A reading from the commentary in which the one being pledged allegiance to is Talhah ibn 'Ubayd Allah.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The reader: His statement: "I have indeed pledged allegiance to so-and-so, who is Talhah ibn 'Ubayd Allah. Al-Bazzar narrated it through the route of Abu Ma'shar from Zayd ibn Aslam from his father, and from 'Amir, the freed slave of Ghafarah (with a closed mīm and a sūn fā'), who said: Wealth came to Abu Bakr, and he mentioned a long story regarding the distribution of the fay'. Then he said: 'Until when it was in the last year in which 'Umar performed Hajj, some people said: If the Commander of the Faithful were to die, we would appoint so-and-so, meaning Talhah ibn 'Ubayd Allah.'"
The Shaykh : Well done, yes. He says: By Allah, the pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr was nothing but a sudden event that was completed, meaning that I will pledge allegiance to this man without consulting the people, and my pledge will be completed.
So 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) became angry, then he said: "Indeed, if Allah wills, I will stand among the people in the evening and warn them of these who want to seize their affairs by force". "I will stand in the evening" means at the end of the day, because the 'ashī is the time between the sun's zenith and its setting. He says: "and warn them of these who want to seize their affairs by force". How will they seize their affairs? By pledging allegiance to a man without consulting the Muslims. 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) loved consultation and taking advice, and that no one be appointed over the Muslims except one whom they were pleased with, so that there would be no disagreement or conflict. In this is evidence that it is obligatory for the one in authority, whether an emir, a minister, a manager, or a guardian in knowledge, because the guardians of affairs are two groups of people: guardians of affairs in knowledge and eloquence, and guardians of affairs in authority and power.
It is obligatory for the guardians of affairs, from scholars and rulers, to warn against those like these who infiltrate the Muslims to corrupt them, divide them, and incite them against their rulers. Even if they feign and come by the way of advice, in reality they are corruption and evil. For this reason, he says: "warn them of these who want to seize their affairs by force". So the obligatory thing is to warn against those who infiltrate among the people in the guise of an advisor, while in reality they are people of deception, and in the guise of a reformer, while they are people of corruption, trying to create division between the people and their leaders in knowledge and religion, or in authority and care. He said, so 'Abd al-Rahman said, and I said: "O Commander of the Faithful, do not do it". He was one of the subjects saying this to the greatest caliph after Abu Bakr. 'Umar was determined to do it and affirmed it with the oath and the lām, so one of his subjects said to him: Do not do it. But did he say it as advice or as showing off? As advice. And he stated the reason: "For the season gathers the rabble and the mob of the people", meaning it gathers the common people who do not understand or comprehend. People say that the 'āmmah (common people) are wasps that sting you, bite you, and harm you. "For they are the ones who will prevail over your proximity when you stand among the people". Correct. If the preacher, like the one in authority, stands as a preacher, who are the ones who crowd around him? The mob. If you do not reserve places for the nobles and the notables, the mob will not be shy; they will run and rush until they storm the preacher, for example. The nobles, you will find them far away, shy and embarrassed. So the mob of the people, as 'Abd al-Rahman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "are the ones who will prevail over your proximity when you stand among the people, and I fear that you will stand and say a statement that every carrier will carry away from you, and that they will not understand it, and that they will not place it in its proper context, so wait until you arrive in al-Madinah"
True. These common people have no awareness or understanding; they snatch up words and then carry them to the east and west of the earth without understanding. Is this a reality or an expectation? It is a reality and it is clear. But he says: "Wait until you arrive in al-Madinah, for it is the home of migration and the Sunnah". The home of migration is clear; it is the migration of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And the home of the Sunnah is the knowledge of the Sunnah of the Messenger, may Allah's prayers and blessings be upon him, because the rest are either from the desert or from distant villages, but the people of al-Madinah are the people of the Sunnah. "So you will be free with the people of jurisprudence and the nobles of the people". The people of jurisprudence means the people of knowledge, and the nobles of the people are those of status. Because the people of knowledge have honor through their knowledge, and the people of status have honor through their status. And these two groups are the ones who truly represent society. "So you will say what you said firmly, and the people of knowledge will understand your statement and place it in its proper context. So 'Umar said: As for