‫ﷲالرَّ حْ َم ِن اارَّ ِحيم‬

ِ ‫ــــــــــــــــــم ا‬
ِ ْ‫ِبس‬

CHAPTER 6:AL-AKHLAQ
6.7 : ISLAMIC ADAB (ISLAMIC MANNERS)

GROUP 185
NAME OF LECTURER :
USTAZAH SALMIAH BINTI MAT
NAME OF GROUP MEMBER :

NAME MATRIC NO.

MOHAMED AMIN BIN MUHAMMAD 111564
ALI
MOHAMED ANAS BIN MOHAMED 111566
IQBAL
MOHAMED FAUZAN BIN IZHAR 111567
ISLAMIC ADAB

TOPIC PAGE
APPRECIATION 2-3
INTRODUCTION TO ISLAMIC ADAB
THE IMPORTANCE OF ADAB
ADAB OF SOCIALIZING BETWEEN MEN AND
WOMEN
ADAB OF DISAGREEMENT

1
ISLAMIC ADAB

Assalammualaikum , praise be to Allah S.W.T. Firstly, we would like to expressed our

gratitude to our BTQ lecturer, Ustazah Salmiah who always give us information regarding

this assignment. She always worked hard to help us to finish this assignment in order for

us to get an excellent grade in BTQ exam. Without her, we would never finished our

assignment today. We were truly blessed to be given the kind and hardworking lecturer.

Besides , we also want to thank all of our friend in Group 185 for lending us a helping

hand, they help us in providing some reference although they don’t have much free time.

We are truly grateful for their help. May Allah S.W.T blessed all of you.

2
ISLAMIC ADAB

‫ﷲالرَّ حْ َم ِن اارَّ حِيم‬

ِ ‫ــــــــــــــــــم ا‬
ِ ْ‫ِبس‬
Chapter 6 – Al-Akhlaq
Subtopic 6.7 – Islamic Adab (Islamic Manners)
INTRODUCTION TO ISLAMIC ADAB

Definition1:

Literal :

 Habit

 Etiquette

 Manner of conduct

 Good manner.

Technical : 2

 Good manners that are derived from the teachings of Islam.

 Manners are an integral part of Islam and it is what separates Islam from other

religions by not only being a religion, but a way of life.

 The blessed Prophet Muhammad SAW stated: “My Lord has taught me good manners

and He mannered me well.”

 Etiquette and manners were very new and different to the Jahiliyya ways of Mecca

during the time of the Prophet SAW and reflected the distinct identity of Muslims.

Adab is natural, it isn’t really taught, or learnt, but it is naturally developed. Children

acquire adab from their parents, students from their teachers, the young from the

1
Ustaz Muhadhir bin Haji Joll. Basic Themes of Al-Qur’an (Sem 1 2011/2012)
2
Ibid
3
ISLAMIC ADAB

elders. We may have much knowledge but lack adab and we may have much adab but

lack knowledge; but it is adab that holds the greater value and importance. In today’s

society, where parents, teachers, and elders are no longer given their correct honours,

respect or rights; basic manners have made a swift exit, whilst we compete for glory,

knowledge, or worldly gain. Therefore, adab is proven very important as it has been

stated in many books and sources. Such as:

 The vehicle for manners is Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) through the

teaching of Allah Subhanu wa Ta’ala

 The Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) said, “My Lord has given me etiquette.”

 If you have adab with Allah Subhanu wa Ta’ala you will reach him

 The Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) said, “Etiquette is all of religion.”

 Manners is everything that is praiseworthy in terms of your actions

 Umar ibn Khattab (May Allah Ta’ala be pleased with him) wrote with he left hand but

did not eat with his left hand

 Imam Shafi (May Allah's Ta'ala mercy be with him) said, “Make adab your flour and

knowledge your salt.”

 If you have adab you will gain knowledge

 Adab is the perfection of things

4
ISLAMIC ADAB

The Importance of Adab3

Ibn Al-Mubarak said, “Mukhlid Ibn al-Husayn once said to me,

‘We are more in need of acquiring adab than learning Hadith’.

