Ustadj Salamat Hashim

Ameerol Mujahideen

our beloved leader

" Even if i die, the next generation will continue the struggle. I have planted the seed of jihad in the heart of the Bangsamoro".

Hashim, who died of natural causes on July 13 at age 61, had been the reclusive chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“More than any other Moro leader, Hashim reawakened the Islamic consciousness of the people. He made us proud of our identity. He gave us a vision,”. And stuck with that vision through the end.

Pragmatic leader

Born in 1942 to an upper middle-class family in Maguindanao, Hashim was educated in Islamic studies and philosophy in Egypt. It was there that he became politicized, ending up forming, along with Nur Misuari, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). Both also came from the same career they chose to lead before they went full-time as revolutionaries: Hashim as a teacher and Misuari, who taught political science at the University of the Philippines.
While Hashim was deeply religious, he was also pragmatic. When, in 1976, the MNLF was negotiating with the Marcos regime, Hashim had reservations. That year, Misuari signed the Tripoli Agreement drafted by the Marcos regime. By signing the agreement, Misuari basically allowed the subordination of the Moro revolution by the Philippine Constitution, which was what the Moro revolutionaries were rebelling against to begin with. Hashim thought signing the agreement was foolish.

Passion for freedom

“The death of Mr. Salamat Hashim, a great and praiseworthy leader of the Bangsamoro people, is indeed a great loss to their struggle for self-determination. Despite his firm belief in the armed revolutionary struggle as the only solution to the Moro peoples’ quest for genuine freedom, he has shown sincerity in pursuing their goal through peaceful means by participating earnestly in the peace negotiations.”

It is this “passionate yearning for freedom that compelled him to stay with the oppressed, share their sufferings, and court death in the hands of the oppressors and enemies of peace. Many times he was offered the security and comfort of a sanctuary in friendly Muslim countries. But he gracefully spurned these offers, preferring instead to live with the impoverished Bangsamoro masses, seek refuge and comfort in prayers to his Creator, and patiently endure the spartan life of a mujahid in the harsh jungles, mountains and marshes of the Bangsamoro homeland.”
In short, Hashim was a revolutionary to the very end – and, perhaps, beyond. It is said that Hashim once uttered these words: “Even if I die, the next generation will continue the struggle. I have planted the seed of jihad in the heart of the Bangsamoro.”

Islam (a Complete Way Of Life)!

Islam is a religion, but not in the western meaning of religion. The western connotation of the term "religion" is something between the believer and God. Islam is a religion that organizes all aspects of life on both the individual and national levels. Islam organizes your relations with God, with yourself, with your children, with your relatives, with your neighbor, with your guest, and with other brethren. Islam clearly establishes your duties and rights in all those relationships.
Islam establishes a clear system of worship, civil rights, laws of marriage and divorce, laws of inheritance, code of behavior, what not to drink, what to wear, and what not to wear, how to worship God, how to govern, the laws of war and peace, when to go to war, when to make peace, the law of economics, and the laws of buying and selling. Islam is a complete code of life.
Islam is not practiced in the mosque only, it is for daily life, a guide to life in all its aspects: socially, economically, and politically. Islam is complete constitution. Thus Islam keeps the Muslim away from confusion, because Islam is logical and rational. Allah is one. Allah is one Allah has no sons. Allah is not associated with trinity. Allah does not kill to save. No mediation is required between Allah and man. Islam organizes human nature, but does not go against it. There is not a class of clergy in Islam; nor is there celibacy. Islam is complete way of human life.

Source: Islamway

A Simple Web Guide to Islam

Islam is the name of the second largest major religion in the world. The Arabic word Islam means peace and submission to God. A follower of Islam is called a Muslim. A Muslim strives to live in peace and harmony with the Creator, oneself, other people and the environment. Thus Islam is not only a religion, but a way of life.

