As-salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah
A good and well-balanced article on the death of Usamah ibn Ladin (rh), by Shaykh Haitham al-Haddad.
Life and death are matters that lie solely in the Hands of Allah `azza wa jall and hence issues regarding them are bound firmly by the Shari’ah. Before we begin speaking about this incident (and much of the current affairs) according to our personal tastes, fears or desires, it’s primarily upon us to look at it from the Islamic point of view and see what the Shari’ah and Islamic Principles have to say…
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Advice to Muslims on the Death of Osama bin Ladin
Shaykh Haitham al-Haddad
The killing of Osama bin Ladin, may Allah have mercy on him, if proven to be true, may either be a coincidence or part of a strategic manoeuvre by the US and its allies to justify the adoption of new tactics in their ‘war on terror’ that has clearly proven to be counterproductive. It may be alleged that he was killed a long time ago but the killing was only now announced as a justification for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. All of these are possibilities that no one can emphatically confirm, and indeed, there need not be an exertion of effort to confirm or disprove the claims as wisdom dictates that we deal with facts and realities whilst planning for the worst of scenarios.
Whatever the case may be, Osama left this worldly life to meet his Lord who is the ultimate judge. Almighty Allah knows everything about him, his actions, and the conspiracies that surround his life. He knows what Osama did, what he didn’t do, and what we were made to believe that he did. In any case, he died as a Muslim and it is an established part of our Islamic creed that every Muslim, unlike the disbelievers, will eventually enter paradise. According to a number of scholars, the Muslim killed by the enemies of Islam is considered a martyr, regardless of whether he died during combat or simply in a state of non-combative military engagement such as being killed whilst sleeping. Other scholars limit the title of martyr only to those Muslims who are killed during active combat. Whatever the case may be, all scholars have agreed that mistakes made by a Muslim fighter in combat do not deprive him of his rights, whether it be the right of regarding him a martyr or any other Islamic right. The Prophet (peace be upon him) became very angry at his close companion Usamah ibn Zayd when he killed a disbeliever after he had said “there is no God but Allah”. The Prophet furiously repeated, “have you killed him after he said: there is no God but Allah!” However, the Prophet (peace be upon him) continued to appoint Usamah ibn Zayd as the general of the Muslim army and actually appointed him to lead the biggest military expedition that was undertaken during the Prophet’s life.
Any position we adopt must be bound by the guidelines of the Shari’ah and free from emotions and personal whims. We should intend to say (and act upon) what pleases Allah and not what pleases certain individuals, groups or governments. Saddam Hussain, may Allah have mercy on him, was amongst the persons most hated by Muslims having committed many heinous crimes. However, when he was hung he proclaimed: “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger”. Based upon this, we have no choice but to ask Allah to bestow His mercy upon Saddam as he clearly died a Muslim. Allah informs us that he does not give the courage to any person on his/her deathbed to declare the testimony of faith unless he or she is a true Muslim. Allah says,
“Allah will keep firm those who believe, with the word that stands firm in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allah will cause to go astray those who are Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.), and Allah does what He wills.”[1]
Having said this, I would like to state that although these matters are in agreement with Islamic principles, the application of the principles in relation to certain individuals should not be a cause of fitnah and disunity among Muslims. Unity of Muslims and the purity of their hearts towards each other must be observed regardless of the scale of disagreements between them, as long as the scale of disagreement remains within the bounds of Islam.
Even though we fundamentally disagree with al-Qaeda and we condemn the unjustified killing that is attributed to them, it was very much instigated by the enemies of Islam themselves. In fact, I strongly believe that the presence of al-Qaeda is pleasing to the US especially as it allows the US justification for their crimes. In comparison, any amount of people killed by al-Qaeda has undoubtedly been trebled by the killing sprees of the US in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Gaza and other countries.
It is surprising how this major world Superpower was not only terrorized by a single man walking the face of the earth, but was also terrorized by him even whilst dead. President Obama declared that they would deal with the body of Bin Ladin in accordance with Islamic law and thus they threw it into the sea. This is the so-called respect that the US shows to Islam. In reality, these are the actual morals and values that America really calls for.
Whatever we say, Allah has the final say, and on the day of resurrection the truth will be revealed. Muslims will dwell in the delight of paradise and the disbelievers will be burned in the hellfire forever.