This highlights that knowledge alone is insufficient to build a sound and balanced Islamic

personality. Imam Zakariya al-Anbari once said:

‘Knowledge without Adab is like fire without wood, and Adab without knowledge is like a

spirit without a body’.

So, vast amounts of knowledge and severe lack in adab, means a person is little more than a

donkey laden with books. What use are the books to that donkey without being able to read?

Similarly, what use is knowledge to a Muslim, without the practical mannerisms and

etiquettes that really define us as Muslims?

Traditionally, adab was not taught but acquired and embodied between interactions between

people. It has been narrated that Imam Ahmed (‫ )رحمة هللا عليه‬would have had up to 5000

attendees at his gatherings, maybe 500 would write and learn; the rest (4500) would simply

learn from his actions, his adab. This has such importance that we learn by what we see,

whether that is good or bad, hence it is essential and somewhat detrimental that we teach only

that which is good, as the bad habits are perhaps the easier to acquire.

Looking at other classical examples from our pious Ulema; the mother of Imam Malik ( ‫رحمة‬

‫ )هللا عليه‬would place an imama on his head and send him to his teacher Rabi’ah ibn

Abdurrahman (nicknamed: Rabi’ah Ar-Rai’), to learn first from his manners, his adab and

3
Internet, http://adabinislam.blogspot.com/2007/04/importance-of-adab.html
5
ISLAMIC ADAB

then his knowledge. Indeed the deen of Islam is itself manners, where anyone that surpasses

you in manners, is better than you in deen (Ibn al-Qayyim). Abu Huraira (‫)رضى هللا عنه‬

narrated, that the Prophet (‫ )صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬said:

“I have not been sent as a Messenger, except to perfect character (Akhlaaq)”

He also said that:

“The nearest of you to me on the Day of Judgement will be the one who is best in character.”

(Bukhari)

All the books of Hadith have chapters on Adab. For example:

1. Muwatta’, Imam Malik: The book of good behaviour

2. Sahih al-Bukhari: The book of manners

3. Sahih Muslim: The book of dutifulness, ties of kinship and manners.

4. Sunan Abi Dawud: The book of manners

5. Sunan at Tirmidhi: The book of manners, and the book of dutifulness and ties of kinship.

6. Sunan Ibn Majah: Chapters on Manners.

The book Al Adab Al Mufrad was separated by Imam Bukhari (‫ )رحمة هللا عليه‬because he was

aware of its great importance in everyday living. When we talk about Adab we must first

begin with our Adab with Allah (‫ )سبحانه وتعالى‬in terms of akhlaaq, sincerity, actions, avoiding

shirk etc. We must qualify our respect for Allah (‫ )سبحانه وتعالى‬and His attributes, His signs,

His Symbols (the Quran, the Masãjid and everything connected to Him). Then we must

purify and qualify our Adab with the Prophet (‫)صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬. In quantifying, Allah ( ‫سبحانه‬

‫ )وتعالى‬tells us in the Quran that in His (‫ )صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬manners and style, the Prophet ( ‫صلى‬

‫ )هللا عليه وسلم‬was a perfect example:

6
ISLAMIC ADAB

‫َظ ٍيم‬ ٍ ُ‫وَِإنَّكَ لَ َعلى ُخل‬

ِ ‫قع‬

“Truly, you have the best of manners”

(Quran Al Qalam: verse 4)4

It has been narrated by many Ulama that if parents give any inheritance, there is no greater

inheritance than Adab. Al-Walid ibn Numayr said that he heard his father say:

“They used to say, ‘Righteousness is (a gift) from Allah, but adab (right conduct) is from the

parents”.

In this sense however, adab holds such importance that the actions of a believer are rendered

null and void if they lack manners. In pointing out the status of adab in comparison to

actions, Imam al-Qarafi said:

“You should know that a little of good manners is better than a lot of good actions”.

