Page 14 Page 15 The Islamic Bulletin Issue 13 other people’s possessions. He seems oblivious of the fact that this life on this earth is temporal and that no one could ever make use of all his amassed wealth in that short period, nor take one little bit of it with him when he leaves it. But why does man struggle to hoard wealth for its own sake? The reason is that his greed makes him obvious to the certainty of death; he is hopeful of cheating death at least until he has satisfied all his desires. This false hope is referred to in Muhammad’s (SAW) hadith wherein he says: ‘I have not seen a conviction that is equal to doubt as the certainty about death.’ In His wisdom and cherishing care, Allah has been careful to curb the lust for possession, by condemning the acquisition by unlawful means or false pretenses of another person’s properties and possessions. He established these laws to protect every member of society, and to teach us to observe the rights of others. Thus He forbids us to acquire wealth by unlawful means, to touch an orphan’s property or to take personal advantage of it if we are appointed as guardian over him and so on. Through these laws, Allah safeguards the rights of both the weak and the powerful. This balance although it may appear paradoxical, is unequivocally sound, because when Allah has forbidden us from coveting the property of others, He has also forbidden society as a whole from transgressing against its members or abusing their right. He has protected the lawful rights of the weak from the strong. If Allah had permitted the strong to wrongfully seize the property of the weak, He would have given society access to the weak man’s money and wealth. Here we see Allah’s justice. He protects the weak and shields the strong from the bias society. The legislation has been made to enhance the welfare of the whole of society and ensure its’ harmony. He has also decreed that the rich should be charitable and allot some of their wealth to the poor so that the whole society can enjoy a peaceful life, purged from envy. Only in a healthy climate of this nature can fellowship, co-operation and concern for one another grow. This is only one example of Allah’s legislation. It has been set forth as a barrier against the greed of those who are obsessed with the uncontrollable desire to hoard wealth, regardless of the means of its acquisition or the persons they acquire it from; these laws have come to protect these same persons from their own shortcomings and lusts. Regarding physical lust and the physical relationship between man and woman, we find that God has also established certain rules which ensure that this relationship does not become a source of corruption in society. It is told that a man once came to Muhammad (SAW): and, after declaring his allegiance to him and professing his Islam, added that he was fond of women and could not restrain his desires, and asked the Prophet (SAW) if he was free to pursue this habit. Muhammad (SAW) did not feel offended, nor did he chastise him. Instead he calmly and wisely explained to him the underlying purpose of the rules decreed by Allah on that issue, in a clear and instructive way that could be fully comprehended by the man. He asked him if he would accept that his lust be practiced with his mother. This question seemed to offend the man and he said, ‘No’. The Prophet continued, ‘Would you accept it be done to your sister?’ This second suggestion seemed to increase the man’s anger and he vehemently answered, ‘No’. But Muhammad ignored his outburst and said, ‘Would you allow it to be committed with your wife?’ The man could not control his anger and shouted, ‘Never, never!’ Then Muhammad (SAW) concluded ‘Neither do any of us, my Arab brother’. With this simple dialogue Muhammad (SAW) was able to make the foolish man realize that Allah’s legislation were made to protect his mother, his sister and his wife from an act that no honest man who had any pride in himself would approve of. If anyone paid heed to this dialogue before committing any act of adultery he would never indulge in such sin. The legislation has therefore come to refine our instincts and to protect the individual himself as well as his own kin. Through this legislation, Allah has shown us that all men are equal before Him and that His justice knows no discrimination or bias. No one escaped His punishment if he breaks His laws; anyone is chastised if he embarks on a way of wrong-doing and corruption that endangers the fabric of society. But there are persons who have no concern for others’ interests and rights. They feel no remorse for cheating others and yet do not accept to be themselves cheated; they feel free to slander them, yet are immensely offended if they are slandered, forgetting that when God set forth His funding laws, He made no allowance for one over the other, no matter how strong and wealthy the former, or how poor and deprived the latter. His justice is even-handed and its primary aim is to ensure the welfare of society as a whole, and to protect mankind from its own destructive desires. When Allah decrees anything, His ultimate purpose is to educate and refine the human self, to nurture its inner spiritual values and to inculcate in it the values of justice and concern for the rights of others, thereby elevating man above all other creatures, and at the same time laying down the foundation for a healthy society that is guided and governed in its interactions by these divine laws. In His discipline, Allah lays down the foundation for the kind of society that can live in harmony on earth. He alone has the power to do this because His power transcends all human power and knowledge. He has created this universe and harnessed its forces for the service of man. If Allah has created all these forces for the benefit of man, whose mental and physical powers are greatly limited, then He is better qualified to plan for him the perfect order for a righteous and happy life on this earth. Man no matter how far his knowledge may reach or how vain and ambitious he may be, cannot pretend that he is better qualified than his Creator, nor can he match His skill in planning his own right way. Man is not without ambition and desires, and these shortcomings are likely to leave their mark on any