The Attribution of Cowardice to Hassan ibn Thabit and the Investigation of Reports Concerning the Companions
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The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, 'Uqbah ibn Allah, what is the authenticity of some reports in historical books that Hassan ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) was a coward, that he spent his time with women in Madinah, and that he did not go to the battlefield to fight?
The Shaykh:
Investigating this is not permissible; because Hassan is one of the Companions, from the Ansar, who defended Islam with poetry and speech, and his poetry was more severe upon the polytheists than the impact of arrows. And he said to him (peace and blessings be upon him) So Hassan has virtues, and it is not permissible to investigate these matters, whether they are true or not, for we have no concern with them, because this opens the door to speaking about the Companions, and we are not among those who pursue the faults of Muslims in general, let alone the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). So it is not permissible to mention these matters or spread them among people. Yes. And if it is a draft in history, it may have been written by someone with ill intent, or written by someone else, so it is not permissible to investigate it or spread it. I mean, you have not encountered anything to investigate except that Hassan has cowardice in him? What is the reason for this? Yes. And you have not encountered the virtues of Hassan at all, except are you saying that he means he is a coward? You are a coward, and you can be more cowardly than others. Yes.
The questioner:
And the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him), if the soldier may not throw.
The Shaykh:
That it is not permissible to dig into what was said about the Companions. Even if it is true, it is not permissible to spread it, because of the virtues they have that cover, that cover what may be true of some faults. It covers their faults. They have virtues, and they have precedents, and they have deeds that are not with others. So the obligatory thing is to refrain from them and to praise them[Al-Hashr 59:10] This is the position of the Muslim regarding the righteous predecessors, and the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Yes.
Honorable Shaykh, 'Uqbah ibn Allah, what is the authenticity of some reports in historical books that Hassan ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) was a coward, that he spent his time with women in Madinah, and that he did not go to the battlefield to fight?
The Shaykh:
Investigating this is not permissible; because Hassan is one of the Companions, from the Ansar, who defended Islam with poetry and speech, and his poetry was more severe upon the polytheists than the impact of arrows. And he said to him (peace and blessings be upon him)
Curse them, and the Holy Spirit is with you.
اهجهم وروح القدس معك.The questioner:
And the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him), if the soldier may not throw.
The Shaykh:
That it is not permissible to dig into what was said about the Companions. Even if it is true, it is not permissible to spread it, because of the virtues they have that cover, that cover what may be true of some faults. It covers their faults. They have virtues, and they have precedents, and they have deeds that are not with others. So the obligatory thing is to refrain from them and to praise them
And [there is a share for] those who came after them, saying, "Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful."
وَالَّذِينَ جَاءُوا مِن بَعْدِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِي قُلُوبِنَا غِلًّا لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 88 من 89|شرح العدة في شرح العمدة|كتاب الجهاد|صالح الفوزان|الفقه|كبار العلماء — youtube.com (1:06:07)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.