Ruwaym the righteous scholar told his son;

“Oh my son, make your deeds salt and your manners flour”.

So much like the “perfect dough”, many good manners with a few good deeds are better by

far than many good deeds with a few good manners.

4
Al-Quran Al Karim, Surah Al-Qalam 68:4
7
ISLAMIC ADAB

Adab of socializing between men and women.

 Regarding to Dr. Yusuf al-Qardhawi, the contacts between men and women are not

totally rejected. Unless, it’s lay on syariah.

 When we talk, we must relate good things between people.

385. Umm Kulthum, the daughter of 'Uqba ibn Abi Mu'ayt, reported that she heard

the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "Someone

who makes peace between people by saying something good or relates something

good is not a liar."

She said, "I did not hear him make an allowance for any lie that people utilise except

in three cases: making peace between people, a man speaking to his wife, and a

woman speaking to her husband."5

1.We must lower of gaze6

 Men and women who are strangers to one another have to lower their gaze

 not look at each other fixedly and for a prolonged time.

 "Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty:

that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that

they do.“

 “And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their

modesty….” (Surah an Nur: verse 30-31)

 According to Buraidah, the Prophet told the future fourth khalif, 'Ali, not to cast a

second look, for the first look was pardonable but the second was prohibited.

5
Imam Al Bukhari, Adab Al Mufrad
6
Ustaz Muhadhir bin Haji Joll ,opsit
8
ISLAMIC ADAB

‫) َوقُل‬٣٠( َ‫صنَعُون‬ ۡ َ‫ك َأ ۡز َك ٰى لَه ُۗمۡ‌ ِإ َّن ٱهَّلل َ خَ بِي ۢ ُر بِ َما ي‬

َ ِ‫وا فُرُو َجه ُۚمۡ‌ َذٲل‬
ْ ُ‫ص ٰـ ِر ِهمۡ َويَ ۡحفَظ‬ َ ‫وا ِم ۡن َأ ۡب‬ْ ُّ‫قُل لِّ ۡل ُم ۡؤ ِمنِينَ يَ ُغض‬
‫ض ِر ۡبنَ بِ ُخ ُم ِر ِه َّن َعلَ ٰى‬ۡ َ‫ُوجه َُّن َواَل ي ُۡب ِدينَ ِزينَتَه َُّن ِإاَّل َما ظَهَ َر ِم ۡنهَ ۖا‌ َو ۡلي‬ َ ‫ص ٰـ ِر ِه َّن َويَ ۡحفَ ۡظنَ فُر‬ َ ‫ُضنَ ِم ۡن َأ ۡب‬ ۡ ‫ت يَ ۡغض‬ ِ ‫لِّ ۡل ُم ۡؤ ِمنَ ٰـ‬
‫َأ‬ ۡ ‫َأ‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫َأ‬ ‫َأ‬
‫ن َواَل ي ُۡب ِدينَ ِزينَتَه َُّن ِإاَّل لِبُعُولَتِ ِه َّن ۡو َءابَ ِٕٓاٮ ِه َّن ۡو َءابَٓا ِء بُعُولَتِ ِه َّن ۡو ۡبن َِٕٓاٮ ِه َّن ۡو ۡبنَٓا ِء بُعُولَتِ ِه َّن ۡو ِإخ َوٲنِ ِه َّن ۡو‬ ‌َّۖ ‫ُجيُوبِ ِہ‬
‫بَنِ ٓى ِإ ۡخ َوٲنِ ِه َّن َأ ۡو بَنِ ٓى َأ َخ َوٲتِ ِه َّن َأ ۡو نِ َس ِٕٓاٮ ِه َّن َأ ۡو َما َملَ َك ۡت َأ ۡي َم ٰـنُه َُّن َأ ِو ٱلتَّ ٰـبِ ِعينَ غ َۡي ِر ُأوْ لِى ٱِإۡل ۡربَ ِة ِمنَ ٱلرِّ َجا ِل َأ ِو ٱلطِّ ۡف ِل‬
َ‫ن َوتُوب ُٓو ْا ِإلَى ٱهَّلل ِ َج ِميعًا َأيُّه‬ ‌َّ‫ض ِر ۡبنَ بَِأ ۡر ُجلِ ِه َّن لِي ُۡعلَ َم َما ي ُۡخفِينَ ِمن ِزينَتِ ِه ۚـ‬ ۡ َ‫ت ٱلنِّ َسٓا ِۖ‌ء َواَل ي‬ ِ ‫ُوا َعلَ ٰى ع َۡو َرٲ‬ ْ ‫ٱلَّ ِذينَ لَمۡ يَ ۡظهَر‬
)٣١( َ‫ۡٱل ُم ۡؤ ِمنُونَ لَ َعلَّ ُكمۡ تُ ۡفلِحُون‬

Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be modest. That is purer for them. Lo! Allah is

aware of what they do. (30) And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be modest,

and to display of their adornment only that which is apparent, and to draw their veils over

their bosoms, and not to reveal their adornment save to their own husbands or fathers or

husbands' fathers, or their sons or their husbands' sons, or their brothers or their brothers' sons

or sisters' sons, or their women, or their slaves, or male attendants who lack vigour, or

children who know naught of women's nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so as to

reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto Allah together, O believers, in order

that ye may succeed. (31) 7

2. Preserve Aurah8

 Muslim men: cover the body between the navel and the knee

 Muslim woman: cover her whole body excluding the face and hands from all men

except her husband and mahram

 “…that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must

ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not

display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers,

their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters'

sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants

7
Al-Quran Al Karim, Surah An-Nur 24:30-31
8
Ustaz Muhadhir bin Haji Joll ,opsit

9
ISLAMIC ADAB

free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and

that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden

ornaments…” surah Annur verse 31.

 The dress shouldn’t be seen through, tight-fitting and reveal the shapeliness of the

body.

 The Messenger of Allah also said, "Allah has cursed those women who wear clothes

yet still remain naked.“

 Prevent the danger to them from lecherous and evil men.

 O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should

cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient,

that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft- Forgiving,

Most Merciful.

3. Seclusion9

 No man and woman are allowed to be together in a place where no other male exist.

 The prophet said : "Whenever a man is alone with a woman, the Devil makes a third."

- Tirmidhi Hadith 3118, narrated by Umar ibn al-Khattab.10

 If a woman receives a male visitor, she can let him in if he is mahram.

 Rasulullah SAW said: "Do not call on women in the absence of their husbands,

because Shaitan might be circulating in you like blood circulates." - Tirmidhi.11

9
Ustaz Muhadhir bin Haji Joll ,opsit
10
Hadith - Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhi 3118, Narrated Umar ibn al-Khattab
11
Hadith - Al-Tirmidhi 3119, Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah
10
ISLAMIC ADAB

4. Voice of women:12

 women are allowed to voice their opinion publicly.

 Based on the case of Omar when he was challenged by a woman during his khutba on

the minbar.

 "O consorts of the Prophet! Ye are not like any of the other women: If ye do fear

Allah, be not too complaisance of speech, lest one in whose heart is a disease should

be moved with desire: but speak ye a speech that is just.“13

5. To observe distance:14

 meeting, mixing, intermingling of men and women in one place and the revealing of

women to men are prohibited by the Law of Islam.

 among the causes for fitnah, the arousing of desires, and the committing of indecency

and wrongdoing.

 (Surah al-Ahzab, verse 53) "...for anything ye want, ask them from before a screen:

that makes for greater purity for your hearts and for theirs…15

6. Never touch opposite gender16

 It is forbidden for a man to shake hands with a woman who is a stranger to him.

