Part 19

The verse “Gather those who wronged and the things they worshiped,” although it refers to a wrongdoer who wrongs [self and others] by being an unbeliever, and refers to minor sins as well. The second part of the verse, “and the things they worshiped,” is illustrated in the many sayings of the Prophet (pbuh) recorded in al-Sahih. For example, the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Condemn the dinar’s slave, condemn the dirham’s slave, condemn the slave of velvet, condemn the slave of silk; he is condemned and suffers a relapse, and if a thorn pricks him, may Allah not let it come out [of his body], even with the help of a burin.” The Prophet also said: “Any property owner who does not give zakah [ would be spared punishment] but his property would be made like a bald-headed poisonous male snake that would grab the owner’s cheek and would say to him: I am your property, I am your treasure.” In another version of this hadith: “On the Day of Judgement his property will appear to him as a poisonous snake. He will flee from it, but it will follow him until it wraps itself around his neck.” Then the Prophet (pbuh) recited this verse: “. . . On the Day of Judgement the things which they covetously withheld will be tied tightly around their necks . . .” (3:180). In another narration of this hadith: “His property on the Day of Judgement will appear to him like a bald-headed poisonous male snake that will follow him wherever he goes and he will flee from it and the snake will say: ‘this is your property, which you did not spend in the cause of Allah.” When he tries to escape from the snake, he puts his hand in the snake’s mouth and the male snake gnaws his hand.” In another version: “The snake will continue.to chase him and he will put his hand in the snake’s mouth and the snake will gnaw it and then the snake will consume all of his body.” Allah, the Exalted, says in another verse: “... And there are those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend it in the way of Allah. Announce to them [Oh, Muhammad] a painful punishment. On the day when it [the hoarded property] will be heated in the fire of Hell, so their foreheads, flanks, and backs will be branded by it. This is the treasure which you hoarded for yourself, now taste what you hoarded” (9:34-35).

In the Sahih, it is related that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “If any owner of property does not give zakah, his property will be heated in the fire of Hell and it will be made into plates that burn his sides and his forehead; then Allah will pronounce judgement among His servants during a day that lasts for fifty thousand years, as you people count them. He [the property owner] will then see his path, leading either to Paradise or to Hell.” In the hadith of Abu Dharr he said: “Inform those

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who hoard wealth that a darf, heated stone, that has been heated in Hellfire, will be placed on the nipples of their breasts until it pierces [their bodies] and comes out from the bones of their shoulders; it will then be placed on the bones of their shoulders and will pierce through the nipples of their breasts with a shivering motion movement. And their foreheads, sides, and backs will be burned until the heat enters their insides.” This was explained above in the Qur’anic verse and it will happen to them only after they enter Hellfire. Hence, the wrongdoer who does not give zakah will be joined together with others like him and with his property, to which he has become a slave [rather than being Allah’s slave], which will be the cause of his punishment, even though he is not one of the people who have committed major blasphemy and who will reside in Hellfire forever. For in the last portion of the saying, the Prophet (pbuh) said: “He will then see his path, leading either to Paradise or to Hell.” This will happen after fifty thousand years of punishment, as you count them, then he will enter Paradise.

The Prophet also said: “The polytheism in this community is more hidden than the creeping of ants.” Ibn ‘Abbas and his companions interpreted this to mean as: unbelief in derogation of unbelief, wrong in derogation of wrong, and sin in derogation of sin. Allah says: “They take their priests and their anchorites to be their lords beside Allah. And [they take as their Lord] Christ, the son of Mary; yet they were commanded to worship but One Allah: there is no god but He. Praise and glory to Him: [Far is He] from having the partners they associate [with Him]” (9:31). Ina lengthy hadith related by ‘Uday Ibn Hatim [ and narrated by Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi, and others] when he was a Christian, he heard the Prophet (pbuh) reading this verse: “We do not worship them.” Upon this the Prophet remarked: “Do not they prohibit what Allah makes lawful, so you prohibit it too: and they make lawful what Allah prohibits, so you make it lawful too?” He replied: “Yes.” The Prophet replied: “That is worshiping them.” Abu al-Bukhtari’ said: “As far as they did not pray for them even when they ordered them to worship them and not to worship Allah, they did not obey them. However, they ordered them and they made what Allah permits prohibited but what He prohibits they made permissible and they obeyed them. And that is al-rubibiyyah, worshiping entities other than Allah.”

3 Abu al-Bukhtari, Sa‘id ibn Fayriz al-Ta’i (-82 A.H.), was a Successor and transmitted hadith from Abu Hurarah and Ibn ‘Abbas. [Kitab al-Iman MZ, p. 84.]

