CHAPTER 15

THE CONSEQUENCE OF DISPUTE REGARDING THE WORDS AND MEANINGS OF THE HOLY Quran The Holy Quran says : "Yet they cease not differing. Save him on whom thy Lord hath mercy. (11 : 118) In another Verse the Almighty Allah says: "Mankind were one community and Allah sent (unto them) Prophets as bearers of good tidings and as warners." (2 : 213) 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud (Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard a man who recited a Verse and as I had heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) reciting differently I took him to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and told him and noticed that he gave a disapproving look. He (the Holy Prophet) then said, "Both of you are doing it well, so do not disagree, for your predecessors disagreed and perished." Bukhari transmitted it. 'Abdullah b. 'Umar (Allah be pleased with him) reported: I went to Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the morning and he heard the voice of two persons who had an argumentation with each other about a Verse. Allah's Apostle (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to us (and)

the (signs) of anger could be seen on his face. He said: Verily, the (peoples) before you were ruined because of their disputation in the Book. (Muslim) 'Amr b. Shu'aib (Allah be pleased with him) reported that we were sitting at the door of the house of Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when some of us had an argumentation with each other about a Verse. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard this argumentation, came to (meet) us while we were disputing, and he was enraged, so that his face reddened as though the seeds of the pomegranate were pressed upon his cheeks and he (the Holy Prophet) said, "What! have ye been commanded to use the parts of Allah's Book to falsify others or was I sent to you with this? Some people before you were misled only because they disputed like you. This is not your job. You should act upon what you have been commanded to do and abstain from what you have been commanded to abstain. According to another version when the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came out they were disputing over the question of Divine Decree. Tirmidhi transmitted it on the authority of Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) with the following words: "The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came out and we were disputing over the question of Divine Decree." Tirmidhi has termed it a hasan hadith.