enter the Garden, and they will not be wronged in aught -

[Yusufali 19:60] Except those who repent and believe, and work righteousness: for these will enter the Garden and will not be wronged in the least,-

جَنَّاتِ عَدْنٍ الَّتِي وَعَدَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ عِبَادَهُ بِالْغَيْبِۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ وَعْدُهُ مَأْتِيًّا {61}

[Shakir 19:61] The gardens of perpetuity which the Beneficent Allah has promised to His servants while unseen; surely His promise shall come to pass.

[Pickthal 19:61] Gardens of Eden, which the Beneficent hath promised to His slaves in the unseen. Lo! His promise is ever sure of fulfilment -

[Yusufali 19:61] Gardens of Eternity, those which (Allah) Most Gracious has promised to His servants in the Unseen: for His promise must (necessarily) come to pass.

لَا يَسْمَعُونَ فِيهَا لَغْوًا إِلَّا سَلَامًا وَلَهُمْ رِزْقُهُمْ فِيهَا بُكْرَةً وَعَشِيًّا {62}

[Shakir 19:62] They shall not hear therein any vain discourse, but only: Peace, and they shall have their sustenance therein morning and evening.

[Pickthal 19:62] They hear therein no idle talk, but only Peace; and therein they have food for morn and evening.

[Yusufali 19:62] They will not there hear any vain discourse, but only salutations of Peace: And they will have therein their sustenance, morning and evening.

تِلْكَ الْجَنَّةُ الَّتِي نُورِثُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا مَنْ كَانَ تَقِيًّا {63}

[Shakir 19:63] This is the garden which We cause those of Our servants to inherit who guard (against evil).

[Pickthal 19:63] Such is the Garden which We cause the devout among Our bondmen to inherit.

[Yusufali 19:63] Such is the Garden which We give as an inheritance to those of Our servants who guard against Evil.

وَمَا نَتَنَزَّلُ إِلَّا بِأَمْرِ رَبِّكَ لَهُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِينَا وَمَا خَلْفَنَا وَمَا بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَۚ وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ نَسِيًّا {64}

[Shakir 19:64] And we do not descend but by the command of your Lord; to Him belongs whatever is before us and whatever is behind us and whatever is between these, and your Lord is not forgetful.

[Pickthal 19:64] We (angels) come not down save by commandment of thy Lord. Unto Him belongeth all that is before us and all that is behind us and all that is between those two, and thy Lord was never forgetful -

[Yusufali 19:64] (The angels say:) "We descend not but by command of thy Lord: to Him belongeth what is before us and what is behind us, and what is between: and thy Lord never doth forget,-

رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فَاعْبُدْهُ وَاصْطَبِرْ لِعِبَادَتِهِۚ هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا {65}

[Shakir 19:65] The Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, so serve Him and be patient in His service. Do you know any one equal to Him?

[Pickthal 19:65] Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them! Therefor, worship thou Him and be thou steadfast in His service. Knowest thou one that can be named along with Him?

[Yusufali 19:65] "Lord of the heavens and of the earth, and of all that is between them; so worship Him, and be constant and patient in His worship: knowest thou of any who is worthy of the same Name as He?"

وَيَقُولُ الْإِنْسَانُ أَإِذَا مَا مِتُّ لَسَوْفَ أُخْرَجُ حَيًّا {66}

[Shakir 19:66] And says man: What! when I am dead shall I truly be brought forth alive?

[Pickthal 19:66] And man saith: When I am dead, shall I forsooth be brought forth alive?

[Yusufali 19:66] Man says: "What! When I am dead, shall I then be raised up alive?"

أَوَلَا يَذْكُرُ الْإِنْسَانُ أَنَّا خَلَقْنَاهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَلَمْ يَكُ شَيْئًا {67}

[Shakir 19:67] Does not man remember that We created him before, when he was nothing?

[Pickthal 19:67] Doth not man remember that We created him before, when he was naught?

[Yusufali 19:67] But does not man call to mind that We created him before out of nothing?

فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَحْشُرَنَّهُمْ وَالشَّيَاطِينَ ثُمَّ لَنُحْضِرَنَّهُمْ حَوْلَ جَهَنَّمَ جِثِيًّا {68}

[Shakir 19:68] So by your Lord! We will most certainly gather them together and the Shaitans, then shall We certainly cause them to be present round hell on their knees.

[Pickthal 19:68] And, by thy Lord, verily We shall assemble them and the devils, then We shall bring them, crouching, around hell.

[Yusufali 19:68] So, by thy Lord, without doubt, We shall gather them together, and (also) the Evil Ones (with them); then shall We bring them forth on their knees round about Hell;

ثُمَّ لَنَنْزِعَنَّ مِنْ كُلِّ شِيعَةٍ أَيُّهُمْ أَشَدُّ عَلَى الرَّحْمَٰنِ عِتِيًّا {69}

[Shakir 19:69] Then We will most certainly draw forth from every sect of them him who is most exorbitantly rebellious against the Beneficent Allah.

[Pickthal 19:69] Then We shall pluck out from every sect whichever of them was most stubborn in rebellion to the Beneficent.

[Yusufali 19:69] Then shall We certainly drag out from every sect all those who were worst in obstinate rebellion against (Allah) Most Gracious.

ثُمَّ لَنَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِالَّذِينَ هُمْ أَوْلَىٰ بِهَا صِلِيًّا {70}

[Shakir 19:70] Again We do certainly know best those who deserve most to be burned therein.

[Pickthal 19:70] And surely We are Best Aware of those most worthy to be burned therein.

[Yusufali 19:70] And certainly We know best those who are most worthy of being burned therein.

وَإِنْ مِنْكُمْ إِلَّا وَارِدُهَاۚ كَانَ عَلَىٰ رَبِّكَ حَتْمًا مَقْضِيًّا {71}

[Shakir 19:71] And there is not one of you but shall come to it; this is an unavoidable decree of your Lord.

[Pickthal 19:71] There is not one of you but shall approach it. That is a fixed ordinance of thy Lord.

[Yusufali 19:71] Not one of you but will pass over it: this is, with thy Lord, a Decree which must be accomplished.

ثُمَّ نُنَجِّي الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا وَنَذَرُ الظَّالِمِينَ فِيهَا جِثِيًّا {72}

[Shakir 19:72] And We will deliver those who guarded (against evil), and We will leave the unjust therein on their knees.

[Pickthal 19:72] Then We shall rescue those who kept from evil, and leave the evil-doers crouching there.

[Yusufali 19:72] But We shall save those who guarded against evil, and We shall leave the wrong-doers therein, (humbled) to their knees.

وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُنَا بَيِّنَاتٍ قَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَيُّ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ خَيْرٌ مَقَامًا وَأَحْسَنُ نَدِيًّا {73}

[Shakir 19:73] And when Our clear communications are recited to them, those who disbelieve say to those who believe: Which of the two parties is best in abiding and best in assembly?

[Pickthal 19:73] And when Our clear revelations are recited unto them, those who disbelieve say unto those who believe: Which of the two parties (yours or ours) is better in position, and more imposing as an army?

[Yusufali 19:73] When Our Clear Signs are rehearsed to them, the Unbelievers say to those who believe, "Which of the two sides is best in point of position? Which makes the best show in council?"

وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُمْ مِنْ قَرْنٍ هُمْ أَحْسَنُ أَثَاثًا وَرِئْيًا {74}

[Shakir 19:74] And how many of the generations have We destroyed before them who were better in respect of goods and outward appearance!

[Pickthal 19:74] How many a generation have We destroyed before them, who were more imposing in respect of gear and outward seeming!

[Yusufali 19:74] But how many (countless) generations before them have we destroyed, who were even better in equipment and in glitter to the eye?

قُلْ مَنْ كَانَ فِي الضَّلَالَةِ فَلْيَمْدُدْ لَهُ الرَّحْمَٰنُ مَدًّاۚ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا رَأَوْا مَا يُوعَدُونَ إِمَّا الْعَذَابَ وَإِمَّا السَّاعَةَ فَسَيَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ هُوَ شَرٌّ مَكَانًا وَأَضْعَفُ جُنْدًا {75}

[Shakir 19:75] Say: As for him who remains in error, the Beneficent Allah will surely prolong his length of days, until they see what they were threatened with, either the punishment or the hour; then they shall know who is in more evil plight and weaker in forces

[Pickthal 19:75] Say: As for him who is in error, the Beneficent will verily prolong his span of life until, when they behold that which they were promised, whether it be punishment (in the world), or the Hour (of doom), they will know who is worse in position and who is weaker as an army.

[Yusufali 19:75] Say: "If any men go astray, (Allah) Most Gracious extends (the rope) to them, until, when they see the warning of Allah (being fulfilled) - either in punishment or in (the approach of) the Hour,- they will at length realise who is worst in position, and (who) weakest in forces!

وَيَزِيدُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا هُدًىۗ وَالْبَاقِيَاتُ الصَّالِحَاتُ خَيْرٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ مَرَدًّا {76}

[Shakir 19:76] And Allah increases in guidance those who go aright; and ever-abiding good works are with your Lord best in recompense and best in yielding fruit.

[Pickthal 19:76] Allah increaseth in right guidance those who walk aright, and the good deeds which endure are better in thy Lord's sight for reward, and better for resort.

[Yusufali 19:76] "And Allah doth advance in guidance those who seek guidance: and the things that endure, Good Deeds, are best in the sight of thy Lord, as rewards, and best in respect of (their) eventual return."

أَفَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ بِآيَاتِنَا وَقَالَ لَأُوتَيَنَّ مَالًا وَوَلَدًا {77}

[Shakir 19:77] Have you, then, seen him who disbelieves in Our communications and says: I shall certainly be given wealth and children?

[Pickthal 19:77] Hast thou seen him who disbelieveth in Our revelations and saith: Assuredly I shall be given wealth and children?

[Yusufali 19:77] Hast thou then seen the (sort of) man who rejects Our Signs, yet says: "I shall certainly be given wealth and children?"

أَطَّلَعَ الْغَيْبَ أَمِ اتَّخَذَ عِنْدَ الرَّحْمَٰنِ عَهْدًا {78}

[Shakir 19:78] Has he gained knowledge of the unseen, or made a covenant with the Beneficent Allah?

[Pickthal 19:78] Hath he perused the Unseen, or hath he made a pact with the Beneficent?

