Al-Bukhari recorded that Muhammad bin `Abdur-Rahman, Abu Al-Aswad, said, "The people
of Al-Madinah were forced to prepare an army (to fight against the people of Ash-Sham
during the Khilafah of Abdullah bin Az-Zubayir at Makkah), and I was enlisted in
it. Then I met `Ikrimah, the freed slave of Ibn `Abbas, and informed him (about
it), and he forbade me strongly from doing so (i.e., to enlist in that army), and
then he said to me, `Ibn `Abbas told me that some Muslims used to go out with the
idolators increasing the size of their army against the Messenger of Allah . Then,
an arrow would hit one of them and kill him, or he would be struck on his neck (with
a sword) and killed, and Allah sent down the Ayah,
﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّـهُمُ الْمَلَـئِكَةُ
ظَـلِمِى أَنفُسِهِمْ﴾
(Verily, as for those whom the angels take (in death) while they are wronging themselves).''
Ad-Dahhak stated that this Ayah was revealed about some hypocrites who did not join
the Messenger of Allah but remained in Makkah and went out with the idolators for
the battle of Badr. They were killed among those who were killed. Thus, this honorable
Ayah was revealed about those who reside among the idolators, while able to perform
Hijrah and unable to practice the faith. Such people will be committing injustice
against themselves and falling into a prohibition according to the consensus and
also according to this Ayah,
﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّـهُمُ الْمَلَـئِكَةُ
ظَـلِمِى أَنفُسِهِمْ﴾
(Verily, as for those whom the angels take (in death) while they are wronging themselves,)
by refraining from Hijrah,
﴿قَالُواْ فِيمَ كُنتُمْ﴾
(They (angels) say (to them): "In what (condition) were you'') meaning, why did
you remain here and not perform Hijrah
﴿قَالُواْ كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ
فِى الاٌّرْضِ﴾
(They reply: "We were weak and oppressed on the earth.'') meaning, we are unable
to leave the land or move about in the earth,
﴿قَالْواْ أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللَّهِ
وَسِعَةً﴾
(They (angels) say: "Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you). Abu Dawud
recorded that Samurah bin Jundub said that the Messenger of Allah said,
«مَنْ جَامَعَ الْمُشْرِكَ وَسَكَنَ
مَعَهُ فَإِنَّهُ مِثْلُه»
(Whoever mingles with the idolator and resides with him, he is just like him.) Allah's
statement,
﴿إِلاَّ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ﴾
(Except the weak) until the end of the Ayah, is an excuse that Allah gives for this
type of people not to emigrate, because they are unable to free themselves from
the idolators. And even if they did, they would not know which way to go. This is
why Allah said,
﴿لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ حِيلَةً وَلاَ
يَهْتَدُونَ سَبِيلاً﴾
(Who cannot devise a plan, nor are they able to direct their way), meaning, they
do not find the way to emigrate, as Mujahid, `Ikrimah and As-Suddi stated. Allah's
statement,
﴿فَأُوْلَـئِكَ عَسَى اللَّهُ أَن
يَعْفُوَ عَنْهُمْ﴾
(These are they whom Allah is likely to forgive them,) means, pardon them for not
migrating, and here, `likely' means He shall,
﴿وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَفُوّاً غَفُوراً﴾
(and Allah is Ever Oft-Pardoning, Oft-Forgiving). Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah
said, "While the Messenger of Allah was praying `Isha', he said, `Sami` Allahu Liman
Hamidah.' He then said before he prostrated,
«اللَّهُمَّ أَنْجِ عَيَّاشَ بْنَ
أبِي رَبِيعَةَ، اللَّهُمَّ أَنْجِ سَلَمَةَ بْنَ هِشَامٍ، اللَّهُمَّ أَنْجِ الْوَلِيدَ
بْنَ الْوَلِيدِ، اللَّهُمَّ أَنْجِ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، اللَّهُمَّ
اشْدُدْ وَطْأَتَكَ عَلَى مُضَرَ، اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْهَا سِنِينَ كَسِنِي يُوسُف»
(O Allah! Save `Ayyash bin Abi Rabi`ah. O Allah! Save Salamah bin Hisham. O Allah!
