عنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ جَاءَ عَبْدٌ
فَبَايَعَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى الْهِجْرَةِ وَلَمْ
يَشْعُرْ أَنَّهُ عَبْدٌ فَجَاءَ سَيِّدُهُ يُرِيدُهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ
النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " بِعْنِيهِ " . فَاشْتَرَاهُ
بِعَبْدَيْنِ أَسْوَدَيْنِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يُبَايِعْ أَحَدًا بَعْدُ حَتَّى
يَسْأَلَهُ " أَعَبْدٌ هُوَ " .
There came a slave and pledged allegiance to Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) on migration; he (the Holy Prophet) did not know that he was a slave. Then there came his master and demanded him back, whereupon Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said: Sell him to me. And he bought him for two black slaves, and he did not afterwards take allegiance from anyone until he had asked him whether he was a slave (or a free man).
Basically, someone embrace Islam and
pledged to emigrate with the Prophet. Nothing in the hadith point out to his
race or color. What makes him "valuable" is his rejection of idol
worship and submission to Allah. He was found to be a slave when his owner
came to get his slave back. The owner would not have agreed to any price other
than two slaves and the Prophet (ﷺ) had to agree.
Imam Nawawi said:
وفيه ما كان عليه النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم من
مكارم الأخلاق والاحسان العام فإنه كره أن يرد ذلك العبد خائبا بما قصده من الهجرة
وملازمة الصحبة فاشتراه ليتم له ما أراد
"This event points out how
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had the highest morals
and general beneficence/kindness. He hated to return that person, who intended
to emigrate and to stay as a companion/Sahabi, so he bought him to let him do
what he wanted."
------
Explanation by brother Michael Nassar - محمد نصار :
Background:
Islam was sent to shut down slavery as much as possible which was one of the main business of many tribes during that time. Many wealthy Muslims used to buy slaves from non-Muslims and free them.
In the Noble Qur’an, there are numerous Ayat that state that the punishment for a Muslim who commits a sin is to free a slave ( used to b known as neck). Sometimes in our modern world when we count people for example for eating out, a restaurant owner would say that the price per head is such and such. But back in the old days they used to call it ‘neck’.
For starter, let us understand some Islamic terminology.
Terminology:
Hadith = Statement of the Prophet and can varies from authentic to concocted=fabricated statement in our case this hadith=statement is correct.
Slave= at the time it means employee or servant or both and owned by a Master. Remember, slavery trade was a vital business for Quraysh tribe in Mecca and Islam came while that trade was existing.
Usually those slaves were owned by masters who used to sell, buy, and swap between each other.
Emigrate: this word from an Islamic point of view at that time usually means a Muslim or Non-Muslim who seeks to be Muslim is looking to flee a place where No Islam is practiced to place where Islam is practiced and he/she will feel safe to practice Islam.
In our case this slave wanted to flee Mecca where it was predominantly controlled by the non-Muslim Quraysh tribe at the time before the vast majority of Quraysh tribe became Muslims.
Additionally, the same word ‘emigrates’ applied when some Muslims fled Mecca to Ethiopia (was known by Abyssinia).
Obviously and automatically people back then would be classed as Free people and slaves. That is why Imam Al Nasai who documented this Hadith put it under the title of “Selling Animals for Animals of Different amounts or Quality, Hand to Hand” and not under free Muslims.
Lessons learnt from this hadith: -
1) Prophet Muhammad's, peace be upon him, fairness and immediate action to help the slave= someone weak=refugee who sought help. That slave=weak person=refugee wanted to be Muslim,was not forced to be Muslim. That slave was more like a refugee who fled his Master. Prophet Muhammad initially was not aware of the fact that this slave who fled Mecca did not get his
Master=employer=owner’s permission.
So once his Master came down to the Prophet seeking to get his slave back,Prophet Muhammed did not reject his request. To the contrary, he refused to grant automatic help to the slave without getting his Master=employer=owner’s consent and permission in the form of buying / swapping this slave with two slaves who either were not Muslims or Muslims and The Master=employer=owner was Muslim.
2) We learn also from this Hadith that to stand beside the weak and support their choice to be Muslim (Freedom in Religion)
3) Not to force the slave=weak person= refugee to go to where came from.
4) Offer the Master=employer=owner compensation in the form of swapping with two black slaves who the prophet had them and they were working like employees as they were treated well. But also, they were given the choice to go or stay.
5) We have learnt from this Hadith as well that the brotherhood of Islam is much higher that the brotherhood of a non-Muslim.
