We will recap the Battle of Hunayn and the Siege of Ta'if, and then derive the main points of benefit from the incidents.
Recap
Recall we discussed in length the Conquest of Makkah which occurred Ramadan 8th Hijrah. We mentioned that one of the most important products of the Conquest is that the entirety of the Quraysh converted to Islam; some of them immediately, others it took a while, such as Safwan ibn Umayyah, Suhayl ibn Amr, et al. [see episode 80]. After the Conquest, the Prophet PBUH also destroyed all the idols in the neighboring tribes. He then heard of an offensive by the tribe of Thaqif who had allied with their cousins Hawazin — two tribes that rivaled the Quraysh in Makkah. The two tribes decided they would launch an offensive, so the Prophet PBUH decided he would engage with them in war. And so the Ansar, Muhajirun, and all the new converts from Makkah, engaged in the Battle of Hunayn [see episode 82].
Initially, the Muslims —especially the new converts— fled and ran away, but the Prophet PBUH and the senior sahaba remained until the counter-offensive was launched. And the Battle of Hunayn was a resounding success. And the tribe of Hawazin, their men fled and left all their women, property, and belongings on the battlefield. And large segments of Thaqif as well — recall the younger, overzealous commander said, "Bring all the women and children," and the elder said, "That's foolish." But the younger commander insisted, and he commanded everyone to bring everything with them to the battlefield [see episode 82]. Thus when the men fled back to Ta'if, all that was left behind was taken as war booty by the Muslims. It was a very foolish move for them, but it turned out to be a great advantage for the Muslims — the booty was the largest ghanima received in the history of the seerah.
Initially, the Muslims —especially the new converts— fled and ran away, but the Prophet PBUH and the senior sahaba remained until the counter-offensive was launched. And the Battle of Hunayn was a resounding success. And the tribe of Hawazin, their men fled and left all their women, property, and belongings on the battlefield. And large segments of Thaqif as well — recall the younger, overzealous commander said, "Bring all the women and children," and the elder said, "That's foolish." But the younger commander insisted, and he commanded everyone to bring everything with them to the battlefield [see episode 82]. Thus when the men fled back to Ta'if, all that was left behind was taken as war booty by the Muslims. It was a very foolish move for them, but it turned out to be a great advantage for the Muslims — the booty was the largest ghanima received in the history of the seerah.
We also mentioned that the Prophet PBUH laid siege to the city of Ta'if, but it was not successful, so the Prophet PBUH returned to Makkah, and he said, "Allah will guide them to Islam (sooner or later)." And indeed, in the 9th year of the Hijrah, they converted [see episode 95].
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Points of Benefit From the Battle of Hunayn and the Siege of Ta'if
Let us go back and derive some benefits from the Battle of Hunayn and the Siege of Ta'if:
1. Do not neglect the primary cause of victory. What is the primary cause of victory? Trust in Allah. As Allah says:
And what does Allah say in the Quran about who [some of] the Muslims put their trust in on the Day of Hunayn? Allah says, "On the Day of Hunayn, you took pride in your great numbers. But they proved of no advantage to you" [see Quran, 9:25]. Therefore, we learn from this a very important point of tawhid: Our tawakkul has to be in Allah —the Musabbib al-Asbab (مسبب الأسباب - the One Who Causes the Cause)— and not in the sabab (سبب - cause) itself. If our tawakkul is put in the cause, this is a type of shirk. It's called minor shirk, generally, and there are many examples: For example, if you have an alarm system in your house and you turn it on and think, "Khalas, the alarm system will protect me"—this isn't great shirk that makes you a mushrik; you're not worshiping the alarm system; BUT it's hidden/minor shirk — your tawakkul is in that alarm system. But does this mean we shouldn't turn the alarm on? Obviously, not. We turn the alarm on; but we must put our tawakkul in Allah SWT. Similarly, if you are sick and you go to the doctor, your tawakkul has to be in Allah. Yes, you realize Allah has given the doctor the tools and knowledge you don't have, so you have to go to the doctor; but your tawakkul has to be in Allah. Because it is Allah who brings the shifa (شفاء - cure); not the doctor or the medicine in itself. So your tawakkul has to be in the Musabbib al-Asbab; not the sabab.
