CHAPTER 3: THOSE OF HIGH SOCIAL STATUS – PART 5
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would respond to their invitations to food:
Anas ibn Maalik (a Companion) reported that the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, visited Sa’d ibn `Ubaadah (another Companion) and Sa`d presented some bread and olive oil, which made the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, say: “May those who are fasting break their fasts with you, may the righteous eat your food, and may the angels send blessings on you [and ask for your forgiveness].” (Reported by Abu Dawood (3854).)
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, used to visit them and eat with them:
Qays ibn Sa`d (a Companion) said:
“The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, visited us in our home, and said: ‘As-Salaamu `Alaykum wa Rahmatu Allah.’ Sa`d responded silently. I said: ‘Will you not give the Messenger of Allah permission to enter?’ He said: ‘Leave him, and allow him to send abundant supplications of peace on us.’ The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘As-Salaamu `Alaykum wa Rahmatu Allah.’ Sa’d again responded silently.
The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then said again: ‘As-Salaamu `Alaykum wa Rahmatu Allah.’ After that, the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, turned back, and Sa`d followed behind him, saying: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I heard you, but was responding silently, so that you can abundantly send supplications of peace on us.’
The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, went with him, and Sa`d ordered that some water be brought for him to wash up, then he brought him a cloak that was dyed with saffron and yellow, which he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, covered himself with, then raised his hands and said: ‘O Allah, send your blessings and mercy on the family of Sa’d ibn `Ubaadah.’
Then he ate, and when he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was about to leave, Sa`d brought a donkey that had a velvet cover, and the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, rode it. Sa`d said: ‘O Qays, accompany the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,’ the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Ride the donkey,’ but I refused. He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Either ride, or go away,’ so I left and went away.” (Reported by Ahmad (15050) and Abu Dawood (5185).)
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, joked with them:
Usayd ibn Hudhayr, one of the intellectual and influential noblemen and one of the twelve chiefs on the night of Al-`Aqabah, was joking with the people, and was making them laugh. The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, poked him in his side with a stick or piece of wood, and Usayd said: “Let me get payback.” The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Go ahead.” Usayd said: “You are wearing a shirt, but I am not.” So the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, raised his shirt, and Usayd hugged him and kissed his side, saying: “This is what I wanted, O Messenger of Allah.” (Reported by Abu Dawood (5224).)
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, cared about the sick among them specifically, and would visit them often:
`Aa’ishah (the wife of the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Sa’d ibn Mu`aath [the chief of the Aws tribe] was injured during the Battle of the Trench by an arrow shot by a man from Quraysh named Hibbaan ibn Al-`Ariqah. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, set up a tent for him in the mosque, so that he could visit him and care for him closely.”(Reported by Al-Bukhari (463) and Muslim (1769).)
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, also took care of his treatment:
Jaabir ibn `Abdullaah said: “During the Battle of the Confederates, Sa`d ibn Mu’adh was shot with an arrow which cut a vein in his forearm. The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, cauterised the wound, causing his hand to swell, and he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, repeated this three times. After that, he drained the blood out of it. When he saw that, he said: ‘O Allah, do not take my soul until my eye sees the downfall of Banu Quraythah.’ After he made that supplication, his vein stopped bleeding and did not drip a single drop of blood until they agreed to the conditions set by Sa`d. When he finished with them, his vein got cut again, and he died.”(Reported by Ahmad (14359) and At-Tirmidhi (1582).)
He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, did the same with the chief of Al-Khazraj, Sa’d ibn `Ubaadah:
`Abdullaah ibn `Umar said:
“We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, when a man from the Ansaar came, said greetings of peace, and then turned away and left. The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to him: ‘O brother from the Ansaar, how is my brother Sa`d ibn `Ubaadah?’ The man said: ‘He is well.’ The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Who among you is caring for him?’ He then stood, and we
all stood with him, and we were between thirteen and nineteen men; we were not wearing shoes, socks, hoods on our heads, or shirts. We walked in salt marshes, until we reached him. His people kept away from him (They did so to honour the visitors, to put people in their place, to allow the sick person to enjoy his time with his visitors, and so that the tiredness one gets from being with someone for too long goes away. Daleel Al-Faaliheen li-Turuq Riyaadh As-Saliheen (4/464).