[Yusufali 19:78] Has he penetrated to the Unseen, or has he taken a contract with (Allah) Most Gracious?

كَلَّاۚ سَنَكْتُبُ مَا يَقُولُ وَنَمُدُّ لَهُ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ مَدًّا {79}

[Shakir 19:79] By no means! We write down what he says, and We will lengthen to him the length of the chastisement

[Pickthal 19:79] Nay, but We shall record that which he saith and prolong for him a span of torment.

[Yusufali 19:79] Nay! We shall record what he says, and We shall add and add to his punishment.

وَنَرِثُهُ مَا يَقُولُ وَيَأْتِينَا فَرْدًا {80}

[Shakir 19:80] And We will inherit of him what he says, and he shall come to Us alone.

[Pickthal 19:80] And We shall inherit from him that whereof he spake, and he will come unto Us, alone (without his wealth and children).

[Yusufali 19:80] To Us shall return all that he talks of and he shall appear before Us bare and alone.

وَاتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ آلِهَةً لِيَكُونُوا لَهُمْ عِزًّا {81}

[Shakir 19:81] And they have taken gods besides Allah, that they should be to them a source of strength;

[Pickthal 19:81] And they have chosen (other) gods beside Allah that they may be a power for them.

[Yusufali 19:81] And they have taken (for worship) gods other than Allah, to give them power and glory!

كَلَّاۚ سَيَكْفُرُونَ بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضِدًّا {82}

[Shakir 19:82] By no means! They shall soon deny their worshipping them, and they shall be adversaries to them.

[Pickthal 19:82] Nay, but they will deny their worship of them, and become opponents unto them.

[Yusufali 19:82] Instead, they shall reject their worship, and become adversaries against them.

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ تَؤُزُّهُمْ أَزًّا {83}

[Shakir 19:83] Do you not see that We have sent the Shaitans against the unbelievers, inciting them by incitement?

[Pickthal 19:83] Seest thou not that We have set the devils on the disbelievers to confound them with confusion?

[Yusufali 19:83] Seest thou not that We have set the Evil Ones on against the unbelievers, to incite them with fury?

فَلَا تَعْجَلْ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّمَا نَعُدُّ لَهُمْ عَدًّا {84}

[Shakir 19:84] Therefore be not in haste against them, We only number out to them a number (of days).

[Pickthal 19:84] So make no haste against them (O Muhammad). We do but number unto them a sum (of days).

[Yusufali 19:84] So make no haste against them, for We but count out to them a (limited) number (of days).

يَوْمَ نَحْشُرُ الْمُتَّقِينَ إِلَى الرَّحْمَٰنِ وَفْدًا {85}

[Shakir 19:85] The day on which We will gather those who guard (against evil) to the Beneficent Allah to receive honors

[Pickthal 19:85] On the day when We shall gather the righteous unto the Beneficent, a goodly company.

[Yusufali 19:85] The day We shall gather the righteous to (Allah) Most Gracious, like a band presented before a king for honours,

وَنَسُوقُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ وِرْدًا {86}

[Shakir 19:86] And We will drive the guilty to hell thirsty

[Pickthal 19:86] And drive the guilty unto hell, a weary herd,

[Yusufali 19:86] And We shall drive the sinners to Hell, like thirsty cattle driven down to water,-

لَا يَمْلِكُونَ الشَّفَاعَةَ إِلَّا مَنِ اتَّخَذَ عِنْدَ الرَّحْمَٰنِ عَهْدًا {87}

[Shakir 19:87] They shall not control intercession, save he who has made a covenant with the Beneficent Allah.

[Pickthal 19:87] They will have no power of intercession, save him who hath made a covenant with his Lord.

[Yusufali 19:87] None shall have the power of intercession, but such a one as has received permission (or promise) from (Allah) Most Gracious.

وَقَالُوا اتَّخَذَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ وَلَدًا {88}

[Shakir 19:88] And they say: The Beneficent Allah has taken (to Himself) a son.

[Pickthal 19:88] And they say: The Beneficent hath taken unto Himself a son.

[Yusufali 19:88] They say: "(Allah) Most Gracious has begotten a son!"

لَقَدْ جِئْتُمْ شَيْئًا إِدًّا {89}

[Shakir 19:89] Certainly you have made an abominable assertion

[Pickthal 19:89] Assuredly ye utter a disastrous thing

[Yusufali 19:89] Indeed ye have put forth a thing most monstrous!

تَكَادُ السَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْهُ وَتَنْشَقُّ الْأَرْضُ وَتَخِرُّ الْجِبَالُ هَدًّا {90}

[Shakir 19:90] The heavens may almost be rent thereat, and the earth cleave asunder, and the mountains fall down in pieces,

[Pickthal 19:90] Whereby almost the heavens are torn, and the earth is split asunder and the mountains fall in ruins,

[Yusufali 19:90] At it the skies are ready to burst, the earth to split asunder, and the mountains to fall down in utter ruin,

أَنْ دَعَوْا لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ وَلَدًا {91}

[Shakir 19:91] That they ascribe a son to the Beneficent Allah.

[Pickthal 19:91] That ye ascribe unto the Beneficent a son,

[Yusufali 19:91] That they should invoke a son for (Allah) Most Gracious.

وَمَا يَنْبَغِي لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ أَنْ يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا {92}

[Shakir 19:92] And it is not worthy of the Beneficent Allah that He should take (to Himself) a son.

[Pickthal 19:92] When it is not meet for (the Majesty of) the Beneficent that He should choose a son.

[Yusufali 19:92] For it is not consonant with the majesty of (Allah) Most Gracious that He should beget a son.

إِنْ كُلُّ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ إِلَّا آتِي الرَّحْمَٰنِ عَبْدًا {93}

[Shakir 19:93] There is no one in the heavens and the earth but will come to the Beneficent Allah as a servant.

[Pickthal 19:93] There is none in the heavens and the earth but cometh unto the Beneficent as a slave.

[Yusufali 19:93] Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to (Allah) Most Gracious as a servant.

لَقَدْ أَحْصَاهُمْ وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدًّا {94}

[Shakir 19:94] Certainly He has a comprehensive knowledge of them and He has numbered them a (comprehensive) numbering.

[Pickthal 19:94] Verily He knoweth them and numbereth them with (right) numbering.

[Yusufali 19:94] He does take an account of them (all), and hath numbered them (all) exactly.

وَكُلُّهُمْ آتِيهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَرْدًا {95}

[Shakir 19:95] And every one of them will come to Him on the day of resurrection alone.

[Pickthal 19:95] And each one of them will come unto Him on the Day of Resurrection, alone.

[Yusufali 19:95] And everyone of them will come to Him singly on the Day of Judgment.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ سَيَجْعَلُ لَهُمُ الرَّحْمَٰنُ وُدًّا {96}

[Shakir 19:96] Surely (as for) those who believe and do good deeds for t them will Allah bring about love.

[Pickthal 19:96] Lo! those who believe and do good works, the Beneficent will appoint for them love.

[Yusufali 19:96] On those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, will (Allah) Most Gracious bestow love.

فَإِنَّمَا يَسَّرْنَاهُ بِلِسَانِكَ لِتُبَشِّرَ بِهِ الْمُتَّقِينَ وَتُنْذِرَ بِهِ قَوْمًا لُدًّا {97}

[Shakir 19:97] So We have only made it easy in your tongue that you may give good news thereby to those who guard (against evil) and warn thereby a vehemently contentious people.

[Pickthal 19:97] And We make (this Scripture) easy in thy tongue, (O Muhammad) only that thou mayst bear good tidings therewith unto those who ward off (evil), and warn therewith the froward folk.

[Yusufali 19:97] So have We made the (Qur'an) easy in thine own tongue, that with it thou mayest give Glad Tidings to the righteous, and warnings to people given to contention.

وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُمْ مِنْ قَرْنٍ هَلْ تُحِسُّ مِنْهُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ أَوْ تَسْمَعُ لَهُمْ رِكْزًا {98}

[Shakir 19:98] And how many a generation have We destroyed before them! Do you see any one of them or hear a sound of them?

[Pickthal 19:98] And how many a generation before them have We destroyed! Canst thou (Muhammad) see a single man of them, or hear from them the slightest sound?

[Yusufali 19:98] But how many (countless) generations before them have We destroyed? Canst thou find a single one of them (now) or hear (so much as) a whisper of them?


6. Hadith Al-Qadha, An Age Of Jungle Justice III

Thekhalifah of Muslims is their supreme judge on every aspect of their religion, like the Messenger of Allah. As such, Muslims are required to refer all their religious problems and disputes to him for judgment, and his verdicts are binding over them. This function necessitates that thekhalifah be the most knowledgeable of theUmmah throughout his administration. Otherwise, he would be unfit for the grand office. Issuing correct religious verdicts on all types of religious questions and disputes, from all persons of all calibres, certainly requires unparalleled knowledge.

During his rule, a man came to ‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭab with his personal religious problem. Imam Muslim (d. 261 H) records about how thekhalifah handled it:

حدثني عبدالله بن هاشم العبدي حدثنا يحيى (يعني ابن سعيد القطان) عن شعبة قال حدثني الحكم عن ذر عن سعيد بن عبدالرحمن بن أبزي عن أبيه أن رجلا أتى عمر فقال :إني أجنبت فلم أجد ماء فقال لا تصل فقال عمار أما تذكر يا أمير المؤمنين إذ أنا وأنت في سرية فأجنبنا فلم نجد ماء فأما أنت فلم تصل وأما أنا فتمعكت في التراب وصليت فقال النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم إنما كان يكفيك أن تضرب بيديك الأرض ثم تنفخ ثم تمسح بهما وجهك وكفيك فقال عمر اتق الله يا عمار قال إن شئت لم أحدث به

‘Abd Allah b. Hisham al-‘Abdi – Yahya b. Sa’id al-Qaṭṭan – Shu’bah – al-Hakam – Dharr – Sa’id b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Abza – his father:

A man came to 'Umar and said: “I have seminal discharges and I cannot find water (to do the ghusl)”. He (‘Umar) said, “Do not perform Salat.” So, ‘Ammar said, “Do you remember, OAmir al-Muminin , when I and you were in a military detachmentand we had seminal discharges and could not find water and you (‘Umar) did not perform the Salat. As for me, I rolled myself in dust and performed theSalat . So, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “It was enough for you to strike the soil with your hands and then blow and then wipe your face and palms”.Umar said: “Fear Allah, O Ammar!” Therefore, he (‘Ammar) replied,“If you so like, I would not narrate it” .83

There are some really interesting facts in this narration:

‘Umar and Ammar,radhiyallahu ‘anhu , were both together in a military detachment, and they had seminal discharges.