إِن يَنصُرْكُمُ اللَّهُ فَلَا غَالِبَ لَكُمْ
"If Allah helps you, nobody can conquer you" [see Quran, 3:160].And what does Allah say in the Quran about who [some of] the Muslims put their trust in on the Day of Hunayn? Allah says, "On the Day of Hunayn, you took pride in your great numbers. But they proved of no advantage to you" [see Quran, 9:25]. Therefore, we learn from this a very important point of tawhid: Our tawakkul has to be in Allah —the Musabbib al-Asbab (مسبب الأسباب - the One Who Causes the Cause)— and not in the sabab (سبب - cause) itself. If our tawakkul is put in the cause, this is a type of shirk. It's called minor shirk, generally, and there are many examples: For example, if you have an alarm system in your house and you turn it on and think, "Khalas, the alarm system will protect me"—this isn't great shirk that makes you a mushrik; you're not worshiping the alarm system; BUT it's hidden/minor shirk — your tawakkul is in that alarm system. But does this mean we shouldn't turn the alarm on? Obviously, not. We turn the alarm on; but we must put our tawakkul in Allah SWT. Similarly, if you are sick and you go to the doctor, your tawakkul has to be in Allah. Yes, you realize Allah has given the doctor the tools and knowledge you don't have, so you have to go to the doctor; but your tawakkul has to be in Allah. Because it is Allah who brings the shifa (شفاء - cure); not the doctor or the medicine in itself. So your tawakkul has to be in the Musabbib al-Asbab; not the sabab.
So in all affairs of life, you must put your tawakkul in Allah; your job, your degree, your education, your qualifications — all of this is a sabab which Allah has given to you; so if you put your tawakkul in it, this is a type of shirk. Which could be major shirk if you deny Allah SWT. If a person denies Allah and says, "This is all from me," this is major shirk. For example, the story in Surah Kahf about the man with the two gardens: His brother said, "This is from Allah," but the man said, "No, this is from me" [see Quran, 18:32-44]. And similarly Qarun; he said, "I was the businessman who managed to get the money" [see Quran, 28:76-84] — so he is a kafir, because he made himself the cause, and he neglected the One Who Causes the Cause. The one who eliminates Allah and says, "I am the cause," this is major shirk and kufr. Insha'Allah, among Muslims this is not possible. But some still fall victim to minor shirk — they don't deny Allah, but they put their tawakkul in other than Him. And this is exactly what happened on the Day of Hunayn. They put their tawakkul in their cause, and they almost failed had Allah not helped them.
It's important to note that there are two types of causes: Physical cause and spiritual cause. A physical cause is a cause that humanity understands and believes in regardless of religion. For example, medicine, job, education, strength, etc. A spiritual cause is a cause that is supernatural. We as Muslims have our spiritual causes through du'a, Quran, etc. All of these are spiritual. Now, a spiritual cause, if it is legitimate, can you put your trust in that spiritual cause? Can your heart be attached (ta'alluq/تعلق) to that spiritual cause? We said your heart should not have tawakkul and attachment to any physical cause, e.g., a doctor. Okay — but can your heart be attached to a spiritual cause? The answer is yes. Because by definition, it is connected with Allah. To have your heart attached to Allah through a spiritual cause is tawhid. And to have your heart attached to a physical cause goes against tawhid. We learn this from the Incident of Hunayn, that we don't put our trust in physical causes. Now, of course, physical causes are necessary, in that, Allah created them to be causes: The famous hadith of, "Tie your camel, and then put your trust in Allah"—this is the basis of actions. So no doubt, we put our trust in Allah; but we need to do the physical causes necessary. So we go to the doctor, install an alarm system, do a degree to get a job, etc., and as we do all this, we attach our hearts to Allah. We put our tawakkul in Allah while we do these physical causes.
2. Another important point of theology we learn is: We excuse people even for major shirk and kufr if it is done out of ignorance. If a person is genuinely ignorant and they say they are Muslim and believe they are Muslim but fall into blatant shirk and kufr and they don't even know it is shirk and kufr, it is possible that Allah will forgive them, because they are jahil (جاهل - ignorant). We learn this from the hadith of Abu Waqid [see episode 82]: As the Muslims left Makkah for Hunayn, they saw the tree on which the pagans used to hang their weapons for 'good luck.' So Abu Waqid al-Laythi who just converted one week prior and doesn't know anything, he asks the Prophet PBUH, "Can't you make for us Dhat Anwat (the Hanging Tree, i.e., good luck charm) like the pagans have Dhat Anwat?"—and this is major kufr; he is asking for another god besides Allah; and indeed, the Prophet PBUH said this is major shirk; he said, "I swear by Allah, you have asked me exactly what Bani Israel asked Musa AS"—and what Bani Israel asked was major shirk [see Quran, 7:138]; BUT did the Prophet PBUH say to Abu Waqid, "Repeat your shahada again because you've become a kafir"? No. Why? Because he is a brand new Muslim and is ignorant.