 The Prophet SAW said: “The one who touches the hand of a woman without having a

lawful relation with her, will have an ember (hot coal) placed on his palm on the Day

of Judgement.” (Fath-al-Qadir)17

12
Ustaz Muhadhir bin Haji Joll ,opsit
13
Al-Quran Al-Karim, Surah Al-Ahzab 33:32
14
Ustaz Muhadhir bin Haji Joll ,opsit
15
Al-Quran Al-Karim, Surah Al-Ahzab 33:53
16
Ustaz Muhadhir bin Haji Joll ,opsit
17
Takmilah, Fath al-Qadir
11
ISLAMIC ADAB

 Permissible if behind a pardah (curtain)

7. General morality18

 A women should be serious in speech and decent in way of walking, nipping any trial

of Satan to spread immorality in the bud.

 No perfumes are to be worn while being away from home, for the Prophet SAW said:

“Any women who wears perfumes and then passes by a group of men and they smell

it, she is an adulteress.” 19

Factors that can lead to adultery:

 Lack of iman and religious knowledge in a person.

 Human cannot control their desire(nafsu)

 Many women exposed their aurah to non- mahram.

 Physical attractions.

 One partner feeling that his / her needs are not being met.

 Emotional emptiness can lead to adultery

 Need for sexual and social variety,

18
Ustaz Muhadhir bin Haji Joll ,opsit
19
Hadis, Narrated by An Nasa'i, Abu Dawud and others
12
ISLAMIC ADAB

Conclusion

 As a Muslim, we need to take care of our adab between genders and refrain ourselves

from doing things that approach the act of adultery and commit adultery because it is

hateful in the sight of Allah.

 )٣٨( ‫ۥ ِعن َد َربِّكَ َم ۡكرُو ۬هًا‬ ُ‫ُكلُّ َذٲلِكَ َكانَ َسيُِّئه‬

Of all such things the evil is hateful in the sight of thy Lord. 20

Surah Al-Israa’ verse 38.

Adab of Disagreement

Looking through any hadith book , I am sure that we are well aware of the fact that the

Sahabat themselves had many disagreements and differences in opinions. Each of them

would have valid points based on their own individual interpretations which, naturally,

tended to vary from person to person. Thus from this and life itself, we can definitely surmise

that disagreements are a very natural thing and that differences of opinions are not some

anomaly or a deviation from the norm. However, even though the Sahabat would have

disagreements, they would NEVER, to the best of our knowledge, Allahu-Alim, succumb to

the pettiness of belittling each other, of being sarcastic, of hurling insults, or anything else for

that matter (no food fights for them:) ), and of taking things way out of proportion to such an

extent that the very brotherhood of the Muslims was endangered.

Today, nearly 1400 years later we all sit here, "reminiscing" on their lives, and trying to

discover the secret to their overwhelming success, but we often times tend to forget the real

reason behind it all. The sahabat were great people, yes, but they were not superhuman

beings. They were real, as real as you or I and they all had their individual strengths and

20
Al-Quran Al-Karim, Surah Al-Isra’ 17:38
13
ISLAMIC ADAB

weaknesses. What made them so successful was the fact that the Quran for them was not

simply a book to browse through occasionally when one had time. No, to them it was a "How

To " manual on life, or the written instructions on how to fight a jihad against the self. Their

attitude thus was akin to a soldier's to their general in the midst of war: "We hear and we

obey" They felt that it was incumbent upon them to carry out every instruction that they read

and it is for this reason that so many of them would only memorize ten ayahs of the Quran at

a time . Now, in terms of disagreements, their Iman sustained them throughout and if we

want to be like them in their closeness to Allah SWT, we must keep the following things in

mind when we are disagreeing w/anyone.

1.Sincerety: Do not disagree just for the sake of disagreeing. Don't argue just because you

don't happen to like someone or something. whenever you argue, make sure that you are

sincere in your intentions and that your intention is not to cause problems but to help your

brother and sister in Islam. 21

2. Patience: We must be very patient with all of our brothers and our sisters. Do not argue

over silly or trivial issues and have enough patience to not get angry. Stay calm and sincere,

remember that people listen much more willingly when they are not being yelled at.

