34. THE STORY OF THE MASJID AD-DIRAR
Allah, the Exalted, says: And as for those who put up a mosque by way of harming and disbelief, and to disunite the Believers, and as an outpost for those who warred against Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad) aforetime, they will indeed swear that their intention is nothing but good. Allah bears witness that they are certainly liars. Never stand therein.
Verily, the mosque whose foundation was laid from the first day on piety is more worthy that you stand therein (to pray). In it are men who love to clean and to purify themselves. And Allah loves those who make themselves clean and pure (i.e. who clean their private parts with dust (i.e. to be considered as soap) and water from urine and stools, after answering the call of natureIs it then he, who laid the foundation of his building on piety to Allah and His Good Pleasure, better, or he who laid the foundation of his building on an undetermined brink of a precipice ready to crumble down, so that it crumbled to pieces with him into the Fire of Hell. And Allah guides not the people who are the Zalimoon (cruel, violent, proud, polytheist and wrong-doer. The building which they built will never cease to be a cause of hypocrisy and doubt in their hearts, unless their hearts are cut to pieces. (i.e. till they die). And Allah is All – Knowing, All-Wise.” (Soorah At- Tawbah 9:107-110)
We have explained all that is connected to this Verse in our Tafseer in a manner that suffices. Ibn Ishaq mentioned how this mosque was built and how Allah’s Messenger,peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was commanded, even before he entered Madinah, to demolish it on his return from Tabook. The story behind that is that a group of hypocrites built something like a mosque close to the mosque of Quba’ and they wanted Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to come and lead them in prayer so as to validate and popularise their intent of corruption, disbelief and obstinacy. However, Allah protected His Messenger from prayer in it. This occurred at a time when he was on his way to Tabook. When he returned, he stopped at Dhu Awan, a location at a distance of an hour’s journey from Madinah when Revelation came to him concerning the affair of the mosque:
“And as for those who put up a mosque by way of harming and disbelief, and to disunite the Believers, and as an outpost for those who warred against Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad) aforetime, they will indeed swear that their intention is nothing but good. Allah bears witness that they are certainly liars.” (Soorah At-Tawbah 9:107)
As for Allah’s statement “by way of harming”, this is due to the fact that they intended to compete with the mosque of Quba’, “and disbelief” in Allah and not borne from any kind of sincere belief in Him; “and to disunite” the general congregation from the mosque of Quba; “and as an outpost for those who warred against Allah and His Messenger,” referring to Abu ‘Amir, the monk and the sinner, may Allah disfigure him. When Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, invited him to Islam, he objected and went to the people of Makkah to stir them (against the Muslims) and they came in the Year of ‘Uhud and their affairs have been mentioned previously. When his desire was not accomplished, he went to the Roman king, Qaisar, to seek his assistance against Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Abu ‘Amir belonged to the religion of Heraclius and he was from among the Arab Christians. He used to write to his brothers who became hypocrites, giving them promises and false hope and the promise of Shaitan is nothing but deception. His correspondence and letters came to them at every epoch. They constructed this building in the semblance of a mosque but in reality it was a house of rebellion and an exemplification of what they received from Abu ‘Amir, and an assembly for all those who were upon their path among the hypocrites. For this reason, Allah says: “and as an outpost for those who warred against Allah and His Messenger aforetime.” Allah further says: “they will indeed swear,” i.e. those who built the mosque, “that their intention is nothing but good,” i.e. by building the mosque, we intended good. Allah also says: “Allah bears witness that they are certainly liars.”
Then Allah told His Messenger: “Never stand therein;” forbidding him from standing in it so as to not acknowledge it. He then commanded and urged him to stand in the mosque whose foundation was laid from the first day on piety, referring to the mosque of Quba’ as indicated by the context and a number of Hadith related to the purity of its people, as an advice to Him.
Nebertheless, the Hadith recorded in Saheeh Muslim which indicates that the mosque whose foundation was laid on piety from the first day refers to the Mosque of Allah’s Messenger is not a negation of the Quba’ mosque because if its foundation was laid on piety from the first day, then the Mosque of Allah’s Messenger is more worthy and more deserving of that appellation and its virtues are more well-established and stronger. We have sufficed with comments on that in the Tafseer. And Allah (SWT) knows best.
While Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was still at Dhu-Awan, he called Malik Ibn Ad-Dukhshum and Ma‘n Ibn Adiyy or his brother, ‘Asim Ibn ‘Adiyy, may Allah be pleased with them both, and commanded them to proceed to that mosque whose builders were unjust with the instruction to destroy it. They complied and burned the mosque and its inhabitants dispersed.
