At-Tibyān Publications: “So Give the Bay’ah for Death” by Sheikh Fāris Az-Zahrānī
11-08-2007
Words Regarding the Manhaj At-Tibyān Publications Written by “Abū Jandal Al-Azdī”, Pen name of Shaykh Fāris Az-Zahrānī
It was the
sixth year after Hijrah, in the month of Thul-Qi’dah – the Prophet (salutations
and peace be upon him) and his Companions (may Allāh be pleased with them)
headed towards Makkah, to perform the ‘Umrah – and with him were 1,500
Companions, as is narrated by Al-Bukhārī and Muslim from Jābir (may Allāh be
pleased with him); and it is also narrated by them on his authority, “… they
were 1,400…” And it is narrated by them two from ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abī Awfā (may
Allāh be pleased with him), “… we were 1,300…”
Qatādah said, “I asked Sa’īd ibn Al-Musayyib: How many were those who witnessed
the Bay’ah Ar-Ridhwān (The Pledge of Allegiance of the Pleasure [of Allāh])?” He
replied, “1,500.” So I told him that Jābir ibn ‘Abdillāh said that they were
1,400 – so he replied, “May Allāh have mercy upon him! He was mistaken then! He
himself told me that they were 1,500.”
Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allāh have mercy upon him) said: “Both reports are
authentically narrated from Jābir.”
The Prophet (salutations and peace be upon him) sent a man from the tribe of
Khuzā’ah to spy and report back to him regarding the Quraysh. So the spy
returned, and informed the Prophet (salutations and peace be upon him) that the
Quraysh had gathered those who lived around Makkah against him, and formed a
pact to fight him and his Companions if he continued with the intention of
entering Makkah to visit the House [Ka’bah]. So the Messenger of Allāh
(salutations and peace be upon him) took consultation from his companions,
saying: “Advise me! Do you think we should target the children of those who
helped them (the enemies), so we kill them; and if they remain sitting, then
they will sit as those whose families have been killed, and property been seized
and if they do not come then it will be a neck, which Allāh has cut? Or do you
see that we should travel to the House [Ka’bah] and then whoever prevents us
from it, we fight him?”[1]
So Abū Bakr (may Allāh be pleased with him) said, “Allāh and His Messenger know
best! We only came here to perform the ‘Umrah, and we did not come to fight
anyone. But if anyone comes in between us and the House (i.e. Ka’bah), then we
will fight him.” So the Messenger of Allāh (salutations and peace be upon him)
replied, “Relax then.”
So when the Prophet (and the Companions) neared Makkah, and the Quraysh were
alarmed of his coming – the Messenger of Allāh (salutations and peace be upon
him) decided to send one of his Companions to them. So he called upon ‘Umar ibn
Al-Khattāb, so he could send him to them. So he said, “O Messenger of Allāh! I
do not have anyone from Banū Ka’b who would be angered on my behalf if I were to
be tortured. So send ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān, for indeed he has his relatives there,
and he is capable of conveying what you want.”
So the Messenger (salutations and peace be upon him) called upon ‘Uthmān, and
sent him to the Quraysh, and ordered him, “Notify them that we did not come to
fight; we have only come to perform the ‘Umrah. And call them to Islām.” And he
ordered him to go to the Believing men and women of Makkah, and give them glad
tidings of the Victory, and to notify them that Allāh (Most High) will make His
Dīn manifest, such that no one would have to hide their Īmān.
So ‘Uthmān went forth, and came to the Quraysh. They asked him, “What do you
want?” He replied, “The Messenger of Allāh sent me to call you to Allāh and to
Islām; and that I notify you that we did not come to fight, we have only come to
perform the ‘Umrah.” So they replied, “We have heard what you have to say – so
complete your needs.” So Ubān ibn Sa’īd ibn Al-‘Ās stood up and welcomed him and
saddled his horse, and put ‘Uthmān on his horse and led it, and Ubān followed it
until he reached Makkah. Then the Muslims, before ‘Uthmān returned back, said,
“‘Uthmān went to the Ka’bah before us, and has already performed Tawāf around
it!” So the Messenger of Allāh replied, “I do not think that he would perform
Tawāf around the House while we are besieged.” So they asked, “O Messenger of
Allāh! What would prevent him from it, when he has already been freed!?” So the
Messenger (peace be upon him) replied, “That is how I think of him – that he
would not perform the Tawāf of the Ka’bah until we perform it along with him.”
