Animals and Animal Welfare in Islam (Pdf2016)

Saeed AbdulRahim
e.Mail: islamic_wisdom@hotmail.com
Web: www.scribd.com/islamicwisdom7
Animals and Animal Welfare in

Islam
An Analysis of the subject drawing from Two of the Main Islamic
Sources. i.e. The Quran and Hadith plus additional material from a
variety of sources including Biographies of Some of the Major
Prophets whose name is linked in one way or another with an animal
species.
180 pages, over 770 foot-notes and an Encyclopedia of Animals mentioned in
Islamic Texts.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Index
1.
General Overview
Introduction, Signs of Allah, Creatures in Pairs, Communities Like Our Own, Created
from Water, Sustenance of Every Living Creature, Wide Use of Animals, Animals Use as
a Means of Transport and its Future Development, Animals for Use as a Sacrifice, Other
Uses, ALLAH has the Knowledge of the Fore-Lock of Every Moving Creature, All Living
Creatures Will be Summoned Before GOD, All Worship Allah.
2.
Chapters of The Quran that are named after Animals
[Ch2] Al-Baqara The Calf [Ch6] Al-Anam - The Cattle [Ch16] Al-Nahl -The Bee [Ch27]
Al-Naml - The Ant [Ch29] Al-Ankabut The Spider
[Ch105]Al-Feel - The Elephant
3.
Animal Welfare Commandments in the Hadith
4.
Prophets Who Have Been Linked to One - or More of an Animal Species
Prophet(s) Hud, Saleh, Noah And The Animals, Yusuf (Joseph) & The King's Dream,
Yunus (Jonah) and The Big Fish, Moses- the Wise Man and an Allegorical Reference to a
Fish, David & Solomon and The Animals.
5.
Alphabetical Encyclopedia of Animals that are mentioned in The Quran,

Hadith and other Islamic Literature
ANTS in the Quran and Hadith ANTELOPE in Islamic Texts

B
BAT in the Islamic Text
BEES in the Quran and Hadith BIRDS in the Quran and Hadith BUFFALOS (Water) in
the Quran / Hadith BULL in the Quran / Hadith
C
CAMELS in the Quran and Hadiths, She Camel CATS in the Hadiths,
CALF in the Quran and Hadiths CATTLE in the Quran and Hadiths,
CHEETAH in the Quran/Hadith COCKEREL in the Quran and Hadiths (See also Hen)
COW in the Quran and Hadiths CROW in the Quran and Hadiths
D
DEER in the Quran / Hadith, DOGS in the Quran and Hadith
E
EAGLE in the Hadith and history ELEPHANT in The Quran and Hadiths
F
FALCON in the Quran and Hadith, FISH in the Quran and Hadiths, FLEA(s),LICE(s) &
TICK(s) in the Hadiths, FLY in the Quran and Hadiths
FOX in the Quran and Hadiths
G
GOATS in the Quran and Hadiths
H
HEIFER in the Quran and Hadiths, Hoopoe in The Quran and Hadiths, HORSES ,Steeds
& Stallions in the Quran and Hadith, HOUNDS Pl See DOGs in the Quran and Hadiths,
2
HYENA in the Quran / Hadiths

J
JERBOA in Islamic Texts
L
LEOPARD in Islamic Texts, LICE in Islamic Texts, LION in The Quran and Hadiths,
LIZARD in Islamic Texts
N
NIGHTINGALE in The Quran/Hadiths
O
OSTRICH in the Quran / Hadiths
P
PIGEON in the Quran / Hadiths
Q
QUAILS in the Quran / Hadiths
R
RABBIT in Islamic Text ROOSTER in the Quran / Hadiths
S
SCORPIONS in the Quran / Hadiths, SHEEP in the Quran and Hadiths, SNAKE in the
Quran and Hadiths
SPIDER in the Quran and Hadiths

T
T URTLEDOVE in the Quran / Hadiths
3
V
VERMINS
in the Quran and Hadiths,
VULTURES in the Hadith
W
WHALE in the Quran and Hadith
WOODCHUCK in the Quran / Hadiths
WORM in the Quran and Hadiths
Y
YEARLING in the Hadith, YELLOW Cow in The Quran, YELLOW Camels in The Quran
Z
Zebra in the Quran / Hadith
6
Appendixes.
Appendix 1 - Story of attack on Kaaba by an Army of 60,000 soldiers with Elephants which
was defeated by a Flock of Birds Carrying pebbles of baked clay in their beaks
Appendix 2 - Is Islamic Slaughtering Cruel to Animals?
Appendix 3 - Islamic and Jewish Dietary Laws Compared
Appendix 4 -Jurisprudical Points Regarding Some Creatures and their By-Products
Appendix 5 Jurisprudical Points regarding compensation to be offered for
Killing an Animal whilst in the Pilgrims Garb
Appendix 6 Jurisprudical Points regarding Counting of Livestock, Lambs and Other Baby
Animals When Assessing Zakat
Appendix 7 Jurisprudical Points regarding few and Many Actions that can affect the
Salah (Prayers)
Appendix 8 Story of Prophet NUH (Noah)
Appendix 9 - Story of Prophet HUD (Eber)
Appendix 10 Story of Prophet SALEH (Shelah)
Appendix 11 Story of Prophet YUSUF (Joseph)
Appendix 12 Story of Prophet YUNUS (Jonah)
Appendix 13 Story of Prophet SULAIMAN (Solomon)
4
Animals and Animal Welfare in Islam

Chapter 1 General Overview
Introduction
The Arabic term for the "animal" (i.e. haywan) with its limited meaning is said to appear once in the Qur'an which instead
chooses to use another word dbba which has a much wider range of meanings depending on the context of its use and refers
varyingly to all living creatures, beasts of all kinds, animals, moving creatures, creatures, worms etc. There are approximately 22
verses of the Quran which use this term dbba when dealing with the subject.
The degree of importance given to Animals in Islam can be gauged form the fact that 6 of the Surah(s) [Chapters] of the Quran
take their name from names of non-human creatures like Animals and Insects. These are [Ch2] Al-Buqarah The Calf;
[Ch6] Al-Anam - The Cattle; [Ch16] Al-Nahal -The Bee; [Ch27] Al-Naml - The Ant; [Ch29] Al-Ankabut The
Spider; [Ch105] Al-Feel The Elephant.
Whether we are considering insects, animals, humans or inanimate objects like the Sun, The Moon and the Stars in our
reflection on the subject, the important thing to bear in mind is that ALL bar-None offer SERVITUDE to GOD and prostrate them
in His Worship. The form and language of worship may not be the same that we human beings recognize and is most probably
different for different form of creatures, but nevertheless ALL Worship GOD and those that dare to defy GODs Lordship will
inevitably have to face GODs scorn on Resurrection Day.
The above contention is specifically highlighted in a verse of The QURAN which States it in the following words:
Quran: ART THOU NOT aware that before God prostrate themselves all [things and beings] that are in the
heavens and all that are on earth the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees,
and the beasts? And many human beings [submit to God consciously], whereas many [others, having defied
Him,] will inevitably have to suffer [in the life to come]; and he whom God shall scorn [on Resurrection Day]
will have none who could bestow honour on him: for, verily, God does what He wills .1
The Following Significant Verses of the Quran repeatedly talk of the Creation and Creatures submitting to the Worship of Allah.
SIGNS OF ALLAH
LIVING CREATURES ARE SIGNS OF ALLAH
Quran: and among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the living creatures that
He has scattered through them: and He has power to gather them together when He wills 2
Quran: and in the creation of yourselves and the fact that animals are scattered (through the earth), are
Signs for those of assured Faith.3
Quran: Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day;
in the sailing of the ships through the ocean for the profit of mankind; in the rain which Allah Sends down
from the skies, and the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead; in the beasts of all kinds that
1
Quran 22:18
Quran [42:29]
3
Quran [45:4]
2
He scatters through the earth; in the change of the winds, and the clouds which they Trail like their slaves
between the sky and the earth;- (Here) indeed are Signs for a people that are wise.4
CREATURES IN PAIRS
NOBLE CREATURES IN PAIRS
The Quran highlights this aspect of Pairship of creatures in the following words
Quran: He has created heavens without any pillars that ye can see; He set on the earth mountains
standing firm, lest it should shake with you; and He scattered through it beasts of all kinds. We send down
rain from the sky, and created the produce on the earth every kind of noble creature, in pairs.5
COMMUNITIES LIKE OUR OWN

ANIMALS HAVE COMMUNITIES LIKE OUR OWN
This is stated in The Quran in the following verses:

Quran: There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth or a being that flies on its wings, but will be
gathered to their Lord in the end6
Quran: Have they, then, never beheld the birds above them, spreading their wings and drawing them in?
None but the Most Gracious upholds them: for, verily, He keeps all things in His sight .7
Quran: and [likewise] the birds in their assemblies: [together] they all would turn again and again unto
Him [who had created them].8
CREATED FROM WATER

EVERY ANIMAL IS CREATED FROM WATER
The fact that every animal is created from water is stated in The Quran in the following words:
Quran: And Allah has created every animal from water: of them there are some that creep on their
bellies; some that walk on two legs; and some that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills for verily
Allah has power over all things. Note The Contextual Meaning of the word Water as it is used in this
verse is referring to the Procreating Seminal Fluid.9
SUSTENANCE OF EVERY LIVING CREATURE

The QURAN Spot Lights this dependence of Creatures in the following two verses:
Quran: there is no moving creature on earth but its sustenance dependeth on Allah. He knoweth the
time and place of its definite abode and its temporary deposit: All is in a clear Record.10
4
Quran [2:164]
Quran [31:10]
6
Quran [6:38]
7
Quran [67:19]
8
Quran [38:19]
9
Quran [24:45]
10
Quran [11:16]
5
Quran: How many are the creatures that carry not their own sustenance? It is Allah who feeds (both)
them and you: for He hears and knows (all things). 11
WIDE USE OF ANIMALS

The wide range of uses of animals open to mankind is highlighted in the following verse of The Quran
Quran: And God has given you [the ability to build] your houses as places of rest, and has endowed you
with [the skill to make] dwellings out of the skins of animals - easy for you to handle when you travel and
when you camp -and [to make] furnishings and goods for temporary use of their [rough] wool and their
soft, furry wool and their hair.12
USE OF ANIMALS AS MEANS OF TRANSPORT AND ITS FUTURE

DEVELOPMENT
Quran: And (it is He who creates] horses and mules and asses for you to ride, as well as for [their] beauty:
and He will yet create things of which [today] you have no knowledge 13
The use, in this context, of the terms aorist yakhluqu implies the future tense ("He will create") in contrast with the past tense
khalaqa employed in the-preceding passages. Since this reference to God's continuing creation comes immediately after, a
mention of primitive means of transport (i.e., of animals domesticated by man to this end), it-obviously relates to other-as yet
unknown-things of the same category: that is to say, to new means of transport which God unceasingly creates through the
instrumentality of the inventiveness with which He has endowed man's mind (cf. 36:42). Inasmuch as every successive stage of
human development bears witness to new, previously undreamt-of inventions in the realm of transport, the Qur'anic statement
that "He will yet create things of which [today] you have no knowledge" is valid for every period - past, present and future - of
man's history.
14
ANIMALS FOR USE AS SACRIFICE

The appointment of sacrifice as an act of worship is stated in the following verse of The Quran
Quran: And [thus it is:] unto every community [that has ever believed in Us] have We appointed [sacrifice
as] an act of worship, so that they might extol the name of God over whatever heads of cattle He may
have provided for them [to this end].* And (always bear in mind:) your God is the One and Only God: hence,
surrender yourselves unto Him. And give thou the glad tiding [of Gods acceptance] unto all who are
humble15
* as a conscious, selfless offering in His name of something that one cherishes as necessary and valuable,
and not as an attempt to "propitiate Him who is far above anything that resembles human emotion . 16
And, again in the following verse:
Quran: And as for the sacrifice of cattle, We have ordained it for you as one of the symbols set up by God,
in which there is [much] good for you. Hence, extol the name of God over them when they are lined up [for
sacrifice]; and after they have fallen lifeless to the ground, eat of their flesh, and feed the poor who is
11
Quran [29:60]
Quran [16:80]
13
Quran [16:8]
14
M. Asad in his explanatory Notes Accompanying his translation of Quran [16:8]
15
Quran [22:34]
16
M. Asad in his explanation of the verse 22:34
7
12
contented with his lot (and does not beg), as well as him who is forced to beg. It is to this end that We have
made them subservient to your needs, so that you might have cause to be grateful .17
OTHER USES OF ANIMALS

The other uses of animals open to humans is highlighted in the following verse of The Quran
Quran: And God has given you [the ability to build] your houses as places of rest, and has endowed you
with [the skill to make] dwellings out of the skins of animals - easy for you to handle when you travel and
when you camp -and [to make] furnishings and goods for temporary use of their [rough] wool and their
soft, furry wool and their hair.18
M. Asad the translator has given the following additional explanations of the terms used in the above verse
as follows:
(a)The term julud (sing. jild) denotes, literally, "skins", but apparently comprises here also the wool which grows on the skins of
domesticated animals. It is to be noted that in Arabian usage the noun bayt ("house") signifies not only a solid building but also a
19
"tent" - in brief, every kind of dwelling, whether permanent or temporary.
(a) Wabar (here given in its plural, awbar) is the soft wool growing on the shoulders of camels ("camel-hair"), used in the
20
weaving of fine cloths and sometimes also of bedouin tents.
ALLAH HAS KNOWLEDGE OF THE FORE-LOCK OF EVERY MOVING

CREATURE
The Quran highlights the wide span of knowledge of ALLAH (SWT) in the following verse
Quran: I put my trust in Allah, My Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving creature, but He hath grasp
of its fore-lock. Verily, it is my Lord that is on a straight Path.21
ALL LIVING CREATURES WILL BE SUMMONED BEFORE GOD.

The Quran emphasises the Gathering before ALLAH (SWT) in the following words
Quran: There is not an animal (that lives) on the earth, or a being that flies on its wings, but (forms part
of) communities like you Nothing have we omitted from the Book, and they (all) shall be gathered to their
Lord in the end.22
The Quran once again draws attention to this Power of ALLAH (SWT) to gather us all before him whenever He wills in the
following verse
Quran: and among His signs is the [very] creation of the heavens and the earth, and of all the living
creatures which He has caused to multiply throughout them* and [since He has created them,] He has
[also] the power to gather them [unto Himself] whenever He wills.23*Lit., "in both". In the Quran, the expression "the heavens and the earth" invariably denotes the universe in its entirety. 24
17
Quran [22:36]
Quran [126:80]
19
Quran [16:80]
20
Quran [16:80]
21
Quran [11:56]
22
Quran [6:38]
23
Quran [42:29]
24
M. Asad in his explanatory Note Accompanying his translation of Quran [42:29]
8
18
ALL PROSTRATE TO and WORSHIP ALLAH

The Quran speaks of this Universal Worship of ALLAH (SWT) by ALL the creatures in the following verse
Quran: ART THOU NOT aware that before God prostrate themselves all [things and beings] that are in
the heavens and all that are on earth the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the
trees, and the beasts? And many human beings [submit to God consciously], whereas many [others, having
defied Him,] will inevitably have to suffer [in the life to come]; [23] and he whom God shall scorn [on Resurrection Day] will have none who could bestow honour on him: for, verily, God does what He wills.25
M. Asad, a translator of The Quran adds, According to Zamakhshari and Razi, this interpolated phrase - with its stress on
"consciously" - is an elliptically implied predicate (khabar) linked with the preceding nominal subject (mubtada): the purport
being that although everything in creation "prostrates itself before God, willingly or unwillingly (cf. 13:15), not all human
26
beings do so consciously.(Quran Ref: 22:18 )
In terms of the suffering in the life to come, M. Asad adds, "whereas upon many a one the suffering [in the life to come] has
become unavoidably incumbent (haqqa alayhi)", i.e., as a necessary consequence and corollary of his attitude in this world, and
27
not as an arbitrary "punishment" in the conventional sense of this term.(Quran Ref: 22:18 )
This aspect of Prostration and Worship of ALLAH (SWT) BY All the creatures is stated in another verse of The Quran as follows:
Quran: And before God prostrate themselves willingly or unwillingly, all [things and beings] that are in the
heavens and on earth, as do their shadows in the mornings and the evenings.28
Definition of Prostration
M. Asad, a translator of The Quran explains the definition of Prostration in the following way:
The expression used in The Quran for prostration yasjud ("prostrates himself" or "prostrate themselves") is a metonym for
complete submission to His will (Zamakhshari), that is, to the natural laws decreed by Him with regard to everything that exists.
According to most of the classical commentators, those who submit to God willingly (i.e., consciously) are the angels and the
believers, whereas the deniers of the truth, who are "not willing" to submit to Him, are nevertheless, without being conscious of
it, subject to His will. However, in view of the subsequent reference to "shadows" it is logical to assume that the relative
pronoun man relates in this context not merely to conscious beings but also to all other physical objects, whether animate or
29
inanimate-i.e., to "all things and beings that are in the heavens and on earth". (See also 16:48-49 and 22:18.)(Quran Ref: 13:15)
M. Asad adds, the varying lengths of the shadow projected by any material object depend on the position of the sun in relation
to the earth; and since the earth's rotation around the sun is -as everything else in the universe - an outcome of God's creative
will, the greater length of a shadow in the morning and evening and its contraction towards noon visibly expresses the shadow's
30
subjection to Him.
Chapter 2 Chapters of The Quran that are named after Animals

Although there are over 200 verses of the Quran that deal with animals in one way or another, because of the overwhelming
theme in them six chapters of The Quran are specifically named after them. These are:
1. The Cow -
Buqarah, Chapter 2
2. The Cattle
Anam, Chapter 6
3. The Bee
Nahal, Chapter 16
25
Quran [22:18]
M. Asads Note No.22 Accompanying his translation of Quran [22:18]
27
M. Asad in his Note No. 23 Accompanying his translation of Quran 22:18
28
Quran [13:15]
29
M. Asad in his Note No. 33 Accompanying his translation Quran 13:15
30
M. Asad in his Note No.34 Accompanying his translation of Quran 13:15
9
26
4. The Ant -
Naml,
Chapter 27
5. The Spider - Ankabut, Chapter 29

6. The Elephant - Feel,
Chapter 105
Then there are about 19 other Chapters of The Quran that are named after a Geological or Environmental object or
Occurrence, and these are|:
1. The Thunder Al-Raad, Chapter13 2.The Cave - Al-Kahaf, Chapter 18 3 .The Smoke -Al-Dukhan
Chapter 44 4. The Mount Al-Tur , Chapter52 5.The Star Al-Najm, Chapter 53 6.The Moon AlQamar, Chapter 54 7 .The Iron Al-Hadid, Chapter 57 8.The Pen Al-Qalam, Chapter 68 9.The Genies
The Jinn, Chapter 72 10.The Mansions of The Stars Al-Buruj, Chapter 85 11.The Dawn Al-Fajr,
Chapter 89 12.The Sun - Al-Shams, Chapter 91 13.The Night Al-Layl, Chapter No. 92 14.The Morning
Hours - Al-Duha, Chapter 93 15.The Fig - Al-Tin, Chapter 95 16.The Clot - Al-Alaq, Chapter 96
17.The Declining Day - Al-Asr, Chapter 103 18 The Elephant - Al-eel - Chapter 105 19.The Day Break Al-Falaq. Chapter 113
What these chapter headings indicate is that The Quran and Islam are more than just a set of dos and donts and not just about
human beings only but about animals and environment and behaviour of towards others, in short, about GODS Creation, giving
an indication of a purposeful Creator and His Creation all being co-centric towards their Creator.
Let us now examine the historical events connected to an animal that have led to the six chapters as mentioned above
drawing their name from that animals name.
1. The Cow - Buqarah,
Chapter 2
This chapter features three historically significant events featuring two Calves and a Cow. The first two relates to events
surrounding Moses (Islamic equivalent Moosa) and the other significant mention of a Calf relates to Abraham (Islamic Equivalent
Ibrahim).
Let us examine the incident of a Calf and a Cow that relate to Moosa (Pbuh) - Moses
The Golden Calf
The Quran tells us of the occasion when ALLAH (SWT) had appointed a secluded worship of 40 continuous nights for Moosa and
whilst Moosa was busy in his meditational prayer of seclusion on mount Sinai, his people in his absence took to the worshipping
31
32
of a Golden Calf . This incident is mentioned again in another chapter of The Quran where it is described as being made out of
their ornaments.
The Quran mocks the people of Moosa who had taken to worshiping the Golden Ornamental Calf, by wondering how they
missed to notice that this Calf that they had taken to worshipping could neither speak to them nor guide them in any way, and
33
yet they took to worshipping it any way.
Moosa then admonished his people for the sin that they had committed against themselves by worshipping the effigy of that
ornamental golden calf. He asked them to turn in repentance to their Maker which they did. The Quran then goes on to tell us
31
Quran [2:51]
Quran [7:58]
33
Quran[ 7:58]
32
10
that ALLAH (SWT) accepted their repentance, for .behold, ALLAH alone is the Acceptor of Repentance and The Dispenser of
Grace
34
In order to highlight the wickedness of what Moosas people had done by worshipping an inanimate object, the Quran repeats
35
this incident in another verse reminding them that they had acted wickedly despite the fact that GOD had favoured them with
36
the presence of Moses who had carried to them all evidence of the Truth. The additional Divine Favour of effacing their sins is
37
mentioned in another verse of The Quran.
Just to show that ALLAH (SWT) is not inherently averse to the people of Moses despite their wickedness, GOD accepted their
pledge not to go astray again asking them once again, to Hold fast with all their strength to what has been vouchsafed to
them and hearken unto what Had been revealed to them..
However, Moosas people disobeyed again and refused to acknowledge the truth because their hearts were filled to overflowing
level of love for the golden Calf. The Quran says that Vile is what their false belief ejoins upon them and wonders if they were
ever believers at heart.
38
In the wider sense, the Golden Calf, which the people of Moosa had taken to worshipping, could be taken to symbolise the
worshipping of all material goods.
Moosas brother Aaron also gets a mention in this saga of the worshipping of the golden calf. He had been assigned to lead,
guide and minister to the people in Moosas absence whilst he was on Mount Sinai for his 40 nights secluded worshipping.
When Moosa found his people in this state of disbelief he said to his brother:
Quran: "Verily, as for those who have taken to worshipping the [golden] - Calf - their Sustainer's condemnation will overtake
39
them, and ignominy [will be their lot] in the -life of this world!" For thus do We requite all who invent [such] falsehood
Throughout the Quran, this expression falsehood is used to describe (a) the attribution of divine qualities to any concrete or
imaginary object or person, and"(b) the making of false statements about God, His attributes, or the contents of His messages.
40
In the above context it refers to any false imagery which deflects man from the worship of the One God.
The followers of the Old Testament, and in the context of our present discussion, the people that are referred to here are the
descendants of those followers of Moses who had taken to the worshipping of the golden calf, had demanded of Prophet
Mohammad (Pbuh) that he should cause a whole physical book to be sent down to them from heaven by way of a proof of his
claim to Prophethood, but The Quran tells us that their forefathers had demanded of Moosa an even greater thing when they
had said to him Make us see God face to face whereupon the thunderbolt of punishment overtook them for their
wickedness, but their wickedness didnt stop there, they then went on to worshipping the golden calf which they had created of
their own hands, and this after all the evidence of truth had come to them, bur ALLAH in his Mercy still forgave them and
effaced their sins.
41
Role of The Samaritans

The Quran tells us that when Moosa condemned his followers for taking to worshipping the golden calf, they told him that the
SAMARITAN had produced for them the calf out of molten gold upon which they then told one another : This is your actual
42
deity, and the deity of Moses-but that he had forgotten this and his past
It remains to be seen if in the group of people that in the present times are known as the Samaritans are they descended from
that same Samaritan that had constructed the golden calf that lead to the Mosess people deviating away from GODs worship
34
Quran [2:54]
Quran [2:92]
36
Quran [2:92]
37
Quran [4:153]
38
Quran [2:93]
39
Quran[ 7:152]
40
M. Asads Note No. 119 Accompanying his Translation of Quran [7:152]
41
Quran[ 4:153]
42
Quran [20:88]
11
35
alone, and if so, then one wonders if the additional term of Good as a prefix to the name Samaritan has any thing to do with a
desire to Wash away that image, taking nothing away from the Good Work that is done by the present day Samaritans.
The Cow Having dealt with the story of the calf that some of Moosas followers constructed and assigned deity to, let us now
look at the story of the Cow that is related to the themes of the story of Moosa and which lent its name to the title of the
chapter as The Cow (Chapter 2 of The Quran).
History has it that it was a tradition and part of the Mosaic Law of that time, and we can refer to it as the Mosaic Shariah, which
ordained that in certain cases of un-resolved murder, a cow should be sacrificed and the elders of the town or village nearest to
the place of the murder should wash their hands over it and declare, "Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes
seen it"--whereupon the community would be absolved of collective responsibility. For the details of this Old Testament
43
ordinance, see Deuteronomy xxi, 1-9.(Quran Ref: 2:67 )
It is not known what incident lead to it, but we are told that Moosa conveyed to his people that ALLAH (SWT) bids you to
sacrifice a cow, and they thought that he was making fun of them, and he responded by saying that
Quran: I seek refuge with GOD against being so ignorant44

This set in motion a whole set of rigmarole queries from the people as a way of avoiding facing the reality that the
commandment had come from GOD and not from Moses and they wanted to pujt a spanner in the wheels of that.
First, they asked for more details on what GOD had commanded them to do. They said:
Quran: "Pray on our behalf unto thy Sustainer that He make clear to us what she is to be like." [Moses]
replied: "Behold, He says it is to be a Cow neither old nor immature, but of art age in-between. Do, then,
what you have been bidden!" 45
Then, they tried to find another excuse in trying to delay and avoid obeying GODs commandment, and put up another resisting
question when they again said to Moosa:
Quran: "Pray on our behalf unto thy Sustainer that He make clear to us what her colour should be.[Mopes]
answered: "Behold; He says it is to be a yellow Cow, bright of hue, pleasing to the beholder46
Those people persisted in their obstinacy, and they were not satisfied in wanting to know what colour the sacrificial cow should
be, and insisted on asking for even more detail claiming that to them all cows look alike promising to obey the commandment
47
after that
Moosa went back to those people with an answer from ALLAH (SWT) saying that:
Quran: He says it is to be a Cow not broken-in to plough the earth or to water the crops, free of fault,
without markings of any other colour. Said they: "At last thou hast brought out the truth!" and thereupon
they sacrificed her, although they had almost left it undon48
I.e., their obstinate desire to obtain closer and closer definitions of the simple commandment revealed to them through Moses
had made it almost impossible for them to fulfil it. In his commentary on this passage; Tabari quotes the following remark of Ibn
'Abbas: "If [in the first instance] they had sacrificed any cow chosen by themselves, they would have fulfilled their duty; but they
made it complicated for themselves, and so God made it complicated for them." A similar view has been expressed, in the same
context, by Zamakhshari. It would appear that the moral of this story points to an important-problem of all (and, therefore, also
of Islamic) religious jurisprudence: namely, the inadvisability of trying to elicit additional details in respect of any religious law
43
M. Asad in his Note 53 Accompanying his translation of Quran [2:67]

Quran [2:67]
45
Quran [2:68]
46
Quran [2:69]
47
Quran [2:70]
48
Quran [2:71]
12
44
that had originally been given in general terms-for, the more numerous and multiform such details become, the more
complicated and rigid becomes the law. This point has been acutely grasped by Rashid Rida', who says in his commentary on the
above Qur'anic passage (see Manar I, 345 f.): "Its lesson is that one should not pursue one's [legal] inquiries in such a way as to
make laws more complicated .... This was how the early generations [of Muslims] visualized the problem. They did not make
things complicated for themselves-and so, for them, the religious law (din) was natural, simple and liberal in its
straightforwardness. But those who came later added to it [certain other] injunctions which they had deduced by means of their
own reasoning (ijtihad); and they multiplied those [additional] injunctions to such an extent that the religious law became a
heavy burden on the community." For the sociological reason why the genuine ordinances of Islamic Law - that is, those which
have been prima facie laid down as such in the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet-are almost always devoid of details, I
would refer the reader to my book State and Government in Islam (pp. 11 ff. and passim). The importance of this problem,
illustrated in the above story of the cow-and correctly grasped by the Prophet's Companions-explains why this surah has been
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entitled "The Cow". (See also 5:101 and the corresponding notes 120-123.)(Quran Ref: 2:71)
2. The Cattle Al-Anam,
Chapter 6
Let us now look at the title of the 6 Chapter of The Quran to see why it has got that title.
th
There are almost 36 verses of The Quran which have a mention of cattle with the largest number of such mentions being in this
chapter, but this is not the main reason for the chapter acquiring the title of The Cattle, so why has this one particular chapter
been given this title.?
In order to understand why it is so? it will be useful to note that the First Article of Belief in Islam starts with the term of
negation NO that is that there is NO Deity worthy of worship except ALLAH(SWT)
What this Chapter does is to collect together in one place and negate the false beliefs around cattle that the people of Moses
had developed themselves.
The pre-Islamic Arabs used to dedicate a part of their agricultural produce and cattle to some of their deities, and a part to God,
whom they regarded as one - albeit the greatest- of them. In consonance, however, with the method of the Quran, the above
verse does not allude merely to this historical aspect of pre-Islamic Arabian life but has a wider, more general implication as
well: that is, it refers not only to the apportioning of devotional "shares" between God and the imaginary deities, but also to the
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attribution of any share in His creative powers to anyone or anything beside Him false.
According to this belief, Out of whatever GOD has created of the fruits of the field and the cattle, they would assign only a
portion of that unto GOD, whilst the Islamic belief assigns everything to GOD, but the Israelites would say that This belongs to
GOD and they would then assign the remaining portion to those whom they were convinced have a share in GODs divinity. The
fact that they assign only a portion to GOD rather than the whole does not brings them any closer to GOD or strengthen their
belief in Him, and the fact that they assign the remaining portion to those whom they consider to be associated with GOD
implies a negation of GODs transcendental Majesty and Uniqueness, and thus makes them more and more dependent on
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imaginary divine or semi divine mediators.
In addition, these people would assign sacredness to selected fruits and cattle and control access over them saying that none
will eat thereof except those whom they will allow. They also took it upon themselves to ban or prohibit other things for which
they had no authority. For instance, they would give special privileges to certain kinds of cattle over which they had forbidden to
load the Backs of again without any authority whilst at the bottom of the range of cattle that they had there were some over
which they did not pronounce ALLAHs name, falsely attributing the origin of their customs to GOD. But, ALLAH (SWT) is set to
52
requite them for all their false imagery.
The strayed sects of Mosess followers, had also self-invented another very strange credo whereby they will assign sanctity to
the contents of the wombs of selected cattle reserving their outputs to their men folk only forbidding their women to partake of
that meat assigning such reservations to GOD, BUT ALLAH (SWT) has said in The Quran that these people will be requited for all
53
that they falsely attribute to GOD.
49
M. Asad in his Note 55 Accompanying his translation of Quran[ 2:71]

M. Asad in his Note No 120 Accompanying his translation of Quran 6:136
51
M. Asad in his Note No 121 Accompanying his translation of Quran 6:136
52
Quran[ 6:138]
53
Quran [6:139]
13
50
The Quran instructs that whether it is the cattle reared for work or for the sake of their flesh we should eat whatever ALLAH
(SWT) has provided for us as sustenance, and that we should not follow our own whims and fancies for that would tantamount
to following Satans footsteps who we are told is our open foe.
These people superstitiously declared as forbidden what GOD has made lawful to man. . All the references to pre-Islamic taboos
given in verses 138-140 as well as 142-144 are meant to stress the lawfulness of any food (and, by implication, of any other
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physical enjoyment) which God has not expressly forbidden through revelation.
The followers of Moosa had another superstitious belief that four breeds of sheep and goats were unlawful for human beings to
have. They had no basis except their own superstitions for such belief. The Quran therefore challenges them by mockingly asking
which of the male and female breeds that God has forbidden or which of the the wombs that carried the two breeds of females
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that they had falsely forbidden for people, prove it says The Quran, if what you say is true?
The challenge of The Quran asking them to prove themselves, is asking them to do so not on the basis of mere guess work but
on the basis of knowledge acquired through authentic revelation, in other words, The Quran is telling them to bring out the
piece of revelation on which they are basing their false belief. This is because, it is ALLAH (SWT) who sends down all revelations,
and He is so sure that He never issued any instruction to forbid such sheep and goats that it is challenging them to bring forth
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the revelation on which they are basing their false belief.
M. Asad, a translator of The Quran with reference to the two verses of The Quran {6:143 and 6:144} relating to this false belief
suggests that, the narrative of the two verses is an outstanding example of the ellipticism often employed in the Quran: a mode
of expression which cannot be correctly rendered in any other language without the use of explanatory interpolations. The term
zawj denotes a pair of things as well as each of the two constituents of a pair: hence his rendering of thamaniyat azwaj (lit.,
"eight [in] pairs") as "four kinds of cattle of either sex". The particular superstition to which this and the next verse refer is
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probably identical with the one mentioned in 5:103.
The Quran tells us that the misguided followers of Moosa (Moses) had not only falsely forbidden some breeds of sheep and
goats, but they had also falsely forbidden two breeds of Camels and Bovine Cattle for themselves and their follolwers. Such is
ALLAH (SWT)s anger at such self-imposed false bans that it says:
Quran: And who could be more wicked than he who, without any [real] knowledge, attributes his own
lying inventions to God, and thus leads people astray'? Behold, God does not grace [such] evildoing folk
with His guidance.58
3. The Bee Al-Nahal,
Chapter 16
If major themes spread over several verses are the basis of naming the Chapters of The Quran, then Chapter 16 called The Bee
Al-Nahal is a different case. Here it seems the title of the Chapter is not an indication of the overall subject matter which is
mentioned in only two of the verses 68 and 69 of the chapter almost near to the middle of the chapter consisting of 128
versesExamining why it is so would require a much wider and deeper research effort far beyond the scope of this article.
So, what we will try and do here is to briefly look at some of the explanations offered by some of the exegesis writers about the
various themes contained in this chapter and its historical background.
One of these Commentators has suggested that the reason why the chapter has been given the title of The Bee could be to
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highlight a similitude between Honey which the Bees produce "a beverage of many hues in which there is healing for men"
and The Quran which also collects the best of the Teachings of previous Prophets and is providing a healing for the physical and
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spiritual diseases of human-beings .
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M. Asads Note 129 Accompanying his translation of Quran [6:142]

Quran [6:143]
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M. Asad in his Note No. 131 Accompanying his translation of Quran[ 6:143]
57
M. Asad in his Note No. 130 Accompanying his translation of Quran [6:143]
58
Quran 6:144
59
Quran 16:69
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http://www.nizamulislam.com/quran/al_nahl.asp
14
55
Other than the Bee, Major Issues, Divine Laws, and Guidance covered in this chapter include
1. Proof of Unity of ALLAH (SWT) - Tawhid and refutation of Polytheism shirk
2. That, The Mountains have been set on the earth to stabilize its balance.
3. That, ALLAH (SWT) has sent the Prophets - Rasools to warn against the unbeliever's excuse: "If Allah wanted we would have
not worshipped anyone else."
4. That, ALLAH (SWT)'s promise to provide a good abode for those who migrate for His sake.
5. That, If ALLAH (SWT) were to punish people for their wrong doings, He would not have left even an animal around.
6. As water gives life to dead so The Qur'an does to the human soul.
7. That, ALLAH (SWT) has provided signs in the lives of the bees, birds and animals.
8. That, ALLAH (SWT) commands to do justice, be good to others, and give to near relatives; and He forbids indecency,
wickedness, and rebellion.
9. That, We should seek ALLAH (SWT)'s protection against the Devil - Shaitan before starting to recite The Qur'an.
10. That, Designations of what is Halal (lawful) and what is Haram (unlawful) are only from Allah i.e. that people should not
invent them.
11. That, Abraham - Ibrahim was a nation in himself.
12. That, those who call people towards ALLAH (SWT) should do so with wisdom; advise and should reason with others in a
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courteous manner.
Explanation of the Differential between Humans using the example of Bees and Ants
62
Although not in this chapter titled The Bee but elsewhere The Qur'an stresses once again that the unceasing differentiation in
men's views and ideas is not incidental but represents a God-willed, basic factor of human existence. If God had willed that all
human beings should be of one persuasion, all intellectual progress would have been ruled out, and "they would have been
similar in their social life to the bees and the ants, while in their spiritual life they would have been like the angels, constrained
by their nature always to believe in what is true and always to obey God" (Manar XII, 193) - that is to say, devoid of that relative
free will which enables man to choose between right and wrong and thus endows his life - in distinction from all other sentient
beings - with a moral meaning and a unique spiritual potential
Regulated behaviour of Bees
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Once again, though not in this chapter titled The Bee but elsewhere there is an indirect mention of Bees with reference to
their regulated behaviour in a commentary on a verse. The spoken word in human speech is different from the means of
communication which birds and animals have between each other. But no man can doubt that they have means of
communication with each other, if he only observes the orderly flight of migratory birds or the regulated behaviour of ants,
bees, and other creatures who live in communities. The Wisdom of Solomon consisted in understanding these things-in the
animal world and in the lower fringes of human intelligence.
Two verses of this Chapter that make a direct reference to The Bees.
The verse of this Chapter that makes a direct mention of the Bee asks us to reflect on How ALLAH (SWT) inspires a small insect
like a bee, and here there is an implied reference to the fact that there is a communication taking place between GOD and the
Bee where GOD says to it by way of inspiration:
Quran: "Prepare for thyself dwellings in mountains and in trees, and in what [men] may build [for thee
by way of hives];64
M. Asad, a translator adds: The expression "He has inspired" (awha) is meant to bring out the wonderful quality of the instinct
which enables the lowly insect to construct the geometrical masterpiece of a honeycomb out of perfectly-proportioned
hexagonal, prismatic wax cells - a structure which is most economical, and therefore most rational, as regards space and
material. Together with the subsequently mentioned transmutation, in the bee's body, of plant juices into honey, this provides a
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striking evidence of "God's ways" manifested in all nature.(Quran Ref: 16:68)
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Introduction to Chapter-Surah 16- An-Nahl www.alim.org

Quran Chapter ( Surah) 11 - Hud , Verse (Ayah) 118, Commentary - 150 at www.alim.org
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Quran Chapter (Surah) 27 - An-Naml-The Ant , Verse (Ayah) 16 Commentary - 3255 at www.alim.org
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Quran [16:68]
65
M. Asad in his Nolte No. 77 Accompanying his translation of Quran 16:68
15
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The next mention of Bees in this Chapter is an indirect reference to HONEY
Quran: and then eat of all manner of fruit, and follow humbly the paths ordained for thee by thy
Sustainer." [And lo!] There issues from within these [bees] a fluid of many hues, wherein there is health for
man. In all this, behold, there is a message indeed for people who think!66
4. The Ants - Al-Naml,
Chapter 27
Chapter Introduction: Name Al-Naml, The Ants

This Chapter takes its name from the phrase wadin-naml which occurs in verse 18, implying that it is a Chapter in which the
story of An-Naml (the Ant) has been related.
General Introduction
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This Chapter (Surah) tells the stories of various prophets, such as Moses, Solomon and Salih , who preached Tawhid (The
Oneness of The Creator). The story of Solomon is more detailed. It is said that Solomon had converted Bilqis (The Queen of
Sheeba) to the Islam after a hoopoe reported to him that she is a Sun-worshipping queen. The miracles of Moses, described in
the Bible, are also mentioned. The name of the surah is taken from the ants whose conversations were understood by
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Solomon.
Theme and Topics
The Chapter consists of two discourses, the first from the beginning of the Surah to the end of verse 58, and the second from
verse 59 to the end of the Chapter (Surah).
1st discourse
The theme of this is that only those people can benefit from the guidance of the Quran and become worthy of the good
promises made in it, who accept the realities which this Book presents as the basic realities of the universe, and then follow up
their belief with obedience and submission in their practical lives as well. But the greatest hindrance for man to follow this way
is the denial of the Hereafter. For it makes him irresponsible, selfish and given to worldly life, which in turn makes it impossible
for him to submit himself before God and to accept the moral restrictions on his lusts and desires. After this introduction three
types of characters have been presented.
The first type is characterized by Pharaoh and the chiefs of Thamud and the rebels of the people of Lot, who were all heedless of
the accountability of the Hereafter and had consequently become the slaves of the world. These people did not believe even
after seeing the miracles. Rather they turned against those who invited them to goodness and piety. They persisted in their evil
ways which are held in abhorrence by every sensible person. They did not heed the admonition even until a moment before
they were overtaken by the scourge of Allah.
The second type of character is of the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him), who had been blessed by God with wealth and
kingdom and grandeur to an extent undreamt of by the chiefs of the disbelievers of Makkah. But, since he regarded himself as
answerable before God and had the feeling that whatever he had was only due to Allah's bounty, he had adopted the attitude of
obedience before Him and there was no tinge of vanity in his character.
The third type is of the Queen of Sheba, who ruled over a most wealthy and well known people in the history of Arabia. She
possessed all those means of life, which could cause a person to become vain and conceited. Her wealth and possessions far
exceeded the wealth and possessions of the Quraysh. Then she professed shirk, which was not only an ancestral way of life with
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Quran [16:69]
See Section 3 about Prophets Connected with an Animal as a major theme.
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www.wikipeadeia.com
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her, but she had to follow it in order to maintain her position as a ruler. Therefore, it was much more difficult for her to give up
shirk and adopt the way of Tawhid than it could be for a common mushrik (Polytheist). But when the Truth became evident to
her, nothing could stop her from accepting it. Her deviation was, in fact, due to her being born and brought up in a polytheistic
environment and not because of her being a slave to her lusts and desires. Her conscience was not devoid of the sense of
accountability before God.
2nd discourse
In the second discourse, at the outset, attention has been drawn to some of the most glaring and visible realities of the universe,
and the disbelievers of Makkah have been asked one question after the other to the effect: "Do these realities testify to the
creed of shirk which you are following, or to the truth of Tawhid to which the Quran invites you?" After this the real malady of
the disbelievers has been pointed out, saying, "The thing which has blinded them and made them insensitive to every glaring
reality is their denial of the Hereafter. This same thing has rendered every matter and affair of life non-serious for them. For,
when according to them, everything has to become dust ultimately, and the whole struggle of life is purposeless and without an
object before it, the truth and falsehood are equal and alike. Therefore, the question whether one's system of life is based on
the right or wrong foundations becomes meaningless for him."
But the discourse, as outlined above, is not meant to dissuade the Prophet and the Muslims from calling the obdurate and
heedless people to the way of Tawhid; it is, in fact, intended to arouse them from their slumber. That is why in vv. 67-93 certain
things have been said repeatedly in order to produce in the people a sense of the Hereafter, to warn them of the consequences
of being heedless of it, and to convince them of its coining, like an eye witness of something, who convinces the other person of
it, who has not seen it.
In conclusion, the real invitation of the Quran, that is, the invitation to serve One Allah alone, has been presented in a concise
but forceful manner, and the people warned that accepting it would be to their own advantage and rejecting it to their own
disadvantage. For if they deferred their faith until they saw those Signs of God after the appearance of which they would be left
with no choice but to believe and submit, they should bear in mind the fact that that would be the time of judgment and
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believing then would be of no avail.
5. The Spider - Ankabut, Chapter 29

The Chapter (Surah) takes its name from verse 41 in which the word Ankabut (Spider) has occurred.
Period of Revelation
Verses 56 to 60 clearly show that this Surah was sent down a little before the migration to Habash, and this is supported by the
internal evidence of the subject matter as well. Some commentators have opined that since it mentions the hypocrites, and
hypocrisy appeared in Madinah, the first ten verses of this Surah were revealed at Madinah and the rest of it at Makkah;
whereas the people whose hypocrisy has been mentioned here are those who had adopted a hypocritical way of life because
they were afraid of the oppression and extreme physical torture to which the Muslims were being subjected by the disbelievers.
Evidently, this kind of hypocrisy could be there only at Makkah and not at Madinah. Similarly, some other commentators, seeing
that in this Surah the Muslims have been exhorted to migrate, have regarded it as the last Surah to be revealed at Makkah,
whereas the Muslims had migrated to Habash even before their migration to Madinah. These opinions are not based on any
tradition but on the internal evidence of the subject matter, and this internal evidence, when considered against the subject
matter of the Surah as a whole, points to the conditions prevailing in the time of the migration to Habash and not to the last
stage at Makkah.
Theme and Subject matter
A perusal of the Surah shows that the period of its revelation was the period of extreme persecution of the Muslims at Makkah.
The disbelievers were opposing and fighting Islam tooth and nail and the new converts were being subjected to the severest
oppression. Such were the conditions when Allah sent down this Surah to strengthen and encourage the sincere Muslims as well
as to put to shame those who were showing weakness of the faith. Besides, the disbelievers of Makkah have been threatened
and warned not to invite for themselves the fate that the antagonists of the Truth have been experiencing in every age.
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www.alim.org
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In this connection, the questions that some young men were facing in those days, have also been answered. For instance, their
parents were urging them to abandon Muhammad (may Allah's peace be upon him), and return to their ancestral religion, for
they argued: "The Quran in which you have put your faith, regards the rights of the parents as the uppermost; therefore, listen
to what we say; otherwise you will be working against the dictates of your own Faith." This has been answered in verse 8.
Similarly, the people of some clans said to the new converts to Islam, "Leave the question of punishments, etc., to us. Listen to
us and abandon this man. If God seizes you in the Hereafter, we will come forward and say, 'Lord, these people are innocent: we
had forced them to give up the Faith; therefore, seize us'." This has been dealt with, in verses 12-13.
The stories mentioned in this Surah also impress the same point mostly, as if to say, "Look at the Prophets of the past: they were
made to suffer great hardships and were treated cruelly for long periods. Then, at last they were helped by Allah. Therefore,
take heart: Allah's succour will certainly come. But a period of trial and tribulation has to be undergone." Besides teaching this
lesson to the Muslims, the disbelievers also have been warned, as if to say, "If you are not being immediately seized by Allah,
you should not form the wrong impression that you will never be seized. The signs of the doomed nations of the past are before
you. Just see how they met their doom and how Allah succoured the Prophets."
Then the Muslims have been instructed to the effect: "If you feel that the persecution has become unbearable for you, you
should give up your homes, instead of giving up your Faith: Allah's earth is vast: seek a new place where you can worship Allah
with the full peace of mind."
Besides all this, the disbelievers also have been urged to understand Islam. The realities of Tawhid and the Hereafter have been
impressed with rational arguments, shirk have been refuted, and drawing their attention towards the signs in the universe, they
have been told that all these Signs confirm the teachings that the Prophet is presenting before them.
6. The Elephant - Al-Feel, Chapter 105

Period of Revelation
This Chapter (Surah) was revealed in the very early stage at Makkah.
Major Issues contained in this chapter are Divine Law and Guidance
An example of Gods Supreme Power is that Allah can save His house (Al-Ka'bah) by destroying an army of 60,000 with
elephants, through a flock of birds.
Theme
This is one of the shortest chapters in The Quran. So, why has a chapter of The Quran which refers to a very major incident in
Islamic History got so few a verses?
In this chapter (Surah), ALLAH (SWT)'s punishment which was inflicted on the People of the Elephant is referred to and
described only very briefly because it was an event of recent occurrence, and everyone in Makkah and Arabia was fully aware of
it. That's why the Arabs believed that the Ka'bah was protected in this invasion, not by any god or goddess, but by Allah (SWT)
Almighty Himself. Then Allah Alone was invoked by the Quraish chiefs for help, and for quite a few years the people of Quraish,
having been impressed by this event, had worshipped none but Allah. Therefore, there was no need to mention the details in
Surah Al-Feel, but only a reference to it was enough.
History of attack on Kaaba
(See the section 4 where there is an Alphabetical List of description of animals under the sub-section for Elephants where there
is another slightly differently worded narration of this event from Wikipedia)
According to Arab historians, the Abyssinian army that invaded Yemen had two commanders, Aryat and Abrahah. Aryat was
killed in an encounter, and Abrahah took control of the country; then somehow he persuaded the Abyssinian King to appoint
him his viceroy over Yemen. This man was the slave of a Greek merchant of the Abyssinian seaport of Adolis, who, by clever
diplomacy, had come to wield great influence in the Abyssinian army occupying Yemen. The troops sent by the Negus (king of
Abyssinia) to punish him either warned him or were defeated by him. Subsequently, after the death of the king, his successor
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was reconciled to accept him as his vicegerent of Yemen. Through passage of time, he became an independent ruler of Yemen.
He acknowledged the sovereignty of the Negus only in name and described himself as his deputy.
After stabilizing his rule in Yemen, Abrahah turned his attention to the objective which from the very beginning of this campaign
had been before the Byzantine empire and its allies, the Abyssinian Christians. This was to spread Christianity in Arabia and to
capture the trade that was carried out through the Arabs between the eastern lands and the Byzantine dominions. The need for
this increased because the Byzantine struggle for power against the Sasanian Empire of Iran had blocked all the routes of the
Byzantine trade with the East.
Abrahahs Cathedral in Sana
To achieve this objective, Abrahah built in Sana, the capital of Yemen, a magnificent cathedral called by the Arabian historians
Al-Qalis. After completing the building, he wrote to king Negus, saying: "I shall not rest until I have diverted the Arabs
pilgrimage to it.
So, in 570 or 571 A. D., he took 60,000 troops and 13 elephants (according to another tradition, 9 elephants) and set off for
Makkah. According to Muhammad bin Ishaq, when he was within three miles of Makkah at a place called 'al- Mughammas,'
Abrahah sent his vanguard forward and they brought him the plunder of the people of Tihama and Quraish, which included two
hundred camels of Abdul Muttalib, the grandfather of the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh).
Then, he sent an envoy of his to Makkah with the message that he had not come to fight the people of Makkah, but only to
destroy the House (i. e. the Ka'bah). If they offered no resistance, there would be no cause for bloodshed. Abrahah also
instructed his envoy that if the people of Makkah wanted to negotiate, he should bring their leader to him. The leader of
Makkah at that time was Abdul Muttalib.
Abdul Muttalibs encounter with Abrahah:
The envoy went to Abdul Muttalib and delivered Abrahah's message. Abdul Muttalib replied: "We have no power to fight
Abrahah. This is Allah's House. If He wills, He will save His House." The envoy asked him to go with him to Abrahah. He agreed
and accompanied him to the king. Abdul Muttalib was such a dignified and handsome man, that when Abrahah saw him he was
much impressed; he got off his throne and sat beside him on the carpet. Then he asked him what he wanted. Abdul Muttalib
replied that he wanted the king to return his camels which he had taken. Abrahah said: "I was much impressed when I saw you,
but your reply has brought you down in my eyes; you only demand your camels, but you say nothing about this House which is
your sanctuary and the sanctuary of your forefathers." He replied: "I am the owner of my camels and am requesting you to
return them. As for the House, it has its own Owner; He will defend it." When Abrahah said that He would not be able to defend
it against him, Abdul Muttalib said that it rested between Him (Allah) and him (Abrahah). With this, Abdul Muttalib left Abrahah
who returned his camels to him.
The Year of the Elephant:
According to Sayyidah Umme Hani and Sayyiduna Zubair bin al-Awwam, the Prophet (Pbuh) said: "The Quraish did not worship
anyone but Allah, the One and only, for ten years. The Arabs describe the year in which this event took place as Am al-Feel (the
year of the elephants), and in the same year the Prophet of Allah (Pbuh) was born.
Withdrawal of Quraish from Mecca:
One thing which becomes evident from this tradition is that the tribes living in and around Makkah did not have the power to
fight such a big force and save the Ka'bah. Therefore, obviously, the Quraish did not try to put up any resistance. The Quraish on
the occasion of the Battle of the Trench (Ahzab) had hardly been able to muster ten to twelve thousand men in spite of the
alliance with the pagan and Jewish tribes; they could not have resisted an army of 60,000 strong. Muhammad bin Ishaq says that
after returning from the camp of Abrahah, Abdul Muttalib ordered the Quraish to withdraw from the city and go to the
mountains along with their families for fear of a general massacre. Then, he went to the Ka'bah along with some chiefs of the
Quraish and taking hold of the iron ring of the door, prayed to Allah Almighty. Ibn Hisham, in his book 'Life of the Prophet,' has
cited some verses from Abdul Muttalib:
Abdul Muttalibs Supplication:
"O God, a man protects his house, so protect Your House; Let not their cross and their craft tomorrow overcome Your craft. If You
will to leave them and our Qiblah to themselves, You may do as You please. My Lord, I do not cherish any hope from anyone
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against them except You. O my Lord, protect Your House from them. The enemy of this House is Your enemy. Stop them from
destroying Your settlement."
Distressing Conditions of Abrahahs Soldiers when they were hit by the pebbles:
After making these supplications Abdul Muttalib and his companions also went off to the mountains. The next morning Abrahah
prepared to enter Makkah, but his special elephant, Mahmud, which was in the forefront, knelt down. It was beaten with iron
bars, goaded, but it would not get up. When they made it face south, north, or east, it would immediately start off, but as soon
as they directed it towards Makkah, it knelt down.
In the meantime swarms of birds appeared carrying stones in their beaks and claws and showered these on the troops. Whoever
was hit would start disintegrating. Ibn 'Abbas says that whoever was struck by a pebble would start scratching his body resulting
in breaking of the skin and falling off of the flesh. In another tradition Ibn 'Abbas says that the flesh and blood flowed like water
and bones in the body became visible. The same thing happened with Abrahah too.
Nufail bin Habib, whom they had brought as guide from the country of Khatham, was searched out and asked to guide them
back to Yemen, but he refused and said: "Now where can one flee when God pursues? The split nose (Abrahah) is the
conquered; not the conqueror."
Chapter 3 Animal Welfare Commandments in the Hadith

What follows on from here in this section is A Collection of Hadiths of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh)
Highlighting the Concerns for Animal Welfare in Islam
ONLY 1 Part in 100 of GODs MERCY HAS BEEN SENT TO THE CREATION
Regarding the Volume of ALLAH (SWT)s MERCY Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) has said that
* Verily God hath one hundred loving kindnesses; Only one of which he hath sent down amongst man,
quadrupeds, and every moving thing upon the face of the earth: by it they are kind to each other, and
forgive one another; and by it the animals of the wilds are kind to their young; and God hath reserved
ninety-nine loving kindnesses by which he will be gracious to His creatures on the last day70
Animal Welfare in Islam
HEAVENLY REWARDS FOR ANY ACT OF KINDNESS TO LIVE ANIMALS
Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) said in answer to a question.

* Asked: Are there rewards for doing good to quadrupeds and giving them water to drink? Prophet
Mohammad (Pbuh) said: Verily, there are heavenly rewards for any act of kindness to live animals
______________________________________________________________________________________________
DIVINE REWARD ACCRUING TO A PERSON WHO PLANTS A TREE / PLANT FROM WHICH ANIMALS AND
HUMAN BEINGS BENEFIT
Narrated by Anas bin Malik:
Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) said:
70
Hadith as quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Bukhari Volume 8, Book 73, Number 29
20
* If any Muslim plants any plant and a human being or an animal eats of it, he
will be rewarded as if he had

given that much in charity." Even if an animal eats from a plant which has been planted by man, the
person will receive rewards for it.71
* Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: Never a Muslim plants a tree, but he has
the reward of
charity for him, for what is eaten out of that is charity; what is stolen out of that, what the beast eat out of
that, what the birds eat out of that is charity for him. (In short) none incurs a loss to him but it becomes a
charity on his part.72
_______________________________________________________________________________________
DIVINE REWARD FOR SERVING ANIMALS

Narrated Abu Huraira:
*The people asked, "O Allah's Apostle! Is there a reward for us in serving the animals?" He said, "(Yes)
there is a reward for serving any animate (living being)."73
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Muslim
IMPRISONING OF ANIMALS IS A GREAT SIN
*It is a great sin for man to imprison those animals which are in his Power 74
_______________________________________________________________________________________
THE WORST OF THE SHEPHERDS

*The worst of the shepherds is the ungentle harsh one, who causes the beasts to crush or bruise one
another.75
_______________________________________________________________________________________
NO SECURE FAITH UNTIL......

*You will not have secure faith until you love one another, and have mercy upon those who live upon the
earth76
_______________________________________________________________________________________
71
Hadith as quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Bukhari Vol. 8, Book 73, #41
Hadith as quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim Hadith (Hadith 735)
73
Hadith as quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Bukhari Volume 8, Book 73, Number 38
74
Quoted by the Imam of al-Manar Centre, London, in one his Friday Sermons
75
Quoted by the Imam of al-Manar Centre, London, in one his Friday Sermon
76
Hadith as quoted in the collections of Hadiths known as Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawood
21
72
KILLING OF EVEN A SPARROW WILL HAVE TO BE ANSWERED FOR....

*There is no man who kills a sparrow or anything beyond that, without its deserving it, but Allah will ask
him about it.77
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Bukhari and Muslim

THE KILLING OF A BREATHING THING IS A GREVIOUS SIN
Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) said that there are three grievous things
*The grievous things are (a) Polytheism (b) Disobedience to Parents (c) The Killing of Breathing Things
_______________________________________________________________________________________
MAIMING OF AN ANIMAL IS PROHIBITED

Narrated Ibn 'Umar:
The Prophet cursed the one who did Muthla to an animal (i e., cut its limbs or some other part of its body
while it is still alive).78
Ibn-e-Kathir
ANY ONE MAIMING AN ANIMAL IS CURSED BY ALLAH
*May Allah curse anyone who maims an Animal
_______________________________________________________________________________________
SHOW MERCY EVEN TO A BIRD....

