Obedience to ALLAH's Commands
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Bismillah Ir-Rahman, Ir-Raheem. I begin with ALLAH's auspiciousness,whose Name is the Best among all the names. All Revences, All Sanctities and All Worships are due to ALLAH alone. Ashahadu An Laa illaaha illal llahu
Wa Ash Hadu Anna Muhammadan Abdu Hu Wa Rasooluhu
''I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah
who is without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) is the Rasool.''
"O Allah, Shower Your Peace come upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as you have brought peace to Ibrahim and his family.
Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. O Allah, Shower your blessing upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as you have blessed Ibrahim and his family. Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious". Iam Satisfied with Allâh as My Rabb and Cherisher,Iam Satisfied With Islam as My Din(religion) and I am satisfied with Muhammad as a Rasulallah (Messenger)sallallahu alaihi was salam) I seek Protection with ALLAH! With the Glorious and Noble Face of ALLAH! With the Complete and Perfect words of ALLAH! With the Exalted Attributes of ALLAH! From the Punishment of Hell; From chastisement in the Grave; From the Trial of Life and Death; From the Mischief of the dajjal. There is no power nor strength with (anyone) save Allah. ALLAH is Good and Only accept that which is Good. ALLAH is the Truth and only accept that which True. ALLAH is Pure and only accept that which is Pure. Ya ALLAH! ALL the praises are for You,You are the Holder of the Heavens and the Earth, And whatever is in them. Ya ALLAH! All praises are for You; You are are the Substaner of the Heavens and the Earth And whatever is in them. Ya ALLAH! All the praises are for you;You have the Possession of the Heavens and the Earth and whatever is in them. Ya ALLAH! All the praises are for You; You are Light(Nur) of the Heavens and Earth And whatever is in them. Ya ALLAH! All praises are for You; You are the King of the Heavens and the Earth And whatever is in them. Ya ALLAH! All praises are for You; You are the Truth and Your Promise is the Truth, And Your word is the Truth and the Meeting with You is true, And Parardise is True And Hell is true and All the Prophets(peace be upon them) are true; And Muhammad Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam) is true,And the Day of Resurrection is True. Ya ALLAH! You have promise and Your promise is the truth,Ya ALLAH! You have promise and Your words is the truth, Ya ALLAH! You have promise and You are the Truth!. Ya ALLAH! You have created Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam) to be the most truthful of men and what He(sallallahu alayhi wa salam) has said is the absolute truth! Ya ALLAH! You have promise that You would send one who would revive,restore,rejuvevate Your Din(religion).Ya ALLAH it is geting late and time is not with us,Ya ALLAH You have Promise! Ya ALLAH You have Promise! and Your Promise is the Truth!. Ya ALLAH! we are in about 33 years in to this new Islamic century,that is one Quarter of this century has pass and there is know sign of a Mujaddid(a Reviver) or the Mahdi. Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam) said: "Even if the entire duration of the world's existence has already been exhausted and only one day is left (before the day of judgment), Allah will expand that day to such a length of time, as to accommodate the kingdom of a person from my Ahlul-Bayt who will be called by my name. He will fill out the earth with peace and justice as it will have been full of injustice and tyranny (by then).Ya ALLAH! "O Turner of hearts, make our hearts firm in Your deen and make our deen Straight Islam!"O' Converter of Hearts,make our Hearts reflex the light(The Nur) of the Sahabah ,make my heart steadfast upon your Din!' Ya Allah, you are As-Salam, the source of Peace. From you Comes all Peace and Tranquility. Ya AS-Salam, there are those across this Ummah that are living in broken homes And there are those who are living homeless, who are in need of a home of safety,security and peace in this world and Grant us such a home in this world and a Home of safety,security and Peace in the Hereafer.Ya ALLAH! O Grantor of Peace! Give peace to the Hearts of all those who are in broken relationships- mothers that are broken with their children, spouses whose relationships is broken, friends whose relationships are broken, and slaves of yours whose relationships with You are broken. Ya ALLAH! Ya ALLAH!Ya ALLAH!, you are the healer of Hearts you are the remover of pain, you are the Giver of peace. Heal the hearts of those whose homes & hearts are broken. Soften the hearts that have become hard with sin. Give patience and courage to those that are mocked and suffer as they struggle to remain on your path. Guide the families that are far away from guidance, heal the hearts that are hurting and Sick take away the pain from our Hearts, Ya Rabb of Mankind, and make every hardship a means of returning back to you. Give us peace in our hearts and Souls so that we can face every storm with an Alhamdulillah.Ya ALLAH! Ya Rabb! enable me to be grateful for the favors which you have bestowed on me!
Ameen! There is an emptiness in the Hearts of Men that cannot be filled except with the love of ALLAH and the Love for ALLAH and by turning to ALLAH and always remembering ALLAH!.All the universe with its skies and earths, orbits and celestial bodies, with its animals and beasts, trees, soils, streams and seas, and humans, jinn and angels is subservient to Allah, dutiful to His Universal Commands. Allah says,to Him submitted all creatures in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly.? [Soorah aal-Imran (3):83] Nay, to Him belong all that is in the heavens and on earth, and all surrender with obedience (in worship) to Him.? [Soorah al-Baqarah (2): 116]
?And to Allah prostate all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, of the live moving creatures and the angels, and they are not proud [i.e. they worship their Lord (Allah) with humility].? [Soorah an-Nahl (16):49] See you not that to Allah prostrates whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees, and ad-Dawab (moving living creatures, beasts, etc.), and many of mankind?? [Soorah al-Hajj (22):18] And unto Allah (Alone) falls in prostration whoever is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and so do their shadows in the mornings and in the afternoons.? [Soorah ar-Ra?d (13):15] Thus, all the creatures and the worlds are obedient to Allah and submissive to His Sovereignty. It runs in compliance to His Wills and in conformity with His obedience and none disobeys Him. They perform their duties and illustrate an accurate coordination - thus, proving the purity of their Creator from any deficiency, limitation and flaw. Allah says, ?The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein, glorify Him and there is not a thing but glorifies His Praise. But you understand not their glorification.? [Soorah al-Isra (17):44] Thus, all the creatures, the mute and the speaking, the living and the dead, are obedient to Allah and dutiful to His Universal Commands, and all of them prove the purity of Allah from any deficiencies and shortcomings silently or with a loud expression. And if a sane person was to reflect upon these creations, he would surely know that they were created with truth and for the truth. They are subjected to the Commands of their Administrator without disobedience. Thus, everything affirms the Creator by its natural disposition.
It has been shown that we are a planned creation of ALLAH, The ALL-Wise and The ALL-Knowing ,the Creator of the heavens and the earth. What is it that ALLAH wants from the human being?___ The answer is that ALLAH wants total willing unconditional surrender,Submission to ALLAH!. This question is related to the very basic concept of the Islamic faith. It has much to do with the very meaning of the word "Islam". The name is derived from the root verb "aslama" which means "to give up; surrender; to yield." The same verb "aslama", is used to denote that a person has employed Islam. Within the Islamic context, the word means to submit. Islam, therefore, means submission to Allah, which is pure, genuine and total. When a person declares "there is no deity save Allah", he is basically saying that he submits to no one other than Allah. The second part of the declaration: "Muhammad (peace be upon him) is Allah's messenger", means a commitment to accept legislation only when it comes through the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). This has far reaching practical implications. To start with, submission to Allah means a willing commitment to implement Allah's laws. It is not possible to imagine that a person who declares that he has submitted to Allah continues, at the same time, to violate His laws. If he does, his very actions belie his declaration. Every creation of Allah, except for Jinnsand human beings, obeys the laws and commands of Allah and performs as it is destined to perform. The laws and commands of Allah for these creations are usually termed by human beings as the laws of nature and they are followed consistently by every entity in the universe without fail.
For example given any circumstances, matter behaves consistently according to its properties. It expands when heated and contracts when cooled. Similarly, the heavenly bodies rotate and revolve at the speed, direction and the orbit destined for them. Plants grow and bear their fruits according to the laws of nature. Animals follow their instincts throughout their life. In this way, all these creations are Muslim. They are obeying Allah and worshipping Him.
Were there no human beings, all forms of life and ecosystems will continue to function, operate and flourish in a balanced, harmonious and sustainable way. None of these creations, however, have any choice but to follow the Laws of Allah. They do not have the freedom to make choices. Their obedience is predestined, not chosen.
Allah gave human beings and Jinns freedom to choose. Although in terms of their physical being they are subject to the laws of nature in the same way as animals or plants are, in terms of their social lifestyles they are left to make their own decisions and their own choices.
The purpose of human creation was to have a creature that worships and obeys Allah on its own accord and by its own choice without being forced to obey.but through willing obedience to it Creator and the laws of nature and/or instincts like other creatures. The Humanbeing that accepted Islam and became Muslim, The Muslims (the obedient worshippers) of the creator of All the Worlds . would follow the Divine laws and commands in their life without being forced, but in willing submission. This purpose of human creation is described in the Holy Qur-an in the following words of Allah:
"I created the Human beings and Jinns only for my worship (total obedience)." Adz-Dzariyaat 51:56
If all humanity were to follow Allah's commands being in total servitude (worship) to Allah, their actions would be moderate, balanced, fair and equitable and the human society would be a loving, peaceful and caring society in harmony with its environment and the nature. The environment on the planet earth would remain in equilibrium and the whole universe stays as is,just this world that we live in, would continue to function perfectly as per Allah's designs. Obviously, when freedom of choice is available, not all human beings are going to follow the lifestyle decreed by Allah. The actions of the disobedient people are, thus, going to be unbalanced, excessive, extreme and exploitive. If a majority of human beings disobeys Allah's commands, it will result in the lack of peace, harmony and fairness in the human society and unsustainability of its earthly environment due to human excesses. Allah donot want the order and peace of His Earth ,of this world disturbed by the disobedient people. Hence, Allah decided to put human beings first in a temporary world so that each human being could be tested for his/her preference for the path of obedience or that of disobedience. A system of birth, growth and death was put in place so thateach person had an opportunity to prove whether he or she could responsibly handle the authority afforded by free choice or resorted to disobedience when given freedom. People are being born for a temporary stay on this earth as a test period. This will continue until the Day of Judgment when the existing solar system along with all its inhabitants will be destroyed and re-created with new natural laws. On that day, the people - every one of Us since inception - will be brought back to life and segregated according to their life style of obedience or disobedience. From that day onwards, an eternal life will start where only the obedient (Muslim) people will have total freedom in the Gardens of Paradise. There they would have a very rewarding and luxurious life. The abusers of their freedom having been put away in Hell. This plan of ALLAH is indicated in the Holy Qur-an in the words of Allah such as: Full of blessings is He: In Whose hands is the Sovereignty and He has power to do everything; Who created death and life to identify the best in action of you, and He is All-Mighty, Oft-Forgiving; Who created seven heavens in harmony, one over another. You will not see any disproportion in Allah's Creation. Look again! Do you see any flaw?"Al-Mulk 67:1-3]
"One day the Earth will be changed to a different Earth and so will be the Heavens; and people will be marshaled forth before Allah, the One and Only, the Irresistible. And you will see the Sinners that day bound together in chains." Al-Ibraheem 14:48-49
"The people ushered to Garden (Paradise) will say: Praise is for Allah, Who has fulfilled His promise to us and has given us this land in heritage; we can dwell in the Garden where we will. How excellent the reward for the obedient workers!" Az-Zumar 39:74
"The day that we roll up the Heavens like (written) sheets are rolled up in a scroll, Just as We originated the first creation, We shall repeat it once again - a promise We have undertaken, truly We shall fulfill it.And verily we have written in the Scripture, after the Reminder: My righteous, obedient servants shall inherit the earth." Al-Anbiyaa 21:104-105]
Also, Allah ta'ala said:"Say: Obey Allah and obey the Messenger: but if you turn away then he (the Messenger) is only responsible for the duty placed on him, and you for that placed on you. If you obey him, you shall be on right guidance. The Messenger's duty is only clear deliverance [of the Message]." [Al-Qur'an 24:54]{Note that repeating the verb 'obey' here has an important significance that will be discussed below.} Here Allah ta'ala makes obeying the Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam a condition for guidance; guidance cannot be acquired without this obedience. The duty of the Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam is to deliver the Message; and people's duty is to follow, obey, and submit to him. Al-Bukhari reported that Az-Zuhri18 said:"From Allah [comes] the knowledge; from the Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam [comes] the deliverance [of the knowledge]; and from us [comes] the submission [to the Message]." Thus if people neglect their duty of belief and obedience, they would harm themselves not him; his responsibility is not to make them believe, but only to deliver the Message to them; it is not required from him that people be guided and successful. And Allah ta'ala said: Believers! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and those charged with authority among you; if you differ in anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger (for judgment) if you (truly) believe in Allah and the Last Day: that is best, and most suitable for final determination." [Al-Qur'an 4:59]
Allah ta'ala is requiring obedience to Him and to His Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam. He starts the ayah with an address to the "believers", hinting that what is required thereafter is a consequence of that name with which they are addressed.
This is similar to saying, "You whom Allah has favoured and enriched with His bounties, be good to others as Allah has been good to you." And like, "Learned man, teach people what would benefit them." And, "Ruler, rule with justice." And so on.
For this reason, legislative matters in the Qur'an are frequently addressed to the believers, starting the address with "Believers". For example Allah says:
"Believers, fasting is prescribed for you ... " [Al-Qur'an 2:183]
"Believer, when the call is proclaimed for prayer on Friday, hasten earnestly to the remembrance of Allah ... " [Al-Qur'an 62:9]
And He says:
"Believers, fulfill the contracts ... " [Al-Qur'an 5:1]
Addressing the believers like this carries the implication that: "If you are true believers, you should perform the following action, because it is a requirement for the integrity and sincerity of Iman"
In the above ayah (An-Nisa' 59), Allah demands obedience to Him, the Messenger, and those of authority. The verb 'obey' is applied only once in regard to the Messenger and those of authority. One might expect the opposite - [that it would be applied only once in regard to both Allah and the Messenger] because:
"He who obeys the Messenger obeys Allah indeed." [Al-Qur'an 4:80]
However, this usage here has a subtle meaning. It implies that the Messenger must be obeyed in all that he commands, even if it were not something specifically required in Qur'an.
Let one then not imagine that the Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam should only be obeyed when his commands confirm the Qur'an, otherwise he need not be obeyed. [In refutation of such fallacy,] Al-Miqdam ibn Ma'di Yakrib narrated that he sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said:
"There will be a man with full stomach, reclining on his pillow, who will hear a command from me and say, 'Let the judge between us (in this matter) be Allah's Book: we obey whatever we find in it.' [Know that] indeed, I have been given the Book and, with it, that which is similar to it (the Sunnah)."
However, obeying the people of authority is not required independently, but as part of obeying the Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam. This fact is confirmed by the hadith (narrated by Ibn 'Umar):
"One should listen and obey (those charged with authority) whether it were something he liked or hated, as long as he is not commanded to disobey Allah ta'ala. If he is commanded to disobey Allah, he should neither listen nor obey."20
Toward the end of this ayah (An-Nisa' 59), Allah emphasizes obeying the Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam by saying (what means), " ... refer it to Allah and the Messenger ... " rather than saying, " ... and to the Messenger ... ". Referring matters to the Qur'an is equivalent to referring them to Allah and the Messenger. Also, Allah's judgement is the same as His Messenger's; and the Messenger's judgment is the same as Allah's.
Thus if you refer your disputes to Allah, i.e. to His Book, then you refer to His Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam as well. And if you refer to His Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, then you refer to Allah as well. This is one of the subtleties of the Qur'an.
{Uli'l-Amr}(Translated here as 'those in Authority' or The People of Authority).
(The People of Authority or 'Those in Authority') Two views have been expressed by the Sahabah and the 'ulama (scholars) Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid and Hasan al-Basri the earliest commentators of the Qur'an, may Allah be pleased with them, refers to those ones "charged with authority". have said that uli'l-amr fittingly applies to scholars and jurists ('Ulama' and Fuqaha') since, they are the succeeding deputies of Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam)and the proper regulation of religion is in their hands. Then, there is a group of commentators, including Sayyidna Abu Hurairah , which says that uli'l-amr signifies officials and rulers who hold the reins of government in their hands. However, it appears in Tafsir Ibn Kathir and al-Tafsir al-Mazhari that this expression includes both categories, that is, the scholars and jurists as well as the officials and rulers because the system of command is inevitably connected with these two. it applies to both groups, because both the 'ulama and the rulers are in charge of the affairs concerning which Allah has sent His Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam). As for the 'ulama, they are charged with protecting the Din, explaining it, teaching it, and refuting those who deviate from it or try to alter it. Allah ta'ala gave them this charge, as He said: "These [prophets] were the men to whom We granted the Book and Judgement and Prophethood; if these people [of the Scripture] reject them, behold! We shall entrust their charge to a new people who do not reject them ... " [Al-Qur'an 6:89] This is indeed a great assignment to the 'ulama that requires from people to obey and follow them. And as for the rulers, they are charged with establishing the Din, safeguarding it, compelling people to adhere to it, and punishing those who deviate from it. Thus these two groups are in charge of the affairs of people, and other people are their followers and subjects.
1. First of all come commands about something which Allah Almighty has Himself revealed very explicitly in the Holy Qur'an and which do not need any explanation - for example, the extremely serious crime of shirk and kufr (the ascribing of partners to the divinity of Allah, and disbelief); the worship of Allah, the One; the belief in Akhirah, the life-to-come, and in Qiyamah, the Last Day; and the belief in Sayyidna Muhammd al-Mustafa(sallallahu alayhi wa salam) as the Last and True Messenger of Allah; the belief in and the practice of Salah (prayers), Sawm (fasting), Hajj (pilgrimage) and Zakah (alms) as fard (obligatory). All these are direct Divine commands. Carrying these out means a direct obedience to Allah Almighty. Believers! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and those charged with authority among you; if you differ in anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger (for judgment) if you (truly) believe in Allah and the Last Day: that is best, and most suitable for final determination." [Al-Qur'an 4:59] 2. Then, there is the second part consisting of ahkam or commands which needs to be explained. Here, the Holy Qur'an often gives a terse or unspecified command the explanation of which is left to Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam). Now, the explanation or enlargement of the subject which Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam)takes up through his ahadith is also a kind of wahy (revelation). If these explanations, based on personal judgment, miss something or fall short in any way, correction is made through wahy. Finally, the word and deed of Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam) as it is in the end, becomes the interpretation of the Divine command. Furthermore, there is in the above ayah (An-Nisa' 59) a clear evidence that all matters of disagreement, in all aspects of the Din, should be referred to Allah and His Messenger sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam - and to no one else. Anyone referring disputes to other than Allah and His Messenger opposes this command by Allah. And anyone who calls to other than Allah's and His Messenger's judgment to resolve disagreements, calls indeed with the call of Jahiliyyah. One does not truly enter the realm of Iman until he refers all differences arising among people to Allah and His Messenger. For this reason, this ayah continues as, " ... if you believe in Allah and the Last Day ... ". Obedience to the Divine commands of this nature is, though, the very obedience, of the commands of Allah Almighty in reality, but, speaking formally, since these commands are not physically and explicitly the Qur'an as such - they have reached the community through the blessed words of Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam) - therefore, obedience to them is academically said to be an obedience to Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam) which, in reality, despite being in unison with obedience to the Divine, does have a status of its own if looked at outwardly. Therefore, throughout the Holy Qur'an, the command to obey Allah has the allied command to obey Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam) as a constant feature. This ayah should be a sufficient clarification and guidance in this matter (of obeying the Messenger). It constitutes a protection and a support for those who abide by it; and it is a powerful refutation and attack against those who deny it, as Allah ta'ala said: " ... That he who would perish might perish in clear evidence [of the truth], and that he who would remain alive might live in clear evidence [of the truth]. And verily Allah is All-Hearing, All Knowing ... " [Al-Qur'an 8:42] The earlier and later Muslims agreed that referring matters to Allah means referring them to His Book, and referring matters to Rasulallah ( sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) means referring them to him personally during his life, and to his Sunnah after his death. The above ayah (An-Nisa' 59) ends with, " ... that is best, and most suitable for final determination... ". This means, "That with which I commanded you (to obey Me and obey My Rasulallah and the people of authority, and to refer disputes to Me and My Rasulallah) is better for you in this life and in the Hereafter; it leads to your happiness in both lives. Therefore, it is best and most rewarding for you."This indicates that obeying Allah ta'ala and His Rasulallah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and taking them as the referees, is the means to immediate and continued happiness. 3. The third category of Ahkam or commands are those which have not been explicitly mentioned in the Holy Qur'an or in the Hadith, or if they do appear in the later, the narrations about such commands found in the enormous treasure-house appear to be conflicting. In the case of such ahkam, Mujtahid 'Ulama (scholars having the highest multi-dimensional expertise in religious knowledge through original sources) delve into the established texts of the Qur'an and Sunnah along with a close study of precedents and parallels offered by the problem in consideration, giving their best thought and concern to arrive at the appropriate rule of conduct while staying within the parameters of the imperatives of the sacred texts. This being so, the obedience to these rules is one and the same as the obedience to the Divine because it has been, in all reality, deduced from the Qur'an and Sunnah. But, when seen formally, these are known as juristic edicts or fatawa as popularly understood and are attributed to religious scholars. Under this very third category, come the Ahkam which are free of any restrictions from the Qur'an and Sunnah. In fact, here people have the choice to act as they wish. This, in the terminology of the Shari'ah is known as Mubahat (plural of Mubah meaning 'allowed'). The formulation, enforcement and management of orders and rules of this nature has been entrusted with the rulers and their officials so that they can make laws in the background of existing conditions and considerations and make everybody follow these. in the present verse, the obedience to those in authority means obedience to both 'ulama' and hukkam (religious scholars and Rulers). According to this verse, it becomes necessary to obey Muslim jurists in matters which require juristic research, expertise and guidance as it would be equally necessary to obey those in authority in matters relating to administrative affairs. This obedience too is, in reality, the obedience to the ahkam or commands of Allah Almighty. But, as seen outwardly, these commands are not there in the Qur'an or the Sunnah. Instead, they are either enunciated by religious scholars or the officials. It is for this reason that this particular call for obedience has been separated and placed at number three and given the distinct identity of 'obey those in authority'. Let us keep in mind that, the way it is binding and necessary to follow the Qur'an in the specified textual provisions of the Qur'an and follow Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam) in the specified textual provisions of Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam), so it is necessary to follow the Muslim jurists in matters relating to jurisprudence, matters which have not been textually specified, and to follow the rulers and the officials in matters relating to administration. This is what 'obedience to those in authority' means.(the people of Authority! the Scholars and The Jurists(Ulama'and Fuqaha')and the Officials and The Rulers are all handed over to the recipients as trust from Allah. Those who receive it are its amin (trustees). This covers all! everyone in authority. This is something to pondering over in the Qur'anic use of the word, Amanat which is in the plural form. This is to hint that amanah (trust obligation) is not simply limited to wealth or kind which someone may have entrusted to someone else for safe-keeping until demanded, which is the most prevailing and commonly understood form of amanah. The cue is that there are other kinds of amanah as well. For example, the incident that is about to be mentioned of the revelation of this verse does not have any financial aspect to it. The key to the Baytullah was not a financial asset. Instead, this key was a symbol of the office of the serving keeper of the Baytullah. The Holy Qur'an says: Surely, Allah commands you to fulfil trust obligations towards those entitled to them and that, when you judge between people, judge with fairness. Surely, good is what Allah exhorts you with. Surely, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. [58] O those who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. Then, if you quarrel about something, revert it back to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is good, and the best at the end. [59] The first of the two verses cited above was revealed in the background of a particular event which related to the custodial service of the Ka'bah, an office of great honour even before the advent of Islam. Those who were appointed to serve the House of Allah in a particular area of responsibility were regarded as people of great prestige and distinction in the community. Therefore, different areas of services were distributed over different people. It was from the time of Jahilliyah that, during the days of Hajj, the service of providing drinking water to pilgrims from the well of Zamzam was entrusted to Sayyidna 'Abbas, the revered uncle of Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam). This was known as Siqayah. Some other services similar to this were in the charge of Abu Talib, another uncle of Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam). Likewise, the custodial duty of keeping the keys to the House of Allah and of opening and closing it during fixed days had been given to 'Uthman ibn Talhah.