I say: During this Battle of Tabook, Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, offered the early morning prayer behind ‘Abdur Rahman Ibn ‘Awf. He caught the second ra‘akah with him.
On the authority of Abu Humaid who said: “We returned in the company of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, from the Ghazwah of Tabook till we got to the outskirts of Madinah. Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “This is Tabah, this is Uhud, that is a mountain which loves us and we love it.” (1) It is also related by Muslim.
On the authority of As-Sa’ib Ibn Yazeed who said: “I remember that I once went with some children to welcome Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, at Thaniyat Al-Wada’ on his return from the Ghazwah of Tabook.” Al-Bukhari related on the authority of ‘Abdullah Ibn Ka‘b Ibn Malik, who was from among Ka‘b’s sons and his guide when he became blind, said: “I heard Ka‘b Ibn Malik narrating the story of (the Ghazwah of) Tabook in which he failed to take part.” Ka‘b said, “I did not remain behind Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in any Ghazwah that he fought except the Ghazwah of Tabook. I failed to take part in the Ghazwah of Badr, but Allah did not admonish anyone who had not participated in it, for in fact, Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had only gone out in search of the caravan of Quraish until Allah made them (i.e. the Muslims) and their enemy meet without any appointment. I witnessed the night of Al-‘Aqabah (Pledge) with Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, when we pledged for Islam, and I would not exchange it for the Badr Battle although the Badr Battle is more popular among the people than it (i.e. Al-‘Aqabah Pledge). As for my news (in this Battle of Tabook), I had never been stronger or wealthier than when I remained behind the Prophet in that Ghazwah.
“By Allah, I never had two she-camels before, but I had them at the time of this Ghazwah. Whenever Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, wanted to undertake a military expedition, he used to hide his intention by apparently referring to a different Ghazwah. However, at the time of that Ghazwah (of Tabook), which Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was to fight in severe heat, facing a long journey,the desert, and the great number of the enemy force, the Prophet announced to the Muslims clearly their destination so that they might get prepared for their Ghazwah. Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was accompanied by a large number of Muslims.”
Ka‘b added: “Any person who wanted to be absent would think that the matter would remain hidden, (due to the sheer size of the force), unless Allah revealed it through Divine Revelation. So, Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, went out for that Ghazwah at the time when the fruits had ripened and the shade looked pleasant. Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and his Companions prepared for the battle and I started to go out in order to get myself ready along with them, but I returned without doing anything. I would say to myself: ‘I can do that.’ So I kept on delaying it and the people had gotten ready and departed with Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. I haven’t prepared anything for my departure, and I said: ‘I will prepare myself for departure one or two days after him, and then join them.’ In the morning following their departure, I went out to get myself ready but returned having done nothing. The same happened again the next morning, I went out to get ready but returned without doing anything.
“Such was the case with me until they left and the battle was missed (by me). Even then I intended to depart to overtake them. I wish I had done so! But it was not my luck. So, after the departure of Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, whenever I went out and walked amongst the people (i.e, the remaining persons), it grieved me that I could see none around me, but those accused of hypocrisy or those Allah had excused because of their weakness. Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, did not remember me until he reached Tabook. While he was sitting among the people in Tabook, he asked: ‘What did Ka‘b do?’A man from Banu Salimah said: ‘O Allah’s Messenger! He has been held back by his two burdas (i.e. garments) and is looking at his own flanks with pride.’ Mu’adh Ibn Jabal said: ‘What a bad thing you have said! O Allah’s Messenger, by Allah, we know nothing about him but good.’ Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, kept silent.” Ka‘b Ibn Malik added: “When I heard that he (i.e. the Prophet) was on his way back to Madinah I was overwhelmed by my concern, and began to think of false excuses, saying to myself: ‘How can I avoid his anger tomorrow?’ I took the advice of a wise member of my family in this matter. When it was said that Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,had come near, all the evil false excuses abandoned my mind and I knew well that I could never come out of this problem by forging a false statement. I then decided to firmly speak the truth. So Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, arrived in the morning, and whenever he returned from a journey, he used to visit the Mosque first and offer two units of prayer and then sit for the people. When he had done all that this time, those who had failed to join the army in the Battle came and started offering excuses and taking oaths before him. There were more than eighty men. Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, accepted the excuses they expressed, took their pledge of allegiance, asked for Allah’s forgiveness for them, and left the secrets of their hearts for Allah to judge. Then I came to him, and when I greeted him, he smiled at the smile of an angry person and said: ‘Come,’ so I sat before him. He said to me: ‘What prevented you from joining us? Did you not purchase an animal for riding?’ I answered: ‘Yes, O Allah’s Messenger! But, by Allah, if I were sitting before any person from among the people of the world other than you, I would have avoided his anger with an excuse.’