Narrated by Abdul Rahman bin Abdullah Ibn-e-Masud
*Once we were travelling with the Prophet (Pbuh) and he went to do something meanwhile we found a
bird with its young ones so we took them. The bird came and started flapping its wings continuously. Then
the Prophet (Pbuh) asked: Who has distressed this bird by taking its young? Have mercy and return them
to it at once79
_______________________________________________________________________________________
RIDING AND FEEDING ANIMALS....
77
Hadith as quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Ahmad and Al-Nasai

Hadith as quoted in the Hadith known as Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 67, Number 424:
79
Sahih Muslim. Also Awn [Ref. No. 32] Hadith No. 2658.Also "Guillaume" [Ref. No. 57]; p. 106
22
78
*It is reported that the Prophet (Pbuh) saw a camel which was carrying a huge load to the extent that one
could neither see its back or its belly, so he said: Fear Allah when you deal with these beasts of burden.
They must be healthy for riding and eating80
Also,
*The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) came upon an emaciated camel and said: Fear Allah regarding
these dumb animals. Ride them when they are in good condition and feed them when they are in good
condition.81
_______________________________________________________________________________________
DUAA WHEN SETTING OUT ON A JOURNEY

* Whenever Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) mounted his camel to set out on a subdued for us this
(mount) as we were not ourselves powerful enough to use it as a mount, and we are going to return to our
Lord. O Allah, we seek virtue and piety from Thee on this journey of ours, and the act which pleaseth Thee.
O Allah, lighten this journey of ours, and make its distance easy for us. O Allah, Thou art (our) companion
during the journey, and guardian of (our) family. O Allah, I seek refuge with Thee from the hardship of the
journey, the gloominess of the sights, and the finding of evil changes in property and family on our return.
And he (the Holy Prophet) uttered (these words), and made this addition to them: We are returning
repentant, worshipping our Lord and praising Him.82
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Rewarded for Giving Water to a Thirsty Dog...Different Narrators have narrated this story from Prophet
Mohammad (Pbuh) with slight variations. Some say that the story is about a man whilst other narrators
attribute this story to a female Prostitute. What is important though is the message that comes out of it
which is one of showing mercy and serving animals.
*It is narrated that a Prostitute found a dog panting out of thirst. There was no water within easy reach
except for a well which did not have any means of drawing water from it. So, the woman went down into
the well and brought water cupped in her shoe and gave it to the thirsty dog to quench its thirst...The dog
was still panting. This process was repeated a number of times by that woman...The woman then died a
natural death. A pious man of that time then dreamt that she had been granted Pardon by Allah and
allocated a place in Paradise. Surprised! The pious man enquired How Come? What with all her life spent
in sinning?, the reply came back. For that simple act of Giving Water to a thirsty Dog, all her lifes sins
were pardoned, and a place reserved for her in Paradise
_______________________________________________________________________________________
80
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Abu Dawood, Ahmad and Ibn-e-Hibban
Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith (Hadith 1065)
82
Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim Hadith (Hadith 647)
23
81
A REPENTING SLAVE PLEASES ALLAH MORE THAN ...AN OWNER FINDING HIS LOST CAMEL AGAIN
*
Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) as saying that Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) said: What is your
opinion about the delight of a person whose camel, loaded with the provisions of food and drink, with its
nose-string trailing, in the waterless desert where there is neither food nor drink. He wanders about in
search of that camel until he is completely exhausted and then accidentally it happens to pass by the trunk
of a tree, its nose-string is caught in it and he finds it entangled therein? He (in response to the question of
the Holy Prophet) said: Allah's Apostle (Peace be upon him) he would feel highly delighted. Thereupon
Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) said: By Allah, Allah is more delighted at the repentance of His servant
than that person (is when he finds his lost camel).83
_______________________________________________________________________________________
DO NOT IMPRISON ANIMALS OR WITHOLD FOOD FROM THEM

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar:
*Allah's Apostle said, "A woman was tortured and was put in Hell because of a cat which she had kept
locked till it died of hunger." Allah's Apostle further said, (Allah knows better) Allah said (to the woman),
'You neither fed it nor watered when you locked it up, nor did you set it free to eat the insects of the
earth." 84
The Second Caliph Omars own Story:

RULERS WILL HAVE TO ANSWER TO GOD FOR INJURY TO ANIMALS
*Once, Omar Ibn-Al-Khattab, the Second Caliph of Islam, found a pathway damaged, and inspite of being
the King Emperor of Islam (for lack of better terms) he set about repairing that undulation in the road.
Passers by wondered and asked what was he doing? To which Omar replied: that if a passing animals
ankle got hurt because of that damage on the pathway, then, he as the Caliph will have to answer to God
for
that_________________________________________________________________________________
USE OF ANIMALS FOR TARGET PRACTICING IS ALSO PROHIBITED AS IS THE SHOOTING OF TIED OR
CONFINED ANIMALS
Narrated by Ibn-e-Abbas
*The Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Do not use anything in which
there is a soul as a target.85

Ibn Omar (son of Omar)
83
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim Hadith (Hadith No.1275)
Quoted in the collection of Hadiths Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 40, Number 553: & Bukhari Vol.4, Book 56, #689
85
Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim Hadith No. 1957
24
84
*seeing some people practicing archery using a hen as a target, he said. The Prophet (Pbuh) cursed anyone
who took a living thing as a target
Narrated by Hisham bin Zaid:
Anas and I went to Al-Hakam bin Ayub. Anas saw some boys shooting at a tied hen. Anas said, "The Prophet has forbidden the
86
shooting of tied or confined Animals."
_______________________________________________________________________________________
BRANDING ANIMALS ON THE FACE

Narrated Salim:
*That Ibn 'Umar disliked the branding of animals on the face. Ibn 'Umar said, "The Prophet forbade beating
(animals) on the face."87
*Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) forbade (the animals to be beaten) on the face or cauterization on
the face.88
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
INCITING ANIMALS TO FIGHT ONE ANOTHER IS ALSO PROHIBITED

Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) forbade inciting animals to fight with one another.89
DONT TIE ANIMALS FOR THE SAKE OF KILLING THEM

Narrated Ibn 'Umar:
*That he entered upon Yahya bin Said while one of Yahiyas sons was aiming at a hen after tying it. Ibn
'Umar walked to it and untied it. Then he brought it and the boy and said. "Prevent your boys from tying
the birds for the sake of killing them, as I have heard the Prophet forbidding the killing of an animal or
other living thing after tying them."90
_______________________________________________________________________________________
DO NOT MUTILATE A LIVING ANIMAL
86
Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Bukhari Book No. 67, Hadith No. 421
Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 67, Number 449: & Sahih Muslim Book 24,
Chapter 21, #5281
88
Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim Hadith (Hadith No. 996)
89
Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Al-Tirmidhi Hadith (Hadith No. 1110)
90
Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 67, Number 422: & Bukhari Vol. 7, Book 67, #421;
#422
25
87
Any part cut off a living animal is dead flesh meaning it is Unlawful to eat. The implication is that it is not
allowed to mutilate a living animal.91
_______________________________________________________________________________________
REWARD FOR SERVING ANY ANIMATE

Narrated Abu Huraira:
*The people asked, "O Allah's Apostle! Is there a reward for us in serving (the) animals?" He replied, "Yes,
there is a reward for serving any animate."92
_______________________________________________________________________________________
DONT RIDE TIRED ANIMALS

* Fear GOD in treating dumb animals. Ride them when they are fit to be ridden and get off them when
they are tired.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
AQIQA IS DESIRABLE BUT NOT OBLIGATORY

AQIQA is the Tradition of Offering a Sacrifice of Thanks at the birth of a child.
*Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that his father, Urwa ibn az-Zubayr made an aqiqa
for his male and female children of a sheep each. Malik said, "What we do about the aqiqa is that if
someone makes an aqiqa for his children, he gives a sheep for both male and female. The aqiqa is not
obligatory but it is desirable to do it, and people continue to come to us about it. If someone makes an
aqiqa for his children, the same rules apply as with all sacrificial animals - one-eyed, emaciated, injured, or
sick animals must not be used, and neither the meat nor the skin is to be sold. The bones are broken and
the family eat the meat and give some of it away as sadaqa. The child is not smeared with any of the
blood.''93
_______________________________________________________________________________________
ONE EYED, EMACIATED, INJURED OR SICK ANIMALS MUST NOT BE USED FOR SACRIFICE
*If someone makes an aqiqa for his children, the same rules apply as with all sacrificial animals - one-eyed,
emaciated, injured, or sick animals must not be used, and neither the meat nor the skin is to be sold. 94
This marks the end of the Section that lists some of the well-known Hadiths on Animal Welfare
91
Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih of Imams Ahmad, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, Hakim @
www.islamicfoundation.com
92
Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 40, Number 551
93
Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta Hadith (Hadith 26.7)
94
Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta Imam Malik (Hadith 26.7)
26
Chapter 4 Prophets of Allah and their links with an Animal Specie

In this section I have given only a brief explanation of the existence of a link or links with an animal or animal species in the
Life of a Prophet. Then later on in the Appendixes I have given a more detailed Life Story of those Prophets.
imal Specie
Prophet NOOH (Pbuh) Biblical Name: Noah and the Animals

The Quran describes the connection between Prophet NOOH (Pbuh) and the Animals in the following verse
Quran: Thereupon We inspired him [NOAH] thus: Build, under Our eyes and according to Our inspiration, the ark [that shall
save thee and those who follow thee]. And when Our judgment comes to pass, and waters gush forth in torrents over the face of
the earth, place on board of this [ark] one pair of each [kind of animal] of either sex, as well as thy family - excepting those on
whom sentence has already been passed; and do not appeal to Me [any more] on behalf of those who are bent on evildoing - for,
95
behold, they are destined to be drowned!
For a Fuller, All-in-One place, Compact story of Prophet Nooh (NOAH) see APPENDIX-8
_________________________________________________________________________
Prophet HUD (Pbuh) Biblical Name: Eber

Prophet HUD (Peace be upon him) is mentioned here because it appears that the legendary miraculous She Camel that appears
in a comparatively extended way in the Life Story of Prophet Saleh appears to have an earlier mention in the Life Story of
Prophet HUD because he has drawn attention to it as it appears in the following Quranic Verse:
Quran: And [then he said]: "O my people! This she-camel belonging to God shall be a token for you: so leave her alone to pasture
96
on God's earth, and do her no harm, lest speedy chastisement befall you!"
The Quran introduces the advent of Prophet Hud in the following words:
Quran: AND UNTO [the tribe of] Àd [We sent] their brother Hud. He said: "O my people! Worship God alone: you have no deity
97
other than Him. Will you not, then, be conscious of Him?"
Hud is said to have been the first Arabian prophet. He may be identical with the Biblical Èber, the ancestor of the Hebrews
(Ìbrim) who - like most of the Semitic tribes - had probably originated in South Arabia. (References to `2b& are found in Genesis
x, 24-25 and xi, 14 ff.) The ancient Arabian name HUD is still reflected in that of Jacob's son Judah (Yahudah in Hebrew), which
provided the subsequent designation of the Jews. The name ` Eber - both in Hebrew and in its Arabic form Àbir -signifies "one
who crosses over" (i.e., from one territory to another), and may be a Biblical echo of the fact that this tribe "crossed over" from
Arabia to Mesopotamia in pre-Abrahamic times.-The tribe of Àd, to which Hud belonged ("their brother Hud"), inhabited the
vast desert region known as AI-Ahqaf, between Ùman and Hadramawt, and was noted for its great power and influence (see
89:8 - "the like of whom has never been reared in all the land"). It disappeared from history many centuries before the advent of
Islam, but its memory always remained alive in Arabian tradition98.
For a Detailed ALL in one place Story of Prophet HUD Please see Appendix 9
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Prophet SALEH (Peace be Upon Him) Biblical name Shelah

Prophet Saleh is mentioned here because of his links to the legend of a She Camel
Saleh (Salih) - Stories About the She-Camel
1. There are a number of ancient accounts of this camel and its miraculous nature. It was said that the she-camel was
miraculous because a rock in the mountain split open and it came forth from it, followed by its young offspring. Other accounts
said that the she-camel used to drink all the water in the wells in one day, and no other animals could approach the water. Still
others claimed that the she-camel produced milk sufficient for all the people to drink, on the same day that it drank all the
water, leaving none for them
95
Quran [23:27]
Quran [11:64]
97
Quran [7:65]
98
M. Asad in his Note 48 Accompanying his translation of Quran [7:65] at www.islamicity.com
27
96
2. M. Asad, a translator of The Quran has suggested that various commentators with respect to this mention of the legend of
the she camel have to the effect that this she-camel was of miraculous origin. M. Asad then goes on to say that, since neither
the Quran nor any authentic Tradition provides the least support for these legends, we must assume that they are based on the
expression naqat Allah ("God's she-camel") in the verse, which has led some pious Muslims to fantastic conjectures.
However, as Rashid Rida' points out (Manar VIII, 502), this expression denotes merely the fact that the animal in question was
not owned by any one person, and was therefore to be protected by the whole tribe; a further, analogous expression is found in
the words "God's earth" in the same verse: an illustration of the fact that everything belongs to God. The particular stress placed
by Saleh on good treatment of this ownerless animal - referred to in several places in the Qur'an - was obviously due to the cruel
high-handedness displayed by the tribe, who, as the next two verses show, were wont to "act wickedly on earth by spreading
corruption" and "gloried in their arrogance towards all who were deemed weak": in other words, their treatment of the
99
defenceless animal was to be a "token" of their change of heart or (as is made clear in 54:27) "a test for them".
For a detailed All in one place Story of Prophet Saleh Please see Appendix 10
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Prophet Yusuf (Pbuh) Biblical Name: Joseph

Prophet Yusuf is mentioned here because of two major occurrences of Animals in his life.
First, near the beginning of his life when his brothers jealous of the favour with which their father Yaqoob (Jacob) looked at
Yusuf with, plotted to get rid of him by taking him for a picnic and then dumped him into a well and concocted a cover-up story
about how allegedly a Woolf had devoured him.
Then, in the later part of his life when Yusuf on a trumped up charge of indecent behaviour towards a governors wife was
falsely imprisoned and he is called upon to interpret a dream that the King had involving cows and birds
The scene in the prison then closes; a new scene opens in the bed chamber of the king. The king is asleep. He sees himself on
the banks of the Nile River. The water is receding before him, becoming mere mud. The fish begin to skip and jump in the mud.
Seven fat cows come out of the river followed by seven lean cows. The seven lean ones devour the seven fat ones. The king is
terrified. Then seven ears of green grain grow on the river banks and disappear in the mud. On the same spot grow seven dry
ears of grain.
The king awoke frightened, shocked, and depressed, not knowing what all this meant. He sent for the sorcerers, priests and
ministers, and told them his dream. The sorcerers said: "This is a mixed up dream. How can any of that be? It is a nightmare."
The priests said: "Perhaps his majesty had a heavy supper." The chief minister said: "Could it be that his majesty was exposed
and did not draw the blanket up at night?" The king's jester said, jokingly: "His majesty is beginning to grow old, and so his
dreams are confused."
They reached a unanimous conclusion that it was only a nightmare. The news reached the cupbearer. He recollected the dream
he had had in prison and compared it to the king's dream, and, therefore Joseph came to mind. He ran to the king to tell him
about Joseph, who was the only one capable of interpreting the dream. The cupbearer said: "He had asked me to remember him
to you, but I forgot." The king sent the cupbearer to ask Joseph about the dream.
www.alim.org
For a detailed All in one place Story of Prophet Yusuf Please see Appendix 11
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Prophet Yunus (Pbuh) Biblical Name JONAH AND THE BIG FISH
JONAH is mentioned here because of the connection in his Life Story of the event of him being swallowed by a whale.
Early Honourable mention of Jonah in the Quran
Quran: and [upon] Ishmael, and Elisha, and Jonah, and Lot. And every one of them did We favour above other people;100
Although Lot was not a "descendant" of Abraham since he was his brother's son, his name is included here for two reasons:
firstly, because he followed Abraham from his earliest youth as a son follows his father, and, secondly, because in ancient
99
M. Asad in his Note 57 Accompanying his translation of Quran[7:73 ] at www.islamicity.com

Quran [6:86]
28
100
Arabian usage a paternal uncle is often described as "father" and, conversely, a nephew as "son". - For the Hebrew prophets
101
Elijah (Ilyas) and Elisha (Al-Yasa`), see note 48 on 37:123.(Quran Ref: 6:86 )
http://www.islamicity.com/quranSearch
Quran: AND [remember] him of the great fish when he went off in wrath, thinking that We had no power over him! But then
heeded out in the deep darkness [of his distress]: There is no deity save Thee! Limitless art Thou in Thy glory! Verily, I have done
102
wrong!
Quran: And so We responded unto him and delivered him from [his] distress: for thus do We deliver all who have faith.
103
Commentaries to the translation of the Quranic Verses vis-a-vis Jonah and the Big Fish
The verse [21:88] is taken from the Chapter Titled The Prophets i.e. Surah - Al-Anbiyaa , Verse 87 Commentary - 2744, and
the following is a commentary on it.
Zun-nun: "The man of the Fish or the Whale", is the title of Jonah (Yunus), because he was swallowed by a large Fish or Whale.
He was the prophet raised to warn the Assyrian capital Nineveh. For Nineveh see n. 1478 to x. 98. His story is told in Quran
xxxvii. Verses 139-149 When his first warning was unheeded by the people, he pronounced Allah's wrath on them. But they
repented and Allah forgave them for the time being. Jonah, meanwhile, departed in wrath, discouraged at the apparent failure
of his mission. He should have remained in the most discouraging circumstances, and relied on the power of Allah; for Allah had
power both over Nineveh and over the Messenger He had sent to Nineveh. He went away to the sea and took a ship, but
apparently the sailors threw him out as a man of bad omen in a storm. He was swallowed by a big Fish (or Whale), but in the
depth of the darkness, he cried to Allah and confessed his weakness. The "darkness" may be interpreted both physically and
spiritually; physically, as the darkness of the night and the storm and the Fish's body; spiritually as the darkness in his soul, his
extreme distress in the situation which he had brought on himself. Allah Most Gracious forgave him. He was cast out ashore; he
was given the shelter of a plant in his state of mental and physical lassitude. He was refreshed and strengthened, and the work
of his mission prospered. Thus he overcame all his disappointment by repentance and Faith, and Allah accepted him.
Definition of the word Nun:
Nun is an Abbreviated Letter: see Appendix I at the end of S. ii. Nun may mean a fish, or an ink-holder, or it may be just the
Arabic letter of the alphabet, N. In the last case, it may refer to either or both of the other meanings. Note also that the Arabic
rhyme in this Sura ends in N. The reference to ink would be an appropriate link with the Pen in verse 1. The reference to the fish
would be appropriate with reference to the story of Jonah in verses 48-50. Jonah's title is "the Companion of the Fish", (Zun104
Nun, xxi. 87), as he was, in the story, swallowed by the Fish.
Definition of the great Fish:
In all the three instances where Jonah's "great fish" is explicitly mentioned in the Qur'an (as al-hut in the above verse and in
68:48, and an-nun in 21:87), it carries the definite article al. This may possibly be due to the fact that the legend of Jonah was
and is so widely known that every reference to the allegory of "the great fish" is presumed to be self-explanatory. The inside of
the fish that "swallowed" Jonah apparently symbolizes the deep darkness of spiritual distress of which 21:87 speaks: the distress
at having "fled like a runaway slave" from his prophetic mission and, thus, "from the presence of the Lord". Parenthetically, the
story is meant to show that, since "man has been created weak" (4:28), even prophets are not immune against all the failings
105
inherent in human nature.
For a detailed All in one place Story of Prophet Yunus Please see Appendix 12
________________________________________________________________________________________________)___
Moses, the Wise Man and an Allegorical Reference to a Fish106

101
M. Asads Note No. 70 Accompanying his translation of Quran [6:86]

Quran [21:87]
103
Quran [21:88]
104
Commentary - 5592 Chapter No.68 Titled Pen, Verse No. 1 @ www.alim.org
105
Commentary - 56 Chapter 182, Verse 142 @ www.alim.org
106
Commentary - 67 on Chapter 18 Verse 60
29
102
Moses is mentioned here because of an Allegorical Reference to a Fish in his Life Story
The particle idh (which usually signifies "when", but is, I believe, properly rendered here as "lo!") often serves in the Qur'an to
draw attention to a sudden turn in the discourse, without, however, involving a break in the continuity of thought.
In this instance, it evidently marks a connection with verse {54} above ("many facets have We given in this Qur'an to every kind
of lesson [designed] for [the benefit of] mankind"), and introduces an allegory meant to illustrate the fact that knowledge, and
particularly spiritual knowledge, is inexhaustible, so that no human being- not even a prophet- can ever claim to possess
answers to all the questions that perplex man throughout his life. (This idea is brought out fully in the last two verses of this
surah.)
The subsequent parable of Moses and his quest for knowledge (verses {6-82}) has become, in the course of time, the nucleus of
innumerable legends with which we are not concerned here. We have, however, a Tradition on the authority of Ubayy ibn Ka'b
(recorded in several versions by Bukhari, Muslim and Tirmidhi), according to which Moses was rebuked by God for having once
asserted that he was the wisest of all men, and was subsequently told through revelation that a "servant of God" who lived at
the "junction of the two seas" was far superior to him in wisdom. When Moses expressed his eagerness to find that man, God
commanded him to "take a fish in a basket" and to go on and on until the fish would disappear: and its disappearance was to be
a sign that the goal had been reached. - There is no doubt that this Tradition is a kind of allegorical introduction to our Qur'anic
parable.
The "fish" mentioned in the latter as well as in the above-mentioned hadith is an ancient religious symbol, possibly signifying
divine knowledge or life eternal.
As for the "junction of the two seas", which many of the early commentators endeavoured to "identify" in geographical terms
(ranging from the meeting of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean at the Bab al-Mandab to that of the Mediterranean Sea and the
Atlantic Ocean at the Straits of Gibraltar), Baydawi offers, in his commentary on verse {60}, a purely allegorical explanation: the
"two seas" represent the two sources or streams of knowledge - the one obtainable through the observation and intellectual
coordination of outward phenomena ('ilm az-zahir), and the other through intuitive, mystic insight ('ilm al-batin) - the meeting of
which is the real goal of Moses' quest.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Prophets Dawood and Sulaiman (David & Solomon) and the Animals
David and Solomon are mentioned here because of the existence of an animal i.e. the sheep in Davids Life Story and also the
existence of a Divine Commandment when in appreciation of the beauty of Davids singing of ALLAH(Swt)s praises, Birds (and
the mountains) were ordered by God to song along with Prophet Dawood, and an almost in escapable existence of Ants, Birds,
Horses and other animals in Prophet Suleimans Life Story.
The Quran introduces the mention of David and Solomon in the following verses.
Quran: AND UNTO DAVID We granted Solomon [as a son - and] how excellent a servant [of Ours he grew
up to be]! Behold, he would always turn unto Us -
Quran: AND [remember] David and Solomon - [how it was] when both of them gave judgment concerning
the field into which some peoples sheep had strayed by night and pastured therein, and [how] We bore
witness to their judgment:107
According to this story, a flock of sheep strayed at night into a neighbouring field and destroyed its crop. The case was brought
before King David for judicial decision. On finding that the incident was due to the negligence of the owner of the sheep, David
awarded the whole flock - the value of which corresponded roughly to the extent of the damage - as an indemnity to the owner
of the field. Davids young son, Solomon, regarded this judgment as too severe, inasmuch as the sheep represented the
defendants capital, whereas the damage was of a transitory nature, involving no more than the loss of one years crop, i.e., of
income. He therefore suggested to his father that the judgment should be altered: the owner of the field should have the
temporary possession and usufruct of the sheep (milk, wool, new born lambs, etc.), while their owner should tend the damaged
field until it was restored to its former productivity, whereupon both the field and the flock of sheep should revert to their
107
Quran [21:78]
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erstwhile owners; in this way the plaintiff would be fully compensated for his loss without depriving the defendant of his
substance. David realized that his sons solution of the case was better than his own, and passed judgment accordingly; but since
he, no less that Solomon, had been inspired by a deep sense of justice, God - in the words of the Qur'an "bore witness to their
judgment.
Quran: And [in this insight] Solomon was [truly] Davids heir; and he would say: O you people! We have
been taught the speech of birds, and have been given [in abundance] of all [good] things: this, behold, is
indeed a manifest favour [from God]!108
Quran: AND UNTO Solomon [We made subservient] the wind: its morning course [covered the distance of] a
months journey, and its evening course, a months journey. And We caused a fountain of molten copper to
flow at his behest; and [even] among the invisible beings there were some that had [been constrained] to
labour for him by his Sustainers leave and whichever of them deviated from Our command, him would We
let taste suffering through a blazing flame.109
Quran: they made for him whatever he wished of sanctuaries, and statues, and basins as [large as] great
watering - troughs, and cauldrons firmly anchored. [And We said:] Labour, O Davids people, in gratitude
[towards Me] and [remember that] few are the truly grateful [even] among My servants! 110
Quran: and so We made subservient to him the wind, so that it gently sped at his behest whithersoever he
willed111
Prophet Suleimans famous Supplication:

Quran:
he prayed: O my Sustainer! Forgive me my sins, and bestow upon me the gift of a kingdom which
may not suit anyone after me: verily, Thou alone art a giver of gifts!112
GODs honouring of Solomon
113
Quran: and, verily, nearness to Us awaits him [in the life to come], and the most beauteous of all
goals!114
For a Fuller, All-in-One place, Compact story of Prophet Sulaiman see APPENDIX 13
Chapter 5 ALPHABETICAL Encyclopaedia of REFERENCES TO SOME OF

THE ANIMALS MENTIONED IN THE QURAN AND HADITHS
ANTS in the Quran and Hadiths

A Whole Chapter of the Quran Titled Al-Naml (Chapter 27) draws its name from the Ants
SOLOMON and the Ants
108
Quran [27:16]
Quran [34:12]
110
Quran [34:13]
111
Quran [38:36]
112
QURAN [38:35]
113
Quran [38:35]
114
Quran [38:40]
109
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Quran: till, when they came upon a valley [full] of ants, an ant exclaimed: O you ants! Get into your
dwellings, lest Solomon and his hosts crush you without [even] being aware [of you] !115
NOTE: The above verse refers to the occasion when Solomon was marching with his hosts which included animals, birds and
Genies when they happen to arrive at a colony of Ants. Fearing that they might be trampled by, the leader of the Ants addressed
the rest of the ants in the Colony advising them as above.
Prophet SOLOMON (Upon whom be Peace) was gifted by GOD with the knowledge and understanding of the languages used by
various creatures. Hence, the words of advise of the leading Ant was also heard by Prophet SOLOMON(PBUH), And, then in the
very next verse the Quran relates to us the supplication that he made in humble gratitude to GODs gift which is as follows.....
Quran: Thereupon [Solomon] smiled joyously at her words, and said: O my Sustainer! Inspire me so that I
may forever be grateful for those blessings of Thine with which Thou hast graced me and my parents, and
that I may do what is right [in a manner] that will please Thee; and include me, by Thy grace, among Thy
righteous servants!116
All human beings could have been of one Persuasion...
The, the Qur'an stresses once that the unceasing differentiation in men's views and ideas is not incidental but represents a Godwilled, basic factor of human existence. If God had willed that all human beings should be of one persuasion, all intellectual
progress would have been ruled out, and "they would have been similar in their social life to the bees and the ants, while in their
spiritual life they would have been like the angels, constrained by their nature always to believe in what is true and always to
obey God" (Manar XII, 193) - that is to say, devoid of that relative free will which enables man to choose between right and
wrong and thus endows his life - in distinction from all other sentient beings - with a moral meaning and a unique spiritual
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potential.
The Wisdom of Solomon consisted of understanding things in the Animal World

Speech of Birds: The spoken word in human speech is different from the means of communication which birds and animals have
between each other. But no man can doubt that they have means of communication with each other, if he only observes the
orderly flight of migratory birds or the regulated behaviour of ants, bees, and other creatures who live in communities. The
Wisdom of Solomon consisted in understanding these things-in the animal world and in the lower fringes of human
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intelligence.
Even the Ants Pray for those who instruct people in beneficial knowledge
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: A learned person is as much above a worshipper as I am above the least of you. He
added: Allah, His angels and all those in Heavens and on Earth, even the ants in their hills and the fish in the water, call down
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blessings on those who instruct people in beneficial knowledge.
The same Hadith is narrated by another narrator with slightly different wordings as follows:
An Ant in its hole invokes Blessings on one who teaches goodness to people
Mention was made to Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) of two persons: the one being a devout, and the other being a
scholar. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: The superiority of the scholar over the devout is like my
superiority over one who is of the lowest rank amongst you. Then Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) said: Verily (for the
scholars) Allah and His angels, the dwellers of the Heavens and of the Earth, even an ant in its hole and fish (in the depth of
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water) invoke blessings on one who teaches people goodness.
115
Quran [27:18]
Quran [27:19]
117
Quran Commentary No. 150 to the Verse 118 of Chapter 11 @www.alim.org
118
Quran Commentary No. 3255 to the verse 16 of Chapter 27 titled The Ants
119
Hadith from the Collection by Al-Tirmidhi (Hadith 422)
120
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith (Hadith 70) at www.alim.org
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116
Do Not wreak Revenge because of One on a Whole Community

Allah's Apostle said, "Once while a prophet amongst the prophets was taking a rest underneath a tree, an ant bit him. He,
therefore, ordered that his luggage be taken away from underneath that tree and then ordered that the dwelling place of the
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ants should be set on fire. Allah sent him a revelation: 'Wouldn't it have been sufficient to burn a single ant? (That bit you)'
The same Story is narrated in another slightly differently worded Hadith as follows:
An Early Day Prophet and an Ant
Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him) has told us the story of an early Days Prophet with reference to an ant.
Allah's Apostle said, "Once while a prophet amongst the prophets was taking a rest underneath a tree, an ant bit him. He,
therefore, ordered that his luggage be taken away from underneath that tree and then ordered that the dwelling place of the
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ants should be set on fire. Allah sent him a revelation: 'Wouldn't it have been sufficient to burn a single ant? (That bit you)'
Purity / Otherwise of Water in which Bees or Ants have fallen...
(That is) bees, ants, and so on, they are considered pure. If they fall into some substance and die, the substance will not become
impure. Ibn al-Mundhir said, "I do not know of any disagreement concerning the purity of such water save what has been
related from ash-Shaafai. It is well-known that he views them as being impure. Nevertheless, it does not bother him if the
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object falling into a substance does not alter it (in any way)."
The Counter Parts The Ant and Solomon
The counterpart to the position of the humble ant is the position of a great king like Solomon. He prays that his power and
wisdom and all other gifts may be used for righteousness and for the benefit of all around him. The ant being in his thoughts, we
may suppose that he means particularly in his prayer that he may not even unwittingly tread on humble beings in his
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preoccupations with the great things of the world.
Death of Prophet Solomon (Peace be upon him) and an Ant
Solomon lived amidst glory, and all creatures were subjected to him. Then Allah the Exalted ordained for him to die. His life and
death were full of wonders and miracles; thus, his death harmonized with his life and glory. His death, like his life, was unique.
The people had to learn that the future is known neither by the jinns (genies) nor by the prophets, but by Allah alone. Solomon's
effort in this direction did not end with his life, for even his death became an example.
He was sitting holding his staff, overseeing the jinns at work in a mine. He died sitting in this position. For a long time no one was
aware of his death, for he was seen sitting erect. The jinns continued with their strife and toil, thinking that Solomon was
watching over them.
Many days later, a hungry ant began nibbling Solomon's staff. It continued to do so, eating the lower part of the staff, until it fell
out of Solomon's hand, and his great body fell to the ground. People hurried to him, realizing that he had died a long time ago
and that the jinns did not perceive the unseen, for had the jinns (genies) known the unseen, they would not have kept working,
and thinking that Solomon was alive.
Weight of an Atom or a Small Ant
The Quranic word Zurra as appearing in verse 4:40 has been translated by M. Asad as atom, by Yusuf Ali as least degree but
interestingly, Pickthall translates it as weight of an ant by and large the overwhelming translation of the word means a
miniscule amount in size or weight.
A similar difference in the translation of the word Zurra has appeared in a translation of a Hadith which states as follows:
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Hadith from the Collection by Al-Bukhari Hadith (Hadith 4.536)

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith (Hadith 4.536) at www.alim.org
123
Jurisprudical Point Fiqh-us-Sunnah (Fiqh 1.7a) @www.alim.org
124
Surah 27 - An-Naml , Ayah 19 Commentary - 3259 at www.alim.org
33
122
The Prophet was asked about donkeys and he replied, "Nothing has been revealed to me regarding donkeys except this
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comprehensive Verse which includes everything:
'So whoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a smallest ant) shall see it; And whoever, does evil equal to the
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weight of an atom or a smallest ant) shall see it.' "
An Ant Village that had been burnt

Once Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) saw an Ant village that had been burnt by the companions to which Prophet Mohammad
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(Pbuh) said: It is not proper to punish with fire except the Lord of Fire
The Pain Suffered by a Martyr
The Prophet (peace be upon him and grant him pace) said: A martyr does not suffer when he is slain any more that one of you
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suffers from being bitten by an ant.
ANTELOPE in Islamic Text

The penalty for killing an animal whilst in Ihram (Pilgrims Garb) is in three alternatives: an equivalent animal should be brought
to the Ka'ba for sacrifice; if so, the meat would be distributed to the poor; or the poor must be fed, with grain or money,
according to the value of the animal if one had been sacrificed: or the offender must fast as many days as the number of the
poor who would have been fed under the second alternative. Probably the last alternative would only be open if the offender is
too poor to afford the first or second, but on this point Commentators are not agreed. The "equivalent animal" in the first
alternative would be a domestic animal of similar value or weight in meat or of similar shape (e.g., goat to antelope), as
adjudged by two just men on the spot. The alternatives about the penalty and its remission ("Allah forgives what is past") or
exaction explain the last two lines of the verse: being "Exalted and Lord of Retribution", Allah can remit or regulate according to
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His just laws
BAT in Islamic Text

The unbelievers
Ali bin Abu Talib, the fourth Caliph, compared the unbelievers to a bat which can see when it is dark, but which is blind and
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cannot see anything when it is daylight.
BEES in the Quran and Hadiths

A Whole Chapter of the Quran Titled Al-Nahal (Chapter 16) draws its name from the Bee
Quran: Behold! Your Rabb inspired the bees to build their hives in the mountains, in the trees, and in
anything which men may build for beekeeping,131
The expression "He has inspired" (awha is the word used for it in the Quran) is meant to bring out the wonderful quality of the
instinct which enables the lowly insect to construct the geometrical masterpiece of a honeycomb out of perfectly-proportioned
hexagonal, prismatic wax cells - a structure which is most economical, and therefore most rational, as regards space and
125

Quran 99:7-8
127
Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith (Hadith 1131) at www.alim.org
128 Al-Tirmidhi Hadith (Hadith 402) at www.alim.org
129
Quoted as a Commentary, No. 80,1 on Quran [5:95] @www.alim.org
130
Prof Masud-ul-Hasan, Hadrat Ali(RA), 1982, Islamic Publications, Lahore, Pakistan
131
Quran [16:68]
34
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material. Together with the subsequently mentioned transmutation, in the bee's body, of plant juices into honey, this provides a
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striking evidence of "God's ways" manifested in all nature.
Quran: and then eat of all manner of fruit, and follow humbly the paths ordained for thee by thy Sustainer."
[And lo!] there issues from within these [bees] a fluid of many hues, wherein there is health for man. In all
this, behold, there is a message indeed for people who think!133
Reference to the Spiritual Life and the Organic Life
ALLAH (SWT) tells us in The Quran that He sends down water from the skies giving life thereby to the earth after it had been life
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less, and in this The Quran tells us there is a message for those who are willing to listen
As so often in the Qur'an, a reference to the spiritual life engendered by divine revelation is followed here by a reference to the
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miracle of organic life as another indication of God's creative activity.(Quran Ref: 16:65 )
Reference to the Milk Derived from Cattle
The Quran tells us that even in Cattle there is a lesson for us, it refers to the milk drawn from Cattle in the following words:
Quran: And, behold, in the cattle [too] there is indeed a lesson for you: We give you to drink of that [fluid]
which is [secreted from] within their bellies between that which is to be eliminated [from the animal's body]
and [its] life-blood: milk pure and pleasant to those who drink it.136 [75]
Milk-in itself a glandular secretion-is not necessary for the mother-animal's life (or, as it is here metonymically described, its
"blood"); on the other hand, it is not just something that the body eliminates as being of no further use to its metabolism: hence
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it is referred to as a substance "between that which is to be eliminated [from the animal's body] and [its] life-blood".
Reference to the Nourishment derived from Dates.

The Quran refers to this in the following words:
Quran: And [We grant you nourishment] from the fruit of date-palms and vines: from it you derive
intoxicants as well as wholesome sustenance -in this, behold, there is a message indeed for people who use
their reason! 138
M. Asad explains The term sakar (lit., "wine" or, generically, "intoxicants") is contrasted here with rizq hasan ("wholesome
sustenance"), thus circumscribing both the positive and the negative properties and effects of alcohol. Although this surah was
revealed about ten years before the Qur'anic prohibition of intoxicants in 5:90-91, there is no doubt that their moral
condemnation is already implied in the above verse (Ibn Àbbas, as quoted by Tabari; also Razi).(Quran Ref: 16:67 )
Quality of Flowers from which the Bee gets nectar is important.
It is both symbolically and physically important that the Bees should imbibe of the juices of only the good and whole some
flowers and not from the flowers of unpleasantly tasting or fowl smelling flowers as is evidenced from an occasion when The
Final Prophet, Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) had an unpleasant odour coming from his mouth, and that was due to the fact that
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he (Pbuh) had been given the honey to drink from a foul smelling flower called the Al-'Urfut.
The Mecca Bees
132
M. Asads Note 77 Accompanying his translation of Quran [ 16:68] www.islamicity.com

Quran [16:69]
134
Quran [16:65]
135
136
Quran 16:66
137
138
Quran 16:67
139
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith (Hadith 7.193) At www.alim.org
35
133
There is a reference found in historical foot notes about what were known as Makkah Bees.
The foot notes state as follows:
The return of the Jews from the Captivity was about 520 B.C. They started life afresh. They rebuilt their Temple. They carried out
various reforms and built up a new Judaism in connection with Ezra. See appendix 11 following S. v. For a time they prospered.
Meanwhile their old oppressors the Babylonians had been absorbed by Persia. Subsequently Persia was absorbed in Alexander's
Empire. The whole of western Asia was Hellenized, and the new school of Jews was Hellenized also, and had a strong centre in
Alexandria. But their footing in Palestine continued, and under the Asmonaean Dynasty (B.C. 167-63), they had a national
revival, and the names of the Makkah bees are remembered as those of heroes. Another dynasty, that of the Idummans, (B.C.
63 to B.C. 4), to which Herod belonged, also enjoyed some semi-independent power. The sceptre of Syria (including Palestine)
passed to the Romans in B.C. 65, and Jewish feudatory Kings held power under them. But the Jews again showed a stiff-necked
resistance to Allah's Messenger in the time of Jesus, and the inevitable doom followed in the complete and final destruction of
the Temple under Titus in 70 A.D.
The Term Zululan w.r.t. to the Bees
Zululan: two meanings are possible; (1) ways easy and spacious, referring to the unerring way in which bees find their way from
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long distances to their combs; and (2) the idea of humility and obedience in them.
Prohibition on killing of Bees
The Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him) prohibited to kill four creatures: ants, bees, hoopoes, and sparrow-hawks.
141
This prohibition was emphasised when the First Caliph Abu Bakr was issuing the donts to a military commander, and in that he
included the probation on the killing of bees by saying that:
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Do not burn bees and do not scatter them
Jurisprudical Point about Dead Animals that do not have running blood
(That is) bees, ants, and so on are considered pure. If they fall into some substance and die, the substance will not become
impure. Ibn al-Mundhir said, "I do not know of any disagreement concerning the purity of such water save what has been
related from ash-Shaafai. It is well-known that he views them as being impure. Nevertheless, it does not bother him if the
143
Bones, horns, claws, fur, feathers and skins of dead animals
All of these are considered pure. Concerning the bones of dead animals, az-Zuhri said, "I have met some scholars of the
preceeding generations who used such objects for combs and pots for oil, and they did not see anything wrong in that." This is
related by al-Bukhari. Said Ibn 'Abbas, "The client of Maimunah was given a sheep as charity, and it died. The Messenger of
Allah, upon whom be peace, passed by it and said, 'Why do you not remove its skin, treat it and put it to use?' She said, 'It is
dead' (i.e., it has not been slaughtered properly). He said to her, 'Only eating it is forbidden."' This is related by the group. Ibn
Majah attributes the incident to Maimunah and her client. Al-Bukhari and an-Nasa'i do not mention treating the skin. It is
reported from Ibn 'Abbas that he recited: "Say (O Muhammad): "In all that has been revealed to me, I do not find anything
forbidden to eat; if one wants to eat thereof, unless it be carrion, or blood poured forth, or swine flesh..." (al-An'am 145). Then
he said, "What is forbidden is its meat. As for its skin, skin used for water skins, teeth, bones, fur and wool, they are
permissible." This is narrated by Ibn Mundhir and Ibn Hatim. Similarly, its rennet and milk are considered pure. This is supported
by the fact that when the companions conquered Iraq, they ate the cheese of the Magians which was made from rennet,
although their slaughtered animals were considered the same as 'dead animals.' It is confirmed from Salman al-Farsi that when
he was asked about cheese, clarified butter and pelts, he said, "What is permissible is what Allah made permissible in His book.
140
Chapter (Surah) 16 - An-Nahl , Verse (Ayah) 69 Commentary - 2099

From A Collection of Hadiths known as Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith No - 2513
142
Taken from the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta Hadith (Hadith 21.10) www.alim.org
143
Fiqh-as-Sunnah 1.7A www.alim.org
36
141
What is forbidden is what Allah made forbidden in His book. What he omits, He has pardoned for you." It is well-known that he
144
was being asked about the cheese of the Magians, as Salman was 'Umar's deputy in Mada'in, Iraq.
Revelation of Verses of The Quran and the Sound of Humming Bees
When inspiration was sent down to the Prophet (Peace be upon him), a low sound was heard near his face like the humming of
bees. One day when inspiration was sent down to him and we had waited for a time, it left him, then facing the Qiblah and
raising his hands, he said,
"O Allah, give us more and do not give us less; honour us and do not humiliate us; give us and do not withhold from us; choose us
and do not prefer others to us; please us and be pleased with us." He then said, "I have had sent down to me ten verses which will
provide entrance to Paradise for those who recite them." He then recited, "The believers have been successful" and continued till
145
he had completed ten verses.
Freehold or Leasehold of Land Possessing Beehives
Hilal, a man from the tribe of Banu Mat'an brought a tenth of honey which he possessed in beehives to the Apostle of Allah
(peace be upon him). He asked him (the apostle of Allah) to give the wood known as Salabah as a protected (or restricted) land.
The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) gave him that wood as a protected land. When Umar ibn al-Khattab succeeded, Sufyan
ibn Wahb wrote to Umar asking him about this wood. Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote to him: If he (Hilal) pays you the tithe on honey
what he used to pay to the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him), leave the protected land of Salabah in his possession;
146
otherwise those bees are like those of any wood; anyone can take the honey as he likes.
147
DAJJAL The Anti-Christ and a reference to Bees
In a Hadith Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) has foretold of the appearance of the Anti-Christ known in Arabic as Dajjal who will
perform miracles in order to deceive people into believing him to be a Prophet, and one of the miracles that he is said to be
performing will be that.. He will then walk through the desert and say to it: Bring forth your treasures. The treasures will come
out and gather before him like a swarm of bees.
Remembrance of ALLAH (S.WT) and a reference to the buzzing of Bees
Remembrance of Allah is also a means of deliverance from Hell Fire. Mu'adh reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said,
'No other act of man is a more effective means for his deliverance from the chastisement of Allah than the remembrance of
Allah.'' (Ahmad) Ahmad reports that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Whatever you say in celebration of Allah's Glory,
Majesty, and Oneness, and all your words of Praise for Him gather around the Throne of Allah. These words resound like the
buzzing of bees, and call attention to the person who uttered them to Allah. Don't you wish to have someone there in the
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presence of Allah who would call attention to you?"
144
Source: Fiqh-us-Sunnah
Compiled by
: As-Sayyid Sabiq
Translator
Edition
Published
Publisher
: Muhammad Saeed Dabas, Jamal al-Din M. Zarabozo

: First, Hardback
: 1985
: American Trust Publications, Indianapolis, IN, USA, 1.7B at www.alim.org
145
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith (Hadith 785) www.alim.org

From a Collection of Hadiths known as Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith No 640 @ www.alim.org
147
Quoted from the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim Hadith - 1370 www.alim.org
148
Fiqh-us-Sunnah - 4.99 www.alim.org
146
Source: Fiqh-us-Sunnah
Compiled by
: As-Sayyid Sabiq
Translator
: Muhammad Saeed Dabas, Jamal al-Din M. Zarabozo
Edition
: First, Hardback
Published
: 1985
37
BIRDS in the Quran and Hadiths

None but GOD Holds the Birds aloft...!!! The Quran states this in the following words
Quran: Have, then, they [who deny the truth] never considered the birds, enabled [by God] to fly in mid-air,
with none but God holding them aloft? In this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who will
believe!149
Quran: Have they, then, never beheld the birds above them, spreading their wings and drawing them in?
None but the Most Gracious upholds them: for, verily, He keeps all things in His sight.150
Birds turn again and again unto Him
Quran: and [likewise] the birds in their assemblies: [together] they all would turn again and again unto Him
[who had created them].151
ALL Creatures Know How to Pray unto GOD.
Quran: ART THOU NOT aware that it is God whose limit-less glory all [creatures] that are in the heavens
and on earth extol, even the birds as they spread out their wings? Each [of them] knows indeed how to pray
unto Him and to glorify Him; and God has full knowledge of all that they do:152
Those Whom the Birds Carry Away or the Wind Blows Away to a Far-off Place
Quran:[inclining] towards God, [and] turning away from all that is false, without ascribing divine qualities
to aught beside Him: for he who ascribes divinity to aught but God is like one who is hurtling down from the
skies - whereupon the birds carry him off, or the wind blows him away onto a far-off place.153
Birds were commanded to sing with DavidAnd Iron was made soft for him....
Quran: We bestowed Our blessings on Dawood and commanded: "O mountains! Join him in singing My
rhymes," and a similar command was given to the birds. We made iron soft for him154
SOLOMON and the Birds.....
Quran: And [one day] there were assembled before Solomon his hosts of invisible beings (i.e. the genies),
and of men, and of birds; and then they were led forth in orderly ranks,155
Quran: And [in this insight] Solomon was [truly] David's heir; and he would say: "O you people! We have
indeed a manifest favour [from God]!"156
AN ARMY of 60,000 Soldiers with Elephants Destroyed by a Flock of Birds
Publisher
: American Trust Publications, Indianapolis, IN, USA
149
Quran [16:79]
Quran [67:19]
151
Quran [38:19]
152
Quran [24:41]
153
Quran [22:31]
154
Quran [34:10]
155
Quran [27:17]
156
Quran [27:16]
150
38
Quran: Story Narrated in Chapter 105 About: ... an army of 60,000 with elephants, which was destroyed
through a flock of birds. Theme In this Surah, Allah's punishment ... Makkah, it knelt down. In the meantime
swarms of birds appeared carrying stones in their beaks and claws and showered these
FOR A FULL STORY PLEASE SEE APPENDIX-1 BELOW
Even the Birds Pray to ALLAH and Glorify Him.
Quran: ART THOU NOT aware that it is God whose limit-less glory all [creatures] that are in the heavens
and on earth extol, even the birds as they spread out their wings? Each [of them] knows indeed how to pray
unto Him and to glorify Him; and God has full knowledge of all that they do:157
Similitude of those Who Ascribe Divinity to Other than ALLAH are like...
Quran: [inclining] towards God, [and] turning away from all that is false, without ascribing divine qualities
to aught beside Him: for he who ascribes divinity to aught but God is like one who is hurtling down from the
skies - whereupon the birds carry him off, or the wind blows him away onto a far-off place.158
Birds: A Messages for People who will Believe...
Quran: Have, then, they [who deny the truth] never considered the birds, enabled [by God] to fly in mid-air,
with none but God holding them aloft? In this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who will
believe!159
Who holds the Birds Up...?
The Quran answers this Question in the following verse
Quran: Do they not observe the birds above them spreading their wings and folding them? None could hold
them except the Compassionate (Allah), surely it is He Who watches over all things .160
MARTYRS SOULS RESIDE INSIDE GREEN BIRDS
Hadith Qudsi
161
We asked Abdullah (i.e. Ibn Masud) about this verse: And do not regard those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as
dead, rather are they alive with their Lord, being provided for (Quran Chapter 3 Verse 169). He said: We asked about that and
the Prophet (Pbuh) said: Their souls are in the insides of green birds having lanterns suspended from the Throne, roaming freely
in Paradise where they please, then taking shelter in those lanterns. So their Lord cast a glance at them and said: Do you wish for
anything? They said: What shall we wish for when we roam freely in Paradise where we please? And thus did He do to them
three times. When they say that they would not be spared from being asked [again], they said: O Lord, we would like for You to
put back our souls into our bodies so that we might fight for Your sake once again. And when He saw that they were not in need
of anything they were let be.
Hadith Sahih Muslim
162
Re: Green Birds of Paradise.
It has been narrated on the authority of Masruq who said: We asked Abdullah about the Qur'anic verse: "Think not of those who
are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they are alive, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord...." (iii.169). He said:
We asked the meaning of the verse (from the Holy Prophet) who said: The souls of the martyrs live in the bodies of green birds
157
Quran [24:41]
Quran [22:31]
159
Quran [16:79]
160
Quran [67:19]
161
(Hadith 27) at www.alim.org
162
158
39
who have their nests in chandeliers hung from the throne of the Almighty. They eat the fruits of Paradise wherever they like and
then nestle in these chandeliers. Once their Lord cast a glance at them and said: Do ye want anything? They said: What more can
we desire? We eat the fruit of Paradise wherever we like. Their Lord asked them the same question thrice. When they saw that
they would continue to be asked and not left (without answering the question), they said: O Lord, we wish that Thou mayest
return our souls to our bodies so that we may be slain in Thy cause once again. When He (Allah) saw that they had no need, they
were left (to their joy in heaven).
Representation of Birds
163
Hadith Al-Tirmidhi Hadith
Sayyidah Aisha (RA) had a curtain containing representations of birds and Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "Remove
it, Aisha, for when I see it I remember worldly things."
River of Al-Kawthar Containing Birds
164
When Allah's Messenger was asked what al-Kawthar was he replied, "That is a river Allah has given me (meaning in Paradise),
whiter than milk and sweeter than honey, containing birds whose necks are like the necks of sacrificial camels." Umar
remarked, "These have a pleasant life," and Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) replied, "Those who eat them have a
pleasanter life."
SOUL OF THE BELIEVERS
165
AbdurRahman ibn Ka'b told on his father's authority that when death came to Ka'b, Umm Bishr, daughter of al-Bara' ibn Ma'rur,
visited him and said, "AbuAbdurRahman, if you meet so and so, give him a greeting from me." He replied, "Allah forgive you,
Umm Bishr, I shall be too occupied to do that." She said, "AbuAbdurRahman, have you not heard Allah's Messenger (peace be
upon him) say that the souls of believers are in green birds which are suspended on and feed on the trees of Paradise?" On his
replying that he had, she said that that was what she meant.
Ibn Majah and Bayhaqi, in Kitab al-Ba'th wan-Nushur, transmitted it.
MARTYRS of UHUD, Green Birds, Rivers of Paradise, Lamps of Gold in The Shade of The DIVINE Throne
Hadith Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith
166
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: When your brethren were smitten at the battle of Uhud, Allah put their spirits in the
crops of green birds which go down to the rivers of Paradise, eat its fruit and nestle in lamps of gold in the shade of the Throne.
Then when they experienced the sweetness of their food, drink and rest, they asked: Who will tell our brethren about us that we
are alive in Paradise provided with provision, in order that they might not be disinterested in jihad and recoil in war? Allah Most
High said: I shall tell them about you; so Allah sent down; "And do not consider those who have been killed in Allah's path." till
the end of the verse.
TRUST in ALLAH IS LIKENED TO BIRDS BEING SUSTAINED BY ALLAH.
167

Umar heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say, "If you were to trust in Allah genuinely He would give you provision as
He does for the birds which go out hungry in the morning and come back full in the evening."... www.alim.org
70,000 who will enter Paradise without (being asked about their) accounts.' i.e. people who do not draw an evil omen from
(birds)
163
164
165
166
167

40
168
Hadith Sahih Al-Bukhari

The Prophet once came out to us and said, "Some nations were displayed before me. A prophet would pass in front of me with
one man, and another with two men, and another with a group of people. and another with nobody with him. Then I saw a
great crowd covering the horizon and I wished that they were my followers, but it was said to me, 'This is Moses and his
followers.' Then it was said to me, 'Look.' I looked and saw a big gathering with a large number of people covering the horizon. It
was said, 'Look this way and that way.' So I saw a big crowd covering the horizon. Then it was said to me, 'these are your
followers, and among them there are 70,000 who will enter Paradise without (being asked about their) accounts.' "Then the
people dispersed and the Prophet did not tell who those 70,000 were. So the companions of the Prophet started talking about
that and some of them said, "As regards us, we were born in the era of heathenism, but then we believed in Allah and His
Apostle. We think however, that these (70,000) are our offspring." That talk reached the Prophet who said, "These (70,000) are
the people who do not draw an evil omen from (birds) and do not get treated by branding themselves and do not treat with
Ruqya, but put their trust (only) in their Lord." Then 'Ukasha bin Muhsin got up and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Am I one of those
(70,000)?" The Prophet said, "Yes." Then another person got up and said, "Am I one of them?" The Prophet said, "Ukasha has
anticipated you."
Divination
Hadith Sunan of Abu-Dawood
169
I heard the Apostle of Allah (Peace be upon him) say: Augury from the flight of birds, taking evil omens and the practice of
pressomancy pertain to divination. Tarq: It is used in the sense of divination in which women threw stones. 'Iyafah: It means
geomancy by drawing lines.
People whose hearts would be like those of the Birds
Hadith Sahih Muslim
170
Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) said: There would enter Paradise people whose hearts would be like those of the hearts of
birds.
Verses of the Quran that will Plead for those who recite them.
Surah Al-Baqarah & Surah-e-Alay Imran as Two Flocks of Birds Pleading for those who recite them
(1) Hadith Sahih Muslim
171
AbuUmamah heard Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) say: Recite the Qur'an, for on the Day of Resurrection it will come as
an intercessor for those who recite it. Recite the two bright ones, al-Baqarah and Surah al-Imran, for on the Day of Resurrection
they will come as two clouds or two shades, or two flocks of birds in ranks, pleading for those who recite them. Recite Surah alBaqarah, for to take recourse to it is a blessing and to give it up is a cause of grief, and the magicians cannot confront it.
(Mu'awiyah said: It has been conveyed to me that here Batala means magicians.)
(2) Hadith Sahih Muslim
172
An-Nawwas heard the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) say: On the Day of Resurrection the Qur'an and those who acted
according to it will be brought with Surat al-Baqarah and Aal-i-Imran preceding them. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) likened them to three things, which I did not forget afterwards. He (the Prophet) likened them to two clouds or two black
canopies with light between them, or like two flocks of birds in ranks pleading for one who recited them.
BUFFALOS (Water) in the Quran / Hadiths

Concerning Zakat due on Cattle:
168
(Hadith 7.648) at www.alim.org

170
(Hadith 1321)at www.alim.org
171
172
169
41
Imam Malik has said, "Similarly, cows and water buffaloes are added up together and are all considered as cattle. If there are
more cows than water buffalo and the owner only has to pay one cow, the zakat collector takes it from the cows. If there are
more water buffalo, he takes it from them. If there is an equal number of both, he takes the cow from whichever kind he wishes.
173
So if zakat is necessary, it is assessed taking both kinds as one group."
Bull in Islamic Texts

1 The golden calf of the Israelites was obviously a result of centuries-old Egyptian influences. The Egyptians worshipped at
Memphis the sacred bull, Apis, which they believed to be an incarnation of the god Ptah. A new Apis was supposed always to
be born at the moment when the old one died, while the soul of the latter was believed to pass into Osiris in the Realm of the
Dead, to be henceforth worshipped as Osiris-Apis (the "Serapis" of the Greco-Egyptian period). The "lowing sound" (khuwar)
which the golden calf emitted was probably produced by wind effects, as was the case with some of the hollow Egyptian temple
174
effigies
2. The making of the golden calf and its worship by the Israelites during the absence of Moses on the
Mount are referred to in ii. 51, and some further details are given in xx. 95-97. Notice how in each case only those points are
referred to which are necessary to the argument in hand. A narrator whose object is mere narration, tells the story in all its
details, and is done with it. A consummate artist, whose object is to enforce lessons, brings out each point in its proper place.
Master of all details, he does not ramble, but with supreme literary skill, just adds the touch that is necessary in each place to
complete the spiritual picture. His object is not a story but a lesson. Here notice the contrast between the intense spiritual
communion of Moses on the Mount and the simultaneous corruption of his people in his absence. We can understand his
righteous indignation and bitter grief (vii. 150). The people had melted all their gold ornaments, and made the image of a calf
like the bull of Osiris in the city of Memphis in the wicked Egypt that they had turned their backs upon.
175
3. When the Israelites came upon a people devoted to Idol Worshipping
Quran: We took the children of Israel (with safety) across the sea. They came upon a people devoted
entirely to some idols they had. They said: "O Moses! Fashion for us a god like unto the gods they have." He
said: "surely ye are a people without knowledge.176
So, Who were these people upon whom the Israelites had stumbled upon? We are now in the Sinai Peninsula. Two conjectures
are possible. (1) The Amalekites of the Sinai Peninsula were at perpetual war with the Israelites. They were probably an
idolatrous nation, but we have very little knowledge of their cult. (2) From Egyptian history we know that Egypt had worked from
very ancient times some copper mines in Sinai. An Egyptian settlement may have been here. Like all mining camps it contained
from the beginning the dregs of the population. When the mines ceased to be worked, the settlement, or what remained of it,
must have degenerated further. Cut off from civilisation, its cult must have become still narrower, without the refining
influences which a progressive nation applies even to its idolatry. Perhaps Apis, the sacred bull of Memphis, lost all its
allegorical meaning for them, and only gross and superstitious rites remained among them. The text speaks of "some idols they
had," implying that they had merely a detached fragment of a completer religion. This was a snare in the path of the Israelites,
whom many generations of slavery in Egypt had debased into ignorance and superstition 177
4. General point about ZAKAT on Cattle
Cattle are subject to zakah provided they are a freely grazing herd and number thirty at the completion of the hawl At that point,
the zakah due is a young bull or a young cow (tabi' or tabi'ah). When they reach forty, the zakah is a young cow two years old
(musinnah); when sixty, two young cows or two one-year-olds (tabi'ahs); when seventy, the zakah due is one musinnah and one
tabi'; when eighty, two musinnahs; when ninety, three tabi's; when one hundred, one musinnah and two tabi's; when 110, two
musinnahs and two tabi's; and when 120, three musinnahs or four tabi's. This system is followed on all additional cattle--one
tabi', and on every forty, one musinnah.
173
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta of Imam Malik, Hadith No. 17.24 @www.alim.org
Mentioned as a Commentary No.113 On Quran [7:148] @www.a.lim.org
175
Mentioned as a Commentary No. 1112 On Quran [7;148] @ www.alim.org
176
Quran [7:138]
177
Mentioned as a Commentary No. 1097 On Quran [7:138] @www.alim.orh
42
174
5. Specific Points Regarding Zakat on Cattle

"Regarding sheep, for every forty sheep up to one hundred and twenty, one sheep is due. But if you possess only thirty-nine,
nothing is payable on them." He further narrated the tradition about the sadaqah (zakat) on sheep like that of az-Zuhri.
"Regarding cattle, a yearling bull calf is payable for every thirty, and a cow in her third year for forty, and nothing is payable on
working animals. Regarding (the zakat on) camels, he mentioned the rates that az-Zuhri mentioned in his tradition. He said: "For
twenty-five camels, five sheep are to be paid. If they exceed by one, a she-camel in her second year is to be given. If there is no
she-camel in her second year, a male camel in its third year is to be given, up to thirty-five. If they exceed by one a she-camel in
her third year is to be given, up to forty-five. If they exceed by one, a she-camel in her fourth year which is ready to be covered
by a bull-camel is to be given." He then transmitted the rest of the tradition like that of az-Zuhri. He continued: If they exceed by
one, i.e. they are ninety-one to hundred and twenty, two she-camels in their fourth year, which are ready to be covered by a
bull-camel, are to be given. If there are more camels than that, a she-camel in her fourth year is to be given for every fifty. Those
which are in one flock are not to be separated, and those which are separate are not to be brought together. An old sheep, one
with a defect in the eye, or a billy goat is not to be accepted as a sadaqah unless the collector is willing. As regards agricultural
produce, a tenth is payable on that which is watered by rivers or rain, and a twentieth on that which is watered by draught
camels." The version of Asim and al-Harith says: "Sadaqah (zakat) is payable every year." Zuhayr said: I think he said "Once a
year". The version of Asim has the words: "If a she-camel in her second year is not available among the camels, nor is there a
bull-camel in its third year, ten dirhams or two goats are to be given." 178
More on ZAKKAT on Cattle
ZAKAT on Sheep (inc Goats)
Sheep are subject to zakah when their number reaches forty. When the herd counts forty freely grazing heads at the end of the
year, its zakah is one sheep. This is applicable until the number reaches 120, at which point, up until 200, the zakah is two sheep.
From 201 to 300, their zakah is three sheep. When the number is above 300, one additional sheep is added for each increment
of one hundred. Young sheep (jadh') are levied in the case of sheep and young goats (thany) in the case of goats. It is
permissible, say scholars without exception, to levy rams as a form of zakah if all of the nisab of sheep are male. If the sheep are
ewes, or a grouping of males and females, the Hanafiyyah holds it is optional to levy a zakah rams, whereas others specify ewes.
Regulation of Awqas
Definition of Awqas: Awqas is a plural form of waqs. A waqs is any amount or number that lies between the regulation of
the lower ordinance and that of a higher one. Scholars agree that such a waqs is exempt from zakah. It has been confirmed in
the Hadiths of the Prophet, upon whom be peace, concerning the sadaqah of camels that he said: "When the number of camels
reaches twenty-five, a young she-camel one year old and already starting the second (ibn makhad); when they reach thirty-six to
forty-five, then the zakah due on them is a young she-camel two years old and already starting the third (bint labun)."
Concerning the sadaqah of cattle, he said: "When cattle number between thirty and forty, the zakah is a young calf of one year
old (tabi') or a bull or cow of one year and already starting the second (jadh' or jadh'ah); when they reach forty, a young cow of
two years old and already starting the third (rnusinnah)." Concerning sadaqah on sheep, he said: "When the number of freely
grazing sheep is between forty-two and 120, their zakah is one ewe." Thus, what lies between twenty-five and thirty-six camels is
considered waqs--that is, there is no zakah on them. Likewise, what lies between thirty and forty cattle is considered waqs. This
is also applies to sheep179
CALF in the Quran and Hadiths

Quran: AND, INDEED, there came unto Abraham Our [heavenly] messengers, bearing a glad tiding. They
bade him peace; [and] he answered, "[And upon you be] peace!"-and made haste to place before them a
roasted Calf180
The Qur'an does not state in so many words that these guests of Abraham were angels; but since the term rusuluna ("Our
messengers") is often used in the sense of heavenly messengers, all the classical commentators interpret it thus in the above
context. For the contents of the "glad tiding" referred to here, see verse 71 below.-The reason for prefacing the story of Lot with
178
Mentioned in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith No. 625 @www.alim.org
Quoted in the Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah, No. 3.41 @ www.alim.org
180
Quran [11:69]
43
179
an episode from Abraham's life lies in the-latter's subsequent pleading in behalf of the sinful people of Sodom (verses 74-76)
and also, possibly, in God's earlier promise to him, "Behold, I shall make thee a leader of men" (see 2:124), which must have
imbued him with an enhanced sense of moral responsibility not only for his own family but also for the people with whom he
181
was indirectly connected through his nephew Lot
CAMELS in the Quran and Hadiths and the She Camel in Salehs Story
Do they not look at the camels, how they were created? asks The Quran This Verse has been taken from Chapter 88 of the
Quran which also talks about other creations of GOD with a view to encourage us to reflect upon them in the context of The
Day of Judgement. The complete verses in this chapter are as follows:
5. 1. In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful. 2. Has the news of the over shadowing event of resurrection
reached you? 3. On that Day some faces shall be downcast, 4. In hard labour, worn out, scorching in the blazing fire 6. Given to
drink from a boiling fountain 7.They shall have no food except bitter thorny fruit 8. Which will neither provide nourishment nor
satisfy hunger 9. While some faces on that Day shall be radiant 10. Well pleased with their endeavours 11. In a lofty garden
.12. Therein they shall hear no loose talk. 13. Therein they shall have running springs. 14. Therein they shall be reclining on
raised soft couches 15. With goblets placed before them 16. Silky cushions ranged in order 17. And fine carpets richly spread.
18. Do they not look at the camels, how they were created? 19. The heaven, how it was raised high? 20 The mountains, how
they were firmly set? 21. And the earth, how it is spread out? 22. So keep on giving admonition, for you are an admonisher
23. Not a taskmaster over them. 24. As for those who turn their backs and disbelieve 25. Allah will punish them with the mighty
punishment. 26. Surely to Us is their return, 27. Then surely it is for Us to take their account.
CAMELS AMONGST THE SIGNS OF ALLAHS POWER OF CREATING

Quran: We have included the sacrificial camels among the Symbols of Allah, for there is much good for you
in them. Therefore, pronounce the name of Allah over them while standing, and when they fall down on
their sides after slaughter, when their movement completely stops, then eat of their meat, feed the
contented (poor who do not ask) and the beggars (poor who ask). Thus We have subjected these animals to
you so that you may be grateful.182
She Camel of God
The She Camel of God was a miraculous female Camel sent by God to the people of Thamud, in Arabia, when they demanded
their Prophet Saleh (Biblical Name Shelah) to ask God for a miracle. The narrative and story of the she-camel is recorded in the
Qur'an.
Qur'anic mention
The First mention of the legend of the She Camel in The Quran refers to the Nabataean tribe of Thamud which had two Prophets
sent to them Hud and Saleh
The Nabataean tribe of Thamud descended from the tribe of 'Ad mentioned in the preceding passage, and is, therefore,
often referred to in pre-Islamic poetry as the "Second Àd". Apart from Arabian sources, "a series of older references, not of
Arabian origin, confirm the historical existence of the name and people of Thamud. Thus the inscription of Sargon of the year
715 B.C. mentions the Thamud among the people of eastern and central Arabia subjected by the Assyrians. We also find the
Thamudaei, Thamudenes mentioned in Aristo, Ptolemy, and Pliny" (Encyclopaedia of Islam IV, 736). At the time of which the
Qur'an speaks, the Thamud were settled in the northernmost Hijaz, near the confines of Syria. Rock-inscriptions attributed to
them are still extant in the region of Al-Hijr.-As in the case of the Àdite Prophet Hud-and the prophet Shu'ayb spoken of in
verses 85-93 of this Chapter (surah) Saleh is called the "brother" of the tribe because he belonged to it.183
Let us therefore deal with the legendary She camel in accordance with the chronological occurrence of their two Prophets Hud
and Saleh.
181
M. Asads Note No. 99Accompanying his translation of Quran [11:69] (Quran Ref: 11:69 )
Quran [22:36]
183
44
182
st
1 The Hud Story:

The Quran introduces the advent of Prophet Hud in the following words:
Quran: AND UNTO [the tribe of] Àd [We sent] their brother Hud. He said: "O my people! Worship God
alone: you have no deity other than Him. Will you not, then, be conscious of Him?"184
(Ìbrim) who - like most of the Semitic tribes - had probably originated in South Arabia. (References to `2b& are found in Genesis
x, 24-25 and xi, 14 ff.) The ancient Arabian name HUD is still reflected in that of Jacob's son Judah (Yahudah in Hebrew), which
provided the subsequent designation of the Jews. The name ` Eber - both in Hebrew and in its Arabic form Àbir -signifies "one
who crosses over" (i.e., from one territory to another), and may be a Biblical echo of the fact that this tribe "crossed over" from
Arabia to Mesopotamia in pre-Abrahamic times.-The tribe of Àd, to which Hud belonged ("their brother Hud"), inhabited the
vast desert region known as AI-Ahqaf, between Ùman and Hadramawt, and was noted for its great power and influence (see
89:8 - "the like of whom has never been reared in all the land"). It disappeared from history many centuries before the advent of
Islam, but its memory always remained alive in Arabian tradition185.
Prophet Hud then draws the attention of his people towards the she camel, and this is referred to in the following verse of The
Quran
Quran: And [then he said]: "O my people! This she-camel belonging to God shall be a token for you: so leave
her alone to pasture on God's earth, and do her no harm, lest speedy chastisement befall you!"186
2nd, The Saleh Story:
It is interesting that the Story of Prophet Saleh and the legendary she camel is mentioned at length in a chapter of The Quran
that carries the name of the people of Thamuds previous Prophet called Hud.
The first formal mention of the legend of the she camel with respect to the Saleh Story is when ALLAH (SWT) informs Prophet
Saleh about it, and this is quoted in the following verse of The Quran:
Quran: Behold, [O Saleh] We are letting loose this she-camel as a test for them; and thou but watch them, and contain thyself
in patience.187
Prophet Saleh himself then refers to this she camel when he is addressing his people and this is stated in the following verse of
The Quran.
Quran: AND UNTO [the tribe of] Thamud [We sent] their brother Saleh He said: "O my people! Worship God alone: you have no
deity other than Him. Clear evidence of the truth has now come unto you from your Sustainer. "This she-camel belonging to God
shall be a token for you: so leave her alone to pasture on God's earth, and do her no harm, lest grievous chastisement befall you.
188
M. Asad, a translator of The Quran has suggested that various commentators with respect to this mention of the legend of the
she camel have to the effect that this she-camel was of miraculous origin. M. Asad then goes on to say that, since neither the
Quran nor any authentic Tradition provides the least support for these legends, we must assume that they are based on the
expression naqat Allah ("God's she-camel") in the verse, which has led some pious Muslims to fantastic conjectures. However,
as Rashid Rida' points out (Manar VIII, 502), this expression denotes merely the fact that the animal in question was not owned
by any one person, and was therefore to be protected by the whole tribe; a further, analogous expression is found in the words
"God's earth" in the same verse: an illustration of the fact that everything belongs to God. The particular stress placed by Saleh
on good treatment of this ownerless animal - referred to in several places in the Qur'an - was obviously due to the cruel highhandedness displayed by the tribe, who, as the next two verses show, were wont to "act wickedly on earth by spreading
184
Quran [7:65]
186
Quran [11:64]
187
Quran [54:27]
188
Quran [7:73]
45
185
corruption" and "gloried in their arrogance towards all who were deemed weak": in other words, their treatment of the
defenceless animal was to be a "token" of their change of heart or (as is made clear in 54:27) "a test for them". 189
The story of Prophet Saleh and the legendary she camel is then mentioned at length in the following verses of The Quran
Quran: AND UNTO [the tribe of] Thamud [We sent] their brother Saleh. He said: "O my people! Worship
God [alone]: you have no deity other than Him. He brought you into being out of the earth, and made you
thrive thereon. Ask Him therefore; to forgive you your sins, and then turn towards Him in repentance-for,
verily, my Sustainer is ever-near, responding [to the call of whoever calls unto Him]!190"
The Nabataean tribe of Thamud descended from the tribe of 'Ad mentioned in the preceding passage, and is, therefore, often
referred to in pre-Islamic poetry as the "Second Àd". Apart from Arabian sources, "a series of older references, not of Arabian
origin, confirm the historical existence of the name and people of Thamud. Thus the inscription of Sargon of the year 715 B.C.
mentions the Thamud among the people of eastern and central Arabia subjected by the Assyrians. We also find the Thamudaei,
Thamudenes mentioned in Aristo, Ptolemy, and Pliny" (Encyclopaedia of Islam IV, 736). At the time of which the Qur'an speaks,
the Thamud were settled in the northernmost Hijaz, near the confines of Syria . Rock-inscriptions attributed to them are still
extant in the region of Al-Hijr.-As in the case of the Àdite prophet Hud-and the prophet Shu'ayb spoken of in verses 85-93 of
this chapter (surah) - Saleh is called the "brother" of the tribe because he belonged to it.191
When The Quran talks about He brought you into being out of the earth it is referring to the organic substances which derive
their nourishment-and hence their capability of development, proliferation and evolution-either directly or indirectly from the
earth (Razi). This is evidently also the meaning of the Qur'anic references to man as "created out of dust" (cf. 3:59, 18:37, 22:5
and 30:20)192
In the above verse when The Quran talks about and made you thrive thereon it is a reference to the elaborate rock-dwellings
or tombs-to be seen to this day-which the Thamud carved out of the cliffs west of Al-Hijaz, in northern Hijaz, and embellished
with sculptures of animals as well as many inscriptions attesting to the comparatively high degree of their civilization and power.
In popular Arabian parlance, these rock-dwellings are nowadays called Mada'in Saleh ("The Towns of Salih")193.
The response of the people of Thamud to the Call of Prophet Saleh is recorded in the following verse of The Quran
Quran: They answered: "O Saleh! Great hopes did we place in thee ere this! Wouldst thou forbid us to
worship what our forefathers were wont to worship? Because [of this], behold, we are in grave doubt,
amounting to suspicion, about [the meaning of] thy call to us! "194
M. Asad adds that in the above verse the words Lit., "Thou wert among us one in whom hope was placed ere this": an allusion to
Hud's outstanding intellect and strength of character, which had probably caused his tribe to see in him their future leader -until
he startled them by his passionate demand that they should abandon their traditional beliefs and devote themselves to the
worship of the One God.195
M. Asad adds further that in the above verse the words Lit., "we are indeed in disquieting doubt as to that to which thou invitest
us". It is to be borne in mind that the pre-Islamic Arabs regarded their gods, as well as the angels (whom they believed to be
"God's daughters"), as legitimate mediators between man and God, whose existence as such they did not deny; consequently,
they were greatly disturbed by their prophet's demand that they should abandon the worship of those allegedly divine or semidivine beings. The above answer of the Thamud seems to imply that they might consider Saleh's claim to be a prophet more
favourably if he would but refrain from insisting that "you have no deity other than Him": a suggestion that fully explains Saleh's
retort in the next verse.196
189
M. Asad in his Note No. 57 Accompanying his translation of Quran[7:73 ] at www.islamicity.com

