Wages – Kitab Al-Ijarah

Sunan Abu-Dawud | Book 23

Hadeeth: Sunan Abu-Dawud
Kitab:  Al−Ijarah | Wages
Introduction to Partial Translation of Sunnan Abu-Dawud
Translator: Prof. Ahmed Hasan

3409: Narrated Ubaydah ibn as−Samit:
I taught some persons of the people of Suffah writing and the Qur’an. A man of them presented to me a bow. I said: It cannot be reckoned property; may I shoot with it in Allah’s path? I must come to the Apostle of of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) and ask him (about it). So I came to him and said : Apostle of Allah peace_be_upon_him), one of those whom I have been teaching writing and the Qur’an has presented me a bow, and as it cannot be reckoned property, may I shoot with it in Allah’s path? He said: If you want to have a necklace of fire on you, accept it.

3413: Narrated Alaqah ibn Sahar at−Tamimi:
Alaqah passed by a clan (of the Arab) who came to him and said: You have brought what is good from this man. Then they brought a lunatic in chains. He recited Surat al−Fatihah over him three days, morning and evening. When he finished, he collected his saliva and then spat it out, (he felt relief) as if he were set free from a bond. They gave him something (as wages). He then came to the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and mentioned it to him. The Apostle of Allah(peace_be_upon_him) said: Accept it, for by my life, some accept it for a worthless charm, but you have done so far a genuine one.

3414: Narrated Rafi’ ibn Khadij:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The earnings of a cupper are impure, the price paid for a dog is impure, and the hire paid to a prostitute is impure.

3415: Narrated Muhayyisah ibn Ka’b:
Muhayyisah asked permission of the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) regarding hire of the cupper, but he forbade him. He kept on asking his permission, and at last he said to him: Feed your watering camel with it and feed your slave with it.

3419: Narrated Rafi’ ibn Rifa’ah:
Tariq ibn AbdurRahman al−Qarashi said: Rafi’ ibn Rifa’ah came to a meeting of the Ansar and said: The Prophet of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) forbade us (from some things) today, and he mentioned some things. He forbade the earning of a slave−girl except what she earned with her hand. He indicated (some things) with his fingers such as baking, spinning, and ginning.

3421: Narrated AbuMas’ud:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) forbade the price paid for a dog, the hire paid to a prostitute, and the gift given to a soothsayer.

3422: Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) forbade (taking hire for) a stallion’s covering.

3423: Narrated Umar ibn al−Khattab:
AbuMajidah said: I cut the ear of a boy, or he cut my ear (the narrator is doubtful). AbuBakr then came to us to perform hajj and we got together with him. But he referred us to Umar ibn al−Khattab. Umar (ibn al−Khattab) said: This reached the extent of retaliation. Call a cupper to me so that he may retaliate. When the cupper was called, he (Umar) said: I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) say: I gave a boy to my maternal aunt, and I hope that she will be blessed in respect of him. I said to her: Do not entrust him to a supper, nor to a goldsmith, nor to a butcher.

3428: Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If anyone buys a slave who possesses property, his property belongs to the seller unless the buyer makes a proviso.

3433: Narrated Anas ibn Malik:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: A townsman must not sell for a man from the desert, even if he is his brother or father.

3434: Narrated Talhah ibn Ubaydullah:
Salim al−Makki said that a bedouin told him that he brought a milch she−camel in the time of the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him). He alighted with Talhah ibn Ubaydullah (and wanted to sell his milch animal to him). He said: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) forbade a townsman to sell for a man from the desert. But go to the market and see who buys from you. consult me thereafter, and then I shall ask you (to sell) or forbid you.

3437: Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) forbade payment for cat.

3439: Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If anyone buys a sheep whose udders have been tied up, he has option for three days (for decision). If he returns it, he should return with it wheat equal to its milk or double of it.

3442: Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas’ud:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) forbade to break the coins of the Muslims current among them except for some defect.

3443: Narrated AbuHurayrah:
A man came and said: Apostle of Allah, fix prices. He said: (No), but I shall pray. Again the man came and said: Apostle of Allah, fix prices. He said: It is but Allah Who makes the prices low and high. I hope that when I meet Allah, none of you has any claim on me for doing wrong regarding blood or property.

3444: Narrated Anas ibn Malik:
The people said: Apostle of Allah , prices have shot up, so fix prices for us. Thereupon the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: Allah is the one Who fixes prices, Who withholds, gives lavishly and provides, and I hope that when I meet Allah, none of you will have any claim on me for an injustice regarding blood or property.

3449: Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al−’As:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Both parties in a business transaction have a right to annul it so long as they have not separated unless it is a bargain with the option to annul is attached to it; and it is not permissible for one of them to separate from the other for fear that one may demand that the bargain be rescinded.

3450: Narrated AbuBarzah:
AbulWadi’, Abbad ibn Nasib said: We fought one of our battle, and encamped at a certain place. One of our companions sold a horse for a slave. After that they remained there for the rest of day and night. When the next morning came, they prepared themselves for departure. The buyer of the horse began to saddle it, but the seller was ashamed (of the transaction). He went to the man (buyer) and asked him to annul the transaction. The man refused to hand it over (the horse) to him. He said: AbuBarzah, the companion of the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him), is to decide between me and you.

They went to Abu Barzah in the corner of the army. They related this story to him. He said: Do you agree that I make a decision between you on the basis of the decision of the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him)? The Apostle of Allah(peace_be_upon_him) said: Both parties in a business transaction have an option (right) to annul it so long as they have not separated. Hisham to Hassan said that Jamil said in his version: “I do not think that you separated.”

3451: Narrated Abu Hurayrah:
When AbuZur’ah made a business transaction with a man, he gave him the right of option. He then would tell him: Give me the right of option (to annul the bargain). He said: I heard Abu Hurayrah say: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: Two people must separate only by mutual consent.

3453: Narrated Abu Hurayrah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If anyone rescinds a sale with a Muslim, Allah will cancel his slip, on the Day of Resurrection.

3454: Narrated Abu Hurayrah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If anyone makes two transactions combined in one bargain, he should have the lesser of the two or it will involve usury.

3455: Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:
I heard the Apostle of Allah, (peace_be_upon_him) say: When you enter into the inah transaction, hold the tails of oxen, are pleased with agriculture, and give up conducting jihad (struggle in the way of Allah). Allah will make disgrace prevail over you, and will not withdraw it until you return to your original religion.

3459: Narrated Abdullah ibn Abu Awfa ibn Abu Awfa al−Aslami:
We made a journey to Syria on an expedition along with the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him). The Nabateans of Syria came to us and we paid in advance to them (in a salam contract) in wheat and olive oil at a specified rate and for a specified time. He asked (by the people): you might have contracted with him who had these things in his possession? He replied: We did not ask them.

3460: Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:
A man paid in advance for a palm−tree. It did not bear fruit that year. They brought their case for decision to the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him). He said: for which do you make his property lawful? He then said: Do not pay in advance for a palm−tree till they (the fruits) were clearly in good condition.

3461: Narrated Abu Sa’id al−Khudri:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If anyone pays in advance he must not transfer it to someone else before he receives it.

3470: Narrated A man:
A man from the immigrants of the Companions of the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: I participated in battle three times along with the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him). I heard him say: Muslims have common share in three (things). grass, water and fire.

3471: Narrated Iyas ibn Abd:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) forbade the sale of excess water.

3472: Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) forbade payment for dog and cat.

3475: Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) forbade the price paid for a dog; if

someone comes to ask for the price of a dog, fill his hand−palm with dust.

3477: Narrated Abu Hurayrah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The price paid for a dog, the price given to a soothsayer, and the hire paid to a prostitute are not lawful.

3482: Narrated Al−Mughirah ibn Shu’bah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: He who sold wine should shear the flesh of swine.

3488: Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) forbade to sell grain which one buys by

measurement until one receives it in full.

3492: Narrated Zayd ibn Thabit:
Ibn Umar said: I bought olive oil in the market. When I became its owner, a man met me and offered good profit for it. I intended to settle the bargain with him, but a man caught hold of my hand from behind. When I turned I found that he was Zayd ibn Thabit. He said: Do not sell it on the spot where you have bought it until you take it to your house, for the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) forbade to sell the goods where they are bought until the tradesmen take them to their houses.

3494: Narrated Anas ibn Malik:
During the time of the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) a man used to buy (goods), and he was weak in his intellect. His people came to the Prophet of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) and said: Prophet of Allah, stop so−and−so (to make a bargain) for he buys (goods), but he is weak in his intellect. So the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) called on him and forbade him to make a bargain. He said: Prophet of Allah, I cannot keep away myself from business transactions. Thereupon the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: If you cannot give up making a bargain , then say: Take , and give, and there is no attempt to deceive.

3495: Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al−’As:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) forbade the type of transactions in which earnest money was paid. Malik said: This means, as we think − Allah better knows−that a man buys a slave or hires an animal, and he says: I give you a dinar on condition that if I give up the transaction or hire, what I gave you is yours.

3496: Narrated Hakim ibn Hizam:
Hakim asked (the Prophet): Apostle of Allah, a man comes to me and wants me to sell him something which is not in my possession. Should I buy it for him from the market? He replied: Do not sell what you do not possess.

3499: Narrated Uqbah ibn Amir:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The contractual obligation of a slave is three days.

3501: Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: Profit follows responsibility.

3502: Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin:
Makhlad ibn Khufaf al−Ghifari said: I and some people were partners in a slave. I employed him on some work in the absence of one of the partners. He got earnings for me. He disputed me and the case of his claim to his share in the earnings to a judge, who ordered me to return the earnings (i.e. his share) to him. I then came to Urwah ibn az−Zubayr, and related the matter to him. Urwah then came to him and narrated to him a tradition from the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) on the authority of Aisha: Profit follows responsibility.

3503: Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin:
A man bought a slave, and he remained with him as long as Allah wished him to remain. He then found defect in him. He brought his dispute with him to the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and he returned him to him. The man said: Apostle of Allah, my slave earned some wages. The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) then said: Profit follows responsibility.

3504: Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas’ud:
Muhammad ibn al−Ash’ath said: Al−Ash’ath bought slaves of booty from Abdullah ibn Mas’ud for twenty thousand (dirhams. Abdullah asked him for payment of their price. He said: I bought them for ten thousand (dirhams). Abdullah said: Appoint a man who may adjudicate between me and you. Al−Ash’ath said: (I appoint) you between me and yourself. Abdullah said: I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) say: If both parties in a business transaction differ (on the price of an article), and they have witness between them, the statement of the owner of the article will be accepted (as correct) or they may annul the transaction.

3508: Narrated Abu Hurayrah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: When land has been divided and boundaries have been set up, there is no right of pre−emption in it.

3510: Narrated Samurah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: A neighbour has the best claim to the house or land of the neighbour.

3511: Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The neighbour is most entitled to the right of pre−emption, and he should wait for its exercise even if he is absent, when the two properties have one road.

3513: Narrated Abu Bakr ibn AbdurRahman ibn al−Harith ibn Hisham:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If a man sells (his) property and the man who buys it becomes insolvent, and the seller does not receive the price of the property he had sold, but finds his very property with him (i.e. the buyer), he is more entitled to it (than others). If the buyer dies, then the owner of the property is equal to the creditors.

3515: Narrated Abu Hurayrah:
A similar tradition (to the No. 3513) has been transmitted by AbuHurayrah from the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him). This version has: If he paid something from its price, then he will be equal to the creditors in the remaining price. If a man dies and he has the very property of a man (i.e. seller), he is equal to the creditors whether he (the buyer) pays him (the price) or not.

3516: Narrated Abu Hurayrah:
Umar ibn Khaldah said: We came to AbuHurayrah who had become insolvent. He said: I shall decide between you on the basis of the decision of the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him): If anyone becomes insolvent or dies and the man (the seller) finds his very property with him, he is more entitled to it (than others).

3517: Narrated Amir ash−Sha’bi:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If anyone finds an animal whose owners were helpless to provide fodder to it and so they turned it out (of their house), and he took it and looked after it, it will belong to him.

3518: Narrated ash−Sha’bi:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If anyone leaves an animal at a place of perishing and another man brings it to life, it belongs to him who brings it to life.