) when the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and his Companions approached. The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Has he died?’ They replied: ‘No, O Messenger of Allah.’ At that, the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, began crying, and when the people saw that, they, too, began to weep. He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then said: ‘Do you not hear, Allah does not punish for tears in the eyes, or sadness in the heart, but punishes or has mercy based on this’ and he pointed to his tongue.”(Reported by Al-Bukhari (1304) and Muslim (924).)
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, sought the advice and counsel of those who had a position of influence in society:
One example was during the Battle of Badr:
During this battle, he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, sought the counsel of the leaders of the Ansaar. Anas ibn Maalik reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, sought counsel when he heard that Abu Sufyaan was approaching. Abu Bakr spoke, but the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, disregarded him, as well as `Umar. Then, Sa’d ibn `Ubaadah said: “Do you want us to speak, O Messenger of Allah? By Him in Whose hand is my soul, if you ordered us to plunge our horses into the ocean, we will do so, and if you ordered us to take our horses to Bark Al-Ghimaad (It is a place in Yemen that is five night’s travel from Makkah. An-Nihaayah (1/121).), we would do so.”
Afterwards, the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, deputised the people and called them for the battle, and they all travelled until they reached Badr.(Reported by Muslim (1779).)
When Sa`d said that, the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, became happy and energised.
An-Nawawi (a scholar) said: “The scholars said that the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, wanted to test the Ansaar, because they did not pledge to go out and fight the enemy with him, but only pledged to protect him from those that sought to harm him. When he presented the issue of going after the caravan of Abu Sufyaan, he wanted to see if they agreed to that, and they answered him in the best of ways, showing that they were in full consent, in this situation, and in other situations.
The narration shows how important it is to seek counsel from one’s companions, as well as from those with sound opinions and those with experience in life.” (The explanation of An-Nawawi on the book of Muslim (12/124).)
Likewise, the Commander of the Believers, `Umar did the same:
`Abdullaah ibn `Abbas reported that `Umar ibn Al-Khattaab departed towards the Levant. When he reached an area called Sargh, the commanders of the armies, Abu Ubaydah ibn Al-Jarrah (a Companion) and his companions met him and told him that an epidemic has broken out in the Levant.
Ibn `Abbas (a Companion) said:
“Umar said: ‘Bring the earliest migrants to me.’ They were called and `Umar sought their counsel, telling them that an epidemic has broken out in the Levant. They differed, with some saying: ‘You have left for a purpose, and we are of the view that you do not give it up,’ while others said: ‘Those who are with you are notables and Companions of the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, so we do not think that you take them into the epidemic.’ He said: ‘Go away from me; call the Ansaar for me.’ I called them, and he asked their counsel, and they did the same thing that the Muhaajireen did, and they differed just as the Muhaajireen did, so he said: ‘Go away from me.’
Then `Umar said: ‘Call the elders of Quraysh who migrated the year Makkah was conquered.’ So I called them, and they did not differ, but all agreed and said: ‘We are of the view that you should go back with the people, and do not take them to that epidemic.’ `Umar then called out to the people, saying: ‘I will go back to Madinah in the morning, so you should do the same.’
Abu `Ubaydah ibn Al-Jarrah said: ‘Are you running from the decree of Allah?’ `Umar replied: ‘If only someone else said that, O Abu Ubaydah! Yes, we are running from the decree of Allah to the decree of Allah. Do you see if you had camels that went into a valley that has two sides, one was fertile, and the other, barren, if you let them graze on the fertile side, would that not be according to Allah’s decree, and if you let them graze in the barren side, that, too, would be from the decree of Allah?’
