. J i ? . .r--J i ? (cont.)

Allah has said, "And remember when Allah took a covenant from those who were given the scripture to make it known and clear to mankind, and not to conceal it" [ali-Imraan 1 87]. Therefore, it is obligatory upon us to make it clear and it is forbidden for us to be silent. Allah has said, c }} 1' JJ -'· /· ';;\/ l . /. ਷) J_JA->- .u.I J ੆ "There is no blame on those who are weak or ill or who find no resources to spend, if they are sincere to Allah and His Messenger. No grounds [of complaint] can there be against the doers of good. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful" [al­ Taubah 91]. You mentioned in your response that jihad is not simply upon the soldiers. This is something that we do not disdain. But jihad is a communal obligation. If the sultan has a special army that receives its wages from the Public Treasury, and that is the case that is happening today, then the rest of the citizens are to be left alone to their own interests and the interest of the sultan and his solders by farming, construction and so forth. All of the people are in need of that. The jihad of the soldiers corresponds to the wages that have been set for them. It is not allowed for them to take anything from the citizenry, as long as there is some money, property, land or possessions in the public treasury. The Muslim scholars in the land of the Sultan are all agreed on this point. Praise be to Allah, the public treasury is filled with money and may Allah increase it and bless it during the life of the sultan and support him in his struggle against the enemies of Islam. The Life of Imam al-Nawawi "There is no victory except from Allah" [ali-Imraan 126]. His help is sought in jihad and other aspects by completely recognizing one's reliance upon Allah, following the footsteps of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and implementing the laws of the Shariah. All that we wrote, first and last, was an advice that we believed in. We worship Allah accordingly. We ask Allah to keep us on that path until we meet Him. The Sultan knows that it was an advice for him and for his citizens. There is no room for any blame in it. We did not write it to the Sultan except because we know that he loves the shareeah and following the behavior of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in treating his citizens with kindness and sympathy. And we know the Sultan's tendency to follow the way of the Prophet (peace be upon him) .... As for threatening the citizens because of our advice and threatening a group [of scholars], this is not what is expected from the justice and calmness of the ruler .... As for myself, threats do not harm me or mean anything to me. They will not keep me from advising the Sultan. Certainly, I believe that this is obligatory upon me and upon others. The result of anything obligatory will be goodness and an increase of good in the sight of Allah. "Truly, this life of the world is nothing but a (quick passing) enjoyment, and verily, the Hereafter that is the Home that will remain forever" [Ghaafir 39]. (_ J. ੄੅Ɯ rM I č1 .&I J/1 cs;f _,:;ij ,,.. ,,.. ,.. ,,.. ; ,... ; ,... ,,.. "I leave my affair to Allah. Verily, Allah is the All-Seer of (His) slaves" [Ghaafir 44]. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered us to speak the truth wherever we are and not to fear, for the sake of Allah, the punishment of anyone. [Then al-Nawawi praises the ruler and admits that the ruler had done a great deal of good in jihad and other realms.] .... There will be no argument for us if we abandon the act of advising that is obligatory upon us. Peace, the mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you. 1 In this letter, one can see that al-Nawawi's complete concern was Allah and the Hereafter. He did not care about the threats he received. He only cared 1 For the complete text of this letter, see ibn al-Attaar, pp. 104-108; al-Suyooti, al-Minhaaj, pp. 68-71 ; al-Haddaad, p. 109; Salmaan, al-Rudood, pp. 306-309; al-Diqr, pp. 1 62-165. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi about correcting the wrong that was being done. He did not bow down to the ruler just because he was the ruler and just because he had done some excellent deeds in the past. However, he realized that he must advise the ruler. He clearly stated that the results of acting upon what is obligatory can only be good and praiseworthy in the end. Al-Nawawi, the Ruler and the Masses Again On more than one occasion, al-Nawawi approached the ruler in the Hall of Justice concerning a particular matter that was of common interest to the people of Damascus.