Part 18

tongue will not speak but her hands and feet shall bear witness against her in regard to what she used to

mar for her husband in this world. Whereas man's hands and feet shall be witnesses against him for what

Reported by AI-Bukhari and Ibn Majah

Reported by At -Tirmidhi and Muslim

good and bad he has treated his wife with. Later, a man will face a similar position concerning his

servants. On this occasion, no "Qirats" or "Dawaniqs" shall be available (as a compensation), but the

oppressors good deeds shall be granted to the offended, and the offended persons' sins shall be loaded on

the oppressors. Then, the tyrants would be brought in funnels and led to the fire."1

Shareih, the Judge, used to say, "The oppressors shall indeed, recognize the offender's right, for the

oppressor is waiting for chastisement, while the oppressed will have victory and reward.

It has been even related that when Allah wills good for one of His servants, He sets him open to

oppression by someone. One day, Taus AIYamani entered at Hisham Ibn AI-Malik and said to him,

"Observe your duty towards Allah lest He may punish you on the Day of (Adhan) Call! Hisham asked,

"What is the Day of Adhan"?

So, Taus recited Allah's saying,

{A Crier shall proclaim between them: "The curse of Allah is on the wrongdoers.}

As a result Hisham got stupefied. Thereupon, Taus concluded, "This is merely the humiliation of the

description, how shameful is the humiliation of the practical commitment." 2

0 you who is content to be an oppressor! How many wrong deeds are yours? The prison on the Day of

Judgment is Hell, and the Judge is the Truth (Allah).

Avoid being in the wrongdoers' presence, treating and helping them.

{And incline not to those who do wrong, or the fire will touch you, and you have no protectors other than

Allah, nor shall you be helped.} (Hud:113)

Inclination here stands for being tranquil and pleased with them. In the exegesis of this verse Ibn '

Abbas commented, "Do not be over inclined to them in love, talking and attachment. AI-Sadiyy and Ibn

Zaid assimilated it as, "Not to flatter the oppressors."

Akrimah added, "To obey and try to gain favor with them." Allah says,

{Bring ye up "It shall be said" the wrongdoers and their spouses, and the things they worshipped.}

"There will be commanders attended by servants , and suits who may do mischief and commit lying.

Whosoever attaches to them, believed their lying and supported them in their injustice does not belong to

me and I do not belong to him. And whosoever avoided their gatherings and did not associate with them

belongs to me and I belong to him. "

"Whosoever stands for an oppressor will be afflicted by him." 1

Sa'id Ibn Al-Mussayyab mentioned, "Do not stare the wrongdoers in the face except with disapproval

(against their misdeeds), lest your good deeds come to nothing."

Makhul Ad-Dimashqi related, "On the Day of Judgement there will be a caller who proclaims where

are the oppressors and their assistants?" Accordingly, everyone who might have brought him ink, fill in

their inkwells, or even get their pens nibbled will be gathered with them. Whereupon they shall be

assembled together in a box of fire and be thrown in Hell."

One day, a sailor came to Suffyan AlThauri and said, "I sew the sultan's dresses. Am I then one of the

oppressors' assistants? Suffyan replied, "You are, by this of the very oppressors. By the oppressors

assistants are, even those who buy needles and thread."

"The first to tread the fire on the Day of Judgement are the worshipers who unjustly lash people with the

It is related that Allah revealed to Moses that his people should recite nothing of Allah's divine

revelation. The reason was that Allah (was angry with them and) always mentions whoever invokes Him.

Allah's mentioning of them was by way of cursing them."

"Let none of you remain indifferently witnessing a situation wherein an innocent person is wrongfully

treated and beaten. For, the curse of Allah then inflicts whomsoever attend but did not defend him."2

"The angels have raised a dead man from his tomb and said to him.