Sources of Islam
The Quran is the holy book of Islam. Muslims consider the Quran to be the exact word of God in the Arabic language. Muslims believe that it was transmitted by the Angel Gabriel through the Prophet Muhammad. At the Quran's heart is the teaching of monotheism, but it also provides guidance for every part of a believer's life, including aspects that in the West would be considered social, political or legal, and not religious. The Quran is considered by Muslims to complete God's earlier revelations and is meant for all humanity, not for any exclusive group.
There is only one Quran unchanged since Muhammad received it. A number of his followers had carefully memorized each of the revelations, word for word -- an achievement still common among serious scholars -- and the text we know today was written down by the year 651. The Quran is considered to be untranslatable because no other language carries the full range of often subtle meaning that the Arabic of the Quran can convey. Muslims regard translations of the Quran in other languages to be interpretations rather than true translations because of the Quran's linguistic beauty, poetical eloquence and clear erudition in the Arabic language.
The Hadith are the reports of the sayings, deeds and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet's sayings and deeds are also called his Sunnah, or example. Muslims believe Muhammad was chosen by God to deliver His message of peace, Islam. He was born in 570 C.E. in Mecca, Arabia and was entrusted with the message of Islam when he was forty years old. The revelation that he received is called the Quran.
Muslims believe that Muhammad is the very last Prophet and Messenger of God to mankind. He is considered to be the summation and the culmination of all the prophets and messengers that came before him. Hence, it is the life history of the Prophet Muhammad which provides examples of daily living for Muslims. He was entrusted with the power of explaining, interpreting and living the teachings of the Quran.
The sources of legislation in Islam are the Quran and the Hadith

Place of Worship
The Muslim place of worship is called a Mosque or Masjid.
Three of the most holy places of worship for Muslims are the Great Mosque which surrounds the Kaaba in Mecca, the Mosque of the Prophet Muhammad in Medina, and Masjid Al-Aqsa, adjacent to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
The Kabaa is the black cubical stone structure in the courtyard of the Great Mosque at Mecca. Muslims believe it was built by Adam and rebuilt by Abraham and his son Ishmael. The Kaaba is empty and it is not entered except for a ritual cleaning every year. A black cloth covering embroidered in gold with Quranic calligraphy is made for it each year. Wherever Muslims are in the world they face the direction of the Kaaba when they pray. Muslims do not worship the Kaaba, but consider it the House of God and most holy place on earth. During the Hajj and throughout the year, pilgrims circle the Kaaba seven times in a ritual circumambulation.
A Muslim may pray any where in the world whether in a Mosque, a house, an office, or outside. The whole world is a place of worship.

Main Practices
In Islam there are five pillars of practice, often called the 'Five Pillars of Islam':
1. Profession of Faith (Shahada): The verbal commitment and pledge that there is only One God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.
2. Prayers (Salat): Muslims pray five times a day. before dawn, mid-day, afternoon, after sunset and night . facing toward the Kaaba, considered the House of God, in the Great Mosque in Mecca. They may pray wherever they are when prayer-time arrives, in any clean place, preferably in the company of other Muslims. On Fridays in the afternoon, Muslims are encouraged to pray as a gathered community in congregational mosques and listen to a sermon in their local language. There is a sequence of physical postures for the ritual prayer, and the prayers are said in the language of their revelation, Arabic. The performance of the five daily prayers is required of all Muslims who are able.
3. Charity (Zakat): This is an annual payment of a certain percentage of a Muslim's wealth which is distributed among the poor. A fixed proportion of a Muslim.s net worth . not just his or her income . is prescribed as a donation for the welfare of the community, whether that community is made up of Muslims, non-Muslims or both.
4. Fasting (Sawm): Every day from dawn to dusk during the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims must abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual contact; even more than at other times they must also avoid cursing, lying, cheating and otherwise abusing or harming others. Fasting is total abstinence from food, drink, and unlawful actions from dawn to sunset during the entire month of Ramadan.
5. Pilgrimage (Hajj): The journey to Mecca is obligatory for every able bodied Muslim who can afford to make it. Pilgrimage need be made only once in a lifetime, but it can be made several times if a Muslim wishes. At Hajj every pilgrim carries out specified rituals at specific times. At any other time of year, Muslims can perform similar prayers and rituals and thus complete a .lesser pilgrimage.. The performance of pilgrimage to Mecca is required once in a life time if means are available. Hajj is in part in memory of the trials and tribulations of Prophet Abraham, his wife Hagar and his eldest son Prophet Ishmael.