plan he might set out for Himself or for others. In contrast, Allah is without ambition, and as His ultimate purpose is the welfare of whole of mankind, His plan is sure to be perfect and just. Abdullah Ibn Sallam Al-Husayn ibn Sallam was a Jewish rabbi in Yathrib who was widely respected and honored by the people of the city, even by those who were not Jewish. He was known for his piety and goodness, his upright conduct and his truthfulness. Al-Husayn lived a peaceful and gentle life but he was serious, purposeful and organized in the way he spent his time. For a fixed period each day, he would teach and preach in the temple. Then he would spend some time in his orchard, looking after date palms, pruning and pollinating. Thereafter, to increase his understanding and knowledge of his religion, he would devote himself to the study of the Torah.In this study, it is said, he was particularly struck by some verses of the Torah which dealt with the coming of a Prophet who would complete the message of previous Prophets. Al-Husayn therefore took an immediate and keen interest when he heard reports of the appearance of a Prophet in Makkah. He said: «When I heard of the appearance of the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, I began to make inquiries about his name, his genealogy, his characteristics his time and place and I began to compare this information with what is contained in our books. From these enquiries, I became convinced about the authenticity of his Prophethood and I affirmed the truth of his mission. However, I concealed my conclusions from the Jews. I held my tongue... Then came the day when the Prophet, peace be on him, left Makkah and headed for Yathrib. When he reached Yathrib and stopped at Quba, a man came rushing into the city calling out to people and announcing the arrival of the Prophet. At that moment, I was at the top of a palm tree doing some work. My aunt Khalidah bint al-Harith, was sitting under the tree. On hearing the news, I shouted: ‘Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!’ ‘God is Great! God is Great!’ When my aunt heard my takbir, she remonstrated with me: ‘May God frustrate you ... By God, if you had heard that Moses was coming you would not have been more enthusiastic.’ ‘Auntie, he is really by God, the ‘brother’ of Moses and follows his religion. He was sent with the same mission as Moses.’ She was silent for a while and then said: ‘Is he the Prophet about whom you spoke to us who would be sent to confirm the truth preached by previous (Prophets) and complete the message of his Lord?’ ‘Yes.’ I replied. Without any delay or hesitation, I went out to meet the Prophet. I saw crowds of people at his door. I moved about in the crowds until I reached close to him. The first words I heard him say were: ‘O people! Spread peace ... Share food ... Pray during the night while people (normally) sleep... and you will enter Paradise in peace...’ I looked at him closely. I scrutinized him and was convinced that his face was not that of an imposter. I went closer to him and made the declaration of faith that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. The Prophet turned to me and asked: ‘What is your name?’ ‘Al-Husayn ibn Sallam,’ I replied. ‘Instead, it is (now) Abdullah ibn Sallam (it shall be). By Him who has sent you with the Truth, I do not wish to have another name after this day.’ I returned home and introduced Islam to my wife, my children and the rest of my household. They all accepted Islam including my aunt Khalidah who was then an old lady. However, I advised them then to conceal our acceptance of Islam from the Jews until I gave them permission. They agreed. Subsequently, I went back to the Prophet, peace be on him and said: “O Messenger of God! The Jews are a people (inclined to) slander and falsehood. I want you to invite their most prominent men to meet you. (During the meeting however), you should keep me concealed from them in one of your rooms. Ask them then about my status among them before they find out of my acceptance of Islam. Then invite them to Islam. If they were to know that I have become a Muslim, they would denounce me and accuse me of everything base and slander me.” The Prophet kept me in one of his rooms and invited the prominent Jewish personalities to visit him. He introduced Islam to them and urged them to have faith in God... They began to dispute and argue with him about the Truth. When he realized that they were not inclined to accept Islam, he put the question to them: “What is the status of Al-Husayn ibn Sallam among you?” “He is our sayyid (Leader) and the son of our sayyid. He is our rabbi and our alim (scholar) the son of our rabbi and alim.” “If you come to know that he has accepted Islam, would you accept Islam also?” asked the Prophet. “God forbid! He would not accept Islam. May God protect him from accepting Islam,” they said (horrified). At this point I came in full view of them and announced: “O assembly of God! Be conscious of God and accept what Muhammad has brought. By God, you certainly know that he is the Messenger of God and you can find prophecies about him and mention of his name and characteristics in your Torah. I for my part declare that he is the Messenger of God. I have faith in him and believe that he is true. I know him.” “You are a liar, they shouted. “By God, you are evil and ignorant, the son of an evil and ignorant person.” They continued to heap every conceivable abuse on me...» Abdullah ibn Sallam approached Islam with a soul thirsty for knowledge. He was passionately devoted to The Quran and spent much time reciting and studying its beautiful and sublime verses. He was deeply attached to the noble Prophet and was constantly in his company. Much of his time he spent in the masjid engaged in worship, in learning and in teaching. He was known for his sweet, moving and effective way of teaching study circles of Sahabah who assembled regularly in the Prophet’s mosque. Abdullah ibn Sallam was known among the Sahabah as ‘a man from ahl-al-Jannah’ - the people of paradise. This was because of his determination of the advice of the Prophet to hold steadfastly to the ‘most trustworthy handhold’ that is belief in and total submission to God.
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