"We are going to beat you with a hundred blows. So, he kept interceding with them until the number

decreased down to only one blow. Once they hit him, the tomb got ignited. Then he asked the, "Whey did

you hit me". They answered "you have observed a Prayer without performing the vital ablution, and you

have witnessed a wronged man but did not help him."3

Such is the state of an able man who denied supporting an offended person. Then, what about the

"Help your brother whether he is an oppressor or oppressed person. A companion asked, "Messenger

of Allah! (It is true) I will help him if he is an oppressed person, but please, tell me how I am to help him if

he happens to be an oppressor!" The Prophet answered, "Prevent him from doing injustice. Because

preventing him from committing aggression is a help to him."4

One of the pious scholars related, "A man who was used to serve the supporter and tax collectors came to

Reported by A1-Bukhari and Muslim.

me in my dream. He appeared in a very miserable state. I asked him, "How are1you?" He answered, "Very

bad." I said, "Where were you led?' "To the chastisement decreed by Allah." He replied, "I questioned him

further, "How do the wrong-doers fell before Him (Allah)?" He answered, "Have not you recited Allah's

{And soon will the unjust know what vicissitudes their affairs will take!} (Ash-Shu'ara': 227)

Someone related saying, "I saw a man whose arm was amputated, loudly announcing, "Let each person

who has witnessed me act unjustly against none!" I approached him and said, "O brother! Tell me, please,

about your case!" He replied, "My case is so astonishing. I used to serve the suppressors. One day, I came

across a fisherman who had just caught a big fish that appealed to me. I ordered him to give it to me, but he

refused. He said he would sell it and get some food for his children. So, I hit him violently, got the fish and

While I was walking down the street, with the fish in my hand, it bit my thumb so severely. When I got

home, and as I set it down on the table, it hit my thumb once again so painfully that I could not sleep that

night. My hand began to swell. In the morning, I went to a doctor to check it, and he told me that my thumb

suffered from gangrene and it has to be cut off, lest the infection might reach the rest of my hand. So, I let

him cut my thump off. After a while, my hand started to hurt me so much, and I was advised to cut it off,

and I did. Bit by bit, the gangrene took me so ill that I had to amputate my whole arm up to the scapula.

When I mentioned this story to some people they commented saying if I had gone from the beginning

to the fisherman and asked him to pardon me I would not have suffered all this fatigue. And they bade me

to go at once after that fisherman and beg his forgiveness.

I left right away searching of him until I found him. Whereupon I kneeled down kissing his feet asking

for his tolerance. He said to me, "Who are you?" I answered, "I am the man who had unjustly taken away

your fish." Then, I got him acquainted with what happened to me.

As he saw my arm he wept deeply and said, "O brother! I have pardoned you."

I asked, "Have you invoked Allah against me when I took your fish?' he replied, "yes! I supplicated to

Allah saying, "O Lord! That man has unjustly abused his strength and deprived me of what You have

provided for me. So, let me, please, observe Your Might by punishing him!"

At this moment I said, "O sir! You have indeed got your demand, and I will never serve the

transgressors as long as I am alive."

{The blame is only against those who oppress men with wrongdoing and insolently transgress beyond

bounds through the land, defying right and justice: for such there will be a chastisement grievous.}

The tax collector is one of the closest supporters of the oppressors. Rather he may be of the oppressors.

He takes what is not lawful to him and gives it to those who do not deserve it. Hence, the Prophet declared,

"The tax collector will not tread Paradise." 2

Concerning the woman who has turned to Allah in repentance, as she had committed adultery, the

"She has turned to Allah in repentance in such a manner that if observed by an unjust tax collector he

would be forgiven or it would be accepted." 3

The unlawful tribute collector is compared to the high way robber. Moreover, the one who collects the

tax, the one who serves as a witness to it, and the one who usurps it are all alike in being partners in this

"No flesh fed by ill-gained property will be admitted to Paradise. But rather, it would be flying in Hell." 4

The ill-gotten property is the detestable wealth which puts its owner to shame, and is mentioned by

Imam Al-Wahidi in his exegesis of Allah's saying,

{Say! Never are the good and the bad alike.}

"A man came to the Prophet and said, "0 Allah's Apostle! Wine was my trade business that fetched me

much money. So, would that money benefit me if I employed it in Allah's cause?" The Prophet replied, "If

you were to spend it in performing Pilgrimage, in Allah's way, or in alms-giving, it would avail you no

benefit, for Allah is good and accepts only what is good". In confirmation to this Allah revealed, {Say! "Not

equal are things that are bad and things that are good, even though the abundance of the bad may dazzle

The collector is the one who collects the taxes from sellers in the market in pre

Reported by Al-Tirmidhi and is mentioned in Musnad of Imam Ahmad.

Ata' and AI-Hasan interpreted this verse as referring to both the lawful and the unlawful things.

28) The Consumption of Haram

Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, cautions us saying,

{And do not eat up your property among yourselves for vanities.} (AI-Baqarah: 188)

The verse means that Muslims are commanded by Allah to avoid taking the property of each other's