According to a personal statement of 'Uthman ibn Talhah, the Ka'bah was opened every Monday and Thursday during the period of Jahilliyah and people would use the occasion to have the honour of entering the sacred House. Once before Hijrah, Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam)came with some of his Companions in order to enter the Ka'bah. 'Uthman ibn Talhah had not embraced Islam until that time. He stopped Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam)from going in, displaying an attitude which was very rude. Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam)showed great restraint, tolerated his harsh words, then said: 'O 'Uthman, a day will come when you would perhaps see this key to the Baytullah in my hands when I shall have the power and choice to give it to anyone I choose.' 'Uthman ibn Talhah said: 'If this happens, the Quraysh will then be all uprooted and disgraced.' He said: 'No, the Quraysh will then be all established and very honourable indeed.' Saying this, he went into the Baytullah. After that, says Talhah, when I did a little soul-searching, I became convinced that whatever he has said is bound to happen. I made up my mind that I am going to embrace Islam then and there. But, my own people around me vehemently opposed the idea and everybody joined in to chide me on my decision. So, I was unable to convert to Islam. When came the conquest of Makkah, Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam) called for me and asked for the key to Baytullah, which I presented to him.'
In some narrations, it is said that 'Uthman ibn Talhah had climbed over the Baytullah with the key. It was Sayyidna 'Ali(radiallahu anhu)who, in deference to the order of Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam), had forcibly taken the key from his hand and had given it to Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam).
So he went into the Baytullah, offered his prayers there, and when he came out, he returned the key to Talhah saying: 'Here, take it. Now this key will always remain with your family right through the Last Day. Anyone who will take this.key from you will be a tyrant.' (By this he meant that nobody has the right to take back this key from Talhah) He also instructed him to use whatever money or things he may get in return for this service to Baytullah in accordance with the rules set by the Shari'ah of Islam.
'Uthman ibn Talhah says: 'When I, with the key in my hand, started walking off all delighted, he called me again, and said: 'Remember 'Uthman, did I not tell you something way back? Has it come to pass, or has it not?' Now, I remembered what he had said before Hijrah when he had said: 'A day will come when you will see this key in my hand.' I submitted: 'Yes, there is no doubt about it. Your word has come true.' And that was the time when I recited the Kalimah and entered the fold of Islam.' (Mazhari, from Ibn Sa'd).
Sayyidna 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab(radiallahu anhu)says: 'That day, when Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam)came out of the Baytullah, he was reciting this very verse, that is, {The Holy Qur'an says: Surely, Allah commands you to fulfil trust obligations towards those entitled to them and that, when you judge between people, judge with fairness. Surely, good is what Allah exhorts you with. Surely, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. [58]. I had never heard him recite this verse before this.' Obviously, this verse was revealed to him inside the Ka'bah exactly at that time. Obeying the Divine command in the verse, Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam) , called 'Uthman ibn Talhah again and made him the trustee of the key, because 'Uthman ibn Talhah when he had given the key to the Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam), had said: 'I hand over this article of trust to you.' Although, the remark he made was not technically correct as it was the sole right of Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam)to take whatever course of action he deemed fit. But, the Holy Qur'an has, in this verse, taken into consideration the nature of trust involved therein, and directed Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam)to return the key to none else but 'Uthman, although, that was a time when Sayyidna 'Abbas and Sayyidna 'Ali(radiallahu anhu)had both requested that, since Baytullah's offices of water supply and custodial services (Siqaya and Sidana) were in their respective charge, this service of the Key-Bearer of the Ka'bah may be entrusted to them. But,Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam) preferred to follow the instruction given in this verse, bypassed their request and returned the key to 'Uthman ibn Talhah. (Tafsir Mazhari)
This was the background in which this verse was revealed. At this point let us bear in mind an impprtant rule on which there is a consensus. The rule is that even if a Qur'anic verse is revealed in a particular background, the rule laid down by it in general terms must be taken as of universal application and must not be restricted to that particular event.
Now, we can turn to the meanings and exegetic aspects of these verses.
The Holy Qur'an says:those who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. Then, if you quarrel about something, revert it back to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is good, and the best at the end. [59]. It means: 'Surely, Allah commands you to fulfil trust obligations towards those entitled to them.' As to who is the addressee of this command, there are two probabilities: It could have been addressed to the general body of Muslims, or it could have been addressed particularly,to those in authority. What is more obvious here is that the verse is addressed to everyone who holds anything in trust. This includes the masses and also those in authority.---------------------------------------------Your Brother in Din of ALLAH, k.ibrahim. -----("O Muslim people please make Dua for Me, That ALLAH increase My Faith(IMAN) and devotion,And grant me a Good Muslim wife,who has knowledge of Din!([email protected])