Major Beliefs
Muslims believe Islam is God's final message to humankind, a reconfirmation and perfection of the messages that God has revealed through earlier prophets.
A. Oneness of God: The central Muslim belief is that there is only one God to be worshipped, unique incomparable, eternal, absolute and without peer or associate. Allah is the name of the One and Only God in Arabic. The word Allah is used by Muslims, Christians and Jews alike who speak the Arabic language. Allah has ninety-nine beautiful names, such as: The Gracious, The Merciful, The Beneficent, The Creator, The All-Knowing, The All-Wise, The Lord of the Universe, and others. He is the Creator of all human beings. Muslims do not believe in the idea of a trinity or a unity with God which implies more than one God in one.
B. Oneness of mankind: Other important tenets of Islam are that God is the Creator of all that exists and that His will is supreme. People are created equal in front of the Law of God and there is no superiority for one race over another. God made humans of different colors, nationalities, languages and beliefs so that we get to know each other. The best of people are those who are pious and righteous.
C. Oneness of Messengers and the Message: Muslims believe that God sent different messengers and prophets throughout the history of mankind in order to guide them. Muslims believe in Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Moses, David, Jesus, and Muhammad. All came with the same message to worship the one true God. Some were sent books, such as the original Torah or the original Gospel. However over time the true message was changed or misinterpreted. Muhammad is the 'seal' of all the prophets -- that is, the last.
D. Angels and the Day of Judgment: Muslims believe that there are unseen immortal creatures such as angels created by God in the universe for special tasks. Satan was also created to test mankind. Muslims also believe that humans are responsible to God for their actions; and that, on the Day of Judgment, an all-knowing and merciful God will judge His creation according to their deeds in this life. On that 'day' all people of the world throughout the history of mankind till the last day of life on earth, are to be brought for accounting. The reward or punishment is to be Heaven or Hell.
E. Innocence of Man at Birth: Muslims believe that people are born free of sin. It is only after they reach the age of puberty and it is only after they commit sins that they are to be charged for their mistakes. No one is responsible for or can take the responsibility for the sins of others. However, the door of forgiveness through true repentance to God is always open.

Population
The followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslims come from all races, nationalities and cultures across the globe. They may be Arabs, Turks, Persians, Indians, Pakistanis, Malaysians, Indonesians, Europeans, Africans, Americans, Chinese, or any other nationality. They also have varied languages, foods, dress, traditions, cultures and customs, yet they all consider themselves Muslim.
While there are over one billion Muslims in the world, there are only about 200 million Arabs. Thus Arab Muslims constitute about twenty percent of the Muslim population of the world. It is important to note that not all Arabs are Muslim and not all Muslims are Arab. Twenty percent of all Muslims are found in Sub-Saharan Africa. The most populous Muslim nation is Indonesia. Substantial parts of Asia and almost all the Central Asian republics are Muslim. Significant minorities are found in China, India, Russia, Europe, North America and South America.
One out of five people in the world are Muslim.
There are approximately five million Muslims in North America. They are most populous in its major cities such as New York, Detroit, Boston, Toledo, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Cedar Rapids (Iowa), Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, Vancouver, Windsor, Winnipeg, Calgary, and others.

Civilization
The Muslim community expanded rapidly after the Prophet's death. Within a few decades, Islam had spread as far as Spain in the West and China in the East. Among the reasons for the rapid and peaceful spread of Islam was the simplicity of its doctrine.
As Muslim civilization developed, most of the important philosophical and scientific works of ancient times were all rendered into Arabic, including works of astronomy, mathematics and medicine. As a result, Arabic became the most important scientific language of the world for many centuries and the depository of much of the wisdom and the sciences of antiquity. Besides translation and preservation of ancient learning, these scholars built upon and developed the ancient heritage before passing it on to the West.
Muslims excelled in art, architecture, astronomy, geography, history, language, literature, medicine, mathematics, and physics. Many crucial systems such as algebra, the Arabic numerals, and the very concept of the zero (vital to the advancement of mathematics), were formulated by Muslim scholars and shared with medieval Europe. Sophisticated instruments that would make possible the later European voyages of discovery were invented or developed, including the astrolabe, the quadrant and navigational charts and maps. The Muslims of the early period of the Islamic era were pioneers in medicine, chemistry, physics, geography, navigation, arts, poetry, mathematics, algebra, logarithms, calculus, etc. They contributed to the Renaissance of Europe and world civilization.
Christians and Jews lived peacefully with Muslims throughout centuries in the Middle East and other Asian and African countries. Jews fled from Spain during the Inquisition, and they were welcomed by the Muslims. They settled in the heart of the Islamic Caliphate and enjoyed positions of power and authority. Throughout the Muslim world, churches, synagogues and missionary schools were built within the Muslim neighborhoods. These places were protected by Muslims even during the contemporary crises in the Middle East.
In modern times, Muslims have become established as minorities in places like North America. Muslims have established academic institutions, community centers and organizations, schools and places of worship. The Sears Tower and the John Hancock buildings in Chicago were designed by a Muslim chief architect. Muslims live in peace and harmony among themselves and among other groups of people in the society. The rate of crime among Muslims is very minimal. Muslims in North America are highly educated and they have added to the success of American scientific and technological fields.