“These two opponents (believers and disbelievers) dispute with each other about their Lord; then as for those who disbelieve, garments of fire will be cut out for them, boiling water will be poured down over their heads. With it will melt or vanish away what is within their bellies, as well as (their) skins. And for them are hooked rods of iron (to punish them). Every time they seek to get away from it out of anguish, they will be driven back therein, and (it will be) said to them: “Taste the torment of burning!” Truly, Allah will admit those who believe and do righteous good deeds, to Gardens underneath which rivers flow (in Paradise), wherein they will be adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls and their garments therein will be of silk. And they are guided (in this world) unto goodly speech and they are guided to the Path of He who is Worthy of all praises.”[2]
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[1] 14:27
[2] 22:19-24
Source: http://www.islam21c.com/politics/2644-advice-to-muslims-on-the-death-of-osama-bin-ladin
Assalamoalikum wa rahmatuullahi wa barakatohu
jazak Allah khair….much needed words of advise in a world that has clearly gone mad.
it seems today we are horribly busy, nay obsessed with spreading fitnah and hatred amongst muslims only. we have forgotten, or perhaps dont care to remember that unity with muslims is a branch of faith and so it is directly a testament of our iman.
haven’t we been very wisely commanded to hold fast to the Quraan and the Sunnah at the times of fitnah? how can any believer reading the Quraan with a sincere heart not fear these days and their consequence? may these be the days in which we declare most sincerely to our Lord, our God, our Master, our Protector “LA ILAHA ILLALAH WA MOHAMMADAN RASULILLAH” and then be firm on the Path until we meet with our Lord. AMEEN YA RABB IL AALAMEEN
ps i really am so very afraid… all these fitnah ongoing in the muslim world, anyone know will they continue the carnage in Ramadhan? seriously? muslim against muslim?
AA,
SubhanAllah, what incredible wisdom from a beautfiul scholar of Islam.
May Allah bless and Protect Shaykh Haitham.
was
subhan’Allaah muslims shouldn’t trust khaafir sources weather he is dead or alive we all are going to return to Allaah jala wa3ala
I am not going to believe in the mainstream media where the press controls the minds & hearts of the people. finding him in Pakistan is only a motive for them to increase in their military operations to massacre mass innocent civilians & to humilaite paskitani government . U.S your tyranny & lie is not at all appealing to me. Your economy is drowning your political goals are not being met & this news is just to set your citizens on the hype for “American” joy!
he was either an beautiful courageous invention of CIA agents giving them the motive to occupy our lands but if he was truly a Asad Allaah then glad tidings to him wa la tahsa banalaazhy na qutiloo fesabililahi amm’wata bal! ahyaa u3n i3nda Rabi’him yor zaqoon! Star But still i don’t believe in your stories!!
how did he get the money to live is a 3 story mansion? this is only a way for Obama to manipulate his nation & for NATO military to occupy Pakistani terrortoreis & for Obama to look all big because he killed the “most wanted” & for him to get more votes in his next election & so much more 39% of US citizens after the killing of Bin laden have a improved view on obama’s leadership.
may Allaah guide us all and make us sincere and strengthen us against our enemies Ameen pace & blessings be upon Muhammad & his family Ameen
jazakallahu kair for this reminder sorry for overloading your web with comments
Did anyone notice that fox news’ title says, “Obama bin Ladin dead”?
Hilarious!
Fox News said it in their reporting too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpiy0QkjD64
Can’t believe that news channel even exists…
I was hesitant to post this, because I normally find Shaykh Haitham al-Haddad’s articles balanced, analytical and scholarly and I have a lot of respect for the Shaykh, may Allah preserve him and guide us all to that which is most pleasing to Him. However, at the same time our love for the truth is more precious and I have to say that the above article contains many misleading and some clearly incorrect points.
Summary of Sh. Haitham’s comments
Sh. Haitham explains how we really don’t know what Osama did or didn’t do. Sh. Haitham suggests that even if Osama made some “mistakes” [sic], that doesn’t deprive him of the status of martyrdom. He further states that Osama died a Muslim and all Muslims go to paradise anyway. We should therefore say “may Allah have mercy upon him”.
Sh. Haitham also explains that Muslims shouldn’t make this an issue of division and at the end of the day we are all brothers and sisters. He condemns the killings by al-Qaeda, but adds the caveat that they were all provoked by Western forces anyway. He concludes his article by noting again that believers go to paradise and disbelievers burn in hell forever.
