17
quasi, the meaning is from Allâh but the words are the Prophet‘s, transmitted to him either through a
vision or revelation. (Trans.)), reporting the saying of Allâh Ta‘ala: They prohibited to people what I had
made lawful for I created people upright (hunafah). Then the evil ones came to them and led them astray
from their religion them and commanded them to associate with Me that for which I had not sent down
any authority. (Compiled by Muslim.)
Prohibiting something which is halal is similar to committing shirk, and this is why the Qur‘ân censures
the idolaters of Arabia for their polytheism, their idols, and for prohibiting to themselves, without any
authority from Allâh, the eating and the use of certain kinds of produce and cattle. Among these
prohibited animals were those which were called bahirah, saibah, wasilah, and ham during the pre-
Islâmic period of jahiliyyah. (The state of mind and conditions of life prior to the advent of Islâm,
characterized by deviation from the guidance of Allâh and the adoption of ungodly systems and ways of
life. (Trans.)) Bahirah (the slit-eared) denoted a female camel which had given birth to five calves, the
last of which was a male. The ear of such a camel was slit and she was loosed to roam freely; she was
not to be ridden, milked, or slaughtered, and was free to eat and drink from any place she liked without
hindrance. Saibah referred to a male or female camel which was released to roam freely because of a
vow, usually made following a safe return from a journey, the cure of an illness, or for some other
reason. As for wasilah, if the firstborn of a female goat were a male, the polytheists would sacrifice him
to their gods, while if it were a female they would keep her for themselves. In the case of twin offspring,
one female and the other male, they would say, “He is her brother,” and instead of sacrificing the male
they would release him to roam free; he was known as wasilah. And if a male camel’s second generation
offspring was capable of carrying a rider, they would let the older camel go free, saying, “He saved his
back,” and calling him al-ham.
While there are other interpretations of these four terms, they are all of a similar nature. The Qur‘ân
rejected these prohibitions and left no excuse for those who practiced them to follow the errors of their
forefathers: Allâh did not institute bahirah or saibah or wasilah or ham; but those who disbelieve forge a
lie against Allâh, and most of them do not use their reason. When it is said to them, ‘Come to what Allâh
has revealed and to the Messenger,‘ they say, ‘What we found our fathers doing is enough for us.’ What!
And even though their fathers did not know anything and were not rightly guided? (5:103-104)
In Surah al-An‘am, there is a detailed discussion of what such people claimed to be haram of camels,
oxen, sheep, and goats. In this context the Qur‘ân uses an ironic style of rhetorical questioning to
convince them of their error: Eight pairs (of cattle), two of sheep and two of goats. Say: Has He forbidden
the two males or the two females or that which the wombs of the two hold? Inform me with knowledge if
you are truthful. And two (pairs) of camels and two of oxen. Say: Has He forbidden the two males or the
two females? (6:143-144)
In another discussion contained in Surah al-A‘raf, Allâh Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala rejects the claims of all
prohibitors, laying down the final criteria governing prohibitions: Say: Who has forbidden the adornment
of Allâh which He has brought forth for His servants, and the good things of His providing?...Say: What
my Rabb has indeed prohibited are shameful deeds, whether open or secret, and sin and rebellion
without just cause, and that you associate with Allâh that for which He has sent down no authority, and
that you say concerning Allâh that about which you do not know. (7:32-33)
A significant aspect of these discussions is that they were revealed in Makkah. The Makkan revelations
invariably dealt with matters of faith, the oneness of Allâh Ta‘ala, and the Hereafter. We may therefore
deduce that, in the sight of Allâh, this matter of declaring things to be prohibited without any authority
from Him was not a minor matter but one which pertained to the fundamentals and general principles of
the faith.
18
In Madinah certain Muslims showed a tendency toward asceticism, denying themselves some
permissible pleasures. Then, in order to keep them within the limits set by Himself and bring them back
to the straight path of Islâm, Allâh revealed the following strongly-worded verses: You who believe! Do
not make haram the good things which Allâh has made halal for you, and do not transgress; indeed,
Allâh does not like the transgressors. And eat of what Allâh has provided for you, lawful and good, and
fear Allâh, in Whom you are believers. (5:87-88)
4. The Prohibition of Things Is Due to Their Impurity and Harmfulness
It is the right of Allâh, the One Who created human beings and bestowed innumerable gifts on them, to
legalize or prohibit as He deems proper, and to place obligations and responsibilities upon them as He
sees fit. As His creatures, they have neither the right to question nor to disobey Him. But Allâh
Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala is not arbitrary in what He commands. Because He is merciful to His servants, He
makes things halal and haram for a reason, with people’swell-being in view. Accordingly, He has neither
permitted anything except what is pure nor has He prohibited anything except what is impure.
It is true that Allâh Ta‘ala had prohibited certain good things to the Jews, but this was only as a
punishment for their rebelliousness and transgression of the limits set by Allâh. Thus He says: And to the
Jews We forbade every animal with claws, and of cattle and sheep We have forbidden them their fat,
except what is carried on their backs or entrails, or what is connected to the bone; thus did We
recompense them for their rebelliousness, and indeed, We speak the truth. (6:146)
Elsewhere in the Qur‘ân Allâh has described other manifestations of this rebellious attitude: Because of
the wrongdoing of the Jews, We prohibited to them some of the good things which had been permitted to
them, and because of their hindering many from the path of Allâh, and their taking usury although they
had been forbidden to do it, and their wrongfully devouring peoples wealth... (4:160-161)
When Allâh sent His final Messenger (s.a.w.s.) with the eternal complete religion to humanity after it had
developed to a state of maturity, He demonstrated His mercy by removing these prohibitions, which had
been a temporary penalty for a rebellious, stiff-necked people. And the coming of the Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) who would relieve them of this burden was foretold to the Jews and Christians, who, as the
Qur‘ân states:...they find described in their own scriptures, in the Taurat and the Injeel. He commands
them what is right and forbids them what is evil; He makes lawful to them what is good and makes
unlawful what is foul; He releases them from their burdens and from the yokes which were upon them...
(7:157)
In Islâm, ways other than prohibiting the good things were prescribed by Allâh Ta‘ala for the eradication
of sins: sincere repentance‘ which cleanses sins as water cleanses dirt; good deeds, which compensate
for evil ones; spending in charity, which extinguishes fire; and trials and sufferings, which disperse sins
as the winter wind disperses dry leaves. Accordingly, we know that in Islâm things are prohibited only
because they are impure or harmful. If something is entirely harmful it is haram, and if it is entirely
beneficial it is halal; if the harm of it outweighs its benefit it is haram, while if its benefit outweighs its
harm it is halal. This principle is explained in the Qur‘ân in relation to wine and gambling: They ask thee
concerning wine and gambling. Say (O Prophet): In them is great sin and some benefit for human
beings, but the sin is greater than the benefit.... (2:219)
By the same logic, if it is asked, what is halal in Islâm, the answer is, the good things. Good things are
those which moderate people acknowledge to be wholesome and which are approved by human beings
in general without relation to the habits of a particular group. Allâh Ta‘ala says: They ask thee what is
Dostları ilə paylaş: |