Remember also just how patient Allah SWT is w/ us. He did not just destroy all of humanity

whenever we did something awfully wrong, no He sent us Rasul after Rasul, time after time,

to guide us to bring us back to Him. look in the Quran and see that when talking about

Pharoah, Allah SWT tells Moses (AS) to "speak to Pharoah a soft word" when this human

actually had the audacity of saying " I am your lord most high" !!!!! If Allah SWT can be so

patient w/ an individual as awful as pharoah, surely our brothers and sisters in Islam deserve

at least a fraction of our patience. 22

21
Ustaz Muhadhir bin Haji Joll ,opsit
22
Ustaz Muhadhir bin Haji Joll ,opsit
14
ISLAMIC ADAB

3. Tolerance and Mercy: If you disagree with someone, it is not necessary to insult or to

bombard a person. Be tolerant and merciful for you can not force someone to agree w/you.

Remember that in the Quran, Allah SWT told Rasulullah SAW to say to the Quraish, "Hey, if

I am wrong in what I believe and am sinning, then you are free from blame." Basically, let

me do what I want, and you do whatever you want. He never said ,"Be Muslim or die." now

if he could be tolerant about this extremely important issue, just so should we be tolerant

about issues much less vital. Respect other opinions and points of views and remember that

just because someone does not agree w/ you, does not mean that they are wrong. 23

4. Wisdom: Prioritize issues. Ask," Is this argument REALLY worth it?" Do not waste time

arguing over unimportant issues or issues that have already been decided by Allah SWT and

Rasulullah SAW. 24

5. Give sincere Naseehah(advice),which has it's own rules:

1. Be sure of your information or what you are going to say. Verify it . Don't just

assume that the person is wrong, but make sure that you know about all the different

valid ways and possibilities of looking at an issue and that you are 100% sure that the

person is wrong and in need of sincere Naseehah

2. Wisdom/strategy: Think about what is the best way to change the actions of that

person? What approach can/ should be used w/ the person. Everyone responds in

different ways. For some, a gentle word is enough while with others, a more

aggressive approach is necessary. However, regardless of the method, remember that

your naseeha must never be given in such a way as to hurt anyone. For example,

Hasan and Hussein (RA), grandchildren of Rasulullah SAW once saw an old man

doing wudu’ incorrectly. Though very young, they were very perturbed and talked
23
Ustaz Muhadhir bin Haji Joll ,opsit
24
Ustaz Muhadhir bin Haji Joll ,opsit
15
ISLAMIC ADAB

amongst themselves on how to best correct their elder w/o any disrespect. So, they

decided to tell the old man that they were having a contest between them on who

could do wudu’ in the best way and ask him to be their judge. The man agreed and so

both of them proceeded to do wudu’ exactly in the same, correct way. The old man,

realized his mistake and said," You both are correct." Alhamdulillah, so much

children can teach us if we only let them. 25

If we follow these points while at the same time keeping Islamic Adab (manners or conduct)

in mind, especially in terms of being respectful to your elders when disagreeing, etc,

Insha'allah with Allah SWT's help we should, at least in this area, be just as faithful and as

successful as the Sahabat.

Some Practices of Adab of disagreement

After the Death of the Prophet

The first disagreement among the Companions after the death of the Prophet concerned the

reality of his death itself. `Umar ibn al Khattaab, may God be pleased with him, insisted that

the Messenger of God did not die, considered any such talk a false rumor spread by the

hypocrites, and threatened to punish them for it. This went on until Aboo Bakr ap peared on

the scene and recited the verse of the Qur'an:

Muhammad is no more than a Messenger. Many were the Messengers who passed away

before him. If he died or were slain, will you then turn back on your heels? Whoever turns

back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to God; but God [on the other hand] will

swiftly reward those who [serve him] with gratitude (3: 144).