A number of important points:
1. Murder is a major sin in Islam (in fact the greatest of sins against creation), and it is NOT possible to trivialize such a matter by describing it as a mere “mistake”. Intentionally targeting non-combatants and openly advocating their murder is a serious crime in Islam. It is true that one may never know with certainty what this man actually did, but IF he is truly guilty of these heinous crimes then Allah will hold him accountable on the day of Judgement. Islam does not allow a person to take the life of any innocent human being – Muslim or non-muslim.
2. Islam also teaches us that we are responsible for instigating wrong deeds on the part of others. The Qur’an tells us not to curse the deities of idol-worshippers lest they curse Allah in retaliation and enmity (6:108). Likewise, in a hadith in Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet saws said, “Of the major sins is to curse one’s own parents.” It was asked, “O Messenger of Allah, how can a man curse his own parents?” He replied, “He curses someone else’s father who retaliates in kind. Or he curses someone else’s mother who retaliates in kind.”
Thinking about this principle, what then of a person who conducts an attack which instigates the mass slaughter and persecution of his own people? How many people are cursing Allah and cursing Islam because of these crimes done in the name of Islam?
3. Simply because someone died a Muslim does not automatically mean we mention them with praise or say “may Allah have mercy on him” after their name. al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf ath-Thaqafi was a tyrant and war criminal, but he was also a Muslim and made many contributions. And yet, the scholars actually have a discussion on whether we should curse the likes of him or not!
Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (d.728H) said:
نحن إذا ذكر الظالمون كالحجاج بن يوسف وأمثاله نقول كما قال الله في القرآن “ألا لعنة الله على الظالمين” ولا نحب أن نلعن أحداً بعينه وقد لعنه-أي يزيد بن معاوية – قوم من العلماء، وهذا مذهب يسوغ فيه الاجتهاد، لكن ذلك القول أحب إلينا وأحسن
“When we mention the oppressive wrongdoers (dhalimoon) like Hajjaj ibn Yusuf and his like, we say as Allah says in the Qur’an {Verily, the curse of Allah is on the wrongdoers} [i.e. we speak in general terms] and we do not love to curse anyone individually. Nevertheless, many scholars cursed Yazeed ibn Mu’aawiyah and justified their position via juristic reasoning. However, the prior opinion is more beloved to us and superior.”
Imam adh-Dhahabi (d.748H) said of al-Hajjaj:
وكان ظلوما جبارا ناصبيا خبيثا سفاكا للدماء وكان ذا شجاعة وإقدام وكر ودهاء وقد سقت من سوء سيرته بالتاريخ الكبير وحصاره لابن الزبير بالكعبة ورميه إياه بالمنجنيق وإذلاله لأهل الحرمين ثم ولايته على العراق والمشرق كله عشرين سنة وحروب ابن الأشعث له وتأخيره للصلوات إلى أن استأصله الله فنسبه ولا نحبه بل نبغضه في الله فإن ذلك من أوثق عرى الإيمان وله حسنات مغمورة في بحر ذنوبه وأمره إلى الله
“And he was a massively oppressive, tyrannical despot, hateful towards the Prophet’s descendants, filthy and foul, and a killing machine…. and we insult him and do not love him, rather we hate him for the sake of Allah and that is from the fundamentals of imaan. And he had good deeds which were mixed in the ocean of his sins, and ultimately his affair is with Allah.” (as-Siyar Alam an-Nubala 4/343)
So it is a false notion that simply because someone was Muslim therefore we overlook their crimes and mention them in the most praiseworthy manner. I am not discussing whether or not Osama is comparable to al-Hajjaj, but rather I am pointing out that it is permissible and necessary to hate the evil perpetrated by a believer, to the extent that many scholars believed it is even permissible to curse him.
4. Yes, immense injustice and oppression against Muslims fuels the sentiments of hatred and resentment which in turn provides fodder for radical extremists to justify their acts of indiscriminate violence. Yes, this is continually ignored in the media. But none of that excuses a Muslim from perverting his religion and violating the sanctity of human life. We have a moral code; if others do not act by moral standards, that should not cause Muslims to abandon theirs.
5. Even though we don’t know the ultimate reality of what happened and there is always potential for conspiracies, we have a principle in our religion that we judge by what is apparent and leave the ultimate reality to Allah. As recorded in Sahih Bukhari, Umar ibn al-Khattab said that revelation was relied upon in the lifetime of the Prophet saws but revelation has ceased and so we judge you now by what is apparent to us from your deeds (وإنما نأخذكم الآن بما ظهر لنا من أعمالكم), and we do not call a person to account for what he is really doing in secret as Allah is the sole judge of that (وليس إلينا من سريرته شيء الله يحاسبه في سريرته).