Ammar rolled himself in the soil in order to cleanse himself forSalat , due to a lack of water. He had no divine guidance for the act. It was only his intuition.

‘Umar, on his part, completely refrained from offering anySalat as long as he could not find water.

Both recounted their experiences to the Messenger of Allah,sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi , who taught themtayammum as the correct step should they encounter a similar situation.

During ‘Umar’s rule, a man came to him with the same problem that he personally had gone through. But, rather than offer to him the solution oftayammum as taught by the Prophet, ‘Umar instructed the man with his own initial wrong step!

‘Ammar attempted to remind ‘Umar of the Sunnah in such situations. But, the latter simply did not want to hear about it!

There are a number of questions here. First and foremost, did ‘Umar deliberately reject the Sunnah or not? This depends upon whether he actually remembered the incident involving him and ‘Ammar. If he did, and still gave the ruling that he gave, then he would have been contemptuous of the Sunnah. Moreover, even if he had completely forgotten it, why did he not act on ‘Ammar’s reminder? From the look of it, he was not convinced by ‘Ammar’s narration. He most probably had very serious doubts about the accuracy of ‘Ammar’shadith . Therefore, he saw no real reason to alter his decision on the matter.

So, the best-case scenario is that ‘Umar had absolutely forgotten the incident oftayammum , which involved him personally and directly. In addition, when ‘Ammar attempted to revive his memory of the event, he had grave trust issues with the latter’s report. Therefore, he did not remember, and there was no other reliable source to bring back his memories of the incident. The worst-case scenario is that ‘Umar actually remembered thehadith , or was at least successfully reminded of it by ‘Ammar. Yet, he thought that his personal solution to the issue before him outweighed the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah. As such, he was in contempt of Muhammad and his teachings.

We will go with the best-case scenario. ‘Umar had completely forgotten, and was not successfully reminded. This fact casts a mammoth shadow of doubt over ‘Umar’s memory power. Since he forgot the incident oftayammum so completely and absolutely, it is extremely uncertain that he was able to remember many – if not most - other teachings of the Prophet that were necessary in his discharge of his day-to-day judicial functions. The end result is that he lacked the requisite scholarly prowess for the office. The natural product of absolutely forgetting anything is complete ignorance of it.

Something that baffles the mind is how ‘Umar came to the conclusion that he could issue rulings in theShari’ah with his personal opinions simply because he had forgotten, or did not know, the correct positions. Is ignorance an excuse for the adoption of personal opinions in the Law of Allah? The Qur’an answers:

ومن لم يحكم بما أنزل الله فأولئك هم الكافرون

Whosoever does NOT give rulings, verdicts, judgments, or commands based upon what Allah has revealed, such people are the infidels .84

Therefore, giving a ruling by personal opinion amounts to disbelief (kufr ), according to Allah. Why did ‘Umar take such an extreme risk? He should have simply remained silent, or sought the advice of superior jurists likeAmir al-Muminin ,‘alaihi al-salam , Ibn ‘Abbas,radhiyallahu ‘anhu , and others. His reliance upon personal opinion in issuing a ruling in theShari’ah of Allah was a very wrong step. It saved neither him, nor the man who came to him for judgment.

Perhaps, the most disturbing part is that the ruling oftayammum is explicitly stated at two different places in the Book of Allah:

وإن كنتم مرضى أو على سفر أو جاء أحد منكم من الغائط أو لامستم النساء فلم تجدوا ماء فتيمموا صعيدا طيبا فامسحوا بوجوهكم وأيديكم

And if you are ill, or on a journey, or one of you comes after answering the call of nature, or you have had sexual intercourse withwomen and you cannot find water, perform tayammum with clean soil and rub therewith your faces and hands.85

It is apparent. Despite the double presence of the ruling oftayammum in the Qur’an, ‘Umar did NOT know it. This raises a blood-red flag on ‘Umar’s knowledge of the Book of Allah. Obviously, he was not ahafiz (memorizer) of the Qur’an. Secondly, his knowledge of its verses, and of al-Fiqh, must have been extremely deficient, astayammum is only one of the beginner’s courses in Islamic jurisprudence!

‘Umar’s controversial judgment expectedly split theUmmah . There were his loyalists who thought that his clearly invalid ruling was more correct than the Qur’an and Sunnah! There were also his opponents who sided with Allah and His Messenger. One of the staunchest loyalists of ‘Umar was ‘Abd Allah b. Mas’ud, a very senior Sahabi. Imam Muslim records:

حدثنا يحيى بن يحيى وأبو بكر بن أبي شيبة وابن نمير جميعا عن أبي معاوية قال أبو بكر حدثنا أبو معاوية عن الأعمش عن شقيق قال كنت جالسا مع عبد الله وأبي موسى فقال أبو موسى ثم يا أبا عبد الرحمن أرأيت لو أن رجلا أجنب فلم يجد الماء شهرا كيف يصنع بالصلاة فقال عبد الله لا يتيمم وإن لم يجد الماء شهرا قال أبو موسى فكيف بهذه الآية في سورة المائدة فلم تجدوا ماء فتيمموا صعيدا طيبا فقال عبدالله لو رخص لهم في هذه الآية لأوشك إذا برد عليهم الماء أن يتيمموا بالصعيد فقال أبو موسى لعبد الله ألم تسمع قول عمار بعثني رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في حاجة فأجنبت فلم أجد الماء فتمرغت في الصعيد كما تمرغ الدابة ثم أتيت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فذكرت ذلك له فقال إنما كان يكفيك أن تقول بيديك هكذا ثم ضرب بيديه الأرض حصول واحدة ثم مسح الشمال على اليمين وظاهر كفيه ووجهه فقال عبد الله أو لم تر عمر لم يقنع بقول عمار

Yahya b. Yahya, Abu Bakr b. Abi Shaybah and Ibn Numayr – Abu Mu’awiyah – al-A’mash – Shaqiq:

I was sitting with ‘Abd Allah (b. Mas’ud) and Abu Musa (al-Ash’ari). So, Abu Musa asked: “O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman, what is your opinion: if a man had a seminal discharge and could not find water for one month, how should he do about theSalat ? ‘Abd Allah replied, “He should NOT perform tayammum even if he cannot find water for a month” .

Abu Musa then said,“What about this verse in Surat al-Maidah said, ‘And you cannot find water, then perform tayammum with clean soil’?” ‘Abd Allah replied, “If they were allowed on the basis of this verse, there is a possibility that they would performtayammum with soil even if water were available but cold.” So, Abu Musa said to ‘Abd Allah, “Have you not heard

the statement of ‘Ammar: ‘The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, sent me on an errand and I had a seminal discharge, but could not find water. So I rolled myself in the soil just as a beast rolls itself. Then, I came to the Prophet, peace be upon him then and mentioned that to him and he (the Messenger) said: “It would have been enough for you to do thus”. Then he struck the earth with his hands once and wiped his right hand with the help of his left hand and the exterior of his palms and his face’.” ‘Abd Allah replied: “Didn't you see that ‘Umar was NOT satisfied with the statement of ‘Ammar?” 86

Abu Musa was on the side of the Qur’an and Sunnah, and sought to correct Ibn Mas’ud on his diehard ‘Umarist stance ontayammum . The former quoted the Book of Allah and the explicit teaching of His Messenger. Ibn Mas’ud however rejected both, citing excuses. He could not allow the people to follow the Qur’an, because there was a “possibility” that they would abuse its ruling. Well, this same logic could be employed to turn downeverything that Islam teaches! Moreover, Ibn Mas’ud equally refused the Sunnah of the Prophet only because ‘Umar was not satisfied with ‘Ammar’shadith !

 


7. Hadith Al-Qadha, An Age Of Jungle Justice IV

Tayammum was not the only topic in Islamic jurisprudence that ‘Umar had great difficulty grasping. There were many others, even according to his own confessions. We will be briefly examining a few examples and their implications.

Imam al-Bukhari (d. 256 H) opens the discussion:

حدثنا أحمد بن أبي رجاء حدثنا يحيى عن أبي حيان التيمي عن الشعبي عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما قال :خطب عمر على منبر رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فقال إنه قد نزل تحريم الخمر وهي من خمسة أشياء العنب والتمر والحنطة والشعير والعسل والخمر ما خامر العقل وثلاث وددت أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم لم يفارقنا حتى يعهد إلينا عهدا الجد والكلالة وأبواب من أبواب الربا

Ahmad b. Abi Rajah – Yahya – Abu Hayyan al-Tamimi – Shu’bi – Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both:

‘Umar delivered a sermon on the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, saying, “Verily, there was revealed an order making alcohol haram, and it is made from five things: grape, date, wheat, barley and honey. Alcohol is whatsoever clouds the mind.I wish the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, had not left us before he could explain three matters to us: the inheritance of the grandfather, kalalah and various types of riba (usury).” 87

Imam Muslim (d. 261 H) records too:

حدثنا أبو بكر بن أبي شيبة حدثنا علي بن مسهر عن أبي حيان عن الشعبي عن ابن عمر قال: خطب عمر على منبر رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فحمد الله وأثنى عليه ثم قال أما بعد ألا وإن الخمر نزل تحريمها يوم نزل وهي من خمسة أشياء من الحنطة والشعير والتمر والزبيب والعسل والخمر ما خامر العقل وثلاثة أشياء وددت أيها الناس أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم كان عهد إلينا فيها الجد والكلالة وأبواب من أبواب الربا

Abu Bakr b. Abi Shaybah – ‘Ali b. Mas-har – Abu Hayyan – al-Sha’bi – Ibn ‘Umar:

‘Umar delivered a sermon on the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. He thanked Allah and praised him. Then he said, “Now, coming to the point: verily, there was revealed an order making alcoholharam on the day it was revealed. It is made from five things: wheat, barley, date, raisin and honey. Alcohol is anything which clouds the intellect. There are three matters, O people, that I wish the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, had explained to us: inheritance of the grandfather, kalalah and various types of riba (usury) .88

Imam al-Hakim (d. 403 H) documents too:

وأخبرنا علي بن محمد بن عقبة ثنا الهيثم بن خالد ثنا أبو نعيم ثنا سفيان عن عمرو بن مرة عن مرة عن عمر رضي الله عنه قال ثلاث لأن يكون النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بينهم لنا أحب إلي من الدنيا وما فيها الخلافة والكلالة والربا

‘Ali b. Muhammad b. ‘Uqbah – al-Haytham b. Khalid – Abu Na’im – Sufyan – ‘Amr b. Marrah – Marrah – ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him:

“There are three matters.Had the Prophet, peace be upon him, clearly explained them to us , that would have been more beloved to me than this world and whatsoever is in it: the khilafah (caliphate), kalalah and riba (usury)” .89

Al-Hakim says:

هذا حديث صحيح على شرط الشيخين

Thishadith issahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs90

Al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H) agrees:

على شرط البخاري ومسلم

(Sahih ) upon the standard of al-Bukhari and Muslim91

Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal (d. 241 H) has an even clearer report:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا يحيى عن بن أبي عروبة ثنا قتادة عن سعيد بن المسيب قال قال عمر رضي الله عنه: ان آخر ما نزل من القرآن آية الربا وان رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم قبض ولم يفسرها فدعوا الربا والريبة

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad b. Hanbal) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Yahya – Ibn Abi ‘Arubah – Qatadah – Sa’id b. al-Musayyab:

‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Verily, the last of what was revealed in the Qur’an was the Verse of Riba.And verily, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, died and never explained it. Therefore, avoidriba and doubt.92

Shaykh al-Arnauṭ comments:

حسن رجاله ثقات رجال الشيخين

It is hasan . Its narrators arethiqah (trustworthy), narrators of the two Shaykhs.93

Apparently, ‘Umar did not know the Islamic rulings and teachings concerning the inheritance of the grandfather (from his grandchild),kalalah , usury (riba ) and thekhilafah . He therefore placed the blame on the Messenger of Allah,sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi , and accused him of never explaining them to hisUmmah . His allegations however directly contradict these verses:

وما على الرسول إلا البلاغ المبين

The duty of the Messenger isonly to convey in a clear way .94

وأنزلنا إليك الذكر لتبين للناس ما نزل إليهم

And We have sent down unto you (Muhammad)al-Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’an)that you may explain clearly to mankind what is sent down to them .95

Therefore, if the Prophet had not explained clearly a single item of his risalah, he would have failed in his mission. Allah however testifies in favour of His Messenger, that he actually conveyed and explained

everything clearly to theUmmah . This was why He declared the religion completed and perfect:

اليوم أكملت لكم دينكم وأتممت عليكم نعمتي ورضيت لكم الإسلام دينا

This Day, I have perfected your religion for you , completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.96

This is an unmistakable testimony that the Messenger did explain everything in a clear, explicit and simple manner to his followers. He successfully fulfilled his mission. It was ‘Umar that had once again forgotten completely that the Messenger performed his duty.

One then wonders how ‘Umar handled questions and disputes regarding the inheritance of the grandfather,kalalah , usury and thekhilafah that were brought to his court. He either relied upon his personal opinion – as in the case oftayammum – or rather guessed and gambled in his judgments. Another possibility was that he would refer those issues to superior jurists among the Sahabah,radhiyallah ‘anhum , for help. In all cases, his competency as even an ordinary judge falls into serious doubt. It gets really worse when one considers that ‘Umar was the sovereign judge, and that there was no right of appeal against his rulings and judgments.

Of the four subjects, ‘Umar had particular difficulty in graspingkalalah . He never understood it till his death. So, we will flash light upon it, as this situation reveals some more information about him. Imam Muslim records:

حدثنا محمد بن أبي بكر المقدمي ومحمد بن المثنى (واللفظ لابن المثنى) قالا حدثنا يحيى بن سعيد حدثنا هشام حدثنا قتادة عن سالم بن أبي الجعد عن معدان بن أبي طلحة أن عمر بن الخطاب خطب يوم جمعة فذكر نبي الله صلى الله عليه و سلم وذكر أبا بكر ثم قال إني لا أدع بعدي شيئا أهم من الكلالة ما راجعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم في شيء ما راجعته في الكلالة وما أغلظ لي في شيء ما أغلظ لي فيه حتى طعن بأصبعه في صدري وقال يا عمر ألا تكفيك آية الصيف التي في آخر سورة النساء ؟ وإني إن أعش أقض فيها بقضية يقضي بها من يقرأ القرآن ومن لا يقرأ القرآن

Muhammad b. Abi Bakr al-Muqaddami and Muhammad b. al-Muthanna – Yahya b. Sa’id – Hisham – Qatadah – Salim b. Abi al-Ja’d – Ma’dan b. Abi Talhah:

‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭab delivered a sermon on Friday and mentioned the Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him, and also mentioned Abu Bakr. Then he said, “I do not abandon behind me anything more important thankalalah .I did not refer to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, concerning anything as I referred to him concerning kalalah. And he was never as harsh to me concerning anything as he was harsh to me about it , so much that he struck my chest with his fingers and said,“O ‘Umar, is the Verse of the Summer, which is at the end of Surat al-Nisa, not sufficient for you?” If I (‘Umar) lived longer, I would give judge concerning it (i.e.kalalah ) with a judgment that would be the precedent for all future judgments concerning it

by those who could read the Qur’an and those who could not read the Qur’an.”97

Imam Ahmad again documents:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا إسماعيل عن سعيد بن أبي عروبة عن قتادة عن سالم بن أبي الجعد عن معدان بن أبي طلحة قال قال عمر رضي الله عنه: ما سألت رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم عن شيء أكثر مما سألته عن الكلالة حتى طعن بأصبعه في صدري وقال تكفيك آية الصيف التي في آخر سورة النساء

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad b. Hanbal) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Isma’il – Sa’id b. Abi ‘Arubah – Qatadah – Salim b. Abi al-Ja’d – Ma’dan b. Abi Talhah:

‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said:“I never asked the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, about anything more (repeatedly) than I asked him about kalalah so much that he struck my chest with his fingers and said, “O ‘Umar, is theVerse of the Summer , which is at the end ofSurat al-Nisa , not sufficient for you?”98

Shaykh al-Arnauṭ comments:

إسناده صحيح على شرط مسلم رجاله ثقات

Its chain issahih upon the standard of Muslim. Its narrators arethiqah (trustworthy).99

So, ‘Umar’s most difficult topic waskalalah . Although he was basically clueless about the other topics as well,kalalah proved the most stubborn of them to him. He repeatedly questioned the Messenger of Allah about it. It was the Prophet’s job to explain things clearly to him each time, and we believe he did that each time ‘Umar came to him. In the end, the Messenger got frustrated and baffled by ‘Umar’s inability to comprehend a fairly straightforward topic likekalalah , even after several explanations! What exactly is so difficult about it? Moreover, the Prophet thought that there was a verse aboutkalalah at the end ofSurat al-Nisa , which was fully self-explanatory and ordinarily should be sufficient for anyone without further commentary100 . Why was ‘Umar still unable to grasp it, despite the verse and the repeated explanations?

Surprisingly, ‘Umar apparently read theVerse of the Summer (before or after the Messenger of Allah referred him to it) but could not understand its simple rules. Worse still, the Prophet repeatedly explained it to him, and he nonetheless did not get it! This raises some grave concerns about ‘Umar’s comprehension skills. It also apparently reveals why the Messenger became frustrated and harsh with him.

Does justice dispensation require very high comprehension skills on the part of the judge? We leave the answer to our esteemed reader.


8. Hadith Al-Qadha, An Age Of Jungle Justice V

As the chief law enforcement officer of theUmmah , thekhalifah has the authority to arrest and prosecute anyone who commits an offence in his presence. There is no requirement anywhere that the crime must be reported to him by someone else before he could arrest and prosecute. Imam ‘Abd al-Razzaq (d. 211 H) records an instance where ‘Umar, as thekhalifah , invoked this authority:

أخبرنا عبد الرزاق قال: أخبرنا عبيد الله بن عمر عن نافع عن صفية ابنة أبي عبيد. ومعمر عن نافع عن صفية قالت: وجد عمر في بيت رجل من ثقيف خمرا، وقد كان جلده في الخمر فحرق بيته، وقال: ما اسمك؟ قال: رويشد، قال: بل أنت فويسق

‘Abd al-Razzaq – ‘Ubayd Allah b. ‘Umar AND Ma’mar – Nafi’ – Safiyyah b. Abi ‘Ubayd:

‘Umar discovered alcohol in the house of a man from (the tribe of) Thaqif. He (the man) had already been lashed for alcohol consumption in the past.Therefore, he (‘Umar) burnt his house, and asked , “What is your name?” He (the man) replied, “Ruwayshid.” He (‘Umar) retorted, “Rather, you are Fuwaysiq (an abusive word)”.101

Al-Hafiz (d. 852 H) states about the first narrator:

عبد الرزاق بن همام بن نافع الحميري مولاهم أبو بكر الصنعاني ثقة حافظ

‘Abd al-Razzaq b. Hammam b. Nafi’ al-Humayri, their freed slave, Abu Bakr al-San’ani:Thiqah (trustworthy), hafiz (a hadith scientist) .102

There are two second narrators. So, this is whatal-Hafiz has to say aboutSecond Narrator A :

عبيد الله بن عمر بن حفص بن عاصم بن عمر بن الخطاب العمري المدني أبو عثمان ثقة ثبت

‘Ubayd Allah b. ‘Umar b. Hafs b. ‘Asim b. ‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭab al-‘Umari al-Madani, Abu ‘Uthman:Thiqah (trustworthy), thabt (accurate) .103

He also says aboutSecond Narrator B :

معمر بن راشد الأزدي مولاهم أبو عروة البصري نزيل اليمن ثقة ثبت فاضل

Ma’mar b. Rashid al-Azdi, their freed slave, Abu ‘Urwah al-Basri, he lived in Yemen:Thiqah (trustworthy), thabt (accurate), fadhil (meritorious) .104

Both second narrators transmitted from Nafi’, about whom al-Hafiz states:

نافع أبو عبد الله المدني مولى ابن عمر ثقة ثبت فقيه مشهور

Nafi’, Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Madani, freed slave of Ibn ‘Umar:Thiqah (trustworthy), thabt (accurate) , a well-known jurist.105

Al-Hafiz seals it with these comments about the last narrator:

صفية بنت أبي عبيد بن مسعود الثقفية زوج بن عمر قيل لها إدراك وأنكره الدارقطني وقال العجلي ثقة

Safiyyah b. Abi ‘Ubayd b. Mas’ud al-Thaqafiyyah, the wife of Ibn ‘Umar. It is said that she met the Prophet, but al-Daraquṭni denies that. Al-‘Ijli said:Thiqah (trustworthy) .106

Safiyyah is also a narrator ofSahih Muslim .107

In summary, the above chain is impeccablysahih . Elsewhere, ‘Abd al-Razzaq has recorded the exact same report with this chain:

أخبرنا عبد الرزاق قال: أخبرنا معمر عن أيوب عن نافع عن صفية

‘Abd al-Razzak – Ma’mar –Ayub – Nafi’ – Safiyyah108

The only new name is Ayub. So, who is he? Al-Hafiz answers:

أيوب بن أبي تميمة جلس السختياني …. أبو بكر البصري ثقة ثبت حجة من كبار الفقهاء العباد

Ayub b. Abi Tamimah al-Sakhtayani, Abu Bakr al-Basri:Thiqah (trustworthy), thabt (accurate), hujjah (an authority in hadith) , from the greatest jurists and worshippers of Allah.109

In other words, theathar about ‘Umar is doublysahih !

‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) also has some further words:

روى الدولابي في الكنى " (1 / 189) عن إبراهيم بن عبد الرحمن بن عوف قال: رأيت عمر أحرق بيت رويشد الثقفي حتى كأنه جمرة أو حمة وكان جارنا يبيع الخمر. وسنده صحيح. ورواه عبد الرزاق عن صفية بنت ابي عبيد كما في " الجامع الكبيرة " (3 / 204 / 1) وأبو عبيد في " الأموال " (ص 103) عن ابن عمر وسنده صحيح أيضا

Al-Dawlabi reported in al-Kuni (1/189) on the authority Ibrahim b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Awf that he said: “I saw ‘Umar burning the house of Ruwayshid al-Thaqafi until it became like firebrand or a hot spring.He was our neighbour who sold alcohol.” Its chain is sahih .

‘Abd al-Razzaq also narrated on the authority of Safiyyah bint Abi ‘Ubayd, as stated inal-Jami’ al-Kabirah (3/204/1) as well as Abu ‘Ubayd in al-Amwal (p. 103) on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, andits chain is sahih too .110

Interestingly, this Ruwayshid was one of the Sahabah! Al-Hafiz states:

رويشد الثقفي أبو علاج الطائفي ثم المدني له إدراك وله قصة مع عمر بسبب بيعه الشراب قال بن أبي ذئب انا سعد بن إبراهيم بن عبد الرحمن بن عوف عن أبيه ان عمر أمر باحراق بيت رويشد وكان يبيع فيه الشراب فنهاه عمر فلم ينته

Ruwayshid al-Thaqafi, Abu ‘Alaj al-Taifi al-Madani:He met the Prophet. He also had a story with ‘Umar due to his selling of alcoholic drinks . Ibn Abi Dhaib said: Sa’d b. Ibrahim b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Awf narrated to us from his father that ‘Umar ordered that the house of Ruwayshid be burnt down.He used to sell alcoholic drinks in it. ‘Umar had warned him to desist, but he never desisted .111

Elsewhere, he reiterates:

رويشد الثقفي وله قصة مع عمر في شربه الخمر وإنما ذكرته في الصحابة لأن من كان بتلك السن في عهد عمر يكون في زمن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم مميزا لا محالة ولم يبق من قريش وثقيف أحد إلا أسلم وشهد حجة الوداع مع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم

Ruwayshid al-Thaqafi.... He had a story with ‘Umar concerning his consumption of alcohol....I have mentioned him among the Sahabah only because whosoever was of that age (as Ruwayshid) during the time of ‘Umar must certainly have been matured during the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Also, there was no one from the tribes of Quraysh and Thaqif except that he had accepted Islam and had witnessed the FarewellHajj with the Prophet, peace be upon him.112

To summarize:

Ruwayshid was one of the Sahabah of the Prophet, from the tribe of Thaqif.

He accepted Islam during the Prophet’s lifetime, met the latter, and did the FarewellHajj with him.

During the rule of ‘Umar, Ruwayshid was convicted for alcohol consumption and punished.

However, after his conviction and punishment, Ruwayshid went ahead to sell alcohol in his house.

‘Umar warned him to desist from selling alcohol, but he refused to stop.

So, ‘Umar burnt his house where he was selling the alcohol.

The story of Ruwayshid flies in the face of repeated Sunni claims about the piety and righteousness of all the Sahabah!

It is a bit unclear on what ground ‘Umar burned Ruwayshid’s home. Was it to punish him for selling alcohol? Or, was it only an effort to disable him from further trading in alcohol?

One scenario is that the house-burning was inflicted as a judicial punishment. In other words, Ruwayshid was summarily tried, convicted and penalized for trading in alcohol. ‘Umar’ judicial sentence was that his house should be burnt to ashes. However, where did ‘Umar get that idea from? Was it from the Qur’an? Was it from the Sunnah? Imam Muslim records the standard procedure in a case like this:

حدثنا أحمد بن عيسى حدثنا ابن وهب أخبرني عمرو عن بكير بن الأشج قال بينا نحن عند سليمان بن يسار إذ جاءه عبدالرحمن بن جابر حدثه فأقبل علينا سليمان فقال حدثني عبدالرحمن ابن جابر عن أبيه عن أبي بردة الأنصاري: أنه سمع رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم يقول لا يجلد أحد فوق عشرة أسواط إلا في حد من حدود الله

Ahmad b. ‘Isa – Ibn Wahb – ‘Amr – Bukayr b. al-Ashja’ Sulayman b. Yasar – ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Jabir – his father – Abu Bardah al-Ansari:

I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, saying: “None is to be given more than ten strokes of the cane (in punishment) except in the case of punishments immutably fixed by Allah.”113

So, the question is whether Allah has immutably fixed the punishment for alcohol sales business or not. Without an iota of doubt, there is no such

fixed penalty for it. Therefore, the maximum sentence that can be inflicted upon an alcohol seller is ten lashes. Apparently, ‘Umar did not follow the instructions of Allah in this regard. This brought him face-to-face against this verse:

ومن لم يحكم بما أنزل الله فأولئك هم الكافرون

Whosoever does NOT give rulings, verdicts, judgments, or commands based upon what Allah has revealed,such people are the infidels .114

Another scenario is that ‘Umar actually burnt the house down only to forcefully put Ruwayshid out of business, without any intention to touch the latter himself personally for breaking the law. This theory is further strengthened by the fact that ‘Umar had earlier warned Ruwayshid to desist (thereby confirming his full knowledge of the alcohol trade). However, he made no effort whatsoever to arrest or prosecute him. When the latter would not listen to him, he burnt down his house – which also served as his brewery and alcohol store – solely to shut down his business. Normally, a caring government closes or destroys illegal ventures within its control. This is usually to protect the public. In addition to that, the same government proceeds to prosecute the owner of the illegal business for his crime. In the case of Ruwayshid, ‘Umar merely burnt his alcohol store, but allowed him to go scotfree!

A baffling twist to this whole saga is that when another Sahabi was discovered, also engaging in alcohol business, ‘Umar simply let him be! He did not arrest him. He did not prosecute him. He did not burn his house! Imam Muslim records:

حدثنا أبو بكر بن أبي شيبة وزهير بن حرب وإسحاق بن إبراهيم (واللفظ لأبي بكر) قالوا حدثنا سفيان بن عيينة عن عمرو عن طاوس عن ابن عباس قال: بلغ عمر أن سمرة باع خمرا فقال قاتل الله سمرة ألم يعلم أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم قال لعن الله اليهود حرمت عليهم الشحوم فجملوها فباعوها

Abu Bakr b. Abi Shaybah, Zuhayr b. Harb and Ishaq b. Ibrahim – Sufyan b. ‘Uyaynah – ‘Amr – Tawus – Ibn ‘Abbas:

‘Umar was informed thatSamrah sold alcohol . So, he said, “May Allah curse Samrah! Does he not know that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: ‘May Allah curse the Jews. The fat of animals was madeharam for them. But they melt it and sold it.’”115

Imam Abu Ya’la (d. 307 H) also documents:

حدثنا أبو خيثمة و أبو سعيد قالا : حدثنا سفيان بن عيينة عن عمرو عن طاووس عن ابن عباس قال : باع سمرة خمرا فقال عمر : قاتل الله سمرة ألم يعلم أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم قال : لعن الله اليهود حرمت عليهم الشحوم فباعوها وأكلوا أثمانها ؟

Abu Khaythamah and Abu Sa’id – Sufyan b. ‘Uyaynah – ‘Amr – Tawus – Ibn ‘Abbas:

Samrah sold alcohol . So, ‘Umar said, “May Allah curse Samrah! Does he not know that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, ‘May Allah

curse the Jews. The fat of animals was madeharam for them. So, they sold it and ate its price.’”116

Shaykh Dr. Asad comments:

إسناده صحيح

Its chain issahih 117

Samrah was a prominent Sahabi. He too traded in alcohol. But, what was ‘Umar’s response? He merely cursed him by name, and that was it! There was no arrest, and no prosecution! Samrah’s house was equally left intact.


6. Hadith Al-Qadha, An Age Of Jungle Justice III

Thekhalifah of Muslims is their supreme judge on every aspect of their religion, like the Messenger of Allah. As such, Muslims are required to refer all their religious problems and disputes to him for judgment, and his verdicts are binding over them. This function necessitates that thekhalifah be the most knowledgeable of theUmmah throughout his administration. Otherwise, he would be unfit for the grand office. Issuing correct religious verdicts on all types of religious questions and disputes, from all persons of all calibres, certainly requires unparalleled knowledge.