Quran [11:61]
191
M. Asad in his Note No. 56 Accompanying his translation of Quran [7:73] at www.islamicity.com
192
M. Asad in his Note No. 88 Accompanying his translation of Quran [11:61] at www.islamicity.com
193
M. Asad in his Note No. 59 Accompanying his translation of Quran [ 7:74 ] at www.islamicity.com
194
Quran [11:62]
195
M. Asad in his Note 91Accompanying his translation of Quran [11:62 ] at www.islamicity.com
196
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190
Quran: He retorted: "O my people! What do you think? If [it be true that] I am taking my stand on a clear
evidence from my Sustainer, who has vouchsafed unto me grace from Himself - [if this be true,] who would
shield me from God were I to rebel against Him? Hence, what you are offering me is no more than
perdition!"197
Rebellion against God is a metaphor for I.e., "if I were to suppress - in spite of all the evidence obtained through divine
revelation - the fundamental truth that there is no deity save God, and that the ascribing of divinity or divine powers to anyone
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or anything beside Him is an unforgivable sin" (cf. 4:48 and the corresponding note 65)(Quran Ref: 11:64 )
When in the above verse Saleh is quoted as saying to his people that Lit., "you do not add [anything] to me but perdition". M.
Asad, the translator explains as follows:
Although this dialogue is related in the context of the story of Salih and the leaders of the Thamud, its implications have -as is
always the case with Qur'anic stories and parables -a universal, timeless import. The stress here is on the intrinsic impossibility
of reconciling belief in the One God, whose omniscience and omnipotence, embraces all that exists, with an attribution of divine
or semi-divine qualities and functions to anyone or anything else. The subtly-veiled suggestion of the Thamud (see note 92) and
its rejection by Salih has a bearing on all religious attitudes based on a desire to "bring God closer to man" through the
interposition of alleged "mediators" between Him and man. In primitive religions, this interposition led to the deification of
various forces of nature and, subsequently, to the invention of imaginary deities which were thought to act against the
background of an undefined, dimly-perceived Supreme Power (for instance. the Moira of the ancient Greeks). In higher religious
concepts, this need for mediation assumes the form of personified manifestations of God through subordinate deities (as is the
case, in Hinduism, with the personifications of the Absolute Brahma of the Upanishads and the Vedanta in the forms of Vishnu
or Shiva), or in His supposed incarnation in human form (as represented in the Christian idea of Jesus as "God's son" and the
Second Person of the Trinity). And, lastly, God is supposedly "brought closer to man" by the interposition of a hierarchy of saints,
living or dead, whose intercession is sought even by people who consider themselves to be "monotheists" -and this includes
many misguided Muslims who do not realize that their belief in saints as "mediators" between men and God conflicts with the
very essence of Islam. The ever-recurring Qur'anic stress on the oneness and uniqueness of God, and the categorical denial of
the idea that anyone or anything - whether it be a concrete being or an abstract force - could have the least share in God's
qualities or the least influence on the manner in which He governs the universe aims at freeing man from the self-imposed
servitude to an imaginary hierarchy of "mediating powers", and at making him realize that "wherever you turn, there is God's
countenance" (2:115), and that God is "[always] near, responding [to the call of whoever calls unto Him]" (2:186; also, in a
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condensed form. in verse 61 of this surah ).(Quran Ref: 11:63 )
We then find the occasion when Prophet Saleh is telling his people about this she camel.
Quran: And [then he said]: "O my people! This she-camel belonging to God shall be a token for you: so
leave her alone to pasture on God's earth, and do her no harm, lest speedy chastisement befall you !"200
Please see detailed explanation of the nature of this she camel on page 42 above as referenced in Note No. 142
Three day respite for the people of Thamud

The Quran then tells us that the people of Prophet Saleh despite all the exhortations from him and despite his warnings of the
looming divine punishment should they mistreat the she camel, they slaughtered her. This is quoted in the following verse of
The Quran.
Quran: But they cruelly slaughtered her and thereupon [Salih] said: "[Only] for three days [more] shall you
enjoy life in your homes: this is a judgment which will not be belied!"201
This incident and the cruelty of slaughter is mentioned in another verse where the perpetrators also challenged Prophet Saleh as
follows:
197
Quran [11:63]
M. Asad in his Note 93 Accompanying his translation of Quran [Quran : 11:63 ]
199
M. Asad in his Note 94 Accompanying his translation of Quran[11:63]
200
Quran [11:64]
201
Quran [11:65]
47
198
Quran: And then they cruelly slaughtered the she-camel and turned with disdain from their Sustainer's
commandment, and said: "O Salih! Bring about that [punishment] with which thou hast threatened us, if
thou art truly one of God's message bearers!"202
The cruelty of slaughter of the she camel is indicated by the Quranic word of Aqara. M. Asad a translator explains that the verb
Àqara primarily denotes "he hamstrung [an animal]"-i.e., before slaughtering it, so that it might not run away. This barbarous
custom was widely practiced in pre-Islamic Arabia, so that àqr ("hamstringing") gradually became synonymous with
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slaughtering in a cruel manner (Razi; see also Lane V, 2107 f.).
Following the three days respite, the people of Saleh who had so cruelly slaughtered the she camel were overtaken by the Blast
of Gods Punishment and they lay lifeless on the ground in their own homes as though they had never lived there. Their end is
described in the following verses of The Quran.
Quran: And the blast [of God's punishment] overtook those who had been bent on evildoing: and then they
lay lifeless, in their very homes, on the ground,204 [98]
Quran: as though they had never lived there. Oh, verily, [the tribe of] Thamud denied their Sustainer! Oh,
away with the Thamud!205
Thunderbolt of Gods Punishment
The Thunderbolt of God Punishment as mentioned in the above verses is represented by the Quranic word Sayhah, and M.
Asad, the translator explains further that:
Lit., "they became, in their homes, prostrate on the ground". Ibn Àbbas - as quoted by Razi-explains the term sayhah (lit.,
"vehement cry" or "sound" occurring in this verse as a synonym of; saiqah, a "thunderbolt" or the "sound of thunder". Since
the same event is described in 7:78 as "violent trembling" (rajfah), which in that context apparently denotes an earthquake, it is
possible that the "vehement sound" mentioned here and in several other places describes the subterranean rumbling which
often precedes and accompanies an earthquake and/or the thunder like noise of a volcanic eruption (see surah 7, note 62).
However, in view of the repeated use of this expression in varying contexts, we may assume that it has the more general
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meaning of "blast of punishment" or - as in 50:42, where it indicates the Last Hour - of "final blast".
The Latest Reference to the she camel
The latest, in terms of chronological mention of the she-camel is found in the Chapter 91 of The Quran called Ash-Shames
(The Sun) wherein after calling to consider ALLAH (SWT)s creations such as The Sun, The Moon, The Sky, The Day, The Night
and The Earth to make people aware of ALLAH (SWT)s favours and hopefully appreciate, and even more hopefully to be grateful
for all of these.
The Quran then draws attention to the twin opposite characteristics of human beings of being able to rise to great spiritual
heights (taqwaha) as also to fall into utter immorality (fujuraha) as an essential characteristic of human nature. . In its deepest
sense, man's ability to act wrongly is a concomitant to his ability to act rightly: in other words, it is this inherent polarity of
tendencies which gives to every "right" choice a value and, thus, endows man with moral free will (cf. in this connection note 16
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on 7:24-25).
The essential characterstics of human nature are best represented by the Quranic term Nafs, which has a very wide range of
meanings (see first sentence of note 1 on 4:1), denotes here the human self or personality as a whole: that is, a being composed
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of a physical body and that inexplicable life-essence loosely described as "soul".
In terms of the formation of the Nafs the term used in The Quran is sawwaha Lit., "and that which has made [or "formed"] it () in
accordance with. . .", etc. For this particular connotation of the verb sawwa, see note 1 on 87:2, which represents the oldest
202
Quran [7:77]
M. Asad in his Note 61 Accompanying his translation of Quran [7:77 ]
204
Quran [11:67]
205
Quran [11:68]
206
M. Asad in his Note 98 Accompanying his translation of Quran [11:67 ]
207
208
48
203
Qur'anic instance of its use in the above sense. The reference to man and that which constitutes the "human personality", as
well as the implied allusion to the extremely complex phenomenon of a life-entity in which bodily needs and urges, emotions
and intellectual activities are so closely intertwined as to be indissoluble, follows organically upon a call to consider the
inexplicable grandeur of the universe - so far as it is perceptible and comprehensible to man - as a compelling evidence of God's
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creative power.
Having thus taken the readers to appreciate the twin track nature of human-self, as if to emphasise this point, The Quran than,
once again reminds us of the story of the tribe of Thamud and their overweening arrogance caused one of them
Quran: when that most hapless wretch from among them rushed forward [to commit his evil deed]210
Quran: although God's apostle {Hud and Saleh in succession} had told them, "It is a she-camel belonging to
God, so let her drink [and do her no harm]!211
Quran: But they gave him the lie, and cruelly slaughtered her whereupon their Sustainer visited them with
utter destruction for this their sin, destroying them all alike:212
Quran: for none [of them] had any fear of what might befall them.213
Parable of Animal Wealth on which zakat has not been paid:
Parable of Animal Wealth on which Zakat has not been paid:
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: The owner of a camel, who does not pay what is due on it (will be punished in this
way): on the Day of Resurrection many more camels (together with his camel) will come. The owner will be made to sit on soft
sandy ground and they will trample him with their hooves. No owner of cattle who does not pay what is due on them (will be
spared the punishment). On the Day of Resurrection, many more cattle will come; he (the owner) will be made to sit on soft
sandy ground, and will be gored by their horns and trampled under their feet. No owner of goats and sheep, who does not pay
what is due on them (will be spared the punishment) many more goats and sheep will come on the Day of Resurrection; he (the
owner) will be made to sit on soft sandy ground which they gore him with their horns and trample him under their hooves. And
there will be more (among this flock of sheep and goats) without horns, or with broken horns. No owner of treasure, who does
not pay its due will escape punishment. His treasure will come on the Day of Resurrection, looking like a bald snake. It will
pursue him with its mouth open, and when it comes near he will be called thus: "I take your treasure which you concealed, for I
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do not need it." When he finds no way out he will put his hand in its mouth and it will gnaw it like a bull-camel.
Specific Points Regarding Zakat on Cattle
209
M. Asad in his Note 5 Accompanying his translation of Quran [91:7

Quran [91:12]
211
Quran [91:13]
212
Quran [91:14]
213
Quran [91:15]
214
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim Hadith No. 491@www.alim.org
49
210
215
bull-camel in its third year, ten dirhams or two goats are to be given."
3.41 ZAKAT on Cattle

Cattle are subject to zakah provided they are a freely grazing herd and number thirty at the completion of the hawl At
that point, the zakah due is a young bull or a young cow (tabi' or tabi'ah). When they reach forty, the zakah is a
young cow two years old (musinnah); when sixty, two young cows or two one-year-olds (tabi'ahs); when seventy, the
zakah due is one musinnah and one tabi'; when eighty, two musinnahs; when ninety, three tabi's; when one hundred,
one musinnah and two tabi's; when 110, two musinnahs and two tabi's; and when 120, three musinnahs or four
tabi's. This system is followed on all additional cattle--one tabi', and on every forty, one musinnah.
3.41A ZAKAT on Sheep (inc Goats)
Sheep are subject to zakah when their number reaches forty. When the herd counts forty freely grazing heads at the
end of the year, its zakah is one sheep. This is applicable until the number reaches 120, at which point, up until 200,
the zakah is two sheep. From 201 to 300, their zakah is three sheep. When the number is above 300, one additional
sheep is added for each increment of one hundred. Young sheep (jadh') are levied in the case of sheep and young
goats (thany) in the case of goats. It is permissible, say scholars without exception, to levy rams as a form of zakah if
all of the nisab of sheep are male. If the sheep are ewes, or a grouping of males and females, the Hanafiyyah holds it
is optional to levy a zakah rams, whereas others specify ewes.
3.41B Regulation of Awqas
Definition of Awqas: Awqas is a plural form of waqs. A waqs is any amount or number that lies between the
regulation of the lower ordinance and that of a higher one. Scholars agree that such a waqs is exempt from zakah. It
has been confirmed in the Hadiths of the Prophet, upon whom be peace, concerning the sadaqah of camels that he
said: "When the number of camels reaches twenty-five, a young she-camel one year old and already starting the
second (ibn makhad); when they reach thirty-six to forty-five, then the zakah due on them is a young she-camel two
years old and already starting the third (bint labun)." Concerning the sadaqah of cattle, he said: "When cattle number
between thirty and forty, the zakah is a young calf of one year old (tabi') or a bull or cow of one year and already
starting the second (jadh' or jadh'ah); when they reach forty, a young cow of two years old and already starting the
third (rnusinnah)." Concerning sadaqah on sheep, he said: "When the number of freely grazing sheep is between
forty-two and 120, their zakah is one ewe." Thus, what lies between twenty-five and thirty-six camels is considered
waqs--that is, there is no zakah on them. Likewise, what lies between thirty and forty cattle is considered waqs. This
CATS in the Hadiths

It seems that there is No mention of Cats in the Quran, but, there is mention of them in the Hadiths.
Besides the question of your fidelity to your own people, even your own selfish interests require you to beware of secret
intrigues with enemies. They will welcome you as cat's paw. But what will happen when they have used you and got the better
of you and your people! Then they will show you their hand. And a heavy hand it will be! Not only will they injure you with their
hands but with their tongues! The only words they will use for you will be "Traitors to their own"! If they intrigue with you now,
it is to pervert you from the Path of Truth and righteousness and win you over to their evil ways .217
CATS Are Not Impure

215
217
Surah - Al-Mumtahana , Verse(Ayah) 2, Commentary - 5411 at www.alim.org
50
216
Yahya related to me from Malik from Ishaq ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Talha from Humayda bint Abi Ubayda ibn Farwa that her
maternal aunt Kabsha bint Kab ibn Malik, who was the wife of the son of Abu Qatada al-Ansari, told her that once Abu Qatada
was visiting her and she poured out some water for him to do wudu with. Just then a cat came to drink from it, so he tilted the
vessel towards it to let it drink. Kabsha continued, "He saw me looking at him and said, 'Are you surprised, daughter of my
brother?' I said, 'Yes.' He replied that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, cats are not
impure. They intermingle with you.'218
Yahya said that Malik said, "There is no harm in that unless one sees impurities on the cat's mouth."
A lady Destined for Hell Fire for imprisoning her Cat and not feeding her
Allah's Apostle said, "A lady was punished because of a cat which she had imprisoned till it died. She entered the (Hell) Fire
because of it, for she neither gave it food nor water as she had imprisoned it, nor set it free to eat from the vermin of the
219
earth."
Animals that you mistreat will get to Lacerate You in the hereafter.
The Prophet prayed the eclipse prayer, and then said, "Hell was displayed so close that I said, 'O my Lord ! Am I going to be one
of its inhabitants?' Suddenly he saw a woman. I think he said, who was being scratched by a cat. He said, "What is wrong with
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her?" He was told, "She had imprisoned it (i.e. the cat) till it died of hunger."
Same lesson based on a different story
The Prophet once offered the eclipse prayer. He stood for a long time and then did a prolonged bowing. He stood up straight
again and kept on standing for a long time, then bowed a long bowing and then stood up straight and then prostrated a
prolonged prostration and then lifted his head and prostrated a prolonged prostration. And then he stood up for a long time and
then did a prolonged bowing and then stood up straight again and kept on standing for a long time. Then he bowed a long
bowing and then stood up straight and then prostrated a prolonged prostration and then lifted his head and went for a
prolonged prostration. On completion of the prayer, he said, "Paradise became as near to me that if I had dared, I would have
plucked one of its bunches for you and Hell became so near to me that I said, 'O my Lord will I be among those people?' Then
suddenly I saw a woman and a cat was lacerating her with it claws. On inquiring, it was said that the woman had imprisoned
221
the cat till it died of starvation and she neither fed it nor freed it so that it could feed itself ."
Trading in Cats and Dogs..?
222
The Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade payment for a cat.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade payment for dog and cat.
223
Eating Food partly eaten by a Cat and Performing Ablution from the water left-over by a Cat
Dawood ibn Salih ibn Dinar at-Tammar quoted his mother as saying that her mistress sent her with some pudding (harisah) to
Aisha who was offering prayer. She made a sign to me to place it down. A cat came and ate some of it, but when Aisha finished
her prayer, she ate from the place where the cat had eaten. She stated: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: It is
not unclean: it is one of those who go round among you. She added: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
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performing ablution from the water left over by the cat.
Same Lesson, Different Story
Kabshah, daughter of Ka'b ibn Malik and wife of Ibn AbuQatadah, reported: AbuQatadah visited (me) and I poured out water for
him for ablution. A cat came and drank some of it and he tilted the vessel for it until it drank some of it. Kabshah said: He saw
218
Al-Muwatta Hadith (Hadith 2.13) at www.alim.org
219
220

222
Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith (Hadith 1525) at www.alim.org
223
Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith (Hadith 1541)
224
Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith (Hadith 44) at www.alim.or
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221
me looking at him; he asked me: Are you surprised my niece? I said: Yes. He then reported the Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) as saying: It is not unclean; it is one of those (males or females) who go round among you.
Jurisprudical Points about Pots of water from which Some Animals have Drunk
Fiqh(Jurisprudence)-of-Sunnah - 1.6
1.6 Water left in a pot after a cat has drunk from it
Such water is also considered pure. This is proven by the hadith of Kabshah bint Ka'b who, when she was under the care of Abu
Qatadah, entered the room to pour some water for him. A cat came, drank some of the water, and Qatadah proceeded to tilt
the container so the cat could drink more. Kabshah said, "He noticed that I was watching him." He asked, "Are you surprised, O
niece?" I answered, "Yes." He said, "The Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, said, 'It (the cat) is not impure. They
intermingle with you."'
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1.6A Water left in a pot after a pig or dog has drunk from it
Such water is considered impure and must be avoided. Al-Bukhari and Muslim have recorded, on the authority of Abu Hurairah,
that the messenger of Allah said, "If a dog drinks from one of your containers, wash it seven times." Ahmad and Muslim also
have this addition, "Cleanse one of your containers if a dog licks it by washing it seven times, the first washing being with dirt."
As for the leftover water of a pig, it is clearly considered filth and impure.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1.6B Types of impurities
Najasah refers to impure substances that the Muslim must avoid and wash off if they should happen to contaminate his clothes,
body and so on. Says Allah in the Qur'an, "Purify your raiment" (alMudathar 4); and, "Allah loves those who repent and who
purify themselves" (al-Baqarah 222). The Messenger of Allah also said, "Purity is half of the faith."
1.6C Dead animals
This refers to animals which die from "natural causes," that is, without the proper Islamic way of slaughtering. It also includes
anything that is cut off of a live animal. Abu Waqid al-Laithy reported that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, "What is cut
off of a live animal is considered dead," i.e., it is considered like an animal that has not been properly slaughtered. This is related
by Abu Dawud and by at-Tirmidhi, who classifies it as hassan and says that the scholars act according to this hadith.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CATTLE in the Quran and Hadiths

Cattle Seen as a Symbol of Alluring delusions of Worldly Possessions
Quran: ALLURING unto man is the enjoyment of worldly desires through women, and children, and heaped-up treasures of gold
and silver, and horses of high mark, and cattle, and lands. All this may be enjoyed in the life of this world - but the most
beauteous of all goals is with God Quran: ALLURING unto man is the enjoyment of worldly desires through women, and children,
and heaped-up treasures of gold and silver, and horses of high mark, and cattle, and lands. All this may be enjoyed in the life of
225
this world - but the most beauteous of all goals is with God
False assignations about the CattleThis is stated in the following verse of The Quran
Quran And they say, "Such-and-such cattle and fruits of the field are sacred; none may eat thereof save
those whom we will [to do so]" - so they [falsely] claim; and [they declare that] it is forbidden to burden the
backs of certain kinds of cattle; and there are cattle over which they do not pronounce God's name - falsely
attributing [the origin of these customs] to Him. [But] He will requite them for all their false imagery .226
225
226
Quran [3:14]
Quran [6:168]
52
Quran: so that they might experience much that shall be of benefit to them, and that they might extol the
name of God on the days appointed [for sacrifice], over whatever heads of cattle He may have provided for
them [to this end]: eat, then, thereof, and feed the unfortunate poor.227
Quran: All this [is ordained by God]; and if one honours God's sacred commandments, it will redound to his
own good in his Sustainer's sight. And all [kinds of] cattle have been made lawful to you [for sacrifice and
food], save what is mentioned to you [as forbidden]. Shun, then, [all that God has forbidden and, most of
all,] the loathsome evil of idolatrous beliefs and practices; and shun every word that is untrue228
Quran: And [thus it is:] unto every community [that has ever believed in Us] have We appointed [sacrifice
as] an act of worship, so that they might extol the name of God over whatever heads of cattle He may have
provided for them [to this end]. And [always bear in mind:] your God is the One and Only God: hence,
surrender yourselves unto Him. And give thou the glad tiding [of God's acceptance] unto all who are
humble229
Quran: And as for the sacrifice of cattle, We have ordained it for you as one of the symbols set up by God,
in which there is [much] good for you. Hence, extol the name of God over them when they are lined up [for
sacrifice]; and after they have fallen lifeless to the ground, eat of their flesh, and feed the poor who is
contented with his lot [and does not beg], as well as him who is forced to beg. It is to this end that We have
made them subservient to your needs, so that you might have cause to be grateful .
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Quran: Or dost thou think that most of them listen [to thy message] and use their reason? Nay, they are but
like cattle - nay, they are even less conscious of the right way!231
Quran: Are they not aware that it is We who drive the rain onto dry land devoid of herbage, and thereby
bring forth herbage of which their cattle and they themselves do eat? Can they not, then, see [the truth of
resurrection]?232
Quran: and [as] there are in men, and in crawling beasts, and in cattle, too, many hues?19 Of all His
servants, only such as are endowed with [innate] knowledge20 stand [truly] in awe of God: [for they alone
comprehend that,] verily, God is almighty, much-forgiving233
Quran: Are they, then, not aware that it is for them that We have created, among all the things which Our
hands have wrought, [41] the domestic animals of which they are [now] masters?234
Quran: He has created you [all] out of one living entity, and out of it fashioned its mate;7 and he has
bestowed upon you four kinds of cattle of either sex;8 [and] He creates you in your mothers' wombs, one
act of creation after another, in threefold depths of darkness.9 Thus is God, your Sustainer: unto Him
belongs all dominion: there is no deity save Him: how, then, can you lose sight of the truth 235
227
Quran [22:28]
Quran [22:30]
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Quran [22:34]
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Quran [22:36]
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Quran [25:44]
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Quran [32:27]
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Quran [35:28]
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Quran [36:71]
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Quran [39:6]
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Quran: It is God who [at all times works wonders for you: [61] thus, He] provides for you [all manner of]
livestock, so that on some of them you may ride, and from some you derive 236your food,237
Quran: The Originator [is He] of the heavens and the earth. He has given you mates of your own kind [9] just
as [He has willed that] among the beasts [there be] mates - to multiply you thereby: [but] there is nothing
like unto Him, and He alone is all-hearing, all-seeing.238 [10]
Quran: The Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has made for you mates from among yourselves and
also mates among the cattle from their own kind; by this means does He multiply you. There is no one like
Him. He alone hears all and sees all.239
Quran: And He it is who has created all opposites. [10] And He [it is who] has provided for you all those ships
and animals whereon you ride,240
Quran: The One Who has created all living things in pairs and made for you the ships and cattle on which
you ride241
Quran: Verily, God will admit all who attain to faith and do righteous deeds into gardens through which
running waters flow, whereas they who are bent on denying the truth shall have - even though they may
enjoy their life [in this world] and eat as cattle eat - the fire [of the hereafter] for their abode.242
Quran: [all this] as a means of livelihood for you and your animals243. [15]
Quran: and made them beneficial for you and your cattle.244
Quran: for you and for your animals to enjoy245.
Quran: as a means of sustenance for you and your cattle.246
236
Quran [43:12]
237
Quran [40:79]
Quran [42:11]
239
Quran [42:11]
240
Quran [43:12]
238
241
Quran [43:12]
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Quran [47:12]
Quran [79:33]
243
244
Quran [79:33]
Quran [80:32]
246
Quran 80:32]
245
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247
248

247
248
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CHEETAH in the Quran / Hadiths

Lit., such of the trained beasts of chase" (min al-jawarih mukallibin).The term mukallib signifies "trained like a [hunting] dog",
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and is applied to every animal used for hunting - a hound, a falcon, a cheetah, etc.
And Again .
In the matter of the killing for meat, the general rule is that the name of Allah, the true God should be pronounced as a rite in
order to call our attention to the fact that we do not take life thoughtlessly but solemnly for food, with the permission of Allah,
to whom we render the life back. The question of hunting is then raised. How can this solemn rite be performed when we send
forth trained hawks, trained hounds, or trained cheetahs or other animals trained for the chase? They must necessarily kill at
some distance from their masters. Their game is legalized on these conditions: (1) that they are trained to kill, not merely for
their own appetite, or out of mere wantonness, but for their master's food; the training implies that something of the solemnity
which Allah has taught us in this matter goes into their action; and (2) we are to pronounce the name of Allah over the quarry;
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this is interpreted to mean that the Takbir should be pronounced when the hawk or dog, etc., is released to the quarry
Cheetah gets another mention in the explanation of the term Hunting Animals which is said to include a hound, a falcon a
Cheetah etc. The Quranic Term mukallib signifying Trained like a hunting dog is applied to every animal used for hunting.
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COCKEREL in the Quran and Hadiths

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, -Seek refuge with Allah against the devil when you
hear the sound of a donkey, for it sees the devil, and when you hear a cock, pray to Allah for His bounty, for it sees
an angel.' (Bukhari and Muslim)253
COWS in the Quran and Hadiths

Quran: AND [one day] the King said: Behold, I saw [in a dream] seven fat Cows being devoured by seven
emaciated ones, and seven green ears [of wheat] next to [seven] others that were withered. O you nobles!
Enlighten me about [the meaning of] my dream, if you are able to interpret dreams!"254
This king seems to have been one of the six Hyksos rulers who dominated Egypt from about 1700 to 1580 B.C., after having
invaded the country from the east by way of the Sinai Peninsula. The name of this dynasty, which was undoubtedly of foreign
origin, is derived from the Egyptian hiq shasu or heku shoswet, meaning "rulers of nomad lands", or - according to the late
Egyptian historian Manetho - "shepherd kings": all of which points to their having been Arabs who, despite the fact that before
their invasion of Egypt they were already well-established in Syria, had to a large extent preserved their bedouin mode of life.
This would explain the confidence which the king mentioned in this story was later to place in Joseph, the Hebrew, and the
subsequent settlement of the latter's family (and, thus, of what in due course became the Israelite nation) in Egypt: for it must
be borne in mind that the Hebrews, too, descended from one of the many bedouin tribes who some centuries earlier had
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Quoted as a Commentary, No.13 Accompanying Translation of Quran [5:4] @www.alim.org
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Quoted as a Commentary, No. 698 Accompanying Translation of Quran [5:4] @www.alim.org
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M. Asad in his Note No. 13 Accompanying his Translation of Quran [5:4]
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Contained in the Jurisprudence of the Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah (Fiqh 4.127) @www.alim.org
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Quran [12:43]
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migrated from the Arabian Peninsula to Mesopotamia and later to Syria (cf. surah 7, note 48); and that the language of the
Hyksos must have been very akin to Hebrew, which, after all, is but an ancient Arabian dialect.(Quran Ref: 12:43 ) 255
Quran: And he went to see Joseph in the prison and said to him:] "Joseph, O thou truthful one! Enlighten
us about [the meaning of a dream in which] seven fat Cows were being devoured by seven emaciated ones,
and seven green ears [of wheat appeared] next to [seven] others that were withered - so that I may return
[with thy explanation] unto the people [of the court, and] that they may come to know [what manner of
man thou art]256
257
258

255

Quran [12:46]
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258
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256
CROW in the Quran /Hadiths

Al-Bukhari and Muslim record that Anas said: The Prophet (Pbuh) prohibited the pecking like a crow in the prayers. Once he saw
a man who did not complete his ruku' and he told him: 'Go back and pray for you have not prayed.' And he said: 'Allah does not
look to one who does not straighten his back during ruku' and sujjud.' I do not know of any difference of opinion among the
scholars concerning the fact that it is preferred for an imam to be 'easy' on his followers while making the prayer properly. It is
related that 'Umar said: 'Do not make people dislike Allah, by making the Salah so long that it should become hard on those
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praying behind you."'
DEER in the Quran / Hadiths

Atonement to be offered for Killing a Deer when in Pilgrims garb
With respect to the atonements that need to be offered for killing an animal whilst in a Pilgrims garb Earlier generations of
Muslim Scholars gave verdicts that a camel is to be sacrificed for an ostrich, and a cow for a zebra, a stag or a deer, and similarly
a sheep for a woodchuck, a pigeon, a turtledove, a mountain quail, and certain other birds. A male sheep is to be sacrificed for a
hyena, a goat for a deer, a four month old goat for a rabbit, a baby goat (kid) for a fox, and a four month old goat should be
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sacrificed for killing a jerboa.
259
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Quoted in the Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh No 2.51b @www.alim.org
Quoted in the Collection of Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah No. 5.60 @www.alim.org
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If one killed a male adult deer or similar animal, he must slaughter a cow, otherwise one must feed twenty needy people, or fast
for twenty days. If an ostrich or zebra or similar animal is killed, one must fast thirty days. This is reported by Ibn Abi Hatem and
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Ibn Jarir. They also added to this the words: "The food given to the needy must be sufficient to satisfy their hunger."
Also see Appendix 5 regarding the General Rules concerning Compensation that is required for killing an animal whilst in a
Pilgrims Garb
DOGS in the Quran and Hadiths

People of the Cave
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The companionship of man and dog is symbolised in the Legend of The Dog of the People of The Cave mentioned in the 18
Chapter of The Quran titled: People of The Cave. Many virtuous Islamic websites suggest, without providing any Textual Proof,
that this Dog was called Qitmir they will even quote Verse 13 of Chapter 35 of the Quran without checking out that the word
Qitmir as mentioned in that verse refers not to a dog but to a thin membrane that covers a date stone.
This verse [35:13] states that:
Quran: He makes the night grow longer by shortening the day, and He makes the day grow longer by
shortening the night; and He has made the sun and the moon subservient [to His laws], each running
its course for a term set [by Him]. Thus is God, your Sustainer: unto Him belongs all dominion whereas those whom you invoke instead of Him do not own so much as the husk of a date-stone!. An
allegorical reference, perhaps, to the similitude of those who put their reliance on other than ALLAH
(SWT) being similar to this thin weak film covering the date-stone.
As one can see that there is no reference to Qitmir as a Dog in the above verse. So, we pray for the Divine guidance of
Illumination for those who make wild references.
However, the verses of Chapter 18 of The Quran which refer to the Dog of The People of The Cave, quite besides the argument
of what that Dog was called, state as follows:
Quran: And thou wouldst have thought that they were awake, whereas they lay asleep. And We caused
them, to turn over repeatedly, now to the right, now to the left; and their dog [lay] on the threshold, its
forepaws outstretched. Hadst thou come upon them [unprepared], thou wouldst surely have turned away
from them in flight, and wouldst surely have been filled with awe of them 263
Referring to the debate about numbers w.r.t. how many of the men were in the cave, the Quran states as follows
Quran: [And in times to come] some will say, "[They were] three, the fourth of them being their dog," while
others will say, "Five, with their dog as the sixth of them" - idly guessing at something of which they can
have no knowledge - and [so on, until] some will say, "[They were] seven, the eighth of them being their
dog." Say: "My Sustainer knows best how many they were. None but a few have any [real] knowledge of
them. Hence, do not argue about them otherwise than by way of an obvious argument,32 and do not ask
any of those [storytellers] to enlighten thee about them."264
The Story of the People of the Cave in its very brief essentials is that running away from those persecutors who worshipped
Deities other than ALLAH (SWT), a group of men along with their Dog took refuge in a cave, where they slept for several hundred
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Quoted in the Collection of Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah No. 5.60a @www.alim.org
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Quran [18:18]
Quran [18:22]
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years, and in order that their slumber remains undisturbed, God had willed the trajectory of the sun for all those many years to
incline away from the cave. The Quran states this in the following words:
Quran: And [for many a year] thou might have seen the sun, on its rising, incline away from their cave on
the right, and, on its setting, turn aside from them on the left, while they lived on in that spacious chamber,
[bearing witness to] this of God's messages: He whom God guides, he alone has found the right way;
whereas for him whom He lets go astray thou canst never find any protector who would point out the right
way.265
M. Asad, a translator of The Quran referring to the inclination of the path of the sun away from the cave has drawn the
conclusion that the cave evidently opened to the north. He further believes this to be an echo of the many Qur'anic allusions to
the happiness of the righteous in paradise, symbolized by its "everlasting shade" (see, in particular, surah 4, note 74, on the
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metaphorical use of the term zill in the sense of "happiness").
Sirius the Dog Star
There is another indirect nomenclature reference to the Dog in another verse of The Quran referring to Sirius otherwise also
known as the Dog Star.
The verse of The Quran where this nomenclature reference is made referring to ALLAH (Swt)S Lordship states that
Quran: and that it is He alone who sustains the brightest star267

Lit who is the Sustainer of Sirius (ash-shira)", a star of the first magnitude, belonging to the constellation Canis Major. Because it
is the brightest star in the heavens, it was widely worshipped in pre-Islamic Arabia. Idiomatically, the phrase rabb ash-shira is
used as a metonym for the Creator and Upholder of the universe.(Quran Ref: 53:49 ) 268
Mention of Dogs in Hadiths

For Hunting, and Protection of Herds and of Cultivated Lands
In a Hadith, The Prophet (Pbuh) permitted the keeping of dogs for (a) Hunting (b) Protection of herds (c) Protection of Cultivated
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land.
Eating What the Hunting Dogs Catch
Someone asked the Prophet, "I send off (for a game) my trained hunting dogs; (what is your verdict concerning the game they
hunt?" He said, "If you send off your trained hunting dogs and mention the Name of Allah, then, if they catch some game, eat
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(thereof). And if you hit the game with a mi'rad (a hunting tool) and it wounds it, you can eat (it)."
And then Again ..
There was a bedouin called AbuTha'labah. He said: Apostle of Allah, I have trained dogs, so tell me your opinion about (eating)
the animal they hunt. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: If you have trained dogs, then eat what they catch for you. He
asked: Whether it is slaughtered or not? He replied: Yes. He asked: Does it apply even if it eats any of it? He replied: Even if it
eats any of it. He again asked: Apostle of Allah, tell me your opinion about my bow (i.e. the game hunted by arrow). He said: Eat
what your bow returns to you, whether it is slaughtered or not. He asked: If it goes out of my sight? He replied: Even if it goes
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Quran [18:17]
M. Asads Note No.20 Accompanying his translation of Quran [18:17] at www.islamicity.com
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Quran [53:49]
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M. Asads Note No. 36 Accompanying his translation of Quran [53:49] at www.islamicity.com
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Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim Hadith No. 745 @ www.alim.org
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Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith No. 9.494 @www.alim.org
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out of your sight, provided it has no stench, or you find a mark on it other than the mark of your arrow. He asked: Tell me about
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the use of the vessels of the Magians when we are forced to use them. He replied: Wash them and eat in them.
And Again ..
Yahya said that he heard Malik say that there was no harm in eating game when you did not see it die if you found the mark of
your dog on it or your arrow in it as long as it had not remained overnight. If it had remained overnight, then it was disapproved
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of to eat it.
MUKKALIB Explanation of the Term
Lit., "such of the trained beasts of chase" min al-jawarih mukallibin The term mukallib signifies "trained like a [hunting] dog",
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What someone elses Dog Catches?
I asked the Prophet (about the hunting dogs) and he replied, "If you let loose (with Allah's name) your tamed dog after a game
and it hunts it, you may eat it, but if the dog eats of (that game) then do not eat it because the dog has hunted it for itself." I
further said, "Sometimes I send my dog for hunting and find another dog with it. He said, "Do not eat the game for you have
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mentioned Allah's name only on sending your dog and not the other dog."
Eat even if one piece of what it catches is left
Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that Sad ibn Abi Waqqas had said, when asked about a trained dog killing
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game, "Eat, even if only one piece of it remains."
Eat whether it i.e. Dog Eats of it or Not
Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar said about a trained dog, "Eat whatever it catches for you
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whether it eats from it or not."
General Rule Regarding Hunting with Animals
some distance from their masters. Their game is legalized on these conditions: (1) that they are trained to kill, not merely for
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It is the Saliva of a Dog that is considered impure and not its Coat / Fur
Dogs are considered impure. Any container that a dog has licked must be washed seven times, the first time with dirt. Abu
Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, said, "Purifying a container that a dog has licked is done
by washing it seven times, the first washing being with dirt (that is, water mixed with dirt until it becomes muddy)." This was
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Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith No. 1240 @www.alim.org
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta Hadith (Hadith 25.5) @www.alim.org
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Quoted as a Commentary No.13 Accompanying Translation of Quran [5:4] @www.alim.or
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Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith No. 1.175 @www.alim.org
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Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta Hadith No. 25.7 @www.alim.org
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Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta Hadith (Hadith 25.5a) www.alim.org
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Quoted as a Commentary, No. 698 Accompanying Translation of Quran [5:4] @www.alim.org
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related by Muslim, Ahmad, Abu Dawood, and al-Bayhaqi. If a dog licks a pot that has dry food in it, what it touched and what
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surrounds it must be thrown away. The remainder may be kept, as it is still pure. As for a dog's fur, it is considered pure.
Similitude between Devotion to this World and Barking Dogs
The Fourth Caliph and son-in-law of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) held that those who are devoted to this world are like barking
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dogs and ferocious animals that fall at one another, and the strong devour the week.
The Barking Dogs and Braying Asses See what we cannot see
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: When you hear the barking of dogs and the braying of asses at night, seek refuge in Allah,
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for they see which you do not see.
A Muslim hunter sending out a Hunting Dog and a Magian sending out a Hunting Dog without pronouncing the name of Allah
Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard some of the people of knowledge say that when falcons, eagles, and hawks
and their like, understood as trained dogs understood, there was no harm in eating what they had killed in the course of
hunting, if the name of Allah had been mentioned when they were sent out.
Malik said, "The best of what I have heard about retrieving game from the falcon's talons or from the dog's fangs and then
waiting until it dies, is that it is not halal to eat it."
Malik said, "The same applies to anything which could have been slaughtered by the hunter when it was in the talons of the
falcon or the fangs of the dog. If the hunter leaves it until the falcon or dog has killed it, it is not halal to eat it either". He
continued, "The same thing applies to any game hit by a hunter and caught while still alive, which he neglects to slaughter
before it dies."
Malik said, "It is generally agreed among us that it is halal to eat the game that a hunting-dog belonging to magians hunts or kills,
if it is sent out by a Muslim and the animal is trained. There is no harm in it even if the Muslim does not actually slaughter it.
It is the same as a Muslim using a magian's knife to slaughter with or using his bow and arrows to shoot and kill with. The game
he shot and the animal he slaughters are halal. There is no harm in eating them. If a magian sends out a Muslims hunting dog
for game, and it catches it, the game is not to be eaten unless it is slaughtered by a Muslim. That is like a magian using a
Muslims bow and arrow to hunt game with, or like his using a Muslims knife to slaughter with. It is not halal to eat anything
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killed like that.
Being in the Pilgrims garb (Ihram) and the Killing of Wild Dogs and Animals
Malik said, about the "wild dogs" which people were told to kill in the Haram, that any animals that wounded, attacked, or
terrorized men, such as lions, leopards, Lynxes and wolves, were counted as "wild dogs." However, someone who was in ihram
should not kill beasts of prey that did not attack (people), such as hyenas, foxes, cats and anything else like them, and if he did
then he had to pay a forfeit for it. Similarly, someone in ihram should not kill any predatory birds except the kinds that the
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, specified, namely crows and kites. If someone in ihram killed any other kind
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of bird he had to pay a forfeit for it.
And Again
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Quoted in the Jurisprudence of the Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh No.1.13a @www.alim.org
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The 4 Caliphs Quotes from a collection of books by Prof Masood-ul-Hasan quoted at www.alim.org
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Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith No. 241 @www.alim.org
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281
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Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta, Hadith No 25.8 @www.alim.org

Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta Hadith No. 20.92@www.alim.org
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The Companion Yahya related from Malik from Abdullah ibn Dinar from Abdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace ,said, "There are five (kinds of) animal which it is not wrong for someone in ihram to kill:
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scorpions, rats and mice, crows, kites and wild dogs. "
Giving Water to a Thirsty Dog
The Prophet (Pbuh) said, "A man saw a dog eating mud from (the severity of) thirst. So, that man took a shoe (and filled it) with
water and kept on pouring the water for the dog till it quenched its thirst. So Allah approved of his deed and made him to enter
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Paradise."
A Dogs Vomit and the Similitude of Taking Back of a Gift
The Prophet (Pbuh) said, He who takes back his present is like a dog that swallows back its vomit."
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And Again .
I gave a horse in Allah's cause. The person, to whom it was given, did not look after it. I intended to buy it from him, thinking
that he would sell it cheap. When I asked the Prophet he said, "Don't buy it, even if he gives it to you for one Dirham, as the
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person who takes back what he has given in charity, is like a dog that swallows back its vomit."
Prostration How it should not be done
The Prophet said, "Be straight in the prostrations and none of you should put his forearms on the ground (in the prostration) like
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a dog."
And Again ..
The Prophet said, "Do the prostration properly and do not put your forearms flat with elbows touching the ground like a dog
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And Again
The Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) said: Observe moderation in prostration, and let none of you stretch out his forearms (on the
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ground) like a dog.
EAGLE in the Hadith and History: See also Hawk in the Quran and Hadith
EAGLE
There appears to be no direct mention of Eagles {Arabic = Uqab} in The Quran except for a very indirect reference as part of a
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commentary on verse 167 of the 7 Chapter titled Al-Araf (The Heights)
The verse on which in a commentary the indirect reference is made has the following words:
Quran: And lo! Thy Sustainer made it known that most certainly He would rouse against them, unto Resurrection Day, people
who would afflict them with cruel suffering: verily, thy Sustainer is swift in retribution - yet, verily, He is [also] much-forgiving, a
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dispenser of grace
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Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta Hadith No.20.90 @www.alim.org

Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith No. 1.174@www.alim.org
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Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith No. 3.791@www.alim.org
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Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith No. 3.792 @www.alim.org
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Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith No 1.785 @www.alim.org
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289
290
Quran [7:167]
63
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As the readers can see in the above verse there is a divinely stated threat to rouse against the people who broke their Sabbath
as mentioned in verse 163 of the same chapter.
The commentator who has drawn an indirect reference to the Eagle has found so not in The Quran or Hadith but in The Bible,
and in particular in Deuteronomy) where presumably referring to the same historical episode of the breakage of the Sabbath,
the words of Deuteronomy state as follows:
The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the Eagle flieth: a nation whose
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tongue thou shalt not understand"
M. Asad, a translator of The Quran gives a much deeper explanation of the story of the Sabbath breakers as follows:
"on a day when they did not keep Sabbath". Under Mosaic Law, they were obliged to refrain from all work-and, therefore, also
from fishing-on Sabbath-days, with the result that the fish were more plentiful and would come closer to the shore on those
days: and the inhabitants of the town took this as an excuse to break the Sabbath-law. Since the Quran does not mention the
name of the town nor give any indication as to the historical period in which those offences were committed, it may be assumed
that the story of the Sabbath-breakers (alluded to in several places in the Quran) is a general illustration of the tendency, so
often manifested by the children of Israel, to offend against their religious laws in pursuit of their passions or for the sake of
worldly gain. Although, according to the teachings of Islam, the Mosaic dispensation has since been abrogated, the Quran
frequently points out its great role in the history of man's monotheistic beliefs, and stresses again and again its (time-bound)
importance as a means of enforcing spiritual discipline on the children of Israel. Their repeated, deliberate breaches of the
Mosaic Law are shown as evidence of their rebellious attitude towards that discipline and, thus, towards God's commandments
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in general.
The next mention of Eagle(s) {Arabic = Uqab} and other birds from the family of Eagles such as the Falcons and Vultures we find
is in the text of jurisprudence belonging to the Maliki school of thought in Islam where the mention is in respect of the Fidya
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(compensation) that becomes due for killing Birds and Wild Animals whilst on pilgrimage in the pilgrims garb called Ihram.
The actual text of jurisprudence which states this, does so in the following words:
The Compensation (Fidya) for Killing Birds and Wild Animals in Ihram
Someone said, I still hear that when a person in ihram kills an ostrich, a camel is due."
Malik said, "I think that for an ostrich egg, one tenth of the price of a camel is due in the same way that there is a newly-born
male or female slave for the unborn child of a free woman. The value of the newly-born slave is fifty dinars, and that is onetenth of what the blood-money for the mother would be.
"Birds from the eagle family, eagles or falcons or vultures count as game for which a price is paid just as a price is paid for any
game which a person in ihram kills. For everything for which a penalty is paid, the assessment is the same, whether the animal is
old or young. The analogy of that is that the blood-money for the young and the old freeman, are considered to be the same."
Then, the next mention of Eagles we find are in historical events like name of a city / pass where a historical event took place or
the image of an Eagle appearing on the standard of a campaign commander. These events are as follows:
Khalifa Abu Bakr - Campaigns in Syria

Khalid's March to Syria
Khalid-bin-Walid who was appointed Commander of the Syrian front during Caliph Abu Bakrs term of office, had an Eagle as an
emblem on his standard and in trying to reach the Syrian front, he had to negotiate a pass that proved to be very significant in
the history of the campaign, and because it was negotiated successfully by Khalid who carried a standard with an Eagle on it, the
pass also came to be known as Saniyyat-ul-Uqab Pass of the Eagle.
291
Deuteronomy, xxviii. 49
M. Asad in his Note No. 129 Accompanying his translation of Quran [7:163] www.islamicity.com
293
www.alim.org Al-Muwatta Hadith - 20.2
64
292
The story
294
in detail is as follows:
Khalids transfer to Syria in May 634 C.E

While Khalid bin Walid was at Al Hirah, he received orders from Abu Bakr that he should proceed with all possible haste to Syria
to take over the command of the Muslim forces in Syria and lead the operations there. With the departure of Khalid from Iraq,
Al Muthanna was to be the Commander of the Muslim forces in Iraq. On receiving these orders, Khalid divided the Muslim
forces in Iraq in two corps. One corps he left with Al Muthanna in Iraq and with the other corps he proceeded to Syria.
Route to Syria. The main point that Khalid had to decide was as to the route by which he should march to Syria. The southern
route led via Daumatul Jandal. It was the easiest and the simplest route. It was, however, a long route, and the march was likely
to take a considerable time. The other route in the north lay along the Euphrates. It was not the proper route to be followed for
it was studded with numerous cantonments garrisoned by the Byzantine soldiers.
Khalid was keen to know of some other shorter route to Syria. One of the soldiers of the army of Khalid, Rafe' bin Umeira
suggested that there was another route through the land of Samawa. Through this route, the entire journey was to take five
days only. The difficulty, however, was the region was a barren and waterless desert, and because of the want of water,
considerable difficulties had to be faced by the travellers. Rafe' was also of the view that the Samawa route was not a proper
route for the army, as it involved extreme hardships, absence of water, and the risk of losing the way.
Urged by the spirit of adventure, Khalid decided that he would follow the Samawa route, whatever the risks. This dangerous
decision alarmed them, but he addressed them "Let not your resolve be weakened. Allah will help you and why should you fear
anything when you have the help of Allah? "
March to Syria. In early June 634 C.E., Khalid marched from Al Hirah with his corps of 9,000 men. From Al Hirah they proceeded
to 'Ein at Tamr, Sandauda, Mazayyah and Qaraqir. At Qaraqir, the army filled the water skins and other containers with water
that could last for five days. Old camels were made to drink water to their full, so that they could serve as reservoirs of water in
case of emergency.
Plunge into the desert. On the following morning, taking the name of Allah, the army plunged into the trackless desert. The
journey through the desert proved to be very hard and oppressive. Things became difficult when the water supply expected to
last for five days was exhausted in three days. On the fourth day, in the absence of water, things became very difficult for the
army. Some of the camels were slaughtered, and the water stored in their stomachs was utilized for the watering of horses. By
the end of the fourth day, the men of Khalid reached the limits of human endurance. On the fifth day, the army reached the site
where according to the guide; there should have been a spring of water. The spring of water was, however, nowhere to be
found. This led to a feeling of great disappointment and frustration among the army. On further search and some trial diggings, a
spring of water was after all found. That was the end of all trouble and anxiety. Men and animals drank their fill, and praised
God for His mercy.
Suwa: The rest of the march through the desert was no longer oppressive. After a day's march, the Muslim army reached Suwa.
That was the first settlement in Syria. It was an oasis surrounded by a pastureland where there were large flocks of sheep and
herds of cattle. The Muslims captured all the flocks and herds to serve for the army's food during the campaigns to follow.
Tadmur From Arak, the Muslim army advanced to Tadmur, where was a Christian Arab garrison, who shut themselves in the fort
at the arrival of the Muslim army. The Muslims besieged the fort, and finding resistance useless, the Christian Arabs asked for
terms. They surrendered and agreed to pay Jizya.
Qaryatein: From Tadmur, the Muslim army marched to Qaryatein. The Byzantine garrison here decided to resist. In the fight
that followed, the Byzantine garrison was annihilated to a man. The people of the town sued for terms, and agreed to pay Jizya.
Huwareen: From Qaryatein, the Muslims marched to Huwareen, some ten miles away. Here the Muslims had to fight against
the local inhabitants reinforced by a contingent of the Ghassans who had come to the relief of the local inhabitants. The
Byzantines and the Ghassans were cut to pieces. The survivors laid down arms, and a peace pact was signed where under people
agreed to pay Jizya.
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Khalifa Abu Bakrs Campaigns in Syria at www.alim.org

65
Pass of the eagle. From Huwareen the Muslim army took the road to Damascus. They halted at a pass twenty miles from
Damascus. At this pass in the Jabal-us-Sharq range, Khalid fluttered his standard bearing the 'eagle', and because of such
standard, the pass came to be known as "Saniyyat-ul-Uqab'', i.e. the pass of the eagle.
Marj Rahit. From the pass, the Muslim army advanced to Marj Rahit. A garrison here offered some resistance, but was soon
overpowered. The garrison surrendered and the Muslims amassed considerable booty. From Marj Rahit, the Muslim army under
Khalid marched to Busra.
Source: Hadrat Abu Bakr, Umar, Usman, Ali (ra) 4 Vol. Set
Author
: Professor Masood-ul-Hasan
Edition
: First, Hardback
Published
: 1982
Publisher
Siege of Damascus
: Islamic Publications, Lahore, Pakistan
Yaqusa: After the battle of Ajnadein, the Muslims broke the camp at Ajnadein in the first week of August 634 C.E. and set out for
Damascus. The advance of the Muslims was resisted by a Byzantine force at Yaqusa on the bank of the Yermuk. The Byzantine
force was defeated with considerable loss and Muslims pushed on towards their objective Damascus.
Marj-us-Saffar. After three days march from Yaqusa, the Muslim forces arrived at Marj-us-Saffar, twelve miles from Damascus,
and here their way was barred by a Byzantine force. The battle began on the 19th August with personal duels. In these duels the
Muslim cavaliers won and their Byzantine counterparts lost their lives. When after the personal combats, the battle began, the
Byzantines stood firm for a few hours, but as the Muslims increased their pressure, the Byzantine forces withdrew. Two
Byzantine Generals, Kulus and Azazeer were captured alive. Many Byzantine soldiers were killed. The survivors withdrew post
haste to Damascus.
Gibbon: In his well-known work Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Gibbon has a passage giving a graphic description of the
arrival of the Muslim forces at Damascus. He writes; "The sad tidings of the fall of Ajnadein were carried to Damascus by the
speed of grief and terror, and the inhabitants beheld from the walls of the city the return of the Muslim heroes of Ajnadein Amr
bin Al 'Aas led the van at the head of nine thousand horse, the bands of the Muslims followed each other in formidable review;
and the rear was closed by Khalid in person, with the standard of the black eagle. To the activity of Zarrar, he entrusted the
commission of patrolling round the city with two thousand horses, of scouring the plain and of intercepting all succour or
intelligence. The rest of the Arabian chiefs were fixed in their respective stations before the seven gates of Damascus and the
siege was renewed with vigour and confidence."
Byzantine garrison: The Byzantine garrison in Damascus was commanded by Thomas, a son-in-law of the Byzantine emperor
Heraclius. At the principal gate of the city, the Byzantines erected a lofty crucifix before which prayers were offered that the Son
of God would defend his servants and vindicate his truth.
The siege: The siege of Damascus began on the 21st of August, and on the 23rd of August 634 C.E., Abu Bakr was dead.
Damascus fell in the hands of the Muslims in September 634 C.E. during the caliphate of Umar.
Author
Edition
Published
: First, Hardback
: 1982
Publisher
: Islamic Publications, Lahore, Pakistan
Khalifa Umar bin al-Khattab - Expansion of Islam and Military Campaigns

Battle of Bait Lihya
66
In Syria, the siege of Damascus began on 21st August 634, and on 23rd August Abu Bakr was dead and Umar had become the
Caliph though the army in Syria did not know of this change Khalid bin Walid was the Commander-in-Chief of the Muslim forces
in Syria.
When the siege of Damascus began, the effort of Khalid was to isolate Damascus' so that no relief could reach it from any side.
The road to Emessa lay open, and there was the danger that a relief force might come from Emessa. Khalid sent a detachment to
take up its position at Bait Lihya ten miles from Damascus on the road to Emessa. The Commander of the detachment was
instructed by Khalid to send out scouts to look for the approach of the Byzantine relief columns.
On the 9th of September 634, news was brought to Khalid that a large Byzantine army was marching from Emessa and was likely
to reach Damascus within a couple of days. Khalid organised a mounted force of 5,000 men under the command of Zarrar. Zarrar
was instructed to intercept the Byzantine force at Bait Lihya. Reaching Bait Lihya, Zarrar organised an ambush near "Saniyyat-ulUqab"-the pass of the Eagle.
When the Byzantine army reached the pass, Zarrar ordered the attack. The Byzantines were prepared for the attack, and they
deployed themselves in battle formation almost immediately. In the battle that ensued many Byzantines were killed, and the
rest of the Byzantine army fled from the battlefield. The Byzantines were, however, able to capture Zarrar alive. The loss of
Zarrar had a depressing effect on the Muslim forces. The command was taken over by Rafie, and word was sent to Khalid for
further help.
Leaving the command of Damascus to Abu Ubaida, Khalid set off to Bait Lihya with his mobile guard of 4,000 horses. As Khalid
approached the battle-field, he saw a Muslim rider with a masked face gallop off towards the Byzantine front. This warrior
would kill a number of the soldiers of the enemy, and then withdraw. He would after some time pounce upon the enemy once
again and kill everyone who came his way. Khalid wanted this warrior to tell him who he was. The warrior, however, dashed to
the front again. As he returned from the attack after killing a number of the enemy, Khalid wanted the warrior to halt and
identify himself. The warrior said "I am Khaula, sister of Zarrar. My brother has been captured by the Byzantines, and I am
dashing against the enemy with a view to liberating Zarrar". Khalid praised the young girl for her bravery, and assured her that
he would have her brother rescued.
Khalid launched the attack against the Byzantines with full force and by mid-day the Byzantines began to withdraw under the
pressure of the Muslims. The scouts brought the news that they had seen a contingent of 100 Byzantines riding to Emessa with a
half-naked man in their midst tied to his horse. Khalid ordered Raf'e to take one hundred picked horsemen, move forward along
the flank of the Byzantines, get to the Emessa road, and intercept the escort taking Zarrar to Emessa. Raf'e set off at once on the
mission with one hundred horsemen. Khaula accompanied the party.
Raf'e and his party got to the Emessa road at a point where the Byzantine escort had not yet reached, and there lay in ambush.
When the Byzantines arrived at the spot, the Muslims fell on the Byzantines, killed most of them, and set Zarrar free.
Under the unrelenting pressure of the Muslims the force sent for the relief of Damascus was forced to retreat to Emessa in a
state of disorder. As Zarrar came back to the camp of Bait Lihya, Khalid was much pleased to meet him. Khalid thanked Raf'e and
Khaula for their services in freeing Zarrar. Khalid had a mind to pursue the fleeing force of the Byzantines, but he could not do so
as his presence was required at Damascus. Khalid left a detachment at Bait Libya, and himself along with his mobile guard
returned to Damascus.
Author
Edition
Published
Publisher
:
:
:
:
Professor Masood-ul-Hasan
First, Hardback
1982
Islamic Publications, Lahore, Pakistan
67
ELEPHANT in the Quran and Hadiths

Apart from the explanation of the reasons for Chapter 105 receiving the title Elephant as given in section 2.6 above, there are
other references to the Elephant elsewhere in The Quran, Hadiths and Islamic history. Some of these are as follows:
Year of the Elephant295
The Year of the Elephant (Arabic: , mu l-Fl) is the name in Islamic history for the year approximately equating to 570
296
AD. According to Islamic tradition, it was in this year that Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) was born .
The name, Year of the Elephant, is derived from an event that occurred at Mecca in which Abrahah, the Christian ruler of the
principality of Sheba in Yemen {some differing accounts make him either a viceroy of the Axumite Empire under the Byzantine
rule or as some other accounts describe him as having broken away and styled himself King of Yemen; the scholarly consensus
from inscriptions is that his domain was limited to Yemen and adjoining areas, he started out as a viceroy of the Ethiopians then,
declared himself king} marched upon the Kaaba with a large army, which included nearly a dozen or so elephants, intending to
demolish it.
However, the Lead Elephant is said to have stopped at the boundary around Mecca, and refused to enter. The year in which this
incident occurred came to be known as the Year of the Elephant because of the major role that the Elephant played in the event,
this began a trend for reckoning the years in the Arabian Peninsula based on the most significant incident / event that happened
in that year. This tradition was used until it was replaced with the Islamic calendar during the rule of the Second Caliph Umar.
The new system of the Islamic Calendar was also based on another major event in Islamic History which was the migration of
Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) from Mecca to Madina.
Recent discoveries in southern Arabia suggest that Year of the Elephant may have been 569AD or 568AD, as the Sassanid Empire
297
overthrew the Axumite- and Byzantine-affiliated regimes in Yemen around 570.
According to early Islamic historians such as Ibn Ishaq, in honour of his ally, Negus Abrahah, Christian ruler of the principality of
Sheba in Yemen, built a huge church at Sana'a known as al-Qullays, a loanword borrowed from Greek: "church".
Al-Qullays gained widespread fame, even gaining the notice of the Byzantines. The Arabs of the time had their own Centre of
religious worship and pilgrimage in Mecca, the Kaaba. This was seen by Abrahah as a direct competition to the Church that he
had built, he then proceeded to attempt to divert pilgrimage of the Arabs to his Church to it and is reported to have appointed
and sent a man named Muhammad ibn Khuza'i to Mecca and the Hejaz as a king with a message to the Arabs of Mecca that alQullays (the Church) was both much better than other houses of worship and purer, having not been defiled by the housing of
idols.
Ibn Ishaq's Prophetic biography states as follows:

With Abrahah there were some Arabs who had come to seek his bounty, among them Muhammad ibn Khuzaì ibn Khuzaba alDhakwani, al-Sulami, with a number of his tribesmen including a brother of his called Qays. While they were with him a feast of
Abrahah occurred and he invited them to the feast. As per some traditions, Abrahah and his people used to eat an animal's
testicles, so when the invitation was brought the Arab visitors said, "By God, if we eat this the Arabs will hold it against us as long
as we live."
Thereupon Muhammad ibn Khuza'i got up and went to Abrahah and said, "O King, this is a festival of ours in which we eat only
the loins and shoulders." Abrahah replied that he would send them what they liked, because his sole purpose in inviting them
was to show that he honoured them.
Then he crowned Muhammad ibn Khuza'i, and made him Emir of Mudhar, and ordered him to go among the people to invite
them to pilgrimage at his cathedral which he had built. When Muhammad ibn Khuza'i got as far as the land of Kinana, the people
of the lowland, knowing what he had come for, sent a man of Hudhayl called Ùrwa bin Hayyad al-Milasi, who shot him with an
295
296
297
www.wikipedia.com
Hajjah Adil, Amina, "Prophet Muhammad", ISCA, Jun 1, 2002, ISBN 1-930409-11-7
William Montgomery Watt (1974), p.7

68
arrow, killing him. His brother Qays who was with him fled to Abrahah and told him the news, which increased his rage and fury
and he swore to raid the Kinana tribe and destroy their temple.
It seems that news of the attempts by Abrahah to divert the worship and pilgrimage of the Arabs to the Cathedral that he had
built spread like wild fire amongst the wider Arab clans including the Quraysh.
Ibn Ishaq, the historian, further states that one of the men of the Quraysh angered by this, went to Sana'a, slipped into the
Cathedral of Abrahah at night and defiled it; it is widely assumed that they did so by defecating in it.
Abrahah, incensed, launched an expedition of forty thousand men against the Kaaba at Mecca, led by a white elephant named
Mahmud (and possibly with other elephants - some accounts state there were several elephants, or even as many as eight) in
order to destroy the Kaaba. Several Arab tribes attempted to fight him on the way, but were defeated.
Abrahah's elephant Mahmud is supposed to have refused to cross the boundary of Mecca and sat down digging its heels. It
could not be persuaded otherwise, either by reason or violence. The accounts state that if the elephant was turned towards
Syria or Yemen it would walk without hesitation, but when it was turned towards the Kaaba it would kneel on its knees as if it
would adore the city that its master was intent on destroying.
When news of the advance of Abrahah's army spread the Arab tribes of Quraysh Banu Kinanah, Banu Khuza'a and Banu Hudhail
united in defence of the Kaaba. A man from the Himyarite Kingdom was sent by Abrahah to advise them that Abrahah only
wished to demolish the Kaaba and if they resisted, they would be crushed.
Abdul Muttalib, Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh)s Grand Father and a leader of Quraysh advised the Meccans to seek refuge in the
hills while he with some leading members of the Quraysh remained within the precincts of the Kaaba.
Abrahah sent a dispatch inviting Abdul-Muttalib to meet with Abrahah and discuss matters. When Abdul-Muttalib left the
meeting he was heard saying,
"The Owner of this House is its Defender, and I am sure He will save it from the attack of the adversaries and will not dishonour
298
the servants of His House."
299
According to the Qur'an , next day, as Abrahah prepared to enter the city, a dark cloud of small birds appeared. The birds
carried small rocks in their beaks, and bombarded the Abrahahs forces, who fled in pan {see the graphic description of the
injuries suffered by the soldiers of the retreating army in section 2.6 above}. Abrahah himself was seriously wounded and he
retreated towards Yemen but died Let us now examine the 5 verses of the Chapter.
on the way. However, the animals of Abrahah's army escaped any serious injuries. The Arab tribes saw this as a sign of the
holiness of the Kaaba.300
Quran: Verses of the Chapter titled Elephant

Quran: ART THOU NOT aware of how thy Sustainer dealt with the Army of the Elephant?301
Quran: Did He not utterly confound their artful planning?302
Quran: Thus, He let loose upon them great swarms of flying creatures303
Quran: This smote them with stone-hard blows of chastisement pre-ordained304
298
Esposito (2003) The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, ISBN 0-19-512558-4, Oxford

Quran [Ch. 105]
300
Qur'an, al-Fil External links: Page at Islamic-Awareness.org discussing the event: Retrieved from
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_of_the_Elephant":Categories: Muhammad | History of Mecca | Kaaba |
301
Quran [105:1]
302
Quran [105:2]
303
Quran [105:4]
69
299
This word Sijjl has appeared also in an earlier verse of The Quran
contextual meanings as follows:
305
where M. Asad, the translator has explained its two
The Quranic word used for the stone hard substance with which the army of Abrahah were pelted with from the air is Sijjl Lit.,
"stones of Sijjil", which latter noun is regarded by some philologists as the Arabicized form of the Persian sang-i-gil ("clay-stone"
or "petrified clay"): cf. Qamus and Taj al-'Arus.
If this supposition is correct, the "stones of petrified clay" would be more or less synonymous with "brimstones", which in its
turn would point to a volcanic eruption, probably in conjunction with a severe earthquake (alluded to in the preceding phrase,
"We turned those [sinful towns] upside down"). But there is also a strong probability, pointed out by Zamakhshari and Razi, that
the term Sijjil is of purely Arabic origin - namely, a synonym of Sijjil, which primarily signifies "a writing", and secondarily,
"something that has been decreed": in which case the expression hijarah min Sijjil can be understood in a metaphorical sense,
namely, as "stones of all the chastisement laid down in God's decree" (Zamakhshari and Razi, both in conjunction with the above
verse and in their commentaries on 105:4). It is, I believe, this metaphorical meaning of "stone-hard blows of chastisement pre306
ordained", i.e., of God-willed doom, that the concluding sentence of the next verse alludes to
When this word Sijjl has appeared again in the above verse, its use is explained in the following way:
307
Lit., "with stones of Sijjil" As explained in note 114 as above on Quran [11:82], this latter term is synonymous with sijill, which
signifies "a writing" and, topically, "something that has been decreed by God]": hence, the phrase hijarah min sijjil is a metaphor
for "stone-hard blows of chastisement pre-ordained", i.e., in God's decree (Zamakhshari and Razi, with analogous comments on
the same expression in 11:82).
The particular chastisement to which the above verse alludes seems to have been a sudden epidemic of extreme virulence:
according to Waqidi and Muhammad ibn Ishaq - the latter as quoted by Ibn Hisham and Ibn Kathir - "this was the first time that
spotted fever (hasbah) and smallpox (judari) appeared in the land of the Arabs".
It is interesting to note that the word hasbah - which, according to some authorities, signifies also typhus - primarily means
"pelting [or smiting"] with stones" (Qamus).
As regards the noun ta'ir (of which tayr is the plural), we ought to remember that it denotes any "flying creature", whether bird
or insect (Taj al-'Arus). Neither the Qur'an nor any authentic Tradition offers us any evidence as to the nature of the "flying
creatures" mentioned in the above verse; and since, on the other hand, all the "descriptions" indulged in by the commentators
are purely imaginary, they need not be seriously considered.
If the hypothesis of an epidemic is correct, the "flying creatures" - whether birds or insects - may well have been the carriers of
the infection. One thing, however, is clear: whatever the nature of the doom that overtook the invading force, it was certainly
miraculous in the true sense of this word - namely, in the sudden, totally unexpected rescue which it brought to the distressed
people of Mecca.308
Quran: and caused them to become like a field of grain that has been eaten down to stubble 309
The Elephant Clock310
Another very well-known occurrence of Elephant in Islam, not necessarily in the theological side of it, but more on the historical
side and more particularly in the history of inventions made by Muslim Scientists, is the Elephant Clock.
304
Quran [105:4]
Quran [11:82]
306
M. Asads Note 114 accompanying his translation of Quran [11:82]
307
M. Asads Note 2 Accompanying his translation 0f Quran [105:4]
305
308