Now even if someone says “we can’t trust the western media”, that’s fine but at the very least he publicly admitted to the two embassy attacks in Africa. I ask any Muslim to look objectively at these crimes and then ask, “Is this what our deen calls for? Is this the message of the one whom Allah sent as a mercy to all humanity? Is this the legacy of the noble one who forgave Thumamah ibn Uthaal, Abu Sufyaan ibn Harb, Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl, Safwan ibn Umayyah, Hind bint Utbah, Adee ibn Haatim, Habbar ibn al-Aswad and so many others??”
6. To raise the issue of salvation, as if to say, “Yeah, he killed a lot of people, but guess what? They were all kuffaar who are going to burn in hell anyway” is frankly ridiculous and extremely misleading. It presents the image that Muslims are not supposed to show any concern or compassion, and in fact they are not responsible no matter how much evil or suffering they inflict on these people. This is absolutely false. Was this the message of justice demonstrated by Umar ibn al-Khattab when he lashed the son of Amr ibn al-As for abusing a Christian slave who defeated him in a race? Was this the message of generosity demonstrated by Prophet Yusuf alayhis salaam when he went out of his way to help interpret the King’s dream, explain the best plan of action, and then volunteer to personally implement it himself by becoming the Minister – all this for a disbelieving nation that took him as a slave, wrongly accused him, and left him to rot in prison for years? Was this the message set by our beloved Messenger who went out of his way to defend even those who transgressed against him, like the way he prevented Thumamah from imposing sanctions on the Quraysh?
So this was a very misleading use of the Islamic concept of salvation. Yes, as Muslims we believe Islam is the truth and that the one who knowingly rejects Muhammad saws as a false prophet will be punished for that in the hereafter. However, we also believe that our duty is to convey the message of Islam to others with beautiful preaching and abide by its moral code, which explicitly forbids us from harming others who do not harm us.
Moreover, we do not claim heaven or hell for any particular individual; only Allah knows a person’s ultimate fate in the hereafter as only He knows their true circumstances and secrets. So the fate of people in the hereafter is up to Allah who is the Most Just. Our job is to convey His Divine message of Islam, which is a message of mercy and justice for all. And we condemn the person who denigrates that noble message.
7. Sh. Haitham suggests that those who do not invoke Allah’s mercy on Osama are doing so on the basis of desires and whims, not based on what is most pleasing to Allah. We say: By Allah, the mass slaughter of His creation and the denigration of His noble deen by using it as a justification for such evil acts is certainly something displeasing to Allah, and it is in seeking Allah’s pleasure that we are not pleased with the one who displeases Him.
May Allah forgive us all for our misdeeds and allow us to die upon the path of righteousness and mercy towards His creation. May Allah enable us to strive for justice and protect this beautiful message of Islam from being maligned or denigrated. Ameen.
Summary of errors in Sh. Haitham’s article:
1. Trivializing major sins as ‘mistakes’
2. Suggesting that even if Osama has done the major crimes, it still is not a big deal
3. Insisting that we must invoke mercy on someone accused of evil actions just because he was Muslim.
4. Presenting the Islamic concept of salvation in a misleading manner, that gives the impression that we know the fates of specific people in the hereafter
wasalaam
Brother Abu Jabir, thank you for the long response, but with all due respect I think you completely missed the point that Shaykh Haitham was trying to make.
Please listen to these brief statements and let me know if you find these scholars’ words to also be full of ‘errors’…
Shaykh Muhammad Hassan: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT1apiFcG6o]
Shaykh Ahmad al-Sisi: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=351mhK2-dkk]
Shaykh Wajdi Ghunaym: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX5z-jUGGB0]
Shaykh Wahid ‘Abdul-Salam Bali: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56KomydBCpQ]
Shaykh Hafidh Salamah: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knb78GaPXGk]
Shaykh Mustafa al-‘Adawi: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ6cCRPLWyI]
Hay’at ‘Ulama al-Sudan: http://www.meshkat.net/index.php/meshkat/index/6/9327/content
Ah, there’s just too many to link…
JazakiAllah khayr ukhti for your response.
You mentioned:
“I think you completely missed the point that Shaykh Haitham was trying to make”
Which was…? What do you think I missed? I am afraid it is not clear because you didn’t respond to any of the points I mentioned.