Save Al-Walid bin Al-Walid. O Allah! Save the weak Muslims. O Allah! Be very hard
on Mudar tribe. O Allah! Afflict them with years (of famine) similar to the (famine)
years of the time of Prophet Yusuf.)'' Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu An-Nu`man said
that Hammad bin Zayd said that Ayyub narrated that Ibn Abi Mulaykah said that Ibn
`Abbas commented on the verse,
﴿إِلاَّ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ﴾
(Except the weak ones among men), "I and my mother were among those (weak ones)
whom Allah excused.'' Allah's statement,
﴿وَمَن يُهَاجِرْ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ
يَجِدْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ مُرَاغَماً كَثِيراً وَسَعَةً﴾
(He who emigrates in the cause of Allah, will find on earth many dwelling places
and plenty to live by.) this encourages the believers to perform Hijrah and abandon
the idolators, for wherever the believer emigrates, he will find a safe refuge to
resort to. Mujahid said that,
﴿مُرَاغَماً كَثِيراً﴾
(many dwelling places) means, he will find a way out of what he dislikes. Allah's
statement,
﴿وَسِعَةً﴾
(and plenty to live by.) refers to provision. Qatadah also said that,
﴿يَجِدْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ مُرَاغَماً
كَثِيراً وَسَعَةً﴾
(...will find on earth many dwelling places and plenty to live by.) means, Allah
will take him from misguidance to guidance and from poverty to richness. Allah's
statement,
﴿وَمَن يَخْرُجْ مِن بَيْتِهِ مُهَـجِراً
إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمَّ يُدْرِكْهُ الْمَوْتُ فَقَدْ وَقَعَ أَجْرُهُ عَلىَ
اللَّهِ﴾
(And whosoever leaves his home as an emigrant unto Allah and His Messenger, and
death overtakes him, his reward is then surely, incumbent upon Allah. ) means, whoever
starts emigrating and dies on the way, he will acquire the reward of those who emigrate
for Allah. The Two Sahihs, along with the Musnad and Sunan compilers, recorded that
`Umar bin Al-Khattab said that the Messenger of Allah said,
«إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّــيَّاتِ،
وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِىءٍ مَا نَوَى، فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ،
فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، وَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلى دُنْيَا يُصِيبُهَا،
أَوِ امْرَأَةٍ يَتَزَوَّجُهَا، فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْه»
(The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions, and every person will be rewarded
according to what he has intended. So, whoever emigrated to Allah and His Messenger,
then his emigration is for Allah and His Messenger. And whoever emigrated for worldly
benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration is for what he emigrated for.)
This Hadith is general, it applies to Hijrah as well as every other deed. In the
Two Sahihs, it is recorded that a man killed ninety-nine people and completed the
number one hundred when he killed a worshipper. He then asked a scholar if he has
a chance to repent. The scholar said, "What prevents you from repentance'' The scholar
told the killer to emigrate from his land to another land where Allah is worshipped.
When he left his land and started on the migration to the other land, death overtook
him on the way. The angels of mercy and the angels of torment disputed about the
man, whereas the former said that he went out in repentance, while the latter said
that he did not arrive at his destination. They were commanded to measure the distance
between the two lands and to whichever land he is closer to, he will be considered
part of that land. Allah commanded that the righteous land to move closer and the
land of evil to move farther. The angels found that he died closer to the land that
he intended to emigrate to by a hand-span, and thus the angels of mercy captured
his soul. In another narration, when death came to that man, he moved his chest
towards the righteous village that he emigrated to.
﴿وَإِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ
فِى الاٌّرْضِ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَقْصُرُواْ مِنَ الصَّلوةِ إِنْ خِفْتُمْ
أَن يَفْتِنَكُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ إِنَّ الْكَـفِرِينَ كَانُواْ لَكُمْ عَدُوّاً
مُّبِيناً ﴾
(101. And when you Darabtum in the land, there is no sin on you if you shorten the
Salah if you fear that the disbelievers may put you in trial, verily, the disbelievers
are ever unto you open enemies.)
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