Quran [105:5]
310
www.wikipedia.com
70
309
The elephant clock in a manuscript by Al-Jazari (1206 AD) from The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices.
311
The elephant clock was a medieval Islamic invention by al-Jazari (11361206), consisting of a weight powered water clock in the
form of an elephant. The various elements of the clock are in the housing on top of the elephant. They were designed to move
and make a sound each half hour.
A modern full-size working reproduction can be found as a centrepiece in the Ibn Battuta Mall, a shopping mall in Dubai, United
Arab Emirates. Another working reproduction can be seen outside the Muse d'Horlogerie du Locle, Chteau des Monts, in Le
Locle, Switzerland.
In addition to its mechanical innovations, the clock itself is seen as an early example of multiculturalism represented in
technology. The elephant represents the Indian and African cultures, the dragon represents Chinese culture, the phoenix
represents ancient Egyptian culture, the water work represents ancient Greek culture, and the turban represents Islamic
312
culture.
Mechanism
The timing mechanism of The Elephant Clock is based on a water-filled bucket hidden inside the elephant. In the bucket is a
deep bowl floating in the water, but with a small hole in the centre. The bowl takes half an hour to fill through this hole. In the
process of sinking, the bowl pulls a string attached to a see-saw mechanism in the tower on top of the elephant. This releases a
ball that drops into the mouth of a Serpent, causing the serpent to tip forward, which pulls the sunken bowl out of the water via
strings. At the same time, a system of strings causes a figure in the tower to raise either the left or right hand or the mahout
(elephant driver at the front) to hit a drum. This indicates a half or full hour. Next the snake tips back. The cycle then
repeats, as long as balls remain in the upper reservoir to power the emptying of the bowl.313
Automation
In the mechanism, a humanoid automaton strikes the cymbal and a mechanical bird chirps, like in the later cuckoo clock, after
every hour or half hour.314
Passage of temporal hours
Another innovative feature of the clock was how it recorded the passage of temporal hours, which meant that the rate of flow
had to be changed daily to match the uneven length of days throughout the year. To accomplish this, the clock had two tanks.
311
Ibn al-Razzaz Al-Jazari (ed. 1974) The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices Translated and annotated by
Donald Routledge Hill, Dordrecht/D. Reidel.
312
Kerim Balci (14 June 2009). "A book on Muslim contributions to science provides solution to identity crisis". Today's Zaman.
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=177990.
313
Andrew Robinson (2007), The Story of Measurement: From Cubits to Megabytes, Thames & Hudson, ISBN 978-0500513675
314
The Machines of Al-Jazari and Taqi Al-Din, Foundation for Science Technology and Civilization
71
The top tank was connected to the time indicating mechanisms and the bottom was connected to the flow control regulator. At
daybreak the tap was opened and water flowed from the top tank to the bottom tank via a float regulator that maintained a
constant pressure in the receiving tank.315
Closed-loop system
This appears to be an early example of a closed-loop system in a mechanism. The clock functioned as long as there were metal
balls in its magazine.
See also
On Wikipedia checkout also the following topics:
Water clock, Al-Jazari, Inventions in the Muslim world, Dar al-Magana, Dar al-Muwaqqit
Checkout also the following External Links:
Article including a photograph of the Ibn Battuta Mall elephant clock.
Information from the Metropolitan Museum, New York.
Saudi Aramco World: The Third Dimension by Richard Covington, including Dr Fuat Sezgin, his museum of ArabicIslamic science
in Frankfurt, and in particular a model of the elephant clock.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_clock"
FALCON in the Quran / Hadiths

Falcons just like the Hounds are often Trained and used for Hunting purposes. Hence, whatever applies to Dogs with respect to
the permissibility or otherwise of eating off what they catch, the same would apply to Falcons and their catches. There is one
Hadith which specifically deals with Falcons in this context, and it states as follows:
According to the Maliki School of Thought when falcons, eagles, and hawks and their like, understood as trained dogs
understood, there was no harm in eating what they had killed in the course of hunting, if the name of Allah had been mentioned
when they were sent out.
Maliki School further holds that: retrieving game from the falcon's talons or from the dog's fangs and then waiting until it dies, is
that it is not halal to eat it."
They also state that, "The same applies to anything which could have been slaughtered by the hunter when it was in the talons
of the falcon or the fangs of the dog. If the hunter leaves it until the falcon or dog has killed it, it is not halal to eat it either". He
continued, "The same thing applies to any game hit by a hunter and caught while still alive, which he neglects to slaughter
before it dies."
They maintain also that, "It is generally agreed that it is halal to eat the game that a hunting-dog belonging to magians hunts or
kills, if it is sent out by a Muslim and the animal is trained. There is no harm in it even if the Muslim does not actually slaughter
it.
It is thought to be the same in the Maliki School of Jurisprudence, if a Muslim using a magian's knife to slaughter with or using
his bow and arrows to shoot and kill with. The game he shot and the animal he slaughters are halal. There is no harm in eating
them. If a magian sends out a Muslims hunting dog for game, and it catches it, the game is not to be eaten unless it is
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Ahmad Y Hassan; Donald Routledge Hill (1986), Islamic Technology: An Illustrated History, Cambridge University Press, p. 57
59, ISBN 0521263336
72
slaughtered by a Muslim. That is like a magian using a Muslims bow and arrow to hunt game with, or like his using a Muslims
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knife to slaughter with. It is not halal to eat anything killed like that.
The verse of The Quran that guides us in respect of this and other similar situations states as follows:
Quran: They will ask thee as to what is lawful to them Say: "Lawful to you are all the good things of life And
as for those hunting animals*which you train by imparting to them something of the knowledge that God
has imparted to yourselves - eat of what they seize for you, but mention God's name over it, and remain
conscious of God: verily, God is swift in reckoning.317
*Lit "such of the trained beasts of chase" (min al-jawarih mukallibin).The term mukallib signifies "trained like a [hunting] dog",
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FISH in the Quran and Hadiths

Following are some of the verses of The Quran and some Hadiths in which Fish features prominently. The most prominent
Fish Story in Islam is the Story of Prophet Jonah known to Muslims as Yunus. (For a Compact, all-in-one place story of Jonah
see Appendix-5)
Moses and the Allegorical reference to a Fish

Moses was to go and find a servant of Allah, who would instruct him in such knowledge as he had not already got. He was to
take a fish with him. The place where he was to meet his mysterious Teacher would be indicated by the fact that the fish would
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disappear when he got to that place.
Commentary - 2409 on Chapter 18, Verse 62
When they came to the Junction of the Seas, Moses forgot about the fish, and his attendant forgot to tell him of the fact that he
had seen the fish escaping into the sea in a marvellous way. They passed on, but the stages now became heavier and heavier,
and more fatiguing to Moses.
www.alim.org
Jonah and the Big Fish
Quran: For, alas, there has never yet been any community that attained to faith [in its entirety,] and
thereupon benefited by its faith, except the people of Jonah. When they came to believe, We removed from
them the suffering of disgrace [which otherwise would have befallen them even] in the life of this world,
and allowed them to enjoy their life during the time allotted to them320
The Qur'an points out in many places that no prophet has ever been immediately accepted as such and followed by all of his
people, and that many a community perished in result of the stubborn refusal, by the majority of its members, to listen to the
divine message. The only exception in this respect is said to have been the people of Nineveh, who-after having at first rejected
their prophet Jonah, so that "he went off in wrath" (cf. 21:87) - later responded to his call in unison, and were saved. For the
story of Jonah, see 21:87-88 and 37:139-148, as well as the corresponding notes; a fuller narrative, which does not conflict with
the Qur'anic references, is forthcoming from the Bible (The Book of Jonah). In the context of the passage which we are now
considering, the mention of Jonah's people - who alone among the communities of the past heeded their prophet before it was
too late - is meant to warn the hearers and readers of the Qur'an that a deliberate rejection of its message by "those against
316
Quoted in the Collection of works of Maliki School of Jurisprudence known as Al-Muwatta Hadith (Hadith 25.8)
Quran [5:4]
318
Quoted as a Commentary, No. 13 Accompanying Translation of Quran [5:4] at www.alim.org
319
Commentary - 2408 on Chapter 18, Verse 61 @ www.alim.org
317
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whom God's word [of judgment] has come true" (see verse 96) is bound to result in their spiritual doom and, consequently, in
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grievous suffering in the life to come.(Quran Ref: 10:98 )
Quran: and they cast him into the sea whereupon the great fish swallowed him, for he had been
blameworthy.322
Quran: AND, BEHOLD, Jonah was indeed one of Our message-bearers323
Quran: when he fled like a runaway slave onto a laden ship.324
I.e., when he (Jonah) abandoned the mission with which he had been entrusted by God (see chapter 21 note 83, which gives the
first part of Jonahs story), and thus, in the words of the Bible (The Book of Jonah i, 3 and 10), committed the sin of "fleeing from
the presence of the Lord". In its primary significance, the infinitive noun ibaq (derived from the verb abaqa) denotes "a slaves
running - away from his master"; and Jonah is spoken of as having "fled like a runaway slave" because - although he was Gods
message-bearer - he abandoned his task under the stress of violent anger. The subsequent mention of "the laden ship" alludes
to the central, allegorical part of Jonahs story. The ship ran into a storm and was about to founder; and the mariners "said
everyone to his fellow, Come and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us" (The Book of Jonah i, 7)
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- a procedure to which Jonah agreed.(Quran Ref: 37:140 )
Quran: And then they cast lots, and he was the one who lost;326
Lit., "he cast lots [with the mariners], and was among the losers". According to the Biblical account (The Book of Jonah i, 10 - 15),
Jonah told them that he had "fled from the presence of the Lord", and that it was because of this sin of his that they all were
now in danger of drowning. "And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto
you: for I know that for my sake this tempest is upon you .... So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea
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ceased from her raging."(Quran Ref: 37:141)
Quran: and they cast him into the sea, whereupon the great fish swallowed him, for he had been
blameworthy.328
In all the three instances where Jonahs "great fish" is explicitly mentioned in the Quran (as al-hut in the above verse and in
68:48, and an-nun in 21:87), it carries the definite article al. This may possibly be due to the fact that the legend of Jonah was
and is so widely known that every reference to the allegory of "the great fish" is presumed to be self-explanatory. The inside of
the fish that "swallowed" Jonah apparently symbolizes the deep darkness of spiritual distress of which 21:87 speaks: the distress
at having "fled like a runaway slave" from his prophetic mission and, thus, "from the presence of the Lord". Parenthetically, the
story is meant to show that, since "man has been created weak" (4:28), even prophets are not immune against all the failings
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inherent in human nature.(Quran Ref: 37:142 )
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M. Asads Note 120 Accompanying his translation of Quranic [10:98]

Quran [37:142]
323
Quran [37:139]
324
Quran [37:140]
325
M. Asads Note No. 54 Accompanying his translation of Quranic [37:140]
326
Quran [37:141]
327
M. Asads Note No. 55 Accompanying his translation of the Quran [37:141]
328
Quran [37:142]
329
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322
Quran: BEAR THEN with patience thy Sustainer's will and be not like him of the great fish, who cried out [in distress] after having
given in to anger.330
This is a reference to the Prophet Jonah - see 21:87 and the corresponding notes 82 and 83. As mentioned in 37:140, "he fled
like a runaway slave" from the task with which he had been entrusted by God, because his people did not all at once accept his
preaching as valid: and so Muhammad is exhorted not to give in to despair or anger at the opposition shown to him by most of
his contemporaries in Mecca, but to persevere in his prophetic mission.(Quran Ref: 68:48 ) 331
Quran: And had he not been of those who [even in the deep darkness of their distress are able to] extol Gods limitless glory,332
I.e., to remember God and to repent: see 21:87, which reveals in its very formulation the universal purport of Jonahs story.(Quran Ref: 37:143
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)
Jonahs Prayers of Praise and Regrets:

SUPPLICATION OF DHUN-NUN Yunus(JONAH)
In this, and as in other cases, the Quran quotes the words of prayers made by a historical person at the juncture of a historical
event, as a matter of guidance for us, as if to say to us that, should you find yourself in situations similar to the historical event,
then the words of prayers will be applicable and equally useful for yourself as well.
The words of prayers of DHUN-NUN (Muslim Name of Jonah) that Quran has recorded for our benefit are as follows:
Quran: There is no deity save Thee! Limitless art Thou in Thy glory! Verily, I have done wrong!334
NO SUPPLICATION FAILS That Uses JONAHS ABOVE NOTED WORDS

Hadith about the Importance of Jonahs above Noted Supplication
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith (Hadith 725)
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, No Muslim will supplicate ALLAH(SWT) for anything and fail to receive an answer
when he uses Dhun-Nun's supplication when he was in the belly of the fish: "There is no god but Thee to whom be the glory. I
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was indeed a wrongdoer."
Quran: he would indeed have remained in its belly till the Day when all shall be raised from the dead:
Quran: but We caused him to be cast forth on a desert shore, sick [at heart] as he was,
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337
Quran: and caused a creeping plant to grow over him [out of the barren soil].338
I.e., to shade and comfort him Thus, rounding off the allegory of Jonah and the fish, the Qur'an points out in the figurative
manner so characteristic of its style that God, who can cause a plant to grow out of the most arid and barren soil, can equally
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well cause a heart lost in darkness to come back to light and spiritual life.
www.alim.org
330
Quran [68:48]
M. Asads Note No.27 to his translation of the Quranic Verse (Quran Ref: 68:48)
332
Quran [37:143]
333
334
Quran [21:87]
335
Reference Taken from the Collection of Hadiths compiled by Imam Tirmidhi known as Al-Tirmidhi
336
Quran [37:144]
337
Quran [37:145]
338
Quran [37:146]
339
M. Asads Note 58 Accompanying his translation of the Quran [37:146]
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331
I.e., to shade and comfort him Thus, rounding off the allegory of Jonah and the fish, the Quran points out in the figurative
manner so characteristic of its style that God, who can cause a plant to grow out of the most arid and barren soil, can equally
well cause a heart lost in darkness to come back to light and spiritual life.(Quran Ref: 37:146 )
Quran: And [then] We sent him [once again] to [his people,] a hundred thousand [souls] or more:
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Quran: and [this time] they believed [in him] and so We allowed them to enjoy their life during the time allotted to them?341
According to the Biblical account (which more or less agrees with the Quranic references to his story), Jonah was a Prophet sent
to the people of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. At first his preaching was disregarded by his people, and he left them in anger,
thus abandoning the mission entrusted to him by God; in the words of the Qur'an (37:140), "he fled like a runaway slave. The
allegory of his temporary punishment and his subsequent rescue and redemption is referred to elsewhere in the Qur'an (i.e., in
37:139-148) and explained in the corresponding notes. It is to that punishment, repentance and salvation that the present and
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the next verse allude. (The redemption of Jonahs people is mentioned in 10:98 and 37:47-148.)(Quran Ref: 21:82)
FISH, Pilgrimage and a REGULATORY Guidance

Hunting fish while on Pilgrimage
Quran: Lawful to you is all water-game, and what the sea brings forth, as a provision for you [who are settled] as well as for
travellers, although you are forbidden to hunt on land while you are in the state of pilgrimage. And be conscious of God, unto
whom you shall be gathered.343
Lit the game of the sea and its food Since the term bahr denotes any large accumulation of water, the classical commentators
and jurists agree in that the above ordinance comprises all water-game, whether derived from seas, rivers, lakes or ponds
(Tabari). The pronoun in ta'amuhu (lit., "its food") relates to the word bahr, and thus indicates the fish and other marine animals
which may have been cast forth by the waves onto the shore (Tabari, Razi). Zamakhshari, however, regards the pronoun as
relating to the object of the game (sayd) as such, and, consequently, understands the phrase as meaning "the eating thereof".
Either of these two readings is agreeable with the text inasmuch as the above verse lays down that all kinds of water-game are
lawful to a believer - even if he is in the state of pilgrimage - whereas hunting on land (sayd al-barr) is forbidden to the pilgrim.344
According to Al-Hasan al-Basri (as quoted by Tabari), the "travellers" are, in this context, synonymous with "pilgrims": in other
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words, water-game of all descriptions is lawful to the believers irrespective of whether they are on pilgrimage or not .
Consuming the Flesh of the Fish and Trading in it, Some Regulatory Guidance in the Hadith
References taken from the Collection of Hadiths compiled by Imam Malik known as AL-MUWATTA
Malik said, "It is the generally agreed on way of doing things among us that the meat of camels, cattle, sheep and so on is not to
be bartered one for one, except like for like, weight for weight, from hand to hand. There is no harm in that. If it is not weighed,
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then it is estimated to be like for like from hand to hand."
Malik said, "There is no harm in bartering the meat of fish for the meat of camels, cattle, and sheep and so on two or more for
one, from hand to hand. If delayed terms enter the transaction however, there is no good in it."
Malik said, "I think that poultry is different from the meat of cattle and fish. I see no harm in selling some of it for something
different, more of one than another, from hand to hand. None of that is to be sold on delayed terms."
Hadith
340
Quran [37:147]
Quran [37:148]
342
M. Asads Note 83 Accompanying his translation of Quran [21:82]
343
Quran [5:96]
344
M. Asads Note No. 115 Accompanying his translation of Quran [ 5:96]
345
M. Asads Note No. 116 to his translation of the Quran[5:96]
346
Al-Muwatta Hadith (Hadith 31.67) @ www.alim.org
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341
Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam that Sad al-Jari, the mawla of Umar ibn al-Khattab asked Abdullah ibn Umar
about fish which had killed each other or which had died from severe cold. He said, "There is no harm in eating them.'' Sad said,'
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'I then asked Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al As and he said the same."
Hadith
Yahya related to me from Malik, from Zayd ibn Aslam, from Ata ibn Yasar, that Kab al-Ahbar was once coming back from Syria
with a group of riders, and at a certain point along the road they found some game-meat and Kab said they could eat it. When
they got back to Madina they went to Umar ibn al-Khattab and told him about that, and he said, "Who told you you could do
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that?", and they said, ''Kab.'' He said, "He was indeed the one I made amir over you until you should return."
Later, when they were on the road to Makka, a swarm of locusts passed them by and Kab told them to catch them and eat
them. When they got back to Umar ibn al-Khattab they told him about this, and he said (to Kab), "What made you tell them they
could do that?" Kab said, "It is game of the sea." He said, "How do you know?", and Kab said, "Amir al-muminin, by the One in
whose hand my self is, it is only the sneeze of a fish which it sneezes twice every year."
Malik was asked whether a muhrim(a person in a pilgrims garb could buy game that he had found on the way. He replied,
"Game that is only hunted to be offered to people performing Hajj I disapprove of and forbid, but there is no harm in game that
a man has which he does not intend for those in ihram, but which a muhrim finds and buys."
Malik said, about someone who had some game with him that he had hunted or bought at the time when he had entered into
ihram, that he did not have to get rid of it, and that there was no harm in him giving it to his family.
Malik said that it was halal for some one in ihram to fish in the sea or in rivers and lakes, etc.
Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zinad from Abu Salama ibn Abd ar-Rahman that some people from al-Jar came to
Marwan ibn al-Hakam and asked him about eating what was cast up by the sea. He said, "There is no harm in eating it." Marwan
said, "Go to Zayd ibn Thabit and Abu Hurayra and ask them about it, then come to me and tell me what they say." They went to
them and asked them, and they both said, "There is no harm in eating it " They returned to Marwan and told him. Marwan said,
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"I told you."
Malik said that there was no harm in eating fish caught by magians, because the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, said, "In the seas water is purity, and that which is dead in it is halal. "
Malik said, "If it is eaten when it is dead, there is no harm in who catches it."
IS ZAKAH (Poor Due) PAYABLE ON HARVESTS FROM THE SEA?

Most scholars stipulate that zakat is not payable on anything extracted from the sea, such as pearls, corals, chrysalides,
cachalot's ambergris, fish, and so on. There is, however, a report from Ahmad that if the amount extracted reaches a nisab, then
zakat is due on it. Abu Yusuf agrees with him in the case of pearls and cachalot's ambergris. Ibn 'Abbas holds that there is no
zakat of cachalot, because it is an object thrown out by the sea. Jabir said that there is no zakah on cachalot, but that it is a free
spoil for anyone who finds it.
FLEA as mentioned in Hadiths

Killing of Fleas, Ticks and Lices whilst in a Pilgrims garb
'Ata was asked by a man about the fleas or ants that vexed him while he was in the state of ihram(Pilgrims garb). He replied:
"You may throw away what does not belong to you." Ibn 'Abbas said: "A muhrim may kill lice and ticks."
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349
Al-Muwatta Hadith (Hadith 25.12)
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A muhrim may also remove fleas from his camel. 'Ikrimah reported that Ibn 'Abbas once ordered him to kill the ticks off his
camel while they were both in the state of ihram. 'Ikrimah, disliked doing so. Then, Ibn 'Abbas commanded Ikrimah to slaughter
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a camel, which he willingly did. Thereupon Ibn 'Abbas asked him, "Do you know how many ticks you just killed?"
FLY in the Quran and Hadiths

A Parable
Quran: O MEN! A parable is set forth [herewith]; hearken, then, to it! Behold, those beings whom you invoke instead of God
cannot create [as much as] a fly, even were they to join all their forces to that end! And if a fly robs them of anything, they
cannot [even] rescue it from him! Weak indeed is the seeker, and [weak] the sought
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One wing of the fly carries a disease whilst the other wing carries its cure
Allah's Apostle said, "If a fly falls in the vessel of any of you, let him dip all of it (into the vessel) and then throw it away, for in
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one of its wings there is a disease and in the other there is healing (antidote for it) i.e. the treatment for that disease."
Cannot harm even a Fly during Hajj
During the Pilgrimage known as Hajj, Pilgrims enter a state of sacredness where arguing and fighting, cutting a plant or even
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harming a fly is prohibited.
A drop of Tear as small as a Flys head
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "If, through fear of Allah, tears--even to the extent of a fly's head--fall from any
believer's eyes and drop on some part of his cheek, he will be kept away from Hell by Allah.354
Ibn Majah transmitted it.
The Devil Diminishes to the size of a Fly
AbulMalih reported on the authority of a man: I was riding on a mount behind the Prophet (peace be upon him). It stumbled.
Thereupon I said: May the devil parish! He said: Do not say: May the devil perish! for if you say that , he will swell so much so
that he will be like a house, and say: By my power. But say: In the name of Allah; for when you say that, he will diminish so much
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so that he will be like a fly
FOX in the Quran / Hadiths

Abdul Malik bin Qurair reported from Mohammad bin Sirin that a man came to 'Umar bin Al-Khattab and said: "A friend of mine
and I ran after a wild game while we were in pilgrim garb. We killed a deer. What is our atonement?" 'Umar told a man next to
him: "Come, you and I must judge together." Then he gave his verdict and told the man to sacrifice a goat in compensation." The
man left saying, "This is the Chief of the Faithful, who cannot pass a judgment concerning the killing of a deer!" 'Umar heard the
man's remark, and he called him back and asked him: "Have you read Surah Al-Ma'idah (of the Qur'an)?" The man said: "No."
'Umar asked further: "Do you know this man who participated in the judgment with me?" The man said, "No." 'Umar said: 'Had
you told me that you have read Surah Al-Ma'idah, I would have made you ache from beating." Then he added: "Allah, the
Exalted One, says in His Book: 'If any of you doeth so intentionally, the compensation is an offering, brought to the Ka'bah, of a
domestic animal equivalent to the one he killed, as adjudged by two just men among you.' And this man (who judged with me) is
Abdur-Rahman bin 'Awf'."
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Quoted as a jurisprudence of Traditions No. 5.47 @www.alim.org

Quran [22:73]
352
353
Quoted in an article on Pilgrimage (Hajj) @ www.alim.org
354
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Tirmidhi Hadith No. 1433 @www.alim.org
355
Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith No. 2336 @www.alim.org
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Earlier generations of Muslim scholars gave verdicts that a camel is to be sacrificed for an ostrich, and a cow for a zebra, a stag
or a deer, and similarly a sheep for a woodchuck, a pigeon, a turtledove, a mountain quail, and certain other birds. A male sheep
is to be sacrificed for a hyena, a goat for a deer, a four month old goat for a rabbit, a baby goat (kid) for a fox, and a four month
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old goat should be sacrificed for killing a jerboa.
Sunnah Acts of Prayers / Sitting between the Two Prostrations
It is sunnah to sit "spread out" between the two prostrations (to put the left foot down and to sit upon it and to keep the right
foot upright with the toes pointing toward the qiblah). 'Aishah reported that the Prophet would lay out his left foot and keep his
right foot upright. (Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.) Ibn 'Umar reported that it is from the sunnah to keep the right foot
upright, with its toes pointing toward the qiblah, and to sit upon the left foot. (Related by an-Nasa'i.) Reported Nafa', "When Ibn
'Umar prayed, he would face the qiblah, even his shoes." (Reported by al-Athram.) In the hadith of Abu Humaid, in which he
described the prayer of the Prophet, he stated, "Then he would lay down his left foot and sit upon it until all of his bones were in
place, and then he would go to make the prostration (again)." (Related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and at-Tirmidhi who classified it
as sahih.)
It has also been related that ifa'a (laying out both feet and sitting upon one's heels) is a preferred act. Comments Abu 'Ubaidah,
"This is the statement of the people of hadith." Abu az-Zubair related that he heard Tawus say, "We asked Ibn 'Abbas about
ifa'a, and he said, 'It is sunnah to do so.' We said, 'We think it to be too harsh for the man.' He said, 'It is a sunnah of your
Prophet, upon whom be peace." (Related by Muslim.)
Ibn 'Umar reported that when the Prophet rose from the first prostration, he would sit upon his toes. He used to say, "That is
from the sunnah." Reported Tawus, "I saw the 'Abdullahs ('Abdullah ibn 'Abbas, 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar and 'Abdullah ibn az-Zubair)
sitting with their feet laid flat." The last two reports were related by al-Baihaqi. Talking of its authenticity, Ibn Hajr says, "Its
chain is sound."
Concerning iqa'a--sitting with the buttocks on the ground and with the thighs straight on the ground--it is disliked by all scholars.
Said Abu Hurairah, "The Prophet prohibited us from three things: pecking like a rooster (making the prostration very quickly),
sitting like a dog (iqa 'a), and not turning one's whole head like a fox." This is related by Ahmad, al-Baihaqi, at-Tabarani and Abu
Tala with a hassan chain. It is preferred for the one who is sitting between the two prostrations to put his right hand on his right
thigh and his left hand on his left thigh with the fingers stretched out and directed toward the qiblah. The fingers should be
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slightly separated and should not go beyond the knees
G
GAZELLE in the Quran / Hadiths
Penalty for killing a Gazelle whilst in a Pilgrims Garb
Yahya related to me from Malik from Abd al-Malik ibn Qurayr from Muhammad ibn Sirin that a man came to Umar ibn
al-Khattab and said, "I was racing a friend on horseback towards a narrow mountain trail and we killed a gazelle
accidently and we were in ihram. What is your opinion?" Umar said to a man by his side, "Come, so that you and I
may make an assessment." They decided on a female goat for him, and the man turned away saying, "This amir almuminin cannot even make an assessment in the case of a gazelle until he calls a man to decide with him." Umar
overheard the man's words and called him and asked him, "Do you recite surat al-Ma'ida?" and he said, "No." He said,
"Then do you recognize this man who has taken the decision with me?" and he said, "No." He said, "If you had told
me that you did recite surat al-Ma'ida, I would have dealt you a blow." Then he said, "Allah the Blessed, the Exalted
says in His Book, 'as shall be judged by two men of justice among you, a sacrificial animal to reach the Kaba' (Sura 5
ayat 95), and this is Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf." 358
356
Quoted as a Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah No. 5.60)
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Quoted as a Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah No. 1.154 @www.alim.org

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79
GOATS in the Quran and Hadiths Makhid is a pregnant ewe or goat (See Appendix 6 for Jurisprudical Points
regarding Makhid in the Assessment of Zakat)
For reference to Goats in The Quran see the narrative about the Sheep in particular where Sheep and Goats have been
mentioned side-by -side, and the same notes, comments and References will apply to Goats as they apply to the mention of
sheep.
In the Hadith
There is a significant appearance of Goats in an incident mentioned in the Hadiths. This incident is one in which Goats were
accepted in payment for relieving the pain and suffering of a tribal elder who was stung by a scorpion by the application of the
recitation of the first chapter of The Quran on the wounds site.
This story is mentioned in the works of references of Hadiths in the following way:
Many people in this regard have quoted from Hadrat Abu Said Khudri's tradition which has been related in Bukhari, Muslim,
Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmad, Abu Daud and Ibn Majah {the collection of References of Hadiths}, and it is supported also by a
tradition related in Bukhari on the authority of Ibn Abbas.
According to it the Holy Prophet sent some of his Companions including Hadrat Abu Said Khudri on an expedition. They halted
on the way at the settlement of an Arabian tribe and asked for hospitality from the people, but they refused to extend any
hospitality.
In the meantime the chief of the tribe was stung by a scorpion and the people came to the travelers to ask if they had any
medicine or formula by which their chief could be cured. Hadrat Abu Said said: "Yes, we do have, but since you have refused us
hospitality, we would not treat him unless you promised us to give us something." They promised to give them a flock of goats
(according to some traditions, 30 goats), and Hadrat Abu Said went and started reciting Surah Al-Fatihah and rubbing his saliva
on the affected place. Consequently, the chief felt relieved of the effect of the poison and the people of the tribe gave them the
goats as promised. But the Companions said to one another; "Let us not make any use of the goats until we have asked the Holy
Prophet about it", for they were not sure whether it was permissible to accept any reward for what they had done. So they
came before the Holy Prophet and related what had happened. The Holy Prophet smiled and said: "How did you know that
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Surah Al-Fatihah could also be used for curing such troubles? Take the goats.
Hangings below the Ears of Goats
One of the interpretations of the Quranic Term Zanim is that it refers to either of the two wattles, or fleshy skin
protuberances, hanging below the ears of a goat. Since these wattles do not seem to have any physiological function, the term
Zanim has come to signify "someone [or "something"] not needed" (Taj al-'Arus): in other words, redundant or useless. It is,
therefore, logical to assume that in the context in the verse below this term describes a person who is entirely useless in the
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social sense
Quran: [or] one who is cruel, by greed possessed, and, in addition to all this, utterly useless {The
Quranic word used here in the actual verse is Zanim} [to his fellow-men].361
Prophet Yusuf (Joseph)s Tunic Smeared with Goats blood
Yusuf (Joseph) wore a garment of many colours, which was a special garment peculiar to him. If the brethren could produce it
blood-stained before their father, they thought he would be convinced that Joseph had been killed by a wild beast. But the stain
on the garment was a stain of "false blood",-not the blood of Joseph, but the blood of a goat which the brethren had killed
expressly for this purpose. Their device, however, was not quite convincing because, as some Commentators have pointed out
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the garment was intact which is unconceivable if a wolf had indeed devoured Joseph
359
Introductory Notes to Chapter 114 @ www.ali.org.uk

M. Asad in his Note No.8 Accompanying his Translation of Quran [68:13] @ www.islamicity.com
361
Quran [68:13]
362
Quoted as a Commentary No. 1651 Accompanying the Translation of Quran [12:18] @www.alim.org
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Goat as one of the Penalty for Killing an Animal When in Pilgrims Garb
Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zubayr that Umar ibn al-Khattab gave the judgement of a ram for a hyena, a female
goat for a gazelle, a she-goat less than one year old for a rabbit and a four month old kid of an animal for a jerboa as a penalty
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for killing an animal when in Pilgrims garb
What is given in Charity is recorded and Saved and Not that which is held or kept back
Once The Prophet and his wife Aisha slaughtered a goat (and distributed most of its meat). Then the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) said: What is left now? Aisha answered: Nothing except a shank. He remarked: (In fact) all of it is saved except the
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shank.
Benefit can be drawn from the Skin of a Goat
Once The Prophet passed by a dead goat and said, "There is no harm if its owners benefit from its skin."
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Slaughtering done before the Eid Prayers is Not Regarded as Sacrifice

The Prophet delivered the Khutba on the day of Nahr ('Id-ul-Adha) and said, "The first thing we should do on this day of ours is
to pray and then return and slaughter (our sacrifices). So anyone who does so he acted according to our Sunna; and whoever
slaughtered before the prayer then it was just meat that he offered to his family and would not be considered as a sacrifice in
any way. My Uncle Abu Burda bin Niyyar got up and said, "O, Allah's Apostle! I slaughtered the sacrifice before the prayer but I
have a young she-goat which is better than an older sheep." The Prophet said, "Slaughter it in lieu of the first and such a goat
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will not be considered as a sacrifice for anybody else after you."
367
363
Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta, Hadith No. 20.239 @www.a.lim.org
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 196 @www.alim.org
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Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 7.440 @www.alim.org
366
367
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368


H
HAWKS in the Quran / Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Eat whatever is caught for you by a dog or a hawk you have trained and set off when you
have mentioned Allah's name. I said: (Does this apply) if it killed (the animal)? He said: When it kills it without eating any of it, for
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it caught it only for you.
Yahya related to me from Malik from a man who said, "Zayd ibn Thabit came across me while I was at al-Aswaf (on the outskirts
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of Madina). I had captured a hawk. He took it from my hands and set it free."
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370
82
369
General Rule Regarding using Animals for hunting

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some distance from their masters. Their game is legalised on these conditions: (1) that they are trained to kill, not merely for
HEIFER in the Quran / Hadiths

Editorial Note: Titles of Chapters of The Quran refer to a person, object or incident in history, but this does not mean that, that
is the only subject discussed in a Chapter. Chapters of The Quran often cover and deal with a diverse range of topics.
nd
The above point is made in the commentary below on the Title of the 2 Chapter of The Quran.
Why the name AL-BAQARAH? AL-BAQARAH (the Cow) has been so named from the story of the Cow occurring in this Surah
(Chapter) (vv. 67-73). It has not, however, been used as a title to indicate the subject of the Surah. It will, therefore, be as wrong
to translate the name Al-Baqarah into "The Cow" or "The Heifer" as to translate any English name, say Baker, Rice, Wolf etc.,
into their equivalents in other languages or vice versa, because this would imply that the Surah(Chapter) dealt with the subject
of "The Cow". Many more Surahs (Chapters) of the Quran have been named in the same way because no comprehensive words
exist in Arabic (in spite of its richness) to denote the wide scope of the subject discussed in them. As a matter of fact all human
languages suffer from the same limitation373
Background history to the subject of Heifer mentioned in selected verses of The Quran.
The Story at the c ore of the selected verses of The Quran referring to the Heifer refers to the Mosaic law which ordains that in
certain cases of unresolved murder a cow should be sacrificed, and the elders of the town or village nearest to the place of the
murder should wash their hands over it and declare, "Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it"-whereupon the community would be absolved of collective responsibility. For the details of this Old Testament ordinance, see
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Deuteronomy xxi, 1-9.(Quran Ref: 2:67 )
The Verses of The Quran that relate to this historical background are as follows
Quran: LO! Moses said unto his people: "Behold, God bids you to sacrifice a cow." They said: "Dost thou
mock at us?" He answered: "I seek refuge with God against being so ignorant !"375
Quran: Said they: "Pray on our behalf unto thy Sustainer that He make clear to us what she is to be like."
[Moses] replied: "Behold, He says it is to be a cow neither old nor immature, but of art age in-between. Do,
then, what you have been bidden!"376
Quran: Said they: "Pray on our behalf unto thy Sustainer that He make clear to us what her colour should
be."[Mopes] answered: "Behold; He says it is to be a yellow cow, bright of hue, pleasing to the beholder. 377
Quran: Said' they: "Pray on our behalf unto thy Sustainer that He make clear to us what she is to be like, for
to us all cows resemble one another; and then, if God so wills, we shall truly be guided aright!" 378
371
Quoted as a Commentary, Nol. 698 Accompanying the Translation of Quran [5:4] @www.alim.org
373
nd
Commentary on the Title of the 2 Chapter of the Quran @ www.alim.org
374
M. Asad in his Note No. 53Accompanying his Translation of Quran [2:67] @www.islamicity.com
375
Quran[2:67]
376
Quran [2:68]
377
Quran [2:69]
378
Quran [2:70]
83
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Quran: [Moses] answered: "Behold, He says it is to be a cow not broken-in to plough the earth or to water
the crops, free of fault, without markings of any other colour. Said they:, "At last thou hast brought out the
truth!" -and thereupon they sacrificed her, although they had almost left it undone. 379
The obstinate desire of some of Mosess followers to obtain closer and closer definitions of the simple commandment revealed
to them through Moses had made it almost impossible for them to fulfil it. In his commentary on this passage; Tabari quotes the
following remark of Ibn 'Abbas: "If [in the first instance] they had sacrificed any cow chosen by themselves, they would have
fulfilled their duty; but they made it complicated for themselves, and so God made it complicated for them." A similar view has
been expressed, in the same context, by Zamakhshari. It would appear that the moral of this story points to an importantproblem of all (and, therefore, also of Islamic) religious jurisprudence: namely, the inadvisability of trying to elicit additional
details in respect of any religious law that had originally been given in general terms-for, the more numerous and multiform
such details become, the more complicated and rigid becomes the law. This point has been acutely grasped by Rashid Rida', who
says in his commentary on the above Qur'anic passage (see Manar I, 345 f.): "Its lesson is that one should not pursue one's
[legal] inquiries in such a way as to make laws more complicated .... This was how the early generations [of Muslims] visualized
the problem. They did not make things complicated for themselves-and so, for them, the religious law (din) was natural, simple
and liberal in its straightforwardness. But those who came later added to it [certain other] injunctions which they had deduced
by means of their own reasoning (ijtihad); and they multiplied those [additional] injunctions to such an extent that the religious
law became a heavy burden on the community." For the sociological reason why the genuine ordinances of Islamic Law - that is,
those which have been prima facie laid down as such in the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet-are almost always devoid of
details, I would refer the reader to my book State and Government in Islam (pp. 11 ff. and passim). The importance of this
problem, illustrated in the above story of the cow-and correctly grasped by the Prophet's Companions-explains why this surah
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has been entitled "The Cow". (See also 5:101 and the corresponding notes 120-123.)
Thus, the Principle of dealing with cases of un-resolved murders by sacrificing a Heifer and the elders washing their hands in its
blood was established for Mosess followers as stated in the following verse of The Quran. However, as M. Asad, the Translator
sates : ": for it is obvious that the principle of communal responsibility for murder by a person or persons unknown can be
applied only to some and not to all such cases.
Quran: We said: "Apply this [principle] to some of those [cases of unresolved murder]: in this way God saves
lives from death and shows you His will, so that you might [learn to] use your reason." 381
M. Asad, the Translator has an interesting take on how the Arabic Wordings of this verse of The Quran have been
misunderstood by many commentators. Asad states as follows
The phrase idribuhu bi-ba'diha can be literally translated as "strike him [or "it"] with something of her [or "it"]" -and this
possibility has given rise to the fanciful assertion by many commentators that the children of Israel were commanded to strike
the corpse of the murdered man with some of the flesh of the sacrificed cow, whereupon he was miraculously restored to life
and pointed out his murderer! Neither the Qur'an, nor any saying of the Prophet, nor even the Bible offers the slightest warrant
for this highly imaginative explanation, which must, therefore, be rejected-quite apart from the fact that the pronoun hu in
idribuhu has a masculine gender, while the noun nafs (here translated as "human being") is feminine in gender: from which it
follows that the imperative idribuhu cannot possibly refer to nafs. On the other hand, the verb daraba (lit., "he struck") is
very often used in a figurative or metonymic sense, as, for instance, in the expression daraba fi 'l-ard ("he journeyed on
earth"), or daraba 'sh-shay' bi'sh-shay' ("he mixed one thing with another thing"), or daraba mathal ("he coined a
similitude" or "propounded a parable" or "gave an illustration"), or ` ala darb Wahid ("similarly applied" or "in the same
manner"), or duribat àlayhim adh-dhillah ("humiliation was imposed on them" or "applied to them"), and so forth. Taking
all this into account, I am of the opinion that the imperative idribuhu occurring in the above Qur'anic passage must be translated
as "apply it" or "this" (referring, in this context, to the principle of communal responsibility). As for the feminine pronoun ha in
ba'diha ("some of it"), it must necessarily relate to the nearest preceding feminine noun-that is, to the nafs that has been
murdered, or the act of murder itself about which (fiha) the community disagreed. Thus, the phrase idribuhu bi-ba'diha may be
suitably rendered as "apply this [principle] to some of those [cases of unresolved murder]": for it is obvious that the principle of
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communal responsibility for murder by a person or persons unknown can be applied only to some and not to all such cases.
379
Quran [2:71]
M. Asad in his Note No.55 Accompanying his Translation of Quran [2:71] @www.islamicty.com
381
Quran [2:73]
382
M. Asad in his Note No. 57 Accompanying his Translation of Quran [2:73] @www.islamicity.com
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The phrase Lit., "God gives life to the dead and shows you His messages" at the end of the above verse is a figurative expresion
(i.e., He shows His will by means of such messages or ordinances). The figurative expression "He gives life to the dead" denotes
the saving of lives, and is analogous to that in 5:32 In this context it refers to the prevention of bloodshed and the killing of
innocent persons (Manar I, 351), be it through individual acts of revenge, or in result of an erroneous judicial process based on
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no more than vague suspicion and possibly misleading circumstantial evidence.
HEN in the Quran / Hadiths See also Cockerel

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith (Hadith 7.422)
that he entered upon Yahya bin Said while one of Yahya's sons was aiming at a hen after tying it. Ibn 'Umar walked to it and
untied it. Then he brought it and the boy and said. "Prevent your boys from tying the birds for the sake of killing them, as I have
heard the Prophet forbidding the killing of an animal or other living thing after tying them."
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith (Hadith 9.650)
Some people asked the Prophet regarding the soothsayers. He said, "They are nothing." They said, "O Allah's Apostle! Some of
their talks come true." The Prophet said, "That word which happens to be true is what a Jinn snatches away by stealth (from the
Heaven) and pours it in the ears of his friend (the foreteller) with a sound like the cackling of a hen. The soothsayers then mix
with that word, one hundred lies."
HOOPOE in the Quran / Hadiths

In order to appreciate the contextual mention of the Hoopoe bird in The Quran, it will be helpful to have a very quick and short
summary of the Story of Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) Pbuh.
Solomon was no idle or easy-going king. He kept all his organisation strictly up to the mark, both his armies literally and his
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forces (metaphorica lly). His most mobile arm was the Birds, who were light on the wing and flew and saw everything like
efficient scouts. One day he missed the Hoopoe in his muster. The Hoopoe is a light, graceful creature with elegant plumage of
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many colours, and a beautiful yellow crest on his head, which entities him to be called a royal bird.
The messenger (Hoopoe) is a pious bird, as befits a messenger of Solomon. After mentioning the false worship of the
Sabaeans, he pronounces the Creed of Unity, and emphasises Allah's attribute as Lord of the Great Throne, in order
to make it clear that whatever may be the magnificence of a human throne such as he has described (in verse 23), he
is not in any way misled from his loyalty to Solomon, the exponent of the true Religion of Unity.
The Quran begins by talking about the Spiritual Insight that ALLAH (SWT) had blessed Prophet Dawood (David) and his heir
Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) Peace be upon them both who would often sing praise of ALLAH (SWT) saying: All praise is due to
God, who has [thus] favoured us above many of His believing servants!
Then further, The Quran refers to another oft praise of ALLAH (SWT) by Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) Pbuh when he would often
say: O you people! We have been taught the speech of birds, and have been given [in abundance] of all [good] things: this,
behold, is indeed a manifest favour [from God]!
The Quran then mentions an Assembly of the Genies, Men and Birds that were subjects of Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) Pbuh.
There was one noticeable absentee from this assembly, and that was the Hoopoe, and this is where the Story of Hoopoe as
mentioned in The Quran starts.
As the story unfolds, the Hoopoe turned up sooner rather than later with news of the land of Sheba which was then ruled by a
Queen who had been given an abundance of all good things and who had a mighty throne. However they had slipped into
worshipping the Sun instead of God.
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384
Mentioned as a Commentary No.3268 Accompanying Quran [27:26] @www.alim.org

Mentioned as a Commentary No. 3262 Accompanying Quran [27:20]
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Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) Pbuh, on hearing this tale from the Hoopoe, decided to send a letter to the Queen of Sheba inviting
her to Submit to ALLAH (SWT) which was duly delivered by the Hoopoe.
Summary Conclusion of this part of the Story
The Queen of Sheba then sent Emissaries bearing gifts for Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) Pbuh. She was then persuaded to visit
Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) Pbuh in his Amazing Palace. Whilst The Queen was on her way, Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) Pbuh
instructed a Genie to got to Sheba and Lift The Queens Magnificent Throne and transport it to Prophet Sulaimans (Solomon)
Pbuh palace. This was achieved within the blinking of an eye.
Eventually, The Queen of Sheba embraced Islam, and was from then on known by her Muslim name of
Bilquees.
The following verses of The Quran narrate the story of Hoopoe:
Quran: AND, INDEED, We granted [true] knowledge unto David and Solomon [as well]; and both were
wont to say: All praise is due to God, who has [thus] favoured us above many of His believing servants! 386
Quran: And [in this insight] Solomon was [truly] Davids heir; and he would say: O you people! We have
indeed a manifest favour [from God]!387
Quran: And [one day] there were assembled before Solomon his hosts of invisible beings, [16] and of men,
and of birds; and then they were led forth in orderly ranks,388
Quran: And [one day] he looked in vain for [a particular one of] the birds; and so he said: How is it that I do
not see the hoopoe? Could he be among the absent 389
Quran: But [the hoopoe] tarried but a short while; and [when it came] it said: I have encompassed [with
my knowledge] something that thou hast never yet encompassed [with thine] - for I have come to thee from
Sheba with a tiding sure!390
Thus, we are parabolically reminded that even the most lowly being can - and on occasion does - have knowledge of things of
which even a Solomon in all his wisdom may he ignorant (Razi) - a reminder which ought to counteract the ever-present danger
(fitna) of self-conceit to which learned men, more than anyone else, are exposed (Zamakhshari). As regards the kingdom of
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Sheba, see note 23 on 34:15.(Quran Ref: 27:22 )
Quran: Said the Hoopoe: Behold, I found there a woman ruling over them; and she has been given
[abundance] of all [good] things, and hers is a mighty throne,392
Quran: And I found her and her people adoring the sun instead of God; and Satan has made these doings of
theirs seem goodly to them, and [thus] has barred them from the path [of God], so that they cannot find the
right way:393
386
Quran [27:15]
Quran [7:16]
388
Quran [27:17]
389
Quran [27:20]
390
Quran [27:22]
391
392
Quran [27:23]
387
86
Quran: [for they have come to believe] that they ought not to adore God [although it is He] who brings
forth all that is hidden in the heavens and on earth, and knows all that you would conceal as well as all that
you bring into the open:394
Quran: God, save whom there is no deity - the Sustainer, in awesome almightiness enthroned!
395
Quran: Go with this my letter and convey it to them; and thereafter withdraw from them and see what
[answer] they return.396
Quran: [When the Queen had read Solomons letter,] she said: O you nobles! A truly distinguished letter
has been conveyed unto me.397
Quran: Behold, it is from Solomon, and it says, In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of
Grace:398
My interpolation, at the beginning of this verse, of the words "God says" is based on the fact that, within the context of the
above legend, the information brought by the hoopoe is the very first link between the kingdoms of Sheba and of Solomon. In
the absence of any previous contact, hostile or otherwise, there would have been no point whatever in Solomon's telling the
people of Sheba that they should not "exalt themselves" against or above himself. On the other hand, the narrative of the
hoopoe makes it clear that the Sabaeans did "exalt themselves" against God by worshipping the sun and by being convinced
"that they ought not to worship God" (verses 24-25 above). Hence, Solomon, being a prophet, is justified in calling upon them, in
the name of God, to abandon this blasphemy and to surrender themselves to Him. (Cf. the almost identical phrase, "Exalt not
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yourselves against God", in {44:19.}
HORSES, Steeds and Stallions in the Quran and Hadiths

In terms of reference to the Creation of Horses, the verse of The Quran that talks about this states as follows
Quran: And [it is He who creates] horses and mules and asses for you to ride, as well as for [their] beauty:
and He will yet create things of which [today] you have no knowledge.400
The use, in this context, of the Quranic Term aorist yakhluqu implies the future tense ("He will create") in contrast with the
past tense khalaqa employed in the-preceding passages. Since this reference to God's continuing creation comes immediately
after, a mention of primitive means of transport (i.e., of animals domesticated by man to this end), it-obviously relates to otheras yet unknown-things of the same category: that is to say, to new means of transport which God unceasingly creates through
the instrumentality of the inventiveness with which He has endowed man's mind (cf. 36:42). Inasmuch as every successive stage
of human development bears witness to new, previously undreamt-of inventions in the realm of transport, the Qur'anic
statement that "He will yet create things of which [today] you have no knowledge" is valid for every period - past, present and
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future - of man's history.
Idiomatic Metaphor
Horses and their beauty are sometimes used as a symbol of Satanic delusion drawing people away from what should be the true
object of Adoration i.e. God.
394
Quran [27:25]
Quran [27:26]
396
Quran [27:28]
397
Quran [27:29]
398
Quran [27:30]
399
M. Asad in his Commentary No.23 Accompanying his translation of Quran[Quran 27:31] @www.islamicity.com
400
Quran [16:8]
401
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395
In chapter 17 verses 62-64, mention is made of a conversation between God and Satan when referring to the Creation of Adam,
Satan asks God:
Quran: "Tell me, is this [foolish being] the one whom Thou hast exalted above me? Indeed, if Thou wilt but
allow me a respite till the Day of Resurrection, I shall most certainly cause his descendants-all but a few-to
obey me blindly! 402
Responding to this threat from Satan of misleading all but a few of Adams descendants, GOD retorts back with a daring of his
own stating to Satan
Quran: Entice, then, with thy voice such of them as thou canst, and bear upon them with all thy horses and
all thy men, and be their partner in [all sins relating to] worldly goods and children, and hold out [all
manner of] promises to them: and [they will not know that] whatever Satan promises them is but meant to
delude the mind.
The use here of the phrase with all thy horses and all thy men is an idiomatic metaphor for do your best
Horses of High Mark used as a symbol of Exquisite Worldly Possessions
The Quran states this in the following words:
Quran: ALLURING unto man is the enjoyment of worldly desires through women, and children, and heaped-up treasures of gold
and silver, and horses of high mark, and cattle, and lands. All this may be enjoyed in the life of this world - but the most
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beauteous of all goals is with God
Mention of Steeds in The Quran
The Steeds which are described as horses used in wars are made mention of in the following verses of The Quran
Quran: By the (Steeds) that run, with panting (breath)404

Quran: And strike sparks of fire405
Quran: And push home the charge in the morning406
Quran: And raise the dust in clouds the while407
Quran: And penetrate forthwith into the midst (of the foe) en masse408
Quran: Truly man is, to his Lord, ungrateful409
Quran: And to that (fact) he bears witness (by his deeds)410
Quran: And violent is he in his love of wealth411
402
Quran [17:62]
Quran [3:14]
404
Quran [100:1]
405
Quran [100:2]
406
Quran [100:3]
407
Quran [100:4]
408
Quran [100:5]
409
Quran [100:6]
410
Quran [100:7]
411
Quran [100:8]
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Quran: Does he not know, - when that which is in the graves is scattered abroad412
Quran: And that which is (locked up) in (human) breasts is made manifest413
Quran: That their Lord had been Well-acquainted with them, (even to) that Day?414
Horses as War Mounts
Horses as War Mounts are mentioned in the following verse of The Quran
Quran: Hence, make ready against them whatever force and war mounts you are able to muster, so that
you might deter thereby the enemies of God, who are your enemies as well, and others besides them of
whom you may be unaware, [but] of whom God is aware; and whatever you may expend in God's cause
shall be repaid to you in full, and you shall not be wronged.415
Mention of Stallions in the Quran
The object of the verses in Chapter 100 of The Quran is to make people realize how evil man becomes when he denies the
Hereafter, or becomes heedless of it, and also to warn them that in the Hereafter not only their visible and apparent deeds, but
even the secrets hidden in their hearts too will be subjected to scrutiny. For this purpose, the general chaos and confusion
prevailing in Arabia: bloodshed, looting and plundering on every side; tribes subjecting other tribes to raids, no one could have
peaceful sleep at night out of fear that some enemy tribe might raid his settlement early in the morning, is pointed out. Every
Arab was fully conscious of this state of affairs and realized that it was wrong. Although the plundered bemoaned his miserable,
helpless state and the plunderer rejoiced when the plunderer himself was plundered, he too realized how abject was the
condition in which the whole nation was involved. Referring to this very state of affairs, it is said: all this is happening because
the people do not know their life after death and their accountability before Allah.
Then an example of stallions (horses used in war) is given to reflect on human attitude towards Allah. Stallions to whom man
provide food and water are so grateful to him that they jump into the valley of death on his command while man is ungrateful to
Allah even though He has given him life, all faculties, food and other provisions. This example shows that an ungrateful person is
worse than an animal. Such a person is so blinded by the love of worldly wealth that he tries to obtain it by every means,
however impure and filthy it may be. He would never have behaved so had he known the time when the dead would be raised
from their graves and when the intentions and motives with which they had done all sorts of deeds in the world would be
exposed and brought out before everyone to see by their Lord and Sustainer (Allah) Who knows what man has done and what
punishment or reward man should be awarded.
The "other benefits" of animals are both concrete and abstract in their nature: concrete benefits like wool, skins, etc., and
abstract ones like beauty (cf. {16:6-8}, as well as Solomon's reverence for the God-created beauty of horses expressed in {38:31416
33}) or the all-time companionship of man and dog symbolized in the legend of the Men of the Cave (18:18 and {22}).
A Winged Horse Made of Ruby

A nomadic Arab came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, "Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), I am fond of
horses, are there any horses in Paradise?" He replied, "If you are granted entrance into Paradise, you will be brought a winged
horse made of a ruby and will be mounted on it, then it will fly with you wherever you wish."
Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a tradition whose isnad is not strong, that Abu Sawrah its transmitter is declared to be a
weak traditionist and that he had heard Muhammad ibn Ismail say this. Abu Sawrah's traditions were rejected, he being one
who transmitted disacknowledged traditions.
412
Quran [100:9]
Quran [100:10]
414
Quran [100:11]
415
Quran [8:60]
416
Quoted as a Commentary No. 62 Accompanying Translation of Quran [40:80] @www.alim.org
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413
HYENA in the Quran / Hadiths

1. Is Hyena considered Game and is its Meat Allowed to be consumed?
AbdurRahman ibn AbuAmmar he asked Jabir ibn Abdullah whether the hyena was considered game, and he said it
was. He asked whether it might be eaten and he said it might. He asked whether he had heard that from Allah's
Messenger (peace be upon him), and he said that he had. 417
Tirmidhi, Nasaai and Shaafai transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a hasan Sahih tradition
2. Is Hyena GAME?
I asked the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) about the hyena. He replied: It is game, and if one who is wearing
ihram (pilgrim's robe) hunts it, he should give a sheep as atonement.418
3. Killing of a Hyena whilst in a Pilgrims Garb
If a group of people participated in killing a game intentionally, they are to pay one penalty only, because Allah says
"the compensation is an offering of a domestic animal." Ibn 'Umar was asked about a group of people who had jointly
killed a hyena while they were in the state of ihram. Ibn 'Umar told them, "Slaughter a ram." They asked, "Should we
slaughter a ram for each person of our group?" He said, "No. Slaughter only one ram on behalf of all of you." 419
J
JERBOA in the Islamic Texts
Penalty for Killing an Animal whilst in a Pilgrims Garb
420
L
LEOPARD in Islamic Texts
Five of the animals that are vicious and they may be killed even if one is in a Pilgrims Garb
'Aisha reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Five of the animals are vicious and they may be killed in the sacred
precincts of Haram: the crow, the kite, the scorpion, the mouse, and the ravenous dog. This is reported by Muslim and Bukhari,
who added "(and) the snake."
There is consensus among the scholars that the small crow which eats the seeds is not included in the category of the above
animals. Under the ravenous dog is included one that bites people and frightens them and all other similar vicious animals that
attack humans such as the lion, tiger, leopard and wolf. Thus Allah said: "They ask you what is lawful to them (as food). Say:
'Lawful to you, are (all) things good and pure: And what you have taught your trained hunting animals 8 (to catch) in the manner
directed to you by Allah"' (Qur'an 5.4). The Hanafi scholars hold, however, that the word "vicious dog" in this case applies only
to dogs and wolves.
417
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Tirmidhi Hadith (Hadith 830)

Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith No.1722 @www.alim.org
419
Quoted in the Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah No. 5.61 @www.alim.org
420
Quoted in the Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah No.5.60 @www.alim.org
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418
Ibn Taymiyah is of the opinion that a muhrim may kill any harmful creature that usually causes harm to humans, such as
snake, scorpion, mouse, crow, and a vicious dog. He is also permitted to defend himself against whatever harms him, whether
animals or people; if they assault him, he should fight them back.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "He who is killed while defending his wealth is a martyr, and he who is killed while
defending his life is a martyr, and he who is killed while defending his religion is a martyr, and similarly he who is killed while
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defending his honor is also a martyr."
LICE in Islamic Texts

Ibn Taymiyah has also said: "If fleas and lice bite him, a muhrim should cast them out. He may also kill them, and incur no
penalty. Casting them out is, however, easier than killing them. Similarly a muhrim is forbidden to kill any animal that he sees,
such as a lion, a leopard, etc. But, most of the scholars hold that if he should kill one of these animals, he is not required to make
any atonement. Looking for lice without feeling any bite, for comfort and pleasure, however, while one is in the state of ihram,
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should be avoided. But if someone does it, he is not required to make an atonement
LION in the Quran and Hadith

Parable of those who refuse to listen to the Truth
About those who just refuse to listen to The Truth, The Quran states as follows
Quran: WHAT, THEN, is amiss with them that they turn away from all admonition? 423
Quran: as though they were terrified asses424
Quran: fleeing from a lion?425
Quran: Yea, every one of them claims that he [himself] ought to have been given revelations unfolded! 426 [
M. Asad the Translator has this take on the use of the word everyone Lit., "every one of them wants to be given wide-open
scriptures", or "scriptures unfolded" (i.e., open to everyone's understanding): cf. 2:118 - "Why does not God speak unto us, nor
is a message conveyed to us?" - i.e. directly, without the intervention of a prophet. The above is the earliest illustration of the
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"arrogance" or "false pride" to which the Quran so often refers
Quran: Nay, but they do not [believe in and, hence, do not] fear the life to come.428
Quran: Nay, verily, this [Quran] is an admonition429
Quran: and whoever wills may take it to heart.430
421
Mentioned as Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah No. 5.47a @www.alim.org

Mentioned as Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah No. 5.47a @www.alim.org
423
Quran [74:49] @www.islamicity.com
424
425
Quran: [74:51] @www.islamicity.com
426
Quran [74:52]
427
428
Quran [74:53]
429
Quran [74:54]
430
Quran [74:55]
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422
Imitating a Lions manner of Sitting during Prayers

'Abdurrahman ibn Shabl said: "The Prophet (Pbuh) prohibited pecking like a crow [i.e., while prostrating], imitating a lion's
manner of sitting and a man to pick a special place in the mosque [to pray] like a camel has his own place [to sit]." This is related
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by Ahmad, ibn Khuzaimah, ibn Hibban, and by al-Hakaim who calls it Sahih
A war Lion used against the Muslim Forces by the Persians

Ctesiphon the capital of Persia was not one city; it was a conglomeration of several cities. Indeed the Arabs called Ctesiphon
'Al-Madain', meaning the cities. The main city I lay on the eastern bank of the Tigris. One of the cities forming part of 'AlMadain' lay on the western bank of the Tigris and was known as Bahrseer.
Bahrseer had been prepared for defense, and a deep ditch had been dug round the perimeter of the suburb. As the Muslim
advance guard approached Bahrseer, the Persian garrison within the fortified city hurled stones at the Muslims through ballistas
and catapults. The Muslims pulled back beyond the range of the stones and decided to lay siege to the city.
The siege began in January 637, and dragged on for two months. The supplies from the countryside on which Bahrseer
depended were entirely cut off, and the citizens were reduced to eating cats and dogs. Things for the Persian force became still
worse, when some of the Persians who had accepted the Muslim rule, built for the Muslims engines which could throw stones.
Equipped with these engines, the Muslims were able to answer the Persian military fire, stone for stone. That caused
considerable havoc among the besieged citizens.
One day in March 637, cut to sore straits, the Persian garrison called forth from the city in the determined effort to break
through the Muslim ranks. The Persian forces were led by a fierce lion which had been specially trained for war. The lion rushed
at the Muslim front, and the Muslim horses bolted causing considerable harms. Hashim who was commanding the vanguard of
the Muslim forces rushed at the lion with his sword and dealt it such a well-directed blow that it fell dead. Saad the Commanderin-Chief of the Muslim forces stepped forward to kiss Hashim bin Utba on the forehead as a mark of admiration for his act of
unparalleled heroism.
Proximity to a Ruler
Hadrat Ali bin Abu Talib Cousin and Son-in-Law of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) and the 4th Caliph of Islam said:
He who is in proximity to the ruler is like a person riding on a lion, and there can be no knowing when the
lion might overturn and devour him
Author
Edition
: First, Hardback
Published
: 1982
Islamic Publications, Lahore, Pakistan
:
@www.alim.org
Publisher
Similes of Ali
Goat and the lion
Addressing the people of Kufa, Ali said, "I want you to tread the path of the truth, but you run from it as the goat
runs away on hearing the roar of a lion."
Source: Same as above @www.alim.org
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Mentioned as Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah No. 2.93b @www.alim.org

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Title of Ali
Khalifa Ali bin Abu Talib - The Battle of Uhud
After the duels, the battle began. The Quraish charged with great force, but the Muslims held fast. Then in a counter attack the
Muslims broke the enemy's line, and the Quraish fell back. At this stage, the contingent of the Muslim archers, contrary to the
instructions of the Holy Prophet left their position in order to plunder the camp of the retreating Quraish. Khalid b Walid who
was still a non-Muslim and was commanding a contingent of the Quraish cavalry rushed with his contingent, and occupied the
position vacated by the Muslim archers. That exposed the Muslims to an attack from the rear as well as from the front. That
changed the course of the battle. The defenses of the Muslims were broken, and in the confusion that followed many Muslims
were martyred. Hamza an uncle of the Holy Prophet fell fighting. His dead body was desecrated by the Quraish as a mark of their
fury against the Muslims. Hinda the wife of Abu Sufyan, the leader of the Quraish ripped the dead body, took out his liver, and
chewed it. It was a barbarity which an unscrupulous woman like Hinda alone could practice. Among the Muslims who were
martyred was Mas'ab b Omair. He bore some physical resemblance to the Holy Prophet, and seeing his dead body the Quraish
shouted that Muhammad (peace be on him) had been killed.
In the confusion that followed, the Holy Prophet was wounded, and he fell in a pit over the dead bodies of his followers. Ali
charged the Quraish with unprecedented fury, and killed many men of the enemy. He received no less than sixty-one wounds.
When the Quraish continued shouting that the Holy Prophet had been killed, and Ali could no longer see the Holy Prophet
where he was stationed, he rushed to the spot where the Holy Prophet lay wounded. He took the Holy Prophet from out of the
pit, and with the aid of other companions including Abu Bakr and Umar escorted the Holy Prophet to a safer place. Ali fetched
water in his shield, and dressed the wounds of the Holy Prophet, taking no heed of the wounds that he himself had received in
the battle. As in the meantime, the Quraish continued shouting that the Holy Prophet had been killed, and no contradiction was
made from the Muslim camp. The Muslim warriors engaged in combat with the Quraish were demoralized. They felt that if the
Holy Prophet had been killed, there was no point in fighting the battle. At this juncture, at the instance of the Holy Prophet,
Umar shouted back at the Quraish to say that the Holy Prophet was very much alive. On regaining consciousness, the Holy
Prophet charged Ali to launch a counter attack against the Quraish. Ali rallied the Muslim, exhorted them to fight for the glory of
Islam, and fell upon the enemy with the ferocity of a lion. Ali broke into the lines of the enemy, and caused great havoc in the
ranks of the enemy. So great was the slaughter caused by Ali in the ranks of the enemy that his sword broke down Thereupon
the Holy Prophet sent Ali his own sword, and with this sword Ali caused further havoc among the ranks of the Quraish. He held
the flag in his right hand, and when his right hand was wounded he held the nag in his left hand. Ali drove back the enemy.
Because of the prodigies of valor performed by Ali, the Quraish could not take advantage of the victory that they had won at an
earlier stage of the battle. Abu Sufyan accordingly commanded the Quraish to return to Makkah. He, however, shouted in a
boastful mood that the Quraish had taken the revenge for their defeat in the Battle of Badr. Abu Sufyan declared that the
Quraish would soon have another confrontation, when the Muslims would be annihilated.
When after the battle Ali returned to the camp his entire body was covered with so many wounds that Umm Salim and Umm
Atiya, the Muslim nurses, did not know how to dress the wounds of Ali. The Holy Prophet washed and dressed the wounds of Ali
himself, and said that God in whose cause Ali had received the wounds would heal them. Ali said, "
May God grant me the patience to bear this suffering It was indeed a favor of God that He gave me the courage to stand and
fight in spite of these wounds and not to leave the field". For his marvelous bravery, the Holy Prophet conferred on Ali the
appellation "Asad Allah", the lion of God.
An assessment of Ali
Syed Amir Ali has assessed the achievements of Ali in the following terms: "His bravery won him the title of the
"Lion of God", and his learning that of the "Gate of Knowledge". Chivalrous, humane, and forbearing to the verge of
weakness as a ruler, he came before his time. Most of the grand undertakings initiated by Umar for the welfare of the
people were due to his counsel. Ever ready to succor the weak, and to redress the wrongs of the injured, the
accounts of his valorous deeds are recited with enthusiasm from the bazaars in Cairo to those of Delhi. With his dying
breath he inculcated lessons of charity, love, humility and self-abnegation to his sons. He expressly ordered them that
no harshness should be shown towards his murderer, who should be executed with one blow."
Distinctions of Ali
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His velour
He participated in all the wars of early Islam fought under the command of the Holy Prophet. In all the battles, Ali
was the flag bearer of the forces of the Muslims. He was the bravest man among the Muslims. For his unusual
bravery he won such titles as "Asad Allah," the lion of God, or "Haidar e Karrar" the warrior whom nobody could
match. During his lifetime he killed over a thousand persons of the enemy. In the Battle of Badr alone he killed two
dozen persons. He fought over a hundred duels, and in all the duels his adversaries, however strong, were killed. He
was the Conqueror of Khyber.
Valley of the Lion

Battle between Meccans and Medinans
Negotiations for peace
When Ali came to know of the success of the Mission of his emissary Qa'aqa to Ayesha, Talha and Zubair, he felt very happy. The
two armies encamped in the "Wadi-us-Saba" (Valley of the Lion) near the village of Khuraiba outside Basra, facing each
other. It was decided that the following day when the two armies assembled in the valley, the terms of peace would be
negotiated, and the proclamation of peace would be issued.
The following day as the two forces assembled, Ali posted a man in the center carrying a copy of the Holy Quran on his head.
This was indicative of the desire on the part of Ali to decide the dispute peacefully in the light of the teachings of the Holy
Quran.
Ali rode to the center of the valley, and called upon Talha and Zubair to step forward to meet him. When Talha and Zubair came
forward he asked them why they had rebelled against his authority when they had taken the oath of allegiance to him. They said
that they had taken the oath under duress and it was not binding. He asked them, after all, what did they want. They said that
they wanted "Qasas" for the assassination of Othman. Ali said that this matter could be considered under conditions of peace.
Talha and Zubair said that if Ali was prepared to take "Qasas" from the murderers of Othman, they were prepared to make
peace and acknowledge Ali as the Caliph. Ali said that he would consider their demand favorably.
Turning to Zubair, Ali said: "Have you forgotten that you are my cousin, being a son of my paternal aunt? Can you not recall that
at one of our sittings with the Holy Prophet, he commended me to you? The Holy Prophet at that time predicted that I was to
suffer harm at your hands, and you undertook to safeguard my interests and not to forsake me," At these words, Zabair
shuddered and said "All of you have spoken the truth. I had forgotten the interview with the Holy Prophet. Now that you have
reminded me of that, I will not harm your interests and would be prepared to make peace with you."
The meeting ended in an atmosphere of goodwill from both the sides. Thereafter the two armies retired to their camps, and the
general impression was that peace would be made, and war would be avoided. Emissaries were exchanged between the two
sides, and by the evening the general impression was that the terms of peace had been mutually agreed upon, and that the
necessary peace treaty would be executed the following day.
Khalifa Ali bin Abu Talib - Assessment of Ali by Thomas Carlyle

In his book, On Heroes and Hero Worship, Thomas Carlyle observes as follows: "As for this young Ali, one cannot but like him. A
noble minded creature, as he shows himself, now and always afterwards, full of affection, of fiery daring something chivalrous in
him, brave as a lion, yet with a grace, a truth and affection worthy of Christian Knighthood.
Khalifa Ali bin Abu Talib - Appellations of Ali
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Because of his multi-dimensional greatness, and outstanding qualities, Ali is known by many appellations, and each
appellation projects some particular aspect of his greatness. Some of these appellations are as follows:
Murtada (he with whom God is pleased.) Maula (the master) Haidar-i-Karrar (the brave warrior against whom no
one could stand) Asad Allah (the lion of God) Al-Ghalib (the victorious) Sher-i-Yazdan (the bravest man of the
age) Mushkil-ul-l Kusha - one who resolved the difficulties of the people. Shah-i-Awlia (the king of saints) Abu
Turab (Father of the Earth) Amir-ul-Momineen -the leader of the believers*. Amin-ul-Momineen (the trustee of
the believers) Imam-ul-Muttaqeen (the leader of the god-fearing) Sayyid-ul-Arab (the chief of the Arabs)
Al Wasi (the testamentor). Al Hadi (the guide) Al Zahid (the chaste) Al Abid (the pious) Al Salah (the reformer)
*A Title usually assigned to the Caliph of a Time
Prophet Yahya (John Cousin of Jesus) - John's Love of Nature
He found comfort in the open and never cared about food. He ate leaves, herbs, and sometimes locusts. He slept anywhere in
the mountains or in holes in the ground. He sometimes would find a lion or a bear as he entered a cave, but being deeply
absorbed in praising Allah, he never heeded them. The beasts easily recognized John as the prophet who cared for all the
creatures, so they would leave the cave, bowing their heads.
John sometimes fed those beasts, out of mercy, from his food and was satisfied with prayers as food for his soul. He would
spend the night crying and praising Allah for His blessings.
When John called people to worship Allah, he made them cry out of love and submission, arresting their hearts with the
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truthfulness of his words
HAMZA The Lion of Allah

At this time Hamza, the youngest son of Abdul Muttalib, adopted Islam. Hamza was a man of distinguished bravery,
an intrepid warrior, generous and true, whose heroism earned for him the title of the " Lion of Allah." He became a
devoted adherent of Islam and eventually lost his life in the cause. 433
Some other narrations describe Hamza as a Lion Hunter, and because of his distinguished bravery he was specifically targeted by
the enemy during one of the Battles when the wife of the Opposing General Hired a Hit-Man to seek out Hamza in the battle
field and focus on him for a targeted-killing.
Daniels Ring
Ibn Abu Dunya also reported, by a chain of citations, that a ring was seen on the hand of Ibn Abu Barda Ibn Abu Musa. The gem
was carved with two lions and a man between them, whom they were licking.
Abu Barda said: 'This is the ring of that man whom the people of this town say is Daniel. Abu Musa took it the day he was buried.
The learned people of that town told Abu Musa that soothsayers and astrologers told the king in Daniel's time that a boy would
be born who would destroy him and his kingdom. So the king swore to kill all the baby boys, except that they threw Daniel in the
lions' den, and the lion and lioness began to lick him and did not harm him. His mother came and took him. Abu Musa said: 'And
so Daniel carved his image and the image of the two lions into the gem of his ring, for him not to forget Allah's blessing upon
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him in this."' This has a good citation.
David & Goliaths Fight

When the two armies faced each other, Goliath challenged any soldier from King Saul's army to single combat, as was the
custom of battle in those days. Goliath also wanted to show off his strength. The men were terrorized, and no one had enough
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Stories of The Prophets, as mentioned @www.alim.org

Stories of The Prophets Description of Hamza an Uncle of Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) @www.alim.org
434
@www.alim.org
95
433
courage to volunteer. The king offered the hand of his pretty daughter in marriage to the man who would fight Goliath, but even
this tempting offer did not change the deadly silence among his soldiers.
Then, to everyone's surprise, a youth stepped forward. A roar of laughter echoed from the enemy's side, and even Saul's men
shook their heads.
The young man was David (Dawood), from the city of Bethlehem. His elderly father had chosen three of his sons to join Saul's
army. He had instructed the youngest one, David, not to take part in the fighting but to help the army in other ways and to
report to his father daily on what was happening on the war front.
Although Saul was very impressed by the youth's courage, he said: "I admire your courage, but you are no match for that mighty
warrior. Let the strong men come forward." David, however, had already decided and was willing to meet the challenge.
Proudly, he told the king that only the day before he had killed a lion which had threatened his father's sheep, and on
another occasion he had killed a bear. He asked Saul not to judge him by his appearance, for he feared no man or wild beast.
Saul, surprised by young David's brave stance, agreed: "My brave soldier, if you are willing, then may Allah guard you and grant
you strength!"
The king dressed David in battle armour and handed him a sword, but David was not used to wearing battle dress. He felt
uncomfortable in it, and it obstructed his movements. He removed the armour, then collected a few pebbles and filled his
leather pouch with them. He slung it over his shoulder next to his sling. With his wooden staff in hand, he began to walk towards
the enemy. Saul was worried and asked him how on earth, with a sling and a couple of stones, was he going to defend himself
against the giant? David replied: "Allah Who protected me from the claws of the bear and the fangs of the lion will certainly
protect me from this brute!"
When Goliath set eyes on the lean young man who looked like a boy, he laughed loudly and roared: "Are you out to play war
with one of your playmates, or are you tired of your life? I will simply cut off your head with one swipe of my sword!"
David shouted back: "You may have armour, shield, and sword, but I face you in the name of Allah, the Lord of the Israelites,
Whose laws you have mocked. Today you will see that it is not the sword that kills but the will and power of Allah!"
So saying, he took his sling and placed in it a pebble from his pouch. He swung and aimed it at Goliath. The pebble shot from the
whirling sling with the speed of an arrow and hit Goliath's head with great force. Blood gushed out, and Goliath thumped to the
ground, lifeless, before he had a chance to draw his sword. When the rest of his men saw their mighty hero slain, they took to
their heels. The Israelites followed in hot pursuit, taking revenge for their years of suffering at the hands of their enemy, killing
every soldier they could lay hands on. In this battle the Israelites regained the glory and honor that had been lost for a long time.
David became a hero overnight. Saul kept his word and married his daughter Michal (Miqel) to the young warrior and took him
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under his wing as one of his chief advisers
LIZARD in Hadiths and Islamic Texts

Definition of a Hypocrite (Munafiq)
Quran: [Yea-] and most certainly will God mark out those who have [truly] attained to faith, and most
certainly will He mark out the hypocrites.436 [7]
This is probably the earliest occurrence of the term Munafiq in the chronology of Quranic revelation. Idiomatically, the term is
derived from the noun nafaq, which denotes an underground passage" having an outlet different from the entry, and
signifying, specifically, the complicated burrow of a field-mouse, a lizard, etc., from which the animal can easily escape or in
which it can outwit a pursuer. Tropically, the term Munafiq describes a person who is "two-faced", inasmuch as he always tries
to find an easy way out of any real commitment, be it spiritual or social, by adapting his course of action to what promises to be
of practical advantage to him in the situation in which he happens to find himself. Since a person thus characterized usually
pretends to be morally better than he really is, the epithet Munafiq may roughly be rendered as "hypocrite". It should, however,
be noted that whereas this Western term invariably implies conscious dissembling with the intent to deceive others, the Arabic
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436
Stories of The Prophets (Dawood David) @www.alim.org

Quran [29:11]
96
term Munafiq may also be applied - and occasionally is applied in the Quran - to a person who, being weak or uncertain in his
beliefs or moral convictions, merely deceives himself. Hence, while using in my rendering of the Quranic text the conventional
expression "hypocrite", I have endeavoured to point out the above differentiation, whenever possible and necessary, in my
437
explanatory notes.
Is it Permissible to Eat Lizards?