6) We have learnt that the two slaves=employees also were let go and were not forced to stay if they did not want to.
7) Islam did not immediately and instantaneously shock the non-believers but gradually worked on draining out slavery as a problem. To ensure the whole community is not going to completely reject Islam.
Similarly, when Islam forbidden Alcohol, it is start gradually as well since it is hard for the human nature to sharply stop something the perceive that it is of a great benefit to them.
ne embrace Islam and pledged to emigrate with the Prophet. Nothing
in the hadith point out to his race or color. What makes him "valuable"
is his rejection of idol worship and submission to Allah. He was found
to be a slave when his owner came to get his slave back The owner would
not have agreed to any price other than two slaves and the Prophet (ﷺ)
had to agree.
Imam Nawawi said:
وفيه ما كان عليه النبي صلى الله
عليه و سلم من مكارم الأخلاق والاحسان العام فإنه كره أن يرد ذلك العبد
خائبا بما قصده من الهجرة وملازمة الصحبة فاشتراه ليتم له ما أراد
"This accident points out how the
Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had the highest morals
and general beneficence/kindness. He hated to return that person, who
intended to emigrate and to stay as a companion/Sahabi, so he bought him
to let him do what he wanted."
Basically,
someone embrace Islam and pledged to emigrate with the Prophet. Nothing
in the hadith point out to his race or color. What makes him "valuable"
is his rejection of idol worship and submission to Allah. He was found
to be a slave when his owner came to get his slave back The owner would
not have agreed to any price other than two slaves and the Prophet (ﷺ)
had to agree.
Imam Nawawi said:
وفيه ما كان عليه النبي صلى الله
عليه و سلم من مكارم الأخلاق والاحسان العام فإنه كره أن يرد ذلك العبد
خائبا بما قصده من الهجرة وملازمة الصحبة فاشتراه ليتم له ما أراد
"This accident points out how the
Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had the highest morals
and general beneficence/kindness. He hated to return that person, who
intended to emigrate and to stay as a companion/Sahabi, so he bought him
to let him do what he wanted."
Basically,
someone embrace Islam and pledged to emigrate with the Prophet. Nothing
in the hadith point out to his race or color. What makes him "valuable"
is his rejection of idol worship and submission to Allah. He was found
to be a slave when his owner came to get his slave back The owner would
not have agreed to any price other than two slaves and the Prophet (ﷺ)
had to agree.
Imam Nawawi said:
وفيه ما كان عليه النبي صلى الله
عليه و سلم من مكارم الأخلاق والاحسان العام فإنه كره أن يرد ذلك العبد
خائبا بما قصده من الهجرة وملازمة الصحبة فاشتراه ليتم له ما أراد
"This accident points out how the
Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had the highest morals
and general beneficence/kindness. He hated to return that person, who
intended to emigrate and to stay as a companion/Sahabi, so he bought him
to let him do what he wanted."
Basically,
someone embrace Islam and pledged to emigrate with the Prophet. Nothing
in the hadith point out to his race or color. What makes him "valuable"
is his rejection of idol worship and submission to Allah. He was found
to be a slave when his owner came to get his slave back The owner would
not have agreed to any price other than two slaves and the Prophet (ﷺ)
had to agree.
Imam Nawawi said:
وفيه ما كان عليه النبي صلى الله
عليه و سلم من مكارم الأخلاق والاحسان العام فإنه كره أن يرد ذلك العبد
خائبا بما قصده من الهجرة وملازمة الصحبة فاشتراه ليتم له ما أراد
"This accident points out how the
Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had the highest morals
and general beneficence/kindness. He hated to return that person, who
intended to emigrate and to stay as a companion/Sahabi, so he bought him
to let him do what he wanted."
Basically,
someone embrace Islam and pledged to emigrate with the Prophet. Nothing
in the hadith point out to his race or color. What makes him "valuable"
is his rejection of idol worship and submission to Allah. He was found
to be a slave when his owner came to get his slave back The owner would
not have agreed to any price other than two slaves and the Prophet (ﷺ)
had to agree.
Imam Nawawi said:
وفيه ما كان عليه النبي صلى الله
عليه و سلم من مكارم الأخلاق والاحسان العام فإنه كره أن يرد ذلك العبد
خائبا بما قصده من الهجرة وملازمة الصحبة فاشتراه ليتم له ما أراد
"This accident points out how the
Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had the highest morals
and general beneficence/kindness. He hated to return that person, who
intended to emigrate and to stay as a companion/Sahabi, so he bought him
to let him do what he wanted."
No comments:
Post a Comment