3520: Narrated Umar ibn al−Khattab:
Reported the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) as saying: There are people from the servants of Allah who are neither prophets nor martyrs; the prophets and martyrs will envy them on the Day of Resurrection for their rank from Allah, the Most High. They (the people) asked: Tell us, Apostle of Allah, who are they? He replied: They are people who love one another for the spirit of Allah (i.e. the Qur’an), without having any mutual kinship and giving property to one. I swear by Allah, their faces will glow and they will be (sitting) in (pulpits of) light. They will have no fear (on the Day) when the people will have fear, and they will not grieve when the people will grieve. He then recited the following Qur’anic verse: “Behold! Verily for the friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve.”

3521: Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin:
The aunt of Umarah ibn Umayr asked Aisha: I have an orphan in my guardianship. May I enjoy from his property? She said: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: The pleasantest things a man enjoys come from what he earns, and his child comes from what he earns.

3522: Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) Said: The children of a man come from what he earns, rather they are his pleasantest earning; so enjoy from their property.

3523: Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al−’As:
A man came to the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and said: Apostle of Allah, I have property and children, and my father finishes my property. He replied; You and your property belong to your father; your children come from the pleasantest of what you earn; so enjoy from the earning of your children.

3524: Narrated Samurah ibn Jundub:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If anyone finds his very property with a man, he is more entitled to it (than anyone else), and the buyer should pursue the one who sold it.

3527: Narrated Yusuf ibn Malik al−Makki:
I used to write (the account of) the expenditure incurred on orphans who were under the guardianship of so−and−so. They cheated him by one thousand dirhams and he paid these (this amount) to them. I then got double the property which they deserved. I said (to the man: Take one thousand (dirhams) which they have taken from you (by cheating). He said: No, my father has told me that he heard the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) say: Pay the deposit to him who deposited it with you, and do not betray him who betrays you.

3528: Narrated AbuHurayrah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Pay the deposit to him who deposited it with you, and do not betray him who betrayed you.

3530: Narrated Abu Hurayrah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: I swear by Allah, I shall not accept gift from anyone after this day except from an immigrant Qarashi, an Ansari a Dawsi or a Thaqafi.

3532: Narrated Abdullah Ibn Umar ;
Abdullah Ibn Abbas: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: It is not lawful for a man to make a donation or give a gift and then take it back, except a father regarding what he gives his child. One who gives a gift and then takes it back is like a dog which eats and vomits when it is full, then returns to its vomit.

3533: Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al−’As:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The similitude of the one who takes back what he gifted is like that of a dog which vomits and then it eats vomit. When a donor seeks to take back (his gift), it should be made known and he informed why he sought to take it back. Then whatever he donated should be returned to him.

3534: Narrated Abu Umamah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If anyone intercedes for his brother and he presents a gift to him for it and he accepts it, he approaches a great door of the doors of usury.

3537: Narrated An−Nu’man ibn Bashir:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Act equally between your children; Act equally between your sons.

3540: Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al−’As:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: It is not permissible for a woman to present a gift (from her husband’s property) except with the permission of her husband.

3544: Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If anyone is given life−tenancy, it belongs to him and to his descendants. His descendants who inherit him will inherit from it.

3549: Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Do not give property to go to the survivor and do not give life−tenancy. If anyone is given something to the survivor or given life−tenancy, it goes to his heirs.

3550: Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) decided a case of a woman from the Ansar to whom an orchard of date−palms was given by her son. She then died. Her son said: I gave it to her for her life, and she has brothers. Thereupon the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: It belongs to her during her life and after death. He then said: I gave a sadaqah (charity to her. He replied: It is more unexpected from you.

3551: Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: Life−tenancy is lawful for the one to whom it is given and donation of property to go to the survivor is lawful to whom it is given.

3552: Narrated Zayd ibn Thabit:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If anyone gives something in life−tenancy, it belongs to the one to whom it is given, in his life and after his death; and do not give property to go to the survivor, for if anyone gives something to to to the survivor, it belongs to him.

3555: Narrated Samurah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: The hand which takes is responsible till it pays. Then Al−Hasan forgot and said: (If you give something on loan to a man), he

is your depositor; there is no compensation (for it) on him.

3555a: Narrated Safwan ibn Umayyah:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) borrowed coats of mail from him on the day of (the battle of) Hunayn. He asked: Are you taking them by force. Muhammad? He replied: No, it is a loan with a guarantee of their return.

3556: Narrated Some people:
AbdulAziz ibn Rufay’ narrated on the authority of some people from the descendants of Abdullah ibn Safwan who reported the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) as saying: Have you weapons, Safwan? He asked: On loan or by force? He replied: No, but on loan. So he lent him coats of mail numbering between thirty and forty!

The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) fought the battle of Hunayn. When the polytheists were defeated, the coats of mail of Safwan were collected. Some of them were lost. The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said to Safwan: We have lost some coats of mail from your coats of mail. Should we pay compensation to you? He replied: No. Apostle of Allah, for I have in my heart today what I did not have that day.

3558: Narrated Abu Umamah:
I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) Said: Allah , Most Exalted, has appointed for everyone who has a right what is due to him, and no will be made to an heir, and a woman should not spend anything from her house except with the permission of her husband. He was asked: Even foodgrain, Apostle of Allah? He replied: That is the best of our property. He then said: A loan must be paid back, a she−camel lent for a time for milking must be returned, a debt must be discharged, one who stands surety is held responsible.

3559: Narrated Ya’la ibn Umayyah:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said to me: When my messengers come to you, give them thirty coats of mail, and thirty camels. I asked: Apostle of Allah, is it a loan with a guarantee of its return, or a loan to be paid back? He replied : It is a loan to be paid back.

3561: Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin:
I saw no one cooking food like Safiyyah. She cooked food for the Apostle of Allah

(peace_be_upon_him) and sent it. I became angry and broke the vessel. I then asked: Apostle of Allah, what is the atonement for what I have done? He replied: A vessel like (this) vessel and food like (this) food.

3562: Narrated Muhayyisah:
The she−camel of Bara’ ibn Azib entered the garden of a man and did damage to it. The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) gave decision that the owners of properties are responsible for guarding them by day, and the owners of animals are responsible for guarding them by night.

3563: Narrated Al−Bara’ ibn Azib:
Al−Bara’ had a she−camel which was accustomed to graze the standing crop belonging to the people. She entered a garden and did damage to it. The Apostle of

Allah (peace_be_upon_him) was informed about it. So he gave decision that the owners of gardens are responsible for guarding them by day, and the owners of the animals are responsible for guarding them by night. Any damage done by animals during the night is a responsibility lying on their owners.

Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith

Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith
أبو سفيان بن الحارث‎

Sahabah:
Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith

The Companions of Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him)

Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan

Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan
رملة بنت أبي سفيان

Sahabiyat :
Umm Habibah – Ramlah bint Abu Sufyan
Ummuhàtul-Mu’minnin
Female Companions of the Prophet Mohammad’s Era.

Umm Habibah
Ramlah bint abu sufyan

Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan, رملة بنت أبي سفيان, aka Umm Habiba, أم حبيبة, was the daughter of Abu Sufyan. She was born c. 589 and died in 666. She was one of the wives of Muhammad, the final prophet in Islam and therefore a Mother of the Believers.

Early life

She was the daughter of Safiyyah bint Abi al-‘As and Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, the leader of Quraish and the most powerful opponent of Muhammad for most of his life. The First Ummayad ruler, Muawiyah I was her brother. Ramlah was related to Uthman ibn Affan. They were first cousins on mother’s side and second cousins by her father’s side.

Marriage with Ubayd-Allah ibn Jahsh

Her first husband, Ubayd-Allah ibn Jahsh  was among the first people to accept Islam. Ubayd-Allah ibn Jahsh was the brother of Zaynab bint Jahsh, whom Muhammad married at some point. In order to avoid hostilities from Quraish, they both emigrated to Abyssinia (Ethiopia), where she gave birth to her daughter, Habibah bint Ubayd-Allah.

Her husband, later, converted to Christianity. He tried to persuade her to do the same, but she held on to Islam. His conversion led to their divorce. She continued to live in Abyssinia with her daughter until Ubayd-Allah’s death sometime later.

Marriage to Muhammad

There are contradictory sources. One claims that when Muhammad came to know about what had happened to her, so he decided to propose to her through the Negus, who sent Abraha, one of his maids, with Muhammad’s proposal. Ramlah gladly accepted the proposal, and gave her silver bangles and rings as a gift to Abraha.

The marriage ceremony took place in Abyssinia even though Muhammad was not present. Khalid ibn Said was chosen by her as her legal guardian at the ceremony. The Negus read out the Khutba himself, and Khalid ibn Said made a speech in reply. On behalf of Muhammad, the Negus offered a dowry of four hundred Dinars to Khalid. A huge wedding feast was given on behalf of Muhammad after the ceremony. The Negus also sent musk and ambergris to the bride through Abraha. Muhammad did not give a dowry larger than this to any of his other wives.

Later, the Negus made arrangements to send Ramlah to Medina by boat. Shurahbil ibn Hasana accompanied Ramlah on her journey. She was able to return to Medina six years later.

Life in Medina

According to some sources, she married Muhammad one year after the Hijra, though she did not live with him until six years later when Muhammad was sixty years old and she was thirty-five. Other sources claim her marriage took place in 7 A.H., at an age of 30 years. The marriage afforded protection to her.

On one occasion, Abu Sufyan visited his daughter Ramla in her house. He went to sit on a chair, and Ramla hastily removed Muhammad’s blanket from that chair before Abu Sufyan could sit. Abu Sufyan criticized her for this, claiming that Islam had caused her to lose respect for her father. Ramla replied that it was because she recognised the differing statuses of Muhammad and Abu Sufyan that she removed the blanket, implying that her father Abu Sufyan did not deserve to sit on the blanket of Muhammad.

She died in the year 666 (45 A.H), during the Caliphate of her brother, Muawiyah I and was buried in the Jannat al-Baqi cemetery next to other wives of Muhammad.

Legacy

There are about sixty-five Hadith narrated by her in the Hadith literature. Muhammad al-Bukhari and Muslim b. al-Hajjaj agreed on two of them, and Muslim took two of them alone.

Sunni view

It is said that she was a courageous, virtuous, and charitable woman and that she was very attached to Muhammad.

History | Umm Habiba

Umm Habiba Ramla bint Abu Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with her, in fact married the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in 1 AH, although she did not actually come to live with him in Medina until 7 AH, when the Prophet was sixty years old and she was thirty-five. Umm Habiba was the daughter of Abu Sufyan, who for some of his life was one of the most resolute enemies of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) spending much of his great wealth in opposing the Muslims, and leading the armies of the kafirun against the Muslims in all the early major battles, including the battles of Badr, Uhud and al-Khandaq. Indeed it was not until the conquest of Mecca, when the Prophet generously pardoned him, that Abu Sufyan embraced Islam and began to fight with the Muslims instead of against them.

Umm Habiba and her first husband, who was called Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh, the brother of Zaynab bint Jahsh, were among the first people to embrace Islam in Mecca, and they were among those early Muslims who emigrated to Abyssinia in order to be safe. Once in Abyssinia, however, Ubaydullah abandoned Islam and became a Christian. He tried to make her become Christian, but she stood fast. This put Umm Habiba in a difficult position, since a Muslim woman can only be married to be a Muslim man. She could no longer live with her husband, and once they had been divorced, she could not return to her father, who was still busy fighting the Muslims. So she remained with her daughter in Abyssinia, living a very simple life in isolation, waiting to see what Allah would decree for her.

One day, as Umm Habiba sat in her solitary room, a stranger in a strange land far from her home, a maidservant knocked on her door and said that she had been sent by the Negus who had a message for her. The message was that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had asked for her hand in marriage, and that if she accepted this proposal that she was to name one of the accepted this proposal then she was to name one of the Muslims in Abyssinia as her wakil, so that the marriage ceremony could take place in Abyssinia even though she was not in the same place as the Prophet. Naturally Umm Habiba was overjoyed and accepted immediately. “Allah has given you good news! Allah has give you good news!” she cried, pulling off what little jewelry she had and giving it to the smiling girl. She asked her to repeat the message three times since she could hardly believe her ears.

