History Of the Clash between Islam and Other Civilisations -- Pages 1 2 3 4 5 6
This is
because the (hikma) here is the intellectual proof (burhan 'aqli) and the
irrefutable evidence (hujjat damigha); and the fair preaching is the beautiful
reminder. The beautiful reminder is by impressing the thoughts and
emotions collectively like His saying:
"Verily Hell is a place of ambush. A dwelling place for the transgressors. Abiding
therein for ages. No cool shall they taste therein nor any drink. Except boiling water
and dirty wound discharges. An exact recompense!" [TMQ An-Naba: 21-6].
The argument with what is better is avoiding the harm of the one
arguing with you i.e. that you turn away from his insult to you. That is to
say; you ignore him. Likewise there is no contradiction between the
intellectual struggle and His saying:
"Argue not with the People of the Book except with that which is better except
those who do wrong among them." [TMQ Al-Ankabut: 46]
That which is
better is to turn away from their harm to you in the argument. As for those who do wrong through fighting or refusing the enforcement of the
rule upon them and the paying of jizyah, arguing with them is by the
sword. As an example of intellectual struggle narrated regarding Him is what ibn Abi Sheeba and Abdurrazaq reported in their Musnads, as
well as the writers of the Seerah and others, from Qatadah that "the
Messenger of Allah said to a man:
'Embrace Islam, Abu Al-Harith.' The Christian said: 'I have
embraced Islam.' So he said: 'Embrace Islam, Abu Al-Harith.' The
Christian said: 'I have embraced Islam.' So he said to him the third time:
'Embrace Islam, Abu Al-Harith.' The Christian said: 'I have embraced
Islam before you.' So he became angry and said: 'you lie. Three matters
barred between you and Islam: Your purchasing of wine (he did
not say: 'Your drinking wine'), your eating the pig and your
invoking a child for Allah.'"
And As-Sana'ni reported in his 'Tafseer'
from Abdurrazaq from Qatadah that Ubayy bin Khalaf came with a
decaying tooth while scattering it in the wind and said: Will Allah give life
to this, O Muhammad? The Prophet said:"Yes, Allah will give life to it and cause you to die and enter you
into the Fire!" And Al-Hakim reported in 'Al-Mustadrak' and
authenticated it from Jabir bin Abdullah (ra) who said:
"Quraysh convened one day and Utbah bin Rabi'ah came to him and
said: O Muhammad, are you better or Abdullah?...The Messenger of
Allah was silent. Then the Messenger of Allah said: Have you
finished? He said: Yes. So the Messenger of Allah recited: 'Bismillah
ir-Rahmaan ir-Raheem. Ha Meem. A revelation from Allah, ir-
Rahmaan, ir-Raheem' until he reached: 'But if they turn away, then
say: 'I have warned you of a lightning bolt like the lightning bolt
of 'Ad and Thamud' [TMQ Fussilat: 1-13] Utbah said to him: It is
enough, it is enough. Have you anything other than this? He said: No. So
he returned to Quraysh and they said: What is behind you? He said: I did
not leave anything that I thought you would say to him except that I
said to him. They said: Did he answer you? He said: Yes. By the One who
set upright the structure, I understood nothing of what he said except
that he warned you of a lightning bolt of 'Aad and Thamud. They said:
Woe unto you, a man spoke to you in Arabic and you do not know what
he said? He said: No, by Allah, I understood nothing except mentioning
the lighting bolt." This is some of what was narrated from him of
intellectual struggle.
Likewise, some of the Sahabah would do this. Of this is what ibn Ishaq
narrated with his chain from Az-Zubair who said: "The first to loudly
recite the Qur'an in Makkah after the Messenger of Allah was
'Abdullah bin Mas'oud (ra). He said: The companions of the Messenger
of Allah assembled one day and said: By Allah, the Quraysh have not
heard the Qur'an being loudly recited yet, so which man will make them
hear it? 'Abdullah bin Mas'oud said: Me. They said: Verily we fear them
against you. We intend a person who has kinsfolk who protect him fromthe people if they have evil designs upon him. He said: Leave me. Allah
will protect me. He said: On the morrow, bin Mas'oud came to the maqam
(of Ibrahim at the Ka'aba) in the forenoon and recited:
'Ar-Rahmaan. Has taught the Qur'an' [TMQ Ar-Rahman: 1-2].