“‘By Allah, I have been bestowed with the power of fluent and eloquent speech, but, by Allah, I knew well that if today I were to tell you a lie to seek your favor, Allah would surely make you angry with me in the near future; but if I tell you the truth, though you will become angry due to it, I hope for Allah’s forgiveness. By Allah, there was no excuse for me. By Allah, I had never been stronger or wealthier than I was when I remained behind you.’ Then Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: ‘As regards this man, he has spoken the truth. Get up until Allah decides your case.’
“I got up, and many men of Banu Salimah followed me and said: ‘By Allah, we never witnessed you doing any sin before this. You failed to offer an excuse to Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, as the others, who did not join him, have offered. The supplication of Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to Allah to forgive you would have been sufficient for you.’ They continued blaming me so much that I intended to return to the Prophet and accuse myself of having told a lie, but I asked them: ‘Is there anyone else who has met the same fate as I have?’ They replied: ‘Yes, there are two men who have said the same thing you have, and both of them were given the same order as you.’ I asked: ‘Who are they?’ They replied: ‘Murarah Ibn Ar-Rabee’ Al-Amri and Hilal Ibn Umayyah Al Waqidi.’ They mentioned to me two pious men who had attended the Ghazwah of Badr, and in whom there was an example for me, so I did not change my mind. Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, forbade all the Muslims from speaking with three of us, who had remained behind in that Ghazwah. We were kept away from the people and they changed their attitude toward us till the very land (where I lived) appeared strange to me as if I did not know it.
We remained in that position for fifty nights. My two fellows remained in their houses and wept, but, as I was the youngest and the most resolute of them, I would go out and join the Muslims in the prayers and roam about in the markets, but no one would speak to me. I would come to Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and offer him the greetings, while he was sitting in his gathering after the prayer, and I would wonder whether the Prophet moved his lips to return my greetings or not. I would then offer my prayer near to him and look at him stealthily. When I was busy with my prayer, he would turn his face toward me, but when I turned my face to him, he would turn his face away from me.
“When this harsh attitude from the people lasted a long time, I walked until I scaled the wall of the garden of Abu Qatadah who was my cousin and the dearest person to me. I offered my greetings to him, but, by Allah, he did not return my greetings. I said: ‘Abu Qatadah! I beseech you by Allah! Do you know that I love Allah and His Messenger?’ He kept quiet. I asked him again, beseeching him by Allah, but he remained silent. Then I asked him again in the Name of Allah. He said: ‘Allah and His Messenger know better.’ Thereupon my eyes flowed with tears and I returned and jumped over the wall.”
Ka‘b added: “While I was walking in the market of Madinah, I suddenly saw a Nabati (i.e. a Christian farmer) from the Nabatis of Sham who had come to sell his grains in Madinah. He was asked: ‘Who will lead me to Ka‘b Ibn Malik?’ The people began to point me out to him until he came to me and handed me a letter from the king of Ghassan in which the following was written: ‘I have been informed that your friend (i.e. the Prophet) has treated you harshly. Nevertheless, Allah will not let you live at a place where you feel inferior and your right is lost. So join us, and we will console you.’
“When I read it, I said to myself: ‘This is also a test.’ I took the letter to the oven, made a fire and burned it. When forty of the fifty nights passed, the envoy of Allah’s Messenger came and said: ‘Allah’s Messenger orders you to keep away from your wife.’ I said: ‘Should I divorce her; what should I do?’ He said: ‘Only keep away from her and do not have sexual relations with her.’ The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, sent the same message to the other two. I said to my wife: ‘Go to your parents and remain with them until Allah gives His verdict in this matter.’ The wife of Hilal Ibn Umayyah came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and said: ‘O Allah’s Messenger! Hilal is a helpless old man who has no servant to attend to him. Do you dislike that I should serve him?’ He said: ‘No (you may serve him) but he should not come near you.’ She said: ‘By Allah, he has no desire for anything. By Allah, he has not ceased weeping until his case began till this Day.’
