Why Islamic History - I

The great Indian Islamic scholar and historian Abu Al-Hasan 'Ali
An-Nadwi observes, like other sages of Islam have before, that Islam,
being the last and universal religion of Allaah, has a unique history
of internal revival, reform and self-rejuvenation.
Allaah Almighty sent the messageof Islam at a chosen moment in the
development of human history where the technological, scientific and
intellectual understanding of humanity as a whole was reaching a stage
of final maturation and ripening. Instead of geographically confined
nations and tribal systems which all received their own messengers
from Allaah, thehumanity was now ripe for one, universal, perfected
and final message of Allaah.
The development of the Islamic Ummah in history was amazingly rapid.
It was full of trials and tribulations and encounters with other
cultures and religious systems. As a result, the final message of
Allaah was embodiedin a civilization that was enrichedby all the great
civilizations of theworld. Within the first century of its birth,
Islam spread across half the known and majority of the civilized world
of that time. As different people became Muslims or came under the
rule of Islam, the scholars and thinkers of Islam came from
increasingly diverse regions, thus enriching the flowering and
protection of Islamic scholarship and tradition with their own
cultural strengths. The contributions of the Persians in bureaucracy
and culture, the Hindus in mathematics, the Greeks in logic, the Turks
in military and architecture fields, just to name afew, all became
sources of strength of Islam. On the other hand, the previous
philosophical and religious systems of the new lands both challenged
and influenced the Muslim scholars and thinkers. All these factors
make the history of Islam extremely fast-moving, diverse and filled
with conflicts, debates and upheavals. Each of these experiences,
however, also helped it mature and develop.
Whenever the Ummah of Islam faced a new danger, internal or external,
Allaah Almighty raised among the Muslims scholars, leaders and groups
who protected the true religion of Allaah Almighty and revived it in
its true, pristine form. This ubiquitous phenomenon is known to the
historian as revivalism or tajdeed.
The Ummah of Islam, with its preserved source-texts (the Quran and the
Hadeeth), scholarship and legacy, has survived all its enemies only
because of the special Divine arrangements. In history, this
protection and guidance of AllaahAlmighty has been actualized in the
form of the rise of great scholars and leaders, fields of scholarship
like the sciences of the Quran, of Hadeeth, of jurisprudence and its
principles, the preservation of the Arabic language and so on.
Today, the Muslim Ummah faces great challenges from all sides. But an
observer of Islamic historyrecognizes that the situation is neither
new nor hopeless: in fact,these trials and challenges are part of
Allaah's plan to take the Ummah of Islam and the message of Islam up
to a new level of strength and recognition in this world.
To learn Islamic history is to inquire how Allaah's ways have worked
and His will carried out atthe hands of myriads of individuals and
groups and how His promises have come true. To look at history
Islamically is to keep an eye on the moral, spiritual and ethical
dimensions of all episodes in history, however big or small. This is
precisely why the Quran makes learning history in some ways an act of
faith and a source of wisdom.
Why learn history:
Reasons from the Quran
Just as the food we eat constitutes our bodies, our history
constitutes our minds. Our ideas, concepts, sentiments, and
preferences, in short, what makes us human, is largely a result of our
past experiences. Individuals, peoples, institutions, or nations, all
acquire their particular nature or identity primarily because of their
unique histories. We cannot know ourselves without knowing where we
have been and come from. Not knowing where we come from leaves us
without our sense of selfhood. Loss of identityleaves us without a
purpose, like a ship without destination, at themercy of merciless
winds. This loss of identity has been mentioned in the Quran as a
punishment from Allaah. He Almighty Says (what means): {Andbe not like
those who forgot Allaah, so He made them forget themselves...} [59:
19]
People who forget who they were may forget who they ought to be. This
leads to self-deceit and arrogance. Allaah Almighty reminds every
human being again and again of his or her individual 'history,' to
shake them up from their disbelief and arrogance. Allaah Says (what
means): {Had he not been a sperm from semen emitted? Then he was a
clinging clot, and [Allaah] created [his form] and proportioned [him].
} [Quran 75:37-38) {Does man not consider that We created him from a
[mere] sperm-drop – then at once he is a clear adversary?} [Quran
36:77]
In the chapters of Al-Feel and Quraysh, Allaah Almighty remindsthe
people of Quraysh of his favors upon them in the past, encouraging
them to learn morallessons from their history. He Almighty Says (what
means): {Have you not considered [O Muhammad], how your Lord dealt
with the companions of theelephant?} [Quran 105:1] And {For the