Soon after this, all the Muslims who had sought refuge in Abyssinia were summoned to the palace of the Negus to witness the simple marriage ceremony in which the on the Prophet’s behalf and her wakil, Khalid ibn Sa’id ibn al-As, acting on her behalf. When the marriage was finalized, the Negus addressed the gathering with these words:

“I praise Allah, the Holy, and I declare that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger and that He gave the good news to Jesus the son of Mary.

“The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) requested me to conclude the marriage contract between him and Umm Habiba, the daughter of Abu Sufyan. I agreed to do what he requested, and on his behalf I give her a dowry of four hundred gold dinars.” The Negus handed over the amount to Khalid ibn Sa’id who stood up and said:

“All praise is due to Allah. I praise Him and I seek His help and forgiveness and I turn to Him in repentance. I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger whom He has sent with the deen of guidance and truth so that it may prevail over all other religions, however much those who reject dislike this. “I agreed to do what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) requested and acted as the wakil on behalf of Umm Habiba, the daughter of Abu Sufyan. May Allah bless His Messenger and his wife. Congratulations to Umm Habiba for the goodness which Allah has decreed for her.”

Khalid took the dowry and handed it over to Umm Habiba. Thus although she could not travel to Arabia straight away, she was provided for by the Prophet, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) from the moment and that they were married. The Muslims who had witnessed the marriage contract were just about to leave, when the Negus said to them, “Sit down, for it is the practice of the Prophets to serve food at marriages.” Joyfully everyone sat down again to eat and celebrate the happy occasion. Umm Habiba especially could hardly believe her good fortune, and she later described how eager she was to share her happiness, saying: “When I received the money as my dowry, I sent fifty mithqals of gold to the servant girl who had first brought me the good news, and I said to her, ‘I gave you what I did when you gave me the good news because at that time I did not have any money at all.’

“Shortly afterwards, she came to me and returned the gold. She also produced a case which contained the necklace I had given to her and gave it to me, saying, ‘The Negus has instructed me not to take anything from you, and he has commanded the women in his household to present you with gifts of perfume.’

“On the following day, she brought me ambergris, saffron and aloes wood oil and said, ‘I have a favor to ask of you.’

‘”What is it?’ I asked.

‘”I have accepted Islam,’ she replied, ‘and now I followed the deen of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Please convey my greetings of peace to him, and let him know that I believe in Allah and His Prophet. Please do not forget.'”

Six years later, in 7 AH, when the emigrant Muslims in Abyssinia were finally able to return to Arabia, Umm Habiba came to Medina and there the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who had just returned victorious from Khaybar, warmly welcomed her. Umm Habiba relates: “When I met the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), I told him all about the arrangements that had been made for the marriage, and about my relationship with the girl. I told him that she had become a Muslim and conveyed her greetings of peace to him. He was filled with joy at the news and said, ‘Wa alayha as salam wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh’ – ‘And on her be the peace and the mercy of Allah and His blessing.'”

The strength of Umm Habiba’ s character can be measured by what happened shortly before the conquest of Mecca, when her father, Abu Sufyan, came to Medina after the Quraish had broken the treaty of Hudaybiyya, in order to try and re-negotiate a fresh settlement with the Prophet Muhammad and the Muslims. He first went to Umm Habiba’s room and was about to sit down on the blanket on which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) slept when Umm Habiba, who had not seen her father for over six years, asked him not to sit on it and quickly folded it up and put it away. “Am I too good for the bed, or it is the bed too good for me?” he asked. “how can the enemy of Islam sit on the bed of the Holy Prophet?” she replied.

It was only after Abu Sufyan had embraced Islam, after the conquest of Mecca, and had become the enemy of the enemies of Islam, that Umm Habiba accepted and loved him again as her father. When she received the news that her father and brother Mu’awiya, who later became the Khalif of the Muslims, had become Muslims after the conquest, she fell down in prostration to Allah out of thankfulness. Umm Habiba spent four years of her life with the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and lived for another thirty-three years after he had died, dying at the age of seventy-two in 44 AH, may Allah be pleased with her.

Like all the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) Umm Habiba spent much of her time remembering Allah and worshipping Him. She has related that once the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to her, “A house will be built in the Garden for anyone who, in the space of a day and a night, prays twelve voluntary rak’ats;” and she added, “I have never stopped doing this since I it from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him).

Al-Masjid Al-Haram

 Al-Masjid Al-Haram
المسجد الحرام

Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām (Arabic: المسجد الحرام‎, pronounced [ʔælˈmæsdʒɪd ælħɑˈrɑːm], “The Sacred Mosque”) or the Grand Mosque surrounds Islam’s holiest place, the Kaaba. It is located in the city of Mecca and is the largest mosque in the world. Muslims around the world turn toward Kaaba while performing any prayer. One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, at least once in his or her lifetime if able to do so, including circumambulation of the Kaaba.

The Sealed Nectar: Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum Part 4

The Sealed Nectar
Ar Raheeq Al Makhtum
الرحيق المختوم

Part | 4

Writer:
Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Before & After Islam

Salman Al-Farisi

Salman Al-Farisi
سلمان پارسی‎

As-Sahabah:
Salman Al-Farisi

The Companions of Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him)

99 Names of Allah

Asmà Allah Al-Husnà

”In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.”

”Allah! there is no god but He! To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.” (Qur’an 20:8)

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: ‘
To God belongs 99 names, 100 minus 1, anyone who memorizes them will enter Paradise; He (God) is odd (odd number, he is the Only One), and He loves odd numbers (such as 99)’

Allah’s 99 Names

01.| Allah  الله  The Greatest Name

02.| Ar-Rahman  الرحمن  The All-Compassionate

03.| Ar-Rahim  الرحيم  The All-Merciful

04.| Al-Malik   الملك  The Absolute Ruler

05.| Al-Quddus  القدوس  The Pure One

06.| As-Salam   السلام  The Source of Peace

07.| Al-Mu’min   المؤمن  The Inspirer of Faith

08.| Al-Muhaymin   المهيمن The Guardian

09.| Al-Aziz   العزيز  The Victorious

10.|  Al-Jabbar  الجبار The Compeller

11.|  Al-MutaKabbir  المتكبر The Greatest

12.|  Al-Khàliq  الخالق The Creator

13.|  Al-Bàri’   البارئ The Maker of Order

14.|  Al-Musawwir   المصور  The Shaper of Beauty

15.|  Al-Ghaffàr  الغفار  The Forgiving

16.|  Al-Qahhàr القهار The Subduer

17.|  Al-Wahhab    الوهاب The Giver of All

18.|  Al-Razzaq الرزاق The Sustainer

19.|  Al-Fattah   الفتاح The Opener

20.|  Al-’Alim    العليم The Knower of All

21.|  Al-Qàbil    القابض The Constrictor

22.|  Al-Bàsit     الباسط The Reliever

23.|  Al-Khàfid  الخافض The Abaser

24.|  Ar-Ràfi’   الرافع The Exalter

25.|  Al-Mu’izz  المعز The Bestower of Honors

26.|  Al-Mudhill    المذل The Humiliator

27.|  As-Sami’   السميع The Hearer of All

28.|  Al-Bàsir   البصير The Seer of All

29.|  Al-Hakam   الحكم   The Judge

30.|  Al-’Adl   العدل The Just

31.|  Al-Latif    اللطيف The Subtle One

32.|  Al-Khabir  الخبير The All-Aware

33.|  Al-Halim   الحليم The Forbearing

34.|  Al-Azim    العظيم The Magnificent

35.|  Ghafur     الغفور The Forgiver and Hider of Faults

36.|  Ash-Shakur    الشكور The Rewarder of Thankfulness

37.|  Al-Aly        العلى The Highest

38.|  Al-Kabir    الكبير The Greatest

39.|  Al-Hafiz     الحفيظ The Preserver

40.|  Al-Muqit   المقيت The Nourisher

41.|  Al-Hasib    الحسيب The Accounter

42.|  Al-Jalil       الجليل The Mighty

43.|  Al-Karim   الكريم The Generous

44.|  Ar-Raqib   الرقيب The Watchful One

45.|  Al-Mujib   المجيب The Responder to Prayer

46.|  Al-Wasi     الواسع The All-Comprehending

47.|  Al-Hakim  الحكيم The Perfectly Wise

48.|  Al-Waddud        الودود The Loving One

49.|  Al-Majeed المجيد The Majestic One

50.|  Al-Ba’ith   الباعث The Resurrector

51.|  Ash-Shahid   الشهيد The Witness

52.|  Al-Haqq    الحق The Truth

53.|  Al-Wakil    الوكيل The Trustee

54.|  Al-Qawiyy القوى The Possessor of All Strength

55.|  Al-Matin    المتين The Forceful One

56.|  Al-Waliyy الولى The Governor

57.|  Al-Hamid  الحميد The Praised One

58.|  Al-Muhsi   المحصى The Appraiser

59.|  Al-Mubdi’ المبدئ The Originator

60.|  Al-Mu’id    المعيد The Restorer

61.|  Al-Muhyi  المحيى The Giver of Life

62,|  Al-Mumit  المميت The Taker of Life

63.|  Al-Hayy  الحي The Ever Living One

64.|  Al-Qayyum   القيوم The Self-Existing One

65.|  Al-Wàjid   الواجد The Finder

66.|  Al-Màjid    الماجد The Glorious

67.|  Al-Wàhed الواحد The One, the All Inclusive, The Indivisible

68.|  As-Samad الصمد The Satisfier of All Needs

69.|  Al-Qàder   القادر The All Powerful

70.|  Al-Muqtadir   المقتدر The Creator of All Power

71.|  Al-Muqaddim    المقدم The Expediter

72.|  Al-Mu’akhkher  المؤخر The Delayer

73.|  Al-Awwal  الأول The First

74.|  Al-Akher   الأخر The Last

75.|  Az-Zahir    الظاهر The Manifest One

76.|  Al-Bàtin    الباطن The Hidden One

77.|  Al-Wàli    الوالي The Protecting Friend

78.|  Al-Muta’àli     المتعالي The Supreme One

79.|  Al-Barr    البر The Doer of Good

80.|  At-Tawwàb    التواب The Guide to Repentance

81.|  Al-Muntaqim     المنتقم The Avenger

82.|  Al-Afuww العفو The Forgiver

83.|  Al-Ra’uff    الرؤوف The Clement

84.|  Malik-al-Mulk    مالك الملك The Owner of All

85.|  Dhul-al-Jalal Wa-al-Ikràm  ذو الجلال و الإكرام The Lord of Majesty and Bounty

86.|  Al-Muqsit المقسط The Equitable One

87.|  Al-Jàmi’   الجامع The Gatherer

88.|  Al-Ghani   الغنى The Rich One

89.|  Al-Mughni   المغنى The Enricher

90.|  Al-Màni’  المانع The Preventer of Harm

91.|  Ad-Dàrr  الضار Creator of The Harmful

92.|  An-Nafi’  النافع The Creator of Good

93.|  An-Nùr   النور The Light

94.|  Al-Hàdi  الهادي The Guide

95.|  Al-Badi’  البديع The Originator

96.|  Al-Bàqi      الباقي The Everlasting One

97.|  Al-Warith الوارث The Inheritor of All

98.|  Ar-Rashid الرشيد The Righteous Teacher

99.|  As-Sabur   الصبور The Patient One

Allah’s 99 Names in Arabic English Translation:

Num	Names	In Arabic	In English
01	Allah	الله	The Greatest Name
02	Ar-Rahman	الرحمن	The All-Compassionate
03	Ar-Rahim	الرحيم	The All-Merciful
04	Al-Malik	الملك	The Absolute Ruler
05	Al-Quddus	القدوس	The Pure One
06	As-Salam	السلام	The Source of Peace
07	Al-Mu’min	المؤمن	The Inspirer of Faith
08	Al-Muhaymin	المهيمن	The Guardian
09	Al-Aziz	العزيز	The Victorious
10	Al-Jabbar	الجبار	The Compeller
11	Al-MutaKabbir	المتكبر	The Greatest
12	Al-Khàliq	الخالق	The Creator
13	Al-Bàri’	البارئ	The Maker of Order
14	Al-Musawwir	المصور	The Shaper of Beauty
15	Al-Ghaffàr	الغفار	The Forgiving
16	Al-Qahhàr	القهار	The Subduer
17	Al-Wahhab	الوهاب	The Giver of All
18	Al-Razzaq	الرزاق	The Sustainer
19	Al-Fattah	الفتاح	The Opener
20	Al-‘Alim	العليم	The Knower of All
21	Al-Qàbil	القابض	The Constrictor
22	Al-Bàsit	الباسط	The Reliever
23	Al-Khàfid	الخافض	The Abaser
24	Ar-Ràfi’	الرافع	The Exalter
25	Al-Mu’izz	المعز	The Bestower of Honors
26	Al-Mudhill	المذل	The Humiliator
27	As-Sami’	السميع	The Hearer of All
28	Al-Bàsir	البصير	The Seer of All
29	Al-Hakam	الحكم	The Judge
30	Al-‘Adl	العدل	The Just
31	Al-Latif	اللطيف	The Subtle One
32	Al-Khabir	الخبير	The All-Aware
33	Al-Halim	الحليم	The Forbearing
34	Al-Azim	العظيم	The Magnificent
35	Ghafur	الغفور	The Forgiver and Hider of Faults
36	Ash-Shakur	الشكور	The Rewarder of Thankfulness
37	Al-Aly	العلى	The Highest
38	Al-Kabir	الكبير	The Greatest
39	Al-Hafiz	الحفيظ	The Preserver
40	Al-Muqit	المقيت	The Nourisher
41	Al-Hasib	الحسيب	The Accounter
42	Al-Jalil	الجليل	The Mighty
43	Al-Karim	الكريم	The Generous
44	Ar-Raqib	الرقيب	The Watchful One
45	Al-Mujib	المجيب	The Responder to Prayer
46	Al-Wasi	الواسع	The All-Comprehending
47	Al-Hakim	الحكيم	The Perfectly Wise
48	Al-Waddud	الودود	The Loving One
49	Al-Majeed	المجيد	The Majestic One
50	Al-Ba’ith	الباعث	The Resurrector
51	Ash-Shahid	الشهيد	The Witness
52	Al-Haqq	الحق	The Truth
53	Al-Wakil	الوكيل	The Trustee
54	Al-Qawiyy	القوى	The Possessor of All Strength
55	Al-Matin	المتين	The Forceful One
56	Al-Waliyy	الولى	The Governor
57	Al-Hamid	الحميد	The Praised One
58	Al-Muhsi	المحصى	The Appraiser
59	Al-Mubdi’	المبدئ	The Originator
60	Al-Mu’id	المعيد	The Restorer
61	Al-Muhyi	المحيى	The Giver of Life
62	Al-Mumit	المميت	The Taker of Life
63	Al-Hayy	الحي	The Ever Living One
64	Al-Qayyum	القيوم	The Self-Existing One
65	Al-Wàjid	الواجد	The Finder
66	Al-Màjid	الماجد	The Glorious
67	Al-Wàhed	الواحد	The One, the All Inclusive, The Indivisible
68	As-Samad	الصمد	The Satisfier of All Needs
69	Al-Qàder	القادر	The All Powerful
70	Al-Muqtadir	المقتدر	The Creator of All Power
71	Al-Muqaddim	المقدم	The Expediter
72	Al-Mu’akhkher	المؤخر	The Delayer
73	Al-Awwal	الأول	The First
74	Al-Akher	الأخر	The Last
75	Az-Zahir	الظاهر	The Manifest One
76	Al-Bàtin	الباطن	The Hidden One
77	Al-Wàli	الوالي	The Protecting Friend
78	Al-Muta’àli	المتعالي	The Supreme One
79	Al-Barr	البر	The Doer of Good
80	At-Tawwàb	التواب	The Guide to Repentance
81	Al-Muntaqim	المنتقم	The Avenger
82	Al-Afuww	العفو	The Forgiver
83	Al-Ra’uff	الرؤوف	The Clement
84	Malik-al-Mulk	مالك الملك	The Owner of All
85	Dhul-al-Jalal Wa-al-Ikràm	ذو الجلال و الإكرام	The Lord of Majesty and Bounty
86	Al-Muqsit	المقسط	The Equitable One
87	Al-Jàmi’	الجامع	The Gatherer
88	Al-Ghani	الغنى	The Rich One
89	Al-Mughni	المغنى	The Enricher
90	Al-Màni’	المانع	The Preventer of Harm
91	Ad-Dàrr	الضار	Creator of The Harmful
92	An-Nafi’	النافع	The Creator of Good
93	An-Nùr	النور	The Light
94	Al-Hàdi	الهادي	The Guide
95	Al-Badi’	البديع	The Originator
96	Al-Bàqi	الباقي	The Everlasting One
97	Al-Warith	الوارث	The Inheritor of All
98	Ar-Rashid	الرشيد	The Righteous Teacher
99	As-Sabur	الصبور	The Patient One

Riyadh Saliheen: The Gardens of the Righteous – Part 14

Riyadh Saliheen
Part 14

The Gardens of the Righteous”, is a compilation of verses from the Qur’an and hadith,
By: Imam Abu Zakaria Mohiuddin Yahya An-Nawawi

Maria Al-Qibtiyya: مارية القبطية

Maria Al-Qibtiyya |مارية القبطية

Sahabiyat: Maria Al-Qibtiyya: (Raddiya Allahu Anhà)
(Female Companions of the Prophet Mohammad time)

Egyptian Coptic Christian slave who was sent as a gift from Muqawqis.

Maria al-Qibtiyya (Arabic: مارية القبطية‎) (alternatively, “Maria Qupthiya”), or Maria the Copt, (died 637) was an Egyptian Coptic Christian slave who was sent as a gift from Muqawqis, a Byzantine official, to the Islamic prophet Muhammad in 628. Many sources, including Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya claim that she was only a concubine. She is also not mentioned in Ibn-Hisham’s notes on Ibn-Ishaq’s biography where he lists the wives of Muhammad.

She was the mother of Muhammad’s son Ibrahim, who died in infancy. Her sister, Sirin, was also sent to Muhammad. Muhammad gave her to his follower Hassan ibn Thabit. Maria never married after Muhammad’s death in 632, and died five years later. Her birthdate is unknown. No primary source mentions her age.

Year of the deputations:

In the Islamic year 6 AH (627 – 628 CE), Muhammad is said to have had letters written to the great rulers of the Middle East, proclaiming the new faith and inviting the rulers to join. What purports to be texts of some of the letters are found in Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari’s History of the Prophets and Kings, which was written some 250 years after the events it chronicled. Tabari writes that a deputation was sent to an Egyptian governor named as al-Muqawqis.

Tabari recounts the story of Maria’s arrival from Egypt

In this year Hātib b. Abi Balta’ah came back from al-Muqawqis bringing Māriyah and her sister Sīrīn, his female mule Duldul, his donkey Ya’fūr, and sets of garments. With the two women al-Muqawqis had sent a eununch, and the latter stayed with them. Hātib had invited them to become Muslims before he arrived with them, and Māriyah and her sister did so. The Messenger of God lodged them with Umm Sulaym bt. Milhān. Māriyah was beautiful. The Prophet sent her sister Sīrīn to Hassān b. Thābit and she bore him ‘Abd al-Rahmān b. Hassān.

Concubine Status

Multiple Scholars and authors have mentioned Maria al-Qibtiyya as one of the concubines (out of four) of Muhammad.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not marry Mariyah al-Qibtiyyah, rather she was a concubine who was given to him by al-Muqawqis, the ruler of Egypt. That took place after the treaty of al-Hudaybiyah. Mariyah al-Qibtiyyah was a Christian, then she became Muslim (may Allaah be pleased with her).

• Ibn Saad, The Life of Prophet:

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) lodged her – meaning Mariyah al-Qibtiyyah and her sister – with Umm Sulaym bint Milhaan, and the Messenger of Allaah (S) entered upon them and told them about Islam. He took Mariyah as a concubine and moved her to some property of his in al-‘Awaali… and she became a good Muslim.

• Al-Tabaqaat al-Kubra, 1/134-135

Mariyah died during the caliphate of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab, in Muharram of 16 AH. ‘Umar gathered the people himself to attend her funeral, and he led the funeral prayer for her. She was buried in al-Baqee’.

• Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, Al-Isti’aab, 4/1912

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had four concubines, one of whom was Mariyah.

• Ibn al-Qayyim , biography

Abu ‘Ubaydah said: He had four (concubines): Mariyah, who was the mother of his son Ibraaheem; Rayhaanah; another beautiful slave woman whom he acquired as a prisoner of war; and a slave woman who was given to him by Zaynab bint Jahsh.

• Zaad al-Ma’aad, 1/114

Maria in Biography of Muhammad

Maria is mentioned with detail in Martin Lings Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources. Martin Lings is known as Abu-Bakar Sirajuddin as he converted to Islam. According to the Biography:

Muhammad sent a letter to Muqawqis, summoning him to Islam, was answered evasively; but with his answer the ruler of Egypt sent a rich present of a thousand measures of gold, twenty robes of fine cloth, a mule, a she-ass and, as the crown of the gift, two Coptic Christian slave girls escorted by an elderly eunuch. The girls were sisters, Mariyah and Sirin, and both were beautiful, but Mariyah was exceptionally so, and the Prophet marvelled at her beauty. He gave Sirin to Hassan ibn Thabit, and lodged Mariyah in the nearby house where Safiyyah had lived before.

• Abu Bakar Sirajuddin, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources, LXXI/277-278
• The Author in later chapters gives details of Muhammad’s son (with Maria) Ibrahim and his death.

Maria in Muhammad’s household:

Muhammad lived in a mud-brick dwelling next to the Medina mosque, and each of his wives had her own mud-brick room, built in a line next to his. Maria, however, was lodged in a house on the edge of Medina. Maria is also not listed as a wife in one of the earliest sources, such as Ibn Hisham’s notes on Ibn Ishaq’s Sira.[6] Muslim sources are unanimous in saying that she was accorded the same honor and respect given Muhammad’s wives, pointing out that she was given the same title as Muhammad’s wives – “Mother of the Believers.”

Issue

Maria and Muhammad had one son, Ibrahim who was named after the prophet Ibrahim (Muhammad’s paternal greatest-grandfather ). The boy died when he was sixteen months old. Muhammad was much aggrieved by the loss of his beloved son.

Commercial Transactions – Kitab Al-Buyu

Sunan Abu-Dawud | Book 22

Kitab:  Al−Buyu’ | Commercial Transactions
Hadeeth: Sunan Abu Dawud
Introduction to Partial Translation of Sunnan Abu-Dawud
Translator: Prof. Ahmed Hasan

3320: Narrated Qays ibn AbuGharazah:
In the time of the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) we used to be called brokers, but the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) came upon us one day, and called us by a better name than that, saying: O company of merchants, unprofitable speech and swearing takes place in business dealings, so mix it with sadaqah (alms).

3322: Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas:
A man seized his debtor who owed ten dinars to him. He said to him: I swear by Allah, I shall not leave you until you pay off (my debt) to me or bring a surety. The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) stood as a surety for him. He then brought as much (money) as he promised. The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) asked: From where did you acquire this gold? He replied: From a mine. He said: We have no need of it; there is no good in it. Then the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) paid (the debt) on his behalf.

3325: Narrated AbuHurayrah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: A time is certainly coming to mankind when only the receiver of usury will remain, and if he does not receive it, some of its vapour will reach him. Ibn Isa said: Some of its dust will reach him.

3326: Narrated One of the Ansar:
Asim ibn Kulayb quoted his father’s authority for the following statement by one of the Ansar: We went out with the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) to a funeral, and I saw the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) at the grave giving this instruction to the grave−digger: Make it wide on the side of his feet, and make it wide on the side of his head. When he came back, he was received by a man who conveyed an invitation from a woman. So he came (to her), to it food was brought, and he put his hand (i.e. took a morsel in his hand); the people did the same and they ate. Our fathers noticed that the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) was moving a morsel around his mouth. He then said: I find the flesh of a sheep which has been taken without its owner’s permission. The woman sent a message to say: Apostle of Allah,

I sent (someone) to an−Naqi’ to have a sheep bought for me, but there was none; so I sent (a message) to my neighbour who had bought a sheep, asking him to send it to me for the price (he had paid), but he could not be found. I, therefore, sent (a message) to his wife and she sent it to me. The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: Give this food to the prisoners.

3327: Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas’ud:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) cursed the one who accepted usury, the one who paid it, the witness to it, and the one who recorded it.

3328: Narrated Amr ibn al−Ahwas al−Jushami:
I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) say in the Farewell Pilgrimage: “Lo, all claims to usury of the pre−Islamic period have been abolished. You shall have your capital sums, deal not unjustly and you shall not be dealt with unjustly. Lo, all claims for blood−vengeance belonging to the pre−Islamic period have been abolished. The first of those murdered among us whose blood−vengeance I remit is al−Harith ibn AbdulMuttalib, who suckled among Banu Layth and killed by Hudhayl.” He then said: O Allah, have I conveyed the message? They said: Yes, saying it three times. He then said: O Allah, be witness, saying it three times.

3330: Narrated Suwayd ibn Qays:
I and Makhrafah al−Abdi imported some garments from Hajar, and brought them to Mecca. The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) came to us walking, and after he had bargained with us for some trousers, we sold them to him. There was a man who was weighing for payment. The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said to him: Weigh out and give overweight.

3331: Narrated AbuSafwan ibn Umayrah:
(The tradition mentioned above (No. 3330) has also been transmitted by AbuSafwan ibn Umayrah through a different chain of narrators.) This version has: AbuSafwan said: I came to the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) at Mecca before his immigration. He then narrated the rest of the tradition, but he did not mention the words “who was weighing for payment”.

3334: Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: (The standard) weight is the weight of the people of Mecca, and the (standard) measure is the measure of the people of Medina.

3335: Narrated Samurah:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) addressed us and said: Is here any one of such and such tribe present? But no one replied. He again asked: Is here any one of such and such tribe present? But no one replied. He again asked: Is here any one of such and such tribe? Then a man stood and said: I am (here), Apostle of Allah. He said: What prevented you from replying the first two times? I wish to tell you something good. Your companion has been detained (from entering Paradise) on account of his debt. Then I saw him that he paid off all his debt on his behalf and there remained no one to demand from him anything.

3336: Narrated AbuMusa al−Ash’ari:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: After the grave sins which Allah has prohibited the greatest sin is that a man dies while he has debt due from him and does not leave anything to pay it off, and meets Him with it.

3337: Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) would not say funeral prayer over a person who died while the debt was due from him. A dead Muslim was brought to him and he asked: Is there any debt due from him? They (the people) said: Yes, two dirhams. He said: Pray yourselves over your companion. Then AbuQatadah al−Ansari said: I shall pay them, Apostle of Allah. The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) then prayed over him. When Allah granted conquests to the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him), he said: I am nearer to every believer than himself, so if anyone (dies and) leaves a debt, I shall be responsible for paying it; and if anyone leaves property, it goes to his heirs.

3341: Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) owed me a debt and gave me something extra when he paid it.

3343: Narrated Ubadah ibn as−Samit:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: Gold is to be paid for with gold, raw and coined, silver with silver, raw and coined (in equal weight), wheat with wheat in equal measure, barley with barley in equal measure, dates with dates in equal measure, salt by salt with equal measure; if anyone gives more or asks more, he has dealt in usury. But there is no harm in selling gold for silver and silver (for gold), in unequal weight, payment being made on the spot. Do not sell them if they are to be paid for later. There is no harm in selling wheat for barley and barley (for wheat) in unequal measure, payment being made on the spot. If the payment is to be made later, then do not sell them.

3345: Narrated Fudalah ibn Ubayd:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) was brought a necklace in which there were gold and pearls. (The narrators AbuBakr and (Ahmad) Ibn Mani’ said: The pearls were set with gold in it, and a man bought it for nine or seven dinars.) The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: (It must not be sold) till the contents are considered separately. The narrator said: He returned it till the contents were considered separately. The narrator Ibn Asa said: By this I intended trade.

3348: Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar:
I used to sell camels at al−Baqi for dinars and take dirhams for them, and sell for dirhams and take dinars for them. I would take these for these and give these for these. I went to the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) who was in the house of Hafsah. I said: Apostle of Allah , take it easy, I shall ask you (a question): I sell camels at al−Baqi’. I sell (them) for dinars and take dirhams and I sell for dirhams and take dinars. I take these for these, and give these for these. The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) then said: There is no harm in taking them at the current rate so long as you do not separate leaving something to be settled.

3350: Narrated Samurah (ibn Jundub):
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) forbade selling animals for animals when payment was to be made at a later date.

3351: Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al−’As:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) commanded him to equip an army, but the camels were insufficient. So he commanded him to keep back the young camels of sadaqah, and he was taking a camel to be replaced by two when the camels of sadaqah came.

3353: Narrated Sa’d ibn AbuWaqqas:
Zayd AbuAyyash asked Sa’d ibn AbuWaqqas about the sale of the soft and white kind of wheat for barley. Sa’d said: Which of them is better? He replied: Soft and white kind of wheat. So he forbade him from it and said: I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) say, when he was asked about buying dry dates for fresh. The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: Are fresh dates diminished when they become dry? The (the people) replied: Yes. So the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) forbade that.

3354: Narrated Sa’d ibn AbuWaqqas:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) forbade to sell fresh dates for dry dates when payment is made at a later date.

3363: Narrated AbuHurayrah:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) forbade to sell spoils of war till they are appointed, and to sell palm trees till they are safe from every blight, and a man praying without tying belt.

3365: Narrated Anas ibn Malik:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) forbade the sale of grapes till they became black and the sale of grain till it had become hard.

3366: Narrated Zayd ibn Thabit:
Yunus said: I asked AbuzZinad about the sale of fruits before they were clearly in good condition, and what was said about it. He replied: Urwah ibn az−Zubayr reports a tradition from Sahl ibn AbuHathmah on the authority of Zayd ibn Thabit who said: The people used to sell fruits before they were clearly in good condition. When the people cut off the fruits, and were demanded to pay the price, the buyer said: The fruits have been smitten by duman, qusham and murad fruit diseases on which they used to dispute. When their disputes which were brought to the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) increased, the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said to them as an advice: No, do not sell fruits till they are in good condition, due to a large number of their disputes and differences.

3367: Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) forbade the sale of fruits till they were clearly in good condition , and (ordered that) they should not be sold but for dinar or dirham except Araya.

3368: Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) forbade selling fruits years ahead, and commanded that unforeseen loss be remitted in respect of what is affected by blight.

3376: Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib:
A time is certainly coming to mankind when people will bite each other and a rich man will hold fast, what he has in his possession (i.e. his property), though he was not commanded for that. Allah, Most High, said: “And do not forget liberality between yourselves.” The men who are forced will contract sale while the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) forbade forced contract, one which involves some uncertainty, and the sale of fruit before it is ripe.

3377: Narrated AbuHurayrah:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) having said: Allah, Most High, says: “I make a third with two partners as long as one of them does not cheat the other, but when he cheats him, I depart from them.”

3378: Narrated Urwah ibn AbulJa’d al−Bariqi:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) gave him a dinar to buy a sacrificial animal or a sheep. He bought two sheep, sold one of them for a dinar, and brought him a sheep and dinar. So he invoked a blessing on him in his business dealing, and he was such that if had he bought dust he would have made a profit from it.

3380: Narrated Hakim ibn Hizam:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) sent with him a dinar to buy a sacrificial animal for him. He bought a sheep for a dinar, sold it for two and then returned and bought a sacrificial animal for a dinar for him and brought the (extra) dinar to the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him). The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) gave it as alms (sadaqah) and invoked blessing on him in his trading.

3382: Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas’ud:
I Ammar, and Sa’d became partners in what we would receive on the day of Badr. Sa’d then brought two prisoners, but I and Ammar did not bring anything.

3383: Narrated Ibn Abbad:
Amr ibn Dinar said: I heard Ibn Umar say: We did not see any harm in sharecropping till I heard Rafi’ ibn Khadij say: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) has forbidden it. So I mentioned it to Tawus. He said: Ibn Abbas told me that the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) had not forbidden it, but said: It is better for one of you to lend to his brother than to take a prescribed sum from him.

3384: Narrated Zayd ibn Thabit:
Zayd ibn Thabit said: May Allah forgive Rafi’ ibn Khadij. I swear by Allah, I have more knowledge of Hadith than him. Two persons of the Ansar (according to the version of Musaddad) came to him who were disputing with each other. The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: If this is your position, then do not lease the agricultural land. The version of Musaddad has: So he (Rafi’ ibn Khadij) heard his statement: Do not lease agricultural lands.

3385: Narrated Sa’d:
We used to lease land for what grew by the streamlets and for what was watered from them. The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) forbade us to do that, and commanded us to lease if for gold or silver.

3387: Narrated Rafi’ ibn Khadij:
Hanzalah ibn Qays said that he asked Rafi’ ibn Khadij about the lease of land. He replied: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) forbade the leasing of land. I asked: (Did he forbid) for gold and silver (i.e. dinars and dirhams)? He replied: If it is against gold and silver, then there is no harm in it.

3391: Narrated Rafi’ ibn Khadij:
AbuRafi’ came to us from the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) forbade us from a work which benefited us; but obedience to Allah and His Apostle (peace_be_upon_him) is more beneficial to us. He forbade that one of us cultivates land except the one which he owns or the land which a man lends him (to cultivate).

3391a: Narrated Rafi’ ibn Khadij:
Usayd ibn Zubayr said:  Rafi’ ibn Khadij came to us and said: The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) forbids you from a work which is beneficial to you; and obedience to Allah and His Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) is more beneficial to you. The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) forbids you from renting land for a share of its produce and he said: If anyone is not in need of his land he should lend it to his brother or leave it.

3393: Narrated Rafi’ ibn Khadij:
AbuJa’far al−Khatmi said: My uncle sent me and his slave to Sa’id ibn al−Musayyab. We said to him, there is something which has reached us about sharecropping. He replied: Ibn Umar did not see any harm in it until a tradition reached him from Rafi’ ibn Khadij. He then came to him and Rafi’ told him that the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) came to Banu Harithah and saw crop in the land of Zuhayr. He said: What an excellent crop of Zuhayr is! They said: It does not belong to Zuhayr. He asked: Is this not the land of Zuhayr? They said: Yes, but the crop belongs to so−and−so. He said: Take your crop and give him the wages. Rafi’ said: We took our crop and gave him the wages. Sa’id (ibn al−Musayyab) said: Lend your brother or employ him for dirhams.

3394: Narrated Rafi’ ibn Khadij:
The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) forbade muhaqalah and muzabanah. Those who cultivate land are three: a man who has (his own) land and he tills it: a man who has been lent land and he tills the one lent to him; a man who employs another man to till land against gold (dinars) or silver (dirhams).

3395: Narrated Rafi’ ibn Khadij:
Rafi’ had cultivated a land. The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) passed him when he was watering it. So he asked him: To whom does the crop belong, and to whom does the land belong? He replied: The crop is mine for my seed and labour. The half (of the crop) is mine and the half for so−and−so. He said: You conducted usurious transaction. Return the land to its owner and take your wages and cost.

3396: Narrated Rafi’ ibn Khadij:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If anyone sows in other people’s land without their permission, he has no right to any of the crop, but he may have what it cost him.

3406: Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin:
The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) used to send Abdullah ibn Rawahah (to Khaybar), and he would assess the amount of dates when they began to ripen before they were eaten (by the Jews). He would then give choice to the Jews that they have them (on their possession) by that assessment or could assign to them (Muslims) by that assignment, so that the (amount of) zakat could be calculated before the fruit became eatable and distributed (among the people).

3407: Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
When Allah bestowed Khaybar on His Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) as fay’ (as a result of conquest without fighting), the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) allowed (them) to remain there as they were before, and apportioned it between him and them. He then sent Abdullah ibn Rawahah who assessed (the amount of dates) upon them.

3408: Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
Ibn Rawahah assessed them (the amount of dates) at forty thousand wasqs, and when Ibn Rawahah gave them option, the Jews took the fruits in their possession and twenty thousand wasqs of dates were due from them.

 

Abdullah Awad Al-Juhani

Al-Qaari: Sheikh
Abdullah Awad Al-Juhani

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Harun Al-Rashid

Harun Al-Rashid | هارون الرشيد

The Rightly Guided: The Fifth Caliph
He established the legendary library Bayt al-Hikma |House of Wisdom

The Fifth Caliph

Harun al-Rashid (Arabic: هارون الرشيد‎; Hārūn ar-Rashīd; English: Aaron the Upright, Aaron the Just, or Aaron the Rightly Guided) (17 March 763 or February 766 – 24 March 809) was the fifth Arab Abbasid Caliph that encompassed modern Iraq. His birth date remains a point of discussion, though, as various sources give the dates from 763 to 766.

He ruled from 786 to 809, and his time was marked by scientific, cultural and religious prosperity. Art and music also flourished significantly during his reign. He established the legendary library Bayt al-Hikma (“House of Wisdom”).

Since Harun was intellectually, politically and militarily resourceful, his life and the court over which he held sway have been the subject of many tales: some are claimed to be factual but most are believed to be fictitious. An example of what is claimed to be known to be factual, but is not, is the story of the clock that was among various presents that Harun had sent to Charlemagne. The presents were carried by the returning Frankish mission that came to offer Harun friendship in 799.

Charlemagne and his retinue deemed the clock to be a conjuration for the sounds it emanated and the tricks it displayed every time an hour ticked. Among what is known to be fictional is The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, which contains many stories that are fantasized by Harun’s magnificent court and even Harun al-Rashid himself. The family of Barmakids which played a deciding role in establishing the Abbasid Caliphate declined gradually during his rule

Life:

Hārūn was born in Rey. He was the son of al-Mahdi, the third Abbasid caliph (ruled 775–785), and al-Khayzuran, a former slave girl from Yemen and a woman of strong personality who greatly influenced affairs of state in the reigns of her husband and sons.

Hārūn was strongly influenced by the will of his mother in the governance of the empire until her death in 789. His vizier (chief minister) Yahya the Barmakid, Yahya’s sons (especially Ja’far ibn Yahya), and other Barmakids generally controlled the administration.

The Barmakids were a Persian-Tajik family which dated back to the Barmak of Magi, who had become very powerful under al-Mahdi. Yahya had aided Hārūn in obtaining the caliphate, and he and his sons were in high favor until 798, when the caliph threw them in prison and confiscated their land. Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari dates this in 803 and lists various accounts for the cause: Yahya’s entering the Caliph’s presence without permission, Yahya’s opposition to Muhammad ibn al Layth who later gained Harun’s favour, Ja’far release of Yahya ibn Abdallah ibn Hasan whom Harun had imprisoned, the ostentatious wealth of the Barmakids and the alleged romantic relationship between Yahya’s son and Harun’s sister Abbasa.

During the reign of the Harun al-Rashid, the city of Baghdad began to flourish as a center of knowledge, culture and trade.

The latter allegation is specified in the following tale; Hārūn loved to have his own sister Abbasa and Ja’far with him at times of recreation. Since Muslim etiquette forbade their common presence, Hārūn had Ja’far marry Abbassa on the understanding that the marriage was purely nominal. Nonetheless, the two consummated the marriage. Some versions have it that she entered Ja’far’s bedroom in the darkness, masquerading as one of his slave girls.

A child given secret birth was sent by her to Mecca, but a maid, quarrelling with her mistress, made known the scandal. Hārūn, while on a pilgrimage in Mecca, heard the story and ascertained that the tale was probably true. On his return shortly after, he had Ja’far executed, whose body was dispatched to Baghdad, and there, divided in two, impaled on either side of the bridge. It stayed there for three years, when Harun, happening to pass through Baghdad from the East, gave command for the remains to be taken down and burned. On the death of Ja’far, his father and brother were both cast into prison.

This romantic story is highly doubted by Ibn Khaldun and most modern scholars. The fall of the Barmakids is far more likely due to their behaving in a manner that Harun found disrespectful (such as entering his court unannounced) and making decisions in matters of state without first consulting him. Al-Fadl ibn al-Rabi succeeded Yahya the Barmakid as Harun’s chief minister.

Hārūn became caliph when he was in his early twenties. Before that, in 780 and again in 782, he had already nominally led campaigns against the Caliphate’s traditional enemy, the Byzantine Empire. The latter expedition was a huge undertaking, and even reached the Asian suburbs of Constantinople. On the day of accession, his son al-Ma’mun was born, and al-Amin some little time later: the latter was the son of Zubaida, a granddaughter of al-Mansur (founder of the city of Baghdad); so he took precedence over the former, whose mother was a Persian slave-girl. He began his reign by appointing very able ministers, who carried on the work of the government so well that they greatly improved the condition of the people.

A silver dirham minted in Madinat al-Salam (Bagdad) in 170 AH (786 CE). At the reverse, the inner marginal inscription says: “By order of the slave of God, Harun, Commander of the Faithful”  It was under Hārūn ar-Rashīd that Baghdad flourished into the most splendid city of its period. Tribute was paid by many rulers to the caliph, and these funds were used on architecture, the arts and a luxurious life at court.

In 796, Hārūn decided to move his court and the government to Ar Raqqah at the middle Euphrates. Here he spent 12 years, most of his reign. Only once he returned to Baghdad for a short visit. Several reasons might have influenced the decision to move to ar-Raqqa. It was close to the Byzantine border. The communication lines via the Euphrates to Baghdad and via the Balikh river to the north and via Palmyra to Damascus were excellent. The agriculture was flourishing to support the new Imperial center. And from Raqqa any rebellion in Syria and the middle Euphrates area could be controlled. Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani pictures in his anthology of poems the splendid life in his court. In ar-Raqqah the Barmekids managed the fate of the empire, and there both heirs, al-Amin and al-Ma’mun grew up.

Due to the Thousand-and-One Nights tales, Harun al-Rashid turned into a legendary figure obscuring his true historic personality. In fact, his reign initiated the political disintegration of the Abbasid caliphate. Syria was inhabited by tribes with Umayyad sympathies and remained the bitter enemy of the Abbasids, while Egypt witnessed uprisings against Abbasids due to maladministration and arbitrary taxation. The Umayyads had been established in Spain in 755, the Idrisids in Morocco in 788, and the Aghlabids in Ifriqiya (modern Tunisia) in 800. Besides, unrest flared up in Yemen, and the Kharijites rose in rebellion in Daylam, Kerman, Fars and Sistan. Revolts also broke out in Khorasan, and al-Rashid waged many campaigns against the Byzantines.

Map of the Muslim expansion and the Muslim world under the Umayyad and early Abbasid caliphates  For the administration of the whole empire, he fell back on his mentor and longtime associate Yahya bin Khalid bin Barmak. Rashid appointed him as his vizier with full executive powers, and, for seventeen years, this man Yahya and his sons, served Rashid faithfully in whatever assignment he entrusted to them.

Al-Rashid appointed Ali bin Isa bin Mahan as the governor of Khorasan. He tried to bring to heel the princes and chieftains of the region, and to reimpose the full authority of the central government on them. This new policy met with fierce resistance and provoked numerous uprisings in the region. A major revolt led by Rafih ibn al-Layth was started in Samarqand which forced Harun al-Rashid to move to Khorasan. He first removed and arrested Ali bin Isa bin Mahan but the revolt continued unchecked. Harun al-Rashid died very soon when he reached Sanabad village in Tus and was buried in the nearby summer palace of Humayd ibn Qahtaba, the former Abbasid governor in Khorasan.

Al-Rashid virtually dismembered the empire by apportioning it between his two sons al-Amin and al-Ma’mun (with his third son, al-Qasim, being belatedly added after them). Very soon it became clear that by dividing the empire, Rashid had actually helped to set the opposing parties against one another, and had provided them with sufficient resources to become independent of each other.[citation needed] After the death of Harun al-Rashid, civil war broke out in the empire between his two sons, al-Amin and al-Ma’mun, which spiralled into a prolonged period of turmoil and warfare throughout the Caliphate, ending only with Ma’mun’s final triumph in 827.

Both Einhard and Notker the Stammerer refer to envoys travelling between Harun’s and Charlemagne’s courts, amicable discussions concerning Christian access to the Holy Land and the exchange of gifts. Notker mentions Charlemagne sent Harun Spanish horses, colourful Frisian cloaks and impressive hunting dogs. In 802 Harun sent Charlemagne a present consisting of silks, brass candelabra, perfume, balsam, ivory chessmen, a colossal tent with many-colored curtains, an elephant named Abul-Abbas, and a water clock that marked the hours by dropping bronze balls into a bowl, as mechanical knights—one for each hour—emerged from little doors which shut behind them. The presents were unprecedented in Western Europe and may have influenced Carolingian art.

When the Byzantine empress Irene was deposed, Nikephoros I became emperor and refused to pay tribute to Harun, saying that Irene should have been receiving the tribute the whole time. News of this angered Harun, who wrote a message on the back of the Roman emperor’s letter and said “In the name of God the most merciful, From Amir al-Mu’minin Harun al-Rashid, commander of the faithful, to Nikephoros, dog of the Romans. Thou shalt not hear, thou shalt behold my reply”. After campaigns in Asia Minor, Nikephoros was forced to conclude a treaty, with humiliating terms.

Harun made the pilgrimage to Mecca several times, e.g., 793, 795, 797, 802 and last in 803. Tabari concludes his account of Harun’s reign with these words: “It has been said that when Harun al-Rashid died, there were nine hundred million odd (dirhams) in the state treasury.” Al-Rashid sent embassies to the Chinese Tang dynasty and established good relations with them. He was called “A-lun” in the Chinese T’ang Annals. In 807 Caliph Harun al-Rashid issued a decree that Jews wear a yellow belt and that Christians wear a blue belt.

In 808, Harun went to settle the insurrection of Rafi ibn al-Layth in Transoxania, became ill, and died in 809. He was buried under the palace of Hamid ibn Qahtabi, the governor of Khurasan. The location later became known as Mashhad (“The Place of Martyrdom”) because of the martyrdom of Imam ar-Ridha in 818. Another tradition maintains that the tomb of Harun was razed in the Mongol raids of 1220, by forces under the command of another enigmatic figure, Genghis Khan.

Anecdotes:

Many anecdotes attached themselves to the person of Harun al-Rashid in the centuries following his rule. Saadi of Shiraz inserted a number of them into his Gulistan, in one telling how Harun enjoined his son to forgiveness.

Al-Masudi relates a number of interesting anecdotes in The Meadows of Gold illuminating the character of this caliph. For example, he recounts Harun’s delight when his horse came in first, closely followed by al-Ma’mun’s, at a race Harun held at Raqqa. Al-Masudi tells the story of Harun setting his poets a challenging task. When others failed to please him, Miskin of Medina succeeded superbly well. The poet then launched into a moving account of how much it had cost him to learn that song. Harun laughed saying he knew not which was more entertaining, the song or the story. He rewarded the poet.

There is also the tale of Harun asking Ishaq ibn Ibrahim to keep singing. The musician did until the caliph fell asleep. Then, strangely, a handsome young man appeared, snatched the musician’s lute, sang a very moving piece (al-Masudi quotes it), and left. On awakening and being informed of this, Harun said Ishaq ibn Ibrahim had received a supernatural visitation.

Harun, like a number of caliphs, is given an anecdote connecting a poem with his death. Shortly before he died, he is said to have been reading some lines by Abu al-Atahiya about the transitory nature of the power and pleasures of this world.

Harun al-Rashid: |  هارون الرشيد

Caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate:

• Reign: 14 September 786 – 25 March 809
• Predecessor: al-Hadi
• Successor: al-Amin
• Spouse: Zubaidah
• Full name: Kunya: ?
• Given name: Harun
• Laqab: al-Rashid
• Dynasty: Abbasid
• Father: al-Mahdi
• Mother: al-Khayzuran
• Born: 17 March 763 Rey, Abbasid Caliphate
• Died: 24 March 809 (aged 46) Tus, Abbasid Caliphate
• Burial: Tus

Muhammad Ibn Harun | Al-Amin

Muhammad ibn Harun al-Amin (April 787 – 24/25 September 813) (Arabic: محمد الأمين بن هارون الرشيد‎), Abbasid Caliph. He succeeded his father, Harun al-Rashid in 809 and ruled until he was killed in 813.

Caliph:

Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari records that Harun al-Rashid several times impressed on his sons they should respect each other and honour the succession as Harun arranged it. In A.H. 186, Harun had al-Amin and al-Ma’mun sign pledges during a pilgrimage to Mecca that both would honour his will. Al-Amin, would receive the Caliphate and al-Ma’mun would become governor of Khurasan in eastern Iran and would furthermore be granted almost complete autonomy. On al-Amin’s death, according to Harun’s decision, al-Ma’mun would become Caliph.

Hostility towards al-Mamun | Fourth Fitna:

Al-Ma’mun had distrusted al-Amin before their father’s death and convinced Harun to take him with him on Harun’s last journey east. Although Harun had instructed the Baghdad commanders of this expedition to remain with al-Ma’mun, after Harun’s death they returned to Baghdad. Al-Amin sought to turn al-Ma’mun’s financial agent in Rayy against al-Ma’mun and he ordered al-Ma’mun to acknowledge al-Amin’s son Musa as heir and return to Baghdad. Al-Ma’mun replaced his agent in Rayy and refused the orders. His mother was Persian and he had strong support in Iran.

The brothers had different mothers. Al-Amin was prompted to move against al-Ma’mun by meddlesome ministers, especially al-Fadl ibn al-Rabi’. Al-Amin had Harun’s succession documents brought from Mecca to Baghdad, where he destroyed them. Al-Amin sent agents east to stir opposition to al-Ma’mun. However, a careful watch at the frontier denied these the opportunity. Al-Amin denied al-Ma’mun’s request for his family and money and kept them in Baghdad.

In March 811 Al-Amin dispatched an army under Ali ibn Isa ibn Mahan against Al-Ma’mun. Ali advanced on Rayy. Ma’mun’s capable general Tahir bin Husain met and defeated Ali, who was killed.

Internal rebellions:

Al-Amin faced unrest in Syria. He sent Abd al-Malik ibn Salih to restore order there. There was fierce fighting and Abd al-Malik died. Al-Amin sent Ahmad ibn Mazyad and Abdallah ibn Humayd east, each with an army (al-Tabari v. 31 p. 100 says each had 20,000 men). However, Tahir’s agents sowed discord and these two armies fought against each other.

Al-Amin faced an uprising in Baghdad led by Ali ibn Isa’s son Husayn. This was quelled and Husayn was killed. Tahir took Ahwaz and gained control of Bahrayn and parts of Arabia. Basra and Kufa swore allegiance to al-Ma’mun. Tahir advanced on Baghdad and defeated a force sent against him. In Mecca, Dawud ibn Isa reminded worshippers that al-Amin had destroyed Harun ar Rashid’s succession pledges and led them in swearing allegiance to al-Mamun. Dawud then went to Marv and presented himself to al-Ma’mun. Al-Ma’mun confirmed Dawud in his governorship of Mecca and Medina.

Siege of Baghdad (812–813):

Tahir advanced and set up camp near the Anbar Gate. Baghdad was besieged. The effects of this siege were made more intense by the rampaging prisoners who broke out of jail. There were several vicious battles, such as at al-Amin’s palace of Qasr Halih, at Darb al- Hijarah and al-Shammasiyyah Gate. In that last one Tahir led reinforcements to regain positions lost by another officer. Overall the situation was worsening for al-Amin and he became depressed.

When Tahir pushed into the city, al-Amin sought to negotiate safe passage out. Tahir reluctantly agreed on the condition al-Amin turn over his sceptre, seal and other signs of being caliph. Al-Amin tried to leave on a boat, apparently with these indications he was caliph. He rejected warnings he should wait. Tahir noticed the boat. Al-Amin was thrown into the water, swam to shore, was captured and brought to a room where he was executed. His head was placed on the Anbar Gate. Al-Tabari (v. 31 pp. 197–202) quotes Tahir’s letter to al-Ma’mun informing that caliph of al-Amin’s capture and execution and the state of peace resulting in Baghdad.

Succession:

The fact that Al-Amin was known to be fond of eunuchs was seen by many at the time as a deficit in his character. Al-Tabari notes this fondness for eunuchs. He also records accounts of al-Amin’s intense irritation when singers sang songs that were not very auspicious. Al-Amin is described by this historian as being extravagant. It was also reported that his mother arranged for slave women to be dressed in masculine clothing in the hope of inducing him to adopt more conventional morals.

Al-Amin had appealed to his mother, Zubaida, to arbitrate the succession and champion his cause as Aisha had done two centuries before. Zubaida refused to do so. As al-Ma’mun refused to acknowledge Al-Amin’s son Musa as heir,the throne went to al-Ma’mun.

Muhammad ibn Harun al-Amin |  محمد الأمين بن هارون الرشيد

Caliph of Baghdad:

• Reign: 809–813
• Predecessor: Harun al-Rashid
• Successor: Al-Ma’mun
• Full name: Muhammad ibn Harun al-Amin
• Dynasty: Abbasid
• Father: Harun al-Rashid
• Mother: Zubaida
• Born: 787
• Died: 813
• Religion: Islam

Abu Hanifah

Imām Abū Ḥanīfah

Nuʿmān ibn Thābit ibn Zūṭā ibn Marzubān , better known as Imām Abū Ḥanīfah, (699 — 767 CE / 80 — 148 AH) was the founder of the Sunni Hanafi school of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence).

Abū Ḥanīfah is regarded by some as one of the Tabi‘un, the generation after the Sahaba, who were the companions of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. This is based on reports that he saw the Sahabi Anas ibn Malik, with some even reporting that he transmitted Hadith from him and other companions of Muhammad. Others take the view that Abū Ḥanīfah only saw around half a dozen companions, possibly at a young age, and did not directly narrate hadith from them. Nevertheless, it is widely acknowledged that he learnt hadith from tabi’een including Ibrahim al Nakha’i.

Name, Birth and Ancestry

Imām Abū Ḥanīfah was born in the city of Kufa in Iraq, during the reign of the powerful Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. Acclaimed as Al-Imām al-A’zam, or Al-A’dham (the Great Imam), Nu’man bin Thabit bin Zuta bin Mah was better known by his Kunya Abū Ḥanīfah. None of his sons or daughters is reported as having the name “Hanifah,” so it was a type of Kuniya like Abu Hurairah or Abu Turaab etc., i.e., an epithetical name meaning “pure in monotheistic belief.”

His father, Thabit bin Zuta, a trader from Kabul, Afghanistan, was 40 years old at the time of Abū Ḥanīfah’s birth. Some called Abū Ḥanīfah “al-Taymi.” The origin of this name may be that Abū Ḥanīfah’s grandfather Zuta was a slave and a member of the tribe of Taym and purchased his freedom; but this is only weakly supported, as some people mix the Arabic word Maula, which was used to denote a slave master and also the person on whose hands a person accepted Islam. So it is mostly accepted that his grandfather accepted Islam on his hands, the same as Imaam Bukahri, whose name contains “Jafa’e,” which is the name of a tribe of the Sahabi, on whose hands ancestors of Imaam Bukhari accepted Islam and hence are called their Maula.

His ancestry is generally accepted as being of non-Arab origin as suggested by the etymology of the names of his grandfather (Zuta) and great-grandfather (Mah). The historian, Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, records a statement from Imām Abū Ḥanīfah’s grandson, Ismail bin Hammad, who gave Abū Ḥanīfah’s lineage as Thabit bin Numan bin Marzban and claiming to be of Persian origin.

The discrepancy in the names, as given by Ismail of Abū Ḥanīfah’s grandfather and great-grandfather are thought to be due to Zuta’s adoption of the Arabic name (Numan) upon his acceptance of Islam and that Mah and Marzban were titles or official designations in Persia, with the later meaning a margrave refers to the noble ancestry of Abū Ḥanīfah’s family as the Sasanian Marzbans (equiuvalnet of margraves) of Kabul. Those stories maintain for his ancestors having been slaves purchased by some Arab benefactor are, therefore, untenable and seemingly fabricated. There is a discussion on being of Turkic or Persian origin. But the widely accepted opinion, however, is that most probably he was of Persian ancestry from Kabul.

Status as a Tabi‘i

Imām Abū Ḥanīfah was born 67 years after the death of Muhammad, but during the time of the Sahaba of Muhammad, some of whom lived on until Abū Ḥanīfah’s youth. Anas bin Malik, Muhammad’s personal attendant, died in 93 AH and another companion, Abul Tufail Amir bin Wathilah, died in 100 AH, when Abū Ḥanīfah was 20 years old.

However the author of al-Khairat al-Hisan collected information from books of biographies and cited the names of the Sahaba whom it is reported that the Imam has transmitted hadith from. He counted them as sixteen of the Sahaba. They are: Anas ibn Malik, Abdullah ibn Anis al-Juhani, Abdullah ibn al-Harith ibn Juz’ al-Zabidi, Jabir ibn Abdullah, Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa, Wa’ila ibn al-Asqa`, Ma`qal ibn Yasar, Abu Tufail `Amir ibn Wa’ila, `A’isha bint Hajrad, Sahl ibn Sa`d, al-Tha’ib ibn Khallad ibn Suwaid, al-Tha’ib ibn Yazid ibn Sa`id, Abdullah ibn Samra, Mahmud ibn al-Rabi`, Abdullah ibn Ja`far, and Abu Umama. Hadith Reported by Abū Ḥanīfah upon the authority of Anas ibn Malik “Seeking of knowledge is an obligation on each and every Muslim.”

Early life and education

Abū Ḥanīfah grew up in a period of oppression during the caliphates of Abdul Malik bin Marwan and his son Al-Walid I (Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik). The governorship of Iraq was under the control of Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, a loyal follower of Abdul Malik. During his governorship leaders in religion and learning were especially targeted by Hajjaj as they were proving to be an obstacle to Abdul Malik’s establishment of his rule across Arabia and Iraq. Consequently, Abū Ḥanīfah had no interest nor the opportunity to acquire any education in his early childhood. He was simply content with following in the footsteps of his father as a silk merchant.

He set up a silk weaving business where he showed scrupulous honesty and fairness. Once his agent in another country, sold some silk cloth on his behalf but forgot to point out a slight defect to the purchasers. When Abu Hanifa learned this, he was greatly distressed as he had no means of refunding their money. He immediately ordered the entire proceeds of the sale of the consignment of silk to be distributed to the poor.

Following the deaths of Hajjaj in 95 AH and Walid in 96 AH, justice and good administration began to make a comeback with the caliphates of Sulaiman bin Abdul Malik and thereafter Umar bin Abdul Aziz. Umar encouraged education to such an extent that every home became a madrasa. Abū Ḥanīfah also began to take an interest in education which was heightened further by the unexpected advice of as-Sha’bi (d. 722), one of Kufa’s most well-known scholars.

While running an errand for his mother, he happened to pass the home of as-Sha’bi. Sha’bi, mistaking him for a student, asked him whose classes he attended. When Abū Ḥanīfah responded that he did not attend any classes, Sha’bi said, “I see signs of intelligence in you. You should sit in the company of learned men.” Taking Sha’bi’s advice, Abū Ḥanīfah embarked on a prolific quest for knowledge that would in due course have a profound impact on the history of Islam. His early education was achieved through madāris and it is here that he learned the Qur’an and Hadith, doing exceptionally well in his studies. He spent a great deal of time in the tutelage of Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman, a great jurist of Kufah.

The Imam went to Medina in 102 A.H. in pursuit of Knowledge and attended the lessons of seven top theologians. The celebrated Imam Musa al-Kazim and his illustrious father Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq, the descendants of Muhammad, were the greatest authorities in Islamic learning of their times and Imām Abū Ḥanīfah took full advantage of their society in Medina, attending Al-Sadiq’s institue for 2 years. He was highly impressed with the erudition of Imam al-Sadiq whom he acknowledged as the most learned man in the world of Islam. Imām Abū Ḥanīfah also attended the classes of Imam Malik who was thirteen years younger than he.

It was his good fortune that Umar bin Abdul Aziz had organised the study and recording of Hadiths on a sounder footing. Before the Caliphate of Umar bin Abdul Aziz, the record of Hadiths was confined to the memory of the people. In a letter addressed to the learned men of Medina in 101 A.H., he requested them to preserve in writing the record of Hadiths. Imam Zuhri furnished the first collection of Hadiths. The teaching of Hadiths, too, had undergone a revolutionary change. From his pulpit, the learned teacher discoursed on the subject and the pupils assembled around him took down the notes with pen and paper. Imām Abū Ḥanīfah had learnt Hadiths from more than four thousand persons.

Abu Hanifa was a lover of Ahl al-Bayt, and he supported the revolts lead by their devotees.

It redounds to the credit of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah that he left behind the greatest number of pupils in the world of Islam, including Qadi Abu Yusuf, Imam Muhammad al-Shaybani, ‘Abd ar-Razzaq as-San‘ani, Abdullah ibn Mubarak, Abu Naeem Faza, and Abu Asim. Qadi Abu Yusuf rose to be the Grand Qadi of the Abbasid Caliphate during the time of Harun al-Rashid.

Adulthood and death

In 763, al-Mansur, the Abbasid monarch offered Abu Hanifa the post of Chief Judge of the State, but he declined to accept the offer, choosing to remain independent. His student Abu Yusuf was appointed Qadi Al-Qudat (Chief Judge of the State) of al-Mansur regime instead of himself.

In his reply to al-Mansur, Abū Ḥanīfah recused himself by saying that he did not regard himself fit for the post. Al-Mansur, who had his own ideas and reasons for offering the post, lost his temper and accused Abū Ḥanīfah of lying. “If I am lying,” Abū Ḥanīfah said, “then my statement is doubly correct. How can you appoint a liar to the exalted post of a Chief Qadi (Judge)?” Incensed by this reply, the ruler had Abū Ḥanīfah arrested, locked in prison and tortured. He was never fed nor cared for. Even there, the indomitable jurist continued to teach those who were permitted to come to him.

In 767, Abū Ḥanīfah died in prison. The reason of his death is not clear, as some say that Abū Ḥanīfah issued a legal opinion for bearing arms against Al-mansoor, and the latter had him poisoned to death. It was said that so many people attended his funeral that the funeral service was repeated six times for more than 50,000 people who had amassed before he was actually buried. On the authority of historian Khatib, it can be said that for full twenty days people went on performing funeral prayer for him. Later, after many years, a mosque, the Abū Ḥanīfah Mosque was built in the Adhamiyah neighborhood of Baghdad.

The tomb of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah and other Sunni sites including tomb of Abdul Qadir Gilani were destroyed by Shah Ismail of Safavi empire in 1508. In 1533, Ottomans reconquered Iraq and rebuilt the tomb of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah and other Sunni sites.

Teachers

• Imam Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq
• Aamir Ibn Shurahbeel
• Adi Ibn Thabit
• Alqama Ibn Marthad
• Mansoor Ibn Umar
• Muhammed Ibn Munkadir Madni
• Sha’abi Kufi
• Simaak Ibn Harb
• Qataada Basri.
• Qays Ibn Muslim Kufi
• Ziyaad Ibn Ilaqa

Students

• Abdullah Ibn Mubarak
• Abu Bakr Ibn Ayyaash
• Abu Ismat Mugheera Ibn Miqsam
• Ali Ibn Aasim
• Imaam Abu Yusuf
• Hammad Ibn Abu Hanifah
• Ja’far Ibn Awn
• Muhammad Ibn Hasan
• Tobah Bin Saad
• Ubaydullah Ibn Musa
• Yunus Ibn Is‘haaq
• Zufar Ibn Huzayl

Works

• Kitaab-ul-Aathaar narrated by Imaam Muhammad al-Shaybani – compiled from a total of 70,000 hadith
• Kitabul Aathaar narrated by Imaam Abu Yusuf
• Aalim wa’l-muta‘allim
• Fiqh al-Akbar
• Musnad Imaam ul A’zam
• Kitaabul Rad alal Qaadiriyah
• Read by Munir

Imām Abū Ḥanīfah

• Title: Leader of the Believers of the True Faith (oneness of Allah)
• Born: September 5, 699 (80 Hijri) Kufa, Umayyad Caliphate
• Died: June 14, 767 (aged 67) (150 Hijri) Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate
• Ethnicity: Persian
• Region: Muslim World
• Madh’hab: Sunnah
• Main interest(s): Jurisprudence
• Notable idea(s): Istihsan
• Notable: Kitabul-Athar
• work(s) Fiqh al-Akbar

Nuʿmān ibn Thābit ibn Zūṭā ibn Marzubān, better known as Imām Abū Ḥanīfah, (699 – 767 CE / 80 – 148 AH) was the founder of the Sunni Hanafi school of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence).

Ahmad ibn Hanbal

Ibn Hanbal
احمد بن محمد

Arabic: احمد بن محمد بن حنبل ابو عبد الله الشيباني

 Islamic Jurisprudence

Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Hanbal Abu `Abd Allah al-Shaybani (780 – 855 CE / 164 – 241 AH) (Arabic: احمد بن محمد بن حنبل ابو عبد الله الشيباني‎) was an important Muslim scholar and theologian. He is considered the founder of the Hanbali school of fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence). Imam Ahmad is one of the most celebrated Sunni theologians, often referred to as “Sheikh ul-Islam” or the “Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah,” honorifics given to the most esteemed doctrinal authorities in the Sunni tradition.

Imam Ahmad personified the theological views of the early orthodox scholars, including the founders of the other extant schools of Sunni fiqh, Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik ibn Anas, and Imam ash-Shafi`i.

Islamic scholar

• FullName: Abu Abdillah Ahmed ibn Muhammed ibn Hanbal al-Shaybani
• Title: Sheikh ul-Islam – Imam Ahl al-Sunnah
• Born: 780 CE/164 AH Baghdad, Iraq
• Died: 855 CE/241 AH (aged 74-75) Baghdad, Iraq
• Ethnicity: Arab
• Era: Islamic Golden Age
• Region: Iraq
• Madh’hab: Ijtihad
• School tradition: Athari
• Main interest(s): Fiqh, Hadith, Aqeedah
• Notable idea(s): Hanbali madhhab
• Notable work(s): Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal

Biography | Early life and family

Legal writings, produced October 879.

Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s family was originally from Basra, Iraq, and belonged to the Arab Banu Shayban tribe. His father was an officer in the Abbasid army in Khorasan and later settled with his family in Baghdad, where Ahmad was born in 780 CE.

Ibn Hanbal had two wives and several children, including an older son, who later became a judge in Isfahan.

Education and Work

Ibn Hanbal studied extensively in Baghdad, and later traveled to further his education. He started learning jurisprudence (Fiqh) under the celebrated Hanafi judge, Abu Yusuf, the renowned student and companion of Imam Abu Hanifah. After finishing his studies with Abu Yusuf, ibn Hanbal began traveling through Iraq, Syria, and Arabia to collect hadiths, or traditions of the Prophet Muhammad. Ibn al-Jawzi states that Imam Ahmad had 414 Hadith masters whom he narrated from.

With this knowledge, he became a leading authority on the hadith, leaving an immense encyclopedia of hadith, the al-Musnad. After several years of travel, he returned to Baghdad to study Islamic law under al-Shafi. He became a mufti in his old age, but is remembered most famously, as the founder of the Hanbali madhab or school of Islamic law, which is now most dominant in Saudi Arabia, Qatar as well as the United Arab Emirates.

In addition to his scholastic enterprises, ibn Hanbal was a soldier on the Islamic frontiers (Ribat) and made Hajj five times in his life, twice on foot.

Death

Ahmad Ibn Hanbal died in 855 CE in Baghdad, Iraq.

The Mihna:

Ibn Hanbal was famously called before the Inquisition or Mihna of the Abassid Caliph al-Ma’mun. Al-Ma’mun wanted to assert the religious authority of the Caliph by pressuring scholars to adopt the Mu’tazila view that the Qur’an was created rather than uncreated. According to Sunni tradition, ibn Hanbal was among the scholars to resist the Caliph’s interference and the Mu’tazila doctrine of a created Qur’an – although some Orientalist sources raise a question on whether or not he remained steadfast

Due to his refusal to accept Mu’tazilite authority, ibn Hanbal was imprisoned in Baghdad throughout the reign of al-Ma’mun. In an incident during the rule of al-Ma’mun’s successor, al-Mu’tasim, ibn Hanbal was flogged to unconsciousness. However, this caused upheaval in Baghdad and al-Ma’mun was forced to release ibn Hanbal. After al-Mu’tasim’s death, al-Wathiq became caliph and continued his predecessors policies of Mu’tazilite enforcement and in this pursuit, he banished ibn Hanbal from Baghdad. It was only after al-Wathiqu’s death and the ascent of his brother al-Mutawakkil, who was much friendlier to the more traditional Sunni dogma, that ibn Hanbal was welcomed back to Baghdad.

Works

The following books are found in Ibn al-Nadim’s Fihrist:

• Kitab al-`Ilal wa Ma‘rifat al-Rijal: “The Book of Narrations Containing Hidden Flaws and of Knowledge of the Men (of Hadeeth)” Riyad: Al-Maktabah al-Islamiyyah
• Kitab al-Manasik: “The Book of the Rites of Hajj”
• Kitab al-Zuhd: “The Book of Abstinence” ed. Muhammad Zaghlul, Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-‘Arabi, 1994
• Kitab al-Iman: “The Book of Faith”
• Kitab al-Masa’il “Issues in Fiqh”
• Kitab al-Ashribah: “The Book of Drinks”
• Kitab al-Fada’il Sahaba: “Virtues of the Companions”
• Kitab Tha’ah al-Rasul : “The Book of Obedience to the Messenger”
• Kitab Mansukh: “The Book of Abrogation”
• Kitab al-Fara’id: “The Book of Obligatory Duties”
• Kitab al-Radd `ala al-Zanadiqa wa’l-Jahmiyya “Refutations of the Heretics and the Jahmites” (Cairo: 1973)
• Tafsir : “Exegesis”
• The Musnad

Quotes

It is said that, when told that it was religiously permissible to say what pleases his persecuters without believing in it at the time of mihna, Ahmad said “If I remained silent and you remained silent, then who will teach the ignorant?”.

 With regard to innovation within religion, Ahmad said “The graves of sinners from People of Sunnah is a garden, while the graves of the pious ascetics from the People of Innovation is a barren pit. The pious among Ahlus Sunnah are the Friends of Allah, while the sinners among Ahlul-Bidah are the Enemies of Allah.”

Historical views

Imam Abu Dawood, who was a collector of prophetic hadith stated:

“The lectures of Ahmad were sittings of the Hereafter. He would not mention in them anything of the worldly affairs; and I never saw him mention this world.”

The Hanafi scholar Yahya ibn Ma’in stated:

“I have not seen the like of Ahmad, we have accompanied him for fifty years, and he never boasted about anything from the good which he was characterized with.”

When Abdul-Qadir Gilani was asked whether there existed a person who was a wali of Allah who was upon a creed other than the creed of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Gilani answered:

“That has not occurred and will never occur.”

Harmala said:

“I heard Al-Shafi‘i say: ‘I left Baghdad and did not leave behind me anyone more virtuous, more learned, more knowledgeable than Ahmad ibn Hanbal.’” Abu Ubayd said: “The Science at its peak is in the custody of four men, of whom Ahmad ibn Hanbal is the most knowledgeable.” Yahya ibn Ma’in said, as related by Abbas [al-Duri]: “They meant for me to be like Ahmad, but by Allah! I shall never in my life compare to him.”

Muhammad ibn Hammad al-Taharani said: “I heard Abu Thawr say: Ahmad is more learned or knowledgeable than Sufyan al-Thawri.’”
Ibrahim al-Harbi said: “I held Ahmad as one for whom Allah had gathered up the combined knowledge of the first and the last.” Qutaiba ibn Said noted that if Ahmad were to witness the age of Sufyan al-Thawri, Malik, al-Awzai and Laith ibn Sa’d, he would have surpassed them all.

‘Abd ar-Razzaq as-San‘ani Said: “Four leaders in the field of Hadith journeyed to us from Iraq (they were): “Ash Shazakooni, who was the one with the greatest knowledge of hadith, Ali ibn al-Madini who was the most knowledgeable regarding differences therein, Yahya Ibn Ma’in, who was the most knowledgeable of them in the field of narrators and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, who was the one with the most knowledge in all of these fields.

Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawood Said: “Ahmad ibn Hanbal is Superior to every person whoever held a pen and inkwell (i.e. in his time) Abu Zur’ah said: “I have not seen Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s like in the various fields of knowledge and none has contributed what he has contributed.’

The Sealed Nectar: Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum Part 3

The Sealed Nectar
Ar Raheeq Al Makhtum
الرحيق المختوم

Part | 3

Writer:
Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Before & After Islam