1. Malik related to me from Ibn Shihab from Abu Umama ibn Sahl ibn Hunayf from Abdullah ibn Abbas that Khalid ibn al-Walid
ibn al-Mughira entered the house of Maimuna, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he was brought a roasted lizard. The Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stretched his hand toward it. One of the women who was in Maimuna's house said,
"Tell the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, what he means to eat." Someone said, "It is a lizard,
Messenger of Allah." He withdrew his hand. Khalid said, "Is it haram, Messenger of Allah?" He said, "No, but there were none in
my people's land, and I find that I dislike them."
Khalid added, "I chewed and ate it while the Messenger of Allah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, was looking."
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2.Malik related to me from Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abdullah ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Sasaca that Sulayman ibn Yasar said, "The
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, entered the house of Maimuna bint al-Harith and there was a
lizard in which there were eggs to eat. Abdullah ibn Abbas and Khalid ibn al-Walid were with him. He said, 'From where did you
get this?' She replied, 'My sister, Huzayla bint al-Harith, gave it to me.' He then told Abdullah ibn Abbas and Khalid to eat. They
said, 'Won't you eat, Messenger of Allah?' He said, 'There are those who visit me from Allah.' Maimuna said, 'Messenger of
Allah, shall we give you some milk to drink which we have?' He said, 'Yes.' When he drank, he said, 'From where did you get
this?' She said, 'My sister, Huzayla gave it to me.' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Do you
see your slave-girl whom you asked me for permission to free? Give her to your sister and bring her to your maternal relatives to
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take care of her. That is better for you.'
3. We were in an army with the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him). We got some lizards. I roasted one lizard and brought it
to the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) and placed it before him. He took a stick and counted its fingers. He then said: A
group from the children of Isra'il was transformed into an animal of the land, and I do not know which animal it was. He did not
440
eat it nor did he forbid (its eating).
4. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: I wish I had a white loaf made from tawny and softened with clarified butter and milk.
A man from among the people got up and getting one brought it. He asked: In which had it been? He replied: In a lizard skin.
He said: Take it away.
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5. There was presented to Allah's Messenger (the flesh) of the lizard, but he refused to eat that, saying: I do not know; it
(lizard) might (be one of those natives of) the distant past whose (forms) had been distorted.
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6. Abuz Zubayr reported: I asked Jabir about (the eating) of the lizard, whereupon he said: Don't eat that, as he (the Prophet)
felt disgust. He (the narrator) said that Umar ibn al-Khattab remarked: Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) did not declare it to
be unlawful. Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, has (made it a source) of benefit for more than one (persons). It is a common diet
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of the shepherds. Had it been with me, I would have eaten that.
7. Yazid ibn al-Asamm reported: A newly-wedded man of Medina invited us to a wedding feast, and he served us thirteen
lizards. Some people ate it and some left it. I met Ibn Abbas the next day, and informed him (about this) in the presence of
many people. Some of them said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had observed: I neither eat it nor forbid
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438
M. Asad in his Note No.7 Accompanying his Translation of Quran [29:11] @www.islamicity.com
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths Known as A l-Muwatta of Imam Malik Hadith No. 54.10 @www.alim.org
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths Known as Al-Muwatta of Imam Malik Hadith No. 54.9 @www.alim.org
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Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths Known as Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith No.1733 @www.alim.org
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Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths Known as Sahih Muslim Hadith No. 907 @www.alim.org
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Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths Known as Sahih Muslim Hadith No. 908 @www.alim.org
97
439
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(anyone) to eat it, nor do I declare it to be unlawful. Thereupon Ibn Abbas said: That is what you say! Allah's Apostle (peace be
upon him) has been expressly sent (to declare in clear words) the lawful and the unlawful (things). We were once with Allah's
Messenger (peace be upon him) when he was with Maimuna. There were with him al-Fadl ibn Abbas, Khalid ibn Walid and some
women (also), when a tray of food containing flesh was presented to him. As Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) was about to
eat that, Maimuna said: It is the flesh of the lizard. He withdrew his hand saying: That is the flesh which I never eat; but he said
to them (those who were present there): You may eat. Al-Fadl ate from it, so did Khalid ibn Walid, and the women. Maimuna
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(however) said: I do not eat anything but that which Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) eats.
LOCUST in the Quran / Hadiths

Quran: hereupon We let loose upon them floods, and [plagues of] Locusts, and lice, and frogs, and [water
turning into] blood -distinct signs [all]: but they gloried in their arrogance, for they were people lost in
sin.445
Quran: they will come forth from their graves, with their eyes downcast, [swarming about] like Locusts
scattered [by the wind],446
Prophet Yahya (John Cousin of Jesus) - John's Love of Nature
He found comfort in the open and never cared about food. He ate leaves, herbs, and sometimes locusts. He slept anywhere in
the mountains or in holes in the ground. He sometimes would find a lion or a bear as he entered a cave, but being deeply
absorbed in praising Allah, he never heeded them. The beasts easily recognized John as the prophet who cared for all the
creatures, so they would leave the cave, bowing their heads.
John sometimes fed those beasts, out of mercy, from his food and was satisfied with prayers as food for his soul. He would
spend the night crying and praising Allah for His blessings.
When John called people to worship Allah, he made them cry out of love and submission, arresting their hearts with the
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truthfulness of his words
Locust in the Hadith

Yahya related from Malik, from Zayd ibn Aslam, from Ata ibn Yasar, that Kab al-Ahbar was once coming back from Syria with a
group of riders, and at a certain point along the road they found some game-meat and Kab said they could eat it. When they got
back to Madina they went to Umar ibn al-Khattab and told him about that, and he said, "Who told you could do that?", and they
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said, ''Kab.'' He said, "He was indeed the one I made amir over you until you should return."
Later, when they were on the road to Makka, a swarm of locusts passed them by and Kab told them to catch them and eat
them. When they got back to Umar ibn al-Khattab they told him about this, and he said (to Kab), "What made you tell them they
could do that?" Kab said, "It is game of the sea." He said, "How do you know?", and Kab said, "Amir al-muminin, by the One in
whose hand my self is, it is only the sneeze of a fish which it sneezes twice every year."
Eating of LOCUSTS
Narrated Ibn Abi Aufa
We participated with the Prophet in six or seven Ghazawat (battles), and we used to eat Locusts with him.
Prophet Ayub (Job) and LOCUSTS
444
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths Known as Sahih Muslim Hadith No.906 @www.alim.org
446
447
Stories of The Prophets, as mentioned @www.alim.org
448
449
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths Known as Sahih Al-Bukhari V:007.C 67.NO.403 @www.islamicity.com
98
445
449
Narrated Abu Huraira

The Prophet said, "While Job was naked, taking a bath, a swarm of gold Locusts fell on him and he started collecting them in
his garment. His Lord called him, 'O Job! Have I not made you rich enough to need what you see? He said, 'Yes, O Lord! But I
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cannot dispense with your Blessing."
Ordered chaos in locust swarms

By Jacquie van Santen for ABC Science Online
Like an army preparing for battle, locusts instinctively wait until their 'battalion' is large enough before falling into line and
swarming ahead en masse, researchers say.
The apparently leaderless group will fly around chaotically until the swarm reaches a certain density of numbers, when they
immediately assemble and become an orderly, collective plague.
Researchers led by Dr Jerome Buhl from the University of Sydney have pinpointed this exact point of change, called the tipping
point, by using statistical physics models of disordered and ordered particles.
The international team publishes its findings today in the journal Science.
The researchers assembled a circular perspex arena shaped liked a Mexican hat in the laboratory.
Locusts were then released into the arena and their movements filmed as more and more locusts were added to the group.
The team found that at a low density of insects, the locusts swarmed around chaotically.
At intermediate density the locusts banded together but changed their marching directions quickly.
But when enough insects were released into the arena to reach the critical tipping point - 20 insects per square metre - the
group immediately massed together and swarmed as one in a persistent direction.
Co-author Professor Steve Simpson says the statistical physics models of disordered and ordered particles used in the
experiment are like dodgem cars racing around an arena.
"You give these dodgem cars a set of simple local rules. If somebody drives past them they must move and follow next to them.
If they see a dodgem car a little further away then they must move towards them. If they get too close to another dodgem car
they must bounce away from it," he said.
"If you scale that up to a whole bunch of dodgem cars, or particles, or locusts then as you start to add more and more to the
arena, or environment, you suddenly get to a number where they all start moving in the same direction together."
Dr Buhl says the laboratory findings reflect similar findings in the field.
He says the research, which was carried out with UK, US and Canadian researchers, could be useful in controlling pest outbreaks
that devastate crops and bring disease.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200606/s1654002.htm
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N
450
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths Known as Sahih Al-Bukhari V004.C055.NO.604 @www.islamicity.com
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As Quoted in www.islamicity.com
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NIGHTINGALE in the Quran / Hadiths

Narrated Anas
The Prophet was the best of all the people in character. I had a brother called Abu 'Umar, who, I think, had been newly weaned.
Whenever he (that child) was brought to the Prophet, the Prophet used to say, "O Abu 'Umar! What did Al-Nughair
(nightingale) (do)?" It was a nightingale with which he used to play. Sometimes the time of the Prayer became due while he
(the Prophet) was in our house. He would order that the carpet underneath him be swept and sprayed with water, and then he
452
would stand up (for the prayer) and we would line up behind him, and he would lead us in prayer
Abu Bakars Famous Statement about What he had Left for himself and his Family
Financing the expedition to Tabuk In 630 C.E., after return from Makkah the Holy Prophet decided to lead an expedition to
Tabuk on the Syrian border. In order to finance the expedition the Holy Prophet invited contributions and donations from his
followers. Othman provided ten thousand camels. Umar made a liberal contribution When the Holy Prophet asked him what he
had left for himself and his family he said that he had given one half of his wealth for the cause of Allah, and had left one half for
himself and his family. Then Abu Bakr came loaded with his contribution and the Holy Prophet put him the same question as to
what had he left for himself and his family. Abu Bakr said, "I have brought all that I had. I have left Allah and His Prophet for
myself and my family."
This episode has formed the theme of one of the poems of Allama Iqbal. The last verse of the poem reads: "For the moth the
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lamp; for the nightingale the flower, For Siddiq God and His Prophet alone suffice."
O
OSTRICH in the Quran / Hadiths
Resurrection of Pious Women as Beautiful Maidens
The first reference to Ostrich we find in the Quran is in the form of a Figure of Speech with respect to the female Ostrich that
buries its eggs in the sand for protection. Its particular application to the women who attain to paradise becomes clear from
56:34 ff., which states that all righteous women, irrespective of their age and condition at the time of death, will be resurrected
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as beautiful maidens.(Quran Ref: 37:49 )
However, if you look at verse 37:48 and in particular look at the reference to modest gaze and most beautiful eyes suggests
that this could also refer to the non-human beautiful maidens of Paradise, a creation of ALLAH (SWT), and these will be in
addition to the pious women from this world whop attain to paradise.
The verse of The Quran which the above explanatory notes refer to states as follows
Quran: [as free of faults] as if they were hidden [ostrich] eggs. 455
Penalty Due for Killing an Ostrich whilst in the Pilgrims garb (Ihram)
Like in many other similar cases where a Penalty is due for killing an animal whilst in a Pilgrims garb (Ihram) , similarly, there is a
penalty due for destroying an Ostrichs egg and for killing an Ostrich. It is as follows:
A Collector of Hadiths Imam Malik said, I still hear that when a person in ihram kills an ostrich, a camel is due."
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Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths Known as Sahih Bukhari Hadith No.8.222 @www.alim.org
Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddique, Prof Masud-ul-Hasan Cited @www.alim.org
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455
Quran [37:49]
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Malik said, "I think that for an ostrich egg, one tenth of the price of a camel is due in the same way that there is a newly-born
male or female slave for the unborn child of a free woman. The value of the newly-born slave is fifty dinars, and that is onetenth of what the blood-money for the mother would be.
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old or young. The analogy of that is that the blood-money for the young and the old freeman are considered to be the same."
And the Same Point is made in the Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah
Sa'id bin Mansur reported that commenting on the words of Allah "the compensation is an offering, brought to the Ka'bah, of a
domestic animal" Ibn 'Abbas said: "If a muhrim kills an animal, an assessment should be made and then he should make
compensation. If he has an animal of an equivalent value for the game, he must slaughter it and give its meat in charity, but if he
does not have an animal of an equivalent value, he should assess the value of the game and then give away food for that
amount. In case one does not have money for it, then, one must fast one day for each half sa' of food. If a muhrim killed a game,
he must slaughter a similar animal according to the judgment of two just men. If one killed a deer or similar animal, one must
slaughter a sheep in Makkah. If one cannot buy a sheep, then, one must feed six poor people, and if one cannot afford that, then
one must fast three days.
for twenty days. If an ostrich or zebra or similar animal is killed, one must fast thirty days. This is reported by Ibn Abi Hatem
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and Ibn Jarir. They also added to this the words: "The food given to the needy must be sufficient to satisfy their hunger."
Another Point of Jurisprudence
Abdul Malik bin Qurair reported from Mohammad bin Sirin that a man came to 'Umar bin Al-Khattab and said: "A friend of mine
and I ran after a wild game while we were in pilgrim garb. We killed a deer. What is our atonement?" 'Umar told a man next to
him: "Come, you and I must judge together." Then he gave his verdict and told the man to sacrifice a goat in compensation." The
man left saying, "This is the Chief of the Faithful, who cannot pass a judgment concerning the killing of a deer!" 'Umar heard the
man's remark, and he called him back and asked him: "Have you read Surah Al-Ma'idah (of the Qur'an)?" The man said: "No."
'Umar asked further: "Do you know this man who participated in the judgment with me?" The man said, "No." 'Umar said: 'Had
you told me that you have read Surah Al-Ma'idah, I would have made you ache from beating." Then he added: "Allah, the
Exalted One, says in His Book: 'If any of you doeth so intentionally, the compensation is an offering, brought to the Ka'bah, of a
domestic animal equivalent to the one he killed, as adjudged by two just men among you.' And this man (who judged with me) is
Abdur-Rahman bin 'Awf'."
old goat should be sacrificed for killing a jerboa458
Tradition of Storing Water in Ostrich Shells
Raaf'i b Umayera was a companion of Abu Bakr. He was formerly a Christian and was known as Series. He acted as a guide in the
sandy desert. During the pagan period he used to bury water in ostrich shells in various places in the desert and then raid men's
camels. Then he became a Muslim, and abandoned the profession of brigandage. In the raid against Dhat-ul-Salasil, he joined
the Muslim force under Amr b-ul-A'as. On this occasion, he chose Abu Bakr as his companion. According to the account of Raff's
b Umayera, Abu Bakr wore a Fadak cloak, and whenever they halted he would spread it out, and put it on when they rose. For
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this, Abu Bakr came to be called "the man with the cloak".
P
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Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta, Hadith No. 20.243 @www.alim.org
Quoted in the Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Fiqh No.5.60a @www.alim.org
458
Quoted in the Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Fiqh No. 5.60 @www.alim.org
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Quoted @ www.alim.org with the following Citation: Khalifa Abu Bakr - Conquest of Makkah and After - Dhat-ul-Salasil
101
457
PANTHER in the Hadith

Re: Panther Skins
First the background of the Narrator of this Hadith Abu Rayhanah
AbulHusayn, al-Haytham ibn Shafi said: I and a companion of mine called Abu Amir, a man from al-Ma'afir went to perform
prayer in Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem).
Their preacher was a man of Azd called Abu Rayhanah, who was a companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
AbulHusayn said: my companion went to the mosque before me. I went there after him and sat beside him. He asked me: Did
you hear the preaching of Abu Rayhanah? I said: No. He said: I heard him say:
The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade ten things:
Sharpening the ends of the teeth, tattooing, plucking hair, men sleeping together without an under garment, women sleeping
together without an under-garment, men putting silk at the hem of their garments like the Persians, or putting silk on their
460
shoulders like the Persians, plundering, riding on panther skins, wearing signet rings, except in the case of one in authority.
PIG in the Quran and Hadiths

Water left in a Pot after a Pig has drunk from it
Such water is considered impure and must be avoided. Al-Bukhari and Muslim have recorded, on the authority of Abu Huraira
that the messenger of Allah said, "If a dog drinks from one of your containers, wash it seven times.
Imam Ahmad and Imam Muslim two of the famous Collectors and Collators of Hadiths also have this addition, "Cleanse one of
your containers if a dog licks it by washing it seven times, the first washing being with dirt." As for the leftover water of a pig, it
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is clearly considered filth and impure.
Make Soft Speech even to a Pig

Malik related to me from Yahya ibn Said that Isa ibn Maryam encountered a
pig on the road. He said to it,
"Go in peace." Somebody asked, "Do you say this to a pig?" Isa said, "I fear lest I accustom my tongue to evil speech."
462
Jesus son-of-Mary Killing the Pig

Allah's Apostle said,
"By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, son of Mary (Jesus) will shortly descend amongst you people (Muslims) as a just
ruler and will break the cross and kill the pig and abolish the Jizya (a tax taken from the non-Muslims who are in the protection
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of the Muslim government). Then there will be abundance of money and nobody will accept charitable gifts.
Knitting with the Pigs hair

.It is, however, allowed to knit with the hair of a pig according to most of the scholars
460
464
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith No 1866 @ www.alim.org
Quoted in the Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah No. 1.6A @www.alim.org
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Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta by Imam Malik hadith No.56.4 @www.ali.org
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Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 3.425 @www.alim.org
102
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The Consumption of Pigs Meat

Although much simpler than the dietary law followed by Jews and the early Christians, the code which Muslims observe forbids
the consumption of pig meat or any kind of intoxicating drink. The Prophet taught that 'your body has rights over you', and the
consumption of wholesome food and the leading of a healthy lifestyle are seen as religious obligations.
The Prophet (SAW) said: 'Ask God for certainty [of faith] and well-being; for after certainty, no one is given any gift better than
health!'
The Swine difference between it and the Pig

It seems that the Hadiths tend to use the term Pig whilst the Quran uses the term swine and people might want to know what is
the difference between these two terms?
Generally people tend to believe that there is no difference between the two terms Pig and Swine. However, Food and Nutrition
Encyclopedia describes the difference in the following terms:
In the United States, The Pig refers to a younger domesticated Swine weighing less than 120 pounds and the term Hog refers
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to older Swine weighing more than 120 pounds. In Great Britain, all domesticated swine are referred to as Pigs
Let us now look at the References occurring in the Quran, Hadith and other Islamic Texts that use the
Term Swine
Quran: He has forbidden to you only carrion, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that over which any name
other than God's has been invoked; but if one is driven [to it] by necessity - neither coveting it nor exceeding his
immediate need - verily, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.466
Quran: Say [O Prophet]: "In all that has been revealed unto me, I do not find anything forbidden to eat, if one wants
to eat thereof, unless it be carrion, or blood poured forth, or the flesh of swine - for that, behold, is loathsome - or a
sinful offering over which any name other than God's has been invoked. But if one is driven by necessity - neither
coveting it nor exceeding his immediate need - then [know that], behold, thy Sustainer is much-forgiving, a dispenser
of grace." 467
Quran: Say: "Shall I tell you who, in the sight of God, deserves a yet worse retribution than these? They
whom God has rejected and whom He has condemned, and whom He has turned into apes and swine
because they worshipped the powers of evil: these are yet worse in station, and farther astray from the
right path [than the mockers]."468
Contrary to many of the commentators who take this reference to "apes and swine" in a literal sense, the famous
tabi'i Mujahid explains it as a metaphorical description (mathal) of the moral degradation which such sinners undergo:
they become wildly unpredictable like apes, and as abandoned to the pursuit of lusts as swine (Manar VI, 448). This
interpretation has also been quoted by Tabari in his commentary on 2 : 65. - As regards the expression "powers of
evil" (at-,taghut), see surah 2, note 250.(Quran Ref: 5:60 ) 469
Quran: FORBIDDEN to you is carrion, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that over which any name
other than God's has been invoked, and the animal that has been strangled, or beaten to death, or killed by
a fall, or gored to death, or savaged by a beast of prey, save that which you [yourselves] may have
slaughtered while it was still alive; and [forbidden to you is] all that has been slaughtered on idolatrous
altars. And [you are forbidden] to seek to learn through divination what the future may hold in store for
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Quoted in the section on Jurisprudence of Traditions Known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah, No.1.9 @www.alim.org

nd
Foods and Nutrition Encyclopaedia, 2 Ed Volume 1 Page 1184 as quoted @ www.enotes.com
466
Quran [16:115]
467
Quran [6:145]
468
Quran [5:60]
469
M. Asad in his Note No. 77 Accompanying his translation of Quran [5:60] @www.islamicity.com
103
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you: this is sinful conduct. Today, those who are bent on denying the truth have lost all hope of [your ever
forsaking] your religion: do not, then, hold them in awe, but stand in awe of Me! Today have I perfected
your religious law for you, and have bestowed upon you the full measure of My blessings, and willed that
self-surrender unto Me shall be your religion. As for him, however, who is driven [to what is forbidden] by
dire necessity and not by an inclination to sinning - behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace470.
Quran: He has forbidden to you only carrion, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that over which any
name other than God's has been invoked; but if one is driven by necessity - neither coveting it nor exceeding
his immediate need - no sin shall be upon him: for, behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace471
Commentary on the above verse
For prohibited foods, cf. also Q. v. 4-5; vi. 121,138-146; etc
The teachers of Fiqh (Jurisprudence) work out the details with great elaboration. My purpose is to present general
principles, not technical details. Carrion or dead meat and blood as articles of food would obviously cause disgust to
any refined person. So would swine's flesh where the swine live on offal. Where swine are fed artificially on clean
food, the objections remain: (1) that they are filthy animals in other respects, and the flesh of filthy animals taken as
food affects the eater; (2) that swine's flesh has more fat than muscle-building material; and (3) that it is more liable
to disease than other kinds of meat; e.g., trichinosis, characterised by hair-like worms in the muscular tissue. As to
food dedicated to idols or false gods, it is obviously unseemly for the Children of Unity to partake of it. 472
PIGEON in the Quran / Hadith

Compensation to be offered for the killing of a Pigeon of Mecca
Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Said ibn al-Musayyab used to say, "For the
pigeon of Mecca, when it
is killed, a sheep is due."

Malik said that if a man of the people of Mecca were to enter ihram (pilgrims garb) for Hajj (Major Pilgrimage) or Umra (Minor
Pilgrimage) and there was a flock of Meccan pigeons in his house and they were shut in and died, "I think that he should pay
for that with a sheep for each bird."473
Prayers distracted by a flying Pigeon
Malik related to me from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr that Abu Talha al-Ansari was praying in his garden when a wild pigeon flew in
and began to fly to and fro trying to find a way out. The sight was pleasing to him and he let his eyes follow the bird for a time
and then he went back to his prayer but could not remember how much he had prayed. He said, "A trial has befallen me in this
property of mine." So he came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and mentioned the trial that
had happened to him in his garden and said, "Messenger of Allah, it is a sadaqa for Allah, so dispose of it wherever you wish."474
Wooden pigeon hung from the roof of Kaaba before Meccas Liberation by the Muslims
The Muslim army entered the city unpretentiously and peacefully. No house was robbed; no man or woman was insulted. The
Prophet granted a general amnesty to the entire population of Mecca. Only four criminals, whom justice condemned, were
proscribed. He did however; order the destruction of all idols and pagan images of worship, upon which three hundred and fifty
idols which were in the Sacred House of Kaaba were thrown down. The Prophet himself destroyed a wooden pigeon hung from
470
471
472
Quran [ 5:3]
Quran [2:173]
Commentary on Quran [2:173] @ www.alim.org

Quoted in the collection f Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta by Imam Malik Hadith No. 20.242 @www.alim.org
474
Quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta by Imam Malik Hadith No. 3.74 @www.alim.org
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the roof and regarded as one of the deities of the Quraish. During the downfall of the images and idols he was heard to cry
aloud: "Allah is great. Truth has come and falsehood has vanished; verily falsehood is fleeting." The old idolaters observed
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thoughtfully the destruction of their gods which were utterly powerless.
Rules Regarding Compensation required if an Animal is killed whilst in Pilgrims Garb
or a deer, and similarly a sheep for a woodchuck, a pigeon, a turtledove, a mountain quail, and certain other birds. A male
sheep is to be sacrificed for a hyena, a goat for a deer, a four month old goat for a rabbit, a baby goat (kid) for a fox, and a four
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month old goat should be sacrificed for killing a jerboa.
Q
QUAILS in the Quran and Hadiths
References to Quails in the Quran
Quran: And we caused the clouds to comfort you with their shade, and sent down unto you manna and
quails. [Saying,] "Partake of the good things which we have provided for you as sustenance." And [by all
their sinning] they did no harm unto us-but [only] against their own selves did they sin.477
Quran: And we divided them into twelve tribes, [or] communities. And when his people asked Moses for
water, we inspired him, "Strike the rock with thy staff!" -whereupon twelve springs gushed forth from it, so
that all the people knew whence to drink, And We caused the clouds to comfort them with their shade, and
We sent down unto them manna and quails, [saying:] "Partake of the good things which We have provided
for you as sustenance." And [by all their sinning] they did no harm unto Us-but [only] against their own
selves did they sin.478
Quran: O children of Israel! [Thus] We saved you from your enemy, and [then] we made a covenant with
you on the right-hand slope of Mount Sinai, and repeatedly sent down manna and quails unto you,
[saying,]479
Quran: Partake of the good things which we have provided for you as sustenance [*please see
Commentary below] but do not transgress therein the bounds of equity lest my condemnation fall upon
you: for, he upon whom my condemnation falls has indeed thrown himself into utter ruin!"480
*This is a reference to God's bestowal of "Manna (Mann) and Quails (Salwa)" upon the Israelites during their wanderings in the
Sinai Desert after their exodus from Egypt.
According to Arab philologists, the term Mann denotes not only the sweet, resinous substance exuded by certain plants of the
desert, but also everything that is "bestowed as a favour", i.e., without any effort on the part of the recipient. Similarly, the term
Salwa signifies not merely "a quail" or "quails", but also "all that makes man content and happy after privation"
(Qamus). Hence the combination of these two terms denotes, metonymically, the gift of sustenance freely bestowed by God
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upon the followers of Moses
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Quote from : Mohammad: Conquest of Mecca @www.alim.org

Quoted as a Jurisprudence of Traditions Known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh No. 5.60 @www.alim.org
477
Quran [2:57]
478
Quran [7:160]
479
Quran [20:80]
480
Quran [20:81]
481
M. Asad in his Note No.64 Accompanying his Translation of Quran[20:81] at www.alim.org & @ www.islamicity.com
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Penalty due for killing an animal whilst in a Pilgrims Garb

or a deer, and similarly a sheep for a woodchuck, a pigeon, a turtledove, a mountain quail, and certain other birds. A male
sheep is to be sacrificed for a hyena, a goat for a deer, a four month old goat for a rabbit, a baby goat (kid) for a fox, and a four
482
month old goat should be sacrificed for killing a jerboa.
R
Rabbit in the Quran and Hadiths and Islamic Texts
Quran: And [only] unto those who followed the Jewish faith did We forbid all beasts that have claws; and
We forbade unto them the fat of both oxen and sheep, excepting that which is in their backs or entrails or
that which is within the bone: thus did We requite them for their evildoing-for, behold, We are true to Our
word!" 483
In the Arabic Text of the above verse in the Quran the word used is Zufur may mean claw or hoof; it is in the singular number;
but as no animal has a single claw, and there is no point in a division of claws, we must look to a hoof for the correct
interpretation. In the Jewish Law (Leviticus, xi. 3-6), "Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is cloven-footed, and cheweth the cud,
among the beasts" was lawful as food, but the camel, the coney (rabbit), and the hare were not lawful, because they do not
"divide the hoof". "Undivided hoof" therefore is the correct interpretation. These three animals, unlawful to the Jews, are lawful
484
in Islam. Cf. iv. 160.
Cf. vi. 146. The ceremonial law of the Jews forbade the eating of the flesh of the camel, rabbit and hare (Leviticus xi.
4-6), and the fat of oxen, sheep, and goats (Leviticus vii. 23), and was in other respects very strict. 485
Penalty for Killing a Rabbit whilst in a Pilgrims garb
Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zubayr that Umar ibn al-Khattab gave the judgement of a ram for a hyena, a female
486
goat for a gazelle, a she-goat less than one year old for a rabbit, and a four month old kid for a jerboa
Regarding Penalty for killing an animal whilst in Pilgrims Garb
Yahya related from Malik from Abu'z-Zubayr that Umar ibn al-Khattab gave the judgement of a ram for a hyena, a female goat
for a gazelle, a she-goat less than one year old for a rabbit, and a four month old kid for a jerboa.487
Rooster in the Quran / Hadiths, See also Hen and Cockerel

"The Prophet prohibited us from three things: pecking like a rooster (making the prostration very quickly), sitting like a dog (iqa
'a), and not turning one's whole head like a fox." This is related by Ahmad, al-Baihaqi, at-Tabarani and Abu Tala with a hassan
488
chain.
Quoted in the Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh No. 5.60 @www.alim.org
483 Quran [6:146]
484
Quoted as a Commentary on Quran [6:146]
485
Quoted as a Commentary on Quran [4:160] Commentary No. 667
486
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta of Imam Malik Hadith No. 20.239
487
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta Hadith No 20.239 @ www.alim.or
106
482
S
Salamander in the Hadiths
Allah's Apostle ordered that the salamander should be killed and said, "It (i.e. the salamander) blew (the fire) on Abraham."
489
The Prophet called the salamander a mischief-doer. I have not heard him ordering that it should be killed. Sad bin Waqqas
490
claims that the Prophet ordered that it should be killed
Allah's Apostle called the salamander a bad animal, but I did not hear him ordering it to be killed
491
Scorpion in the Hadiths

Killing of a Scorpion whilst in a Pilgrims garb
Quran: O you who have attained to faith! Kill no game while you are in the state of pilgrimage. And
whoever of you kills it intentionally, [shall make] amends in cattle equivalent to what he has killed - with
two persons of probity giving their judgment thereon- to be brought as an offering to the Ka`bah; or else he
may atone for his sin by feeding the needy, or by the equivalent thereof in fasting: [this,] in order that. he
taste the full gravity of his deed, [while] God shall have effaced the past. But whoever does it again, God
will inflict His retribution on him: for God is almighty, an avenger of evil 492
From the last sentence of this verse it appears that by the "intentional" killing referred to here only an isolated incident (or a first
offence) can be meant, and not a wilful, persistent "transgressing of the bounds of what is right", which the preceding verse
condemns so severely. It is to be borne in mind that the term "game" (sayd) relates in this context only to edible animals: for,
according to several authentic Traditions, the killing of a dangerous or highly obnoxious animal-for instance, a snake, a
scorpion, a rabid dog, etc.-is permitted even in the state of pilgrimage.493
Killing a Scorpion /Snake whilst in Prayers
If killing these would only require a small action on the part of the person in Salah, then there is no harm in doing it. Abu
Hurayrah reported that the Prophet Sallallahu alehi wasallam said: "Kill the snake and the scorpion during the Salah." This is
related by Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, an-Nasaai, and Ibn Majah. The hadith is hasan Sahih. 494
Killing a Scorpion / Snake whilst in a Pilgrims garb
1. The Prophet said, "Five kinds of animals are mischief-doers and can be killed even in the Sanctuary: They are the
rat, the
scorpion, the kite, the crow and the rabid dog." 495
2. Allah's Apostle said, "It is not sinful of a person in the state of Ihram to kill any of these five animals: The scorpion, the rat,
the rabid dog, the crow and the kite."
496
488
Quoted in the Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh No. 1.154 @www.alim.org
490
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith No. 4.525 @ www.alim.org
491
489
492
Quran [5:95]
494
Quoted as a Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah No. 2.83 @www.alim.org
495
107
493
3. Allah's Apostle said, "It is not sinful (of a Muhrim) to kill five kinds of animals, namely: the crow, the kite, the mouse, the
scorpion and the rabid dog." 497

4. Allah's Apostle said, "Five kinds of animals are harmful and could be killed in the Haram (Sanctuary). These are: the crow, the
kite, the scorpion, the mouse and the rabid dog."
498
5. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Kill the two black things during prayer, the snake and scorpion.
499
6. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked which of the creatures a pilgrim in sacred state could kill. He replied: The snake,
the scorpion, the rat; he should drive away the pied crow, but should not kill it; the biting dog, the kite, and any wild animal
which attacks (man).
500
Treating a Scorpion Sting with Ruqya

Ruqya: is the tradition of treating a wound or an illness by reciting verses of the Quran over the
affected area.
1. The narrator said, I asked 'Aisha about treating poisonous stings (a snake-bite or a scorpion sting) with a Ruqya.
She said, "The Prophet allowed the treatment of poisonous sting with Ruqya." Narated by Al-Aswad 501
2. Yahya related to me from Malik from Suhayl ibn Abi Salih from his father from Abu Huraira that a man of the Aslam tribe said,
"I did not sleep last night." The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him, "For what reason?" He
said, "A scorpion bit me." The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Had you said in the
evening, 'I seek refuge with the complete words of Allah from the evil of what He has created, 'it would not have happened."
502
The specific words of the Duaa referred to above are:
Audhu bi kalimatillahit-tammati min sharri ma khalaq

3. Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar cauterized for the palsy and he had a talisman
made for a scorpion sting. 503
Taking Wages for doing Ruqya as above
1. Some of the companions of the Prophet passed by some people staying at a place where there was water, and one of those
people had been stung by a scorpion. A man from those staying near the water, came and said to the companions of the
Prophet, "Is there anyone among you who can do Ruqya as near the water there is a person who has been stung by a
scorpion." So one of the Prophet's companions went to him and recited Surat-al-Fateha for a sheep as his fees. The patient got
cured and the man brought the sheep to his companions who disliked that and said, "You have taken wages for reciting Allah's
Book." When they arrived at Medina, they said, "O Allah's Apostle! (This person) has taken wages for reciting Allah's Book." On
that Allah's Apostle said, "You are most entitled to take wages for doing a Ruqya with Allah's Book." 504
2. Some of the companions of the Prophet went on a journey till they reached some of the 'Arab tribes (at night). They asked
the latter to treat them as their guests but they refused. The chief of that tribe was then bitten by a snake (or stung by a
scorpion) and they tried their best to cure him but in vain. Some of them said (to the others), "Nothing has benefited him, will
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith No.3.54 @www.alim.org
498
Quoted in the Collect ion of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith No.3.55 @www.alim.org
499
500
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith No.742 @www.alim.org
501
502
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta of Imam Malik, Hadith No. 51.111 @www.alim.org
503
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta of Imam Malik, Hadith No.50.14 @www.alim.org
504
108
496
497
you go to the people who resided here at night, it may be that some of them might possess something (as treatment)," They
went to the group of the companions (of the Prophet) and said, "Our chief has been bitten by a snake (or stung by a scorpion)
and we have tried everything but he has not benefited. Have you got anything (useful)?" One of them replied, "Yes, by Allah! I
can recite a Ruqya, but as you have refused to accept us as your guests, I will not recite the Ruqya for you unless you fix for us
some wages for it." They agreed to pay them a flock of sheep. One of them then went and recited (Surat-ul-Fateha): "All the
praises are for the Lord of the Worlds" and puffed over the chief who became all right as if he was released from a chain, and
got up and started walking, showing no signs of sickness 505
They paid them what they agreed to pay. Some of them (i.e. the companions) then suggested to divide their earnings among
themselves, but the one who performed the recitation said, "Do not divide them till we go to the Prophet and narrate the whole
story to him, and wait for his order." So, they went to Allah's Apostle and narrated the story. Allah's Apostle asked, "How did you
come to know that Surat-ul-Fateha was recited as Ruqya?" Then he added, "You have done the right thing. Divide (what you
have earned) and assign a share for me as well." The Prophet smiled thereupon
Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Abdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, said, "There are five kinds of animal which it is not wrong for someone in ihram to kill: crows, kites, scorpions, rats
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and mice, and wild dogs."
Seek refuge in the Perfect Word of Allah from the evil of what He created.
A person came to Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) and said: Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) I was stung by a scorpion
during the night. Thereupon he said: Had you recited these words in the evening: "I seek refuge in the Perfect Word of
Allah from the evil of what He created." it would not have done any harm to you. 507
In connection with incantation mentioned above, Anas reported that he had been granted sanction (to use incantation
as a remedy) for the sting of the scorpion and for curing small pustules and dispelling the influence of an evil eye.
508
And also,
Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) granted a special sanction for incantation in case of the snake poison to a tribe of Amr. Abuz
Zubayr said: I heard Jabir ibn Abdullah as saying that the scorpion stung one of us as we were sitting with Allah's Messenger
(peace be upon him). A person said: Allah's Messenger, I use incantation (for curing the effect of sting), whereupon he said: He
who is competent amongst you to benefit his brother should do so. 509
Sheep in the Quran and Hadith Sakhla is a newborn lamb or kid and Akula is a sheep or goat that
is being fattened for meat (See Appendix 6 for Jurisprudical Points regarding Sakhla Akula in the Assessment of Zakat)
Story of Davids Judgement Improved by his son Solomon

Quran: AND [remember] David and Solomon - [how it was] when both of them gave judgment concerning
the field into which some people's sheep had strayed by night and pastured therein, and [how] We bore
witness to their judgment:510
According to this story to which the above verse alludes, a flock of sheep strayed at night into a neighbouring field and
destroyed its crop. The case was brought before King David for judicial decision. On finding that the incident was due to the
505
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith No. 3.476
507
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim Hadith No.1250 @www.alim.org
508
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim Hadith No. 1029 @www.alim.org.uk
509
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Muslim Hadith No. 1031 @www.alim.org.uk
510
Quran [21:78]
109
506
negligence of the owner of the sheep, David awarded the whole flock - the value of which corresponded roughly to the extent of
the damage - as an indemnity to the owner of the field.
David's young son, Solomon, regarded this judgement as too severe, inasmuch as the sheep represented the defendant's capital,
whereas the damage was of a transitory nature, involving no more than the loss of one year's crop, i.e., of income. He therefore
suggested to his father that the judgement should be altered: the owner of the field should have the temporary possession and
usufruct of the sheep (sheep, wool, new-born lambs, etc.), while their owner should tend the damaged field until it was restored
to its former productivity, whereupon both the field and the flock of sheep would revert to their erstwhile owners; in this way
the plaintiff would be fully compensated for his loss without depriving the defendant of his substance. David realized that his
son's solution of the case was better than his own, and passed judgement accordingly; but since he, no less than Solomon, had
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been inspired by a deep sense of justice, God - in the words of the Qur'an - "bore witness to their judgement".
Conversation between God and Moses about his Staff
The Quran mentions a conversation between ALLAH (SWT) and Prophet Moosa (Moses) during which Moosa was asked about
the Staff that he was carrying, and he replied:
Quran: He answered: "It is my staff; I lean on it; and with it I beat down leaves for my sheep; and [many]
other uses have I for it."512
Prohibition to the Jewish Followers of Jesus of all beasts that have claws
Quran: And [only] unto those who followed the Jewish faith did We forbid all beasts that have claws; and
We forbade unto them the fat of both oxen and sheep, excepting that which is in their backs or entrails or
that which is within the bone: thus did We requite them for their evildoing - for, behold, We are true to Our
word!"513
People Using Superstitions prohibit upon themselves some of the Bounties which God has bestowed upon us.
Allah (SWT) talks about his bounties such as date-palms, olive trees, pomegranates and enjoins upon us to eat of these fruits
when they come to fruition. He then talks about the Cattle that are reared for work and for the sake of their flesh, however,
inspite of all the bounties from God, Satan whispers in to the minds of some people Superstitions, and lo-and-behold, people
using these impose upon themselves prohibitions that God did not ask for.
Le.by superstitiously declaring as forbidden what God has made lawful to man. All the references to pre-Islamic taboos given in
verses 138-140 as well as 142-144 are meant to stress the lawfulness of any food (and, by implication, of any other physical
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enjoyment) which God has not expressly forbidden through revelation.
It is this Satanic Whisperings that Quran alludes to in the following verse when it throws a challenge to the people to give their
proof if what they say is true.
Quran: [His followers would have it that, in certain cases, any of these] four kinds of cattle of either sex [is
unlawful to man]: either of the two sexes of sheep and of goats.130 Ask [them]: "Is it the two males that He
has forbidden, or the two females, or that which the wombs of the two females may contain? Tell me what
you know in this respect, if what you say is true."515
The use in the above verse of the term either of the two sexes of sheep and of goats is an outstanding example of the
ellipticism often employed in the Quran: a mode of expression which cannot be correctly rendered in any other language
without the use of explanatory interpolations. The Quranic term zawj used in the verse denotes a pair of things as well as each
511
M. Asad in his Note No.70 Accompanying his translation of Quran [21:78]

Quran [20:18]
513
Quran [6:146]
512
514
515
M. Asad in his Note No. 129 Accompanying his Translation of Quran [6:142] at www.islamicity.com
Quran [6:143]
110
of the two constituents of a pair: hence my rendering of thamaniyat azwaj (lit., "eight [in] pairs") as "four kinds of cattle of either
sex". The particular superstition to which this and the next verse refer is probably identical with the one mentioned in
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5:103.(Quran Ref: 6:143 )
Superstition kills true religion. We come back to the Arab Pagan superstitions about cattle for food. The horse is not mentioned,
because horse flesh was not an article of diet and there were no superstitions about it. Sheep and goats, camels and oxen were
the usual sources of meat. Sheep and goats were not used as beasts of burden, but camels (of both sexes) were used for
carrying burdens, and oxen for the plough, though cows were mainly used for milk and meat. The words "some for burden and
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some for meat" do not differentiate whole species, except that they give you the first two and the last two categories
Prophet David asked to Judge between two disputants
Then we see another mention of Sheep in The Quran when two litigants surmounted the walls of the sanctuary in which David
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Prayed and as they came upon David, and he shrank back in fear from them, they said: Fear not! [We are but] two litigants.
One of us has wronged the other: so judge thou between us with justice, and deviate not from what is right, and show [both of]
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us the way to rectitude.
In the next stage of the story we find the mention of sheep in the following verse of The Quran
Quran: The brother who was most aggrieved said: "This brother has a flock of ninety-nine sheep, and I
have but one; yet he wants me to give up my one sheep to his keeping; and moreover he is not even fairspoken. He talks like one meditating mischief, and he has not even the grace to ask as an equal, or one
sharing in a business or an inheritance. What shall I do?"520
According to most of the commentators, the two "litigants" who suddenly appeared before David were angels sent to bring
home to him his sin which according most commentators was the occasion when David had an eye for the wife of another man.
It is possible, however, to see in their appearance an allegory of Davids own realization of having sinned: voices of his own
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conscience which at last "surmounted the walls" of the passion that had blinded him for a time
Commentary on Jesus being sent to the Lost Sheep of Israel
Let us first look at the two verses of The Quran that this commentary is meant to elucidate. The first of these two verses states
that:
Quran: those who shall follow the [last] Apostle, the unlettered Prophet whom they shall find described in
the Torah that is with them, and [later on] in the Gospel: [the Prophet] who will enjoin upon them the doing
of what is right and forbid them the doing of what is wrong, and make lawful to them the good things of
life and forbid them the bad things, and lift from them their burdens and the shackles that were upon them
[aforetime]. Those, therefore, who shall believe in him, and honour him, and succour him, and follow the
light that has been bestowed from on high through him-it is they that shall attain to a happy state."522
And then the next verse states as follows
Quran: Say [O Muhammad]: "O mankind! Verily, I am an apostle of God to all of you, [126] [sent by Him]
unto whom the dominion over the heavens and the earth belongs! There is no deity save Him; He [alone]
516
Quoted as a Commentary - No. 967 on Quran [6:142] @www.alim.org
518
Quran [38:21]
519
Quran [38:22]
520
Quran [38:23]
521
M. Asad in his Note No. 22 Accompanying his Translation of Quran [38;21]
522
Quran [7:157]
111
517
grants life and deals death!" Believe, then, in God and His Apostle-the unlettered Prophet who believes in
God and His words-and follow him, so that you might find guidance!523
This verse [158], placed parenthetically in the midst of the story of Moses and the children of Israel, is meant to elucidate the
preceding passage [Verse 157]. Each of the earlier prophets was sent to his, and only his, community: thus, the Old Testament
addresses itself only to the children of Israel; and even Jesus, whose message had a wider bearing, speaks of himself as "sent
only unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew xv, 24). In contrast, the message of the Qur'an is universal - that is,
addressed to mankind as a whole - and is neither time-bound nor confined to any particular cultural environment. It is for this
reason that Muhammad, through whom this message was revealed, is described in the Qur'an 21:107 as an evidence of "[God's]
grace towards all the worlds" (i.e. towards all mankind), and as "the Seal of all Prophets" 33:40 - in other words, the last of
524
them .
Recommendation to have a Walima Feast even if it is with a single Sheep
Re: AbdulRahman bin Awf
He was one of the first eight persons to accept Islam. He was one of the ten persons ( al-asharatu-l mubashshirin) who
were assured of entering Paradise. He was one of the six persons chosen by Umar to form the Consultative Council (council of
shura) to choose the Khalifa after his death.
His name in Jahiliyyah (Ignorance) days was Abu Amr. But when he accepted Islam the noble Prophet called him Abdur-Rahman the servant of the Beneficent God.
Abdur-Rahman became a Muslim before the Prophet entered the house of al-Arqam. In fact it is said that he accepted Islam only
two days after Abu Bakr as-Siddiq did so.
Abdur-Rahman went to the market-place and began trading with whatever little resources he had. He bought and sold and his
profits grew rapidly. Soon he was sufficiently well off and was able to get married. He went to the noble Prophet with the scent
of perfume lingering over him.
"Mahyarn, O Abdur-Rahman!" exclaimed the Prophet - "Mahyarn" being a word of Yemeni origin which indicates pleasant
surprise.
"I have got married," replied Abdur-Rahman. "And what did you give your wife as mahr?" "The weight of a nuwat in gold"
"You must have a Walima (wedding feast) even if it is with a single sheep. And may Allah bless you in your wealth," said the
525
Prophet with obvious pleasure and encouragement.
Regulations of Zakat on Sheep
Sheep are subject to zakah (zakat) when their number reaches forty. When the herd counts forty freely grazing heads at the
end of the year, its zakah is one sheep. This is applicable until the number reaches 120, at which point, up until 200, the zakah is
two sheep. From 201 to 300, their zakah is three sheep. When the number is above 300, one additional sheep is
added for each increment of one hundred. Young sheep (jadh') are levied in the case of sheep and young goats (thany)
in the case of goats. It is permissible, say scholars without exception, to levy rams as a form of zakah if all of the nisab of sheep
are male. If the sheep are ewes, or a grouping of males and females, the Hanafiyyah holds it is optional to levy a zakah rams,
526
whereas others specify ewes.
523
Quran [7:158]
Quoted as a Commentary No.126 Accompanying Quran [7:158] @www.alim.or
525
Biographies of Companions - Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf @www.alim.org
526
Quoted as Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah No.3.41a @www.alim.org
112
524
527
528

527
528
113

SNAKE in the Quran / Hadiths

The most significant and historically well-known incident of a Snake which finds a mention in the Quran is in connection with the
Story of Prophet Moses (Moosa) Pbuh and in particular to a staff that Moses was in the habit of carrying with him most of the
time, the connection between his staff and a Snake will become apparent as the story unfolds.
The Quran narrates this aspect of the Life of Prophet Moses (Moosa) Pbuh in the following verses:
Quran: AND has the story of Moses ever come within thy ken?
530
Quran: Lo! He saw a fire [in the desert]; and so he said to his family: "Wait here! Behold, I perceive a fire
[far away]: perhaps I can bring you a brand there from, or find at the fire some guidance." 531
From the sequence (here as well as in 27:7 and 28:29) it appears that Moses had lost his way in the desert: probably a symbolic
allusion to his dawning awareness that he was in need of spiritual guidance. This part of the story relates to the period of his
wanderings subsequent to his flight from Egypt (see 28:14 ff.). Regarding the allegory of the "fire" -the "burning bush" of the
532
Bible - see note 7 on 27:7-8. As given below
Thus Zamakhshari explains the expression hawlaha (lit., "around it"). According to some of the earliest commentators, quoted
by Tabari the "fire" (nar) is in this context synonymous with "light" (nur), namely, the illumination which God bestows on His
prophets, who - one may presume - <are a priori near it" by virtue of their inborn spiritual sensitivity. Alternatively, the phrase
man fi n-nar wa-man hawlaha may be understood as referring to Gods Own light, which encompasses, and is the core of, all
533
spiritual illumination.(Quran Ref: 27:8 )
As Prophet Moses (Moosa) got to the Fire, he had perceived, ALLAH (SWT) started a conversation with Prophet Moses during
which ALLAH (SWT) asked Prophet Moses (Moosa) Pbuh about his Staff, and the story that flows on from there is narrated in the
following verses of The Quran:
Quran: "Now, what is this in thy right hand, O Moses?" 534

Quran: He answered: "It is my staff; I lean on it; and with it I beat down leaves for my sheep; and [many]
other uses have I for it."535
529

Quran [20:9]
531
Quran [20:10]
532
533
534
Quran [20:17]
114
530
Quran: Said He: "Throw it down, O Moses!"536

Quran: So he threw it - and lo! it was a snake, moving rapidly537
Cf. vii. 107, where a different word (thu'ban) is used for "snake", and the qualifying adjective is "plain (for all to see)".
The scene there is before Pharaoh and his magicians and people: the object is to show the hollowness of their magic
by a miracle: the rod appears before them as a long and creeping writhing serpent. Here there is a sign to present
Allah's power to Moses's mind and understanding: the rod becomes a Haiy (a live snake), and its active motion is
what is most to be impressed on the mind of Moses, for there were no other spectators. 538
It seems that Moses had been frightened when he saw his staff turn into a snake, and he tried to flee from the scene, but ALLAH
(SWT) drew him back addressing him with these words:
Quran: Said He: "Take hold of it, and fear not: We shall restore it to its former state. 539
The miraculous transformation of the staff into a serpent has, according M. Asad, the Translator, a mystic significance: it seems
to be an allusion to the intrinsic difference between appearance and reality, and, consequently, to the spiritual insight into this
difference bestowed by God on His chosen servants (cf. the experience of Moses with the unnamed sage described in 18:66-82).
This interpretation finds strong support in 27:10 and 28:31, in both of which places it is said that Moses saw the staff "move
540
rapidly, as if it were a serpent (ka'annaha jann)"(Quran Ref: 20:21 )
ALLAH (SWT) had planned to send Prophet Moses (Moosa) Pbuh to debate with or challenge Pharaoh, but before sending him
on this mission God wanted to Strengthen Moses with Self-Confidence by arming him with some miracles, AND ALSO, so that
Pharaoh and his Courtiers will pay some attention to Moses and Not reject or turn him away outright.
This preparation of Moses for his mission to Pharaoh is narrated in the following verses of The Quran:
Quran: "Now place thy hand within thy armpit: it will come forth [shining] white, without blemish, as
another sign [of Our grace],541
Quran: so that We might make thee aware of some of Our greatest wonders.542
Quran: "[And now] go thou unto Pharaoh: for, verily, he has transgressed all bounds of equity.543
According to M. Asad, a Translator, This seems to be a reference to Pharaoh's greatest sin, namely, his claim to divine status (cf.
544
28:38 and 79:24).
This story of Prophet Moses (Moosa) Pbuh and his staff turning into a serpent is told again in another set of verses of The
Quran with some details of the background to the story.
The Quran picks up the story following the incident, when Moses using his Muscles and Manpower had helped two young ladies
water their flock of animals at a watering hole. They wanted to pay Moses for his help and so had asked him to accompany them
to their elderly father who would pay Moses for his services. When Moses and the two young ladies reached their abode and
told their father about how Moses had helped them water their flock, their father was very impressed and Offered the hand of
one of his daughters with the added condition that Moses will serve him for at least 7 years.The Quran then picks up the story
from there on and narrates what happened thereafter in the following verses.
535
Quran [20:18]
Quran [20:19]
537
Quran [20:20]
538
Quoted as a Commentary No. 2549 Accompanying the Translation f Quran [20:20] @www.alim.org
539
Quran [20:21]
540
M. Asad in his Note No. 14Accompanying his Translation of Quran [20:21] @ www.islamicity.com
541
Quran [20:22]
542
Quran [20:23]
543
Quran [20:24]
544
M. Asad in his Note No. 16 Accompanying his translation of Quran [20:24]@www.islamicity.com
115
536
Quran: And when Moses had fulfilled his term and was wandering with his family [in the desert], he perceived a fire on the slope of Mount Sinai;*[and so] he said to his family: Wait here. Behold, I perceive a fire
[far away]; perhaps I may bring you from there some tiding, or [at least] a burning brand from the fire, so
that you might warm yourselves. 545
*For an explanation of Moses wanderings in the desert, see note 7 on Quran [20:10]; for that of the allegory of the "fire", note
7 on 27:7-8. Throughout this work, the noun at-tur ("the mountain") is being rendered as "Mount Sinai", for it is to this and to
no other mountain that the Quran invariably refers in the above term
546
Quran: But when he came close to it, a call was sounded from the right-side bank of the valley, out of the
tree [burning] on blessed ground: * O Moses! Verily, I am God, the Sustainer of all the worlds! 547
*As in Quran [19:52 and 20:80], the reference to the "right" side has a connotation of "blessedness": see in his respect note 25 on
74:39. As regards the "blessed ground", see note 9 on the expression "twice-hallowed valley" in 20:12. The "tree" referred to in the
above verse is obviously identical with the "burning bush" of the Bible (Exodus iii. 2) 548.
Quran: And [then He said]: Throw down thy staff! But as soon as [Moses] saw it move rapidly, as if it
were a snake, he drew back [in terror], and did not [dare to] return. [And God spoke to him again:] O
Moses! Draw near, and have no fear - for, behold, thou art of those who are secure* [in this world and in
the next]!549
*The verbal meaning is: 'you have nothing to fear from what appears to be a snake: it is a snake, not for you, but for Pharaoh.'
But there is a deeper meaning besides. Moses had now been called to a higher prophetic mission. He had to meet the hatred of
the Egyptians and circumvent their trickery and magic. He had now the security of Faith: in all dangers and difficulties Allah
would guide and protect him, for he was actually in Allah's service, one of the Elect 550
Quran: [And now] put thy hand into thy bosom: it will come forth [shining] white, without blemish. *And
[henceforth] hold thine arm close to thyself, free of all fear. ** These, then, shall be the two signs [of thy
bearing a message] from thy Sustainer***unto Pharaoh and his great ones - for, behold, they are people
depraved!551
Once again, The miraculous transformation of the staff into a serpent has, according M. Asad, the Translator, a mystic
significance: it seems to be an allusion to the intrinsic difference between appearance and reality, and, consequently, to the
spiritual insight into this difference bestowed by God on His chosen servants (cf. the experience of Moses with the unnamed
sage described in 18:66-82). This interpretation finds strong support in 27:10 and 28:31, in both of which places it is said that
Moses saw the staff "move rapidly, as if it were a serpent (ka'annaha jann)" See Reference No. 409
*As is evident from Quran [20:22, 27:12 and 28:32] the hand of Moses was "[shining] white, without blemish", i.e., endowed
with transcendent luminosity in token of his Prophethood-and not, as stated in the Bible (Exodus iv, 6), "leprous as snow".
552
Regarding the possible mystic significance of the miracle of the staff, see note 14 on 20:21 (Quran Ref: 7:108)
**As pointed out by Zamakhshari, the above idiomatic sentence is a metonym recalling a well-known gesture of terror - the
involuntary stretching-forth of ones hands or arms when suddenly faced with something terrifying; conversely, the "holding of
545
Quran [28:29]
M. Asad in his Note No 23 Accompanying his Translation of Quran [28:29] @www.islamicity.com
547
Quran [28:30]
548
549
Quran [28:31]
550
Mentioned as a Commentary No. 3362, Accompanying the Translation of Quran [28:31] @www.alim.org
551
Quran [28:32]
552
116
546
ones arm [lit., "wing"] close to oneself" is expressive of freedom from fear. In the present instance, the phrase echoes the
553
concluding words of verse 31 - "behold, thou art of those who are secure (in this world and in the next)".(Quran Ref: 28:32 )
***The "two signs = burhanan the term used in the Arabic Text of this verse of The Quran may be understood as Moses
ability to remain, by virtue of his certainty of Gods omnipresence, forever free of all physical or moral fear, as well as his ability
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to show that appearance and reality are not always identical.
Killing of a Snake is Permitted Even Whilst in a Pilgrims Garb.
From the last sentence of this verse it appears that by the "intentional" killing referred to here only an isolated incident (or a
first offence) can be meant, and not a wilful, persistent "transgressing of the bounds of what is right", which the preceding verse
condemns so severely. It is to be borne in mind that the term "game" (sayd) relates in this context only to edible animals: for,
according to several authentic Traditions, the killing of a dangerous or highly obnoxious animal - for instance, a snake, a
scorpion, a rabid dog, etc. - is permitted even in the state of pilgrimage 555
The Great Sign for Moses
What was the Great Sign? Some Commentators understand by it the "White Shining Hand": see n. 2550 to xx. 22-23. Others
think it was the miracle of the rod that became a "snake active in motion": see xx. 20, n. 2549. These were among the Greater
Signs: xx. 23. In xvii. 101 there is a reference to nine Clear Signs given to Moses, and these are specified in detail in n. 1091 to vii.
133. The fact is, there were many Signs given, "openly self-explained," but Pharaoh and his men "were steeped in arrogance,-a
people given to sin" (vii. 133). The pre-eminently Great Sign was therefore the fact of Moses being sent to Pharaoh, which
subsequently converted the magicians and the more learned Egyptians to the true God (xx. 70-73), though Pharaoh and his
Chiefs resisted and suffered for their sins 556
The insidious Snake of Unfaith and Wrongdoing
Into that happy Garden of Eden in Arabia Felix (Araby the Blest) came the insidious snake of Unfaith and Wrongdoing. Perhaps
the people became arrogant of their prosperity, or of their science, or of their skill in irrigation engineering, in respect of the
wonderful works of the Dam which their ancestors had constructed. Perhaps they got broken up into rich and poor, privileged
and unprivileged, high-caste and low-caste, disregarding the gifts and closing the opportunities given by Allah to all His
creatures. Perhaps they broke the laws of the very Nature which fed and sustained them. The Nemesis came. It may have come
suddenly, or it may have come slowly. The pent-up waters of the eastern side of the Yemen highlands were collected in a high
lake confined by the Dam of Maarib. A mighty flood came; the dam burst; and it has never been repaired since. This was a
spectacular crisis: it may have been preceded and followed by slow desiccation of the country. 557
The Apparent Snake
Moses staff which had miraculously turned in to a snake was a snake only in the apparent sense of the word to him, but to
Pharaoh it was very much a Snake in the real sense of the word.
It is not that Moses is not reassured from all fear on account of the apparent snake which his rod had become, or from the
sacred and unfamiliar surroundings in which he found himself. On this point his heart has been completely assured. But he is still
new to his mission, and the future is obscure to his mind. Pharaoh was after him, to take his life, and apparently with good
cause, because one of Pharaoh's men had been slain at his hands. And now he is commanded to go to Pharaoh and rebuke him
and his Chiefs. The inner doubts and difficulties of his human mind he frankly lays before his Lord, and asks for a little human
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and visible support, which is granted him at once, viz.; the help of his brother Aaron.
In this great, new, wonderful world, that was opening out to Moses, he had to get his vision adjusted to his new surroundings, as
an ordinary man has to adjust his sight before he can see in any very strong light that is new to him. The staff which had become
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M. Asad
555
Mentioned as a Commentary, No. 112, Accompanying Quran [5:95] @www.alim.org
556
557
Mentioned as a Commentary, No.3812, Accompanying Quran [34:16] @www.alim.org
558
117
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alive as a snake frightened him: yet it was to be his own instrument of work in his new mission. All fear was to be
cast out of his mind, as befitted a man chosen by Allah. 559
Killing a snake, Scorpion or a dangerous animal during Salah (Prayers)
If killing these would only require a small action on the part of the person in Salah, then there is no harm in doing it.
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet Sallallahu alehi wasallam (Acronym = Pbuh) said: "Kill the snake and the
scorpion during the Salah." This is related by Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, an-Nasaai, and Ibn Majah. The
hadith is hasan Sahih. 560
Treating Poisonous stings with a RUQYA (Incantation)
Narrated Al Aswad
1. I asked 'Aisha about treating poisonous stings (a snake-bite or a scorpion sting) with a Ruqya. She said, "The Prophet
allowed the treatment of poisonous sting with Ruqya. 561
2. Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) granted sanction to the family of Hazm for incantation (in mitigating the effect of the
poison of) the snake, and, he said to Asma' daughter of Umays: What is this that I see the children of my brother lean? Are
they not fed properly? She said: No, but they fall under the influence of an evil eye. He said: Use incantation she recited (the
words of incantation before him), whereupon he (by approving them) said: Yes, use this incantation for them.
3. Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) granted a special sanction for incantation in case of the
snake poison to a
tribe of Amr. Abu Zubair said: I heard Jabir ibn Abdullah as saying that the scorpion stung one of us as we were
sitting with Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him). A person said: Allah's Messenger, I use incantation (for curing the
effect of sting), whereupon he said: He who is competent amongst you to benefit his brother should do so. 562
A Snake(s) Causing Blindness and Abortion
Narrated Aisha
1. The Prophet ordered that a short-tailed or mutilated-tailed snake (i.e. Abtar) should be killed, for it blinds the onlooker and causes abortion. 563
2. The Prophet said, "Kill the snake with two white lines on its back, for it blinds the on-looker and causes abortion."
564
Parable of Belief and a Snake returning to its Hole