So the Muslims became intermingled with the mushrikīn during the (arrangement)
of the Treaty, and then a man from one of the two parties shot a man from the
other party – and a battle broke out, and they exchanged arrows and stones. So
then both parties shouted out (to stop), and everyone from both parties secured
everyone in them. And (a rumor) reached the Messenger of Allāh (salutations and
peace be upon him) that his ambassador, ‘Uthmān, had been killed. So the
Messenger said, “We will not leave until we have finished off these people,” and
he decided to fight, and he called for the Pledge of Allegiance (Bay’ah), and
the Muslims rushed to the Messenger (peace be upon him) while he was under the
tree, and they gave him a Pledge of Allegiance that they would not run away
(from the battle) – and in one narration, they took a Pledge for death. So the
Messenger of Allāh (salutations and peace be upon him) took it with his own
hand, and said, “This is for ‘Uthmān.”[2]
And ‘Umar (may Allāh be pleased with him) took hold of the hand of the Messenger
of Allāh (salutations and peace be upon him) for the Bay’ah, underneath the
tree, and all the Muslims pledged allegiance, except for Al-Jadd ibn Qays. And
the first person to give the Bay’ah to the Messenger (salutations be upon him)
was Abū Sinān Al-Asadī (may Allāh be pleased with him). And Salamah ibn Al-Akwa’
gave the Bay’ah (Pledge of Allegiance) three times, at the beginning, at the
middle, and at the end of the people…
Yes, for the sake of one man, all the Muslims came together and pledged
allegiance for death – and to not run away from the battle; and Allāh sent down
Verses regarding them, which are recited till this day of ours – and that Pledge
of Allegiance was named “Bay’ah Ar-Ridhwān” (The Pledge of Allegiance of the
Pleasure [of Allāh]); and Allāh gave them glad tidings of Paradise, and that
they were the best people in the world – as is narrated in Sahīh Al-Bukhārī,
“Today, you are the best people in the world.”[3]
And here we are today, in the Arabian Peninsula, the Tawāghīt (oppressive false
deities) of Āl Sa’ūd tyrannize, and the armies of the Tāghūt, and the
collaborators of the Crusaders have become emboldened, such that they have
killed the Mujāhid Commander, Khālid Hāj, and his brother Ibrāhīm Al-Mazīnī –
and by Allāh, their blood will not go cheaply; we must take revenge for them.
And I am absolutely certain, that the Mujāhidīn have dedicated themselves to
finish these (apostate) people off, and to not turn their backs – Rather, they
have dedicated themselves to the Pledge for Death, in hope that Allāh becomes
pleased with them.
The battle has merely begun, and the blood of the Mujāhidīn – Khālid Hāj, Yūsuf
Al-‘Uyayrī, Turkī Ad-Dandanī, Ahmad Ad-Dukhayyil, and many more –[4] their blood
will not go without any cost. Rather, it will remain as a fuel for the battles
to rage, a provision for the Path, a Light for the Mujāhidīn, and a blazing fire
upon the apostates and Crusaders.
And Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allāh have mercy upon him) said in Zād Al-Ma’ād, “And the
Prophet (salutations and peace be upon him) used to take the Pledge of
Allegiance from his Companions during war, upon the Bay’ah to not run away, and
sometimes he took from them the Pledge of Allegiance for Death, and for Jihād,
just as he also took from them the Bay’ah upon Islām, and also upon Hijrah,
before the Conquest of Makkah. And he also took from them the Pledge of
Allegiance for Tawhīd, and to adhere to Obedience to Allāh and His Messenger.
And he took Bay’ah from some of the Companions that they would not ask anything
from people.”