During his rule, a man came to ‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭab with his personal religious problem. Imam Muslim (d. 261 H) records about how thekhalifah handled it:

حدثني عبدالله بن هاشم العبدي حدثنا يحيى (يعني ابن سعيد القطان) عن شعبة قال حدثني الحكم عن ذر عن سعيد بن عبدالرحمن بن أبزي عن أبيه أن رجلا أتى عمر فقال :إني أجنبت فلم أجد ماء فقال لا تصل فقال عمار أما تذكر يا أمير المؤمنين إذ أنا وأنت في سرية فأجنبنا فلم نجد ماء فأما أنت فلم تصل وأما أنا فتمعكت في التراب وصليت فقال النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم إنما كان يكفيك أن تضرب بيديك الأرض ثم تنفخ ثم تمسح بهما وجهك وكفيك فقال عمر اتق الله يا عمار قال إن شئت لم أحدث به

‘Abd Allah b. Hisham al-‘Abdi – Yahya b. Sa’id al-Qaṭṭan – Shu’bah – al-Hakam – Dharr – Sa’id b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Abza – his father:

A man came to 'Umar and said: “I have seminal discharges and I cannot find water (to do the ghusl)”. He (‘Umar) said, “Do not perform Salat.” So, ‘Ammar said, “Do you remember, OAmir al-Muminin , when I and you were in a military detachmentand we had seminal discharges and could not find water and you (‘Umar) did not perform the Salat. As for me, I rolled myself in dust and performed theSalat . So, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “It was enough for you to strike the soil with your hands and then blow and then wipe your face and palms”.Umar said: “Fear Allah, O Ammar!” Therefore, he (‘Ammar) replied,“If you so like, I would not narrate it” .83

There are some really interesting facts in this narration:

‘Umar and Ammar,radhiyallahu ‘anhu , were both together in a military detachment, and they had seminal discharges.

Ammar rolled himself in the soil in order to cleanse himself forSalat , due to a lack of water. He had no divine guidance for the act. It was only his intuition.

‘Umar, on his part, completely refrained from offering anySalat as long as he could not find water.

Both recounted their experiences to the Messenger of Allah,sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi , who taught themtayammum as the correct step should they encounter a similar situation.

During ‘Umar’s rule, a man came to him with the same problem that he personally had gone through. But, rather than offer to him the solution oftayammum as taught by the Prophet, ‘Umar instructed the man with his own initial wrong step!

‘Ammar attempted to remind ‘Umar of the Sunnah in such situations. But, the latter simply did not want to hear about it!

There are a number of questions here. First and foremost, did ‘Umar deliberately reject the Sunnah or not? This depends upon whether he actually remembered the incident involving him and ‘Ammar. If he did, and still gave the ruling that he gave, then he would have been contemptuous of the Sunnah. Moreover, even if he had completely forgotten it, why did he not act on ‘Ammar’s reminder? From the look of it, he was not convinced by ‘Ammar’s narration. He most probably had very serious doubts about the accuracy of ‘Ammar’shadith . Therefore, he saw no real reason to alter his decision on the matter.

So, the best-case scenario is that ‘Umar had absolutely forgotten the incident oftayammum , which involved him personally and directly. In addition, when ‘Ammar attempted to revive his memory of the event, he had grave trust issues with the latter’s report. Therefore, he did not remember, and there was no other reliable source to bring back his memories of the incident. The worst-case scenario is that ‘Umar actually remembered thehadith , or was at least successfully reminded of it by ‘Ammar. Yet, he thought that his personal solution to the issue before him outweighed the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah. As such, he was in contempt of Muhammad and his teachings.

We will go with the best-case scenario. ‘Umar had completely forgotten, and was not successfully reminded. This fact casts a mammoth shadow of doubt over ‘Umar’s memory power. Since he forgot the incident oftayammum so completely and absolutely, it is extremely uncertain that he was able to remember many – if not most - other teachings of the Prophet that were necessary in his discharge of his day-to-day judicial functions. The end result is that he lacked the requisite scholarly prowess for the office. The natural product of absolutely forgetting anything is complete ignorance of it.

Something that baffles the mind is how ‘Umar came to the conclusion that he could issue rulings in theShari’ah with his personal opinions simply because he had forgotten, or did not know, the correct positions. Is ignorance an excuse for the adoption of personal opinions in the Law of Allah? The Qur’an answers:

ومن لم يحكم بما أنزل الله فأولئك هم الكافرون

Whosoever does NOT give rulings, verdicts, judgments, or commands based upon what Allah has revealed, such people are the infidels .84

Therefore, giving a ruling by personal opinion amounts to disbelief (kufr ), according to Allah. Why did ‘Umar take such an extreme risk? He should have simply remained silent, or sought the advice of superior jurists likeAmir al-Muminin ,‘alaihi al-salam , Ibn ‘Abbas,radhiyallahu ‘anhu , and others. His reliance upon personal opinion in issuing a ruling in theShari’ah of Allah was a very wrong step. It saved neither him, nor the man who came to him for judgment.

Perhaps, the most disturbing part is that the ruling oftayammum is explicitly stated at two different places in the Book of Allah:

وإن كنتم مرضى أو على سفر أو جاء أحد منكم من الغائط أو لامستم النساء فلم تجدوا ماء فتيمموا صعيدا طيبا فامسحوا بوجوهكم وأيديكم

And if you are ill, or on a journey, or one of you comes after answering the call of nature, or you have had sexual intercourse withwomen and you cannot find water, perform tayammum with clean soil and rub therewith your faces and hands.85

It is apparent. Despite the double presence of the ruling oftayammum in the Qur’an, ‘Umar did NOT know it. This raises a blood-red flag on ‘Umar’s knowledge of the Book of Allah. Obviously, he was not ahafiz (memorizer) of the Qur’an. Secondly, his knowledge of its verses, and of al-Fiqh, must have been extremely deficient, astayammum is only one of the beginner’s courses in Islamic jurisprudence!

‘Umar’s controversial judgment expectedly split theUmmah . There were his loyalists who thought that his clearly invalid ruling was more correct than the Qur’an and Sunnah! There were also his opponents who sided with Allah and His Messenger. One of the staunchest loyalists of ‘Umar was ‘Abd Allah b. Mas’ud, a very senior Sahabi. Imam Muslim records:

حدثنا يحيى بن يحيى وأبو بكر بن أبي شيبة وابن نمير جميعا عن أبي معاوية قال أبو بكر حدثنا أبو معاوية عن الأعمش عن شقيق قال كنت جالسا مع عبد الله وأبي موسى فقال أبو موسى ثم يا أبا عبد الرحمن أرأيت لو أن رجلا أجنب فلم يجد الماء شهرا كيف يصنع بالصلاة فقال عبد الله لا يتيمم وإن لم يجد الماء شهرا قال أبو موسى فكيف بهذه الآية في سورة المائدة فلم تجدوا ماء فتيمموا صعيدا طيبا فقال عبدالله لو رخص لهم في هذه الآية لأوشك إذا برد عليهم الماء أن يتيمموا بالصعيد فقال أبو موسى لعبد الله ألم تسمع قول عمار بعثني رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في حاجة فأجنبت فلم أجد الماء فتمرغت في الصعيد كما تمرغ الدابة ثم أتيت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فذكرت ذلك له فقال إنما كان يكفيك أن تقول بيديك هكذا ثم ضرب بيديه الأرض حصول واحدة ثم مسح الشمال على اليمين وظاهر كفيه ووجهه فقال عبد الله أو لم تر عمر لم يقنع بقول عمار

Yahya b. Yahya, Abu Bakr b. Abi Shaybah and Ibn Numayr – Abu Mu’awiyah – al-A’mash – Shaqiq:

I was sitting with ‘Abd Allah (b. Mas’ud) and Abu Musa (al-Ash’ari). So, Abu Musa asked: “O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman, what is your opinion: if a man had a seminal discharge and could not find water for one month, how should he do about theSalat ? ‘Abd Allah replied, “He should NOT perform tayammum even if he cannot find water for a month” .

Abu Musa then said,“What about this verse in Surat al-Maidah said, ‘And you cannot find water, then perform tayammum with clean soil’?” ‘Abd Allah replied, “If they were allowed on the basis of this verse, there is a possibility that they would performtayammum with soil even if water were available but cold.” So, Abu Musa said to ‘Abd Allah, “Have you not heard

the statement of ‘Ammar: ‘The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, sent me on an errand and I had a seminal discharge, but could not find water. So I rolled myself in the soil just as a beast rolls itself. Then, I came to the Prophet, peace be upon him then and mentioned that to him and he (the Messenger) said: “It would have been enough for you to do thus”. Then he struck the earth with his hands once and wiped his right hand with the help of his left hand and the exterior of his palms and his face’.” ‘Abd Allah replied: “Didn't you see that ‘Umar was NOT satisfied with the statement of ‘Ammar?” 86

Abu Musa was on the side of the Qur’an and Sunnah, and sought to correct Ibn Mas’ud on his diehard ‘Umarist stance ontayammum . The former quoted the Book of Allah and the explicit teaching of His Messenger. Ibn Mas’ud however rejected both, citing excuses. He could not allow the people to follow the Qur’an, because there was a “possibility” that they would abuse its ruling. Well, this same logic could be employed to turn downeverything that Islam teaches! Moreover, Ibn Mas’ud equally refused the Sunnah of the Prophet only because ‘Umar was not satisfied with ‘Ammar’shadith !

 


7. Hadith Al-Qadha, An Age Of Jungle Justice IV

Tayammum was not the only topic in Islamic jurisprudence that ‘Umar had great difficulty grasping. There were many others, even according to his own confessions. We will be briefly examining a few examples and their implications.

