How Allah got angry for Bilal's sake...

As is mentioned in ‘Sahīh Muslim,’ [13]:

Bilāl, ‘Ammār, and Suhayb came across Abū Sufyān on the day Makkah was conquered, and they said some insulting words to him. They said: “By Allāh, the swords of Allāh did not reach the enemies of Allāh as they should have.”

So, Abū Sufyān – the commander of jāhiliyyah who took over after the killing of Abū Jahl, the one who took over the leadership of Makkah until it was conquered, the one who took it upon himself to try to negotiate with the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) on the day Makkah was conquered, the one who took over the leadership on the day of Uhud, when he stood atop Mt. Uhud yelling: “May Hubal be exalted! This day is for Badr!” – they said to him: “By Allāh, the swords of Allāh did not reach the enemies of Allāh as they should have.”


Abū Sufyān became angry and went to complain to Abū Bakr. So, Abū Bakr came to
reprimand them harshly, saying: “Do you say this to the leader of Quraysh?”

Abū Bakr then went off to inform the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) of what Bilāl, ‘Ammār, and Suhayb had done. Abū Bakr strained to hear just one word from the mouth of the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) – one word of rebuke for them out of the desire to win the heart of Abū Sufyān, or to at least catch a glimpse of anger on the Prophet’s face for the anger of the leader of Quraysh, whose house was a place of safety for those who entered it on that day. Instead, the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) applied the scales and said: “It might be that you made them angry, and made your Lord angry as a result.”

O Allāh! What exaltation?! What sky?! What greatness?! What a blessing that has raised this slave from the level of being like an animal in the scales of jāhiliyyah to the level of having the Lord of Glory become angry for his sake?! “Indeed, Allāh has men whose wishes He carries out, and it might be that a dirty, disheveled man would have his oath fulfilled by Allāh.” [14]


I say that when Abū Bakr heard these words from the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him), he was shaken: he might have angered Allāh by angering Bilāl! So, he went back to Bilāl and ‘Ammār to reconcile with them, saying: “My brothers! It might be that I angered you.” They said: “May Allāh excuse you,” causing his emotional stress to be relieved and his heart to be relaxed.


SOURCES:

[13] Sahih Muslim (2504)

[14] Muslim (2622 & 2854), and a similar wording was related by at-Tirmidhī (3854) and al-Mundhirī in ‘at-Targhīb wat-Tarhīb’ (4/147 and 148).

In ‘Sharh Sahīh Muslim’ (8/346), an-Nawawī explained this hadīth, saying: “This
means that if he swore that something would occur, Allāh would make it occur out of honor for him, by fulfilling his request and protecting him from having violated an oath. This is due to his great status with Allāh, even if he is worthless in the eyes of the people. It has also been said that his oath is his supplication, and the fulfillment is this supplication being answered, and Allāh Knows best.”

[15]Ibn Hishām’s ‘as-Sīrah an-Nabawiyyah’ (3/286)


Original Source: The Scales of Allah, Abdullah Azzam.

Download Book Link; http://www.kalamullah.com/Books/the-scales-of-allah.pdf
The Scales of Allah - abdullah azzam

This is only the story without the explanation.

عن عائذ بن عمرو أن أبا سفيان مر على سلمان وبلال وصهيب في نفر فقالوا : ما أخذت سيوف الله من عنق عدو الله مأخذها. فقال أبوبكر تقولون هذا لشيخ قريش وسيدها ! ثم أتى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، فأخبره ، فقال : ((يا أبا بكر ! لعلك أغضبتهم ، لئن كنت أغضبتهم لقد أغضبت ربك)) فأتاهم أبوبكر فقال : يا إخوتاه أغضبتكم ؟ قالوا : لا يا أبابكر ، يغفر الله لك

"O you who believe! Approach not AsSalat (the prayer) when you are in a drunken state." (Nisa 4:43)

Ibn Abi Hatim has recorded some reports about the incident of its revelation: Sa`d said, "Four Ayat were revealed concerning me. A man from the Ansar once made some food and invited some Muhajirin [Emigrants] and Ansar [Helpers] men to it, and we ate and drank until we became intoxicated. We then boasted about our status.'' Then a man held a camel's bone and injured Sa`d's nose, which was scarred ever since. This occurred before Al-Khamr (intoxicants) was prohibited, and Allah later revealed,

[يَـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاَ تَقْرَبُواْ الصَّلَوةَ وَأَنتُمْ سُكَـرَى]

(O you who believe! Approach not AsSalat (the prayer) when you are in a drunken state) [Nisa 4:43]. Muslim recorded this Hadith, and the collectors of the Sunan recorded it, with the exception of Ibn Majah. Another Reason Ibn Abi Hatim narrated that `Ali bin Abi Talib said, "Abdur-Rahman bin `Awf made some food to which he invited us and served some alcohol to drink. When we became intoxicated, and the time for prayer came, they asked someone to lead us in prayer. He recited `Say, `O disbelievers! I do not worship that which you worship, but we worship that which you worship [refer to the correct wording of the Surah: 109 verse 3 [the bolded part should have really been; ("Nor will ye worship that which I worship. "].'''