And to give the Bay’ah for Death is from the legislated matters, as has been
narrated by Ibn Kathīr, in the story of ‘Ikrimah ibn Abī Jahl on the Day of the
Battle of Yarmūk, that he said, “I fought against the Messenger of Allāh in each
place, and today I retreat from you (i.e. Romans)!?” So he then called anyone
who would give the Bay’ah (pledge of allegiance) for death. So Al-Hārith ibn
Hishām and Dhirār ibn al-Azwar gave him the Bay’ah along with four hundred
Muslims and knights. So they all fought in front of the camp of Khālid, till
they all became injured and martyred- except a few, and amongst them was Dhirār
ibn al-Azwar. And Al-Wāqidī and others mentioned, that when they fell down from
injuries, they asked to drink water – and when it was brought to one of them, he
would see another (injured man), and he would say, “Give him the water,” – and
when it was offered to him, he would see another (injured man), and he would
say, “Give him the water,”; So each one of them refused to drink the water to
give it to the other brother, until all of them died, and none had drunk the
water. May Allāh be well pleased with them all.”[5]
And I have mentioned this story to emphasize the legislation of the Bay’ah for
Death, for indeed this Bay’ah was bound in front of the eyes and ears of more
than 1,000 of the Companions, and amongst them were 100 from those who
participated in the Battle of Badr, and the commander of the army that day was
Khālid ibn Al-Walīd – yet, none of them objected to ‘Ikrimah; Rather, they all
approved this deed of his. Ibn Kathīr (may Allāh have mercy upon him) said,
“Sayf ibn ‘Umar said, with his Isnād, from his teachers: They said that in that
assembly – the army of the Muslims at Yarmūk – was 1,000 men from the
Companions, and amongst them 100 of the People of Badr.”
Sayyid Qutb (may Allāh have mercy upon him) said, “This lesson – the Bay’ah of
Ridhwān – every bit of it is speaking about the Believers, and speaking to the
Believers – to that unique, joyous assembly which gave their Pledge of
Allegiance to the Messenger of Allāh (salutations and peace be upon him), under
the tree – and Allāh was Witness to the taking place of this Bay’ah, and His
Hand was above their hands.[6] They were the assembly which heard Allāh (Most
Lofty) to His Messenger saying regarding them:
لَقَدْ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ
فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ
فَأَنْزَلَ السَّكِينَةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَثَابَهُمْ فَتْحاً قَرِيباً
“Indeed,
Allāh was pleased with the Believers when they gave their Bay’ah to you (O
Muhammad) under the tree, He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down
tranquility upon them, and He rewarded them with a near victory.”[7]
And they heard the Messenger of Allāh saying to them, “Today, you are the best
people in the world…” And today – after one thousand and four hundred years (and
more) – I try to sense the honour of that holy moment, when all that exists
witnessed that Lofty Noble Message, from Allāh, the Highest, the Most Supreme,
to His Trustworthy Messenger, regarding the Group of Believers… I try to sense
the honour of that moment, when He is answering all of them with the Noble
Lordly Words, speaking about those standing men, at the specific place in
creation… I try to get some sense of feeling of how were those joyous ones, who
were hearing with their own ears – that the ones being mentioned, were them –
each person and individual: Allāh is saying regarding them, that He is pleased
with them, and He specifies the place were in, and the deed which they were
doing, when they had earned the Pleasure of Allāh…
“…when they gave their Bay’ah to you (O Muhammad) under the tree…”
They hear this from their Prophet, As-Sādiq Al-Masdūq (The Truthful, The
Belief-Worthy), the Speech of their Lord, the Most Supreme, the Majestic…
O for Allāh! How did they – those Joyous ones – go through that holy moment, and
that Godly Message? The Message which was speaking of each one of them,
themselves, and saying to each one of them: You, to you Allāh is notifying you
that He is indeed pleased with you when you gave the Pledge of Allegiance under
the tree, and He knew what was in your heart, so He sent down tranquility upon
you!
Verily, one of us reads, or hears, the following verse, and becomes joyous:
اللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
“Allāh is
the Guardian of those who have Īmān…”[8]
He says to himself, “Do I not hope to be included as one of them?”
Or he reads or hears:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ
“Truly,
Allāh is with the patient ones…”[9]
And he finds comfort, and says to himself, “Do I not hope to be one of these
patient ones?”
But those men, they were hearing, and they were receiving a message, each one of
them, each one… that Allāh was intending him specifically, and he was being
conveyed that: Indeed, He is pleased with him, and He knew what was in his
heart, and He was pleased with what was in his heart!
O for Allāh! It is a matter which is tremendous!
“Indeed, Allāh was pleased with the Believers when they gave their Bay’ah to you
(O Muhammad) under the tree, He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down
tranquility upon them, and He rewarded them with a near victory.”[10]
He knew what was in their hearts, of protecting and defending, not their own
selves, but their Dīn… and He knew what was in their hearts, of true sincerity
in their Pledge of Allegiance… and He knew what was in their hearts of when they
suppressed their emotional reactions when they are inflamed… and how they set
aside their feelings in order to stand behind the command of the Messenger,
obedient, as Muslims, and patient.