accustomed security of the Quraysh – Their accustomed security [in]
the caravan of winterand summer – Let them worship the Lord of this
House, Who has fed them, [saving them] from hunger and made them safe,
[saving them] from fear.} [Quran: 106]
Allaah Almighty repeatedly commands the Muslims in the Quran to
observe, consider, and reflect upon the lessons from thehistory of
bygone nations. Instructing the Muslims in moral and spiritual history
of the earliernations seems to be one of the major emphases of the
Quran. The fact that majority of Allaah's Final Message consists of
stories of moral struggle of earlier peoples is an indication of the
significance of learning history, and learning it with the right
perspective of seeking lessons. Following are a few lessons that can
be drawn from the Quranic perspective on history.
(i) Universality of lessons . The lessons from the rise or fall of any
community in the past are valid for all humanity, for there are some
unalterable, universal laws or principles that apply to all nations
depending on their specific conditions. The Quran calls these laws the
Sunan (established ways of dealing) of Allaah Almighty: {…But you will
never find in the way of Allaah any change, and you will never find in
the way of Allaah any alteration.} [Quran 35:43]
(ii) Moral-spiritual interpretation. While modern historians focus on
different dimensions of history and offer different bases for the
interpretation of history based on their respective belief systems,
the basis of Quranic storytelling is emphatically moraland spiritual.
In other words, Allaah Almighty demands of us tolook first and
foremost at the moral aspects of a nation's history. Nations fall, for
example, not due primarily to economic failures, but due to the
moral-spiritual failure to properly dispense economic justice based on
the correct belief in and obedience to Allaah Almighty. In the chapter
of Al-'Araaf, after relating several stories of encounter between the
truthful prophets of Allaah and their disbelieving people, Allaah
Almighty summarizes the lessonsof these stories by saying (what
means): "And if only the people ofthe cities had believed and
fearedAllaah, We would have opened upon them blessings from the heaven
and the earth; but they denied [the messengers], so We seized them for
what they were earning." [Quran 7:96]
(iii) Learning moral lessons from history is an obligation. The
causeof the downfall of nations one after the other in the
aforementioned verse [7:96] is that they neglected the moral lessons
of the history of their forefathers, and thought that thesame does not
apply to them. Allaah Almighty Says (what means): {And what prevented
thepeople from believing when guidance came to them except that they
said, 'Has Allaah sent a human messenger?' Say, 'If there were upon
the earth angels walking securely, We would have sent down to them
from the heaven an angel [as a] messenger.'} [17:94-95]
(iv) History is the best way to teach and caution. The Quran could
have been a book of abstract theories of laws that govern societies,
or simply a list of do's and don'ts. But the fact that our Creator,
the Most Wise, has chosen story telling as a chiefmeans to caution and
education of the humankind necessarily means that humans have a
propensity to learn from other's examples. Successful teachers and
preachers of Islam always have a good grasp of history.
(v) History of all humanity is relevant. By Islamic history, we often
mean the history of Muslims. But the Quran is full of history of
rebellious nations. We conclude that so long as the framework of
history is Islamic (i.e., moral spiritual), no part of human history
is irrelevant to thebelievers.
(vi) History repeats itself. It has become a cliché that history
repeats itself. This is true inasmuch as all struggles of goodand evil
are bound by the universal Sunan (principles) established by Allaah
Almighty. Inorder to show the Muslim' Ummah its potential failings,
the Quran focuses on the moral stories of the Children of Israel, for
they were, as some scholars have observed, `the ex-Muslim Ummah.'
(vii) Systematic learning of the science of history is a requisite.
The Quran, the Final Message of Allaah Almighty, is a book of guidance
and contains all foundational principles and general moral
exhortations that will suffice all those who seek Allaah Almighty till
the Day of Judgment. The Quran is not a book of history, and the way
it tells stories presumes that the audience has some knowledge ofthe
history being told. If the Quraysh, for instance, did not know the
something about the history of 'Aad, Thamood and thedestruction of the
army of Abrahah and his Elephants, the Quranic references to these
incidents would make little senseto them. The Quran provides the moral
interpretation to the human drama of life and gives many instructive
examples. But itis an obligation of Muslims to learn as accurately and
objectively as possible the facts of history so the Quranic principles
could be correctly applied, since fulfilling the requisites of an
obligation is an obligation itself. To learn objectively the science
of history, therefore, is part of Islamic obligation upon the Muslim
Ummah, without which they cannot fully benefit from the message of the
Quran.