Then `Abdur-Rahmaan ibn `Awf approached, and he had previously been absent while taking care of some of his needs, and said: ‘I have some knowledge about this issue, for I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, say: ‘If you hear about the plague in any land, then do not go there, and if you are in a land that the plague strikes, then do not leave it while trying to run from it.’ At that, `Umar thanked Allah, and then proceeded.”(Reported by Al-Bukhari (5729) and Muslim (2219).)
Dr. `Ali ibn Jabir Wadi` Ath-Thubaiti said:
“One precautionary method to avoid contagion in the Prophetic tradition is that it is prohibited to leave or enter a land facing an epidemic.
In modern medical terms, this is known as quarantine, and it is one of the precautionary tools used to avoid contagion that Islam has preceded everyone in inventing. Scholars of medicine have learned that keeping the sickness quarantined in a limited space truly does prevent the sickness from leaving the land or area facing the epidemic, and this occurs, of course, through Allah’s Permission.
Therefore, the prohibition with regard to leaving a land facing an epidemic is considered quarantining the sickness, something Islam has preceded everyone else with by hundreds of years, just as the prohibition with regard to entering a land facing an epidemic is considered a precautionary measure that Islam has preceded everyone in mandating.” (Al-Wiqaayah As-Sihhiyyah fi Al-Islam: Diraasah Hadeethiyyah by Dr. `Ali ibn Jaabir Wadi` Ath-Thubaiti. Majallat Al-Buhooth Al-Islamiyyah (71/371-372).)
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, remembered those who had done him favours and would repay them for those favours:
Jubayr ibn Mut`im (a Companion) reported that the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said about the captives of the Battle of Badr: “Had Al-Mut`im ibn `Adiyy been alive, and interceded with me on the behalf of these putrid individuals, I would have given them to him.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari (3139).)
This was to repay his good conduct towards the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, when he accepted him into his protection after returning from At-Taif to Makkah.
He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, repaid Safwaan ibn Umayyah:
The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, borrowed some coats of mail from him, and after the Battle of Hunayn he repaid him and compensated him.
Safwaan ibn Umayyah reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, borrowed chainmail armour from him during the Battle of Hunayn, and he said: “Are you usurping this, O Muhammad?” The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, responded: “No, rather, it is a loan that I guarantee to pay back.”
Safwaan said: “Some of it was lost,” so the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, wanted to repay him for them, but he said: “O Messenger of Allah, today, I seek to enter Islam.”(Reported by Abu Dawood (3562) and Ahmad (14878), and this wording is for Ahmad.)
Then the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, paid him back on the day of Hunayn.
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, taught the harsh among them what was befitting:
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, kissed Al-Hasan ibn `Ali (the Prophet’s grandson) while Al-Aqra` ibn Haabis At-Tameemi was present, sitting. Al-Aqra said: “I have ten children and have never kissed any of them.” The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, looked at him and said: “Those who do not show mercy are not shown mercy.”(Reported by Al-Bukhari (5997) and Muslim (2318).)
Conclusion:
The term social justice is a recent one, first employed by political thinkers in the nineteenth century, following which its use has since become widespread. Social justice implies that the overall pattern of distribution in a society ought to be brought into line with principles of justice. There have been two major concepts of social justice, one embodying the notions of merit and the other those of need and equality.
Each person’s social position and material rewards should, as far as possible, correspond to their place on a scale of merit. This implies the ending of hereditary privilege and an open society in which people have the chance to display their true talents. The second concept entails that goods should be allocated according to each person’s various needs. It is closely allied to an idea of equality, since a program that successfully satisfies need makes people materially equal in one important respect.
Upon reading the Prophetic biography, we come to the conclusion that the principles of social justice were brought to life by Islam, as seen in the guidance and teachings of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
By Muhammad Saalih Al-Munajjid
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