Allah's Apostle said, "Verily, belief returns and goes back to Medina as a 1 returns and goes back to its hole (when in danger)."
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Parable(s) of Animal Wealth on which Zakat has not been paid

1. Allah's Apostle said, "On the Day of Resurrection the Kanz (Treasure or wealth of which, Zakat has not been paid) of anyone
of you will appear in the shape of a huge bald headed poisonous male snake and its owner will run away from it, but it will
follow him and say, 'I am your Kanz.' " The Prophet added, "By Allah, that snake will keep on following him until he stretches out
his hand and lets the snake swallow it." Allah's Apostle added, "If the owner of camels does not pay their Zakat, then, on the Day
559

Mentioned as Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah No 2.83 @www.alim.org
561
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith No 7.637 @www.alim.org
562
560
563
565
118
564
of Resurrection those camels will come to him and will strike his face with their hooves." Some people said: Concerning a man
who has camels, and is afraid that Zakat will be due so he sells those camels for similar camels or for sheep or cows or money
one day before Zakat becomes due in order to avoid payment of their Zakat cunningly! "He has not to pay anything." The same
scholar said, "If one pays Zakat of his camels one day or one year prior to the end of the year (by the end of which Zakat
becomes due), his Zakat will be valid." 566
2. Allah's Apostle said, "Whoever is made wealthy by Allah and does not pay the Zakat of his wealth, then on the Day of
Resurrection his wealth will be made like a bald-headed poisonous male snake with two black spots over the eyes. The snake will
encircle his neck and bite his cheeks and say, 'I am your wealth, I am your treasure.' Then the Prophet recited the holy verses:
567
'Let not those who withhold . . .' (to the end of the verse (3.180).
3. Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: The owner of a camel, who does not pay what is due on it (will be punished in
this way): on the Day of Resurrection many more camels (together with his camel) will come. The owner will be made to sit on
soft sandy ground and they will trample him with their hooves. No owner of cattle who does not pay what is due on them (will
be spared the punishment). On the Day of Resurrection, many more cattle will come; he (the owner) will be made to sit on soft
do not need it." When he finds no way out he will put his hand in its mouth and it will gnaw it like a bull-camel. Abu
Zubair said: We heard Ubayd ibn Umayr saying this. We then asked Jabir ibn Abdullah about it. He also said the same
as Ubayd ibn Umayr. Abuz Zubayr said: I heard Ubayd ibn Umayr saying: A man said: Messenger of Allah, what is due
on camels? He said: Milking them near water, lending the bucket (used for drawing water for it), or lending the bullcamel for mating with a she-camel and providing it as a mount for the sake of Allah 568
Spider in the Quran and Hadiths

The Spider's house is one of the wonderful Signs of Allah's creations. It is made up of fine silk threads spun out of silk glands in
the spider's body. There are many
Kinds of spiders and many kinds of spider's houses Two main types of houses may be mentioned. There is the tubular nest or
web, a silk-lined house or burrow with one or two trap-doors. This may be called his residential or family mansion. Then there is
what is ordinarily called a spider's web, consisting of a central point with radiating threads running in all directions and acting as
tie-beams to the quasi-circular concentric threads that form the body of the web. This is his hunting box. The whole structure
exemplifies economy in time, material, and strength. If an insect is caught in the net, the vibration set up in the radiating threads
is at once communicated to the spider, who can come and kill his prey. In case the prey is powerful, the spider is furnished with
poison glands with which to kill his prey. The spider sits either in the centre of the web or hides on the under-side of a leaf or in
some crevice, but he always has a single thread connecting him with his web, to keep him in telephonic communication. The
569
female spider is much bigger than the male, and in Arabic the generic gender of 'Ankabut is feminine.
566
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith No. 2.486 @www.a.lim.org
568
569
119
567
Most of the facts in the above note can be read into the Parable. For their thickness the spider's threads are very strong from
the point of view of relativity, but in our actual world they are flimsy, especially the threads of the gossamer spider floating in
the air. So is the house and strength of the man who relies on material resources however fine or beautiful relatively; before the
eternal Reality they are as nothing. The spider's most cunning architecture cannot stand against a wave of a man's hand. His
poison glands are like the hidden poison in our beautiful worldly plans which may take various shapes but have seeds of death in
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them.
The word for "the lowest" in the original Arabic means a gnat, a byword in the Arabic language for the weakest of creatures. In
xxix 41, which was revealed before this Sura, the similitude of the Spider was used, and similarly in xxii 73, there is the similitude
of the Fly. For similitudes taken from magnificent forces of nature, expressed in exalted language, see ii. 19 above. To God all His
creation has some special meaning appropriate to itself, and some of what we consider the lowest creatures have wonderful
aptitudes, e.g., the spider of the fly. Parables like these may be an occasion of stumbling to those "who forsake the path"; in
other words those who deliberately shut their eyes to God's Signs, and their Penalty is attributed to God, the Cause of all
causes. But lest there should be misunderstanding, it is immediately added that the stumbling and offence only occur as the
result of the sinner's own choice of the wrong course. Verses 26 and 27 form one sentence and should be read together.
"Forsaking the path" is defined in ii. 27, viz., breaking solemn covenants which the sinner's own soul had ratified, causing
division among mankind, who were meant to be one brotherhood, and doing as much mischief as possible in the life on this
571
earth, for the life beyond will be on another plane, where no rope will be given to evil.
The Way of Allah (sirat-ul-Mustaqim) is a Straight Way. But men have strayed from it in all directions like the web of a spider.
And there are numerous Paths by which they can get back to the Right Way, the way in which the purity of their own nature,
and the Will and Mercy of Allah require them to Walk. All these numerous Paths become open to them if once they give their
hearts in keeping to Allah and work in right Endeavour (Jihad) with all their mind and soul and resources. Thus will they get out
.572
of the Spider's web of this frail world and attain to eternal Bliss in the fulfilment of their true Destiny
The last verse told us that men, out of spiritual ignorance, build their hopes on flimsy unsubstantial things (like the spider's web)
which are broken by a thousand chance attacks of wind and weather or the actions of animals or men. If they cannot fully grasp
their own good, they should seek His Light. To Him everything is known,-men's frailty, their false hopes, their questionable
motives, the false gods whom they enthrone in their midst, the mischief done by the neglect of Truth, and the way out for those
who have entangled themselves in the snares of evil. He is All-Wise and is able to carry out all He wills, and they should turn to
573
Him.
Quran: A parable is drawn in The Quran between those who take beings other than God for their
protectors and the spider which builds for itself a house, and then as The Quran points out that, indeed the
frailest and flimsiest of houses is the spiders house.574
A Spiders Net Covering the Mouth of the Cave
The Story of the Prophet (saw) and Khalifa Abu Bakrs migration from Mecca to Madina features a Spider that had built a web
covering the mouth of the cave in which the two were hiding as a way of concealing their presence in there.
The story is as follows:
Hijrah The Migration of The Prophet (Pbuh)
In 622 C.E. at the invitation of the people of Yathrib (historical name of Madina), it was decided by the Holy Prophet that the
Muslims should migrate from Makkah to Yathrib. In the name of religion the Muslims were to leave their homes and hearths,
and begin a new life in another city. The Muslims were to leave for Yathrib in batches.
Abu Bakr's preparations: Abu Bakr sought permission to migrate to Yathrib, but the Holy Prophet bade him wait, for it was
possible that he might have a companion. Abu Bakr took this hint to imply that he was to accompany the Holy Prophet. Had at
Abu Bakr felt happy and honoured at the prospect of being a companion of the Holy Prophet on the journey to Yathrib He
bought two camels, and made other preparations for the journey.
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Chapter (Surah 29 - Al-Ankabut) , Verse (Ayah) 41 Commentary - 3467

Chapter (Surah 2 - Al-Baqara) , Verse (Ayah 26) Commentary - 45
572
Surah 29 - Al-Ankabut , Ayah 69 Commentary - 3503
573
Chapter (Surah 29) Al-Ankabut , Verse (Ayah) 42 Commentary - 3468
571
574
Quran [29:41]
120
The call to migrate: The Quraish of Makkah made a plot to murder the Holy Prophet. Allah frustrated their design. One hot
afternoon, the Holy Prophet called at the house of Abu Bakr, and gave him the tidings that the time for their migration had
arrived. Allah had given the order: Make war on the persecutors Till persecution is no more, And religion is for Allah only. At
night in the cover of darkness, the Holy Prophet and Abu Bakr left Makkah, but they did not take the road to Yathrib. They
moved in the opposite direction, and took refuge in a cave in Mount Thaur some five miles south of Makkah.
In the cave of Mt. Thaur: When the Quraish came to know that the Holy Prophet had left Makkah they were much disturbed.
They offered a reward of a hundred she camels to anyone who found the Holy Prophet, and brought him back to Makkah.
During the day, Abdullah the son of Abu Bakr would listen to the plans and talks of the Quraish, and at night he would carry the
news to the fugitives in the cave. Asma the daughter of Abu Bakr brought them meals every day. Amir a servant of Abu Bakr
would bring a flock of goats to the mouth of the cave every night where they were milked.
Second of the two:
The Quraish sent search parties in all directions. One party came dangerously close to the entrance to the cave. Abu Bakr had a
feeling of great uneasiness at the impending danger The Holy Prophet consoled him, and said "Fear not, for Allah is with us. "
And verily Allah was with them. Miraculously a spider wove its nest at the entrance to the cave, and seeing the nest the search
party turned away after it had reached the very mouth of the cave. This event is referred to in the Holy Quran in the following
terms: "He being the second of the two When they were in the cave, And when Muhammad said to his companion, 'Grieve not,
575
surely God is with us'. Then God came to their help. And protected them with an army Which they saw not." Journey to
Yathrib: The Holy Prophet and Abu Bakr remained in the cave for three days and three nights. By this time the Quraish gave up
the search in despair, and the Holy Prophet and Abu Bakr decided to proceed to Yathrib.
The servant of Abu Bakr brought two camels for them to ride upon for the journey. Asma the daughter of Abu Bakr brought a
bag of provisions. She had forgotten to bring a string to tie the bag. She tore her girdle and tied the bag with it.
For this ingenuity, the Holy Prophet conferred on her the title 'She of the Girdle." The party consisting of the Holy Prophet, Abu
Bakr, a servant of Abu Bakr, and a guide set out by a circuitous route to Yathrib by way of Tihama on the coast of the Red Sea.
Account of Asma: Asma has related that when the Holy Prophet and her father left for Yathrib and she returned to Makkah,
a party of the Quraish headed by Abu Jahl called at their house and made inquiries regarding the whereabouts of Abu Bakr.
When Asma told them that she was unaware of the whereabouts of her father, Abu Jahl slapped her so violently on the face that
her earring flew off. She has also related that Abu Bakr took all the available money with him. Abu Qahafa the father of Abu Bakr
who had lost his eye sight said that Abu Bakr had not done well in taking with him all the money, and not leaving anything for
the family. Asma took some pebbles, and put them in a niche where Abu Bakr used to keep money. She covered the pebbles
with a piece of cloth, and leading her grandfather to the niche said, "Put your hand on the money, grandfather." Abu Qahafa did
so, and felt satisfied that Abu Bakr had left ample money for the family.
T
Tiger in the Hadith
Killing the Five Vicious Animals and Others that are Harmful whilst in the Pilgrims garb
'Aisha reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Five of the animals are vicious and they may be killed in the sacred
precincts of Haram: the crow, the kite, the scorpion, the mouse, and the ravenous dog. This is reported by Muslim and Bukhari,
who added "(and) the snake."
There is consensus among the scholars that the small crow which eats the seeds is not included in the category of the above
animals. Under the ravenous dog is included one that bites people and frightens them and all other similar vicious animals that
attack humans such as the lion, tiger, leopard and wolf. Thus Allah said: "They ask you what is lawful to them (as food). Say:
'Lawful to you, are (all) things good and pure: And what you have taught your trained hunting animals 8 (to catch) in the manner
directed to you by Allah"' (Qur'an 5.4). The Hanafi scholars hold, however, that the word "vicious dog" in this case applies only
to dogs and wolves. 576
Turtledove in the Quran / Hadiths

575
576
Quran [9:40]
Quoted in the Jurisprudence of Traditions No. 5.47a @www.alim.org
121
Penalty for killing an animal whilst in the Pilgrims Garb

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old goat should be sacrificed for killing a jerboa
V
Vermin in the Quran and Hadiths
Quran: Chapter 7 Verse 133 and its translation by various translators
The reference here is to the people of Pharaoh at the time of Moses. Whenever good fortune descended on them they took the
credit for it upon themselves, and, when they were visited by afflictions they blamed it on Moses. They had failed to realise that
both their situations, good and bad, were from God. And, so for their arrogance God sent further afflictions on them as
mentioned in the aforesaid verse of the Quran.
Pickthall
So we sent them the flood and the locusts and the
vermin and the frogs and the blood--a succession of

clear signs. But they were arrogant and became guilty
Yusuf Ali
So We sent (plagues) on them: Wholesale death, Locusts, Lice, Frogs, And Blood: Signs openly
explained: but they were steeped in arrogance,- a people given to sin.
self-
M. Asad has translated the aforementioned verse in the following way:

Thereupon we let loose upon them floods, and [plagues of] locusts, and lice, and frogs, and [water turning
into] blood -distinct signs [all]: but they gloried in their arrogance, for they were people lost in sin.
Mention of Vermin in a Hadith
Allah's Apostle said, "A lady was punished because of a cat which she had imprisoned till it died. She entered the (Hell) Fire
because of it, for she neither gave it food nor water as she had imprisoned it, nor set it free to eat from the vermin of the
earth." 578
Vultures in the Hadith

Penalty for Killing a Vulture whilst in a Pilgrims garb
579
old or young. The analogy of that is that the blood-money for the young and the old freeman are considered to be the same."
W
Quoted in the Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh No 5.60 @www.alim.org
579
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta of Imam Malik, Hadith No.20.243 @www.alim.org
122
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578
Whale in the Quran and Hadith

1. The Quranic term Zun-nun Lit "the man of the Fish or the Whale", is the title of Prophet Jonah (Yunus), because he
was swallowed by a large Fish or Whale. He was the prophet raised to warn the Assyrian capital Nineveh. For Nineveh see n.
1478 to x. 98. His story is told in xxxvii. 139-149. When his first warning was unheeded by the people, he denounced Allah's
wrath on them. But they repented and Allah forgave them for the time being. Jonah, meanwhile, departed in wrath, discouraged
at the apparent failure of his mission. He should have remained in the most discouraging circumstances, and relied on the power
of Allah; for Allah had power both over Nineveh and over the Messenger He had sent to Nineveh. He went away to the sea and
took a ship, but apparently the sailors threw him out as a man of bad omen in a storm. He was swallowed by a big Fish (or
Whale), but in the depth of the darkness, he cried to Allah and confessed his weakness. The "darkness" may be interpreted
physically and spiritually; physically, as the darkness of the night and the storm and the Fish's body; spiritually as the darkness in
his soul, his extreme distress in the situation which he had brought on himself. Allah Most Gracious forgave him. He was cast out
ashore; he was given the shelter of a plant in his state of mental and physical lassitude. He was refreshed and strengthened, and
the work of his mission prospered. Thus he overcame all his disappointment by repentance and Faith, and ALLAH(SWT) accepted
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him.
2. The rivers of Mesopotamia have some huge fishes. The word used here is Hat, which may be a fish or perhaps a crocodile. If it
were in an open northern sea, it might be a whale. The locality is not mentioned: in the Old Testament he is said to have taken
ship in the port of Joppa (now Jaffa) in the Mediterranean (Jonah, i. 3), which would be not less than 600 miles from Nineveh.
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The Tigris river mentioned by some of the Commentators, is more likely, and it contains some fishes of extraordinary size.
3. This is the one of the groups, described as those "favoured above the nations." It consists of four men who had all great
misfortunes to contend with, and were concerned in the clash of nations, but they kept in the path of God, and came through
above the clash of nations. Ismail was the eldest son of Abraham; when he was a baby, he and his mother had nearly died of
thirst in the desert round Mecca; but they were saved by the well of Zamzam, and became the founder of the new Arab nation.
Elisha (Al-Yasa) succeeded to the mantle of the Prophet Elijah (same as Elias, see last note); he lived in troublesome times for
both the Jewish kingdoms (of Judah and Israel); there were wicked kings, and other nations were pressing in on them; but he
performed many miracles, and some check was given to the enemies under his advice. The story of Jonas (Yunus) is well-known:
he was swallowed by a fish or whale, but was saved by God's mercy: through his preaching, his city (Nineveh) was saved (x. 98).
Lot was a contemporary and nephew of Abraham: when the city of Sodom was destroyed for its wickedness, he was saved as a
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just man (vii. 80-84).
Woodchuck in the Quran / Hadiths

Concerning the Compensation Required When an Animal is killed whilst in the Pilgrims Garb
old goat should be sacrificed for killing a jerboa.583
Worm, mention of it in the Quran / Hadiths

Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon)s death became apparent due to a worm
Prophet Sulaiman (Allaihissallam) had commandeered the Jinns (Genies) to work on projects, and whilst the Jinns were Toiling
away, Prophet Sulaiman (Allaihissallam)s death happened which went by unnoticed by the Jinns and all those around. His death
became known only when he collapsed from his sitting / standing position resting his weight on his staff, and a worm started to
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Quoted as a Commentary No. 2744 on Quran [21:87] @www.alim.org
Quoted as a Commentary No. 4122 on Quran [37;142] @www.alim.org

Quoted as a Commentary No. 906 on Quran [6:86] @www.alim.org
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123
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eat at the staff from bottom up and when his staff had been totally consumed by the worm it disintegrated and collapsed and
Prophet Sulaiman (Allaihissallam) collapsed with it. This incident is narrated in The Quran in the following verse.
Then when We decreed (Solomon's) death nothing showed them his death except a little
worm of the
earth which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his staff: so when he fell down the Jinns saw plainly that if they
had known the unseen they would not have tarried in the humiliating Penalty (of their Task). 584
A commentary on the above verse states as follows
The Jinns looked upon their work as a Penalty, and so it became to them. The people who worked at the Temple of Solomon as
the People of David worked and gloried in their work as a thanksgiving to Allah, and their work became sanctified. The Jinns
knew nothing of hidden secrets; they only saw the obvious, and had not even the significance of the little worm that slowly
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gnawed away Solomon's staff.
The Above verse [34:14] has been translated by M. Asad with accompanying notes as follows:
Yet [even Solomon had to die; but] when We decreed that he should die, nothing showed them that he was
dead except an earthworm that gnawed away his staff. [20] And when he fell to the ground, those invisible
beings [subservient to him] saw clearly that, had they but understood the reality which was beyond the
reach of their perception, [21] they would not have continued [to toil] in the shameful suffering [of
servitude] [22]
Note 20 [Quran 34:14]
This is yet another of the many Solomonic legends which had become an inalienable part of ancient Arabian tradition, and which
the Quran uses as a vehicle for the allegorical illustration of some of its teachings. According to the legend alluded to above,
Solomon died on his throne leaning forward on his staff, and for a length of time nobody became aware of his death: with the
result that the jinn, who had been constrained to work for him, went on labouring at the heavy tasks assigned to them.
Gradually, however, a termite ate away Solomons staff, and his body, deprived of support, fell to the ground. This story - only
hinted at in its outline - is apparently used here as an allegory of the insignificance and inherent brittleness of human life and of
the perishable nature and emptiness of all worldly might and glory.
The Quranic word Al-ghayb, refers to "that which is beyond the reach of [a created beings] perception", either in an absolute or
- as in this instance - in a relative, temporary sense
I.e., because they 9the Jinns) would have known that Solomons sway over them had ended. In the elliptic manner so
characteristic of the Quran, stress is laid here, firstly, on the limited nature of all empirical knowledge, including the result of
deductions and inferences based on no more than observable or calculable phenomena, and, secondly, on the impossibility to
determine correctly, on the basis of such limited fragments of knowledge alone, what course of action would be right in a given
situation. Although the story as such relates to "invisible beings", its moral lesson (which may be summed up in the statement
that empirical knowledge cannot provide any ethical guideline unless it is accompanied, and completed, by divine guidance) is
obviously addressed to human beings as well.
The Muslims and the Sea

With the capture of Caesarea and other towns in Syria which were also ports, the Muslims stood on the shore of the
Mediterranean. The capture of Alexandria in Egypt brought the Muslims still closer to the sea.
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Quran [34:14]
Quoted as a Commentary No. 3809 Accompanying the translation of Quran [34:14]
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With the sea stretching before them, some of the Muslim warriors and administrators came to feel that the Muslims should
become the masters of the sea as they had become the masters of the land.
After the conquest of Syria, the country was divided into three provinces. These were Northern Syria; Central Syria; and
Southern Syria, with capitals at Emessa, Damascus, and Jerusalem respectively. Muawiyah was the Governor of Central Syria. He
was an ambitious man, and he thought that the sea should be no barrier to the westward march of Islam. He also felt that even
for the protection of Syria which was a coastal country, it was necessary that the Muslims should become a naval power. In
order to protect the maritime frontiers of the Muslim dominions, Muawiyah was strongly of the view that the island of Cyprus in
the Mediterranean should be captured by the Muslims so as to serve as a base for naval operations.
After a good deal of thinking, Muawiyah wrote to Umar explaining his project, and seeking permission to lead an expedition to
conquer Cyprus. Umar was not as ambitious as Muawiyah. Umar stood more for consolidation than expansion. He had his own
prejudices against water. In all his instructions to his Generals Umar repeatedly emphasised 'let there be no expanse of water
between you and me'. Umar had no idea of conquering any lands beyond the sea.
On receipt of the letter of Muawiyah, Umar thought fit to obtain the advice of Amr bin Al-Aas, the Conqueror of Egypt whose
province was also washed by the Mediterranean. Amr bin Al-Aas expressed his views in the following terms:
O! Commander of the Faithful! I have seen a numerous people, going upon the sea, overpowered by a few. When it is calm it
tends the heart, and when it is in motion it twists the brain. It weakens confidence and strengthens doubt. There is nothing
there but sky and water. People at sea are like a worm in a log of wood. If their boat inclines they sink, and if they survive they
are dazed."
Quoted from the book Hadrat Umar, by Prof. Masud-ul-Hassan, c1982 Pub: Islamic Publications, Lahore, Pakistan
@www.alim.org
Yearling, mention of, in the Hadiths

Rules Concerning Zakat on Animals
Al-Harith al-A'war reported from Ali. Zuhayr said: I think, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Pay a fortieth. A dirham is
payable on every forty, but you are not liable for payment until you have accumulated two hundred dirhams. When you have
two hundred dirhams, five dirhams are payable, and that proportion is applicable to larger amounts. "Regarding sheep, for every
forty sheep up to one hundred and twenty, one sheep is due. But if you possess only thirty-nine, nothing is payable on them."
He further narrated the tradition about the sadaqah (zakat) on sheep like that of az-Zuhri. "Regarding cattle, a yearling bull
calf is payable for every thirty, and a cow in her third year for forty, and nothing is payable on working animals. Regarding (the
zakat on) camels, he mentioned the rates that az-Zuhri mentioned in his tradition. He said: "For twenty-five camels, five sheep
are to be paid. If they exceed by one, a she-camel in her second year is to be given. If there is no she-camel in her second year, a
male camel in its third year is to be given, up to thirty-five. If they exceed by one a she-camel in her third year is to be given, up
to forty-five. If they exceed by one, a she-camel in her fourth year which is ready to be covered by a bull-camel is to be given."
He then transmitted the rest of the tradition like that of az-Zuhri. He continued: If they exceed by one, i.e. they are ninety-one to
hundred and twenty, two she-camels in their fourth year, which are ready to be covered by a bull-camel, are to be given. If there
are more camels than that, a she-camel in her fourth year is to be given for every fifty. Those which are in one flock are not to be
separated, and those which are separate are not to be brought together. An old sheep, one with a defect in the eye, or a billy
goat is not to be accepted as a sadaqah unless the collector is willing. As regards agricultural produce, a tenth is payable on that
which is watered by rivers or rain, and a twentieth on that which is watered by draught camels." The version of Asim and alHarith says: "Sadaqah (zakat) is payable every year." Zuhayr said: I think he said "Once a year". The version of Asim has the
words: "If a she-camel in her second year is not available among the camels, nor is there a bull-camel in its third year, ten
dirhams or two goats are to be given." 586
Yellow Cow in the Quran
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Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith No.- 625 @www.alim.org
125
Said they: "Pray on our behalf unto thy Sustainer that He make clear to us what her colour should be"
[Moses] answered: "Behold, He says it is to be a yellow cow, bright of hue, pleasing to the beholder." 587
This verse relates to the incident when some people tried to get out of an obligation demanded of them by
God when asked to make a sacrifice. They tried to find various excuses by putting-up trivial questions to
Moses about the nature of the animal that was asked to be sacrificed
Yellow Camels in the Quran

The Quran talks about The Day when the Rejecters of The Truth will be asked to walk to their doom which is described as the
day which will have
(a) Three Fold Shadow---I.e., of Death, Resurrection and God's judgment, all three of which cast dark shadows, as it were, over the sinners' hearts.
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And
(b) "(Which yields) no shade of coolness and is of no use against the fierce Blazeand
(c) "Indeed it throws about sparks (huge) as Forts 589
Two translators Yusuf Ali and Pickthall have used the words Forts (Yusuf Ali) and Castles (Pickthall) in order to describe the
magnitude of the blazing Flames of the Hell Fire, but M. Asad describes the magnitude of the Flames by using the words Logs of
Fire
(d) "As if there were (a string of)
yellow camels (marching swiftly)."
But this is where there is a major difference of interpretation amongst the Translators. Two of the translators Yusuf
Ali and Pickthall have translated the Quranic Term: Jimalatun Sufur as meaning Yellow Camels whilst M. Asad
has chosen to translate this term using the words Giant Fiery Ropes of yellow colour. He explains his variance from
the other two translators in the following way.
M. Asads Explanatory Notes about a variation of Interpretation
Lit., "like yellow twisted ropes", yellow being "the colour of fire" (Baghawi). The conventional rendering of jimalat (also spelt
jimalat and jimalah) as "camels", adopted by many commentators and, until now, by all translators of the Quran, must be
rejected as grossly anomalous; see in this connection note 32 on the second part of 7:40 - "they shall not enter paradise any
more than a twisted rope can pass through a needle's eye". In the above verse, too, the plural noun jimalah (or jimalat) signifies
"twisted ropes" or "giant ropes" - a connotation that has been forcefully stressed by Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Said ibn Jubayr and
others (cf. Tabari, Baghawi, Razi, Ibn Kathir; also Bukhari, Kitab at-Tafsir). Moreover, our observation of the trajectory of
shooting stars fully justifies the rendering "giant fiery ropes", Similarly, my rendering of qasr, in this context, as "[burning] logs" instead of the conventional (and utterly meaningless) "castles", "palaces", etc. - goes back to all of the above-mentioned
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authorities.
Another Very Interesting Explanatory Note about the Yellow Sparks referred to in verse 77:33
The website www.alim.org has given another Very Interesting Commentary on the use of the term Yellow Sparks as in Quran
[77:33], and it is as follows
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Quran [2:69]
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Quran [77:32]
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M. Asad in his Note No.12 Accompanying his translation of Quran [77:33] @www.islamicity.com
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588
The yellow sparks flying swiftly one after another suggest a string of camels marching swiftly, such as the
Arabs of Nejd and central Arabia are so proud of. There is a double allegory. It refers not only to the colour
and the rapid succession of sparks, but to the vanity of worldly pride, as much as to say: "your fine yellow
camels in which you took such pride in the world are but sparks that fly away and even sting you in the
Hereafter!" Smoke with sparks may also assume fantastic shapes like long-necked camels. 591
Zebra in the Quran / Hadiths

A muhrim (Wearer of the Pilgrims garb) is forbidden to partake of any land game prepared for his sake, at his suggestion or with
his help. Abu Qatadah reported that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) went for Hajj and they also went with him. The
Prophet (peace be upon him) dispatched a group, including Abu Qatadah, and told them: "Follow the seashore until we meet
again." All of them except Abu Qatadah were in the state of ihram. On the way, they saw a herd of zebras. Abu Qatadah
attacked them and killed a female zebra. They all ate of its meat but said: "Is it permissible for us to partake of this land game
in the state of ihram?" Then they carried the rest of the meat to the Prophet (peace be upon him), and told him the whole story.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to them: "Did any one of you ask Abu Qatadah to attack the herd, or point it out to him?"
They said: "No." He said, "Then, you may eat what is left of the quarry." This is reported by Bukhari and Muslim.
And Consider also the occasion when.
"Someone presented meat of a zebra to the Prophet (peace be upon him), while he was in the area known as Al-Abwa or
Bawaddan. The Prophet (peace be upon him) declined it, but when he saw marks of disquiet on the presenter's face, the
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Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him: "We declined (your) present only because we are in the state of ihram."
And also the rule that..
for twenty days. If an ostrich or zebra or similar animal is killed, one must fast thirty days. This is reported by Ibn Abi Hatem and
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Ibn Jarir. They also added to this the words: "The food given to the needy must be sufficient to satisfy their hunger."
Another mention of the rule regarding compensation required if an animal is killed whilst in the Pilgrims Grab
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old goat should be sacrificed for killing a jerboa
APPENDIX-1
Story of attack on Kaaba by an Army of 60,000 with Elephants which was defeated by Flock of Birds
Carrying pebbles of baked clay in their beaks
According to Arab historians, the Abyssinian army that invaded Yemen had two commanders, Aryat and Abrahah. Aryat was
killed in an encounter, and Abrahah took control of the country; then somehow he persuaded the Abyssinian king to appoint
him his viceroy over Yemen. This man was the slave of a Greek merchant of the Abyssinian seaport of Adolis, who, by clever
diplomacy, had come to wield great influence in the Abyssinian army occupying Yemen. The troops sent by the Negus (king of
Abyssinia) to punish him either warned him or were defeated by him. Subsequently, after the death of the king, his successor
was reconciled to accept him as his vicegerent of Yemen. Through passage of time, he became an independent ruler of Yaman.
He acknowledged the sovereignty of the Negus only in name and described himself as his deputy.
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Mentioned as a Commentary No 5879 Accompanying the Translation of Quran [77:33] @www.alim.org

Quoted in the Collection of Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah No. 5.53b @ www.alim.org
593
Quoted in the Collection of Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fish-us-Sunnah No 5.60a @www.alim.org
594
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After stabilizing his rule in Yemen, Abrahah turned his attention to the objective which from the very beginning of this campaign
had been before the Byzantine empire and its allies, the Abyssinian Christians. This was to spread Christianity in Arabia and to
capture the trade that was carried out through the Arabs between the eastern lands and the Byzantine dominions. The need for
this increased because the Byzantine struggle for power against the Sasanian empire of Iran had blocked all the routes of the
Byzantine trade with the East.
To achieve this objective, Abrahah built in Sana, the capital of Yemen, a magnificent cathedral called by the Arabian historians
Al-Qalis. After completing the building, he wrote to king Negus, saying: "I shall not rest until I have diverted the Arabs pilgrimage
to it. So, in 570 or 571 A. D., he took 60,000 troops and 13 elephants (according to another tradition, 9 elephants) and set off for
Makkah. According to Muhammad bin Ishaq, when he was within three miles of Makkah at a place called 'al- Mughammas,'
Abrahah sent his vanguard forward and they brought him the plunder of the people of Tihama and Quraysh, which included two
hundred camels of Abdul Muttalib, the grandfather of the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh). Then, he sent an envoy of his to Makkah
with the message that he had not come to fight the people of Makkah, but only to destroy the House (i. e. the Ka'bah). If they
offered no resistance, there would be no cause for bloodshed. Abrahah also instructed his envoy that if the people of Makkah
wanted to negotiate, he should bring their leader to him. The leader of Makkah at that time was Abdul Muttalib. The envoy
went to him and delivered Abrahah's message. Abdul Muttalib replied: "We have no power to fight Abrahah. This is Allah's
House. If He wills, He will save His House." The envoy asked him to go with him to Abrahah. He agreed and accompanied him to
the king. Abdul Muttalib was such a dignified and handsome man, that when Abrahah saw him he was much impressed; he got
off his throne and sat beside him on the carpet. Then he asked him what he wanted. Abdul Muttalib replied that he wanted the
king to return his camels which he had taken. Abrahah said: "I was much impressed when I saw you, but your reply has brought
you down in my eyes; you only demand your camels, but you say nothing about this House which is your sanctuary and the
sanctuary of your forefathers." He replied: "I am the owner of my camels and am requesting you to return them. As for the
House, it has its own Owner; He will defend it." When Abrahah said that He would not be able to defend it against him, Abdul
Muttalib said that it rested between Him (Allah) and him (Abrahah). With this, Abdul Muttalib left Abrahah who returned his
camels to him.
One thing which becomes evident from this tradition is that the tribes living in and around Makkah did not have the power to
fight such a big force and save the Ka'bah. Therefore, obviously, the Quraysh did not try to put up any resistance. The Qureysh
on the occasion of the Battle of the Trench (Ahzab) had hardly been able to muster ten to twelve thousand men in spite of the
alliance with the pagan and Jewish tribes; they could not have resisted an army of 60,000 strong. Muhammad bin Ishaq says that
after returning from the camp of Abrahah, Abdul Muttalib ordered the Quraysh to withdraw from the city and go to the
mountains along with their families for fear of a general massacre. Then, he went to the Ka'bah along with some chiefs of the
Quraysh and taking hold of the iron ring of the door, prayed to Allah Almighty. Ibn Hisham, in his book 'Life of the Prophet,' has
cited some verses from Abdul Muttalib:
"O God, a man protects his house, so protect Your House; Let not their cross and their craft tomorrow overcome Your craft. If
You will to leave them and our Qiblah to themselves, You may do as You please. My Lord, I do not cherish any hope from anyone
against them except You. O my Lord, protect Your House from them. The enemy of this House is Your enemy. Stop them from
destroying Your settlement."
After making these supplications Abdul Muttalib and his companions also went off to the mountains. The next morning Abrahah
prepared to enter Makkah, but his special elephant, Mahmud, which was in the forefront, knelt down. It was beaten with iron
bars, goaded, but it would not get up. When they made it face south, north, or east, it would immediately start off, but as soon
as they directed it towards Makkah, it knelt down. In the meantime swarms of birds appeared carrying stones in their beaks and
claws and showered these on the troops. Whoever was hit would start disintegrating. Ibn 'Abbas says that whoever was struck
by a pebble would start scratching his body resulting in breaking of the skin and falling off of the flesh. In another tradition Ibn
'Abbas says that the flesh and blood flowed like water and bones in the body became visible. The same thing happened with
Abrahah too. Nufail bin Habib, whom they had brought as guide from the country of Khatham, was searched out and asked to
guide them back to Yemen, but he refused and said: "Now where can one flee when God pursues? The split nose (Abrahah) is
the conquered; not the conqueror."
According to Sayyidah Umme Hani and Sayyiduna Zubair bin al-Awwam, the Prophet (Pbuh) said: "The Quraysh did not worship
anyone but Allah, the One and only, for ten years. The Arabs describe the year in which this event took place as Am al-Feel (the
year of the elephants), and in the same year the Prophet of Allah (pbuh) was born.
The above Narrative is credited to: www.alim.org
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APPENDIX-2
Is Islamic Slaughtering Cruel to Animals?
Islams stance on what is permissible to eat and what is not is clear. There are strict rules when it comes to meat regarding what
is allowed and what is forbidden. In Surat Al-Maida (The Table) Allah says: "Forbidden to you [for food] are: Al-Maytatah (the
dead animals -cattle-beasts not slaughtered), blood, the flesh of swine, and the meat of that which has been slaughtered as a
sacrifice for others than Allah, or has been slaughtered for idols, etc., or on which Allahs Name has not been mentioned while
slaughtering, and that which has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns and that which has been [partly] eaten by a wild animal - unless you are able to slaughter it [before its death] and that which is
sacrificed (slaughtered) on AnNusub[ (stone altars). [Forbidden] also is to use arrows seeking luck or decision, [all] that is Fisqun
(disobedience of Allah and sin). This day, those who disbelieved have given up all hope of your religion, so fear them not, but
fear Me. This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your
religion. But as for him who is forced by severe hunger, with no inclination to sin such can eat these above-mentioned meats],
then surely, Allah is OftForgiving, Most Merciful."
The Islamic practice of slaughtering animals by means of a sharp cut to the front of the neck has frequently come under attack
by some animal rights activists as being a form of animal cruelty, the claim being that it is a painful inhumane method of killing
animals. In the West, it is required by law to stun the animals with a shot to the head before the slaughter, supposedly to render
the animal unconscious and to prevent it from reviving before it is killed so as not to slow down the movement of the processing
line. It is also used to prevent the animal from feeling pain before it dies.
German Research Studies Pain

It therefore may come as a surprise to those who have made such claims to learn of the results of a study carried out by
Professor Wilhelm Schulze and his colleague Dr Hazim at the School of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover University in Germany.
The study: Attempts to Objectify Pain and Consciousness in Conventional (captive bolt pistol stunning) and Ritual (halal, knife)
Methods of Slaughtering Sheep and Calves concludes that Islamic slaughtering is the most humane method of slaughter and
that captive bolt stunning, practiced in the West, causes severe pain to the animal.
In the study, several electrodes were surgically implanted at various points of the skull of all animals, touching the surface of the
brain. The animals were allowed to recover for several weeks. Some animals were then slaughtered by making a swift, deep
incision with a sharp knife on the neck cutting the jugular veins and the carotid arteries as well as the trachea and esophagus
(Islamic method). Other animals were stunned using a Captive Bolt Pistol (CBP). During the experiment, an
electroencephalograph (EEG) and an electrocardiogram (ECG) recorded the condition of the brain and the heart of all animals
during the course of slaughter and stunning.
The results were as follows:
I Islamic Method
1. The first three seconds from the time of Islamic slaughter as recorded on the EEG did not show any change from the graph
before slaughter, thus indicating that the animal did not feel any pain during or immediately after the incision .
2. For the following 3 seconds, the EEG recorded a condition of deep sleep - unconsciousness. This is due to the large quantity
of blood gushing out from the body.

3. After the above-mentioned 6 seconds, the EEG recorded zero level, showing no feeling of pain at all.
4. As the brain message (EEG) dropped to zero level, the heart was still pounding and the body convulsing vigorously (a reflex
action of the spinal cord) driving a maximum amount of blood from the body thus resulting in hygienic meat for the consumer.
II - Western method by C.B.P. Stunning
1. The animals were apparently unconscious soon after stunning.
2. EEG showed severe pain immediately after stunning.

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3. The hearts of animals stunned by C.B.P. stopped beating earlier as compared to those of the animals slaughtered according
to the Islamic method resulting in the retention of more blood in the meat. This in turn is unhygienic for the consumer.
Western-Style Slaughtering and Mad Cows Disease
Not only is this method of stunning animals before the slaughter severely painful as shown by the previous experiment, but
there is also a rising concern that this method may be a factor in the spread of mad cows disease from cattle to humans as it
was discovered in recent research carried out at Texas A&M University and by Canadas Food Inspection Agency, that a method
called pneumatic stunning (which is the firing of a metal bolt into the cow's brain followed by a pulverizing burst of 150 pounds
of air pressure) delivered a force so explosive that it scattered brain tissue throughout the animal. This news is disturbing since
the brain tissue and spinal cord are the most infectious parts of an animal with mad cow disease, which causes fatal Swiss
cheese like holes in the brain of the infected animal. It is more disturbing to find out that around 30 to 40 percent of American
cattle are stunned by pneumatic guns.
Islamic Regulations for the Slaughter of Animals
In order for an animal slaughter to be lawful, several measures must be taken by the one performing the deed. This is to ensure
the highest benefit to both the animal and the consumer.
In this regard, the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) said: "God calls for mercy in everything, so be merciful when you
kill and when you slaughter: sharpen your blade to relieve its pain". The object used to slaughter the animal should be sharp and
used swiftly. The swift cutting of vessels of the neck disconnects the flow of blood to the nerves in the brain responsible for pain.
Thus the animal does not feel pain. The movements and withering that happen to the animal after the cut is made are not due
to pain, but due to the contraction and relaxation of the muscles deficient in blood. The prophet (peace be upon him) also
taught Muslims neither to sharpen the blade of the knife in front of the animal nor to slaughter an animal in front of others of its
own kind.
The cut should involve the windpipe (trachea), gullet (esophagus), and the two jugular veins without cutting the spinal cord. This
method results in the rapid gush of blood draining most of it from the animals body. If the spinal cord is cut, the nerve fibers to
the heart might be damaged leading to cardiac arrest thus resulting in stagnation of blood in the blood vessels. The blood must
be drained completely before the head is removed. This purifies the meat by removing most of the blood that acts as a medium
for microorganisms; meat also remains fresh longer as compared to other methods of slaughtering.
Therefore accusations of animal cruelty should very rightly be focused on those who do not use the Islamic way of slaughtering
but prefer to use those methods which cause pain and agony to the animal and could also very well cause harm to those
consuming the meat.
Sources:
Al-islam.org slaughtering and hunting of animalsIslamic laws.1997
Corcoran, Leila Cattle stun gun may heighten mad cow riskReuters news service.25/7/1997
ECU Slaughter of ruminants-use of pneumatic stunning with air injectThe European Commission 17/02/1998
McAlister, Judith bib@tiho-hannover.deSchool of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover University.12/07/02
Naik, Zakir Islamic way of slaughtering looks cruelIslamicvoice.com.09/1999
Aisha El-Awady M.D is an editor at the Health and Science section of IslamOnline.net. She is currently working
as Lecturer of Parasitology at the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University. She may be contacted
at sciencetech@islamonline.net
APPENDIX-3
Islamic and Jewish Dietary Laws Compared:
The Islamic dietary laws (Halal) and the Jewish dietary laws (Kashrut) are both quite detailed, and contain both points of
similarity and discord. While both are dietary laws from Abrahamic Religions, they have different roots: an explanation of the
Islamic code of law found in the Qur'an and a Jewish code of laws found in Leviticus
130
Substance classification
Similarities
(a) Swine is prohibited in kashrut and Haraam (forbidden) in Islam.[1] [2]
(b) Many animals permitted in kashrut are also Halal, such as bovines. [2][3]
(c) Kashrut forbids and Halal generally forbids the consumption of amphibian animals, such as frogs.
(d) According to kashrut, almost all insects are not kosher. The few kosher insects are specific types of locusts and
grasshoppers which are not eaten today in most communities since it is unknown which species is permitted (the exception
being the Yemenite Jews, who claim to have preserved this knowledge). [5] It is also a consensus among Muslim scholars that
all insects are forbidden except for locusts. [6] [7]
(e) Kashrut states that kosher aquatic animals must have scales and fins. Some Muslims (mostly the Shi'ites) also believe that
only fish with scales and fins are Halal. [8] But many others believe in the interpretation that suggests that all creatures from
the ocean or the sea are considered Halal.[1] However, according to Jewish oral law all fish that have scales have fins, thus
making all fish with scales kosher and thus the law being essentially the same as dhabia halal. [9] [10] [11]
(f) Gelatin is only permissible if it comes from a permissible animal (usually kosher gelatin comes from the bones of kosher fish,
or it is vegan).
(g) Cheese is permissible so long as the rennet used to make the cheese is permissible.
Differences
(a) Kashrut allows the consumption of any sort of alcohol, as long as it has no non-kosher ingredients (including any
unsupervised grape extracts).[12][13]
(b) The list of animals forbidden by kashrut is more restrictive, as kashrut requires that, to be kosher, mammals must chew cud
as well as have cloven hooves. Dhabia halal only requires that an animal survive on grass and leaves. Thus, various animals,
such as the camel, are permissible as per Dhabia halal, but not according to kashrut.[1] [14]
(c) Kashrut prohibits shellfish, such as lobster, shrimp, clams, and oysters [15]. Sunni interpretations of halal permit the
consumption of all seafood. Shia interpretations (following Ja'fari jurisprudence), however, follow the same prohibitions on
shellfish as Kashrut.[16]
Slaughter
Dhabia is the method used to slaughter an animal as per Islamic tradition. Shechita is the ritual slaughter of mammals and
birds according to Jewish law. Shechita requires that an animal is conscious and this is taken to mean the modern practice of
electrical stunning before slaughter is forbidden. All Muslim authorities also forbid the use of electrical stunning .
Similarities
(a) Both shechita and dhabia involve cutting across the neck of the animal with a non-serrated blade in one clean attempt in
order to sever the main vessels.[1] [17]
(b) Both require that the spinal cord be avoided during slaughter.[18][19]
(c) Both require draining the blood of the animal.[20][21]
(d) Any adult, sane Jew who knows the proper technique may perform shechita [Maimonides' Code, Laws of Shechita 2:12].
Similarly, Dhabia can be performed by any "adult sane Muslim by following the rules prescribed by Shariah".[22]. Some
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Islamic authorities, though, state that dhabia can also be performed by Jews [23]
Differences
(a) Dhabia requires that God's name be pronounced before each slaughter [24]. Some Muslims have accorded meat to be
halal but not necessarily dhabiha i.e. kosher meat is considered halal by some Muslims and so is meat slaughtered by
Christians.
This is according to the Hadith: "[I]t is narrated by Al Bukhari from Aisha the Prophet Muhammad's wife, that some people
came to him and said, Oh God's Prophet, some people bring us meat and we do not know if they pronounced the name of God
on it or not, and he said pronounce you the name of God and eat."
Dhabia meat by definition is meat that is slaughtered in the shariah manner and the name of God is pronounced before the
slaughter.
Shechita A blessing to God is recited before beginning an uninterrupted period of slaughtering; as long as the Shochet does not
have a lengthy pause, interrupt, or otherwise lose concentration, this blessing covers all the animals slaughtered that period.
This blessing follows the standard form for a blessing before most Jewish rituals ("Blessd are you God ... who commanded us
regarding [such-and-such]," in this case, Shechita). The general rule in Judaism is that for rituals which have an associated
blessing, if one omitted the blessing, the ritual is still valid [see Maimonides Laws of Blessings 11:5]; as such, even if the
Shochet failed to recite the blessing before Shechita, the slaughter is still valid and the meat is kosher. [Maimonides Laws of
Slaughter 1:2 and commentaries ad loc]
Which parts of the carcass are permissible to eat
Dhabia There are no restrictions on what organs or parts of the carcass may be eaten from a Halal-slaughtered and -dressed
animal; as long as it was slaughtered and prepared according to the rules of dhabiha halal, the entire animal is fit for
consumption by Muslims.
Kashrut However, Kashrut prohibits eating the chelev (certain types of fat) and gid hashoneh (the sciatic nerve), and thus the
hindquarters of a kosher animal must undergo a process called nikkur (or, in Yiddish, porging) in order to be fit for
consumption by Jews. As nikkur is an expensive, time-consuming process, it is rarely practiced outside of Israel, and the
hindquarters of kosher-slaughtered animals in the rest of the world are generally sold on the non-kosher market.[2]
Miscellaneous comparisons
Similarities
(a) After slaughter, both require that the animal be examined to ensure that it is fit for consumption. Dhabia guidelines
generally say that the carcass should be inspected [25], while kashrut says that the animal's internal organs must be examined
"to make certain the animal was not diseased"[26].
(b) Both sets of religious rules are subject to arguments among different authorities with regional and etc.-related differences
in permissible foodstuffs.
(c) Strictly observant followers of either religion will not eat in restaurants not certified to follow its rules.
(d) Meat slaughtered and sold as Kosher must still be salted to draw out excess blood and impurities. A similar practice is
followed in some Muslim households, but using vinegar. This is done to remove all surface blood from the meat, in accordance
to Islam's prohibition against consuming blood or blood products.
Differences
(a) During Passover, there is an additional set of restrictions, requiring that no chametz (sour-dough starter or fermented
products from the five species of grains) be eaten. However this requirement is specific to the holiday, and nothing to do with
the laws of Kashrut. This has no parallel in the laws of dhabia halal, although it might be seen as a form of fasting.[27]
(b) Kashrut prohibits mixing meat and dairy products, as well as consuming or even profiting from them. Dhabia halal has no
132
such rules.[3]
(c) In Judaism, the permissibility of food accompanies a vast corpus of secondary factors. For instance, vessels and implements
used to cook food must also be kept separate for dairy products and meat products. If a vessel or implement used to cook
dairy is then used to cook meat, in addition to the thus contaminated food becoming non-kosher (according to various
situation-specific rules), the vessel or implement itself can no longer be used for the preparation or consumption of a kosher
meal. Depending on the material properties of the item (e.g. if it is made of metal or of clay, if it is one piece or has joints,
etc...) it may be rendered permissible ("kashered") by certain procedures or it may be irretrievably contaminated. In general,
the same policy extends to any apparatus used in the preparation of foods, such as ovens or a stovetop. Laws are somewhat
more lenient for modern cooking apparatuses like microwaves or dishwashers, although this depends greatly on tradition
(minhag) or individuals' own stringent practices (chumrot). As a result of these factors, many Conservative and Orthodox Jews
cannot eat dishes prepared at any restaurant that is not specifically kosher, even if the actual dish ordered uses only kosher
ingredients. This level of stringency does not have an analog in Dhabiha Halal.[4]
(d) Although the rules of both Kashrut and halal require ritual slaughter only for land animals, the phrasing in the respective
texts makes otherwise-kosher fish acceptable to be eaten alive, while the rules of Halal ban the eating of any part of any
animal currently alive outright. Thus certain live-fish dishes such as ikizukuri and Ying Yang fish may be theoretically acceptable
to Jews but not to Muslims.
Notes & References like so [4] appearing above are exactly as they appear in the article at Wikipedia and are listed below
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
^ World Holistic food page

^ Kosher industry profile
^ a b Halal page at central-mosque.com
^ a b Food Management article
^ Insects and kosher laws
^ Haram at eat-halal.com
^ a b c Hunting at al-islam.org
^ Newsletter, September 2002.
^ Article at kosherspirit.com
^ Class notes at torah.org
^ Article at britam.org
^ http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_101_150/contemporary_world.htm
^ Kashrut at templesanjose.org
^ a b c d e f Islamic Guidelines Slaughtering Animals
^ Shechita butchering at kosherquest.org
^ Kosher laws regarding blood at jewfaq.org
^ Maimonides' Code, Laws of Shechita 2:12
^ http://www.albalagh.net/halal/kosher_meat.shtml
^ Maimonides Laws of Slaughter 1:2 and commentaries ad loc
^ What is Halal?
^ a b Kashrut at rabbinicalassembly.org
^ Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah Laws of Meat with Milk

^ Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah Laws of Koshering Utensils Laws of Judaism and Islam concerning food
www.wikepedia.com
APPENDIX-4
Jurisprudical Points Regarding Some Creatures and their By-Products
Dead Animals of the Sea and Dead Locusts
Ibn 'Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah said, "Two types of dead animals and two types of blood have been made
lawful for us. The types of dead animals are seafood and locusts. The two types of blood are the (blood of the) liver and the
spleen."
This is related by Ahmad, ash-Shaf'i, al-Baihaqi and adDaraqutni. The hadith is weak, but Imam Ahmad says that it is authentic
in mauqoof form. Abu Zar'ah and Abu Hatim have said the same. Such a report has the implication of a marfu' hadith because a
companion saying, "This was allowed for us" or "This was forbidden for us" is like one of them saying, "We were ordered to do
133
this," or "We were forbidden to do this," and so on. (Such statements are considered marfu' with respect to their regulations).
And we have already mentioned the Prophet's statement concerning the ocean, "Its water is pure and its 'dead animals' are
allowable (to eat.)."
Dead Animals that do not have running blood in them ....
(That is) bees, ants, and so on. They are considered pure. If they fall into some substance and die, the substance will not
become impure. Ibn al-Mundhir said, "I do not know of any disagreement concerning the purity of such water save what has
been related from ash-Shaf'i. It is well-known that he views them as being impure. Nevertheless, it does not bother him if the
Bones, horns, claws, fur, feathers, and skin and so on of dead animals ....
All of these are considered pure. Concerning the bones of dead animals, az-Zuhri said, "I have met some scholars of the
preceding generations who used such objects for combs and pots for oil, and they did not see anything wrong in that." This is
related by al-Bukhari. Said Ibn 'Abbas, "The client of Maimuna was given a sheep as charity, and it died. The Messenger of
Allah, upon whom be peace, passed by it and said, 'Why do you not remove its skin, treat it and put it to use?' She said, 'It is
dead' (i.e., it has not been slaughtered properly). He said to her, 'Only eating it is forbidden."' This is related by the group. Ibn
Majah attributes the incident to Maimuna and her client. Al-Bukhari and an-Nasaai do not mention treating the skin. It is
reported from Ibn 'Abbas that he recited: "Say (O Muhammad): "In all that has been revealed to me, I do not find anything
forbidden to eat; if one wants to eat thereof, unless it be carrion, or blood poured forth, or swine flesh..." (Al-Anam 145). Then
he said, "What is forbidden is its meat. As for its skin, skin used for water skins, teeth, bones, fur and wool, they are
permissible." This is narrated by Ibn Mundhir and Ibn Haatim. Similarly, its rennet and milk are considered pure. This is
supported by the fact that when the companions conquered Iraq, they ate the cheese of the Magians which was made from
rennet, although their slaughtered animals were considered the same as 'dead animals.' It is confirmed from Salman al-Farsi
that when he was asked about cheese, clarified butter and pelts, he said, "What is permissible is what Allah made permissible
in His book. What is forbidden is what Allah made forbidden in His book. What he omits, He has pardoned for you." It is wellknown that he was being asked about the cheese of the Magians, as Salman was 'Umar's deputy in Mada'in, Iraq.
www.alim.org
APPENDIX-5
Jurisprudical Points regarding the Compensation to be offered for killing an animal whilst
in a Pilgrims garb.
Sa'id bin Mansur reported that commenting on the words of Allah "the compensation is an offering, brought to the Ka'bah, of a
domestic animal" Ibn 'Abbas said: "If a muhrim kills an animal, an assessment should be made and then he should make
compensation. If he has an animal of an equivalent value for the game, he must slaughter it and give its meat in charity, but if
he does not have an animal of an equivalent value, he should assess the value of the game and then give away food for that
amount. In case one does not have money for it, then, one must fast one day for each half sa' of food. If a muhrim killed a
game, he must slaughter a similar animal according to the judgment of two just men. If one killed a deer or similar animal, one
must slaughter a sheep in Makkah. If one cannot buy a sheep, then, one must feed six poor people, and if one cannot afford
595
that, then one must fast three days.
GENERAL rules concerning Hunting and Eating of Game Meat whilst in a Pilgrims Garb
A muhrim (wearer of a Pilgrims garb) may fish, eat sea game, or mention any kind of sea food. It is forbidden, however, for a
muhrim to hunt on land, by killing or by slaughtering. It is also forbidden for a muhrim to point it out if it is visible, or indicate
its place if it is invisible, or scare it off. It is also forbidden for him to spoil eggs of animals living on land. Buying, selling them, or
milking these animals is also forbidden in the state of ihram. The Qur'an says: "Lawful to you is the pursuit of water game and
its use for food - for the benefit of yourselves and those who travel; but forbidden is the pursuit of land game - as long as you
are in the Sacred Precincts or in pilgrim garb.'' (Qur'an 5.96)
A muhrim is forbidden to partake of any land game prepared for his sake, at his suggestion or with his help. Abu Qatadah
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Quoted in the Collection of Jurisprudence of Traditions known as Fiqh-us-Sunnah No. 5.60a @www.alim.org
134
reported that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) went for Hajj and they also went with him. The Prophet (peace be upon
him) dispatched a group, including Abu Qatadah, and told them: "Follow the seashore until we meet again." All of them except
Abu Qatadah were in the state of ihram. On the way, they saw a herd of zebras. Abu Qatadah attacked them and killed a
female zebra. They all ate of its meat but said: "Is it permissible for us to partake of this land game in the state of ihram?" Then
they carried the rest of the meat to the Prophet (peace be upon him), and told him the whole story. The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said to them: "Did any one of you ask Abu Qatadah to attack the herd, or point it out to him?" They said: "No." He
said, "Then, you may eat what is left of the quarry." This is reported by Bukhari and Muslim.
A muhrim may eat the meat of a game which is neither killed by him, nor for him, nor pointed out by him to someone else, and
in the hunting of which he did not help others.
Al-Muttalib reported from Jabir that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: "The (eating of) land game is lawful for you in
the state of ihram provided you yourselves do not kill it but it is killed for you (by someone else)." This is reported by Ahmad
and Tirmidhi, who said: "Jabir's hadith is explanatory, but we do not know the narrator who reported it from Jabir to AlMuttalib."
Some of the scholars follow this principle and consider that eating meat of land game is lawful for a muhrim if he does not hunt
it, nor is it hunted for his sake. Ahmad, lshaq, Malik and the majority of scholars hold a similar view. Ash-Shafi'i said: "This is the
best and the most correct hadith reported on this issue."
The eating of a land game hunted by a muhrim or for a muhrim is unlawful for him, whether it is done with or without his
permission. But, if someone else who is not in the state of ihram, hunted it for himself, and offered or sold some of it to a
muhrim, he is permitted to partake of it.
Abdur-Rahman bin 'Uthman At-Taimi reported: "We went for Hajj with Talhah bin Obaidullah. While we were in the state of
ihram, some meat of birds was given to Talhah. He was asleep. Some of us ate of this meat, while others refrained. When
Talhah woke up (and was told about this) he approved of those who had eaten it and said: "We used to eat such meat while
we were with Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him). (Reported by Muslim and Ahmad) Other ahadith forbid a muhrim eating
the meat of a land game, such as the one reported from As-Sa'ab bin Jathamah al-Laithee which says: "Someone presented
meat of a zebra to the Prophet (peace be upon him), while he was in the area known as Al-Abwa or Bawaddan. The Prophet
(peace be upon him) declined it, but when he saw marks of disquiet on the presenter's face, the Prophet (peace be upon him)
said to him: "We declined (your) present only because we are in the state of ihram."
Considering the assumption behind declining the meat--that it was hunted for the sake of those who were in the state of
ihram--these ahadith can be reconciled. The people who were not in the state of ihram meant to hunt for those who were in
the state of ihram. Ibn Abdul Barr said: "The argument of those holding this view is that it is supported by sound ahadith on
this subject. When taken in this sense we find no contradiction or disagreement in these ahadith. All Sunan should be
interpreted in this manner. They do not contradict or disagree with each other when applied in their proper contexts. Ibn Al
Qayyim prefers this opinion, and says: "All the traditions of the Companions approve of this course."
Appendix-6
Jurisprudical Points Regarding Counting of Livestock, Lambs and Other Baby Animals in
Assessing Zakat
Zakat on Cattle
1. Yahya relate from Malik from Thawr ibn Zayd ad-Dili from a son of Abdullah ibn Sufyan ath-Thaqafi from his grandfather
Sufyan ibn Abdullah that Umar ibn al-Khattab once sent him to collect zakat. He used to include sakhlas (when assessing
zakat), and they said, "Do you include sakhlas even though you do not take them (as payment)?" He returned to Umar ibn alKhattab and mentioned that to him and Umar said, "Yes, you include a sakhlas which the shepherd is carrying, but you do not
take it. Neither do you take an akula, or a rubba, or a makhid, or male sheep and goats in their second and third years, and this
is a just compromise between the young of sheep and goats and the best of them."
Definition of some Terms
135
Malik said,
Sakhla is a newborn lamb or kid.
Rubba is a mother that is looking after her offspring
Makhid is a pregnant ewe or goat
Akula is a sheep or goat that is being fattened for meat
Malik said, about a man who had sheep and goats on which he did not have to pay any zakat, but which increased by birth to
a zakatable amount on the day before the zakat collector came to them, "If the number of sheep and goats along with their
(newborn) offspring reaches a zakatable amount then the man has to pay zakat on them. That is because the offspring of the
sheep are part of the flock itself. It is not the same situation as when someone acquires sheep by buying them, or is given
them, or inherits them. Rather, it is like when merchandise whose value does not come to a zakatable amount is sold, and with
the profit that accrues it then comes to a zakatable amount. The owner must then pay zakat on both his profit and his original
capital, taken together. If his profit had been a chance acquisition or an inheritance he would not have had to pay zakat on it
until one year had elapsed over it from the day he had acquired it or inherited it."
Malik said, "The young of sheep and goats are part of the flock, in the same way that profit from wealth is part of that
wealth. There is, however, one difference, in that when a man has a zakatable amount of gold and silver, and then acquires an
additional amount of wealth, he leaves aside the wealth he has acquired and does not pay zakat on it when he pays the zakat
on his original wealth but waits until a year has elapsed over what he has acquired from the day he acquired it. Whereas a man
who has a zakatable amount of sheep and goats, or cattle, or camels, and then acquires another camel, cow, sheep or goat,
pays zakat on it at the same time that he pays the zakat on the others of its kind, if he already has a zakatable amount of
livestock of that particular kind."
Malik said, This is the best of what I have heard about this.596
Zakat on Cattle
2.Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib
General Point
Al-Harith al-A'war reported from Ali. Zuhayr said: I think, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Pay a fortieth. A dirham is
payable on every forty, but you are not liable for payment until you have accumulated two hundred dirhams. When you have
two hundred dirhams, five dirhams are payable, and that proportion is applicable to larger amounts.
working animals. Regarding (the zakat on) camels, he mentioned the rates that az-Zuhri mentioned in his tradition. He said:
"For twenty-five camels, five sheep are to be paid. If they exceed by one, a she-camel in her second year is to be given. If there
is no she-camel in her second year, a male camel in its third year is to be given, up to thirty-five. If they exceed by one a shecamel in her third year is to be given, up to forty-five. If they exceed by one, a she-camel in her fourth year which is ready to be
covered by a bull-camel is to be given." He then transmitted the rest of the tradition like that of az-Zuhri. He continued: If they
exceed by one, i.e. they are ninety-one to hundred and twenty, two she-camels in their fourth year, which are ready to be
covered by a bull-camel, are to be given. If there are more camels than that, a she-camel in her fourth year is to be given for
every fifty. Those which are in one flock are not to be separated, and those which are separate are not to be brought together.
An old sheep, one with a defect in the eye, or a billy goat is not to be accepted as a sadaqah unless the collector is willing. As
regards agricultural produce, a tenth is payable on that which is watered by rivers or rain, and a twentieth on that which is
596
Quoted in the Collection of Hadiths known as Al-Muwatta, Hadith No. 17.26 @ www.alim.org
136
watered by draught camels." The version of Asim and al-Harith says: "Sadaqah (zakat) is payable every year." Zuhayr said: I
think he said "Once a year". The version of Asim has the words: "If a she-camel in her second year is not available among the
597
camels, nor is there a bull-camel in its third year, ten dirhams or two goats are to be given."
3. More on ZAKKAT on Cattle

Cattle are subject to zakah provided they are a freely grazing herd and number
thirty at the completion of the hawl At that point, the zakah due is a young bull or a
young cow (tabi' or tabi'ah). When they reach forty, the zakah is a young cow two
years old (musinnah); when sixty, two young cows or two one-year-olds (tabi'ahs);
when seventy, the zakah due is one musinnah and one tabi'; when eighty, two
musinnahs; when ninety, three tabi's; when one hundred, one musinnah and two
tabi's; when 110, two musinnahs and two tabi's; and when 120, three musinnahs or
four tabi's. This system is followed on all additional cattle--one tabi', and on every
forty, one musinnah.

