حدثنا عبد الله بن يوسف حدثنا الليث قال حدثني سعيد بن أبي سعيد أنه سمع أبا هريرة رضي الله عنه قال بعث النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم خيلا قبل نجد فجاءت برجل من بني حنيفة يقال له ثمامة بن أثال فربطوه بسارية من سواري المسجد فخرج إليه النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال ما عندك يا ثمامة فقال عندي خير يا محمد إن تقتلني تقتل ذا دم وإن تنعم تنعم على شاكر وإن كنت تريد المال فسل منه ما شئت فترك حتى كان الغد ثم قال له ما عندك يا ثمامة قال ما قلت لك إن تنعم تنعم على شاكر فتركه حتى كان بعد الغد
فقال ما عندك يا ثمامة فقال عندي ما قلت لك فقال أطلقوا ثمامة فانطلق إلى نخل قريب من المسجد فاغتسل ثم دخل المسجد فقال أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأشهد أن محمدا رسول الله يا محمد والله ما كان على الأرض وجه أبغض إلي من وجهك فقد أصبح وجهك أحب الوجوه إلي والله ما كان من دين أبغض إلي من دينك فأصبح دينك أحب الدين إلي والله ما كان من بلد أبغض إلي من بلدك فأصبح بلدك أحب البلاد إلي وإن خيلك أخذتني وأنا أريد العمرة فماذا ترى فبشره رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وأمره أن يعتمر فلما قدم مكة قال له قائل صبوت قال لا ولكن أسلمت مع محمد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ولا والله لا يأتيكم من اليمامة حبة حنطة حتى يأذن فيها النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم
زاد ابن هشام " ثم خرج إلى اليمامة فمنعهم أن يحملوا إلى مكة شيئا ، فكتبوا إلى النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - : إنك تأمر بصلة الرحم ، فكتب إلى ثمامة أن يخلي بينهم وبين الحمل إليهم "
Amongst the many indignations Muslim cyber warriors are expressing, is the horror at Erdogan for supplying medical aid to both the Palestinians and the Zionist entity. I have not read any details, and do not care to. I am not required to read every news item on the net. There may even be some detail which justifies the indignation, which I am not aware of. However, the language used makes it clear that the very act of the humanitarian gesture is the cause for upset. This concerns me for once we lose our bearings and guidance from the humane ways of Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ, we have already lost a battle in the war, for the enemy has made us less Muslim than what we are supposed to be.
I strongly advise every Muslim to be acquainted with the biography Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ. It will increase your love for him. It will not qualify you to pronounce a decree on every single issue you feel entitled to comment on, but at the very least it will shape your outlook in a manner pleasing to Allāh. There is no excuse in this era for any literate person to know more about Hollywood and sports stars than what they know about Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ .
In the interim I present you with a Ḥadīth, which Imāms Muslim and ʾal-Bukhārī have authenticated. I do not present this as categoric support for Erdogan’s actions, but as a general balance against what I see as the unnecessary and ignorant harshness of sectors of Muslims.
First a Comment on Turkish Generosity
After all these years I have still not decided what to think about Erdogan. Is he the greatest Muslim leader of the century with some serious flaws, doing the best he can, or the greatest deceiver we currently face? Allāh knows best.
What I do know is that history testifies to the Turkish people as being generous, hospitable to fellow Muslims and chivalrous to non-Muslims. I do not doubt that some of this must flow in Erdogan’s veins, for such qualities were found in the worst amongst Turks.
Sulṭān ʿAbdul Majīd I destroyed the reality of the Islamic Ottoman system and as much as Ottoman romanticists will howl at me, ʾAbdul Majīd was the seminal seculariser of Turkey almost a century before the Republic. Yet we must admit to his Turkish manners. When the English were starving the Catholic Irish, he went out of his way to show his humanitarianism to people far away who were not Muslims. You can read more about this HERE.
Perhaps the worse being ever to be called a Turk, “Kemal” something-or-the-other, was reported to be chivalrous enough to write a letter of condolence to the mothers of Allied troops who had died at Gallipoli. Historians dispute the attribution, but the fact that the myth was believed for long could only be believed by a world which had experienced examples of such Turkish chivalry in fact.
Context of the Ḥadīth
Some facts need to be understood in the context of the Ḥadith:
- Thumāmah رضي الله عنه was the chief of Banū Ḥanīfah in Yamāmah and a vicious enemy of Islām.
- The Quraysh were experiencing severe famine.
- They were desperately dependent upon wheat imported from Yamāmah, without which they would be destroyed.
The Ḥadīth of Thumāmah bin ʾUthāl رضي الله عنه
The Prophet ﷺ sent cavalry to Najd. They returned with a man [captured] from Banū Ḥanīfah named ʾThumāmah bin ʾUthāl. They tied him to a pillar amongst the pillars of the Masjid. The Prophet ﷺ came to him and asked, “What do you have, O Thumāmah?”
“I have much wealth, O Muḥammad,” he replied, “If you slay me you slay one whose blood [will be avenged], if you are kind to me, you will be kind to one who is grateful. If you want wealth, then ask of him what you will.”
He was left till the next day. [Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ] then asked, “What do you have, O Thumāmah?”
“Exactly what I told you before,” he replied, “If you are kind to me you will be kind to one who is grateful.”
He was again left for the next day. [Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ] then asked, “What do you have, O Thumāmah?”
“I have what I told you!” he replied.
Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ commanded, “Release Thumāmah.”
He then went to palms near the Masjid, bathed and then re-entered the Masjid, declaring, “I testify that there is no god besides Allāh, and I testify that Muḥammad is Allāh Messenger. O Muḥammad! By Allāh, there used to be no face on earth more despicable to me than your face. Now your face has become the most beloved of all faces unto me. By Allāh, there used to be no religion on earth more despicable to me than your religion. Now your religion has become the most beloved of all religions unto me. By Allāh, there used to be no city on earth more despicable to me than your city. Now your city has become the most beloved of all cities unto me. When your cavalry captured me, I was on my way to perform ʿUmrah, so what is your view on the matter?”
Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ gave him glad tidings and commanded him to proceed with his pilgrimage. When he reached Makkah, someone said, “O you apostate!”
“No,” he replied, “I have submitted with Muḥammad, the Messenger of Allāh, Allāh’s salutations and peace be upon him. By Allāh, never and again I say never will a grain of wheat reach you from Yamāmah, until the Prophet ﷺ permits it.
[End of Ḥadīth]
Ibn Ḥajar in his commentary on ʾal-Bukhārī, Fatḥul Bārī, quotes Ibn Hishām that Thumāmah رضي الله عنه cut off all exports to Makkah when he returned to Yamāmah. The Quraysh wrote to complain to Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ. He commanded Thumāmah رضي الله عنه to lift the embargo.
Situations need to be judged on an individual basis. Leaders may make decisions which are right or wrong, which we agree with or dislike. Whatever the situation, the biography of Allāh’s Messenger ﷺ is a guiding light. If the specifics do not fit a particular situation, then at the very least the guiding principles should always be kept in mind.
سليمان الكندي
@sulayman_kindi
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