“… so He sent down tranquility upon them…” with such phrasing which He described
the tranquility, coming down in ease, gracefully, and in dignity; filling those
heated, zealous, incited, emotional hearts, with coolness, tranquility, rest,
and calmness.” [End of the words of Sayyid Qutb, may Allāh have mercy upon him]
And so now, I ask each and every single Muslim who reads this – I say:
What are we doing about the Shaykh ‘Umar ‘Abdur-Rahmān who is in the prisons of
America?
What are we doing about the Mujāhid, Ramzī Yūsuf, and the Mujāhid, Abū Hājar
Al-‘Irāqī, who are both in the prisons of America?
What are we doing about our imprisoned brothers in Guantanamo?
What are we doing about the ‘Ulamā of the Muslims who are imprisoned in the
dungeons of the Tawāghīt and apostates?
What are we doing about the rest of the weak and oppressed Muslims who are
abandoned behind bars?
O for Allāh! A Bay’ah for Death, and not to turn back, for the sake of one man –
‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān – was given to the Messenger of Allāh (salutations and peace
be upon him)!! And today, the massacred ones from this Ummah, and our prisoners,
have reached the hundreds and thousands – and yet, we haven’t given a pure and
sincere Pledge of Allegiance for Allāh, by which we can have our sins forgiven…
nay, not even a hair moves to do something about this!!
Where are the ones who will be true to what they promised Allāh with? Where are
the Shabāb (Youth) of Islām?
Where are the ones who will take vengeance for the sake of their Dīn, their
honour, and for their Brothers, for their Ummah!?
Our Dīn has been warred against, our Lord and Prophet have been cursed and
reviled, our lands have been invaded – while we are passive, unmindful, and “too
busy”?!!
Our wealth is plundered, while we are in amusements!?
Our brave ones and the best of us are killed, and we remain sitting?!
Until when, O Youth of Islām? Until when… until when?
____________________
[This treatise was written before the Shaykh was imprisoned by the enemies of
Allāh]
[1] Refer to Musnad Ahmad (18166), Al-Bayhaqī (9/218), An-Nasā’ī in “Al-Kubrā”
(5/170), ‘Abdur-Razzāq (5/330), At-Tabarānī in “Al-Kabīr” (20/10), and similar
is narrated by Al-Bukhārī (4/1531), and Ibn Abī Shaybah (7/387). Also refer to
“Zād Al-Ma’ād” by Ibn al-Qayyim under the chapter of “The Pact of Hudaybiyah”.
[2] Refer to Fat’h Al-Bārī (6/117).
[3] Narrated from Jābir ibn ‘Abdillāh (may Allāh be pleased with them), as Marfū’,
in Al-Bukhārī and Muslim. Refer to Jāmi’ Al-Usūl (8/326).
[4] Trans. Note: After the Shaykh wrote this, many more from amongst the
Mujāhidīn joined the Caravan of Martyrs, their names like shining stars –
amongst them, to mention some, the Commander ‘Abdul-‘Azīz Al-Muqrin, Shaykh
“Muhammad As-Sālim” ‘Īsā ibn Sa’d Al-‘Awshin, Shaykh “Abū ‘Abdir-Rahmān” Sultān
Al-‘Utaybī Al-Atharī, Shaykh Sa’ūd ibn Hamūd Al-‘Utaybī, Karīm Al-Majjātī,
Mu’jab Ad-Dawsirī, Faysal Ad-Dukhayyil, Mut’ab Al-Muhayyānī, Khālid As-Subayyit,
and Shaykh ‘Abdullāh ibn Muhammad Ar-Rashūd, and many, many more. We ask Allāh
to allow us to take revenge for them, and to finish off those who killed them,
and to establish the Flag of Tawhīd which they all sacrificed themselves for, or
for us to achieve the same triumph in doing that also.
[5] Refer to Al-Bidāyah Wan-Nihāyah (7/10), and also the Tārīkh of At-Tabarī
(2/338).
[6] “Verily, those who give Bay’ah to you (O Muhammad) they are giving Bay’ah to
Allāh. The Hand of Allāh is over their hands. Then whosoever breaks his pledge,
breaks only to his own harm, and whosoever fulfills what he has covenanted with
Allāh, He will bestow on him a great reward.” [Al-Fat’h: 10]
[7] Al-Fat’h: 18
[8] Al-Baqarah: 257
[9] Al-Baqarah: 153
[10] Al-Fat’h: 18