Sheep are subject to zakah when their number reaches forty. When the herd counts
forty freely grazing heads at the end of the year, its zakah is one sheep. This is
applicable until the number reaches 120, at which point, up until 200, the zakah is
two sheep. From 201 to 300, their zakah is three sheep. When the number is above
300, one additional sheep is added for each increment of one hundred. Young sheep
(jadh') are levied in the case of sheep and young goats (thany) in the case of goats.
It is permissible, say scholars without exception, to levy rams as a form of zakah if
all of the nisab of sheep are male. If the sheep are ewes, or a grouping of males
and females, the Hanafiyyah holds it is optional to levy a zakah rams, whereas
others specify ewes.

Definition of Awqas: Awqas is a plural form of waqs. A waqs is any amount or
number that lies between the regulation of the lower ordinance and that of a higher
one. Scholars agree that such a waqs is exempt from zakah. It has been confirmed
in the pronouncements of the Prophet, upon whom be peace, concerning the
sadaqah of camels that he said: "When the number of camels reaches twenty-five, a
young she-camel one year old and already starting the second (ibn makhad); when
they reach thirty-six to forty-five, then the zakah due on them is a young she-camel
two years old and already starting the third (bint labun)." Concerning the sadaqah of
cattle, he said: "When cattle number between thirty and forty, the zakah is a young
calf of one year old (tabi') or a bull or cow of one year and already starting the
second (jadh' or jadh'ah); when they reach forty, a young cow of two years old and
already starting the third (rnusinnah)." Concerning sadaqah on sheep, he said:
"When the number of freely grazing sheep is between forty-two and 120, their
zakah is one ewe." Thus, what lies between twenty-five and thirty-six camels is
considered waqs--that is, there is no zakah on them. Likewise, what lies between
thirty and forty cattle is considered waqs. This is also applies to sheep 598
Appendix-7
Jurisprudical Points About Few Actions & Many Actions that Can Affect the Prayers
'Aisha said: "The Messenger of Allah was offering Salah in the house and the door was locked. I came and knocked on the door
and he walked over to open it for me and then he returned to his place of prayer. The door was in the direction of the Qiblah."
This is related by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, an-Nasaai, and at Tirmidhi. The latter calls it hasan. It may be observed that in this
hadith, he did not turn away from the Qiblah either in opening the door, or in returning to his place. This is supported by what
597
598
137
has been related that the Prophet would pray and if anyone knocked on the door, he would open the door provided the door
was in the direction of the Qiblah or on his right or on his left, but he would not turn his back to the Qiblah. This is related by
ad-Daaraqutni.
Al-Azraq ibn Qais relates: "Abu Barzah Al-Aslami was at al-Ahwas, at the bank of a river, and he prayed while holding the reins
of his horse. The horse started going back, and he (i.e. Abu Barzah) followed the horse. A man from the Khawarij said: 'O Allah,
be rough on this man, see how he is doing his prayer.' When Abu Barzah finished his prayer, he said: 'I heard your statement.
Certainly, I participated in six or seven or eight battles with the Prophet, and I am certainly aware of his leniency. Certainly, I
would rather restrain my animal than let him run off loose as that would have caused me a great deal of trouble.' It was 'Asr
prayer that Abu Barzah offered, and he prayed two rak'at" This is related by Ahmad, al-Bukhari, and al-Baihaqi.
Concerning taking a lot of steps, Ibn Hajr says in Fath al-Bari: "The jurists are agreed that taking many steps invalidates an
obligatory prayer. They interpret the hadith of Abu Barzah as referring to taking just a few steps." 599
Appendix-8 Story of Prophet Nuh (Noah)

The Compact (All-in-one place) story of Prophet NUH (Noah) Upon whom be Peace
The Reason for Including Noahs Life Story in this Article
There is a very strong link between Noahs Life-Story and Animals for he was asked by God to
Quran: Place on board of this [ark] one pair of each [kind of animal] of either sex
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The Quranic term for the English words pair of each i.e. zawj as used in the Arabic Text of the above verse, signifies,
primarily, each of the two parts of a pair, and is also used in the sense of "a pair". In the present context it obviously has the
former meaning; consequently, the expression min kullin zawjayn ithnayn is best rendered as above. -As regards the animals
which Noah was commanded to take with him in the ark, it is reasonable to assume that this referred to the domesticated
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animals already in his possession, and not to all animals, as the Biblical narrative would have it. (Quran Ref: 11:40 ) at
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Variations in NOAHS Date of Birth

Noahs descent based chain-linked name is Noah s/o Lamik s/o Mitoshilkh, s/o Enoch, s/o Yard, s/o Mahlabeel, s/o Qinan, s/o
Anoush, s/o Seth, s/o Adam the Father of Mankind
Born 126 Years after Adam According to Genesis
According to the history of the People of the Book ("People of the Book" refers to the Jews and Christians, so-called by Allah
because they received Revealed Books, the Taurat, Zabur, and Injeel. These names are translated "Torah", "Psalms", and
"Gospels", respectively, but the books that are extant are not authentic. Of the Revealed Books, only the Qur'an remains
exactly as it was revealed) the period between the birth of Noah and the death of Adam was one hundred forty-six years
(According to Genesis 5, New Revised Standard version, Noah was born one hundred twenty six years after the death of
Adam). NOTE: This quotation from Genesis needs to be verified.
Born 10 Centuries after Adam The Islamic Version
Ibn Abbas narrated that Prophet Muhammad said: "The period between Adam and Noah was ten centuries." (According to
Genesis 5, New Revised Standard version, Noah was born 1056 years after Adam's creation, or after he left the Garden of Eden.
Thus, this hadith does not contradict the previous statement from the People of the Book, as it may first appear to do. The
reader should keep in mind, however, that any statements or narratives taken from the People of the Book are not necessarily
authentic as the original versions of those scriptures do not exist any longer and what we see of them these days is authored
by human beings.
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Noahs People A Description

For many generations Noah's people had been worshipping statues that they called gods. They believed that these gods would
bring them good, protect them from evil, and provide all their needs. They gave their idols names such as Waddan, Suwaan,
Yaghutha, Yaauga, and Nasran, according to the power they thought these gods possessed.
Allah the Almighty revealed: And they Idolaters have said: "You shall not leave your gods, nor shall you leave Wadd, nor Suwa,
nor Yaghuth, nor Yauq nor Nasr (names of the idols). " Chapter 71: 23
Originally these were the names of good people who had lived among them. After their deaths, statues of them were erected
to keep their memories alive. After some time, however, people began to worship these statues. Later generations did not
even know why they had been erected; they only knew their parents had prayed to them. That is how idol worshipping
developed. Since they had no understanding of Allah the Almighty Who would punish them for their evil deeds, they became
cruel and immoral.
Into this environment Allah sent Noah with His message to his people. Noah was the only intellectual not caught in the
whirlpool of man's destruction which was caused by polytheism.
History of the Origins of Idolatry As described by Prophet Mohammad(Pbuh) in his Hadiths
Ibn Abbas explained: "Following upon the death of those righteous men (see 3 paragraphs above), Satan inspired their people
to erect statues in the places where they used to sit. They did this, but these statues were not worshipped until the coming
generations deviated from the right way of life. Then they worshipped them as their idols."
These idols represented, respectively, manly power; mutability, beauty; brute strength; swiftness; sharp sight, insight. (Source:
A. Yusuf Ali, The Holy Quran: Translation and Commentary. Appendix XIII)
In his version of the narrated hadith, Ibn Jarir narrated: "There were righteous people who lived in the period between Adam
and Noah and who had followers who held them as models. After their death, their friends who used to emulate them said: 'If
we make statues of them, it will be more pleasing to us in our worship and will remind us of them.' So they built statues of
them, and, after they had died and others came after them, Iblis crept into their minds saying: 'Your forefathers used to
worship them, and through that worship they got rain.' So they worshipped them."
Another Story about How Idol Worshipping Started
Ibn Abi Haatim related this story: "Waddan was a righteous man who was loved by his people. When he died, they withdrew to
his grave in the land of Babylonia and were overwhelmed by sadness. When Iblis saw their sorrow caused by his death, he
disguised himself in the form of a man saying: 'I have seen your sorrow because of this man's death; can I make a statue like
him which could be put in your meeting place to make you remember him?' They said: 'Yes.' So he made the statue like him.
They put it in their meeting place in order to be reminded of him. When Iblis saw their interest in remembering him, he said:
'Can I build a statue of him in the home of each one of you so that he would be in everyone's house and you could remember
him?' They agreed. Their children learned about and saw what they were doing. They also learned about their remembrance of
him, until they took him to be a deity and worshipped him instead of Allah. So the first to be worshipped instead of Allah was
Waddan, the idol which they named thus."
It was narrated that 'Umm Salamah and 'Umm Habibah told Allah's Prophet Muhammad about the church called "Maria"
which they had seen in the land of Abyssinia. They described its beauty and the pictures therein. He said: "Those are the
people who build places of worship on the grave of every dead man who was righteous and then make therein those pictures.
Those are the worst of creation unto Allah."
The essence of this point is that every idol from those mentioned earlier was worshipped by a certain group of people. It was
mentioned that people made pictures and as the ages passed they made these pictures into statues, so that their forms could
be fully recognized; afterwards they were worshipped instead of Allah.
Noahs Reasoning with his people
Allah (SWT) in His mercy sent His messenger Noah to guide his people. Noah was an excellent speaker and a very patient man.
He pointed out to his people the mysteries of life and the wonders of the universe. He pointed out how the night is regularly
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followed by the day and that the balance between these opposites was designed by Allah the Almighty for our good. The night
gives coolness and rest while the day gives warmth and awakens activity. The sun encourages growth, keeping all plants and
animals alive, while the moon and stars assist in the reckoning of time, direction and seasons. He pointed out that the
ownership of the heavens and the earth belongs only to the Divine Creator.
Therefore, he explained to his people, there cannot have been more than one deity. He clarified to them how the devil had
deceived them for so long and that the time had come for this deceit to stop. Noah spoke to them of Allah's glorification of
man, how He had created him and provided him with sustenance and the blessings of a mind. He told them that idol
worshipping was a suffocating injustice to the mind. He warned them not to worship anyone but Allah and described the
terrible punishment Allah would mete out if they continued in their evil ways.
Split between Noahs people
The people listened to him in silence. His words were a shock to their stagnating minds, as it is a shock to a person who is
asleep under a wall which is about to fall and who is vigorously awakened. This person may be alarmed and may even become
angry although the aim was to save him.
Noah's people were divided into two groups after his warning. His words touched the hearts of the weak, the poor, and the
miserable and soothed their wounds with its mercy. As for the rich, the strong, the mighty and the rulers, they looked upon the
warning with cold distrust. They believed they would be better off if things stayed as they were. Therefore, they started their
war of words against Noah.
What the disbelievers threw at Noah
First they accused Noah of being only human like themselves The chiefs of the disbelievers among his people said: "We see you
but a man like ourselves."1 He, however, had never said anything other than that. He asserted that, indeed, he was only a
human being: Allah had sent a human messenger because the earth was inhabited by humans. If it had been inhabited by
angels Allah would have sent an angelic messenger.
The contest between the polytheists and Noah continued. The rulers had thought at first that Noah's call would soon fade on
its own. When they found that his call attracted the poor, the helpless, and common laborers, they started to verbally attack
and taunt him: 'You are only followed by the poor, the meek, and the worthless."
Allah(SWT) the Almighty told us:
And indeed We sent Noah to his people (and he said): "I have come to you as a plain warner, that you worship none but Allah,
surely, I fear for you the torment of a painful Day." The chiefs of the disbelievers among his people said: "We see you but a man
like ourselves, nor do we see any follow you but the meanest among us and they (too) followed you without thinking.And we do
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not see in you any merit above us, in fact, we think you are liars."
Disbelievers Offer a Deal to Noah

Thus the conflict between Noah and the heads of his people intensified. The disbelievers tried to bargain: "Listen, Noah, if you
want us to believe in you, then dismiss your believers. They are meek and poor, while we are elite and rich; no faith can include
us both." Noah listened to the heathens of his community and realized they were being obstinate. However, he was gentle in
his response. He explained to his people that he could not dismiss the believers, as they were not his guests but Allah's.
Noah appealed to them:

"And O my people! I ask of you no wealth for it, my reward is from none but Allah. I am not going to drive away those who have
believed. Surely, they are going to meet their Lord, but I see that you are a people that are ignorant. And 0 my people! Who will
help me against Allah, if I drove them away? Will you not then give a thought? And I do not say to you that with me are the
Treasures of Allah nor that I know the Ghaib (unseen); nor do I say I am an angel, and I do not say of those whom your eyes look
down upon that Allah will not bestow any good on them. Allah knows what is in their inner-selves (as regards Belief etc.). In
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that case, I should, indeed be one of the Zalimeen (wrong-doers, oppressors, etc.). "
Noah refuted the arguments of the disbelievers with the noble knowledge of the prophets. It is the logic of intellect that rids
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itself of personal pride and interests.
Battle goes on
The rulers were tired of Noah's arguments. Allah (SWT) the Exalted related their attitude:
They said:
"0 Noah! You have disputed with us and much have you prolonged the dispute with us, now bring upon us what you threaten us
with, if you are of the truthful." He said: "Only Allah will bring it (the punishment) on you, if He will, and then you will escape
not. And my advice will not profit you, even if I wish to give you counsel, if Allah's Will is to keep you astray. He is your Lord! And
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to Him you shall return."
The battle continued; the arguments between the disbelievers and Noah became prolonged. When all the refutations of the
disbelievers collapsed and they had no more to say, they began to be rude and insulted Allah's prophet:
The leaders of his people said:
Quran: "Verily, we see you in plain error.606

Noah responded in the manner of the prophets:
Quran: "O! My people! There is no error in me, but I am a Messenger from the Lord of the Alamin
(mankind, jinn and all that exists)! I convey unto you the Messages of my Lord and give sincere advice to
you. And I know from Allah what you know not. 607
Noah continued appealing to his people to believe in Allah hour after hour, day after day, year after year. He admonished his
people and called them to Allah day and night, in secret and openly. He gave them examples, explained Allah's signs and
illustrated Allah's ability in the formation of His creatures. But whenever he called them to Allah, they ran away from him.
Whenever he urged them to ask Allah to forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears and became too proud to listen to the
truth.
ALLAH (SWT) Consoles Noah
Quran: AND THIS was revealed unto Noah: "Never will any of thy people believe except those who have
already attained to faith. Be not, then, distressed by anything that they may do ,608
Noah Appeals to his people.
He said:
Quran: "O! My people! Verily, I am a plain warner to you, that you should worship Allah (Alone), be dutiful
to Him, and obey me. He (Allah) will forgive you of your sins and respite you to an appointed term. Verily,
the term of Allah when it comes, cannot be delayed, if you but knew." 609
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Quran [11:29-31]
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Quran [11:32]
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Quran [7:60]
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Quran [7:61-62]
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Quran [11:36]
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Quran [11:25]
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He said:
Quran: "O! My Lord! Verily, I have called my people night and day (i.e. secretly and openly to accept the
doctrine of Islamic Monotheism), but all my calling added nothing but to (their) flight (from the truth). And
verily! Every time I called unto them that You might forgive them, they thrust their fingers into their ears,
covered themselves up with their garments, and persisted (in their refusal), and magnified themselves in
pride. Then verily, I called to them openly (aloud); then verily, I proclaimed to them in public, and I have
appealed to them in private, I said (to them): 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord; Verily, He is Oft-Forgiving;
He will send rain to you in abundance; and give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you
gardens and bestow on you rivers. 610
Quran: What is the matter with you that you fear not Allah (His Punishment), and you hope not for
reward (from Allah or you believe not in His Oneness). While He has created you in (different) stages (first
Nutfah, then Alaqa, and then Mudgha611
Quran: See you not how Allah has created the seven heavens one above another, and has made the
moon a light therein, and made the sun a lamp? And Allah has brought you forth from the (dust of) earth.
Afterwards He will return you into it (the earth), and bring you forth (again on the Day of Resurrection)
And Allah has made for you the earth wide spread (an expanse) that you may go about therein in broad
roads."
Noah said:
Quran: "My Lord! They have disobeyed me, and followed one whose wealth and children give him no
increase but only loss. And they have plotted a mighty plot. And they have said: 'You shall not leave your
gods, nor shall you leave Wadd, nor Suwa, nor Yaghuth, nor Yauq nor Nasr (names of the idols). And
indeed they have led many astray. And (0 Allah)! Grant no increase to the Zalimeen (polytheists, wrongdoers, and disbelievers, etc.) save error." 612
Drowning:
Quran: Because of their sins they were drowned, then were made to enter the Fire, and they found none
to help them instead of Allah.613
Time Span of Noahs Preaching 950 Years
Noah continued to call his people to believe in Allah for nine hundred fifty years. Allah the Almighty said:
Quran: And indeed We sent Noah to his people, and he stayed among them a thousand years less fifty years (inviting
them to believe in the Oneness of Allah (Monotheism), and discard the false gods and other deities).614
It happened that every passing generation admonished the succeeding one not to believe Noah and to wage war against him.
The father used to teach his child about the matter that was between himself and Noah and counsel him to reject his call when
he reached adulthood. Their natural disposition rejected believing and following the truth.
Noah saw that the number of believers was not increasing, while that of the disbelievers was. He was sad for his people, but he
never reached the point of despair.
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Quran [71:5-9]
Quran [23:13-14]
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Quran [71:21]
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Quran [71:1-25]
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Quran [29:14]
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Noahs Call to GOD against the disbelievers

There came a day when Allah revealed to Noah that no others would believe. Allah inspired him not to grieve for them, at
which point Noah prayed that the disbelievers be destroyed.
He said: My Lord! Leave not one of the disbelievers on the earth. If you leave them, they will mislead Your slaves, and they will
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beget none but wicked disbelievers.
Allah accepted Noah's prayer. The case was closed, and He passed His judgment on the disbelievers in the form of a flood.
Allah the Exalted ordered His worshiper Noah to build an ark with His knowledge and instructions, and with the help of angels.
Almighty Allah (SWT) commanded:
"And construct the ship under Our Eyes and with Our Inspiration, and address Me not on behalf of those who did wrong; they
are surely to be drowned."616
Noah builds the Ark
Noah chose a place outside the city, far from the sea. He collected wood and tools and began to work day and night to build
the ark.
The people's mockery continued:
Quran: "O! Noah! Does carpentry appeal to you more than prophethood? Why are you building an ark so far from the sea? Are
you going to drag it to the water or is the wind going to carry it for you?" Noah replied: 'You will come to know who will be put
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to shame and suffer."
Allah (SWT) the Almighty has narrated:
Quran: And as he was constructing the ship, whenever the chiefs of his people passed by him, they made a mockery
of him. He said: "If you mock at us, so do we mock at you likewise for your mocking. And you will know who it is on
whom will come a torment that will cover him with disgrace and on whom will fall a lasting torment.618
The Flood begins
The ship was constructed, and Noah sat waiting Allah's command. Allah revealed to him that when water miraculously gushed
forth from the oven at Noah's house, that would be the sign of the start of the flood, the sign for Noah to act.
The terrible day arrived when the oven at Noah's house overflowed. Noah hurried to open the ark and summon the believers.
He also took with him a pair, male and female, of every type of animal, bird and insect. Seeing him taking these creatures to
the ark, the people laughed loudly:
"Noah must have gone out of his head! What is he going to do with the animals?"
Almighty Allah (SWT) has narrated:
Quran: (So it was) till then there came Our Command and the oven gushed forth (water like fountains from the earth). We
said: "Embark therein, of each kind two (male and female), and your family, except him against whom the Word has already
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gone forth, and those who believe." And none believed him, except a few.
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Quran [71:27]
Quran [11:37]
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Quran [ 11:38]
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Quran [11:25-49]
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Quran [11:40]
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Number of People with Noah on his Ark

Noah's wife was not a believer with him, so she did not join him; neither did one of Noah's sons, who was secretly a disbeliever
but had pretended faith in front of Noah. Likewise most of the people were disbelievers and did not go on board.
The scholars (Ulama) hold different opinions on the number of those who were with Noah on the ship. Ibn Abbas stated that
there were eighty believers, while Ka'ab Al-Ahbar held that there were seventy-two. Others claimed that there were ten
believers with Noah.
Description of the Flood
Water rose from the cracks in the earth; there was not a crack from which water did not rise. Rain poured from the sky in
quantities never seen before on the earth. Water continued pouring from the sky and rising from the cracks; hour after hour
the level rose. The seas and waves invaded the land. The interior of the earth moved in a strange way, and the ocean floors
lifted suddenly, flooding the dry land. The earth, for the first time, was submerged.
Noah Appeals to his Son
Allah (SWT) has told the story thus:
Quran: And he (Noah) said: "Embark therein, in the Name of Allah will be its moving course and its
resting anchorage. Surely, my Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." So it (the ship) sailed with them
amidst the waves like mountains, and Noah called out to his son, who had separated himself (apart), "0
my son! Embark with us and be not with the disbelievers." The son replied: "I will betake myself to a
mountain, it will save me from the water." Noah said: "This day there is no saviour from the Decree of
Allah except him on whom He has mercy." And a wave came in between them, so he (the son) was among
the drowned.
And Noah called upon his Lord and said:
Quran: "O my Lord! Verily, my son is of my family! And certainly, Your Promise is true, and You are the
Most Just of the judges." He said: "0 Noah! Surely, he is not of your family; verily, his work is unrighteous,
so ask not of Me that of which you have no knowledge! I admonish you, lest you be one of the ignorant."
Noah said:
Quran: "O! My Lord! I seek refuge with You from asking You that of which I have no knowledge. And unless You forgive me
and have Mercy on me, I would indeed be one of the losers."
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The Flood Ends

And it was said:
Quran: "O! Earth! Swallow up your water, and 0 sky! Withhold (your rain)." And the water was diminished
(made to subside) and the Decree (of Allah) was fulfilled (i.e. the destruction of the people of Noah). And it
(the ship) rested on Mount Judi, and it was said: "Away with the people who are Zalimeen (polytheists and
wrong-doing)!"
It was said:
Quran: "O! Noah! Come down (from the ship) with peace from Us and blessings on you and on the people
who are with you (and on some of their offspring), but (there will be other) people to whom We shall grant
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their pleasures (for a time), but in the end a painful torment will reach them from Us.621
With the issue of the divine command, calm returned to earth, the water retreated, and the dry land shone once again in the
rays of the sun. The flood had cleansed the earth of the disbelievers and polytheists.
The Believers Disembark
Noah released the birds and the beasts, which scattered over the earth. After that the believers disembarked. Noah put his
forehead to the ground in prostration. The survivors kindled a fire and sat around it. Lighting a fire had been prohibited on
board so as not to ignite the ship's wood and burn it up. None of them had eaten hot food during the entire period of the
flood. Following the disembarkation there was a day of fasting in thanks to Allah (SWT)
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Appendix-9 HUD
The Compact (All-in-one place) story of Prophet HUD (Eber) Upon whom be Peace
Description of the People of Ad622
The people of Ad lived many years in the windswept hills of an area between Yemen and Oman. They were physically well-built
and renowned for their craftsmanship especially in the construction of tall buildings with lofty towers. They were outstanding
among all the nations in power and wealth, which, unfortunately, made them arrogant and boastful. Their political power was
held in the hand of unjust rulers, against whom no one dared to raise a voice.
They were not ignorant of the existence of ALLAH (SWT), nor did they refuse to worship Him. What they did refuse was to
worship ALLAH (SWT) alone. They worshiped other gods, also, including idols. This is one sin Allah does not forgive.
Description of the People of Thamud
(Ìbrim) who - like most of the Semitic tribes - had probably originated in South Arabia. (References to `2b& are found in
Genesis x, 24-25 and xi, 14 ff.) The ancient Arabian name HUD is still reflected in that of Jacob's son Judah (Yahudah in
Hebrew), which provided the subsequent designation of the Jews. The name ` Eber - both in Hebrew and in its Arabic form
Àbir -signifies "one who crosses over" (i.e., from one territory to another), and may be a Biblical echo of the fact that this tribe
"crossed over" from Arabia to Mesopotamia in pre-Abrahamic times.-The tribe of Àd, to which Hud belonged ("their brother
Hud"), inhabited the vast desert region known as AI-Ahqaf, between Ùman and Hadramawt, and was noted for its great power
and influence (see 89:8 - "the like of whom has never been reared in all the land"). It disappeared from history many centuries
before the advent of Islam, but its memory always remained alive in Arabian tradition623.
Hadith about the People of Thamud

Ibn Umar narrated that while the Prophet Muhammad was passing by Thamud's houses on his way to the battle of Tabuk he
stopped together with the people there. The people fetched water from the wells from which the people of Thamud used to
drink. They prepared their dough (for baking) and filled their water-skins from it (the water from the wells). The Prophet of
Allah ordered them to empty the water-skins and give the prepared dough to the camels. Then he went away with them until
they stopped at the well from which the she-camel (of Salih) used to drink. He warned them against entering upon the people
that had been punished, saying: "I fear that you may be affected by what afflicted them; so do not enter upon them."
Description of People of HUD

ALLAH (SWT) wanted to guide and discipline these people, so He sent a Prophet from among them. This prophet was HUD, a
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Quran [11:48]
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noble man who handled his task with great resoluteness and tolerance.
Ibn Jarir reported that he was Hud Ibn Shalikh, Ibn Arfakhshand, Ibn Sam, Ibn Noah . He also reported that Prophet HUD was
from a tribe called Ad Ibn Uus Ibn Sam Ibn Noah, who were Arabs living in Al-Ahqaf in Yemen between Oman and Hadramaut,
on a land called Ashar stretching out into the sea. The name of their valley was Mughiith.
Some traditions claimed that Hud was the first person who spoke Arabic, while others claimed that Noah was the first. It was
also said that Adam was the first.
HUDs Appeal to His People
HUD condemned idol worship and admonished his people: "My people, what is the benefit of these stones that you carve with
your own hands and worship? In reality it is an insult to the intellect. There is only One Deity worthy of worship and that is
Allah. Worship of Him, and Him alone, is compulsory on you.
"He created you, He provides for you and He is the One who will cause you to die. He gave you wonderful physiques and
blessed you in many ways. So believe in Him and do not be blind to His favours, or the same fate that destroyed Noah's people
will overtake you."
HUD tried to make them understand that he would receive his payment (reward) from Allah; he did not demand anything from
them except that they let the light of truth touch their minds and hearts
With such reasoning HUD hoped to instill faith in them, but they refused to accept his message. His people asked him: "Do you
desire to be our master with your call? What payment do you want?"
HUDs Appeal to His People As mentioned in The Qur'an
ALLAH (SWT) the Almighty states: And to 'Ad (people, We sent) their brother Hud.
He said,
Quran: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Ilah (god) but Him, Certainly, you do nothing but
invent (lies)! O! My people I ask of you no reward for it (the Message). My reward is only from Him Who
created me. Will you not then understand? And O! My people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord and then
repent to Him, He will send you (from the sky) abundant rain, and add strength to your strength, so do not
turn away as Mujrimeen (criminals, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah)."
They said:
Quran: "O! HUD! No evidence have you brought us, and we shall not leave our gods for your (mere)
saying! And we are not believers in you. All that we say is that some of our gods (false deities) have seized
you with evil (madness)."
He said:
Quran: "I call Allah to witness and bear you witness that I am free from that which you ascribe as partners
in worship with Him (Allah). So plot against me, all of you, and give me no respite. I put my trust in Allah,
my Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving (living) creature but He has grasp of its forelock. Verily, my
Lord is on the Straight Path (the truth). So if you turn away, still I have conveyed the Message with which I
was sent to you. My Lord will make another people succeed you, and you will not harm Him in the least.
Surely, my Lord is Guardian over all things."624
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HUD (PUBH) Explains the Day of Judgment

HUD tried to speak to them and to explain about Allah's blessings: how Allah the Almighty had made them Noah's successors,
how He had given them strength and power, and how He sent them rain to revive the soil.
HUDs people looked about them and found they were the strongest on earth, so they became prouder and more obstinate.
Thus they argued a lot with HUD. They asked: "O! HUD! Do you say that after we die and turn into dust, we will be
resurrected?" He replied: 'Yes, you will come back on the Day of Judgment and each one of you will be asked about what you
did."
A peal of laughter was heard after the last statement. "How strange HUDs claims are!" The disbelievers muttered among
themselves. They believed that when man dies his body decays and turns into dust which is swept away by the wind. How
could that return to its original state? Then what is the significance of the Day of Judgment? Why do the dead return to life?
All these questions were patiently received by Hud. He then addressed his people concerning the Day of Judgment. He
explained that belief in the Day of Judgment is essential to Allah's justice, teaching them the same thing that every prophet
taught about it.
HUD explained that justice demands that there be a Day of Judgment, because good are not always victorious in life.
Sometimes evil overpowers good. Will such crimes go unpunished? If we suppose there is no Day of Judgment, then a great
injustice will have prevailed, but Allah has forbidden injustice to be incurred by Himself or His subjects. Therefore, the
existence of the Day of Judgment, a day of accounting for our deeds and being rewarded or punished for them, reveals the
extent of Allah's justice. Hud spoke to them about all of these things. They listened but disbelieved him.
ALLAH (SWT) recounts his people's attitude towards the Day of Judgment: And the chiefs of his people, whom disbelieved and
denied the meeting in the Hereafter, and to who We had given the luxuries and comforts of this life, said: "He is no more than
a human being like you, he eats of that which you eat, and drinks of what you drink. If you were to obey a human being like
yourselves, then verily! You indeed would be losers. Does he promise you that when you have died and have become dust and
bones you shall come out alive (resurrected)? Far, very far, is that which you are promised. There is nothing but our life of this
world! We die and we live! And we are not going to be resurrected! He is only a man who has invented a lie against Allah, but
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we are not going to believe in him."
The Disbelievers Question HUD
The chiefs of HUDs people asked: "Is it not strange that Allah chooses one of us to reveal His message to?"
HUD replied: "What is strange in that? Allah wants to guide you to the right way of life, so He sent me to warn you. Noah's
flood and his story are not far away from you, so do not forget what happened. All the disbelievers were destroyed, no matter
how strong they were."
"Who is going to destroy us, HUD?" the chiefs asked. "ALLAH (SWT)," replied HUD.
The disbelievers among his people answered: "We will be saved by our gods."
HUD clarified to them that the gods they worshipped would be the reason for their destruction, that it is ALLAH (SWT) alone
Who saves people, and that no other power on earth can benefit or harm anyone.
The conflict between HUD and his people continued. The years passed, and they became prouder, more obstinate, more
tyrannical and more defiant of their Prophet's message.
HUD Warns His People
Furthermore, they started to accuse HUD of being a crazy lunatic. One day they told him:
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Quran [23:33-38]
147
Quran: "We now understand the secret of your madness: you insulted our gods and they harmed you; that
is why you have become insane."626
Almighty ALLAH (SWT) repeated their words in the Qur'an:
Quran: "O! HUD! No evidence have you brought us, and we shall not leave our gods for your (mere)
saying! And we are not believers in you. All that we say is that some of our gods false deities) have seized
you with evil (madness)627.
HUD had to return their challenge. He had no other way but to turn to ALLAH (SWT) alone, no other alternative but to give
them a threatening ultimatum.
He declared to them:
Quran: "I call Allah to witness and bear you witness that I am free from that which you ascribe as partners
in worship with Him (Allah). So plot against me, all of you and give me no respite. I put my trust in Allah,
my Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving (living) creature but He has grasp of its forelock. Verily, my
Lord is on the Straight Path (the truth). So if you turn away, still I have conveyed the message with which I
was sent to you. My Lord will make another people succeed you, and you will not harm Him." 628Surah 11: 5457
The Punishment
Thus HUD renounced them and their gods and affirmed his dependence on Allah Who had created him. HUD realized that
punishment would be incurred on the disbelievers among his people. It is one of the laws of life. ALLAH (SWT) punishes the
disbelievers, no matter how rich, tyrannical, or great they are.
HUD and his people waited for ALLAH (SWT)'s promise. A drought spread throughout the land, for the sky no longer sent its
rain. The sun scorched the desert sands, looking like a disk of fire which settled on people's heads.
HUDs people hastened to him asking: "What is that drought, Hud?"
HUD answered: "Allah is angry with you. If you believe in Him, He will accept you and the rain will fall and you will become
even stronger than you are."
They mocked him and became more obstinate, sarcastic and perverse in their unbelief. The drought increased, the trees
turned yellow, and plants died.
A day came when they found the sky full of clouds. HUDs people were glad as they came out of their tents crying: "A cloud
which will give us rain!"
The weather changed suddenly from burning dry and hot to stinging cold, with wind that shook everything: trees, plants, tents,
men and women. The wind increased day after day and night after night.
HUDs people started to flee. They ran to their tents to hide, but the gale became stronger, ripping their tents from their
stakes. They hid under cloth covers, but the gale became stronger still and tore away the covers. It slashed clothing and skin. It
penetrated the apertures of the body and destroyed it. It hardly touched anything before it was destroyed or killed, its core
sucked out to decompose and rot. The storm raged for eight days and seven nights.
Almighty ALLAH (SWT) recounts:
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Quran [11:53]
Quran [11:54]
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Quran [11:54-57]
627
148
Quran: Then, when they saw it to be hastened! - a wind wherein is a painful torment! Destroying
everything by the command of its Lord!629
ALLAH (SWT) the Exalted described it thus: as a dense cloud coming towards their valleys, they said: "This is a cloud bringing us
rain!" Nay, but it is that (torment) which you were asking
Quran: And as for 'Ad, - they were destroyed by a furious violent wind which Allah imposed on them for
seven nights and eight days in succession, so that you could see men lying overthrown (destroyed) as if
they were hollow trunks of palm trees! 630
The Believers are saved
That violent gale did not stop until the entire region was reduced to ruins and its wicked people destroyed, swallowed by the
sands of the desert. Only HUD and his followers remained unharmed. They migrated to Hadramaut and lived there in peace,
worshiping ALLAH (SWT), their true Lord.
Appendix-10 SALEH
The Compact (All-in-one place) story of Prophet SALEH (Shelah) Upon whom be Peace
Saleh (Salih) - Description of Saleh631
Prophet Saleh was a man from among the people of Thamud. His name was Saleh Ibn 'Ubeid, Ibn Maseh, Ibn 'Ubeid, Ibn
Hader, Ibn Thamud, Ibn Ather, Ibn Eram, Ibn Noah. He called his people to worship Allah alone, and to not associate partners
with Him. While some of them believed him, the majority of them disbelieved and harmed him by both words and deeds. Salih
directed them:
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Quran: "O! My people! Worship Allah, you have no other Ilah (God) but Him."
Saleh was known for his wisdom, purity and goodness and had been greatly respected by his people before Allah's revelation
came to him. Saleh's people said to him:
Quran: "O! Salih! You have been among us as a figure of good hope (and we wished for you to be our chief), till this new thing
which you have brought, that we leave our gods and worship your God (Allah) alone! Do you (now) forbid us the worship of
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what our fathers have worshiped? But we are really in grave doubt as to that which you invite us to (monotheism)."
Saleh (Salih) - Saleh's People Demand a Miracle

They merely wanted to worship the same gods as their fathers had, with no reason, no proof, no thought. The proof of Saleh's
message was evident, but despite this it was obvious that most of his people did not believe him. They doubted his words,
thinking he was charmed, and they saw that he would not stop preaching. Fearing that his followers would increase, they tried
to put him off by assigning him an important task: to prove that he was a messenger of ALLAH (SWT) by performing a miracle.
Let a unique she-camel issue from the mountains.
ALLAH (SWT) granted Saleh this miracle and a huge; unique she camel appeared from the direction of the mountain. The
Qur'anic commentators said that the people of Thamud gathered on a certain day at their meeting place, and the Prophet
Saleh came and addressed them asking them to believe in ALLAH (SWT), reminding them of the favours He had granted them.
Then, pointing at a rock, they demanded: "Ask your Lord to make a she-camel - which must be ten months pregnant, tall and
attractive - issue from the rock for us."
629
Quran [46:24-25]
Quran [69:6-7]
631
Stories of The Prophets @ www.alim.org
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Quran [11:61]
630
633
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Saleh replied: "Look now! If Allah sends you what you have requested, just as you have described, will you believe in that
which I have come to you with, and have faith in the message I have been sent with?"
They answered: "Yes."
So he took a vow from them on this, and then prayed to ALLAH (SWT) the Almighty to grant their request. ALLAH (SWT)
ordered the distant rock to split asunder, bringing forth a great ten-month pregnant she-camel. When their set eyes on it, they
were amazed. They saw a great thing, a wonderful sight, dazzling power, clear evidence!
A number of Saleh's people believed, yet most of them continued in their disbelief, stubbornness and going astray. ALLAH
(SWT) the Almighty said: And We sent the she-camel to Thamud as a clear sign, but they did her wrong. Quran [17: 59] also:
And verily, the dwellers of Al-Hijr (the rocky tract) denied the Messengers. And We gave them Our Signs, but they were averse
to them. Quran [15: 80-81]
Saleh (Salih) - Stories About the She-Camel
1. There are a number of ancient accounts of this camel and its miraculous nature. It was said that the she-camel was
miraculous because a rock in the mountain split open and it came forth from it, followed by its young offspring. Other accounts
said that the she-camel used to drink all the water in the wells in one day, and no other animals could approach the water. Still
others claimed that the she-camel produced milk sufficient for all the people to drink, on the same day that it drank all the
water, leaving none for them
2. M. Asad, a translator of The Quran has suggested that various commentators with respect to this mention of the legend of
the she camel have to the effect that this she-camel was of miraculous origin. M. Asad then goes on to say that, since neither
the Quran nor any authentic Tradition provides the least support for these legends, we must assume that they are based on
the expression naqat Allah ("God's she-camel") in the verse, which has led some pious Muslims to fantastic conjectures.
However, as Rashid Rida' points out (Manar VIII, 502), this expression denotes merely the fact that the animal in question was
not owned by any one person, and was therefore to be protected by the whole tribe; a further, analogous expression is found
in the words "God's earth" in the same verse: an illustration of the fact that everything belongs to God. The particular stress
placed by Saleh on good treatment of this ownerless animal - referred to in several places in the Qur'an - was obviously due to
the cruel high-handedness displayed by the tribe, who, as the next two verses show, were wont to "act wickedly on earth by
spreading corruption" and "gloried in their arrogance towards all who were deemed weak": in other words, their treatment of
the defenceless animal was to be a "token" of their change of heart or (as is made clear in 54:27) "a test for them". 634
Saleh (Salih) - The Disbelievers' Hatred for Saleh AND the She Camel
At first, the people of Thamud were greatly surprised when the she-camel issued from the mountain rocks. It was a blessed
camel, its milk sufficient for thousands of men, women and children. If it slept in a place, that place was abandoned by other
animals. Thus it was obvious that it was not an ordinary camel, but one of Allah's signs. It lived among Saleh's people, some of
whom believed in ALLAH (SWT) while the majority continued in their obstinacy and disbelief.
Their hatred of Saleh turned towards the blessed she-camel and became cantered on it. A conspiracy started to be hatched
against the camel by the disbelievers, and they secretly plotted against it.
Saleh feared that they might kill the camel, so he warned them:
Quran: O! My people! This she-camel of Allah is a sign to you, leave her to feed on Allah's earth, and touch
her not with evil, lest a near torment will seize you."635
For a while, Saleh's people let the camel graze and drink freely, but in their hearts they hated it. However, the miraculous
appearance of the unique camel caused many to become Saleh's followers, and they clung to their belief in ALLAH (SWT).
Saleh (Salih) - The Disbelievers' Plot to Kill the She-Camel
The disbelievers first began by complaining that this huge she-camel with its unusual qualities drank most of the water and
frightened their cattle.
They laid a plot to kill the camel, and sought the help of their women-folk to tempt the men to carry out their commands.
Saduq Bint of Mahya, who was from a rich and noble family, offered herself to a young man named Masra'i Ibn Mahraj on
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635
M. Asad in his Note 57 Accompanying his translation of Quran[7:73 ] at www.islamicity.com

Quran [11:64]
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condition that he hamstring the camel. Aniza, an old woman, offered one of her daughters to a young man, Qudar Ibn Saluf, in
return for killing the camel. Naturally these young men were tempted and set about finding seven others to assist them in their
plot.
They watched the camel closely, observing all its movements. As the she-camel came to drink at the well, Masrai shot it in the
leg with an arrow. It tried to escape but was hampered by the arrow. Qudar followed the camel and struck it with a sword in
the other leg. As it fell to the ground, he pierced it with his sword.
Saleh (Salih) - Warns of a Punishment

The killers were given a hero's welcome, cheered with songs and poetry composed in their praise. In their arrogance they
mocked Salih, but he warned them: "Enjoy life for three more days then the punishment will descend upon you." Salih was
hoping that they would see the folly of their ways and change their attitude before the three days were out
"Why three days?" they asked. "Let the punishment come as quickly as possible."
He pleaded with them: "My people, why do you hasten to evil rather than good? Why do you not ask pardon of Allah so that
you may receive mercy?"
They replied: "We see your presence and that of your followers as bringing evil on us."
Almighty Allah related their story: And indeed We sent to Thamud their brother Salih, saying: "Worship Allah (Alone and none
else)." Then look! They became two parties (believers and disbelievers) quarrelling with each other
He said:
Quran: "O my people! Why do you seek to hasten the evil (torment) before the good (Allah's Mercy)? Why seek you not the
636
Forgiveness of Allah, that you may receive mercy?"
They said:
Quran: "We augur ill omen from you and those with you." He said: "Your ill omen is with Allah; nay, but you are a people that
637
are being tested."
He said:
Quran: "O my people! Why do you seek to hasten the evil (torment) before the good (Allah's Mercy)? Why seek you not the
Forgiveness of Allah, that you may receive mercy?" They said: "We augur ill omen from you and those with you." He said: "Your
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ill omen is with Allah; nay, but you are a people that are being tested."
Saleh (Salih) - The Disbelievers Plot against him.
And there were in the city nine men (from the sons of their chiefs), who made mischief in the land, and would not reform.
They said:
Quran: "Swear one to another by Allah that we shall make a secret night attack on him and his household, and afterwards we
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will surely say to his near relatives: 'We witnessed not the destruction of his household, and verily! We are telling the truth."
Quran: "So they plotted a plot, and We planned a plan, while they perceived not." Then see how was the end of their plot Verily
! We destroyed them and their nation, all together. These are their houses in utter ruin, for they did wrong. Verily, in this is
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indeed an Ayah (a lesson or a sign) for people who know. And We saved those who believed, and used to fear and obey Allah.
Salih (Salih) - The Punishment
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Quran [27:45]
Quran [27:46]
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Quran [27:47]
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Quran [27:48-49]
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Quran [27:50-53]
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Three days after Saleh's warning, thunderbolts filled the air, followed by severe earthquakes which destroyed the entire tribe
and its homeland. The land was violently shaken, destroying all living creatures in it. There was one terrific cry which had
hardly ended when the disbelievers of Saleh's disobedient people were struck dead, one and all, at the same time. Neither
their strong buildings nor their rock-hewn homes could protect them.
Saleh (Salih) - Saleh's Story - Condensed Qur'anic Version
ALLAH ( SWT) the Exalted said:
Quran: And to Thamud (people We sent) their brother Salih. He said: "0 my people! Worship Allah, you
have no other Ilah (god) but Him (none has the right to be worshiped but Allah). Indeed there has come
to you a clear sign (the miracle of the coming out of a huge she-camel from the midst of a rock) from your
Lord. This she-camel of Allah is a sign unto you; so you leave her to graze in Allah's earth, and touch her
not with harm, lest a painful torment should seize you. And remember when He made you successors
after 'Ad (people) and gave you habitations in the land, you build for yourselves palaces in plains, and
carve out homes in the mountains. So remember the graces (bestowed upon you) from Allah, and do not
go about making mischief on the earth."
The leaders of those who were arrogant among his people said to those who were counted weak - to such of them as believed:
"Know you that Salih is one sent from his Lord." They said: "We indeed believe in that with which he has been sent." Those
who were arrogant said: "Verily, we disbelieve in that which you believe in.
So they killed the she-camel and insolently defied the Commandment of their Lord, and said: "0 Salih! Bring about your threats
if you are indeed one of the Messengers (of Allah)." So the earthquake seized them, and they lay (dead), prostrate in their
homes. Then he (Salih) turned from them, and said: "0 my people! I have indeed conveyed to you the Message of my Lord, and
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have given you good advice but you like not good advisers. "
All were destroyed before they realized what was happening. As for the people who believed in the message of Saleh they
were saved because they had left the place.
Saleh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
This article is about the Islamic Prophet Saleh

Saleh or Salih (Arabic: ; meaning Pious) was a Prophet of ancient Arabia mentioned in the Qur'an, who prophesied to
[1][2]
the tribe of the Thamud.
He is mentioned nine times throughout the Qur'an and his people are frequently referenced as a
[3]
wicked community who, because of their sins, were ultimately destroyed. Saleh is sometimes equated with the Shelah of the
Hebrew Bible, however there is almost nothing in common between the Qur'anic narrative of Saleh and the Biblical narrative
of Shelah. The preaching and prophecy of Saleh is linked to the famous Islamic story of the She-Camel, which was the gift given
by God to the people of the Thamud when they desired a miracle to confirm the truth of the message Saleh was preaching.
[clarification needed]
Chronologically, scholars believe Saleh's prophesying to have been post-Antediluvian
but pre-Abrahamic.
Historical context
The Thamud people are believed to have been the successors to the ancient tribe of 'Ad. Their ancestral descendant may have
[4]
been Eber, the great-grandson of Noah and their location is likely to have been in the Northwest corner of Arabia, between
Madinah and Syria. In later Islamic history, when Muhammad led his expedition to Tabuk against the Romans, on a reported
Roman invasion from Syria, the prophet - and his companions - came across the remains of Thamud. With the advance of
material civilization, the people of the Thamud became materialistic and arrogant as well as godless. Thus, God sent the
Prophet and seer Saleh, to warn them about the impending doom they would face if they did not mend their sinful ways.
Thamud cannot be equated with the Edomites at Petra. Salih was born before Abraham and the Edomites were a Semitic race.
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Quran [7: 73-79]

152
Historic Petra had several places of worship, and the main mountain at the site - Jebel al-Madhbah - is topped by two stone
obelisks, suggesting the worship of deities via stone phallic symbols. The narrow gorge leading to the site - known as the Siq can sometimes channel the wind to produce a loud trumpet-like sound, and it is known by local Bedouin as the trumpet of
God. The Edomite occupants of Petra were, however, not obliterated, but instead just migrated to the Negev; neither were the
subsequent Nabataean occupants of Petra destroyed by divine command, but instead were weakened by the Roman Emperor,
Trajan, and reduced to mere peasants. The name of Saleh may originate in the name of the city, as it was historically known as
Sela, a word deriving from the Hebrew term Se'lah, meaning rock; the Greek name Petra has the same meaning.
The Prophet Saleh is not mentioned in any other Abrahamic scripture or contemporary historical text, and his account is only
found in the Qur'an. Furthermore, the account of Thamud's destruction in connection with prophet Saleh is also mentioned
solely in the Qur'an and there are no other contemporary historical accounts detailing the destruction of Thamud's population
and the existence of prophet Saleh. Later Islamic historical texts regarding prophet Saleh and Thamud only refer to the
accounts in the Qur'an the reference material, with no other accounts from contemporary Roman, Jewish or Christian sources.
Therefore, prophet Saleh has remained as one of the lesser-known prophets and the story about Thamud is not as well-known
as the stories about Sodom and Gomorrah and other cities that have faced the wrath of God.
[5]
Saleh's life in his community had been so righteous that the people of the Thamud virtually relied upon him for support. In
fact, he might have been chosen as their leader or king if he had too followed their idolatrous ways. But Saleh was chosen by
God as a prophet and he was born for a higher mission - to preach against the selfishness of the wealthy and to condemn the
practice of idolatry. Although Saleh preached the message for a sustained period of time, the people for the Thamud refused
to hear his warning and instead began to ask Saleh to obtain a miracle for them.
Saleh kept telling his people to look around them and remember the numerous miracles God had bestowed upon them. In
[6]
monologues of preaching, Saleh reminded his people of the countless castles and palaces they built, and of their
technological superiority over neighboring communities. Furthermore, he told them about their ancestors - the 'Ad tribe - and
how they too were destroyed for their sins. As usually happened in such events, the poor and needy were the steadfast
[7]
believers from the community and the suppressive were the rich and arrogant townsfolk. As Saleh took the side of the
underprivileged, the chieftains of the tribe reviled the prophet and mocked his words.
Although Saleh had told his people about God's mercy, they argued and demanded that he obtain a miracle. This showed a
weakness on the part of the Thamud people, and represents in them a childish reliance on visual miracles rather than spiritual
faith. Thus, God gave the Thamud tribe a she-camel, to provide them with sustenance, as both a blessing and a test. Pasture
was considered a free gift of God, and this camel would be a trial to see if the arrogant and greedy would let the camel graze
[8]
peacefully or whether they would slay her. The rich and wealthy, instead of accepting the test of God, hamstrung the
innocent she-camel and gruesomely slew her.
[9]
The people of the Thamud had three more days for further repentance to God. But in the next three days, the people of
[10]
Saleh asked for no repentance. Thus, a terrible earthquake came by night on the third day, preceded by a mighty blast in the
sky. The explosion stuck their community and, in a matter of minutes, the people were buried in the ruins of their own
[11]
homes. While the majority of the people perished, Saleh and the believers were saved, being just and righteous people.
[12]
Saleh left them lamenting over the destruction of his people for their sinning against God.
www.wikipedia.org
References specific to the article at Wikipedia

1. ^ Qur'an 26:143: "I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust."
2. ^ Qur'an 7:73: "To the Thamud people (We sent) Salih, one of their own brethren: He said: 'O my people! worship Allah: ye
have no other god but Him. Now hath come unto you a clear (Sign) from your Lord! This she-camel of Allah is a Sign unto you:
So leave her to graze in Allah's earth, and let her come to no harm, or ye shall be seized with a grievous punishment.'"
3. ^ Qur'an 11:6168
4. ^ Stories of The Prophets, Ibn Kathir, page. 110
5. ^ Qur'an 11:62: "They said: 'O Salih! Thou hast been of us! A centre of our hopes hitherto! Dost thou (now) forbid us the
worship of what our fathers worshipped? But we are really in suspicious (disquieting) doubt as to that to which thou invitest
us.'"
6. ^ Qur'an 7:74: "And remember how He made you inheritors after the 'Ad people and gave you habitations in the land: ye
build for yourselves palaces and castles in (open) plains, and care out homes in the mountains; so bring to remembrance the
benefits (ye have received) from Allah, and refrain from evil and mischief on the earth"
7. ^ Qur'an 7:75: "The leaders of the arrogant party among his people said to those who were reckoned powerless - those
among them who believed: 'know ye indeed that Salih is a messenger from his Lord?' They said: 'We do indeed believe in the
153
revelation which hath been sent through him.'"

8. ^ Qur'an 7:73: "To the Thamud people (We sent) Salih, one of their own brethren: He said: 'O my people! Worship God: ye
have no other god but Him. Now hath come unto you a clear (Sign) from your Lord! This she-camel of Allah is a Sign unto
you: So leave her to graze in Allah's earth, and let her come to no harm, or ye shall be seized with a grievous punishment.'"
9. ^ Qur'an 11:65: "But they did ham-string her. So he said: 'Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days: (Then will be your
ruin): (Behold) there a promise not to be belied!'"
10. ^ Qur'an 11:67: "The (mighty) Blast overtook the wrong-doers, and they lay prostrate in their homes before the morning,"
11. ^ Qur'an 11:68: "As if they had never dwelt and flourished there. Ah! Behold! for the Thamud rejected their Lord and
Cherisher! Ah! Behold! removed (from sight) were the Thamud!"
12. ^ Qur'an 7:79: "So Salih left them, saying: 'O my people! I did indeed convey to you the message for which I was sent by my
Lord: I gave you good counsel, but ye love not good counsellors!'"
She-Camel of God
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
The She-Camel of God was a miraculous female camel sent by God to the people of Thamud, in Arabia, when they demanded
their Prophet Saleh to ask God for a miracle. The narrative and story of the she-camel is recorded in the Qur'an.
Qur'anic mention
Amongst the many narrations in the Qur'an, one historical story deals with the people of Thamud, who lived after the people
of 'Ad in ancient Arabia. As the people of the community were heavily indulgent in idolatry, God sent the prophet and seer
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Saleh to warn them of the impending doom they would face if they did not mend their fraudulent ways.
Appendix-11 Yusuf
The Compact (All-in-one place) story of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) Upon whom be Peace
Introduction
This is the most detailed and fascinating story in the Qur'an, involving both human weaknesses such as jealousy, hatred, pride,
passion, deception, intrigue, cruelty, terror as well as noble qualities such as patience, loyalty, bravery, nobility, and
compassion.
It is related that among the reasons for its revelation is that the Jews asked the Prophet Muhammad to tell them about Joseph
who was one of their old prophets. His story had been distorted in parts and marred in others with interpolations and
exclusions. Therefore it was revealed in the Book of Allah (Qur'an), complete in its minute and careful details.
Joseph (Yusuf)s links to Animals
The story of Joseph features links to birds in connection with a dream that he had interpreted for an ordinary person and links
to calfs with respect to the dream that he had interpreted for the King of that time.
Allah the Almighty declared:
Quran: We relate unto you (Muhammad) the best of stories through Our Revelations unto you, of this
Qur'an. And before this (i.e. before the coming of Divine Inspiration to you), you were among those who
knew nothing about it (the Qur'an).643
Almighty Allah also decreed:
Quran: Thus We relate to you (0 Muhammad) some information of what happened before. And indeed
We have given you from Us a Reminder (this Qur'an). Whoever turns away from it (this Qur'an - i.e. does
642
643
Quran [11:61-62]
Quran [12:3]
154
not believe in it, nor acts on its orders), verily, they will bear a heavy burden (of sins) on the Day of
Resurrection. They will abide in that (state in the Fire of Hell), and evil indeed will it be that load for them
on the Day of Resurrection.644
The story of Joseph moves in a stream from beginning to end; its substance and form are equally coherent. It inspires you with
a feeling for the depth of Allah's power and supremacy and the execution of His rulings despite the challenge of human
intervention. This is formally stated in the following verse of The Quran:
And Allah has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of men know not.
645
This is what the story of Joseph confirms categorically, for it ends with comfort and marvels.
Summary of Joseph (Yusuf)s Story
Joseph lived all his life confronting schemes made by the people closest to him. His brothers plotted to kill him, but they
amended it to exiling him. This happened to him while he was a boy. He was sold into the slave market in Egypt, where he was
bought for a nominal sum. Then he fell victim to the attempted seduction by a great man's wife who, when her wish was
foiled, sent him to prison, where he remained for some time. In spite of all this, he at length approached close to the Egyptian
throne and became the king's chief minister. He then began his call to Allah from the position of the ruling authority.
Allah's plans were carried out, and the matter ended. This is the substance (theme) of the story. As for the form (style) in which
it is presented, it is a landmark of wonder.
Joseph (Yusuf)s Childhood and his Famous DREAM
The story begins with a dream and ends with it coming true. As the sun appeared over the horizon, bathing the earth in its
morning glory, Joseph, son of the Prophet Jacob(Yaqoob) , awoke from his sleep, delighted by a pleasant dream he
had had. Filled with excitement, he ran to his father and related it.
Quran: "O my father! Verily, I saw (in a dream) eleven stars and the sun and the moon, I saw them
prostrating themselves to me.646
His father's face lit up. He foresaw that Joseph would be the one through whom the prophecy of his grandfather, Prophet
Abraham, would be fulfilled, in that his offspring would keep the light of Abraham's house alive and spread Allah's message to
mankind.
Therefore, it was narrated that Allah's Messenger Muhammad was asked: "Who is the most honorable amongst the people?"
He replied: 'The most God-fearing." The people said: "We do not want to ask you about this." He said: "The most honorable
person is Joseph Allah's prophet, the son of Allah's prophet, the son of the faithful friend of Allah (Abraham).
However, the father was well aware of the jealousy of Joseph's brothers, so he warned him against telling his dream this
brothers:
Quran: "O! My son! Relate not your vision to your brothers, lest they arrange a plot against you. Verily!
Satan is to man an open enemy! Thus will your Lord choose you and teach you the interpretation of
dreams (and other things) and perfect His Favour on you and on the offspring of Jacob, as He perfected it
on your fathers, Abraham and Isaac aforetime! Verily, your Lord is All-Knowing, All-Wise647
Joseph heeded is father's warning. He did not tell his brothers what he had seen. It is well known that they hated him so much
that it was difficult for him to feel secure telling them what was in his heart and in his dreams.
644
Quran [20:99-101]
Quran [12:21]
646
Quran [12:4]
647
Quran [12:5]
645
155
Description of Joseph (Yusuf)