This is very important because now we are living in a time when we hear such strange views even amongst Muslims who are born into Islam but are raised in foreign lands and they don't know even the basics of the religion and they come forth sometimes with blatant kufr. The most obvious example is the notion that, "Anyone who is good will go to Paradise; it doesn't matter what you believe. You can be agnostic, atheist, idol worshiper, Jew, Christian, anything — if you are a good person, you will go to Jannah." This is a common notion of our times. But to say this is kufr akbar. Why? Because it goes against the kalimah: It goes against "la ilaha illaLlah (there is no god besides Allah)" — because you are saying in fact there are gods that can be worshiped besides Allah. And it also goes against "Muhammad-ur-Rasulullah (Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah)" — because you are saying someone who denies "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" will go to Jannah. So it goes against both the kalimahs. You have negated your kalimah when you say, "All paths lead to Jannah." And yet, if you were to ask and do a survey —May Allah protect us, but even in our own communities— you will hear some people, sometimes even Muslims, especially teenagers, say, "Oh yes, if you are good, you will go to Jannah regardless of your religion." And to this, we say, no. In Islam, you have to be good both theologically and action-wise [see Quran, 18:107].
BUT at the same time —and here's the point— we shouldn't pronounce the verdict of kafir on these teenagers. Because they are ignorant. They don't know any better. So insha'Allah, the Muslims of them, they will be forgiven because there is "asl al-Iman" in their heart.
What is asl al-Iman (أصل الإيمان)? Asl al-Iman means you want to submit to Allah and His Messenger. Meaning these people, insha'Allah, they have Iman in their hearts and they want to submit to Allah. But they are ignorant. So, such a person who believes himself to be a Muslim, then commits a major mistake such as kufr and shirk but is ignorant, that person will not be held accountable for their ignorance. Rather, they must be taught and educated. (Side note: The opposite of asl al-Iman is "asl al-Kufr [أصل الكفر]," which means you don't want to submit to Allah.)
Another example is the issue of sexual orientation. Some young Muslims of our time say, "What's the big deal if somebody has this orientation or that? Let them do that." But we say, "No. To say it is okay is like saying it's okay to drink alcohol. And to say it's okay to drink alcohol is kufr." (Note: Drinking alcohol is not kufr in itself, but to say it's okay to drink alcohol is kufr; i.e., to legitimize haram is kufr.) But again, at the same time, just like how the Prophet PBUH dealt with Abu Waqid al-Laythi, we shouldn't pronounce verdicts of kafir on these people; rather, we must deal with them in a gentle manner and with wisdom.
3. Even the best of people can be swayed by worldly desires: Desire for wealth, power, and ambition. It's not in and of itself a sign of weak Iman to have desires of this world and be swayed by them. But the true Iman comes when you are reminded to keep it in check: When someone reminds you, or when you are shown the truth, can you put yourself in check? And we see this even in Prophet Yusuf AS: The Quran explicitly says, "He would have desired her" [see Quran, 12:24] — so we learn that it is not in and of itself haram to have desires of this world. But what did Yusuf AS do with that desire? Did he pursue it? No. As the verse says: A sign from Allah SWT kept Yusuf's AS desire in check, and thus he turned away from the woman [see Quran, 12:24] — and this is Iman. Similarly, in the Battle of Hunayn, what happened with the Ansar? When the Ansar felt somehow the Prophet PBUH had not done justice to them after they got nothing from the ghanima, they said something that really demonstrated how disappointed they were with the Prophet PBUH [see episode 83]. But the fact that they had waswasa doesn't mean they didn't have Iman. Allah SWT says in the Quran regarding the sahaba, "You are the best community ever raised for humanity" [see Quran, 3:110]; and we find in so many ahadith the Prophet PBUH praising the Ansar. Thus we learn that to have an inclination, in and of itself, is not a sign of lack of faith or weak faith. But what did the sahaba do with the inclination? Did they succumb to it and utter statements of kufr or snatch away some of the ghanima without the Prophet's PBUH permission? No. When the Prophet PBUH gave them the moving lecture, they kept their inclination in check. When they were reminded, they remembered — and this is Iman. As the Prophet PBUH said in a hadith, "The believer, when he is reminded, he remembers."
