14. THE STORY OF YOOSHA
Prophethood and His Undertaking of the Burdens of the Children of Isra’eel After the Deaths of Moosa and Haroon
He was Yoosha‘, son of Noon, son of Afrayeem, son of Yoosuf, son of Ya‘qoob, son of Ishaq, son of Ibraheem, Al-Khaleel (peace be upon them all). The People of the Scriptures say that he was the cousin of Hood (Peace be upon him) and Allah has mentioned him in the Qur’an, without specifying his name, in the story of Al-Khidr, as we mentioned previously: “And (remember) when Moosa said to his servant.” (Soorah Al-Kahf 18:60) “So when they had passed further on (beyond that fixed place), Moosa said to his servant…” (Soorah Al-Kahf 18:62) And we have mentioned previously the authentic narration of Ubayy Ibn Ka‘b (May Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), in which he stated that he was Yoosha‘, son of Noon (Peace be upon him) and the People of the Scriptures concur with the view that he was a Prophet.
Imam Ahmad narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) that he said, The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “One of the Prophets fought in a battle and he said to his people, ‘Let no man follow me who has married a woman and wishes to consummate the marriage but has not yet done so, nor one who has built a house and has not yet erected its roof, nor one who has bought a sheep or a she-camel and he is waiting for it to deliver its young.’ So he set out to do battle and neared the town at the time for ‘Asr prayer, or thereabouts and he said to the sun, “You are commanded (by Allah) and I am commanded (by Allah). O, Allah! hold it (the sun) back for me for a little while.” So it was held back for him until Allah granted him victory. Then they gathered the booty they had won and the fire came to burn it, but it refused to consume it. So he said, “Among you there is someone who has stolen something from the booty. So let one man from every tribe swear an oath of allegiance to me. The hand of one of them stuck to his hand and he said, “Among you are the ones who have stolen something from the booty. Let your tribe swear an oath of allegiance to me.” So his tribe swore an oath of allegiance to him and the hands of two or three men stuck to his hand and he said, “Among you are those who have stolen the booty. You are the thieves who have stolen the booty.” Then they produced for him the equivalent of a cow’s head in gold and they put it with the wealth and it was on a plateau. Then the fire accepted it and consumed it. The Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) added, “The spoils of war were not made lawful for any people before us. This is because Allah saw our weakness and humility and made them lawful for us.” Muslim was alone in narrating it from this source.
What is meant is that when he led them through the gate of the city, they were commanded to enter it while bowing in submission and thanks to Allah, the Almighty, the All-Powerful for the great victory which He had bestowed on them, and which He had promised them. And they were commanded to say as they entered the city, hittatun. That is, remove from us the sins that we committed in the past, i.e. our refusal to fight. This is why, when the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) entered Makkah on the day of the conquest, he entered it – and he was riding his she-camel – in a state of submission, in order to express praise and thanks to Allah. In fact, so low did he bow his head that the tip of his beard touched the saddle of his riding beast. And with him were the soldiers, in particular, the green regiment, of whom nothing was visible except their eyes (because of their armor). When he entered it, he first bathed and then prayed eight rak‘ahs.
As for the Children of Isra’eel, they disobeyed the command given to them in word and in deed: They entered the gate, crawling on their posteriors and saying, “Habbatun fee sha‘rah (a seed in a hair),” or, according to another narration, “Hintatun fee sha‘rah (a grain of wheat in a hair).” In short, they altered what they had been commanded to do and mocked it, as Allah, Most High, says about them in Soorah Al-A‘raf, which is a Makkan Soorah, And (remember) when it was said to them, “Dwell in this town (Jerusalem) and eat therefrom wherever you wish, and say, ‘(O, Allah) forgive our sins.’ And enter the gate in prostration (bowing with humility). We shall forgive you your wrongdoings. We shall increase (the reward) for those who do good.” But those among them who did wrong changed the word that had been told to them. So We sent on them a punishment from heaven in return for their wrongdoings. (Soorah Al-A‘raf 7:161-162)
And He, Most High, says in Soorah Al-Baqarah – which is a Madinan Soorah – addressing them, And (remember) when We said, “Enter this town (Jerusalem) and eat bountifully therein with pleasure and delight wherever you wish, and enter the gate in prostration (or bowing with humility) and say, ‘Forgive us’, and We shall forgive you your sins and shall increase (reward) for those who do good.” But those who did wrong changed the word from that which had been told to them for another, so We sent upon the wrongdoers rijzan (a punishment) from the heaven because of their refusal to obey Allah. (Soorah Al-Baqarah 2:58-59) (Tafseer At-Tabari, Vol. 1, Page 305)
By Ibn Katheer
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