Holidays
Islamic holidays are based on the lunar calendar, as opposed to the Gregorian calendar that is based on the solar year. The Islamic calendar began with emigration (Hijra) of Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in the year 622 C.E. The Gregorian year 2004 C.E. for example is 1425 A.H. (After Hijra). The lunar month is either 29 or 30 days and the Islamic calendar is yearly 11 days shorter than the Gregorian one. This causes Islamic holidays to travel through all the seasons over the years.
Muslims have two major celebrations called Festivals or Eid.
The Eid of Breaking Fast comes at the end of the fasting month.
The Eid of Sacrifice is in remembrance of the test of sacrifice given to Prophet Abraham. Eid begins with special morning prayers and lasts for three days. During Eid Muslims greet each other with the phrase "Eid Mubarak" (eed-moo-barak), meaning "blessed Eid." They also embrace one another, exchange gifts, and visit one another.
In addition to Eids, Muslims also observe the following:
Hijra New Year -- A holiday in many countries. The New Year reminds Muslims of the migration of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in the year 622 C.E.
Day of Atonement -- Remembrance of God saving Moses and the Children of Israel.
Birthday of the Prophet
Night Journey & Ascension -- Remembrance of the ascent of the Prophet in a spiritual journey to God.
Night of Salvation -- In honor of the merits of the special month of Shaban.
Ramadan -- The 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The month of fasting when Muslims abstain from food, drink, and intimate relations from dawn to sunset each day during the month. They often break fast in the evening with family and friends and attend special prayers each night. Fasting Muslims are encouraged to display genorosity, kindness and self discipline more than they do throughout the year.
The Night of Power -- This is the night of the first revelation of the Quran. Muslims pray throughout the night seeking reward.
Day of Hajj -- In remembrance of those performing Hajj.
Friday is also considered a Muslim holy day. Muslims will congregate in mosques for a special sermon and prayer.

Lahaula Wala kuwata Illah Billah!

Why do Muslims wage jihad?

The reason why jihaad is prescribed Why do Muslims wage jihad?

Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah has enjoined jihad for His sake upon the Muslims, for the great benefits that result from that and because of the harm caused by abandoning jihad, some of which are mentioned in Question no. 34830.

