The Meaning of Loyalty (Wala')
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The Shaykh : So, have you now grasped the concept of loyalty (wala') or not? Have you grasped it?
The student: No.
The Shaykh : You have not grasped it, all right. Did you know that a person can own a slave or not?
The student: He can own one.
The Shaykh : He can own one. A disbeliever, when we fight the disbelievers and capture their women and offspring, they become slaves. A person being enslaved is better than being enslaved to Satan. When they were disbelievers, they were slaves to whom?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : When they were disbelievers, they were slaves to Satan, servants to Satan. Allah the Exalted said:[Ya-Sin 36:60-61] So every disbeliever is a slave to Satan, whether he likes it or not. When a Muslim owns him, he becomes a slave to the Muslim, and being a slave to a Muslim is better than being a slave to Satan. All right, this slave, if the Muslim frees him, he becomes free, and his loyalty (wala') belongs to the one who freed him. That means, if this slave dies and he has no relatives among the residuary heirs, who inherits from him? His master who freed him.
All right, loyalty (wala') belongs to the one who freed. So if the seller conditions upon the buyer that if you free him, his loyalty (wala') will be mine, the condition is invalid because it contradicts the Shari'ah. And conditions that contradict the Shari'ah are invalid, no matter what was conditioned.
Yes, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan al-Bayhaqi 5:400
The student: No.
The Shaykh : You have not grasped it, all right. Did you know that a person can own a slave or not?
The student: He can own one.
The Shaykh : He can own one. A disbeliever, when we fight the disbelievers and capture their women and offspring, they become slaves. A person being enslaved is better than being enslaved to Satan. When they were disbelievers, they were slaves to whom?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : When they were disbelievers, they were slaves to Satan, servants to Satan. Allah the Exalted said:
(60) Did I not enjoin upon you, O children of Adam, that you not worship Satan - [for] indeed, he is to you a clear enemy - (61) And that you worship [only] Me
ألم أعهد إليكم يا بني آدم أن لا تعبدوا الشيطان أنه لكم عدو مبين وأن اعبدونيAll right, loyalty (wala') belongs to the one who freed. So if the seller conditions upon the buyer that if you free him, his loyalty (wala') will be mine, the condition is invalid because it contradicts the Shari'ah. And conditions that contradict the Shari'ah are invalid, no matter what was conditioned.
Yes, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: