|
A Call for
Coexistence
Episode 5
In the name of Allah,
the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful. Peace and blessings of Allah be upon
Prophet Muhammad (SAWS).
Let me welcome you all and let
us continue our "Call for Coexistence".
In today’s episode, we will discuss five points
which I hope we apply to our daily lives so that we would be able to coexist and
accept each other. Allah says what can be translated as, “and
act righteously among yourselves (Or: make reconciliation after differences) and
obey Allah and His Messenger, in case you are believers.”(TMQ, 8:1).
Abu-Hanifa believed the
Qur’an’s verses are limited in number, while daily events are not. He wanted to
bridge the gap between life and religion. Thus, he introduced a new concept
that was not known before which is juristic deduction.
Muslim scholars in Al-Hijaz at
that time did not accept such innovations as they were not familiar with the
circumstances in other places such as Iraq. As a result of his different views;
Abu-Hanifa was accused of corrupting the Islamic religion and even of being an
atheist.
Abu-Hanifa’s idea of juristic
deduction sprang from an authentic hadith which narrates that prophet Muhammad (SAWS)
asked Mo’az Ibn-Gabal what his reference in judging was. Mo’az replied that his
first reference is the Qur’an, then the sunnah (the Prophet's tradition),
then his own opinion and deduction.
Different people need
different ways to deal with them. However, we have to deal with all kinds of
people, as it is our duty to coexist and to make reconciliations. It was
narrated that the Prophet (SAWS) said that the problems and the struggles
between the Muslims lead to the deterioration of our religion.
The five points that can help
you coexist with those who differ with you are:
1-
Rational
logic.
2-
Scientific
logic.
3-
Outwitting.
4-
Patience.
5-
Holding firm
to your beliefs.
Abu-Hanifa succeeded because
he had the skill of dealing with all types of people. For example, in Al-Higaz,
Abu-Hanifa was criticized for following his own opinion and neglecting the
Prophet's (SAWS) sayings. Then, while he was performing pilgrimage, he
met Al-Imam Mohammad Al-Baker who was one of the Prophet's (SAWS)
descendents. Al-Imam condemned Abu-Hanifa for changing his grandfather's
religion. Abu-Hanifa denied but Al-Imam insisted on his accusations. Thus,
Abu-Hanifa asked Mohammad Al-Baker to sit where he pleased so that Abu-Hanifa
would discuss the matter.
Al-Baker sat on a chair while
Abu-Hanifa chose to sit on the floor and said that his respect for him was as
highly as the companions’ respect for the Prophet (SAWS). Abu-Hanifa
started asking Al-Baker a few easy questions in order to find some points of
agreement. The first question was: “Who is physically weaker: men or women?”
Al-Baker replied: “Women”. Abu-Hanifa said that the man’s share in inheritance
is double the woman’s share, but if he was really neglecting the prophet’s
sayings, he would have given the woman double the share of man as she is
weaker. However, he did not dare do such a thing.
The second question was:
“Which is more glorified by Allah: fasting or praying?” The Imam replied
“Praying”. Abu-Hanifa continued his words saying that if he followed his
personal opinion he would have told women to pray the prayers they have missed
in Ramadan rather than fasting the days they missed, but he never dared to do so
because it was not what the Prophet (SAWS) said.
The third question he asked
the Imam was: “Which is more impure: urine or sperm?” The Imam replied: “In my
grandfather’s religion, it is urine”. To this Abu-Hanifa replied that although
this was his opinion he would never say that we have to perform the major
ablution from urine and perform the minor ablution from sperm. Their
conversation ended by Al-Imam Baker kissing Abu-Hanifa's forehead.
Another example was when
Al-khawareg (dissidents) entered Al-Koofa mosque, carrying their swords asking
Abu-Hanifa about two funerals for two people who have committed grave sins
wanting to know if they died as believers or not.
The first funeral was for a
man who was a drunk and died while drinking wine. The second funeral was for a
woman who committed adultery and died pregnant with an illegitimate child. As
Al-Khawareg believed that anyone who commits a grave sin is a rejecter of faith,
Abu-Hanifa knew that they will kill him if he said otherwise. Hence, Abu-Hanifa
pretended that he was distracted by the swords and that he had forgotten the
question.
So he asked them if they are Jewish or Christians.
They said that they were neither. Then he asked what their religion was. They
replied that they were Muslims. Abu-Hanifa made them say the truth by their own
will. They became confused and asked whether they deserve Jannah (paradise) or
hell. Abu-Hanifa's answer was a quote from the Qur’an, where Allah (AWJ)
says what can be translated as: “So whoever follows me, then surely he is of
me; and whoever disobeys me, then surely You are Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Merciful”
(TMQ, 18:36). Thus, the debate ended in favor of Abu-Hanifa.
Abu-Hanifa did not mind changing his opinion if it
was proved to be wrong. Zohair Ibn-Mo’awya once informed him that there were a
number of ahadith,
concerning a certain aspect in
jurisprudence,
which contradict his opinion. As a result, Au-Hanifa revised the matter and
willingly changed his opinion.
Abu-Hanifa could also deal
with those who couldn’t be convinced except by scientific thinking. He debated
with atheists by using this method. Although Abu-Hanifa was the one who set the
day for the debate, he arrived very late. He apologized and said that the
reason for his delay was that he could not find a boat that could take him to
the other side of the river. Suddenly, he found pieces of wood gathering
together to form a boat. The atheist did not believe his story and then
Abu-Hanifa wondered how they could not believe that a boat could be built by
chance while they deeply believe that the whole universe exists unaided.
One day, Abu-Hanifa heard that there was someone
who reviled Othman Ibn-Afan (RA)
by calling him “a rejecter of faith”. Abu-Hanifa went to the man’s house and
asked him whether he would accept his daughter to marry a rich, noble and
honorable man, but also a rejecter of faith. The man replied that he would
definitely disapprove. Abu-Hanifa replied that the Prophet (SAWS) too
would never have allowed his two daughters to marry Othman if he was a
disbeliever. The man was convinced and asked for Allah's forgiveness.
In another example, Abu-Hanifa said that in prayer
Muslims do not have to read Al-Fatiha
because the imam’s reading is enough. This idea was rejected by many people.
Some people actually came from Madinah to argue with Abu-Hanifa. He told them
that he cannot argue with all of them, and asked them to choose one. When they
chose one, he asked, “Will you accept anything he says no matter who wins?”
They said, “Yes.” Then he said, “You loose. This is my point. His words are
enough.” They were very confused as most of them were young men. He then told
them that they are from Madinah, so when they return where Malik is, who
believes that each Muslim has to read Al-Fatiha, they should stick to
their Imam. He even said that when he goes to Madinah, he will do what Malik
does!
The third method of arguing is
outwitting. Some people are not flexible. Abu-Hanifa used his tricky
intelligence where he could not use reason. Abu-Ga’far Al-Mansoor killed many
people and was the caliph in Iraq at that time. A man called Abul-Abbas al-Tusy
worked at his council. This man hated Abu-Hanifa. Al-Mansoor invited
Abu-Hanifa to attend a session. Al-Tusy said to the one next to him, “I’ll kill
Abu-Hanifa today.” and Abu-Hanifa felt what the man schemed for. The man
entered and said, “Caliph, can you permit me to debate Abu-Hanifa? I want to
ask him a religious question.” Al-Mansoor was worried from Abu-Hanifa because
he is a leader, and up-to-date. The man said, “Abu-Hanifa, the caliph has a
certain opinion in someone and ordered us to kill him without saying any
reasons. Should I kill him obeying the caliph, or disobey him?” Abu-Hanifa
asked him if the caliph orders were according to truth or falsehood. Al-Mansoor
said, “According to truth.” He said, “Apply the truth without asking.” Then,
he won his friendship by changing the subject and saying a funny story. Such
characteristics are gained through dealing with people. Do not isolate yourself
from people. The Prophet (SAWS) said that the believer who interacts
with people and tolerates their evil is better than the one who isolates
himself.
Another example was when a
couple came to him quarreling. The husband swore that he will divorce his wife
and not talk to her unless she talked to him. She also said that she will not
talk to him unless he talks to her. Abu-Hanifa said, “Nothing happened, you are
not divorced.” When Sufyan al-Thawry heard about it, he went to Abu-Hanifa and
said, “Do you legalize adultery?” He replied, “It is simple. She said to him
that she will not talk to him unless he talks to her. By saying this, she
did in fact talk to him. I reached a solution through an intelligent trick.
I did not commit a sin.”
