5. Would you like to meet him outside the institution? (cont.)

The vizier replied, “Then consider this Hadith to be from the half you have not memorised!” and that was the end of the problem. Al-Fudhayl bin ‘Ayadh and ‘Abdullah bin al-Mubarak were two close friends who would never leave each other. They were both modest scholars. ‘Abdullah bin al-Mubarak decided to go for Jihad and join the garrison troops for guard duty at the frontiers, while al-Fudhayl bin ‘Ayadh decided to stay in the Haram to pray and worship Allah. One day, his heart melted and he began to weep. Al-Fudhayl was sitting in the Haram and worshipping Allah. He longed for his friend, Ibn al-Mubarak, and recalled their gatherings in which they would remember Allah. Thus, al-Fudhayl wrote to Ibn al-Mubarak asking him to come to the Haram for worship, remembrance of Allah and recitation of the Qur’an. When Ibn al-Mubarak read al-Fudhayl’s letter, he took a piece of paper and wrote to al-Fudhayl: “O you who worships in the vicinity of the Two Holy Mosques! If you but see us, you will realise that you are only jesting in worship. He who brings wetness to his cheek with his tears should know. We can disagree and still be brothers! Our necks become wet with our blood. He who tires his horses without purpose, now that our horses are getting tired in battle. The scent of perfume is yours, while ours is The glimmer of spears and the stench of dust [in battle]. We were narrated about in the speech of our Prophet, An authentic statement that never lies That the dust that erupts by Allah’s horses and which fills the nostrils of a man, Shall never be combined with the smoke of a raging Fire. This, the Book of Allah speaks to us. Is that the martyr is not dead, and this cannot be denied. He then said, “From Allah’s slaves are those whom Allah has blessed with fasting. They fast like no other people. From them are those blessed with recitation of the Qur’an. From them are those blessed with seeking knowledge. From them are those blessed with Jihad, and from them are those blessed with praying at night. What you are engrossed in is not better than what I am engrossed in. Both of us are involved in something good.” This is how gently the dispute ended between the two of them, by simply saying, “both of us are doing good,” and as Allah says, “Your Lord creates what He wills and chooses.” This was the way of the Companions. A group of disbelievers got together and rallied to fight the Muslims in Madinah. They came with an army the like of which We can disagree and still be brothers! was never witnessed amongst the Arabs, in terms of numbers and weapons. In response, the Muslims dug up trenches which were not able to be crossed in order to enter Madinah. Hence, the disbelieving army was kept behind the trenches. In Madinah, there was a tribe called Banu Quraydhah. They were Jews, lying in wait for the believers. They turned to the disbelievers to help them and began to cause mischief and disorder in Madinah, whilst the Muslims were busy guarding the city at the trenches. The days passed with great difficulty until Allah sent wind and His hidden army against the disbelievers that tore their army apart. They turned back in failure, dragging their belongings back with them in the darkness of the night. When the Messenger of Allah  woke up the next morning, he departed from the trenches for Madinah. The Muslims put their weapons down and returned home. The Messenger of Allah  entered his home, put his weapons down and took a bath. When the time for Dhuhr prayer entered, Jibril came and called the Messenger of Allah  from outside his house. The Messenger of Allah  instantly stood up in fear. Jibril  said to him, “Have you put down your weapons, O Messenger of Allah?” “Yes”, the Prophet replied. Jibril said, “The angels have not yet put down their weapons. I have just come back, having chased them away. We chased them until we reached Hamra al-Asad”, meaning, they chased the Quraysh away when they left Madinah for Makkah. The angels were following them and chasing them away from Madinah. Jibreel then said, “Allah has ordered you to head for Banu We can disagree and still be brothers! Quraydhah, for I am heading towards them to shake the earth beneath them.” The Messenger of Allah  then ordered a man to make an announcement, “Whosoever hears and obeys, let him not pray the ‘Asr prayer except in Banu Quraydhah.” The men dashed to grab their weapons, they heard and obeyed and went to the dwellings of Banu Quraydhah, but as they were on their way, the time for ‘Asr prayer entered upon them. Some of them said, “We will not pray ‘Asr except in Banu Quraydhah’s dwellings.” Others argued, “Rather, we will pray now, for this wasn’t what the Prophet meant.