And another verse of the Qur'an:

Truly you will die [one day], and truly they [too] will die [one day] (39: 30).

25
Ustaz Muhadhir bin Haji Joll ,opsit
16
ISLAMIC ADAB

When `Umar heard these verses his sword fell from his hand and he himself fell to the

ground. He realized that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, had passed

away and that the divine revelation had come to an end.26

Differences over the Prophet's Burial

The second issue on which the Companions differed concerned the place where the Prophet

should be buried. One person said: "We should bury him in his mosque." Another said: "We

should bury him next to his Companions." Aboo Bakr then said: "I heard the Messenger of

God, may God bless him and grant him peace, say: `Whenever a prophet died he was buried

where he died.'"

Thereupon, the bed on which the Prophet died was raised and his grave was dug beneath it

These were two critical issues which were swiftly resolved simply by resorting to the Qur'an

and the Sunnah.27

The successor of The Prophet

Another controversy arose about who was to succeed the Prophet. Should the successor be

from among the Muhajiroon (emigrants from Makkah) or from the Ansaar (helpers from

Madinah)? Should the office be entrusted to one person or more? Should the successor be

vested with the same prerogatives exercised by the Prophet in his capacity as judge and

leader (imaam) of the Muslims, or should these prerogatives be less or different?

A spokesman from among the Ansaar stood up and wanted to shift the issue back into the

framework suggested by the first spokesman, and proposed that there should be one ruler

(ameer) from the Ansaar and another from the Quraysh. `Umar described the situation then:

"There was much talk and people raised their voices so loudly that I feared disagreement

26
Taha Jabir al `Alwani, The Ethics of Disagreement in Islam
27
Ibid
17
ISLAMIC ADAB

(would ensue). So I said: `Give me your hand, O Aboo Bakr.' He offered me his hand and I

pledged allegiance to him. Then the Muhaajiroon followed suit and then the Ansar." In the

ensuing rush, Sa`d ibn `Ubaadah, the nominee of the Ansaar, may God be pleased with him,

was accidentally trampled upon."

In this way the Companions of the Prophet were able to settle this dispute without leaving

any trace of rancor in their hearts and to unite on the primary objective of carrying forward

the message of Islam.28

Sayidina Umar and Sayidina Ali

There were differences of opinion between `Umar ibn al Khattaab and `Alee ibn Abee Taalib,

but these were kept within the bounds of refined manners. The following story demonstrates

this:

There was a woman whose husband was away. `Umar, who was then the khaleefah, was told

that she admitted men into her house in the absence of her husband. As `Umar disapproved of

this, he sent someone to summon her to him. "Go to `Umar," she was told and she said:

"Oh, woe unto me! Why should `Umar want to see me?" The woman was pregnant, and on

her way to him she was so scared that she went into labor. She therefore entered a house

where she gave birth to a child who died shortly afterwards. `Umar consulted the

Companions of the Prophet, some of whom advised that he was not to be blamed for

anything; he was only doing what his office required of him. `Alee, on the other hand, kept

silent. Noticing that, `Umar came up to `Alee and asked him: "What do you say?" `Alee

replied: "If what these Companions said is what they really think, then their opinion is wrong.

But if they said that in order to please you, they have not given you proper advice. I believe

that you have to pay compensation (deeyah) for the child. It is you who scared the woman,
28
Taha Jabir al `Alwani, opsit
18
ISLAMIC ADAB

and she miscarried because of you." `Umar yielded to the opinion of `Alee without feeling

any resentment in acting on his verdict, even though he was the head of the Muslim state

(ameer al mu'mineen). He felt a certain relief in following the opinion of another.29

Finally, Muslims should always supplicate to Allah (S.W.T.) to open our hearts and minds to

the truth. “O' Allah show us the truth clearly and help us to follow it and love it. O' Allah

show us the false clearly and help us to stay away from it and to hate it.”

Ustazah Salmiah – 016-3193875

29
Taha Jabir al `Alwani, opsit
19