Imam al-Bukhari (d. 256 H) opens the discussion:

حدثنا أحمد بن أبي رجاء حدثنا يحيى عن أبي حيان التيمي عن الشعبي عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما قال :خطب عمر على منبر رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فقال إنه قد نزل تحريم الخمر وهي من خمسة أشياء العنب والتمر والحنطة والشعير والعسل والخمر ما خامر العقل وثلاث وددت أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم لم يفارقنا حتى يعهد إلينا عهدا الجد والكلالة وأبواب من أبواب الربا

Ahmad b. Abi Rajah – Yahya – Abu Hayyan al-Tamimi – Shu’bi – Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both:

‘Umar delivered a sermon on the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, saying, “Verily, there was revealed an order making alcohol haram, and it is made from five things: grape, date, wheat, barley and honey. Alcohol is whatsoever clouds the mind.I wish the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, had not left us before he could explain three matters to us: the inheritance of the grandfather, kalalah and various types of riba (usury).” 87

Imam Muslim (d. 261 H) records too:

حدثنا أبو بكر بن أبي شيبة حدثنا علي بن مسهر عن أبي حيان عن الشعبي عن ابن عمر قال: خطب عمر على منبر رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم فحمد الله وأثنى عليه ثم قال أما بعد ألا وإن الخمر نزل تحريمها يوم نزل وهي من خمسة أشياء من الحنطة والشعير والتمر والزبيب والعسل والخمر ما خامر العقل وثلاثة أشياء وددت أيها الناس أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم كان عهد إلينا فيها الجد والكلالة وأبواب من أبواب الربا

Abu Bakr b. Abi Shaybah – ‘Ali b. Mas-har – Abu Hayyan – al-Sha’bi – Ibn ‘Umar:

‘Umar delivered a sermon on the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. He thanked Allah and praised him. Then he said, “Now, coming to the point: verily, there was revealed an order making alcoholharam on the day it was revealed. It is made from five things: wheat, barley, date, raisin and honey. Alcohol is anything which clouds the intellect. There are three matters, O people, that I wish the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, had explained to us: inheritance of the grandfather, kalalah and various types of riba (usury) .88

Imam al-Hakim (d. 403 H) documents too:

وأخبرنا علي بن محمد بن عقبة ثنا الهيثم بن خالد ثنا أبو نعيم ثنا سفيان عن عمرو بن مرة عن مرة عن عمر رضي الله عنه قال ثلاث لأن يكون النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بينهم لنا أحب إلي من الدنيا وما فيها الخلافة والكلالة والربا

‘Ali b. Muhammad b. ‘Uqbah – al-Haytham b. Khalid – Abu Na’im – Sufyan – ‘Amr b. Marrah – Marrah – ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him:

“There are three matters.Had the Prophet, peace be upon him, clearly explained them to us , that would have been more beloved to me than this world and whatsoever is in it: the khilafah (caliphate), kalalah and riba (usury)” .89

Al-Hakim says:

هذا حديث صحيح على شرط الشيخين

Thishadith issahih upon the standard of the two Shaykhs90

Al-Dhahabi (d. 748 H) agrees:

على شرط البخاري ومسلم

(Sahih ) upon the standard of al-Bukhari and Muslim91

Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal (d. 241 H) has an even clearer report:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا يحيى عن بن أبي عروبة ثنا قتادة عن سعيد بن المسيب قال قال عمر رضي الله عنه: ان آخر ما نزل من القرآن آية الربا وان رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم قبض ولم يفسرها فدعوا الربا والريبة

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad b. Hanbal) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Yahya – Ibn Abi ‘Arubah – Qatadah – Sa’id b. al-Musayyab:

‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Verily, the last of what was revealed in the Qur’an was the Verse of Riba.And verily, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, died and never explained it. Therefore, avoidriba and doubt.92

Shaykh al-Arnauṭ comments:

حسن رجاله ثقات رجال الشيخين

It is hasan . Its narrators arethiqah (trustworthy), narrators of the two Shaykhs.93

Apparently, ‘Umar did not know the Islamic rulings and teachings concerning the inheritance of the grandfather (from his grandchild),kalalah , usury (riba ) and thekhilafah . He therefore placed the blame on the Messenger of Allah,sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi , and accused him of never explaining them to hisUmmah . His allegations however directly contradict these verses:

وما على الرسول إلا البلاغ المبين

The duty of the Messenger isonly to convey in a clear way .94

وأنزلنا إليك الذكر لتبين للناس ما نزل إليهم

And We have sent down unto you (Muhammad)al-Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’an)that you may explain clearly to mankind what is sent down to them .95

Therefore, if the Prophet had not explained clearly a single item of his risalah, he would have failed in his mission. Allah however testifies in favour of His Messenger, that he actually conveyed and explained

everything clearly to theUmmah . This was why He declared the religion completed and perfect:

اليوم أكملت لكم دينكم وأتممت عليكم نعمتي ورضيت لكم الإسلام دينا

This Day, I have perfected your religion for you , completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.96

This is an unmistakable testimony that the Messenger did explain everything in a clear, explicit and simple manner to his followers. He successfully fulfilled his mission. It was ‘Umar that had once again forgotten completely that the Messenger performed his duty.

One then wonders how ‘Umar handled questions and disputes regarding the inheritance of the grandfather,kalalah , usury and thekhilafah that were brought to his court. He either relied upon his personal opinion – as in the case oftayammum – or rather guessed and gambled in his judgments. Another possibility was that he would refer those issues to superior jurists among the Sahabah,radhiyallah ‘anhum , for help. In all cases, his competency as even an ordinary judge falls into serious doubt. It gets really worse when one considers that ‘Umar was the sovereign judge, and that there was no right of appeal against his rulings and judgments.

Of the four subjects, ‘Umar had particular difficulty in graspingkalalah . He never understood it till his death. So, we will flash light upon it, as this situation reveals some more information about him. Imam Muslim records:

حدثنا محمد بن أبي بكر المقدمي ومحمد بن المثنى (واللفظ لابن المثنى) قالا حدثنا يحيى بن سعيد حدثنا هشام حدثنا قتادة عن سالم بن أبي الجعد عن معدان بن أبي طلحة أن عمر بن الخطاب خطب يوم جمعة فذكر نبي الله صلى الله عليه و سلم وذكر أبا بكر ثم قال إني لا أدع بعدي شيئا أهم من الكلالة ما راجعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم في شيء ما راجعته في الكلالة وما أغلظ لي في شيء ما أغلظ لي فيه حتى طعن بأصبعه في صدري وقال يا عمر ألا تكفيك آية الصيف التي في آخر سورة النساء ؟ وإني إن أعش أقض فيها بقضية يقضي بها من يقرأ القرآن ومن لا يقرأ القرآن

Muhammad b. Abi Bakr al-Muqaddami and Muhammad b. al-Muthanna – Yahya b. Sa’id – Hisham – Qatadah – Salim b. Abi al-Ja’d – Ma’dan b. Abi Talhah:

‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭab delivered a sermon on Friday and mentioned the Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him, and also mentioned Abu Bakr. Then he said, “I do not abandon behind me anything more important thankalalah .I did not refer to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, concerning anything as I referred to him concerning kalalah. And he was never as harsh to me concerning anything as he was harsh to me about it , so much that he struck my chest with his fingers and said,“O ‘Umar, is the Verse of the Summer, which is at the end of Surat al-Nisa, not sufficient for you?” If I (‘Umar) lived longer, I would give judge concerning it (i.e.kalalah ) with a judgment that would be the precedent for all future judgments concerning it

by those who could read the Qur’an and those who could not read the Qur’an.”97

Imam Ahmad again documents:

حدثنا عبد الله حدثني أبي ثنا إسماعيل عن سعيد بن أبي عروبة عن قتادة عن سالم بن أبي الجعد عن معدان بن أبي طلحة قال قال عمر رضي الله عنه: ما سألت رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم عن شيء أكثر مما سألته عن الكلالة حتى طعن بأصبعه في صدري وقال تكفيك آية الصيف التي في آخر سورة النساء

‘Abd Allah (b. Ahmad b. Hanbal) – my father (Ahmad b. Hanbal) – Isma’il – Sa’id b. Abi ‘Arubah – Qatadah – Salim b. Abi al-Ja’d – Ma’dan b. Abi Talhah:

‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said:“I never asked the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, about anything more (repeatedly) than I asked him about kalalah so much that he struck my chest with his fingers and said, “O ‘Umar, is theVerse of the Summer , which is at the end ofSurat al-Nisa , not sufficient for you?”98

Shaykh al-Arnauṭ comments:

إسناده صحيح على شرط مسلم رجاله ثقات

Its chain issahih upon the standard of Muslim. Its narrators arethiqah (trustworthy).99

So, ‘Umar’s most difficult topic waskalalah . Although he was basically clueless about the other topics as well,kalalah proved the most stubborn of them to him. He repeatedly questioned the Messenger of Allah about it. It was the Prophet’s job to explain things clearly to him each time, and we believe he did that each time ‘Umar came to him. In the end, the Messenger got frustrated and baffled by ‘Umar’s inability to comprehend a fairly straightforward topic likekalalah , even after several explanations! What exactly is so difficult about it? Moreover, the Prophet thought that there was a verse aboutkalalah at the end ofSurat al-Nisa , which was fully self-explanatory and ordinarily should be sufficient for anyone without further commentary100 . Why was ‘Umar still unable to grasp it, despite the verse and the repeated explanations?

Surprisingly, ‘Umar apparently read theVerse of the Summer (before or after the Messenger of Allah referred him to it) but could not understand its simple rules. Worse still, the Prophet repeatedly explained it to him, and he nonetheless did not get it! This raises some grave concerns about ‘Umar’s comprehension skills. It also apparently reveals why the Messenger became frustrated and harsh with him.

Does justice dispensation require very high comprehension skills on the part of the judge? We leave the answer to our esteemed reader.


8. Hadith Al-Qadha, An Age Of Jungle Justice V

As the chief law enforcement officer of theUmmah , thekhalifah has the authority to arrest and prosecute anyone who commits an offence in his presence. There is no requirement anywhere that the crime must be reported to him by someone else before he could arrest and prosecute. Imam ‘Abd al-Razzaq (d. 211 H) records an instance where ‘Umar, as thekhalifah , invoked this authority:

أخبرنا عبد الرزاق قال: أخبرنا عبيد الله بن عمر عن نافع عن صفية ابنة أبي عبيد. ومعمر عن نافع عن صفية قالت: وجد عمر في بيت رجل من ثقيف خمرا، وقد كان جلده في الخمر فحرق بيته، وقال: ما اسمك؟ قال: رويشد، قال: بل أنت فويسق

‘Abd al-Razzaq – ‘Ubayd Allah b. ‘Umar AND Ma’mar – Nafi’ – Safiyyah b. Abi ‘Ubayd:

‘Umar discovered alcohol in the house of a man from (the tribe of) Thaqif. He (the man) had already been lashed for alcohol consumption in the past.Therefore, he (‘Umar) burnt his house, and asked , “What is your name?” He (the man) replied, “Ruwayshid.” He (‘Umar) retorted, “Rather, you are Fuwaysiq (an abusive word)”.101

Al-Hafiz (d. 852 H) states about the first narrator:

عبد الرزاق بن همام بن نافع الحميري مولاهم أبو بكر الصنعاني ثقة حافظ

‘Abd al-Razzaq b. Hammam b. Nafi’ al-Humayri, their freed slave, Abu Bakr al-San’ani:Thiqah (trustworthy), hafiz (a hadith scientist) .102

There are two second narrators. So, this is whatal-Hafiz has to say aboutSecond Narrator A :