Some of the reasons why jihad for the sake of Allaah is prescribed in Islam are as follows:
1 – The main goal of jihad is to make the people worship Allaah alone and to bring them forth from servitude to people to servitude to the Lord of people. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allaah) and (all and every kind of) worship is for Allaah (Alone). But if they cease, let there be no transgression except against Az-Zaalimoon (the polytheists, and wrong-doers)”
[al-Baqarah 2:193]
“And fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and polytheism, i.e. worshipping others besides Allaah), and the religion (worship) will all be for Allaah Alone [in the whole of the world]. But if they cease (worshipping others besides Allaah), then certainly, Allaah is All-Seer of what they do”
[al-Anfaal 8:39]
Ibn Jareer said:
So fight them until there is no more shirk, and none is worshipped except Allaah alone with no partner or associate, and trials and calamities, which are disbelief and polytheism, are lifted from the slaves of Allaah on earth, and religion is all for Allaah alone, and so that obedience and worship will be devoted to Him alone and none else.
Ibn Katheer said: Allaah commands us to fight the kuffaar so that there will be no fitnah, i.e., shirk, and the religion will all be for Allaah alone, i.e., the religion of Allaah will prevail over all other religions.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “"I have been commanded (by Allaah) to fight the people until they testify that there is no god but Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, and they establish regular prayer and pay zakaah, then if they do that, then they save their lives and property from me except for Islamic laws and then their reckoning will be with Allaah." Narrated by al-Bukhaari (24), Muslim (33).
And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I have been sent just before the Hour with the sword, so that Allaah will be worshipped alone with no partner or associate.”
Narrated by Ahmad, 4869; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2831.
This purpose of jihad was present in the minds of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) during their battles with the enemies of Allaah. Al-Bukhaari (2925) narrated that Jubayr ibn Hayyah said: ‘Umar sent people to all the regions to fight the mushrikeen… so ‘Umar recruited us and appointed al-Nu’maan ibn Muqarrin to lead us. When we were in the land of the enemy, the representative of Chosroes came out to us with forty thousand troops. An interpreter stood up and said: “Let one of you speak to me.” Al-Mugheerah said: “Ask whatever you want.” He asked, “Who are you?” He (al-Mugheerah) said: “We are some people from among the Arabs. We used to lead a harsh and miserable life, sucking on animal skins and date stones because of hunger, wearing clothes made of camel and goat hair, worshipping trees and rocks. While we were in this state, the Lord of the heavens and the earth, exalted be His name and glorified be His greatness, sent to us a Prophet from amongst ourselves, whose father and mother we know. Our Prophet, the Messenger of our Lord, (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), commanded us to fight you until you worship Allaah alone or pay the jizyah. Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us the message from our Lord, that whoever among us is killed will go to Paradise to enjoy delights such as no one has ever seen, and whoever among us is left will become your master.”
This is the truth that the Sahaabah and leaders of the Muslims proclaimed in their military campaigns.
Rab’i ibn ‘Aamir said, when Rustam the commander of the Persian armies asked him, “Why have you come?”: “Allaah has sent us to bring forth whomsoever He wills from the worship of man to the worship of Allaah.
When ‘Uqbah ibn Naafi’ reached Tangiers, he rode his horse into the water until the water was up to its chest, then he said: “O Allaah, bear witness that I have done my utmost, and were it not for this sea I would have travelled throughout the land fighting those who disbelieve in You, until none is worshipped except You.”
2 – Repelling the aggression of those who attack the Muslims.
The scholars are unanimously agreed that repelling the aggression of those who attack the Muslims is fard ‘ayn (an individual obligation) upon those who are able to do that.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And fight in the way of Allaah those who fight you, but transgress not the limits. Truly, Allaah likes not the transgressors”
[al-Baqarah 2:190]
“Will you not fight a people who have violated their oaths (pagans of Makkah) and intended to expel the Messenger while they did attack you first? Do you fear them? Allaah has more right that you should fear Him if you are believers”
[al-Tawbah 9:13]
3 – Removing fitnah (tribulation)
Fitnah is of different types:
(i) That which is caused by the kuffaar who persecute the Muslims or apply pressure to them to make them give up their religion. Allaah has commanded the Muslims to fight in jihad in order to save those who are weak and oppressed. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And what is wrong with you that you fight not in the Cause of Allaah, and for those weak, ill-treated and oppressed among men, women, and children, whose cry is: “Our Lord! Rescue us from this town whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from You one who will protect, and raise for us from You one who will help”
[al-Nisa’ 4:75]
(ii) The fitnah of the kuffaar themselves and their preventing others from hearing and accepting the truth. That is because the kaafir systems corrupt the innate nature and reason of people, and make them get used to worshipping and submitting to things other than Allaah, getting addicted to alcohol, wallowing in the mire of sexual licence, and losing all characteristics of virtue. Whoever is like that can rarely tell truth from falsehood, good from evil, right from wrong. So jihad is prescribed in order to remove those obstacles that prevent people from hearing and accepting the truth and getting to know it.
4 – Protecting the Islamic state from the evil of the kuffaar.
Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ordered that the leaders of the kuffaar be killed, those who incited the enemies against the Muslims, such as the Jews Ka’b ibn al-Ashraf and Ibn Abi’l-Haqeeq.
Another aspect of jihad is to protect the borders against the kuffaar. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) encouraged that as he said: “Guarding the border for one day for the sake of Allaah is better than this world and everything in it.” Al-Bukhaari, 2678.
