The Meaning of the Collar of Islam in the Hadith of al-Harith al-Ash'ari
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
We open the floor to our brother in Taif to present questions. Please, Shaykh 'Ala. May Allah bless you. Honorable Shaykh, a questioner asks: What is the meaning of the term "collar of Islam" mentioned in the hadith of Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him)?
Answer:
This is a matter of metaphor. It is the custom of the Arabs to tie their animals, especially in their necks, using a rope they call a "rabtah" (collar). They make a single knot from which each animal's neck passes, so they are gathered together. Whoever leaves the group is like a small animal that has slipped out of its collar; it gets lost and is eaten by the wolf, or it gets lost and is eaten by the fire. Likewise, whoever separates from the group is like this animal that has slipped from its neck and is exposed to being devoured. This is a metaphor for clarification from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
We open the floor to our brother in Taif to present questions. Please, Shaykh 'Ala. May Allah bless you. Honorable Shaykh, a questioner asks: What is the meaning of the term "collar of Islam" mentioned in the hadith of Khalid (may Allah be pleased with him)?
Answer:
This is a matter of metaphor. It is the custom of the Arabs to tie their animals, especially in their necks, using a rope they call a "rabtah" (collar). They make a single knot from which each animal's neck passes, so they are gathered together. Whoever leaves the group is like a small animal that has slipped out of its collar; it gets lost and is eaten by the wolf, or it gets lost and is eaten by the fire. Likewise, whoever separates from the group is like this animal that has slipped from its neck and is exposed to being devoured. This is a metaphor for clarification from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
Source
شرح فضل الإسلام [ صالح الفوزان ]، باب الخروج عن دعوى الإسلام — islamhouse.com (1:18:09)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.