me, by Allah, if Allah wills, I will surely stand and do this at the first occasion I stand in al-Madinah". Subhan Allah. He did not discuss it; he did not discuss with 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf. Why? Because the matter was clear. His words were truth, clear and evident. For this reason, he did not discuss it, nor did he become stubborn in his opinion, nor did he say: No, I will say it now because the people are more gathered here than if I were in al-Madinah, so let all the people understand what I say. The reality is that the occasion allows for discussion, but there is no doubt that the stronger position is what 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) said. For this reason, 'Umar yielded to him and said: I will surely stand and do this at the first occasion I stand in al-Madinah. Ibn 'Abbas said: So we arrived in al-Madinah in the 'aqib of Dhu al-Hijjah. Do you have it as 'aqib or 'uqb? 'Aqib, either at the end of it or at the beginning of Muharram. He says: "So when it was Friday, we hastened to return when the sun had declined, until I found Sa'id ibn Zayd ibn 'Amr ibn Nufayl", who is one of the ten promised Paradise, "sitting by the corner of the pulpit, so I sat around him, my knee touching his knee, and I did not tarry", meaning I did not stay but a little while, "until 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) came out. When I saw him approaching, I said to Sa'id ibn Zayd ibn 'Amr ibn Nufayl: He will surely say in the evening a statement he has not said since he was appointed caliph". From where did he understand that? From 'Umar's statement: "I will surely stand and do this at the first occasion I stand in al-Madinah". He says: "So he disapproved of me" and said: "What makes you think he will say what he has not said before", meaning what informed you and what made you assert this thing, that he will say something he had not said before?
"So 'Umar sat on the pulpit, and when the mu'adhdhins fell silent, he stood and praised Allah with what is worthy of Him". This word "the mu'adhdhins" was used as evidence by those who said that it is a recommended practice for there to be multiple mu'adhdhins in one mosque. But there is a consideration in this: if this word is preserved, the intended meaning is the generic type. And if it is not preserved and the correct version is "the mu'adhdhin fell silent," then the matter is clear, because in the time of the Messenger, may Allah's prayers and blessings be upon him, there was only one mu'adhdhin. And we will return to this when we finish the discussion, if Allah wills. He said: "He stood and praised Allah with what is worthy of Him, then he said: As for after, I am going to say to you a statement that has been decreed for me to say; I do not know, perhaps it is before my death", may Allah be pleased with him. And this expectation that he expected became consistent with reality, for he was killed, may Allah be pleased with him, at the end of Dhu al-Hijjah, is that not so? This is how the reports came, that he was killed at the end of Dhu al-Hijjah after his return from Makkah. For this reason, what he expected became the reality.
"So whoever understands it and retains it, let him report it wherever his mount takes him". "Whoever understands it and retains it": understanding means comprehension, and retaining means memorization, derived from the word for a container, because a container preserves what is in it. "Let him report it wherever his mount takes him". What does this mean? It means he should report it to the farthest place he can reach. In our time, the mount reaches the farthest corners of the world, whereas in their time, their mounts were camels, horses, mules, and donkeys, which did not reach as far as airplanes do today. "And whoever fears that he will not understand it, I do not permit anyone to lie about me". (May Allah be pleased with him). The one who fears that he will not understand it is not permitted to report it from me. If he were to report it from me without understanding it, what would necessarily follow from that? That he would lie about me by altering, advancing, delaying, or adding to it. Then he said: "Indeed, Allah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) with the truth, and He revealed to him the Book". "With the truth" means that he came with the truth, and "with the truth" also means that his sending was true. It has two meanings: the first is that he came with the truth, and the second is that his sending was true, and both are correct. "And He revealed to him the Book, and among what Allah revealed was the verse of stoning, which we read, understood, and retained. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stoned, and we stoned after him". So he (may Allah be pleased with him) clarified that the verse was revealed, that it was read, that it was understood, that it was retained in memory, and that it was kept alive by acting upon it: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stoned, and it was not abrogated, as indicated by his statement: "and we stoned after him". If the ruling is established until the death of the Messenger (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him), then there is no abrogation. All of this is a matter of emphasis from him (may Allah be pleased with him), and may Allah reward him with good for the Ummah of Muhammad. He said: "I fear that if the time lengthens..."
The Shaykh : Well done, yes. He says: By Allah, the pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr was nothing but a sudden event that was completed, meaning that I will pledge allegiance to this man without consulting the people, and my pledge will be completed.
So 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) became angry, then he said: "Indeed, if Allah wills, I will stand among the people in the evening and warn them of these who want to seize their affairs by force". "I will stand in the evening" means at the end of the day, because the 'ashī is the time between the sun's zenith and its setting. He says: "and warn them of these who want to seize their affairs by force". How will they seize their affairs? By pledging allegiance to a man without consulting the Muslims. 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) loved consultation and taking advice, and that no one be appointed over the Muslims except one whom they were pleased with, so that there would be no disagreement or conflict. In this is evidence that it is obligatory for the one in authority, whether an emir, a minister, a manager, or a guardian in knowledge, because the guardians of affairs are two groups of people: guardians of affairs in knowledge and eloquence, and guardians of affairs in authority and power.
It is obligatory for the guardians of affairs, from scholars and rulers, to warn against those like these who infiltrate the Muslims to corrupt them, divide them, and incite them against their rulers. Even if they feign and come by the way of advice, in reality they are corruption and evil. For this reason, he says: "warn them of these who want to seize their affairs by force". So the obligatory thing is to warn against those who infiltrate among the people in the guise of an advisor, while in reality they are people of deception, and in the guise of a reformer, while they are people of corruption, trying to create division between the people and their leaders in knowledge and religion, or in authority and care. He said, so 'Abd al-Rahman said, and I said: "O Commander of the Faithful, do not do it". He was one of the subjects saying this to the greatest caliph after Abu Bakr. 'Umar was determined to do it and affirmed it with the oath and the lām, so one of his subjects said to him: Do not do it. But did he say it as advice or as showing off? As advice. And he stated the reason: "For the season gathers the rabble and the mob of the people", meaning it gathers the common people who do not understand or comprehend. People say that the 'āmmah (common people) are wasps that sting you, bite you, and harm you. "For they are the ones who will prevail over your proximity when you stand among the people". Correct. If the preacher, like the one in authority, stands as a preacher, who are the ones who crowd around him? The mob. If you do not reserve places for the nobles and the notables, the mob will not be shy; they will run and rush until they storm the preacher, for example. The nobles, you will find them far away, shy and embarrassed. So the mob of the people, as 'Abd al-Rahman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "are the ones who will prevail over your proximity when you stand among the people, and I fear that you will stand and say a statement that every carrier will carry away from you, and that they will not understand it, and that they will not place it in its proper context, so wait until you arrive in al-Madinah"
True. These common people have no awareness or understanding; they snatch up words and then carry them to the east and west of the earth without understanding. Is this a reality or an expectation? It is a reality and it is clear. But he says: "Wait until you arrive in al-Madinah, for it is the home of migration and the Sunnah". The home of migration is clear; it is the migration of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). And the home of the Sunnah is the knowledge of the Sunnah of the Messenger, may Allah's prayers and blessings be upon him, because the rest are either from the desert or from distant villages, but the people of al-Madinah are the people of the Sunnah. "So you will be free with the people of jurisprudence and the nobles of the people". The people of jurisprudence means the people of knowledge, and the nobles of the people are those of status. Because the people of knowledge have honor through their knowledge, and the people of status have honor through their status. And these two groups are the ones who truly represent society. "So you will say what you said firmly, and the people of knowledge will understand your statement and place it in its proper context. So 'Umar said: As for me, by Allah, if Allah wills, I will surely stand and do this at the first occasion I stand in al-Madinah". Subhan Allah. He did not discuss it; he did not discuss with 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf. Why? Because the matter was clear. His words were truth, clear and evident. For this reason, he did not discuss it, nor did he become stubborn in his opinion, nor did he say: No, I will say it now because the people are more gathered here than if I were in al-Madinah, so let all the people understand what I say. The reality is that the occasion allows for discussion, but there is no doubt that the stronger position is what 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) said. For this reason, 'Umar yielded to him and said: I will surely stand and do this at the first occasion I stand in al-Madinah. Ibn 'Abbas said: So we arrived in al-Madinah in the 'aqib of Dhu al-Hijjah. Do you have it as 'aqib or 'uqb? 'Aqib, either at the end of it or at the beginning of Muharram. He says: "So when it was Friday, we hastened to return when the sun had declined, until I found Sa'id ibn Zayd ibn 'Amr ibn Nufayl", who is one of the ten promised Paradise, "sitting by the corner of the pulpit, so I sat around him, my knee touching his knee, and I did not tarry", meaning I did not stay but a little while, "until 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) came out. When I saw him approaching, I said to Sa'id ibn Zayd ibn 'Amr ibn Nufayl: He will surely say in the evening a statement he has not said since he was appointed caliph". From where did he understand that? From 'Umar's statement: "I will surely stand and do this at the first occasion I stand in al-Madinah". He says: "So he disapproved of me" and said: "What makes you think he will say what he has not said before", meaning what informed you and what made you assert this thing, that he will say something he had not said before?
"So 'Umar sat on the pulpit, and when the mu'adhdhins fell silent, he stood and praised Allah with what is worthy of Him". This word "the mu'adhdhins" was used as evidence by those who said that it is a recommended practice for there to be multiple mu'adhdhins in one mosque. But there is a consideration in this: if this word is preserved, the intended meaning is the generic type. And if it is not preserved and the correct version is "the mu'adhdhin fell silent," then the matter is clear, because in the time of the Messenger, may Allah's prayers and blessings be upon him, there was only one mu'adhdhin. And we will return to this when we finish the discussion, if Allah wills. He said: "He stood and praised Allah with what is worthy of Him, then he said: As for after, I am going to say to you a statement that has been decreed for me to say; I do not know, perhaps it is before my death", may Allah be pleased with him. And this expectation that he expected became consistent with reality, for he was killed, may Allah be pleased with him, at the end of Dhu al-Hijjah, is that not so? This is how the reports came, that he was killed at the end of Dhu al-Hijjah after his return from Makkah. For this reason, what he expected became the reality.
"So whoever understands it and retains it, let him report it wherever his mount takes him". "Whoever understands it and retains it": understanding means comprehension, and retaining means memorization, derived from the word for a container, because a container preserves what is in it. "Let him report it wherever his mount takes him". What does this mean? It means he should report it to the farthest place he can reach. In our time, the mount reaches the farthest corners of the world, whereas in their time, their mounts were camels, horses, mules, and donkeys, which did not reach as far as airplanes do today. "And whoever fears that he will not understand it, I do not permit anyone to lie about me". (May Allah be pleased with him). The one who fears that he will not understand it is not permitted to report it from me. If he were to report it from me without understanding it, what would necessarily follow from that? That he would lie about me by altering, advancing, delaying, or adding to it. Then he said: "Indeed, Allah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) with the truth, and He revealed to him the Book". "With the truth" means that he came with the truth, and "with the truth" also means that his sending was true. It has two meanings: the first is that he came with the truth, and the second is that his sending was true, and both are correct. "And He revealed to him the Book, and among what Allah revealed was the verse of stoning, which we read, understood, and retained. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stoned, and we stoned after him". So he (may Allah be pleased with him) clarified that the verse was revealed, that it was read, that it was understood, that it was retained in memory, and that it was kept alive by acting upon it: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stoned, and it was not abrogated, as indicated by his statement: "and we stoned after him". If the ruling is established until the death of the Messenger (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him), then there is no abrogation. All of this is a matter of emphasis from him (may Allah be pleased with him), and may Allah reward him with good for the Ummah of Muhammad. He said: "I fear that if the time lengthens..."