عبيد الله بن عمر بن حفص بن عاصم بن عمر بن الخطاب العمري المدني أبو عثمان ثقة ثبت

‘Ubayd Allah b. ‘Umar b. Hafs b. ‘Asim b. ‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭab al-‘Umari al-Madani, Abu ‘Uthman:Thiqah (trustworthy), thabt (accurate) .103

He also says aboutSecond Narrator B :

معمر بن راشد الأزدي مولاهم أبو عروة البصري نزيل اليمن ثقة ثبت فاضل

Ma’mar b. Rashid al-Azdi, their freed slave, Abu ‘Urwah al-Basri, he lived in Yemen:Thiqah (trustworthy), thabt (accurate), fadhil (meritorious) .104

Both second narrators transmitted from Nafi’, about whom al-Hafiz states:

نافع أبو عبد الله المدني مولى ابن عمر ثقة ثبت فقيه مشهور

Nafi’, Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Madani, freed slave of Ibn ‘Umar:Thiqah (trustworthy), thabt (accurate) , a well-known jurist.105

Al-Hafiz seals it with these comments about the last narrator:

صفية بنت أبي عبيد بن مسعود الثقفية زوج بن عمر قيل لها إدراك وأنكره الدارقطني وقال العجلي ثقة

Safiyyah b. Abi ‘Ubayd b. Mas’ud al-Thaqafiyyah, the wife of Ibn ‘Umar. It is said that she met the Prophet, but al-Daraquṭni denies that. Al-‘Ijli said:Thiqah (trustworthy) .106

Safiyyah is also a narrator ofSahih Muslim .107

In summary, the above chain is impeccablysahih . Elsewhere, ‘Abd al-Razzaq has recorded the exact same report with this chain:

أخبرنا عبد الرزاق قال: أخبرنا معمر عن أيوب عن نافع عن صفية

‘Abd al-Razzak – Ma’mar –Ayub – Nafi’ – Safiyyah108

The only new name is Ayub. So, who is he? Al-Hafiz answers:

أيوب بن أبي تميمة جلس السختياني …. أبو بكر البصري ثقة ثبت حجة من كبار الفقهاء العباد

Ayub b. Abi Tamimah al-Sakhtayani, Abu Bakr al-Basri:Thiqah (trustworthy), thabt (accurate), hujjah (an authority in hadith) , from the greatest jurists and worshippers of Allah.109

In other words, theathar about ‘Umar is doublysahih !

‘Allamah al-Albani (d. 1420 H) also has some further words:

روى الدولابي في الكنى " (1 / 189) عن إبراهيم بن عبد الرحمن بن عوف قال: رأيت عمر أحرق بيت رويشد الثقفي حتى كأنه جمرة أو حمة وكان جارنا يبيع الخمر. وسنده صحيح. ورواه عبد الرزاق عن صفية بنت ابي عبيد كما في " الجامع الكبيرة " (3 / 204 / 1) وأبو عبيد في " الأموال " (ص 103) عن ابن عمر وسنده صحيح أيضا

Al-Dawlabi reported in al-Kuni (1/189) on the authority Ibrahim b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Awf that he said: “I saw ‘Umar burning the house of Ruwayshid al-Thaqafi until it became like firebrand or a hot spring.He was our neighbour who sold alcohol.” Its chain is sahih .

‘Abd al-Razzaq also narrated on the authority of Safiyyah bint Abi ‘Ubayd, as stated inal-Jami’ al-Kabirah (3/204/1) as well as Abu ‘Ubayd in al-Amwal (p. 103) on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, andits chain is sahih too .110

Interestingly, this Ruwayshid was one of the Sahabah! Al-Hafiz states:

رويشد الثقفي أبو علاج الطائفي ثم المدني له إدراك وله قصة مع عمر بسبب بيعه الشراب قال بن أبي ذئب انا سعد بن إبراهيم بن عبد الرحمن بن عوف عن أبيه ان عمر أمر باحراق بيت رويشد وكان يبيع فيه الشراب فنهاه عمر فلم ينته

Ruwayshid al-Thaqafi, Abu ‘Alaj al-Taifi al-Madani:He met the Prophet. He also had a story with ‘Umar due to his selling of alcoholic drinks . Ibn Abi Dhaib said: Sa’d b. Ibrahim b. ‘Abd al-Rahman b. ‘Awf narrated to us from his father that ‘Umar ordered that the house of Ruwayshid be burnt down.He used to sell alcoholic drinks in it. ‘Umar had warned him to desist, but he never desisted .111

Elsewhere, he reiterates:

رويشد الثقفي وله قصة مع عمر في شربه الخمر وإنما ذكرته في الصحابة لأن من كان بتلك السن في عهد عمر يكون في زمن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم مميزا لا محالة ولم يبق من قريش وثقيف أحد إلا أسلم وشهد حجة الوداع مع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم

Ruwayshid al-Thaqafi.... He had a story with ‘Umar concerning his consumption of alcohol....I have mentioned him among the Sahabah only because whosoever was of that age (as Ruwayshid) during the time of ‘Umar must certainly have been matured during the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Also, there was no one from the tribes of Quraysh and Thaqif except that he had accepted Islam and had witnessed the FarewellHajj with the Prophet, peace be upon him.112

To summarize:

Ruwayshid was one of the Sahabah of the Prophet, from the tribe of Thaqif.

He accepted Islam during the Prophet’s lifetime, met the latter, and did the FarewellHajj with him.

During the rule of ‘Umar, Ruwayshid was convicted for alcohol consumption and punished.

However, after his conviction and punishment, Ruwayshid went ahead to sell alcohol in his house.

‘Umar warned him to desist from selling alcohol, but he refused to stop.

So, ‘Umar burnt his house where he was selling the alcohol.

The story of Ruwayshid flies in the face of repeated Sunni claims about the piety and righteousness of all the Sahabah!

It is a bit unclear on what ground ‘Umar burned Ruwayshid’s home. Was it to punish him for selling alcohol? Or, was it only an effort to disable him from further trading in alcohol?

One scenario is that the house-burning was inflicted as a judicial punishment. In other words, Ruwayshid was summarily tried, convicted and penalized for trading in alcohol. ‘Umar’ judicial sentence was that his house should be burnt to ashes. However, where did ‘Umar get that idea from? Was it from the Qur’an? Was it from the Sunnah? Imam Muslim records the standard procedure in a case like this:

حدثنا أحمد بن عيسى حدثنا ابن وهب أخبرني عمرو عن بكير بن الأشج قال بينا نحن عند سليمان بن يسار إذ جاءه عبدالرحمن بن جابر حدثه فأقبل علينا سليمان فقال حدثني عبدالرحمن ابن جابر عن أبيه عن أبي بردة الأنصاري: أنه سمع رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم يقول لا يجلد أحد فوق عشرة أسواط إلا في حد من حدود الله

Ahmad b. ‘Isa – Ibn Wahb – ‘Amr – Bukayr b. al-Ashja’ Sulayman b. Yasar – ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Jabir – his father – Abu Bardah al-Ansari:

I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, saying: “None is to be given more than ten strokes of the cane (in punishment) except in the case of punishments immutably fixed by Allah.”113

So, the question is whether Allah has immutably fixed the punishment for alcohol sales business or not. Without an iota of doubt, there is no such

fixed penalty for it. Therefore, the maximum sentence that can be inflicted upon an alcohol seller is ten lashes. Apparently, ‘Umar did not follow the instructions of Allah in this regard. This brought him face-to-face against this verse:

ومن لم يحكم بما أنزل الله فأولئك هم الكافرون

Whosoever does NOT give rulings, verdicts, judgments, or commands based upon what Allah has revealed,such people are the infidels .114

Another scenario is that ‘Umar actually burnt the house down only to forcefully put Ruwayshid out of business, without any intention to touch the latter himself personally for breaking the law. This theory is further strengthened by the fact that ‘Umar had earlier warned Ruwayshid to desist (thereby confirming his full knowledge of the alcohol trade). However, he made no effort whatsoever to arrest or prosecute him. When the latter would not listen to him, he burnt down his house – which also served as his brewery and alcohol store – solely to shut down his business. Normally, a caring government closes or destroys illegal ventures within its control. This is usually to protect the public. In addition to that, the same government proceeds to prosecute the owner of the illegal business for his crime. In the case of Ruwayshid, ‘Umar merely burnt his alcohol store, but allowed him to go scotfree!

A baffling twist to this whole saga is that when another Sahabi was discovered, also engaging in alcohol business, ‘Umar simply let him be! He did not arrest him. He did not prosecute him. He did not burn his house! Imam Muslim records:

حدثنا أبو بكر بن أبي شيبة وزهير بن حرب وإسحاق بن إبراهيم (واللفظ لأبي بكر) قالوا حدثنا سفيان بن عيينة عن عمرو عن طاوس عن ابن عباس قال: بلغ عمر أن سمرة باع خمرا فقال قاتل الله سمرة ألم يعلم أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم قال لعن الله اليهود حرمت عليهم الشحوم فجملوها فباعوها

Abu Bakr b. Abi Shaybah, Zuhayr b. Harb and Ishaq b. Ibrahim – Sufyan b. ‘Uyaynah – ‘Amr – Tawus – Ibn ‘Abbas:

‘Umar was informed thatSamrah sold alcohol . So, he said, “May Allah curse Samrah! Does he not know that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: ‘May Allah curse the Jews. The fat of animals was madeharam for them. But they melt it and sold it.’”115

Imam Abu Ya’la (d. 307 H) also documents:

حدثنا أبو خيثمة و أبو سعيد قالا : حدثنا سفيان بن عيينة عن عمرو عن طاووس عن ابن عباس قال : باع سمرة خمرا فقال عمر : قاتل الله سمرة ألم يعلم أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم قال : لعن الله اليهود حرمت عليهم الشحوم فباعوها وأكلوا أثمانها ؟

Abu Khaythamah and Abu Sa’id – Sufyan b. ‘Uyaynah – ‘Amr – Tawus – Ibn ‘Abbas:

Samrah sold alcohol . So, ‘Umar said, “May Allah curse Samrah! Does he not know that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, ‘May Allah

curse the Jews. The fat of animals was madeharam for them. So, they sold it and ate its price.’”116

Shaykh Dr. Asad comments:

إسناده صحيح

Its chain issahih 117

Samrah was a prominent Sahabi. He too traded in alcohol. But, what was ‘Umar’s response? He merely cursed him by name, and that was it! There was no arrest, and no prosecution! Samrah’s house was equally left intact.


18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70