Who Qualifies as a Muslim

Opinion, July 2003, www.aljazeerah.info

Adil Salahi

Arab News

A short Hadith which combines more than one important thought mentions that a man came to see Abdullah ibn Amr, a companion of the Prophet who reported a large number of Hadiths. There were several people attending Abdullah at the time, and his new visitor tried to walk through in order to reach him. This meant that he needed to pass over their shoulders. They tried to prevent him doing that, but Abdullah ibn Amr told them to let him come over to him. As he sat close to him, he said: “Tell me something that you heard directly from God’s messenger (peace be upon him).” Abdullah ibn Amr said: “I heard the Prophet saying: ‘A Muslim is the one with whom people feel safe from abuse by mouth or hand; and a migrant is one who abandons what God has forbidden’.” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood and Al-Nassaie).

This highly authentic Hadith provides two definitions for a Muslim and a migrant. We note that it does not touch on the essential qualities necessary for a person to be a Muslim, such as the declaration of believing in God’s oneness and in Muhammad as God’s messenger. It speaks of an attitude that respects other Muslims, causing them no harm. Thus it does not define the essential requirements that bring a person into the fold of Islam; rather, it tells us of the nature of the best Muslim people. In this sense it highlights a quality that every Muslim should try to acquire, so that he may be a loved member of the Muslim community. This quality is to cause no harm, physically or mentally, to any other Muslim. When this becomes characteristic of a person to the extent that others feel safe of any abuse that he may cause, he attains the standard that fits this definition by the Prophet of the best and true Muslims.

We note here that the Prophet spoke of harm by mouth first, before adding physical harm caused by hand. This is due to the fact that most abuse is caused verbally. Indeed, people cause more harm with what they say than what is caused by action in most cases. Furthermore, we note that in the Arabic text, the Prophet used the word “tongue” for what is rendered in translation as “mouth”. This is significant because sometimes abuse is caused by the movement of one’s tongue, as when a person puts out his tongue to indicate displeasure, or to make faces at another person. This may cause the latter a strong feeling of abuse. Thus, the Prophet’s usage includes all actions in which the tongue is involved, whether by gesture or speech.

Similarly, the Prophet refers to all physical, harm-causing action using the word “hand”, which is the organ used in most physical actions. Moreover, in Arabic, as in most other languages, the word “hand” is used figuratively, as in “lay his hand on something” which may not belong to him. This may signify wrongful acquisition of what belongs to others. We also say, “take the law into one’s own hands”, signifying unauthorized action that may cause harm. Hence, the Hadith means that a good Muslim is a person who does not cause harm to other Muslims, either physically or mentally, by hand, word or gesture.

Secondly. the Prophet says that “a migrant is one who abandons what God has forbidden.” This is a reference to migrating for God’s cause, which is considered one of the most important actions a person can take in serving the cause of the Islamic faith. Those early Muslims who migrated with the Prophet from Makkah to Madinah provided the role model for Muslims in following generations. The fact that they abandoned their own homes and town for no reason other than to be with the Prophet and to serve the Islamic cause is noted in the Qur’an as a mark of true faith. The Prophet gives us here a different definition of migration, which is to abandon what God has forbidden. The Prophet uses a word derived from the same root, so as to link leaving one’s home to abandoning God’s prohibitions.

We also note in this Hadith that the visitor wanted to go close to Abdullah ibn Amr before he put his request to him. He moved forward causing inconvenience to the people present. Yet Abdullah ibn Amr asked them to let him come forward, because he felt that the man was eager to learn. As his visitor, he did not wish to embarrass him. Hence, he requested his other visitors to bear up with him. Treating a guest most cordially is characteristic of the Muslim community, particularly in Arabia where hospitality to one’s guests was long recognized as a most important trait. The Prophet’s companions highlight this. Ibn Abbas, the learned companion of the Prophet, says: “The most honored person to me is the one sitting by me. He may move over people’s shoulders in order to sit near me.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad and Ibn Hibban). In another version, Al-Nawawi adds: “If I could prevent flies from landing on his face, I would certainly do that.”

Because this is a value of great importance, the Prophet’s companion provides a graphic description of what he would do to ensure his guest’s comfort. Moreover, people would normally try to show their respect of others by bringing them near to where they are sitting. Kuthayyr ibn Murrah, who belonged to the tabieen generation, met a large number of the Prophet’s companions. One of those was Awf ibn Malik Al-Ashja’ie. He says that he went into the mosque on a Friday and found Awf sitting with a circle of people, with his legs stretched. “When he saw me, he drew up his legs and said to me: ‘Do you know why I have stretched my legs like that? It is so that a good man might come and find a place to sit near’.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad). It is a case of reserving some space for a worthy person. This also shows that there is nothing wrong with stretching one’s legs when sitting with people, if they are clear that the person doing so is merely ensuring that he is comfortably seated.

Earth, a planet hungry for peace

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03).

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03).