Joseph was eighteen years old, very handsome and robust, with a gentle temperament. He was respectful, kind, and
considerate. His brother Benjamin was equally pleasant. Both were from one mother, Rachel. Because of their refined
qualities, the father loved the two more than his other children, and would not let them out of his sight. To protect them, he
kept them busy with work in the house garden.
The Evil Plot of Joseph (Yusuf)s brothers
The scene of Jacob and his son closes. Another opens on Joseph's brothers plotting against him.
Quran: "Truly, Joseph and his brother (Benjamin) are loved more by our father than we, but we are 'Usbah
(a strong group). Really, our father is in a plain error.648
Quran: Kill Joseph or cast him out to some (other) land, so that the favor of your father may be given to
you alone, and after that you will be righteous folk (by intending repentance before committing the
sin)."649
Quran: One from among them said: "Kill not Joseph, but if you must do something, throw him down to
the bottom of a well, he will be picked up by some caravan of travellers.650
The pages of the Old Testament say that Joseph told them his dream, whereas the Qur'an does not say that that happened.
Had it been so, the brothers would have said so themselves. The Old Testament claims they had lost their own rights by him,
and so they would kill him. Indeed Joseph kept his father's order and did not tell his brothers about his vision.
In spite of this, his brothers sat down to conspire against him. One of them asked: "Why does our father love Joseph more than
us?"
Another answered: "Perhaps because of his beauty." A third said: "Joseph and his brother occupied our father's heart." The
first complained: "Our father has gone all astray." One of them suggested a solution to the matter: kill Joseph. "Where should
we kill him?" "We should banish him away from these grounds." "We will send him to a distant land."
"Why should we not kill him and have rest so that the favour of your father may be given to you alone?"
However, Judah (Yahudh), the eldest and most intelligent among them, said: "There is no need to kill him when all you want is
to get rid of him. Look here, let us throw him into a well and he will be picked up by a passing caravan. They will take him with
them to a distant land. He will disappear from your father's sight and our purpose will be served with his exile. Then after that
we shall repent for our crime and become good people once again."
The discussion continued on the idea of dropping Joseph into a well, as it was seen as the safest solution. The plan to kill him
was defeated; banishment to a distant land was approved. It was the cleverest of ideas.
Josephs brothers approach their Father Jacob (Yaqoob)
Their next movement opened the scene between them and their father Jacob:
They said.
Quran: "O! Our father! Why do you not trust us with Joseph, when we are indeed his well-wishers? Send
him with us tomorrow to enjoy himself and play, and verily, we will take care of him ."651
648
Quran [12:8]
Quran [12:9]
650
Quran [12:8-10]
651
Quran [12:11]
649
156
He (Jacob) said:
Quran: "Truly, it saddens me that you should take him away. I fear lest a wolf should devour him, while
you are careless of him."652
They said:
Quran: "If a wolf devours him, while we are Usbah (a strong group) (to guard him), then surely, we are
the losers.653
Note for Reflection:
Jacob suggested a point which had not occurred to them in their discussion: he feared that desert wolves would eat him! Did
he imply the wolves within them, or did he mean the wild wolves? No one but Allah knows. They coaxed their father to send
Joseph with them; he agreed under their pressure.
Joseph thrown into a Well
They were excited that they could now get rid of Joseph for after this they could stand a better chance of receiving their
father's affection. On leaving home, they went directly to the well, as they had planned, on the pretext of drinking water. One
of them put his arms around Joseph and held him tightly. Startled by this unusual behavior, Joseph struggled to free himself.
More brothers rushed to hold him. One of them removed his shirt. Some more joined in to lift Joseph up and cast him into the
deep well. Joseph's piteous pleas made no difference to their cruel hearts.
Then Allah revealed to Joseph that he was safe and should not fear, for he would meet them again some day to remind them
of what they had done.
There was water in the well which buoyed Joseph's body, so he was not harmed. He sat lonely in the water, then clung to a
rock ledge overhead and climbed on top of it. His brothers left him in this desolate place. Then they killed a sheep and soaked
Joseph's shirt in its blood. One brother said that they should swear to keep their deed a close secret. All of them took the oath.
The Brothers lie to their father Jacob (Yaqoob)
Quran: And they came to their father in the early part of the night weeping.654
The scene here is dark night, broken by the crying of ten men. The father is sitting in his house when the sons enter, the
darkness of night covering the darkness of their hearts and the darkness of their lies struggling to come out.
Jacob wondered aloud:
Quran: "Why this weeping? Has anything happened to the flock?" They answered crying: "O our father!
We went racing with one another, and left Joseph by our belongings and a wolf devoured him; but you will
never believe us even when we speak the truth.655
Quran: "We were surprised after returning from the race that Joseph was in the belly of the wolf." We did
not see him!" 'You will not believe us even though we are truthful, but we are telling you what happened!"
"The wolf has eaten Joseph! This is Joseph's shirt. We found it soiled with blood, and did not find Joseph!"
And they brought his shirt stained with false blood.656
Deep down in his heart Jacob knew that his beloved son was still alive and that his other sons were lying. He held the blood652
Quran [12:13]
Quran [12:11-14]
654
Quran [12:16]
655
Quran [12:17]
656
Quran [12:18]
653
157
stained shirt in his hands, spread it out and remarked: "What a merciful wolf! He ate up my beloved son without tearing his
shirt!" Their faces turned red when he demanded more information, but each one swore by Allah that he was telling the truth.
The broken hearted father burst into tears:
Quran: "Nay, but your ownselves have made up a tale. So (for me) patience is most fitting. And it is Allah
(Alone) whose Help can be sought against that which you assert. 657
The father acted wisely by praying for mighty patience which is free of doubt and by trusting in Allah for help against what they
had plotted against him and his son. This scene dims, and the scene opens in the well with which Joseph had been thrown.
Joseph (Yusuf) finds Comfort in ALLAH (SWT)!
In the dark well Joseph managed to find a stone ledge to hold onto. Around him was total darkness and an eerie silence.
Fearful thoughts entered his mind: what would happen to him? Where would he find food? Why had his own brothers turned
against him? Would his father know of his plight? His father's smile flashed before him, recalling the love and affection he had
always shown him. Joseph began to pray earnestly, pleading to Allah for salvation. Gradually his fear began to subside. His
Creator was testing the young man with a great misfortune in order to infuse in him a spirit of patience and courage. Joseph
surrendered himself to the will of his Lord.
Joseph (Yusuf) from The Well into Slavery
The next scene shows the wide desert. At the horizon is a long line of camels, horses, and men: a caravan on its way to Egypt.
The caravan of merchants halted at this famous well for water. A man lowered in his bucket. Joseph was startled by the bucket
hurtling down and grabbed hold of it before it could land in the water. As the man began to haul he felt the load unusually
heavy, so he peeped into the well. What he saw shocked him: a man was clinging to the rope! He held the rope tightly and
shouted to his friends: "Better give me a hand fellows! Looks like I found real treasure in the well!"
His companions rushed to the well and helped him to pull out the stranger holding onto the rope. Standing before them was a
healthy, handsome youth, beaming with an angelic smile. They saw in him a handsome prize, for money was all that mattered
to them. Immediately, they clapped iron shackles on his feet and took him along to Egypt, far away from his beloved
homeland of Canaan.
All over the Egyptian city the news spread that an unusually handsome, robust young slave was on sale. People gathered by
the hundreds at the slave market. Some were spectators, others were bidders the elite and the rich, each one craning his neck
to view the handsome specimen. The auctioneer had a field day as the bidding went wild, each buyer trying to outbid the
other. Eventually, the Aziz, the chief minister of Egypt, outbid all the others and took Joseph to his mansion.
The Qur'an describes this scene as follows:
Quran: And there came a caravan of travellers; they sent their water-drawer, and he let down his bucket
(into the well). He said: "What good news! Here is a boy." So they hid him as merchandise (a slave). And
Allah was the All-Knower of what they did.658
Quran: And they sold him for a low price, - for a few Dirhams (i.e. for a few silver coins). And they were of
those who regarded him insignificant.659
Quran: And he (the man) from Egypt who bought him, said to his wife: 'Make his stay comfortable, may
be he will profit us or we shall adopt him as a son." Thus did We establish Joseph in the land, that We
might teach him the interpretation of events?660
Quran: See how Allah the Almighty reveals the substance of this long story from its beginning: And Allah
657
Quran [12:18]
Quran [12:19]
659
Quran [12:20]
660
Quran [12:21]
658
158
has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of men know not .661
The chains of slavery have closed on Joseph. He was cast into the well, deprived of his father, picked from the well, made a
slave, sold at the market, and made the property of this man, the Aziz, the chief minister. The hazards followed in quick
succession, leaving Joseph helpless.
Joseph (Yusuf)s Master
What we see as hazards and slander is the first step of the ladder on Joseph's way to greatness. Allah is decisive in His action.
His plan is carried out despite the plans of others and while theirs are still being made. So He spoils their plan, and Allah's
promise is realized. Allah had promised Joseph prophethood. Love for Joseph was thrust into the heart of the man who bought
him, and he was a man of no mean position. He was an important personage, one of the ruling class of Egypt.
Therefore, Joseph was pleasantly surprised when the chief minister of Egypt ordered his men to remove the heavy shackles
from his swollen feet. He was also surprised when he told Joseph not to betray his trust; he would not be ill-treated if he
behaved himself. Joseph smiled at his benefactor, thanked him, and promised to be loyal.
Joseph felt at ease, for at last he was sheltered and would be well cared for. He thanked Allah over and over and wondered at
the mysteries of life. Not so long ago he had been cast into a deep, dark well with no hope of ever coming out alive. Next he
was rescued, then enslaved in iron shackles, and now he was moving freely in a luxurious mansion, with enough food to enjoy.
However, his heart ached with longing for his parents and brother Benjamin, and he shed tears daily.
Joseph was made the personal attendant of the chief minister's wife. He was obedient and ever-obliging. With his pleasant
manners and charming behaviour, he won everybodys heart.
The Peoples Feelings towards Joseph (Yusuf)
Joseph's handsomeness became the talk of the town. People referred to him as the most attractive man they had ever seen
and wrote poetry about him. His face carried immaculate beauty. The purity of his inner soul and his heart showed in his face,
increasing his beauty. People from afar came to the city to have a glimpse of him. The prettiest of maidens and the richest of
ladies nursed the desire to possess him, but not once did he show haughtiness or conceit. He was always humble and polite.
Joseph (Yusuf)s Qualities
The days passed and Joseph grew. This reference to Josephs attaining of age is mentioned in the following verse of The Quran.
Quran: And when he (Joseph) attained his full manhood. We gave him wisdom and knowledge (the
Prophethood), thus We reward the doers of good. Quran662
He was given wisdom in affairs and knowledge of life and its conditions. He was given the art of conversation, captivating those
who heard him. He was given nobility and self-restraint, which made him an irresistible personality. His master soon knew that
Allah had graced him with Joseph. He understood that Joseph was the most honest, straightforward and noble person he had
met in his life. Therefore, he put Joseph in charge of his household, honoured him, and treated him as a son.
Zulaikhas Feelings for Joseph
The wife of the chief minister, Zulaikha, watched Joseph from day to day. She sat with him, talked with him, listened to him,
and her wonder increased over the passage of time.
Joseph was soon confronted (with his second trial). The chief minister's wife, Zulaikha, could not resist the handsome Joseph,
and her obsession with him caused her sleepless nights. She fell in love with him, and it was painful for her to be so close to a
man, yet be unable to hold him. Yet, she was not a wayward woman, for in her position she could get any man she desired. By
all accounts she must have been a very pretty and intelligent lady, or why would the chief minister have chosen her of all the
pretty women in the kingdom? Although she bore him no child, he would not take another wife, as he loved her passionately.
661
662
Quran [12:19-22]
Quran [12:22]
159
The Qur'an raises the curtain on the scene of this fierce and devouring love on the part of the lady. And this scene is narrated
in the following verses of The Quran:
Quran: And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him (to do an evil act),663
Quran: [she closed the doors and said]: "Come on, O you." He said: "I seek refuge in Allah (or Allah forbid)!
Truly, he (your husband) is my master! He made my stay agreeable! (So I will never betray him). Verily, the
Zalimun (wrong - and evil-doers) will never be successful."664
Quran: And indeed she did desire him and he would have inclined to her desire, had he not seen the
evidence of his Lord. Thus it was that We might turn away from him evil and illegal sexual intercourse.
Surely, he was one of Our chosen, guided slaves.665
Zulaikhas False Accusation against Joseph
Joseph declined Zulaikhas advance and his refusal only heightened her passion. As he moved to the door to escape, she ran
after him and caught hold of his shirt, like a drowning person clinging to the boat. In her tugging she tore his shirt and held the
torn piece in her hand. They reached the door together. It opened suddenly; there stood her husband and a relative of hers.
The Quran describes this scene in the following words:
Quran: So they raced with one another to the door, and she tore his shirt from the back. They both found
her lord (i.e. her husband) at the door. Quran,666
As he opened the door, he saw her husband standing in front of him. The sly woman immediately changed her tone to anger
and, showing the torn piece of the shirt in her hand, asked her husband:
Quran: "What is the recompense (punishment) for him who intended an evil design against your wife,
except that he be put in prison or a painful torment667
She was now accusing Joseph of molesting her, to give the impression that she was innocent and a victim of Joseph's sexual
desire. Though bewildered Joseph denied it: "It was she that sought to seduce me.
After the husband had questioned his wife and Joseph, he consulted Zulaikha's cousin. He was an honest, wise man who
listened to both accounts and gave his opinion. He said the proof was in the shirt. If it was torn at the front it meant that he
had tried to seduce her, as the torn shirt would then be a proof of self-defence. The husband asked:
Quran: "And if the shirt is torn at the back?" The relative said: "Then it would mean that she was the one
who tempted him."668
The shirt was passed from hand to hand, while she watched. The witness (her cousin) looked at it and found that it was torn at
the back. The evidence clearly showed that she was guilty. The disappointed husband remarked to his wife:
Quran: "Surely, it is a plot of you women! Certainly mighty is your plot! 0 Joseph! Turn away from this!
(O! woman!) Ask forgiveness for your sin. Verily, you were of the sinful . 669
The wise and just Aziz apologized to Joseph for his wife's indecency. He also instructed her to beg Joseph's forgiveness for
663
Quran [12:23]
Quran [12:23]
665
Quran [12:24]
666
Quran [12:25]
667
Quran [12:25]
668
Quran [12:26]
669
Quran [12:26-29]
664
160
accusing him falsely. Allah the Almighty narrated this incident thus: He (Joseph) said: "It was she that sought to seduce me," and a witness of her household bore witness (saying): "If it be that his shirt is torn from the front, then her tale is true and he is
a liar! But if it be that his shirt is torn from the back, then she has told a lie and he is speaking the truth!"
Zulaikha is Ridiculed
An incident like this cannot remain a secret in a house filled with servants, and the story spread. Women began to see her
behaviour as scandalous. They remarked:
Quran: "The wife of Al-Aziz is seeking to seduce her (slave) young man, indeed she loves him violently;
verily, we see her in plain error.670
Zulaikhas Plan to Regain her Reputation
Naturally their gossip distressed Zulaikha. She honestly believed that it was not easy for any woman to resist a man as
handsome as Joseph. To prove her helplessness, she planned to subject the women to the same temptation she faced. She
invited them to a lavish banquet. No one so invited would want to miss the honour of dining with the chief minister's wife;
besides, they secretly harboured the desire to meet the handsome Joseph face to face. Some of her close friends jokingly said
they would come only if she introduced them to Joseph.
The invitation was restricted to ladies. The banquet began, laughter and mirth abounded. Etiquette dictated that the ladies not
mention the topic of Joseph. They were shocked, therefore, when Zulaikha opened the topic. "I have heard of those who say I
have fallen in love with the young Hebrew man, Joseph." Silence fell upon the banquet. At once all the guests' hands stopped,
and all eyes fell on the chief minister's wife. She said, while giving orders for the fruit to be served: "I admit that he is a
charming fellow. I do not deny that I love him. I have loved him for a long time."
The Womens Re-Action to Joseph
The confession of the chief minister's wife removed the tension among the ladies. After finishing their dinner, the guests began
cutting their fruit. At that very moment she summoned Joseph to make his appearance. He entered the hall gracefully, his gaze
lowered. Zulaikha called him by his name and he raised his head. The guests were astonished and dumbfounded. His face was
shining and full of manliness and angelic beauty. It reflected complete innocence, so much so that one could feel the peace of
mind in the depth of his soul.
They exclaimed in astonishment while continuing to cut the fruit. All their eyes were on Joseph. So it was that the women
began to cut their palms absent-mindedly without feeling that they had cut them.
The presence of Joseph at the scene of drama was so effective that blood flowed without their feeling pain. One of the ladies
gasped: "Good gracious!" Another whispered: 'This is not a mortal being!" Another stammered, patting her hair: "This is but a
noble angel."
Then the chief minister's wife stood up and announced: "This is the one for whom I have been blamed. I do not deny that I
tempted him. You have been enchanted by Joseph, and see what has happened to your hands. I have tempted him, and if he
does not do what I want of him he shall be imprisoned."
The Womens Re-Action, Quranic Narration
The Quran describes the scene of the banquet in the following words:
Quran: So when she heard of their accusation, she sent for them and prepared a banquet for them; she
gave each one of them a knife (to cut the foodstuff with), and she said (to Joseph): "Come out before
them." Then, when they saw him, they exalted him (at his beauty) and (in their astonishment) cut their
hands. They said: "How perfect is Allah (or Allah forbid)! No man is this! This is none other than a noble
670
Quran [12:30]
161
angel!"671
Quran: She said: "This is he (the young man) about whom you did blame me (for his love), and I did seek
to seduce him, but he refused. And now if he refuses to obey my order, he shall certainly be cast into
prison, and will be one of those who are disgraced.672
Joseph (Yusuf)s decision to go to Jail He said:
Quran: "O! My Lord! Prison is more to my liking than that to which they invite me. Unless You turn away
their plot from me, I will feel inclined towards them and be one (of those who commit sin and deserve
blame or those who do deeds) of the ignorants."673
Quran: So his Lord answered his invocation and turned away from him their plot. Verily, He is the AllHearer, the All Knower.674
That evening, Zulaikha convinced her husband that the only way to save her honour was to put Joseph in prison; otherwise she
would not be able to control herself or to safeguard his prestige. The chief minister knew Joseph was absolutely innocent, that
he was a young man of honour, a loyal servant, and he loved him for these reasons. It was not an easy decision for him to put
an innocent man behind bars. However, he was left with no choice. He reasoned that Joseph's honour would also be
safeguarded if he was kept out of Zulaikha's sight. That night, with a heavy heart, the chief minister sent Joseph to prison.
Josephs Time in Prison
Prison was Joseph's third test. During this period Allah blessed him with an extraordinary gift: the ability to interpret dreams.
At about the same time two other men landed in the prison. One was the cupbearer of the king; the other was the king's cook.
The two men sensed that Joseph was not a common criminal, for an aura of piety glowed on his face. Both men had vivid
dreams, and they were anxious to have them explained. The king's cook dreamed that he stood in a place with bread on his
head, and two birds were eating the bread. The cupbearer dreamed that he was serving the king wine. The two went to Joseph
and told him their dreams, asking him to give them their meaning.
First, Joseph called them to Allah. Then he said that the cook would be crucified until he died and that the cupbearer would
return to the service of the king. Joseph told the cupbearer to remember him to the king and to say that there was a wronged
soul called Joseph in the prison. What Joseph predicted did happen; the cook was crucified and the cupbearer returned to the
palace.
After the cupbearer returned to service, Satan made him forget to mention Joseph's name to the king. Therefore, Joseph
remained in prison for a few years, but he made patience his own, praying to Allah.
Quranic Narration of Joseph Yusufs Time in Prison
The Quran describes Josephs time in prison in the following verses:
Quran: And there entered with him two young men in the prison. One of them said: "Verily, I saw myself
(in a dream) pressing wine." The other said: "Verily, I saw myself (in a dream) carrying bread on my head
and birds were eating thereof" (They said): "Inform us of the interpretation of this. Verily, we think you are
one of the Muhsineen (doers of good)."675
Joseph (Yusuf) than Introduces Islam to his two prison companions.
Quran: He said: "No food will come to you (in wakefulness or in dream) as your provision, but I will inform
671
Quran [12:21]
Quran [12:32]
673
Quran [12:33]
674
Quran [12:34]
675
Quran [12:36]
672
162
(in wakefulness) its interpretation before it (the food) comes. This is of that which my Lord has taught me.
Verily, I have abandoned the religion of a people that believe not in Allah and are disbelievers in the
Hereafter.
Quran: And I have followed the religion of my fathers, - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and never could we
attribute any partners whatsoever to Allah. This is from the Grace of Allah to us and to mankind, but most
men thank not (i.e. they neither believe in Allah, nor worship Him).676
Quran: "O! Two companions of the prison! Are many different lords (gods) better or Allah, the One, the
Irresistible? You do not worship besides Him but only names which you have named (forged), you and your
fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority. The command (or the judgment) is for none but Allah.
He has commanded (i.e. His Monotheism), that is the (true) straight religion, but most men know not.677
Quran: "O! Two companions of the prison! As for one of you, he (as a servant) will pour out wine for his
lord (King or master) to drink; and as for the other, he will be crucified and birds will eat from his head.
Thus is the case judged concerning which you both did inquire"678
Quran: And he said to the one whom he knew to be saved: 'Mention me to your lord (i.e. your King, so as
to get me out of the prison)." But Satan made him forget to mention it to his lord or Satan made (Joseph)
to forget the remembrance of his Lord (Allah) as to ask for His Help, instead of others. So (Joseph) stayed
in prison a few (more) years.679
The Kings Dream
The scene in the prison closes; a new scene opens in the bed chamber of the king. The king is asleep. He sees himself on the
banks of the Nile river. The water is receding before him, becoming mere mud. The fish begin to skip and jump in the mud.
Seven fat cows come out of the river followed by seven lean cows. The seven lean ones devour the seven fat ones. The king is
terrified. Then seven ears of green grain grow on the river banks and disappear in the mud. On the same spot grow seven dry
ears of grain.
The king awoke frightened, shocked, and depressed, not knowing what all this meant. He sent for the sorcerers, priests and
ministers, and told them his dream.
The sorcerers said: "This is a mixed up dream. How can any of that be? It is a nightmare." The priests said: "Perhaps his majesty
had a heavy supper." The chief minister said: "Could it be that his majesty was exposed and did not draw the blanket up at
night?" The king's jester said, jokingly: "His majesty is beginning to grow old, and so his dreams are confused." They reached a
unanimous conclusion that it was only a nightmare.
The news reached the cupbearer. He recollected the dream he had had in prison and compared it to the king's dream, and,
therefore Joseph came to mind. He ran to the king to tell him about Joseph, who was the only one capable of interpreting the
dream. The cupbearer said: "He had asked me to remember him to you, but I forgot." The king sent the cupbearer to ask
Joseph about the dream.
Josephs Interpretation of the Kings Dream
Joseph interpreted it to him: "There will be seven years of abundance. If the land is properly cultivated, there will be an excess
of good harvest, more than the people will need. This should be stored. Thereafter, seven years of famine will follow, during
which time the excess grain could be used."
He also advised that during the famine they should save some grain to be used for seed for the next harvest. Joseph then
676
Quran [12:38]
Quran {12:39]
678
Quran [12:41]
679
Quran [12:42]
677
163
added: "After seven years of drought, there will be a year during which water will be plentiful. If the water is properly used,
grapevines and olive trees will grow in abundance, providing plenty of grapes and olive oil." The cupbearer hurried back with
the good news. The king was fascinated by Joseph's interpretation.
Quranic Narration of The Kings Dream and its Interpretation.
The Quran Narrates the incident of The Kings Dream and How various people tried to interpret it, and this is done in the
following verses.
Quran: And the king (of Egypt) said: "Verily, I saw (in a dream) seven fat cows whom seven lean cows
were devouring - and (seven) green ears of corn, and seven others dry. O notables! Explain to me my
dream, if it be that you can interpret dreams." 680
Quran: They said: 'Mixed up false dreams and we are not skilled in the interpretation of dreams."681
Quran: Then the man who was released (one of the two who were in prison), now at length remembered
and said: "I will tell you its interpretation, so send me forth." 682
Quran: (He said): "O! Joseph, the man of truth! Explain to us (the dream) of seven fat cows whom seven
lean ones were devouring, and of seven green ears of corn, and (seven) others dry, that I may return to the
people, and that they may know." (Joseph) said: "For seven consecutive years, you shall sow as usual and
that (the harvest) which you reap you shall leave in ears, (all) - except a little of it which you may eat. Then
will come after that seven hard (years), which will devour what you have laid by in advance for them, (all)
except a little of that which you have guarded (stored). Then thereafter will come a year in which people
will have abundant rain and in which they will press (wine and oil)683.
Josephs Innocence Proved
The king was greatly astonished. Who could this person be? He commanded that Joseph to be set free from prison and
presented to him at once. The king's envoy went to fetch him immediately, but Joseph refused to leave the prison unless his
innocence was proven. Perhaps they accused him of cutting the ladies' hands, or of trying to rape them. Perhaps any other
false accusation was made.
We do not know exactly what was said to the people to justify Joseph's sentence to prison. The envoy returned to the king. The
kings asked him: "Where is Joseph? Did I not command you to fetch him?" The envoy replied: "He refused to leave until his
innocence is established regarding the ladies who cut their hands."
The king ordered: "Bring the wives of the ministers and the wife of the chief minister at once." The king felt that Joseph had
been harmed unfairly but he did not know exactly how.
The wife of the chief minister came with the other ministers' wives. The king asked: "What is the story of Joseph? What do you
know about him? Is it true that...?" . One of the ladies interrupted the king exclaiming: "Allah forbid!" A second said: "We know
of no evil he has done." A third said: "He enjoys the innocence of angels."
The eyes of everyone turned to the wife of the chief minister. She now wore a wrinkled face and had lost weight. She had been
overwhelmed by sorrow over Joseph while he was in prison. She boldly confessed that she had lied and he had told the truth.
"I tempted him; but he refused." She confirmed what she said, not out of fear of the king or the other ladies, but for Joseph to
know that she had never betrayed him during his absence, for he was still in her mind and soul. Of all creation he was the only
one she cared for, so she confirmed his innocence before all.
680
Quran [12:43]
Quran [12:44]
682
Quran [12:45]
683
Quran [12:46]
681
164
Quranic Narration of the Proving of Josephs Innocence

The Quran describes the series of incidents and conversations that eventually lead to Josephs Release and his innocence being
eventually established in the following verses:
Quran: And [as soon as Joseph's interpretation was conveyed to him,] the King said: "Bring him before
me!" But when the [King's] messenger came unto him, [Joseph] said: "Go back to thy lord and ask him
[first to find out the truth] about those women who cut their hands-for, behold, [until now it is] my
Sustainer [alone who] has full knowledge of their guile!"684
Quran: [Thereupon the King sent for those women; and when they came,] he asked: "What was it that
you hoped to achieve when you sought to make Joseph yield himself unto you?" The women answered:
"God save us! We did not perceive the least evil [intention] on his part!" [And] the wife of Joseph's former
master exclaimed: "Now has the truth come to light! It was I who sought to make him yield himself unto
me - whereas he, behold, was indeed speaking the truth!"685
Quran: [When Joseph learned what had happened, he said: "I asked for] this, so that [my former master]
might know that I did not betray him behind his back, and that God does not bless with His guidance the
artful schemes of those who betray their trust686
Zulaikhas Life Afterwards
Reflecting on these verses suggests that she had turned to Joseph's religion, monotheism. His imprisonment was a great
turning point in her life.
After this, the Qur'anic style does not give any further details of the story of the chief minister's wife completely. We do not
know what happened to her after she gave her clear evidence. Yet still, there are legends about her. It has been said that after
her husband died she married Joseph, and, behold, she was a virgin. She confessed that her husband had been old and had
never touched women. Other legends said that she lost her sight, weeping for Joseph. She abandoned her palace and
wandered in the streets of the city.
Josephs High Position
The king informed Joseph that his innocence was established and ordered him to come to the palace for an interview.
The king recognized his noble qualities. When Joseph came, the king spoke to him in his tongue. Joseph's replies astonished
the king with his cultural refinement and wide knowledge.
Then the conversation turned to the dream. Joseph advised the king to start planning for years of famine ahead. He informed
him that the famine would affect not only Egypt but the neighbouring countries as well. The king offered him a high position.
Joseph asked to be made controller of the granaries, so that he could guard the nation's harvest and thereby safeguard it
during the anticipated drought. By this Joseph did not mean to seize an opportunity or personal gain; he merely wanted to
rescue hungry nations for a period of seven years. It was a sheer self-sacrifice on his part.
Quranic Narration of Josephs Elevation to High Position
The events that lead to Josephs elevation to a high position in the Kings Court are narrated by the following verses
of The Quran.
Quran: And the King said: "Bring him unto me, so that I may attach him to my own person." And when he
had spoken with him, [the King] said: "Behold, [from] this day thou shalt be of high standing with us,
684
Quran [12:50]
Quran [12:51]
686
Quran [12:52]
685
165
invested with all trust!"687

Quran: [Joseph] replied: "Place in my charge the store-houses of the land; behold, I shall be a good and
knowing keeper.688
Quran: thus We established Joseph securely in the land [of Egypt]: he had full mastery over it, [doing]
whatever he willed. [Thus do] We cause Our grace to alight upon whomever We will; and We do not fail to
requite the doers of good. 689
Joseph Meets his Brothers
The wheels of time turned. During the seven good years, Joseph had full control over the cultivation, harvesting, and storage of
crops. During the following seven years, drought followed and famine spread throughout the region, including Canaan, the
homeland of Joseph. Joseph advised the king that as his kingdom was blessed with reserved grain, he should sell grain to the
needy nations at a fair price. The king agreed, and the good news spread all over the region.
Jacob sent ten of his sons, all except Benjamin, to Egypt to purchase provisions. Joseph heard of the ten brothers who had
come from afar and who could not speak the language of the Egyptians. When they called on him to purchase their needs,
Joseph immediately recognized his brothers, but they did not know him. How could they? To them Joseph no longer existed;
he had been thrown into the deep, dark well many years ago!
Joseph received them warmly. After supplying them with provisions, he asked where they had come from. They explained:
"We are eleven brothers, the children of a noble prophet. The youngest is at home tending to the needs of our aging father."
On hearing this, Joseph's eyes filled with tears; his longing for home swelled up in his heart, as well as his longing for
his beloved parents and his loving brother Benjamin. "Are you truthful people?" Joseph asked them. Perturbed, they replied:
"What reason should we have to state an untruth?" "If what you say is true then bring your brother as proof and I will reward
you with double rations. But if you do not bring him to me, it would be better if you did not return," Joseph warned them.
They assured him that they would gladly fulfil his command but that they would have to get their father's permission. As an
inducement to return with their brother, Joseph ordered his servant to secretly place the purse, with the money they had paid,
into one of their grain sacks.
Josephs (Yusuf)s Childhood Dream Comes True, Quranic Narration
You may recall at the beginning of the Josephs story where he is narrating to his father Prophet Yaqoob (Biblical Equivalent
Jacob) the following dream that he had.
Quran: "O my father! Verily, I saw (in a dream) eleven stars and the sun and the moon, I saw them
prostrating themselves to me.690
This dream of Joseph eventually came true when his parents (represented by the sun and moon and his brothers represented
by the 11 stars in his childhood dream) came to him seeking his favours as he was in charge of distributing the grain during the
famine. The Quran picks up the story from the time when his brothers first arrived at the grain store house, and then narrates
them in the following verses.
Quran: AND [after some years,] Joseph's brothers came [to Egypt] [58] and presented themselves before
687
Quran [12:54]
Quran [12:55]
689
Quran [12:56]
690
Quran [12:4]
688
166
him: and he knew them [at once], whereas they did not recognize him691
Quran: And when he had provided them with their provisions, he said: "[When you come here next,]
bring unto me that brother of yours from your father's side. [59] Do you not see that I have given [you] full
measure and have been the best of hosts?692
Quran: But if you do not bring him unto me, you shall never again receive a single measure [of grain]
from me, nor shall you [be allowed to] come near me!"693
Quran: They answered: "We shall try to persuade his father to part with him, and, verily, we shall do [our
utmost]!"694
Quran: And [Joseph] said to his servants: "Place their merchandise [60] in their camel-packs, so that they
may find it there when they come home, and hence be the more eager to return695
Quran: And so, when they returned to their father, [Joseph's brothers] said: "O our father! All grain [62] is
[to be] withheld from us [in the future unless we bring Benjamin with us]: send, therefore, our brother with
us, so that we may obtain our measure (of grain]; and, verily, we shall guard him well !"696
Quran: [Jacob] replied: "Shall I trust you with him in the same way [63] as I trusted you with his brother
(Joseph] afore time? [Nay,] but God's guardianship is better [than yours], for He is the most merciful of the
merciful!"697
Quran: Thereupon, when they opened their packs, they discovered that their merchandise had been
returned to them; [and] they said: "O our father! What more could we desire? Here is our merchandise: it
has been returned to us! [If thou send Benjamin with us,] we shall (again] be able to bring food for our
family, and shall guard our brother [well], and receive in addition another camel-load of grain [64] That
[which we have brought the first time] was but a scanty measure."698
Quran: Said [Jacob]: "I will not send him with you until you give me a solemn pledge, before God, that
you will indeed bring him back unto me, unless you yourselves be encompassed [by death]!" And when
they had given him their solemn pledge, [Jacob] said: "God is witness to all that we say!"699
Quran: And he added: "O my sons! Do not enter [the city all] by one gate, but enter by different gates.
[65] Yet [even so,] I can be of no avail whatever to you against [anything that may be willed by] God:
judgment [as to what is to happen] rests with none but God. In Him have I placed my trust: for, all who
have trust [in His existence] must place their trust in Him alone."700
Quran: But although they entered [Joseph's city] in the way their father had bidden them, this proved of
no avail whatever to them against [the plan of] God His request] had served only to satisfy Jacob's
heartfelt desire [to protect them]: for, behold, thanks to what We had imparted unto him, he was indeed
691
Quran [12:58]
Quran [12:59]
693
Quran [12:60]
694
Quran [12:61]
695
Quran [12:62]
696
Quran [12:63]
697
Quran [12:64]
698
Quran [12:65]
699
Quran [12:66]
700
Quran [12:67]
692
167
endowed with the knowledge [that God's will must always prevail; but most people know it not.701
Quran: AND WHEN [the sons of Jacob] presented themselves before Joseph, he drew his brother
[Benjamin] unto himself, saying [to him in secret]: "Behold, I am thy brother! So grieve thou not over their
past doings!" 702
Quran: And [later,] when he had provided them with their provisions, he placed the [King's] drinking-cup
in his brother's camel-pack. And [as they were leaving the city, a herald called out: "O you people of the
caravan! Verily, you are thieves! 703
Commenting on this verse, Razi says: "Nowhere in the Qur'an is it stated that his staff made this accusation on Joseph's orders;
the circumstantial evidence shows rather (al-aqrab ila zahir al-hal) that they did this of their own accord: for, when they had
missed the drinking-cup, [these servants of Joseph remembered that] nobody had been near it [except the sons of Jacob], and
so it occurred to them that it was they who had taken it." Analogous views are also advanced by Tabari and Zamakhshari in
their comments on the last words of verse 76 below. This extremely plausible explanation contrasts sharply with the Biblical
account of this incident (Genesis xliv), according to which the false accusation was part of an inexplicable "stratagem" devised
by Joseph. If we discard-as we must-this part of the Biblical version, it is far more logical to assume that Joseph, who had been
granted by the King full authority over all that belonged to the latter (see verse 56 above), had placed the royal cup as a
present in the bag of his favourite brother; and that he did this secretly, without informing his servants, because he did not
want anyone, least of all his ten half-brothers, to know his predilection for Benjamin. For a further explanation of this incident
and of its ethical relevance within the context of Joseph's story, see note 77 below.(Quran Ref: 12:70 ) 704
Quran: Turning towards the herald and his companions, the brothers asked: "What is it that you miss?"
705
Quran: They answered: "We miss the King's goblet; and he who produces it shall receive a camel-load [of
grain as reward]!" And [the herald added:] "I pledge myself to this _ [promise]!"706
Quran: Said [the brothers]: "By God! Well do you know that we have not come to commit deeds of
corruption in this land, and that we have not been thieving!" 707
Quran: [The Egyptians] said: "But what shall be the requital of this [deed] if you are [proved to be] liars?"
708
Quran: [The brothers] replied: "Its requital? He in whose camel-pack [the cup] is found-he shall be
[enslaved as] a requital thereof! Thus do we [ourselves] requite the doers of [such] wrong 709[74]
Quran: Thereupon [they were brought before Joseph to be searched; and] he began with the bags of his
half-brothers before the bag of his brother [Benjamin]: and in the end he brought forth the drinking Cups
[76] out of his brother's bag. In this way did We contrive for Joseph [the attainment of his heart's desire]:
under the King's law, he would [otherwise] not have been able to detain his brother, had not God so
willed. We do raise to [high] degrees [of knowledge] whomever We will - but above everyone who is
endowed with knowledge there is One who knows all. 710
701
Quran [12:68]
Quran [12:69]
703
Quran [12:70]
704
M. Asad in his note No. 72 Accompanying his translation of Quran [12:70]
705
Quran [12:71]
706
Quran [12:72]
707
Quran [12:73]
708
Quran [12:74]
709
Quran [12:75]
710
Quran [12:76]
168
702
The meaning of this story is now clear: it is a further illustration of the basic doctrine that "judgment [as to what is to happen]
rests with none but God" (verse 67 above). Joseph had wanted to keep Benjamin with himself, but under the law of Egypt he
could not do this without the consent of his half-brothers, who were the legal guardians of their minor brother; and they bound as they were by the solemn promise given to their father-would certainly not have agreed to Benjamin's remaining
behind. The only other alternative open to Joseph was to disclose his identity to them; but since he was not yet prepared td go
so far, he was obliged to allow Benjamin to depart with his brothers. The accidental discovery of his gift, entirely unexpected
by Joseph (see note 72 above), changed everything: for now Benjamin appeared to be guilty of theft, and under the law of the
land Joseph was entitled to claim him as his slave, and thus to keep him in his house. The words, "In this way did We contrive
(kidna) for Joseph [the attainment of his heart's desire]", referring to the incident of the cup, indicate that its final outcome
was neither planned nor even foreseen by Joseph.711
Quran: [As soon as the cup came to light out of Benjamin's bag, the brothers] exclaimed: "If he has
stolen-well, a brother of his used to steal afore-time!" Thereupon Joseph said to himself, without revealing
his thought to them: "You are far worse in this respect, and God is fully aware of what you are saying .712
Here it seems that Josephs brothers who thought they had got rid of him when they put him in the well all those years ago,
trying to put a blame on him not realising that it was indeed Joseph that they were speaking to.
Quran: They said: "O thou great one! Behold, he has a father, a very old man: detain, therefore, one of us
in his stead. Verily, we see that thou art a doer of good!" 713
Quran: He answered: "May God preserve us from [the sin of] detaining any other than him with whom we
have found our property-for then, behold, we would indeed be evildoers!" 714
Quran: And so, when they lost all hope of [moving] him, they withdrew to take counsel [among
themselves]. The eldest of them said: "Do you not remember that your father has bound you by a solemn
pledge before God - and how, before that, you had failed with regard to Joseph? Hence, I shall not depart
from this land till my father gives me leave or God passes judgment in my favour: for He is the best of all
judges. 715
Quran: [And as for you others,] return to your father and say: Ò our father! Behold, thy son has stolenbut we [can] bear witness to no more than what has become known to us; [83] and [although we gave you
our pledge,] we could not guard against something that [lay hidden in the future and, hence,] was beyond
the reach of our perception. 716
Quran: And ask thou in the town in which we were [at the time], and of the people of the caravan with
whom we travelled hither, and [thou wilt find that] we, are indeed telling the truth!717
Quran: [AND WHEN they returned to their father and told him what had happened,] he exclaimed: "Nay,
but it is your [own] minds that have made [so terrible] a happening seem a matter of little account to you!
But [as for myself,] patience in adversity is most goodly; God may well bring them all [back] unto me:
verily, He alone is all-knowing, truly wise!" 718
711

Quran [12:77]
713
Quran [12:78]
714
Quran [12:79]
715
Quran [12:80]
716
Quran [12:81]
717
Quran [12:82]
718
Quran [12:83]
169
712
Quran: But he turned away from them and said: "O woe is me for Joseph!"-and his eyes became dim
from the grief with which he was filled. 719
Quran: Said [his sons]: "By God! Thou wilt never cease to remember, Joseph till thou art broken in body
and spirit or art dead!" 720
Quran: He answered: "It is only to God that I complain of my deep grief and my sorrow: for I know, from
God, something that you do not know. 721
Quran: [Hence,] O my sons, go forth and try to obtain some tidings of Joseph and his brother; and do not
lose hope of God's life-giving mercy: verily, none but people who deny the truth can ever lose hope of
God's life-giving mercy. 722
Quran: [AND THE SONS of Jacob went back to Egypt and to Joseph;] and when they presented themselves
before him, they said: "O thou great one! Hardship has visited us and our folk, and so we have brought but
scanty merchandise; [89] but give us a full measure [of grain], and be charitable to us: behold, God
rewards those who give in charity!" 723
Quran: Replied he: "Do you remember what you did to Joseph and his brother when you were still
unaware [of right and wrong]?" 724
Quran: They exclaimed: "Why - is it indeed thou who art Joseph?" He answered: "I am Joseph, and this is
my brother. God has indeed been gracious unto us. Verily, if one is conscious of Him and patient in
adversity behold, God does not fail to requite the doers of good!" 725
Quran: [The brothers] said: "By God! Most certainly has God raised thee high above us, and we were
indeed but sinners!" 726
Quran: Said he: "No reproach shall be uttered today against you. May God forgive you your sins: for He is
the most merciful of the merciful! 727
Quran: [And now] go and take this tunic of mine and lay it over my father's face, and he will recover his
sight. And thereupon come [back] to me with all your family 728
Lit., "he will become seeing [again]"-i.e., "he will cease to weep for me and the dimness of his sight caused by unhappiness and
constant weeping will disappear on learning that I am alive": thus may be summed up Razi's explanation of the above
sentence. According to him, there is no compelling reason to assume that Jacob had become really blind from grief. -The
phrase "lay it over my father's face" could also be rendered as "lay it before my father", since the term wajh (lit., "face") is
often used in classical Arabic to denote, metonymically, one's whole personality, or whole being.(Quran Ref: 12:93 ) 729
719
Quran [12:84]
Quran [12:85]
721
Quran [12:86]
722
Quran [12:87]
723
Quran [12:88]
724
Quran [12:89]
725
Quran [12:90]
726
Quran [12:91]
727
Quran [12:92]
728
Quran [12:93]
729
170
720
Quran: AND AS SOON as the caravan [with which Jacob's sons were travelling] was on its way, [94] their
father said [to the people around him]: "Behold, were it not that you might consider me a dotard, [I would
say that] I truly feel the breath of Joseph [in the air]!" 730
Quran: They answered: "By God! Thou art indeed still lost in thy old aberration!" 731
Quran: But when the bearer of good tidings came [with Joseph's tunic], he laid it over his face; and he
regained his sight, [and] exclaimed: "Did I not tell you, `Verily, I know, from God, something that you do
not know'?"732
Quran: [His sons] answered: "O our father! Ask God to forgive us our sins, for, verily, we were sinners."733
Quran: He said: "I shall ask my Sustainer to forgive you: He alone is truly forgiving, a true dispenser of
grace!"734
Quran: AND WHEN they [all arrived in Egypt and] presented themselves before Joseph, he drew his
parents unto himself, saying, "Enter Egypt! If God so wills, you shall be secure [from all evil]!" 735
According to the Biblical account - not contradicted by the Qur'an - Joseph's mother Rachel had died while giving birth to Benjamin. We
may, therefore, assume that the "mother" implied in the term "parents" was another of Jacob's wives, who had brought up
Joseph and Benjamin; this would be in consonance with the ancient Arabian custom of applying the designation "mother" to a
foster-mother.(Quran Ref: 12:99 ) 736
Quran: And he raised his parents to the highest place of honour; and they [all] fell down before Him,
prostrating themselves in adoration. Thereupon [Joseph] said: "O my father! This is the real meaning of
my dream of long ago, which my Sustainer has made come true. And He was indeed good to me when He
freed me from the prison, and [when] He brought you [all unto me] from the desert after Satan had sown
discord between me and my brothers. Verily, my Sustainer is unfathomable in [the way He brings about]
whatever He wills: verily, He alone is all-knowing, truly wise 737
738
According to Àbd Allah ibn Àbbas (as quoted by Razi), the personal pronoun in "before Him" relates to God, since it is
inconceivable that Joseph would have allowed his parents to prostrate themselves before himself.(Quran Ref: 12:100 )
The fulfilment of Joseph's childhood dream consisted in the high dignity with which he was now invested and in the fact that
his parents and his brothers had come from Canaan to Egypt for his sake: for "no reasonable person can expect that the
fulfilment of a dream should be an exact replica of the dream itself" (Razi `, alluding to the symbolic prostration of the eleven
stars, the sun and the moon mentioned in verse 4 of this surah).(Quran Ref: 12:100 )739 ttp://www.islamicity.com/quranSearch
Allah the Almighty said: And Joseph's brethren came and they entered unto him, and he recognized them, but they recognized
him not. And when he had furnished them forth with provisions (according to their need), he said: "Bring me a brother of yours
from your father; (he meant Benjamin). See you not that I give full measure, and that I am the best of the hosts? But if you
bring him not to me, there shall be no measure (of corn) for you with me, nor shall you come near me."
730
Quran [12:94]
Quran [12:95]
732
Quran [12:96]
733
Quran [12:97]
734
Quran [12:98]
735
Quran [12:99]
736
M. Asad in his Note No.96 Accompanying his translation of Quran [12:99]
737
Quran [12:100]
738
M. Asads Note No. 98 Accompanying his translation of Quran [12:100 ]
739
M. Asads Note No. 99 Accompanying his translation of Quran [12:100 ]
171
731
They said: "We shall try to get permission (for him) from his father, and verily, we shall do it."
And (Joseph) told his servants to put their money (with which they had bought the corn) into their bags, so that they might
740
know it when they go back to their people, in order that they might come back.
Appendix-12 YUNUS (JONAH)

The Compact (All-in-one place) story of Prophet Yunus (Jonah) Upon whom be Peace
Description of Jonahs People.
Prophet Jonah (Yunus) also known as Dhan-Nun. About his people Almighty Allah said: Was there any town (community) that
believed (after seeing the punishment), and its Faith (at that moment) saved it (from the punishment)? (The answer is none,) except the people of Jonah; when they believed, We removed from them the torment of disgrace in the life of the (present)
world, and permitted them to enjoy for a while. Surah 10: 98 The inhabitants of the town of Nineveh were idolators who lived
a shameless life. Prophet Jonah was sent to teach them the worship of Allah. The people disliked his interference in their way
of worship, so they argued: "We and our forefathers have worshipped these gods for many years and no harm has come to
us."
Jonah Leaves His People.
Try as he might to convince them of the foolishness of idolatry and of the goodness of Allah's laws, they ignored him. He
warned them that if they kept on with their foolishness, Allah's punishment would soon follow. Instead of fearing Allah, they
told Jonah that they were not afraid of his threats. "Let it happen," they told him. Jonah was disheartened. "In that case I will
leave you to your misery!" So saying, he left Nineveh, fearing that Allah's anger would soon follow. And (remember) Dhan-Nun
(Jonah), when he went off in anger, and imagined that We shall not punish him (i.e., the calamities which had befallen him)! 741
The People are Forgiven
Hardly had he left the city when the skies began to change color and looked as if they were on fire. The people were filled with
fear by this sight. They recalled the destruction of the people of 'Ad, Thamud and Noah. Was theirs to be a similar fate? Slowly
faith penetrated their hearts. They all gathered on the mountain and started to beseech Allah for His mercy and forgiveness.
The mountains echoed with their cries. It was a momentous hour, filled with sincere repentance. Allah removed His wrath and
showered His blessings upon them once again. When the threatening storm was lifted, they prayed for the return of Jonah so
that he could guide them.
The Storm at Sea.
Meanwhile, Jonah had boarded a small ship in the company of other passengers. It sailed all day in calm waters with a good
wind blowing at the sails. When night came, the sea suddenly changed. A horrible storm blew as if it were going to split the
ship into pieces. The waves looked wild. They rose up as high as mountains then plunged down like valleys, tossing the ship and
sweeping over the deck.
Behind the ship, a large whale was splitting the water and opening its mouth. A command had been issued from Almighty Allah
to one of the greatest whales of the sea to surface. It obeyed. The whale hurried to the surface of the sea and followed the
ship as it had been commanded.
The tempest continued and the chief crewman asked the crew to lighten the ship's heavy load. They threw their baggage
overboard, but this was not enough. Their safety lay in reducing the weight further, so they decided among themselves to
lighten their load by removing at least one person.
Jonah Jumps into the Sea.
The captain directed: "We will make lots with all the travelers' names. The one whose name is drawn will be thrown into the
sea." Jonah knew this was one of the seamen's traditions when facing a tempest. It was a strange polytheistic tradition, but it
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741
Quran [12: 58-62]

Quran [21:87]
172
was practiced at that time. Jonah's affliction and crisis began.

Here was the prophet, subjected to polytheistic rules that considered the sea and the wind to have gods that riot. The captain
had to please these gods. Jonah reluctantly participated in the lot, and his name was added to the other travellers names. The
lot was drawn and "Jonah" appeared.
Since they knew him to be the most honorable among them, they did not wish to throw him into the angry sea. Therefore,
they decided to draw a second lot. Again Jonah's name was drawn. They gave him a final chance and drew a third lot.
Unfortunately for Jonah, his name came up again.
Jonah realized that Allah's hand was in all this, for he had abandoned his mission without Allah's consent. The matter was over,
and it was decided that Jonah should throw himself into the water. Jonah stood at the edge of the ship, looking at the furious
sea. It was night and there was no moon. The stars were hidden behind a black fog. But before he could be thrown overboard,
Jonah kept mentioning Allah's name as he jumped into the raging sea and disappeared beneath the huge waves.
The Whale Swallows Jonah
The whale found Jonah floating on the waves before it. It swallowed Jonah into its furious stomach and shut its ivory teeth on
him as if they were white bolts locking the door of his prison. The whale dived to the bottom of the sea, the sea that runs in the
abyss of darkness.
Three layers of darkness enveloped him, one above the other: the darkness of the whale's stomach, the darkness of the
bottom of the sea, the darkness of the night. Jonah imagined himself to be dead, but his senses became alert when he found
he could move. He knew that he was alive and imprisoned in the midst of three layers of darkness. His heart was moved by
remembering Allah. His tongue was released soon after saying: "La ilaha illa Anta (none has the right to be worshipped but You
Quran: (O, Allah), Glorified (and Exalted) be You above all that (evil) they associate with You. Truly, I have
been of the wrong-doers." 742
Jonah continued praying to Allah, repeating this invocation. Fishes, whales, sea-weeds, and all the creatures that lived in the
sea heard the voice of Jonah praying, heard the celebration of Allah's praises issuing from the whale's stomach. All these
creatures gathered around the whale and began to celebrate the praises of Allah in their turn, each in its own way and in its
own language.
The whale also participated in celebrating the praises of Allah and understood that it had swallowed a Prophet. Therefore, it
was afraid, however, it said to itself: Why should I be afraid? Allah commanded me to swallow him
Allah Forgives Jonah
Allah Almighty saw the sincere repentance of Jonah and heard his invocation in the whale's stomach. Allah commanded the
whale to surface and eject Jonah onto an island. The whale obeyed and swam to the farthest side of the ocean. Allah
commanded it to rise towards the warm, refreshing sun and the pleasant earth.
The whale ejected Jonah onto a remote island. His body was inflamed because of the acids inside the whale's stomach. He was
ill, and when the sun rose, its rays burned his inflamed body so that he was on the verge of screaming for the pain. However,
he endured the pain and continued to repeat his invocation to Allah.
Almighty Allah caused a vine to grow to considerable length over him for protection. Then Allah Exalted caused Jonah to
recover and forgave him. Allah told Jonah that if it had not been for his praying to Him, he would have stayed in the whale's
stomach till the Day of Judgment.
Summary of Jonahs Story
Almighty Allah recounted: And, verily, Jonah was one of the Messengers. When he ran to the laden ship, he (agreed to) cast
lots, and he was among the losers, - Then a (big) fish swallowed him and he had done an act worthy of blame. Had he not been
of them who glorify Allah, he would have indeed remained inside its belly (the fish) till the Day of Resurrection. But We cast
742
Quran [21:87]
173
him forth on the naked shore while he was sick, and We caused a plant of gourd to grow over him. And We sent him to a
743
hundred thousand (people) or even more. And they believed; so We gave them enjoyment for a while.
Jonahs People Change.
Gradually he regained his strength and found his way to his hometown, Nineveh. He was pleasantly surprised to notice the
change that had taken place there. The entire population turned out to welcome him. They informed him that they had turned
to believe in Allah. Together they led a prayer of thanksgiving to their Merciful Lord.
www.alim.org
Appendix-13 Sulaiman (SOLOMON)

The Compact (All-in-one place) story of Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) Upon whom be
Peace.
Solomons Knowledge.
Solomon inherited David's Prophethood and dominion. This was not a material inheritance, as prophets do not bequeath their
property. It is given away to the poor and needy, not to their relatives. Prophet Muhammad said: 'The prophets' property will
not be inherited, and whatever we leave is to be used for charity."
And indeed We gave knowledge to David and Solomon, and they both said: 'All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has
preferred us above many of His believing slaves!"
And Solomon inherited (the knowledge of) David. He said: "O mankind! We have been taught the language of birds, and on us
have been bestowed all things. This, verily, is an evident grace (from Allah)."
And there were gathered before Solomon his hosts of jinns and men, and birds, and they were all set in battle order (marching
744
forwards).
Solomon Becomes King
After his father's death, Solomon became king. He begged Allah for a kingdom such as none after him would have, and Allah
granted his wish. Besides wisdom, Allah had blessed Solomon with many abilities. He could command the winds and
understand and talk to birds and animals. Allah directed him to teach both men and jinns to mine the earth and extract its
minerals to make tools and weapons. He also favored him with a mine of copper, which was a rare metal in those days.
Solomons Fascination of Horses
During his time horses were the common mode of transportation. They were very essential for defense, to carry soldiers and
cart provisions and weapons of war. The animals were well cared for and well trained. One day Solomon was reviewing a
parade of his stable. The fitness, beauty and posture of the horses fascinated him so much that he kept on stroking and
admiring them. The sun was nearly setting, and the time for the middle prayer was passing by. When he realized this, he
exclaimed: "I surely love the finer things of life than the service of my Lord! Return them to me."
ALLAHs Gifts to Solomon
Almighty Allah revealed: And to David We gave Solomon. How excellent a slave! Verily, he was ever oft-returning in repentance
(to Us)!
When there were displayed before him, in the afternoon, well trained horses of the highest breed (for jihad in Allah's cause).
And he said: 'Alas! I did love the good (these horses) instead of remembering my Lord (in my Asr prayer)" till the time was over,
and (the sun) had hidden in the veil (of night). Then he said: "Bring them (horses) back to me." Then he began to pass his hand
743
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Quran [37: 139-148]

Quran [27: 15-17]
174
over their legs and their necks till the end of the display.
And, indeed We did try Solomon and We placed on his throne Jasadan (a devil, so he lost his kingdom for a while) but he did
return (to his throne and kingdom by the Grace of Allah and he did return) to Allah with obedience and in repentance. He said:
'My Lord.' Forgive me, and bestow upon me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after me: verily, You are the
Bestower."
So, We subjected to him the wind, it blew gently to his order whither-so-ever he willed - and also the devils from the jinns
(including) every kind of builder and diver, - and also others bound in fetters. (Saying of Allah to Solomon): 'This is Our gift, so
spend you or withhold, no account will be asked." And verily, he enjoyed a near access to Us, and a good final return
745
(Paradise).
Solomon and The Ant
One day Solomon gathered his army, which had different battalions of men, genies, birds, and animals. He marched them to
the country of Askalon.
While they were passing through a valley, an ant saw the approaching army and cried out to warn the other ants: "Run to your
homes! Otherwise, unaware, Solomon and his army might crush you!" Solomon, hearing the cry of the ant, smiled. He was glad
that the ant knew him to be a prophet who would not intentionally harm Allah's creation. He thanked Allah for saving the ants'
lives.
Allah the Almighty narrated: And there were gathered before Solomon his hosts of jinns and men, and birds, and they all were
set in battle order (marching forwards). Till, when they came to the valley of the ants, one of the ants said: "O ants! Enter your
dwellings, lest Solomon and his hosts crush you, while they perceive not."
So he (Solomon) smiled, amused at her speech and said: 'My Lord! Inspire and bestow upon me the power and ability that I
may be grateful for Your Favours which You have bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds
746
that will please You, and admit me by Your Mercy among Your righteous slaves."
Solomons Travels
In Jerusalem, on a huge rock, Solomon built a beautiful temple to draw the people to worship Allah. Today this building is
known as 'The Dome of the Rock." From there, a large band of followers joined Solomon on pilgrimage to the Holy Mosque in
Mecca. After they had completed their hajj, they travelled to Yemen and arrived in the city of Sana. Solomon was impressed by
their clever method of channelling water all over their cities. He was keen to build similar water systems in his own country but
did not have enough springs.
Solomon is Informed about the Queen of Sheba
ALLAH (SWT) has told us this story in the Quran: He (Solomon) inspecting the birds and he found that the hoopoe was missing,
and so he said: "What is the matter that I see not the hoopoe? Or is he among the absentees? I will surely punish him with a
severe torment, or slaughter him, unless he brings me a clear reason. But the hoopoe stayed not long, he (came up and) said:
"I have grasped (the knowledge of a thing) which you have not grasped and I have come to you from Sheba with true news. I
found a woman ruling over them, and she has been given all things that could be possessed by any ruler of the earth, and she
has a great throne. I found her and her people worshipping the sun instead of Allah, and Satan has made their deeds fairseeming to them, and has barred them from (Allah's) Way, so they have no guidance."
Al-La (this word has two interpretations) As Satan has barred them from Allah's Way so that they do not worship (prostrate
before) Allah, or so that they may worship (prostrate before) Allah, Who brings light to what is hidden in the heavens and the
earth, and knows what you conceal and what you reveal. Allah, La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshiped but He),
the Lord of the Supreme Throne!
(Solomon) said: "We shall see whether you speak the truth or you are (one) of the liars. Go you with this letter of mine, and
747
deliver it to them, then draw back from them, and see what (answer) they return."
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746
Quran [38: 30-40]

Quran [27: 17-19]
175
The Queen of Sheba sends Gifts to Solomon

The hoopoe dropped the letter in front of the queen and flew away to hide. She excitedly opened and read it: "Verily! It is from
Solomon, and verily! It (reads): 'In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful; be you not exalted against me,
748
but come to me as Muslims (true believers who submit to Allah with full submission)."
The queen was very disturbed and hurriedly summoned her advisors. They reacted as to a challenge, for they felt that there
was someone challenging them, hinting at war and defeat, and asking them to submit to his conditions.
She said to her Chiefs: "O chiefs! Verily! Here is delivered to me a noble letter. Verily! It is from Solomon, and verily! It (reads):
'In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful; Be you not exalted against me, but come to me as Muslims
(true believers who submit to Allah with full submission)."
They told her that they could only offer advice, but it was her right to command action. She sensed that they wanted to meet
Solomon's invasion threat with a battle. However, she told them: "Peace and friendship are better and wiser; war only brings
humiliation, enslaves people, and destroys the good things. I have decided to send gifts to Solomon, selected from our most
precious treasure. The courtiers who will deliver the gifts will also have an opportunity to learn about Solomon and his military
might."
She said: 'O chiefs! Advise me in (this) case of mine. I decide no case till you are present with me." They said: "We have great
strength, and great ability for war, but it is for you to command; so think over what you will command."
She said: "Verily! Kings, when they enter a town (country), they despoil it, and make the most honourable amongst its people
low. And thus they do. But verily! I am going to send him a present, and see with what (answer) the messengers return."
So when (the messengers with the present) came to Solomon, he said: "Will you help me in wealth? What Allah has given me is
better than that which He has given you! Nay, you rejoice in your gift!" (Then Solomon said to the chief of her messengers who
brought the present): "Go back to them. We verily shall come to them with hosts that they cannot resist, and we shall drive
them out from there in disgrace, and they will be abased." 749
Solomon Rejects the Queens Gifts
Solomon's reconnaissance team brought him the news of the arrival of Bilkis's messengers with a gift. He immediately realized
that the queen had sent her men on a probing mission; thus, he gave orders to rally the army. The envoys of Bilkis, entering
amidst the well-equipped army, realized that their wealth was nothing in comparison to that of the kingdom of Solomon. They
belittled their golden gift as they passed over Solomon's palace floors, which were made of sandalwood and inlaid with gold.
They noticed Solomon surveying his army, and they were surprised at the number and variety of soldiers, which included lions,
tigers, and birds. The messengers stood in amazement, realizing that they were in front of an irresistible army.
The envoys marvelled at the splendour surrounding them. They eagerly presented their queen's precious gifts and told
Solomon that the queen wished that he would accept them as an act of friendship. They were shocked by his reaction: he did
not even ask to open the covers of the containers! He told them: "Allah has given me plenty of wealth, a large kingdom, and
Prophethood. I am, therefore, beyond bribery. My only objective is to spread the belief in Tawhid, the Oneness of Allah."
The Queen decides to visit Solomon
The Queen's envoys returned with the gifts and delivered the message. They also told her of the wonderful things they had
seen. Instead of taking offense, she decided to visit Solomon. Accompanied by her royal officials and servants, she left Sheba,
sending a messenger ahead to inform Solomon that she was on her way to meet him.
Solomon makes arrangements for The Queens Visits
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Quran [20-28]
Quran [27: 30-31]
749
Quran [27: 29-37]
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176
Solomon asked the jinns in his employ whether anyone among them could bring her throne to the palace before she arrived.
He said: "O chiefs! Which of you can bring me her throne before they come to me surrendering themselves in obedience?"
And Ifrit (strong) from the Genies said: "I will bring it to you before you rise from your place (council). And verily, I am in deed
strong, and trustworthy for such work."
One with who was knowledge of the Scripture said: "I will bring it to you within the twinkling of an eye!" - then when
(Solomon) saw it placed before him, he said: 'This is by the Grace of my Lord - to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful!
And whoever is grateful, truly, his gratitude is for (the good of) his oneself and whoever is ungrateful, (he is ungrateful only for
the loss of his oneself). Certainly! My Lord is Rich (Free of all wants), Bountiful."
He said: "Disguise her throne for her that we may see whether she will be guided (to recognize her throne), or she will be one
of those not guided."
So when she came, it was said (to her): "Is your throne like this?"
She said: "(It is) as though it was the very same."
And (Solomon said): 'Knowledge was bestowed on us before her, and we were submitted to Allah (in Islam as Muslims before
her)." And that which she used to worship besides Allah has prevented her (from Islam), for she was of a disbelieving people.
It was said to her: "Enter As-Sarh "(a glass surface with water underneath it) or a palace, but when she saw it, she thought it
was a pool, and she (tucked up her clothes) uncovering her feet.
Solomon said: "Verily, it is Sarh paved smooth with slab of glass."
She said: 'My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself and I submit (in Islam), together with Solomon, to Allah, the Lord of the
750
Alamin (mankind, jinns, and all that exists)."
The Queens visit with Solomon
When Bilqis (The Historical Muslim Name of the Queen Sheba) arrived at Solomon's palace, she was welcomed with pomp and
ceremony. Then, pointing to the altered throne, Solomon asked her whether her throne looked like that one. She looked at it
again and again. In her mind she was convinced that her throne could not possibly be the one she was looking at, as hers was
in her palace; yet, she detected a striking similarity and replied: "It is as if it were the very one, and resembles mine in every
respect." Solomon judged that she was intelligent and diplomatic.
He then invited her into the great hail, the floor of which was laid in glass and shimmering. Thinking it was water, as she
stepped on the floor, she lifted her skirt slightly above her heels, for fear of wetting it. Solomon pointed out to her that it was
made of solid glass.
She was amazed. She had never seen such things before. Bilqis realized that she was in the company of a very knowledgeable
person who was not only a ruler of a great kingdom but a messenger of Allah, as well. She repented, gave up sun worship,
accepted the faith of Allah, and asked her people to do the same.
It was finished; Bilqis saw her people's creed fall apart before Solomon. She realized that the sun which her people worshipped
was nothing but one of Allah's creatures.
The sun eclipsed within her for the first time, and her heart was lit by a never-fading light, the light of Islam.
The Story of Solomon and The Queen of Sheeba as narrated in The Quran
Quran: And [one day] there were assembled before Solomon his hosts of invisible beings (i.e. Genies), and
of men, and of birds; and then they were led forth in orderly ranks751
750
Quran [27: 38-44]

177
Quran: And [one day] he looked in vain for [a particular one of] the birds; and so he said: How is it that I
do not see the hoopoe? Or could he be among those absent?752
Quran: But [the hoopoe] tarried but a short while; and [when it came] it said: I have encompassed [with
my knowledge] something that thou hast never yet encompassed [with thine] - for I have come to thee
from Sheba (Note: here we see the unfolding of the Quranic Story of the Queen of Sheeba who is known to
Muslims by her Muslim name of Bilqis) with a tiding sure!753
Quran: Behold, I found there a woman ruling over them; and she has been given [abundance] of all
[good] things, and hers is a mighty throne.754
Quran: and I found her and her people adoring the sun instead of God; and Satan has made these doings
of theirs seem goodly to them, and [thus] has barred them from the path [of God], so that they cannot find
the right way755
Quran: God save whom there is no deity - the Sustainer, in awesome almightiness enthroned! 756
Quran: (said SOLOMON to the hoopoe) Go with this my letter and convey it to them; and thereafter
withdraw from them and see what [answer] they return.757
Quran: [When the Queen had read Solomons letter,] she said: O you nobles! A truly distinguished letter
has been conveyed unto me.758
Quran: Behold, it is from Solomon, and it says, In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of
Grace759 (Note: These are precisely the opening words of The Quran)760
Quran: 761[God says:] Exalt not yourselves against Me, but come unto Me in willing surrender !
My (i.e. M. Asad who has given the explanation to this verse) interpolation, at the beginning of this verse, of the words "God
says" is based on the fact that, within the context of the above legend, the information brought by the hoopoe is the very first
link between the kingdoms of Sheba and of Solomon. In the absence of any previous contact, hostile or otherwise, there would
have been no point whatever in Solomons telling the people of Sheba that they should not "exalt themselves" against or
above himself. On the other hand, the narrative of the hoopoe makes it clear that the Sabaeans did "exalt themselves" against
God by worshipping the sun and by being convinced "that they ought not to worship God" (verses 24-25 above). Hence,
Solomon, being a prophet, is justified in calling upon them, in the name of God, to abandon this blasphemy and to surrender
themselves to Him. (Cf. the almost identical phrase, "Exalt not yourselves against God", in 44:19.)(Quran Ref: 27:31) 762
751
Quran [27:17]
Quran [27:20]
753
Quran [27:22]
754
Quran [27:23]
755
Quran [27:24]
756
Quran[27:26]
757
Quran [27:28]
758
Quran [27:29]
759
Quran [27:30]
760
Quran [27:31]
761
Quran [27:31]
752
762
178
Quran: Hence, behold, I (i.e. Queen Sheeba is saying to her advisors and courtiers) I am going to send a
gift to those (people i.e. Solomon and his people), and await whatever [answer] the envoys bring back.763
Quran: Now when [the Queens messenger] came unto Solomon, he said: Do you people mean to add to
my wealth? But that which God has given me is [so much] better than all that He has given you! Nay, it
is [only such as] you that would rejoice in this gift of yours!764
Quran: [When Solomon heard that the Queen of Sheba was coming, (in response to his invitation see
Quran 27:31 above) he said [to his council]: O you nobles! Which of you can bring me her throne here
before she and her followers come unto me in willing surrender to God?765
Lit., "before they come unto me as people who surrender themselves (Muslimin)" i.e., to God (see verse 31 above). The term
"throne (arsh) is used here and in the sequence - as well as at the end of verse 23 - in its metonymic sense of "dominion" or
"regal power" (Raghib). It appears that Solomon intends to confront his guest with an image of her worldly power, and thus to
766
convince her that her "throne" is as nothing when compared with the awesome almightiness of God.
Quran: Said a bold one of the invisible beings [subject to Solomon i.e. the genies]: I shall bring it to thee
ere thou rise from thy council-seat - for, behold, I am powerful enough to do it, [and] worthy of trust!767
Quran: Answered he who was illuminated (i.e. another genie by the name Ifreet) by revelation: [Nay,]
as for me - I shall bring it to thee ere the twinkling of thy eye ceases! And when he saw it truly before him,
he exclaimed: This is [an outcome] of my Sustainers bounty, to test me as to whether I am grateful or
ungrateful! However, he who is grateful [to God] is but grateful for his own good; and he who is ungrateful [should know that], verily, my Sustainer is self-sufficient, most generous in giving!768
Quran: [And] he (Solomon) continued: Alter her (Queen of Sheba) throne so that she may not know it as
hers: let us see whether she allows herself to be guided [to the truth] or remains one of those who will not
be guided.769
Quran: And so, as soon as she (Queen Sheba) arrived, she was asked: Is thy throne like this? She
answered: It is as though it were the same! [And Solomon said to his nobles: She has arrived at the
truth without any help from us,] although it is we who have been given [divine] knowledge before her, and
have [long ago] surrendered ourselves unto God!770
Solomon and The Genies
Solomon's public work was largely carried out by the jinns (Genies). This was a punishment for their sins of making people
believe that they were all powerful, knew the unseen, and could foresee the future. As a Prophet, it was Solomon's duty to
remove such false beliefs from his followers.
Solomons Death
Solomon lived amidst glory, and all creatures were subjected to him. Then Allah the Exalted ordained for him to die. His life
763
Quran [27:35]
Quran [27:36]
765
Quran [27:38]
764
766 M. Asads explanation of Quran : 27:38 http://www.islamicity.com/quranSearch

767
Quran [27:39]
Quran [27:40]
769
Quran [27:41]
770
Quran [27:42]
768
179
and death were full of wonders and miracles; thus, his death harmonized with his life and glory. His death, like his life, was
unique. The people had to learn that the future is known neither by the jinns nor by the prophets, but by Allah alone.
Solomon's effort in this direction did not end with his life, for even his death became an example.
He was sitting holding his staff, overseeing the jinns at work in a mine. He died sitting in this position. For a long time no one
was aware of his death, for he was seen sitting erect. The jinns continued with their strife and toil, thinking that Solomon was
watching over them
Many days later, a hungry ant began nibbling Solomon's staff. It continued to do so, eating the lower part of the staff, until it
fell out of Solomon's hand, and his great body fell to the ground. People hurried to him, realizing that he had died a long time
ago and that the jinns did not perceive the unseen, for had the jinns known the unseen, they would not have kept working,
thinking that Solomon was alive.
Allah the Exalted revealed: And We caused a fount of (molten) brass to flow for him, and there were jinns that worked in front
of him by the Leave of his Lord, and whosoever of them turned aside from Our Command, We shall cause him to taste of the
torment of the blazing Fire. They worked for him what he desired, (making) high rooms, images, basins as large as reservoirs,
and (making) cauldrons fixed (in their places). 'Work you, 0 family of David, with thanks!" But few of My slaves are grateful.
Then when we decreed death for him (Solomon), nothing informed them (jinns) of his death except a little worm of the earth,
which kept (slowly) gnawing a way at his stick, so when he fell down, the jinns saw clearly that if they had known the unseen,
they would not have stayed in the humiliating torment. 771
www.alim.org
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Quran [34: 12-14]

180

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Animals and Animal Welfare in

Alphabetical Encyclopedia of Animals that are mentioned in The Quran,

ANTS in the Quran and Hadith ANTELOPE in Islamic Texts

HYENA in the Quran / Hadiths

SPIDER in the Quran and Hadiths

in the Quran and Hadiths,

VULTURES in the Hadith

Animals and Animal Welfare in Islam

COMMUNITIES LIKE OUR OWN

This is stated in The Quran in the following verses:

CREATED FROM WATER

SUSTENANCE OF EVERY LIVING CREATURE

WIDE USE OF ANIMALS

USE OF ANIMALS AS MEANS OF TRANSPORT AND ITS FUTURE

ANIMALS FOR USE AS SACRIFICE

OTHER USES OF ANIMALS

ALLAH HAS KNOWLEDGE OF THE FORE-LOCK OF EVERY MOVING

ALL LIVING CREATURES WILL BE SUMMONED BEFORE GOD.

ALL PROSTRATE TO and WORSHIP ALLAH

Chapter 2 Chapters of The Quran that are named after Animals

5. The Spider - Ankabut, Chapter 29

1. The Cow - Buqarah,

yet they took to worshipping it any way.

Role of The Samaritans

Quran: I seek refuge with GOD against being so ignorant44

M. Asad in his Note 53 Accompanying his translation of Quran [2:67]

2. The Cattle Al-Anam,

M. Asad in his Note 55 Accompanying his translation of Quran[ 2:71]

3. The Bee Al-Nahal,

M. Asads Note 129 Accompanying his translation of Quran [6:142]

Introduction to Chapter-Surah 16- An-Nahl www.alim.org

The next mention of Bees in this Chapter is an indirect reference to HONEY

4. The Ants - Al-Naml,

Chapter Introduction: Name Al-Naml, The Ants

5. The Spider - Ankabut, Chapter 29

6. The Elephant - Al-Feel, Chapter 105

Chapter 3 Animal Welfare Commandments in the Hadith

Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh) said in answer to a question.

will be rewarded as if he had

DIVINE REWARD FOR SERVING ANIMALS

THE WORST OF THE SHEPHERDS

NO SECURE FAITH UNTIL......

KILLING OF EVEN A SPARROW WILL HAVE TO BE ANSWERED FOR....

Bukhari and Muslim

MAIMING OF AN ANIMAL IS PROHIBITED

SHOW MERCY EVEN TO A BIRD....

RIDING AND FEEDING ANIMALS....

Hadith as quoted in the collection of Hadiths known as Ahmad and Al-Nasai

DUAA WHEN SETTING OUT ON A JOURNEY

Animal Welfare in Islam

DO NOT IMPRISON ANIMALS OR WITHOLD FOOD FROM THEM

The Second Caliph Omars own Story:

there is a soul as a target.85

BRANDING ANIMALS ON THE FACE

INCITING ANIMALS TO FIGHT ONE ANOTHER IS ALSO PROHIBITED

DONT TIE ANIMALS FOR THE SAKE OF KILLING THEM

DO NOT MUTILATE A LIVING ANIMAL

REWARD FOR SERVING ANY ANIMATE

DONT RIDE TIRED ANIMALS

AQIQA IS DESIRABLE BUT NOT OBLIGATORY

Chapter 4 Prophets of Allah and their links with an Animal Specie

Prophet NOOH (Pbuh) Biblical Name: Noah and the Animals