4. We see again and again the Prophet PBUH is dealing with people according to their backgrounds, personalities, and levels:
i) Look at how he dealt with the Ansar. He didn't give them a penny, and he gave all of the fortunes to the new converts [see episode 83].
ii) Look at how he dealt with the Quraysh on the battlefield when they fled. He used a war slogan never used before or after the incident. He said, "I am the Prophet, there is no denying this. And I am the son of Abdul Muttalib" [see episode 82]. He called upon his lineage — he had never done this in any other war. This is what you call the master of human psychology. Now, as we know, Islam teaches us that being proud of who your father/grandfather is has the potential to become something of Jahiliyyah; and yet, here, what is happening at Hunayn? Is the Prophet PBUH contradicting himself? No. He isn't being proud of his lineage. Rather, he is saying a factual statement — he was using on that battlefield something that needed to be used with the new converts from the Quraysh (and also the non-Muslims like Safwan ibn Umayyah). The one thing that would unite the army, especially having non-Muslims in their ranks, was the fact that the Prophet PBUH was the grandson of their legendary chieftain. And in our times, the same thing can be applied to, for example, nationalism. There is nothing inherently wrong with ascribing yourself to a certain land, region, culture, etc. No doubt, if it is used improperly, it can become kufr and sin. But if it is used properly, it is fine. Notice the Prophet PBUH mentioned "I am the Prophet" first, and only mentioned "I am the son of Abdul Muttalib" after — he mentioned his Islamic identity first. Thus if we don't make our national identity more important than our Islamic identity, it is fine.
iii) Look at how the Prophet PBUH dealt with the Bedouins. He dealt with them in a different way. He did not give the average Bedouins what he gave the chieftains of the Quraysh. He just gave them tokens (until everything was finished — and he didn't keep a penny for himself) [see episode 83].
So our religion teaches us common sense: We treat people according to their backgrounds. There is a hadith in Sahih Muslim narrated by Aisha RA, "Our Prophet PBUH commanded us to treat people according to their level."
5. Also, we see the issue of making du'a for vs. against people. We have this common misconception among some Muslims in our time that you are never allowed to make du'a against somebody. But this is completely wrong. Of the evidences are:
5. Also, we see the issue of making du'a for vs. against people. We have this common misconception among some Muslims in our time that you are never allowed to make du'a against somebody. But this is completely wrong. Of the evidences are:
i) When the sahaba finished the Siege of Ta'if, they begged the Prophet PBUH to make du'a against Thaqif [see episode 83].
ii) When Salat al-Asr was missed during the Battle of Khandaq, the Prophet PBUH made du'a against the ahzab [see episode 59].
iii) When a carcass was thrown on the Prophet PBUH, he made du'a explicitly by name against the group of Qureshis who did it [see episode 15] (and every one of them died at Badr).
iv) When the 70 sahaba were killed, the Prophet PBUH made du'a for a whole month against those who did it [see episode 51].
v & vi) Didn't Musa AS make du'a against Pharaoh? [see Quran, 10:88]. Didn't Nuh AS make du'a against his own people? [see Quran, 71:26]. (Side note: No doubt, Ibrahim and Isa AS made du'a FOR their people [because they had tender hearts], but the instances of Nuh and Musa AS making du'a against their people are also there, which shows it's not haram to make du'a against someone. And in one hadith, the Prophet PBUH likened the tender nature of Abu Bakr RA to that of Ibrahim and Isa AS; and the harsh nature of Umar RA to that of Nuh and Musa AS [see episode 40].)
No doubt, the general rule is to make du'a for, but sometimes it is healthy and necessary to make du'a against.
In our time, there are many tyrants, e.g., the modern pharaoh in Syria — is it not Islamic to make du'a against him? Wallahi, it is. Now, if somebody were to make du'a for him and say, "O Allah, guide this person"—is that wrong? No, that's not wrong; it is permissible. But after all that he has done, if somebody were to make du'a against him, that is also permissible; in fact, that is the more logical thing to do. The point is it is not un-Islamic to make du'a against someone who has wronged you or others. This notion in our times, that we cannot make du'a against someone, is wrong. In fact, there are many ahadith about the du'a of the oppressed — and the contexts indicate that they are about making du'a against *a Muslim* who has done wrong to you. If a Muslim had confiscated, embezzled, stolen your money, dishonored you, or slandered you, then Islamically and Quranically, you can make du'a against him by name. The Prophet PBUH said, "The du'a of the one who is wronged, there is no hijab (barrier) between him and Allah." Which means you *can* make du'a against even a Muslim. How about a tyrant then? Of course we can make du'a against such people. Thus if someone makes du'a against them by saying, "O Allah, destroy these people," this is fine and is from the sunnah.