The forth principle is
patience. Some people cannot be convinced by any of the previous ways, such as
the people who insult you out of hatred or envy. Abu-Hanifa was insulted many
times because he created new methods that were not acceptable at his time. One
day a young man told him, “You are an innovator, and a disbeliever.” He replied,
“Only Allah (AWJ) knows that I am not. I ask Allah to forgive me if you
are right, and to forgive you if you are wrong.” The young man said, “I was
wrong. I ask Allah’s forgiveness.”
By the way, he was not only
patient with those who disagree with him, but also with the disobedient. For
example, he was known for praying the voluntary night prayer almost everyday.
He had a young neighbor who used to drink a lot and become really noisy singing
that he lost everything. One night, Abu-Hanifa didn’t hear him, so he asked
about him. He was told that the police arrested the young man so he went to the
police to release him. On their way home and he didn’t talk to him. When they
arrived he said, “You can attend my lessons at the mosque if you want”, and this
young neighbor later became one of Abu-Hanifa’s students.
Abu-Hanifa was humorous with
some people too. One day, he was ill and a man visited him and stayed for an
hour. Abu-Hanifa was tired. The man told him, “It seems that I have tired
you.” He said, “No, you are tiring me even if you are at home.”
This is Islam, and we are
proud of it. This program is to teach you all how to coexist with each other:
Muslims and non-Muslims. This is how our Prophet (SAWS) taught us to
deal with those who disagree with us. So while we opt to coexist, we do not
want anyone to impose their culture upon us.
The last point today is that
if someone attempts to impose their opinion upon you in basic issues, you should
insist on your opinion. Coexistence does not mean losing our personality or
giving up your rights.
The man we mentioned earlier,
Al-Mansoor, plotted against Abu-Hanifa because he did not like him since he was
against the Abasiyans. One day he ordered Abu-Hanifa to be the magistrate, but
Abu-Hanifa refused. He refused because he knows that the caliph does not
provide the magistrates with any freedom, and freedom was a basic rule in his
life.
For disobeying the caliph, he
was whipped everyday ten times until his blood reached his heels. He said, “I
will not accept. I am free.” This is how this great man coexisted without
renouncing himself.
Abu-Hanifa was hardly whipped,
imprisoned for many days, and is now on his death bed.
He succeeded in his life
because he was able to coexist with himself, and he was a pious man. He was
also so elegant. He is a university it himself. Some people say that he died
in prison while others say that he died a few days after he was set free.
Al-Mansoor was afraid that a public revolution may take place after Abu-Hanifa
was whipped the 120 lashes which is why he set Abu-Hanifa free.
When the Al-Mansoor let
Abu-Hanifa go, he was so weak and tired. His son asked him, “I want to take
your opinion in so and so.” He replied, “I cannot, son. The caliph ordered me
not to give my opinion in anything.”
Because he wanted to unite
Muslims, he obeyed the caliph and yet kept his freedom.
When Abu-Hanifa died, 50.000
people prayed for him at his funeral. They were not able to pray all at the
same time. They divided themselves into six groups.
We now finished the story of
this great scholar, Abu-Hanifa. Next episode inshAllah will be about another
great scholar in Hanafi
jurisprudence.
ash-Shafi'y was born in the
same year Abu-Hanifa passed away. Allah is merciful with Muslims. The last one
who prayed for Abu-Hanifa was his son, Hamad. Abu-Ga’far Al-Mansoor prayed for
him too. Those who believe in freedom and coexistence are immortals, while
those who believe in strength are mortals.
When the great
Muslim leader Salah Ad-Din came to Egypt, he ordered that Abu-Hanifa’s
jurisprudence be taught at schools in Egypt, although he was a Shaf’I (follower
of ash-Shafi’ey’s school of thought). He also sent his sons to learn Maliki
jurisprudence in Madinah. This is a great example of coexistance. He believed
in coexistance, and that is why he won his struggles.
Before Abu-Hanifa died, he asked the people not to burry him in this place,
because it is occupied by Al-Mansoor. He wanted to be burried in a free
territory. When Al-Mansoor heard about this incident he said, “Who will forgive
me for what I have done to Abu-Hanifa in his life, or after his death?” May
Allah bless his soul. Scholars say that every Muslim should pray for him as he
delivers the islamic jurisprudence to us until this day.
AmrKhaled.net © جميع حقوق النشر محفوظة
This Article may be published and duplicated freely for private purposes, as long as the original source is mentioned. For all other purposes you need to obtain the prior written approval of the website administration. For info: management@daraltarjama.com
| 
