. I '/ } (cont.)

Many people simply go to the texts of the hadith, taking them at face value and think they understand them, without studying them in their totality and studying what the scholars have said about the meaning of that hadith. 2 Cf., ibn Rajab, Jaami, vol. 1, p. 249-250. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi "The only saying of the faithful believers when they are called to Allah and His Messenger to judge between them is that they say, 'We hear and we obey,' And such indeed are the successful. Whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, fears Allah and keeps his duty [to Him], such are the successful" (al-Noor 5152). One of the classic examples of a people disagreeing with their prophet is found in the Tribes of Israel. Allah states in the Quran, / J. J..e .,. ,,,. .,. B LJ~i iJJ u i iC.:G 0i .:f=:.UV \ 01 '  / .,. ,,, ,... ,,,, ,,.. x ࢂ) w t_åI i_,Ju ғ ҔIi 0)==.i 5i 1i Ju 1j (._ / ;:;I / / / .J e> J O J .J .,b.r/ / l?_;..i G GJ y dfJ 8 t!I 1_,JLi ࢁ ųJ:; G 1_,GWG z·{ ৗ  --:!|\ ࢀ L?;J DG °T_;(.,.. 5 1ॣ '";1 J JI Ju > ......_, .. / G / '" '" / / / ;:;:; / .,.,,,, ;:;:; ,,,. ,,,. ,.,, J 01 u1j 1¤:1c Ҙ֛_; ҙI 01 / _lb G GJ } ǩ) GJ 'tåI 1_,Ju    '--5,,,. / J / ų_,J:'"o'J iJËIS' Gj "And (remember) when Moses said to his people, 'Verily, Allah commands you that you slaughter a cow.' They said, 'Do you make fun of us?' He said, 'I seek refuge in Allah from being among the ignorant.' They said, 'Call upon your Lord for us that He may make plain to us what it is.' He [Moses] said, 'He [Allah] says, "Verily, it is a cow neither too old nor too young, but [it is] between the two conditions. So do what you have been commanded."' They said, 'Call upon your Lord for us to make plain to us its color.' He said, 'He says, "It is a yellow cow, bright it in its color, pleasing the beholders."' They said, 'Call upon your Lord for us to make plain to us what it is. Verily, to us all Hadith #9: "What I -have Forbidden You, Avoid ... " cows are alike. Surely, if Allah wills, we will be guided.' He [Moses] said, 'Verily, He says, "It is a cow neither trained to till the soil nor water the fields, sound, having no other color except bright yellow."' They said, 'Now you have brought the truth.' So they slaughtered it though they were near not to do it" (al-Baqara 67-71). These verses describe the obstinate and disagreeable behavior of the Tribes of Israel. The Quranic commentators have presented a story related to this incident. 1 In brief, it states that a person was found murdered and, to discover the murderer, Moses (peace be upon him) told them to sacrifice a cow. In fact, the only cow that they finally found who met all the descriptions that they, in reality, forced upon themselves was an expensive cow. Hence, some of them were not willing to fulfill the order because of the expenses involved.2 The important point is what is shown in the text of the Quran: how they responded to Moses' command. Instead of accepting and submitting, they objected first and then quarreled about the details. It came to the point that they almost did not fulfill the command of Allah. Instead of simply fulfilling what Allah had ordered of them, they began to question. And because of their questioning and obstinate approach, Allah actually made the matter more and more difficult for them by giving more details about the cow that they should slaughter. In fact, on this point there is a hadith recorded by al-Bazzaar in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated, Q ... ... ... ... ... J ... ... ... ... . , ·t .. y o ऋ ·ઝi I hi . J t .•r . I . ''. I છ..» उऊ '5 .J y ઞટ: જ Ll: "If the Tribe of Israel had even taken the smallest [or least valuable] cow, it would have sufficed for them."3 If this hadith is authentic, it demonstrates the point here in a beautiful fashion. 1 This story is from what is known as the lsraaeeliyaat or stories that are taken from the oral narrations, legends and texts of the Jews and Christians. If such stories are confirmed by the Quran or sunnah, they are known to be true. If such stories contradict the Quran or sunnah, they are known to be false. If they are neither confirmed or contradicted by the Quran or sunnah, one cannot state whether they are actually true or false. In most cases, however, they do not add any valuable knowledge to what is in the Quran or sunnah. So, in general, it is best to avoid them.