Allah then revealed,

[يَـأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاَ تَقْرَبُواْ الصَّلَوةَ وَأَنتُمْ سُكَـرَى حَتَّى تَعْلَمُواْ مَا تَقُولُونَ]

(O you who believe! Do not approach Salah when you are in a drunken state until you know what you are saying). '' This is the narration collected by Ibn Abi Hatim and At-Tirmidhi, who said "Hasan [Gharib] Sahih.'' Allah's statement,

[حَتَّى تَعْلَمُواْ مَا تَقُولُونَ]

(until you know what you are saying) is the best description for when one is intoxicated, that is, when he does not know the meaning of what he is saying. When a person is drunk, he makes obvious mistakes in the recitation and will not be able to be humble during the prayer. Imam Ahmad recorded that Anas said that the Messenger of Allah said,

«إِذَا نَعَسَ أَحَدُكُمْ وَهُوَ يُصَلِّي، فَلْيَنْصَرِفْ فَلْيَنَمْ، حَتَّى يَعْلَمَ مَا يَقُول»

(If one feels sleepy while he is praying, let him sleep for a while so that he knows the meaning of what he is saying.) This was also recorded by Al-Bukhari and An-Nasa'i. In some of the narrations of this Hadith, the Messenger said,

«فَلَعَلَّهُ يَذْهَبُ يَسْتَغْفِرُ فَيَسُبَّ نَفْسَه»

(...For he might want to ask for forgiveness, but instead curses himself!)




Surah Nisa 4:43 - tafsir ibn Kathir;

http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=4&tid=11257

"Surely (as for) those whom the angels cause to die while they are unjust to their souls..." [Nisa 4:97]

---

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَوَفَّىٰهُمُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ ظَالِمِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ قَالُوا۟ فِيمَ كُنتُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ قَالُوٓا۟ أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ ٱللَّهِ وَٰسِعَةًۭ فَتُهَاجِرُوا۟ فِيهَا ۚ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ مَأْوَىٰهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَسَآءَتْ مَصِيرًا ﴿٧٩﴾

Surely (as for) those whom the angels cause to die while they are unjust to their souls, they shall say: In what state were you? They shall say: We were weak in the earth. They shall say: Was not Allah's earth spacious, so that you should have migrated therein? So these it is whose abode is hell, and it is an evil resort (Al-Nisaa' 97)

Al-Bukhari recorded that Muhammad bin `Abdur-Rahman, Abu Al-Aswad, said, "The people of Al-Madinah were forced to prepare an army (to fight against the people of Ash-Sham during the Khilafah of Abdullah bin Az-Zubayir at Makkah), and I was enlisted in it. Then I met `Ikrimah, the freed slave of Ibn `Abbas, and informed him (about it), and he forbade me strongly from doing so (i.e., to enlist in that army), and then he said to me, `Ibn `Abbas told me that some Muslims used to go out with the idolators increasing the size of their army against the Messenger of Allah . Then, an arrow would hit one of them and kill him, or he would be struck on his neck (with a sword) and killed, and Allah sent down the [above] Ayah.

“Such a man was ‘Uthmaan.”

“Such a man was ‘Uthmaan.”

Ibn ‘Abbaas read the verse:

”Is such a man equal to one {believer} who commands

justice and is himself on the Straight path?”

[Soorah an-Nahl: 76]

Then he said, “Such a man was ‘Uthmaan.”

[Tafseer Ibn Katheer: 2/579]

‘Uthmaan As The Khaleefah

‘Uthmaan As The Khaleefah

Al-Hamdaanee said: “I saw ‘Uthmaan sleeping in the masjid, wrapped in a blanket with no one around him, when he was the Khaleefah.” [Kitaab az-Zuhd lil-Imaam Ahmad]

Sharahbeel bin Muslim narrated that ‘Uthmaan used to offer the people fine food, then he would go into his own house and eat vinegar and olive oil. ["at-Taareekh al-Islaamee"; 48/17]

One day ‘Uthmaan was called to catch some people who were engaged in some suspicious activity, so he went to catch them red-handed, but they dispersed before he reached them. So, he freed a slave in gratitude to Allaah that no Muslim had been shamed at his hands. [‘Uluww al-Himmah; 5/481]

‘Urwah bin az-Zubayr said: “I lived at the time of ‘Uthmaan and there was not a single Muslim who did not have a right to the wealth of Allaah [i.e. the bayt al-maal].” ["al-Musannaf fil-Hadeeth": 3/1023]

“…then ‘Uthmaan bin ‘Affaan.”

