Surah Muhammad, Ayah 23

The Situation of the True Believer and the Sick-Hearted when the Command for Jihad was revealed

Allah mentions that the believers were hoping that Jihad would be legislated. But when Allah ordained it, many of the people turned back, as Allah says,

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ قِيلَ لَهُمْ كُفُّواْ أَيْدِيَكُمْ وَأَقِيمُواْ الصَّلَوةَ وَءَاتُواْ الزَّكَوةَ فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقِتَالُ إِذَا فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَخْشَوْنَ النَّاسَ كَخَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ أَوْ أَشَدَّ خَشْيَةً وَقَالُواْ رَبَّنَا لِمَ كَتَبْتَ عَلَيْنَا الْقِتَالَ لَوْلا أَخَّرْتَنَا إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ قُلْ مَتَـعُ الدُّنْيَا قَلِيلٌ وَالاٌّخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِّمَنِ اتَّقَى وَلاَ تُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلاً

(Have you not seen those who were told: "Restrain your hands (from fighting), establish the Salah, and give Zakah." But then when fighting was ordained for them, you find a party of them fearing the people as they fear Allah or more. They said: "Our Lord! Why have You decreed fighting upon us If only You have postponed us for a short period." Say: "The enjoyment of this world is little. The Hereafter is far better for him who had Taqwa of (Allah), and you will not be dealt with unjustly, even as much as a thin thread (inside a date's pit).")(4:77) Similarly, Allah says here,

أُولَـٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّـهُ (Those are the ones whom Allah has cursed - 47:23) In other words, people who cause corruption in the land and break bonds of kinship have been cursed by Allah, that is, Allah has driven them away from His mercy. On the basis of this verse, Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ regarded the sale of ummul-walad unlawful. Ummul-walad is a term used in Islamic law for a female slave who has borne a child to her master, and who is consequently free at his death. Thus the sale of the mother would result in separating the child from the mother, and this would lead to severing kinship tie between mother and child which necessitates the curse of Allah. Therefore, the sale of ummul-walad was declared unlawful23.

Law Relating to Cursing a Particular Person: The Issue of Cursing Yazid

When ` Abdullah asked his father Imam Ahmad about the permissibility of cursing Yazid, the Imam replied: "Why should we not curse a person whom Allah has cursed in the Qur'an?" ` Abdullah said that he read the Qur'an in its entirety but he did not find Yazid is cursed anywhere. The father recited the present verse and said, Who could be worse than Yazid in breaking up relationships? He did not even care for the Holy Prophet's ﷺ relations.' However, majority of the Ummah hold the view that it is not permissible to curse any particular person unless we know for sure that he died in the state of disbelief. We can nevertheless use cursing phrase with general characteristics, such as curse of Allah be upon the liars, curse of Allah be upon the mischief-makers, and curse of Allah be upon the breaker of kinship ]. Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani on this occasion has discussed this issue elaborately.

It is characteristic of a hypocrite to talk big. But his words do not follow his actions; he talks of jihad but in times of defensive battle runs away from it. It is the way of true people of faith that they are always ready to hear and obey and, when stringent measures are decided upon, they prove by their actions that they have fulfilled the pledge that they had taken before God as their witness. In order to avoid participation in defensive battle, hypocrites make a pretence of being lovers of peace. But, in reality, whenever they have the opportunity, they start spreading bad blood, so much so that, completely careless of Muslims who are their relatives, they become the supporters of their enemies. In the eyes of God, such people are accursed. Being such means their thinking power is taken away from them. In spite of having eyes, they will not see, and in spite of having ears, they will hear nothing.