I don’t find anything surprising about the videos you posted. It is obvious that many Muslims – both scholars and laypeople – feel that he was fighting back against aggression, invasion and oppression and that we don’t really know whether or not he committed the actions attributed to him. However, when it comes to our religion we must be very clear and avoid making errors like trivializing the mass murder of non-combatants as a ‘mistake’, or suggesting that Muslims harming Non-muslims is not a big deal, or declaring peoples’ fates in the hereafter, or presenting the impression that Muslims are saved people so therefore they are not harmed by their misdeeds (this is closer to Murji’ah theology than to Sunni theology), etc.
Please consider the aforementioned points carefully and ask if these killings are things that our beloved Messenger would be pleased with. If you want to discuss the points I made, I am open to discussion.
I appreciate the video links, but I’m sure you realize one can just as easily find other statements:
Shaykh Bin Baz and Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan:
Shaykh Salman bin Fahd al-‘Awdah:
Shaykh Nabeel al-‘Awadi:
Shaykh Aa’id al-Qarni:
And at the opposite extreme from the videos you posted is Sh. Muqbil al-Waadi’ee:
Sh. Uthman al-Khumayyis made a very balanced statement:
He pointed out that the methodology Bin Ladin later turned to, if what we know about him is true, was clear misguidance and spoken against by the scholars, but at the same time he pointed out that the ultimate reality of his affair is known to Allah. Therefore Allah will judge him. The Shaykh made dua for his forgiveness/mercy just as one would make dua for all deceased Muslims, and we leave their affair to Allah.
We ask Allah to guide us all to the beautiful teachings of our beloved Messenger, to show mercy to the creation of Allah, and to stand for justice even if it is against ourselves. Ameen.
The issue that Shaykh Haitham was trying to remind the Muslims of is the issue of al-walaa and al-baraa, nothing more akhi. And yes, I think you missed this point. When a Muslim is killed liked that, then the Shari’ah perspective shifts. Today, it’s not about the conspiracies flying around about Ibn Ladin and what he did or didn’t do, it’s not a discussion about his mistakes – the world (including the Ummah and its scholars) has been talking about that for the past decade and more. Today, it’s a case of a tyrannical disbelieving nation and army who invaded two countries, killed millions of Muslims in order to go after one man and a message he carried (if the sources are true, they killed him brutally, then insulted our faith by throwing him into the sea and saying it was “in accordance to Islamic burial”). I personally don’t want to go into politics because then we’ll be here for days, but I think you’ll agree with me when I say that this is a matter that far exceeds Ibn Ladin himself.
Shaykh Haitham made it clear that he didn’t agree with Ibn Ladin’s actions (nor does he agree with the whole so-called terrorism), so there’s little point in talking about it. I think the saying goes, لكل مقام مقال – and right now, the discussion is elsewhere akhi.
Personally, I’d much rather discuss the millions of deaths caused by these Western powers, the killing, maiming and displacement of innocent men, women and children across the Muslim world by the US, its allies and coalition forces. I don’t know about you, but I won’t allow my focus to be shifted from that, and I won’t be happy until all killing stops. It’s just a huge shame that Muslims go on and on about Ibn Ladin and what he supposedly did whilst turning a pathetic blind eye to the mass-murder and killing of innocent people by the US and its allies. Some Muslims even thought it’d be nice to celebrate his death and be happy with it, how messed up is that? Not only is that a sin, but it also shamefully highlights the state (or lack) of their principles and knowledge of these principles.
About the videos you linked, that’s exactly my point brother. The Ummah has been discussing it for many years. But today, we’re not here to talk about his actions; we’re here to talk about a bigger picture. If Ibn Ladin is dead, then Allah yarhamhu wa yaghfir lahu wa yudkhilhu al-jinaan. But believe me, the matter doesn’t stop there.
Like I said, لكل مقام مقال. And so, if you don’t mind, I would like to end the discussion here insha’Allah. Barak’Allahu fik.
please brother Abu Jaabir watch this
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=em_XyTeNA1g&feature=BFa&list=ULsLGrqj0HbA4&index=2
I think you should watch all of it in-shaa’Allaah and then you’ll know what our brother osama bin ladin was truly fighting for
anyways i love him so much when i hear of him my heart is overwhelmed with so much love Allaahu Alam and even when you look at his face and tone of speech wallahi it is just phonominal! Allahu Akbar our fight is fight for justice but obviously without killing innocents & women children & the weak. anyways make du3ah for him osama he was like the salahudin of this nation. to me it seems as though things will never be the same but still jihad will contiue until the day of judgement and more brother like him will evolve may Allaah protect mullah muhammed umar and the misleading mainstream media from slandering al-qaeda and taliban. Ameen