5 – Frightening the kuffaar, humiliating them and putting them to shame.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Fight against them so that Allaah will punish them by your hands and disgrace them and give you victory over them and heal the breasts of a believing people,
And remove the anger of their (believers’) hearts. Allaah accepts the repentance of whom He wills. Allaah is All-Knowing, All-Wise”
[al-Tawbah 9:14-15]
“And make ready against them all you can of power, including steeds of war (tanks, planes, missiles, artillery) to threaten the enemy of Allaah and your enemy”[al-Anfaal 8:60]
Hence it is prescribed to fight in a manner that will strike terror into the heart of the enemy.
Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah – may Allaah have mercy on him] was asked whether it is permissible for a soldier to wear silk or gold or silver when fighting or when the envoys of the enemy come to the Muslims.
He replied:
Praise be to Allaah. With regard to wearing silk in order to frighten the enemy, there are two scholarly views, the more correct of which is that it is allowed. The soldiers of Syria wrote to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab saying: “When we met the enemy we saw that they had covered their weapons with silk and we found that this struck terror in our hearts.” ‘Umar wrote back to them saying: “You should cover your weapons as they do.” And wearing silk is a kind of showing off, and Allaah likes showing off at the time of fighting, as it is narrated in al-Sunan that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is a kind of showing off that Allaah likes, and a kind of showing off that Allaah hates. The showing off that Allaah likes is when a man shows off at the time of war. The kind of showing off that Allaah hates is showing off for the purpose of pride and boasting.” On the day of Uhud, Abu Dujaanah al-Ansaari showed off among the ranks, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “This is a kind of walking that Allaah hates except in this situation.” Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 28/17
6 – Exposing the hypocrites
Allaah says (Interpretation of the meaning):
“But when a decisive Soorah (explaining and ordering things) is sent down, and fighting (Jihaad — holy fighting in Allaah’s Cause) is mentioned (i.e. ordained) therein, you will see those in whose hearts is a disease (of hypocrisy) looking at you with a look of one fainting to death”
[Muhammad 47:20]
At times of ease and plenty, the Muslims may be joined by those who seek to make worldly gains, and they do not want to make the word of Allaah prevail over the word of kufr. These people may conceal their real nature from many of the Muslims, and the most effective means of exposing them is jihad, because jihad means sacrificing oneself but these hypocrites are only indulging in hypocrisy in order to save themselves.
Exposing the hypocrites was one of the major purposes that Allaah wanted the believers to achieve on the day of Uhud.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Allaah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are now, until He distinguishes the wicked from the good”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:179]
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
This means: Allaah will not leave you in the state in which you are, where the believers are indistinguishable from the hypocrites, until the believers are made distinct from the hypocrites, as they were distinguished by the test on the day of Uhud, and Allaah will not disclose to you the unseen matters by which the one group is distinguished from the other, for they are distinguished from one another in the knowledge of the unseen that He has, but He wants to distinguish them from one another in a clear and visible manner, so that His unseen knowledge will become known and visible.
7 – Purifying the believers of their sins and ridding them thereof
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And so are the days (good and not so good), that We give to men by turns, that Allaah may test those who believe, and that He may take martyrs from among you. And Allaah likes not the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers).
And that Allaah may test (or purify) the believers (from sins) and destroy the disbelievers.
Do you think that you will enter Paradise before Allaah tests those of you who fought (in His Cause) and (also) tests those who are As-Saabiroon (the patient)?”[Aal ‘Imraan 3:140-142]
8 – Acquiring booty
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I have been sent ahead of the Hour with the sword so that Allaah will be worshipped alone, and my provision has been placed in the shade of my spear, and humiliation has been decreed for those who go against my command, and whoever imitates a people is one of them.” Narrated by Ahmad, 4869; Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2831.
Al-Haafiz said:
This hadeeth indicates that war booty is permissible for this ummah, and that the provision of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has been placed in war booty and not in other kinds of earnings. Hence some of the scholars said that it is the best kind of earnings.
Al-Qurtubi said:
Allaah sent provision to His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) by means of his striving and He made it by means of the best kind of striving which is earning it by means of force and strength.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out for the battle of Badr to meet the caravan of Abu Sufyaan.
Al-Qurtubi said: The fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out to meet the caravan indicates that it is permissible to take booty because it is a halaal source of income. This refutes Maalik’s view that this is makrooh, when he said that this was fighting for worldly gains.
Al-Shawkaani said: Ibn Abi Jamrah said: The scholars of hadeeth are of the view that if the primary motive is to make the word of Allaah supreme, it does not matter what else is also achieved.
9 – Taking martyrs.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“If a wound (and killing) has touched you, be sure a similar wound (and killing) has touched the others. And so are the days (good and not so good), that We give to men by turns, that Allaah may test those who believe, and that He may take martyrs from among you. And Allaah likes not the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers).
And that Allaah may test (or purify) the believers (from sins) and destroy the disbelievers”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:140-141]
Martyrdom is one of the highest statuses before Allaah, and the martyrs are the closest of His slaves to Him. There is no status higher than that of siddeeq apart from martyrdom. Allaah loves to take martyrs from