In our time, there are many tyrants, e.g., the modern pharaoh in Syria — is it not Islamic to make du'a against him? Wallahi, it is. Now, if somebody were to make du'a for him and say, "O Allah, guide this person"—is that wrong? No, that's not wrong; it is permissible. But after all that he has done, if somebody were to make du'a against him, that is also permissible; in fact, that is the more logical thing to do. The point is it is not un-Islamic to make du'a against someone who has wronged you or others. This notion in our times, that we cannot make du'a against someone, is wrong. In fact, there are many ahadith about the du'a of the oppressed — and the contexts indicate that they are about making du'a against *a Muslim* who has done wrong to you. If a Muslim had confiscated, embezzled, stolen your money, dishonored you, or slandered you, then Islamically and Quranically, you can make du'a against him by name. The Prophet PBUH said, "The du'a of the one who is wronged, there is no hijab (barrier) between him and Allah." Which means you *can* make du'a against even a Muslim. How about a tyrant then? Of course we can make du'a against such people. Thus if someone makes du'a against them by saying, "O Allah, destroy these people," this is fine and is from the sunnah.
That being said, what did the Prophet PBUH do with Thaqif? He made du'a FOR them. Thus we learn that the general rule is to be merciful. Still, however, you can be strict if necessary.
6. Wisdom in dealing with past offenses. Should you punish people for past offenses/crimes or forgive them? We have in the Battle of Hunayn a major crime, and that is the Muslims fled the battlefield. This is a major crime. In fact, the Prophet PBUH said in a hadith, "Seven are the deadly sins. One of them is to turn away and flee on the battlefield." And these groups of new Muslims did exactly this. It's a major sin. And therefore, Ummi Sulaym, one of the famous sahabiyyat, when they all fled, she in fact jumped off her own animal, ran to the Prophet PBUH and pulled out a hand dagger; (note: amongst the small group of men protecting the Prophet PBUH, Ummi Sulaym was also there) —and the sahaba looked at her and said, "What are you doing? What will you do with that?"— she said, "If anyone comes, I will shove it in his stomach"; and when the battle was eventually won, her anger burst out and she said, "Ya Rasulullah, execute all those cowards," i.e., the new converts who fled. And the Prophet PBUH said, "O Ummi Sulaym, Allah AWJ took care of us. He defended us, and everything is fine." Meaning, "Yes, they did a sin, but what shall we do? Kill a 1,000 people?" So here we find wisdom in dealing with offenses. It's a major offense, but what will you gain by mass retribution? It's no use crying over spilled milk, as the saying goes. This shows us the wisdom of the Prophet PBUH.
7. We see this over and over again: The Prophet PBUH uses not just physical means, not just spiritual means, but psychological means as well — which shows us you need to understand the human psyche. A leader cannot be a leader unless he knows how to deal with the human situation and the human psyche. And there are so many examples of this:
6. Wisdom in dealing with past offenses. Should you punish people for past offenses/crimes or forgive them? We have in the Battle of Hunayn a major crime, and that is the Muslims fled the battlefield. This is a major crime. In fact, the Prophet PBUH said in a hadith, "Seven are the deadly sins. One of them is to turn away and flee on the battlefield." And these groups of new Muslims did exactly this. It's a major sin. And therefore, Ummi Sulaym, one of the famous sahabiyyat, when they all fled, she in fact jumped off her own animal, ran to the Prophet PBUH and pulled out a hand dagger; (note: amongst the small group of men protecting the Prophet PBUH, Ummi Sulaym was also there) —and the sahaba looked at her and said, "What are you doing? What will you do with that?"— she said, "If anyone comes, I will shove it in his stomach"; and when the battle was eventually won, her anger burst out and she said, "Ya Rasulullah, execute all those cowards," i.e., the new converts who fled. And the Prophet PBUH said, "O Ummi Sulaym, Allah AWJ took care of us. He defended us, and everything is fine." Meaning, "Yes, they did a sin, but what shall we do? Kill a 1,000 people?" So here we find wisdom in dealing with offenses. It's a major offense, but what will you gain by mass retribution? It's no use crying over spilled milk, as the saying goes. This shows us the wisdom of the Prophet PBUH.