“…then ‘Uthmaan bin ‘Affaan.”

Ibn ‘Umar – radiyallaahu ‘anhu – said:

“We used to make preference between the people during the time of the Prophet – sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. So we preferred Aboo Bakr, then ‘Umar bin Al-Khattaab, then ‘Uthmaan bin ‘Affaan.”

[Al-Bukhaaree]

Habib ibn Zayd al Ansari VS Musaylimah the Liar

the Liar Musaylimah asked Habib bin Zayd Al-Ansari, "Do you bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah'' He said, "Yes.'' Then Musaylimah asked, "Do you bear witness that I am the messenger of Allah'' Habib said, "I do not hear you.'' Musaylimah kept cutting him, piece by piece, but he remained steadfast insisting on his words.

فلما كان الغد تصدَّر مسيلمة مجلسه ، وأذن للعامة بالدخول عليه ،ثم أمر بحبيب فجيء به وهو مقيد ...

قال مسيلمة لحبيب بن زيد الأنصاري : أتشهد أن محمداً رسولالله ؟ قال : نعم أشهد بذلك .

قال مسيلمة : وتشهد بأني رسول الله ؟ قالحبيب في سخرية : إن في أذني صمماً عن سماع ما تقول .

فغضب مسيلمة وقال لجلاده : اقطع قطعة من جسده ... فأهوى الجلاد بسيفه وقطع قطعة تدحرجت على الأرض .

ثم أعاد مسيلمة عليه السؤال نفسه : أتشهد أن محمداً رسول الله ؟ قال : نعمأشهد بذلك .

قال : وتشهد أني رسول الله ؟ قال حبيب : قلت لك إني لا أسمع ماتقول .

فأمر بأن تُقطع من جسده قطعة أخرى ، فقطعت والناس ينظرون ...

ومضى مسيلمة يسأل ... والجلاد يقطع ... وحبيب يقول : أشهد أن محمداً رسولالله .

حتى صار نصفه قطعاً منثورة على الأرض ، ونصفه الآخر كتلة تتكلم.. ثمفاضت روحه الطاهرة واسم محمد لم يغادر شفتيه .

surah nahl: 106
Tafsir.com Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Abdullah ibn Hudhafah al Sahmi, and the Roman King.

وفي السنة التاسعة عشرة للهجرة بعث سيدنا عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه جيشا لحرب الروم فيه عبد الله بن حذافة وكان قيصر الروم قد تناهت إليه أخبار المسلمين وما يتحلون به من صدق الإيمان واسترخاص النفس في سبيل الله ورسوله ، فأمر رجاله إذا ظفروا بأسير من أسرى المسلمين أن يبقوا عليه وأن يأتو به حيا وكان عبد الله بن حذافة ممن وقع في الأسر.
نظر ملك الروم إلى عبد الله بن حذافة طويلا ثم بادره قائلا : إني أعرض عليك أمراً !!
قال : وما هو ؟
فقال : أعرض عليك أن تتنصر ... فإن فعلت خليت سبيلك ، وأكرمت مثواك ، فقال الأسير في أنفة وحزم : هيهات .. إن الموت لأحب إلي ألف مرة مما تدعوني إليه.
فقال قيصر : إني لأراك رجلا شهما ... فإن أجبتني إلى ما أعرضه عليك أشركتك في أمري وقاسمتك سلطاني . فتبسم الأسير المكبل بقيوده وقال : والله لو أعطيتني جميع ما تملك ، وجميع ما ملكته العرب على أن أرجع عن دين محمد طرفة عين ما فعلت.
قال : إذن أقتلك.
قال : أنت وما تريد ، ثم أمر به فصلب ، وقال لقناصته - بالرومية - ارموه قريبا من رجليه ، وهو يعرض عليه مفارقة دينه فأبى.
عند ذلك أمرهم أن يكفوا عنه ، وطلب إليهم أن ينزلوه عن خشبة الصلب ، ثم دعا بقدر عظيمة فصب فيها الزيت ورفعت على النار حتى غلت ثم دعا بأسيرين من أسارى المسلمين ، فأمر بأحدهما أن يلقى فيها فألقي ، فإذا لحمه يتفتت ، وإذا عظامه تبدو عارية...
ثم التفت إلى عبد الله بن حذافة ودعاه إلى النصرانية ، فكان أشد إباء لها من قبل.
فلما يأس منه ، أمر به أن يلقى في القدر التي ألقي فيها صاحباه فلما ذهب به دمعت عيناه ، فقال رجال قيصر لملكهم : إنه قد بكى ... فظن أنه قد جزع وقال : ردوه إلي ، فلما مثل بين يديه عرض عليه النصرانية فأبى ، فقال : ويحك ، فما الذي أبكاك إذا؟!
فقال : أبكاني أني قلت في نفسي : تلقى الآن في هذه القدر ، فتذهب بنفسك ، وقد كنت أشتهي أن يكون لي بعدد ما في جسدي من شعر أنفس فتلقى كلها في هذا القدر في سبيل الله .
فقال الطاغية : هل لك أن تقبل رأسي وأخلي عنك؟
فقال له عبد الله : وعن جميع أسارى المسلمين أيضا ؟
قال : وعن جميع أسارى المسلمين أيضا.
قال عبد الله : فقلت في نفسي : عدو من اعداء الله ، أقبل رأسه فيخلي عني وعن أسارى المسلمين جميعا ، لا ضير في ذلك علي. ثم دنا منه وقبل رأسه ، فأمر ملك الروم أن يجمعوا له أسارى المسلمين ، وأن يدفعوهم إليه فدفعوا له.
قدم عبد الله بن حذافة على عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه ، وأخبره خبره ، فسر به الفاروق أعظم السرور ، ولما نظر إلى الأسرى قال : حق على كل مسلم أن يقبل رأس عبد الله بن حذافة .. وأنا أبدأ بذلك...
ثم قام وقبل رأسه ...