Al-Rabi‘ Ibn Anas said that I asked Abu al-‘Aliyah “How was the al-rubiibiyyah, of the children of Israel?” He answered that their kind of worship is that which they found in the Book of Allah; and they were ordered to follow it but they did not. They [the children of Israel] explained: “We will not contradict our disciples in anything. Whatever they order us to do we do and whatever they ask us not to do we do not. We adhere to their commands.” Thus they took the advice of men and disregarded, behind their backs, the Book of Allah. It follows that the Prophet (pbuh) indicated that worshiping them consisted of their making lawful what is prohibited and prohibiting what is lawful; but not for praying or fasting to them, nor for making supplication to them in derogation of Allah. For this is an example of worshiping men in contrast to worshiping property, which was illustrated previously, and which Allah calls polytheism. Allah says: “. .. There is no god but He; praise and glory to Him: [Far is He] from having the partners they associate (with Him]” (9:31). This kind of polytheism is included in ‘the wrong’ illustrated in the following verse. Allah says: “Gather those who wronged along with their wives, and the things they worshiped besides Allah . . .” (37:22-23). Thus the wrongdoers and what they worship will be punished. For Allah says: “Indeed you {unbelievers], and the [false] gods that you worship besides Allah, are [but] fuel for Hell! To it will you [surely] come!” (21:98). The second part of the above mentioned verse, “the false gods that you worship besides Allah,” includes all false gods that are worshiped. Hence, it includes the Prophets who were worshiped, such as Jesus and al-‘Uzayr. However, the verse “those for whom The Good Record from Us has gone before, will be removed far therefrom” is intended to exclude the worshiped Prophets who hated to be worshiped and obeyed, in disobedience to Allah. Those Prophets are the doers of good, like Jesus, al-CUzayr, and others. Hence they are far removed from the Fire.

Whoever agrees to be worshiped and obeyed for deeds that imply disobedience of Allah, deserves to be warned, even if he does not order others to worship him. And what if he orders others to worship him or to worship other than Allah? Such a person is one of the wives in the previously mentioned verse. For “their wives” may refer to their [the Prophets'] chiefs or followers. Indeed, they are their wives and those like them, for they are similar in religion, as indicated in the following verses. Allah says: “Gather those who wronged along with their wives, and the things they worshiped besides Allah and lead them to the Way of the [fierce] Fire!” (37:22—23). In this verse, the term dullihum according to Ibn ‘Abbas as

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well as al-Dahhak, means “show them,” and according to Ibn Kaysan,* “introduce

them.” However, the true meaning is “guide them,” as a guide shows one the way. Accordingly, the a‘naq, necks, are called guides because they lead the whole body. Also, the leaders of the beasts are called guides. For Allah says: “But stop them, for they must be asked: What is the matter with you that you do not help each other” (37:24-25)? Namely, you helped each other to commit falsehood in the world. Allah also says: “No, but that day they shall submit [to judgement]: And they will turn to one another, and question one another. They will say: ‘It was you who used to come to us from the right hand.’ They will reply: ‘No, you yourselves had no belief! Nor had we any authority over you. No, it was you who were a people in obstinate rebellion! So now it has been proved true, against us, the Word of our Lord that we shall indeed [have to] taste [the punishment for our sins]. We led you astray: for truly we were ourselves astray. Truly that day they will [all] share in the penalty. Indeed that is how We shall deal with sinners.’ For they, when they were told that there is no god except Allah, would puff themselves up with pride, and say: ‘What! Shall we give up our gods for the sake of a poet

Allah also says: “He will say: enter you in the company of the peoples who passed away before you, men and jinns, into the Fire. Every time a new people enters, it curses its sister-people [that went before], until they follow each other, all into the Fire. Said the last about the first: ‘Our Lord! It is these that misled us: so give them a double penalty in the Fire.’ He will say: ‘Doubled for all: but this you do not know.’ Then the first will say to the last: ‘See then! No advantage have you over us; so taste you of the penalty for all that you did!’” (7:38-39). Allah also says: “Behold, they will dispute with each other in the Fire! The weak ones [who followed] will say to those who had been arrogant: ‘We but followed you: can you then take [on yourselves] from us some share of the Fire?’ Those who had been arrogant will say: ‘We are all in this [Fire]! Truly Allah has judged between [His] servants!’” (40:47-48). Allah also says: “. . . Can you but see when the wrongdoers will be made to stand before their Lord, throwing back the word [of blame] on one another! Those who were deemed weak will say to the arrogant ones: ‘Had it not been for you, we should certainly have been believers!’ The