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Sacrifices, - One sacrifice is sufficient on behalf of all the members of a household.

My wife and I live with my father; is one sacrifice sufficient on
behalf of all of us, or do we have to offer two sacrifices?.
Praise be to Allaah.
One sacrifice is sufficienton behalf of all of you, because it is
narrated in the Sunnah that one sacrifice is sufficient on behalf of a
man and the members of his household.
Al-Tirmidhi (1505) narrated that 'Ata' ibn Yasaar said: I asked Abu
Ayyoob: How was the sacrifice done at the time of the Messenger
ofAllaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? He said: A man
would offer a sheepon behalf of himself and the members of his family,
and they would eat some and feed others with some." Classed as saheeh
by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
The Standing Committee was asked:
If my wife lives in the same house as my father, is it sufficient for
me to offer one sacrifice on Eid al-Adha on behalf of myself and my
family, or not?
They replied:
If the situation is as you describe, with a father and son living in
the same house, it is sufficient to offer one sacrifice on behalf of
yourself, your father, your wife, your father's wife and all the
members of your household, in accordance with the Sunnah." End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 11/404. - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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Sacrifices, - One sacrifice is sufficient on behalf of the members of a householdeven if they are one hundred strong.

|
Is one sacrifice sufficienton behalf of all the members of a
household, even if they are many?.
Praise be to Allaah.
One sacrifice is sufficienton behalf of all the members of a
household, no matter how many of them thereare.
Al-Tirmidhi (1505) narrated that 'Ata' ibn Yassaar said: I asked Abu
Ayyoob: How was the sacrifice done at the time of the Messenger
ofAllaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? He said: A man
would offer a sheepon behalf of himself and the members of his family,
and they would eat some and feed others with some." Classed as saheeh
by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
It says in Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi:
This hadeeth clearly states that a single sheepis sufficient on behalf
of a man and the members of his household, even if they are many, and
that is correct.
Al-Haafiz ibn al-Qayyim said in Zaad al-Ma'aad: The teaching of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was that a sheep
is sufficient on behalf of a man and the members of his household,
even if they are many in number.
Al-Shawkaani said in Nayl al-Awtaar: In fact a single sheep is
sufficient on behalf of the members of a household, even if there are
one hundred or more, as is indicated by the Sunnah. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said in al-Sharh al-Mumti' (5/275):
There is no limit to how many people may share in the reward. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) offered a
sacrifice on behalf of his entire ummah, and a man may offer a single
sheep on behalf of himself and the members of his household, even if
they are one hundred strong. End quote.
The Standing Committee was asked: There are twenty-two people in this
family, and they have one income and one budget. On Eid al-Adha they
offer a single sacrifice, and I do not know whether that is sufficient
or whether they should offer two sacrifices?
They replied:
If the family is big but they live in one house, one sacrifice is
sufficientfor them, but if they offer more than one sacrifice, that is
better. End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 11/408. - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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Sacrifices, - Selling a sacrificial animal, and the acceptable age for an animal for ‘aqeeqah.

1. can anyone distribute money by selling a goat that was offered to
be slaughtered in the name of Allah for family welfare.
2. can a goat less than one year of age is acceptable for Aqeeka (for
new born baby two for boy, 0ne for girl).
these are needed please do reply these questions.
Praise be to Allaah.
It is not permissible to sell part of the sacrificial animal or
udhiyah, or to sell all of it, except in cases where it is done in
accordance with the purpose of the sacrifice, because what a person
has given to Allaah cannot be sold at all.
It says in al-Mughni: It is not permissible to sell any part of it –
i.e., the sacrificial animal – but if the butcher is poor and he gives
him something because he is poor, in addition to the wages that he
gives him, that is permissible, because he is entitled to take some of
it because of being poor, not as payment forhis work. End quote
(3/222)
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said: It is haraam to sell any part of the
udhiyah, whether the meat or anything else, even the skin. The butcher
should not be given anything from it in partial payment for his work,
because that is like selling. (Risaalah Ahkaam al-Hadiy wa'l-Udhiyah)
And he (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: It is not permissible to
dispose of it – i.e., the udhiyah – in ways that would prevent going
ahead with the sacrifice,such as selling, giving away, giving as a
pledgeand so on, unless he replaces it with something that serves the
purpose pf sacrifice better, not for his own ends. If he selects a
sheep for sacrifice then he decides that he wantsto keep it for some
reason and replaces it with one that is better so that he can keep it,
that is not permissible, because he is taking back something that he
had set aside for Allaah for his own ends and notfor serving the
purpose of sacrifice in a better way.
With regard to rams, which are male sheep, the ram should have reached
the age of one year in order for it to be permissible as a sacrifice,
but the Sunnahshows that it is permissible to sacrifice ajadh'ah. The
majority of scholars say that this applies only to jadh'ah of sheep,
not of goats. A jadh'ah of sheep is one that is six months old, but
the older it is than six months the better, because some of the
madhhabs say that jadh'ah means one that is a year old.
The evidence that indicates that the desirable age according to
sharee'ah is one year is the marfoo' hadeeth of Jaabir (may Allaah be
pleased with him):
"Do not slaughter anything but a two-year-old animal, unless it is too
difficult for you, in which case slaughter a jadh'ah sheep."
Narrated by Muslim 1963.
The apparent meaning of the hadeeth is that a jadh'ah of sheep is only
acceptable if a two-year-old is not available. But the majority of
scholars interpreted that as referring to what is mustahabb, and they
quoted the following as evidence:
1 – It was narrated from one of the companions of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that "a jadha'h is sufficient for
what a two-year-old is sufficient." Narrated by al-Nasaa'i (4383) and
Abu Dawood (2799); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.
2 – It was narrated that 'Uqbah ibn 'Aamir (may Allaah be pleased with
him) said: We sacrificed a jadh'ah of sheep alongwith the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Narrated by
al-Nasaa'i (4382). Its isnaad was classed as qawiy by al-Haafiz in
al-Fath, and as saheeh byal-Albaani. See the commentary on Zaad
al-Ma'aad (2/317).
It should be noted that the same conditions are stipulated for
'aqeeqah as for udhiyah: the animal should be free of faults and of
the proper age. The evidence for that is qiyaas (analogy), on the
basis that both are sacrifices.
Thus it may be known that it is acceptable for you to sacrifice a
sheep that has reached the ageof six months. And Allaahknows best.

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