It is better and preferable for the Muslim to remain steadfast in his religion, even if that leads to him being killed, as was mentioned by Al-Hafiz Ibn `Asakir in his biography of `Abdullah bin Hudhafah Al-Sahmi, one of the Companions.


In the nineteenth year after the Hijrah, 'Umar dispatched an army to fight against the Byzantines. In it was 'Abdullah ibn Hudhafah As-Sahmi. News of the Muslim force reached the Byzantine emperor, Heraclius. He had heard of their sincerity of faith, and their willingness to sacrifice their lives in the way of Allah and His Prophet. He gave orders to his men to bring to him any Muslim captives they might take alive..

God willed that 'Abdullah ibn Hudhafah should fall captive to the Byzantines and he was brought before the Emperor. The Emperor looked at 'Abdullah for a long time. Suddenly he said, "I shall make a proposal to you." "What is it?" asked Abdullah. "I suggest that you become a Christian. If you do this, you will be set free and I shall grant you a safe refuge." The prisoner's reaction was furious: "Death is preferable to me a thousand times to what you ask me to do." "I see that you are a bold man. However, if you respond positively to what I propose to you, I will give you a share in my authority and swear you in as my aide." The prisoner, shackled in his chains, smiled and said, "By Allah, if you give me all that you possess and all that the Arabs have in exchange for giving up the religion of Muhammad (sallaAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), I shall not do so." "Then I shall kill you." "Do what you want," answered 'Abdullah. The emperor then had him put on a cross and ordered his soldiers to throw spears at him, first near his hands and then near his feet, all the while telling him to accept Christianity or at least give up his religion. This he refused over and over again to do.

The emperor then had him taken down from the wooden cross. He called for a great pot to be brought. This was filled with oil which was then heated under a fierce fire. He then had two other Muslim prisoners brought and had one of them thrown into the boiling oil. The prisoner's flesh sizzled and soon his bones could be seen. The emperor turned to 'Abdullah and invited him to Christianity. This was the most terrible test that 'Abdullah had had to face up till now. But he remained firm and the emperor gave up trying. He then ordered that 'Abdullah too be thrown into the pot. As he was being taken away he began to shed tears. The emperor thought that he had at last been broken and had him brought back to him. He once more suggested that 'Abdullah become a Christian but to his astonishment, Abdullah refused. "Damn you! Why did you weep then?" shouted the emperor. "I cried," said Abdullah, "because I said to myself 'You will now be thrown into this pot and your soul will depart'. What I really desired then was to have as many souls as the number of hairs on my body and to have all of them thrown into this pot for the sake of Allah."

The tyrant then said, "Will you kiss my head? I will then set you free?" "And all the Muslim prisoners also?" asked 'Abdullah. This the emperor agreed to do and 'Abdullah said to himself, "One of the enemies of Allah! I shall kiss his head and he shall set me and all other Muslim prisoners free. There can be no blame on me for doing this." He then went up to the emperor and kissed his forehead. All the Muslim prisoners were released and handed over to 'Abdullah. 'Abdullah ibn Hudhafah eventually came to 'Umar ibn al Khattab and told him what had happened. 'Umar was greatly pleased and when he looked at the prisoners he said, "Every Muslim has a duty to kiss the head of 'Abdullah ibn Hudhafah and I shall start." Umar then got up and kissed the head of 'Abdullah ibn Hudhafah.

Source: "Companions of The Prophet", Vol.1 by 'Abdul Wahid Hamid



Also discussed in the tafsir of Ibn Kathir;

surah nahl: 106
Tafsir.com Tafsir Ibn Kathir