7. We see this over and over again: The Prophet PBUH uses not just physical means, not just spiritual means, but psychological means as well — which shows us you need to understand the human psyche. A leader cannot be a leader unless he knows how to deal with the human situation and the human psyche. And there are so many examples of this:
i) In the Battle of Hunayn, when the Hawazin came to Ji'ranah to embrace Islam and to have their families back (who had been distributed as prisoners of war to the Muslims), what did the Prophet PBUH tell the Hawazin? He said, "This is what we will do: After Salat al-Zuhr tomorrow, you will stand up in front of all of the people (i.e., the sahaba) and ask to have your families given back to you (for free, if possible)," i.e., "Let's try to rely on the generosity of the Muslims" [see episode 83]. Notice the psychology here. He PBUH said, "After Salah." Why after salah? Because after salah, you feel righteous and pious, and thus more generous. So it's the best time.
ii) Also in the same incident, notice the Prophet PBUH didn't command the sahaba to give the prisoners back; rather, he used emotional appeal. Why does he not want to force the sahaba? Because it's their right — they just got handed a lot of prisoners, which is their prerogative; so to tell them point-blank to hand them back is going to be painful.
iii) Also in the same incident, recall when the Hawazin made the appeal, the first to stand up was none other than the Prophet PBUH himself; and he said, "As for the prisoners in the Banu Abdul Muttalib (i.e., my tribe), I am in charge of them. So all of them are yours. Take them." This is of course a sign to the other leaders to stand up and start giving their prisoners up as well. And that is exactly what happened.
iv) The type of generosity shown by the Prophet PBUH captured the hearts of the muallafati qulubuhum [see episode 83]. We didn't mention the following story in episode 83 because we didn't have time: When the Hawazin accepted Islam, the Prophet PBUH said, "Where is your leader Malik ibn Awf al-Nasri?" (He is the same leader who insisted on bringing the women and children to the battlefield against the advice of the elder. And he was the main leader who instigated the attack, led the attack, had the tactic of showering the Muslims with arrows in the overpass, etc.) They said, "He managed to get into Ta'if." The Prophet PBUH said, "Go tell him that if he comes to me as a Muslim, I shall return his family and property, plus give him 100 camels." When Malik heard this... it was a no-brainer because he had lost everything: family, wealth, tribe, etc. Now he is being told that if he comes back as a Muslim, not only will he get it all back, but he will basically become a multi-millionaire. It's a no-brainer — there's no life to live without your family, property, and tribe. After all, he is the chieftain. What will you do without a tribe to lead? So he has no choice, he comes to the Prophet PBUH, accepts Islam, and the Prophet PBUH reinstates him as the tribal leader. The very person who instigated the entire attack against the Muslims, the Prophet PBUH reinstates him as the leader. And Malik ibn Awf al-Nasri, he then versified some lines of poetry basically saying the Prophet PBUH is truly a prophet — because he PBUH did not have to do this, yet he did; he fulfilled his promise. So Malik said there is no doubt he is a true prophet. When you see someone giving millions away and not keeping a penny for himself, what does this show? Sincerity and truthfulness. This is why al-Aqra' ibn Habis, the other chieftain, said, "I have just come from a man who doesn't care about poverty! Wallahi, this man is a prophet, for no king would do what he has done!"
v) As a general rule, the Prophet PBUH tried to find local leaders/previous leaders within a tribe to lead, rather than put leaders from outside. Look at Malik ibn Awf; the Prophet PBUH reinstated him as the leader. Why? Because it's human nature that you respect someone from within your own ranks as a leader — you won't respect an outsider to the same level. Also, who better to rule than someone who has already ruled? Malik ibn Awf knows how to rule his own people: He knows the people in charge, the elites he will need, etc. So he is handed back his power.
8. The issue of the prisoners of war — which brings up the controversial issue of slavery in early Islam and in Islamic law. This is a very hot topic that obviously critics of Islam —and even Muslims that don't know the shariah— question about. Many young Muslims say, "What does our religion say about slavery? How do we read the Quran and hadith and seerah when it talks about slavery?" This is a very long topic in and of itself.
The first thing we need to mention here is that we don't like to use the term "slavery." Because it is historically loaded. When we use the term, instantly we get images of American slavery; and this has huge negative connotations. American slavery was the worst manifestation of slavery in human history. Even the ancient Romans treated their slaves better. This is a historical fact that everybody acknowledges. The way slavery existed especially in America was really the worst. And when we use the term slavery, that sort of imagery comes up; whereas that never existed in the history of Islam. So we will use "ubudiyya (عبودية)" or "riq (رق)" or something of this nature instead, which is the Arabic connotation.
We will look at the issue of riq in the context of two times: Firstly, what did Islam do; and secondly, in our times with the ethical laws and the banning of slavery in the modern world.
Now, we need to understand that during the Prophet's PBUH times, slavery/riq/ubudiyya was a universal practice — no culture or society had banned it, ever. Every society —Roman, Greek, Chinese, Indian, etc.— practiced it. And amidst the rampant practice around the globe, Islam was the first and the only civilization to come and give a set of laws about ubudiyya and dealing with abds; to have checks and balances put into place. Of those laws were:
i) Restricting where your abd (عبد) comes from — Islam only allowed one source: Prisoners of war who are not ransomed.
i) Restricting where your abd (عبد) comes from — Islam only allowed one source: Prisoners of war who are not ransomed.
— Every other civilization allowed people to capture free people from other lands and then sell them (as what happened in America). They would go into some land, take someone, force him into slavery, and then bring him as a slave. Islam however forbade this. Islam only allowed Muslims to take prisoners of war who are not ransomed as abd: After a legitimate war took place (a state fights another state), there are thousands of prisoners; so what is to be done if nobody is paying their ransom? You cannot just set them free; they will come back and retaliate. So you take them as abd. [See also: episode 54.]
ii) Legislated proper treatment.
— This, again, was unheard of in any other civilization and culture. There are numerous ahadith about treating abds in a humane manner. Every civilization allowed masters to do what they pleased with their slaves, but Islam said no; rather, the Prophet PBUH said, "Your abds are your brothers, and Allah has put them under your command. So whoever has a brother under his command should feed him of what he eats, and dress him of what he wears"—and that's why in Islam, there were many instances where you could not tell the abd from the master. And the Prophet PBUH further said, "Do not ask them (abds) to do things beyond their capacity (power), and if you do so, then help them."
iii) Islam legislated the freeing of abds through so many avenues.
— Such as the penalty for breaking your oath, committing zihar (ظهار), or having intercourse with your wife during the day of Ramadan; one of the ways to pay the penalty for these is to free an abd [see Quran, 5:89 & 58:2-4] [see Sahih Bukhari, Book 51, Hadith 34]. In fact, Islam legislated zakat money for abds — one of the 8 categories of zakat is for [freeing] abds [see Quran, 9:60]. This is not something to be taken lightly. In fact, not only zakat and penalty; freeing an abd is one of the highest virtues in Islam: There are chapters written —even in the book we are reading on a daily basis, which is Imam al-Nawawi's Riyad al-Salihin (رياض الصالحين - the Meadows of the Righteous)— on the virtues of freeing an abd or an ama (أمة - female abd). Allah gives so much reward to those who free abds, so much so that Aisha RA and others used to look for abds to free. Indeed, the Prophet PBUH said one of the ways to free yourself from Hellfire is to free an abd [see Sahih Muslim, Book 20, Hadith 26].
iv) It created a legal framework that incorporates the treatment of abds and amas, but it doesn't require their existence.
— That is, Islam doesn't require riq or slavery. If we eliminate the entire institution of riq, the Islamic shariah is still perfectly intact. Therefore, in our times when there is no slavery, Islamic law is still full and valid, and it doesn't need their existence. And this is an amazing point in our opinion, which clearly demonstrates that Allah AWJ intended for riq to be something that is not necessary and required. If it's there, Islam has laws for it; but if it's not — no problem, the Islamic framework still stands. And that's why we don't know of a single scholar or alim who is calling for a return of riq.
v) If you have a relation with an ama, then she must be only yours, and you cannot lend her to other people.
— Having relations with amas is, again, something that all societies and cultures did. It's not something Islam came with. There are plenty of references in the Old and New Testaments about it. However, previous cultures did not have any rules; in many cultures, including pre-Islamic Arabian culture, you could lend your ama to other people, astaghfirullah. So of course what happened was you would hire her out to other people for a night. And the Quran references this practice and makes it clear that it's completely haram [see Quran, 24:33]. So the Quran came and legislated things even in this regard.
vi) A child born of relation with an ama is considered to be a free child.
— In Jahiliyyah days, children born from relations with amas were considered to be, sometimes, slaves; whereas in Islam, the child born of such a union is considered to be the same as a free child. That's why Ismail AS and Ishaq AS are both equal in the eyes of the shariah of Allah SWT (even though Ismail's mother Hajar was a slave). And in fact, if we look at our own history, we will see that the majority of the khulafa were born of amas. And that's a huge thing to say. The majority of the Abbasids and the Uthmanids were actually children of amas — showing the lineage from their mother's side was not something that brought a negative stigma to them.
— In Jahiliyyah days, children born from relations with amas were considered to be, sometimes, slaves; whereas in Islam, the child born of such a union is considered to be the same as a free child. That's why Ismail AS and Ishaq AS are both equal in the eyes of the shariah of Allah SWT (even though Ismail's mother Hajar was a slave). And in fact, if we look at our own history, we will see that the majority of the khulafa were born of amas. And that's a huge thing to say. The majority of the Abbasids and the Uthmanids were actually children of amas — showing the lineage from their mother's side was not something that brought a negative stigma to them.
vii) If a child is born of such a union, the ama is upgraded to become an "umm al-walad (أم الولد)."
— And the books of fiqh have a chapter called "the Chapter of Umm al-Walad." What is umm al-walad? Umm al-walad is a special category of ama, in that, after the child is born, you cannot sell her to anybody else or transfer ownership; and she becomes free on the death of the child's father.
No doubt, slavery is a difficult topic for some of us, especially the young minds, to grasp; but it needs to be said and explained, because we come across the instances of abds and amas so many times in the seerah. In the modern world that we live in, however, we don't have to deal with it anymore — Allah AWJ legislated something that in the time and context was the most humane possible, and everything seemed to work toward eliminating this institution; and now that it is eliminated, we don't have to call for its return.
And riq was abolished in Muslim lands from 1870 onward. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, there were abolition movements as there were in Europe as well, and there was opposition to them just like there was in Europe as well. In the beginning, many Muslim clerics opposed the abolishment, but eventually, it's been eliminated. (Note: Even in the seerah of the Prophet PBUH, notice how many times abds were freed. And the Prophet PBUH himself never had a personal slave-khadim [خادم - servant]; every abd he had, he would free. But a number of them attached themselves to him after being freed, and they volunteered their services to him PBUH.) [For the discussion on Maria al-Qibtiyya, see episode 97.]
And riq was abolished in Muslim lands from 1870 onward. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, there were abolition movements as there were in Europe as well, and there was opposition to them just like there was in Europe as well. In the beginning, many Muslim clerics opposed the abolishment, but eventually, it's been eliminated. (Note: Even in the seerah of the Prophet PBUH, notice how many times abds were freed. And the Prophet PBUH himself never had a personal slave-khadim [خادم - servant]; every abd he had, he would free. But a number of them attached themselves to him after being freed, and they volunteered their services to him PBUH.) [For the discussion on Maria al-Qibtiyya, see episode 97.]
The bottom line is slavery was the reality of the world at the time, and our religion came and legislated it and made it far more humane than any other civilization. In fact, no other civilization even had laws for slavery. (And by the way, every book of classical fiqh has a chapter on ahkam al-riq [أحكام الرق - rules of riq]. You can go and read about those chapters for historical purposes, if you want to.)
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The Results of the Battle of Hunayn and the Siege of Ta'if
What were the results of Hunayn and Ta'if?
1. A clear victory of the Prophet PBUH in the entire region of Hejaz — even though Ta'if was still not Muslim, it was a small island of shirk in the ocean of tawhid. Otherwise, the entire Hejaz region had converted to Islam.
2. Public idolatry had been eliminated. Yes, Ta'if is still pagan within their castle, but just within a few months, they will also embrace Islam [see episode 95].
3. The Battle of Hunayn was the very last battle between Islam and shirk. After this, it's gone. After this, never did the Prophet PBUH and the sahaba fight against the mushrikun of Arabia. The next battles will be against Rome, Persia, etc. As for shirk in Arabia, Hunayn was the final domino — Conquest of Makkah, then Hunayn, and that's it, Arab idolatry ceased to exist within less than a year. This is one of the biggest miracles of the seerah itself: Arabia was a land of idolatry, and within 22 years of the Prophet PBUH receiving prophethood, it ceased to exist. Completely gone. This was a miracle no human could bring about — Our Lord brought about complete wiping of shirk in the Arabian Peninsula.
4. The entire Quraysh tribe converted to Islam. (Note: There are references of perhaps 1 or 2 or 3 of the Quraysh fled to Rome or other places; but all of the elites that remained, they had converted.)
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With this, central Arabia has been conquered. The only major province of Arabia left is the northern province. (As for south, they are not idolaters; they are the people of Yemen which eventually will be conquered in a peaceful way as well; not much bloodshed.) The major battle left will be with the people of north (however, Allah willed they will not actually fight) [see episodes 87-92: The Battle of Tabuk].
[Transcribed by Br. Safwan Khan & Faizan]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, August 2022]
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, August 2022]