“On that, some of my family members said to me: ‘Will you also not ask Allah’s Messenger to permit your wife (to serve you) as he has permitted the wife of Hilal Ibn Umayyah to serve him?’ I said: ‘By Allah, I will not ask the permission of Allah’s Messenger regarding her, for I do not know what Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, would say if I asked him to permit her (to serve me) while I am a young man.’ I remained in that state for ten more nights until the period of fifty nights was completed from the point when Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, prohibited the people from speaking to us. When, on the morning of day fifty, I finished offering the Fajr prayer on the roof of one of our houses, I was sitting in the condition which Allah described (in the Qur’an), i.e. my very soul seemed straitened to me and even the earth seemed narrow to me for all its spaciousness, and I heard the voice of one who had ascended the mountain of Sala’ calling with his loudest voice: ‘Ka‘b Ibn Malik! Be happy (by receiving good tidings).’ I fell down in prostration before Allah, realizing that relief has come.
“Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had announced Allah’s acceptance of our repentance when he offered the Fajr prayer. The people came out to congratulate us. Some bringers of good tidings went out to the other two, and a horseman came to me in haste, while a man from Banu Aslam came running and ascended the mountain, and his voice was swifter than the horse. When he (i.e. the man) whose voice I had heard came to me conveying the good news, I took off my garments and dressed him with them; and by Allah, I owned no other garments than them on that day. I borrowed two garments and wore them and went to Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
“The people started receiving me in batches, congratulating me on Allah’s acceptance of my repentance, saying: ‘We congratulate you on Allah’s acceptance of your repentance.’ When I entered the Mosque. I saw Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, sitting with the people around him. Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaidullah swiftly came to me, shook hands with me and congratulated me. By Allah, none of the Muhajiroon (i.e. Emigrants) got up for me except him (i.e. Talhah), and I will never forget this Talhah. When I greeted Allah’s Messenger, his face being bright with joy, said: ‘Be happy with the best day that you have got since your mother delivered you.’ I said to the Prophet: ‘Is this forgiveness from you or from Allah?’ He said: ‘It is from Allah.’
“Whenever Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, became happy, his face would shine as if it were a piece of the moon, and we all knew that characteristic of his. When I sat before him, I said: ‘O Allah’s Messenger, because of the acceptance of my repentance I will give up all my wealth as alms for the sake of Allah and His Messenger.’Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
‘Keep some of your wealth, as it will be better for you.’ I said: ‘So I will keep my share from Khaibar with me,’ and added: ‘O Allah’s Messenger, Allah has saved me for telling the truth, so it is a part of my repentance to speak only the truth as long as I am alive.’ By Allah, I do not know anyone from the Muslims whom Allah helped for speaking the truth more than me. Since I mentioned that truth to Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, until today, I have never spoken a lie. I hope that Allah will also save me (from telling lies) for the rest of my life. So, Allah revealed to His Messenger: “Allah has forgiven the Prophet, the Muhajiroon and the Ansar” (up to the Verse): “and be with those who are true (in words and deeds).” (Soorah AtTawbah 9:117-119)
“By Allah, Allah has never bestowed upon me, apart from His guiding me to Islam, a greater blessing than the fact that I did not tell a lie to Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, which would have caused me to perish as those who lied and perished; Allah described those who told lies with the worst description Allah, the Almighty, said: “They will swear by Allah to you (Muslims) when you return to them, that you may turn away from them. So turn away from them. Surely, they are Rijsun [i.e. Najasun (impure) because of their evil deeds], and Hell is their dwelling place – a recompense for that which they used to earn. They (the hypocrites) swear to you (Muslims) that you may be pleased with them, but if you are pleased with them, certainly Allah is not pleased with the people who are Al- Fasiqoon (rebellious, disobedient to Allah.” (Soorah At-Tawbah 9:95, 96) “We, the three persons, differed altogether from those whose excuses Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, accepted when they swore to him. He took their pledge of allegiance and asked Allah to forgive them, but Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, left our case pending until Allah gave His Judgment about it. As for that Allah said: ’And (He did forgive also) the three [who did not join the Tabook expedition (whom the Prophet) ] left (i.e. he did not give his judgment in their case, and their case was suspended for Allah’s Decision) till for them the Earth, vast as it is, was straitened and their own selves were straitened to them, and they perceived that there is no fleeing from Allah, and no refuge but with Him. Then, He accepted their repentance that they might repent (unto Him). Verily, Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, Most Merciful.’ (Soorah AtTawbah 9:118)
“What Allah said (in this Verse) does not indicate our failure to take part in the Ghazwah, but it refers to the deferment of making a decision by the Prophet about our case in contrast to the case of those who had taken an oath before him and he excused them by accepting their excuses.”We have narrated it in At-Tafseer from Musnad Imam Ahmad and it contains a slight addition and to Allah belong praise and grace.
By: Ibn Katheer
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