Lessons from Surat al-Hashr
There are several lessons to take from Surat al-Hashr. One of them is from the verse:
‘Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it. And whatever he forbids you from, refrain from it.’ [59:7]
The Prophet (peace be on him) was just the messenger of Allah Almighty – i.e. whatever he delivered ultimately came from Allah.
The Sunnah is a type of revelation
Accordingly, scholars define the revelation as two main divisions:
1) Wahi matlu – recited revelation, which is the Quran. This is what we recite in our salah.
2) Wahi ghayr matlu – non-recited revelation, which is the Sunnah. This is the terminology we use in the science of hadith and ulum al-quran, but many people don’t realise that the Sunnah of the Prophet is also a type of revelation.
Whatever is made haram in the authentic hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is haram. Some people might say we do not see this prohibition in the Quran. If it is in the authentic Sunnah, it applies. Not every ruling is mentioned in the Quran – the Sunnah is a complementary revelation, and also provides commentary on the Quran.
For instance, marrying your wife’s paternal aunt or maternal aunt in prohibited, but it is not mentioned in the Quran.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“The Messenger of Allah forbade taking a woman as a co-wife to her paternal aunt or her maternal aunt.” [Nasa’i]
Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said that at the battle for Khayber that God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) forbade the temporary marriage (mut’a) of women, and eating the flesh of domestic donkeys. (Bukhari and Muslim.)
Also, the prohibition of eating domestic donkeys is not mentioned in the Quran, but as the Prophet (peace be on him) made it haram in authentic Sunnah, we still cannot eat them, unless they are wild donkeys (like zebras) which we are permitted to eat. There are other rulings in the Sunnah as well. Therefore, whatever the Prophet (peace be on him) commanded us, we have to do, and whatever he told us to refrain from we have to abstain from it. Whatever he said is halal is halal, and whatever he said is haram is haram.
Lessons from the Hijra
Another beautiful lesson in this surah is about the Muhajireen. The story of those who migrated from Makkah is a story of sacrifice. They left their homes, families, properties and businesses, and the most beloved city to their hearts. At the time, Madinah was known as Yathrib and was a minor city, almost the middle of nowhere. Even the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not go to Yathrib when he was seeking support. He went everywhere else, but not Yathrib.
(He had been before, when he was young, and in fact his mother died near there.)
The companions made this journey of sacrifice. It is not easy to leave everything for Allah’s sake and arrive penniless. But they had made a deal with Allah. They did this for His sake, and He secured Jannah for them. Allah praises them in this surah, and He also praises the Ansar, the people of Madinah.
Praise for the Ansar
The Ansar were welcoming, hospitable, generous, kind and accommodating. They opened their homes and shared everything they had with the Muhajireen. Allah said:
‘They give the migrants preference over themselves even though they may be in need.’ [59:9]
This altruism is known as eethar – giving priority to someone over yourself. It is the opposite of greed and selfishness.
This was act of kindness by the Ansar, and Allah will multiply their reward because it was done purely for His sake. Nothing is wasted when you deal with Allah. Do it with the right intention, and He will record and multiply it for you, and you will see it on your record on the Day of Judgement.
We ask Allah to enable us to follow whatever Rasul Allah (peace be on him) commanded us to do, and to make us people of eethar.
Shaykh Haytham Tamim – Ramadan Night 26
Transcribed by Hana Khan
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