Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 912 [Read full issue]
Conciliation and Advice
[continued from issue 911]
6. Conciliation (sulh)
The capacity of conciliation between people differs from that of judgeship. An example is the action of God's Messenger when al-Zubayr and Humayd, a man from the Ansar, quarrelled about a watercourse, which both of them used for irrigation.
The Prophet said to Zubayr: "O Zubayr! Irrigate [your garden] first, and then let the water flow to your neighbour." The Ansari became angry and said, "O God's Apostle! Is it because he is your cousin?" On that the countenance of God's Apostle changed and he said [to al-Zubayr], "Irrigate [your garden] and then withhold the water till it reaches the walls [surrounding the palms]." Urwah ibn Zubayr commented: "Before that, God's Apostle had given a generous judgment benefiting al-Zubayr and the Ansari, but when the Ansari irritated God's Apostle he gave al-Zubayr his full right according to the evident law." [Bukhari, Muslim]
A similar example is that of Kaab ibn Malik when he demanded repayment of a debt from Abd Allah ibn Abi Hadrad, and their voices grew very loud in the mosque. The Messenger of God passed by them and said: "O Kaab!" beckoning with his hand as if intending to say, "Deduct half of the debt" (out of kindness). Kaab agreed and so he took half of what Ibn Abi Hadrad owed him and remitted the other half. [Bukhari, Muslim]
7. Advice to those seeking his opinion (isharah)
7. Concerning the capacity of giving advice to those seeking it, mention can be made of the advice given by God's Messenger to someone who sought it. That is how Zayd ibn Thabit understood the prohibition of God's Messenger to sell fruit before it is ripe. It is reported in Sahih Al-Bukhari from Zayd that people in the lifetime of God's Apostle used to trade in fruit. When they harvested their dates and the purchasers came to receive their due, the buyers would say, "The dates have gone rotten; they are blighted with disease, they are afflicted with the qusham [a disease which causes the fruits to fall before ripening]." God's Apostle said: "Do not sell the fruits before their benefit is evident." Zayd commented that the Prophet said this "by way of advice, for they quarrelled too much."
..... [to be continued]
Compiled From:
"Treatise on Maqasid Al-Shariah" - Ibn Ashur, pp. 39-41