Explanation of the Book of Tawhid-01a
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The Reciter: And Abdullah ibn Abi al-Aswad narrated to me, saying: Al-Fadl ibn al-Ala' narrated to us, saying: Isma'il ibn Umayyah narrated to us from Yahya ibn Mu'adh ibn Sufayy, that he heard Abu Ma'bad, the freed slave of Ibn Abbas, saying: I heard Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) say: .
The Shaykh : The chapter on the sending of Mu'adh to Yemen. This was in the tenth year of the Hijrah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent him and Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, but he sent each of them to a different region. For this reason, the words of Ibn Abbas regarding the sending of Mu'adh came in two forms:
The first form: Mu'adh was sent to Yemen.
The second form: Mu'adh was sent toward Yemen, meaning in the direction of Yemen. The second is closer to the reality, namely toward Yemen, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu'adh to one direction and Abu Musa al-Ash'ari to another direction. It is not impossible that the wording containing "to Yemen" intends the specific, even if it is for the general. It is known that Mu'adh did not travel through all of Yemen. The evidence from this hadith is his saying:Sahih al-Bukhari 7372 The word "make them affirm the oneness of Allah" matches the chapter title exactly.
In another wording in the same hadith: Which of the two do we take? We take the second, because it contains an addition, which is his saying: Sahih al-Bukhari 2157 So this wording is the one that is considered and taken, because it is more complete and more beneficial. It is known that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not send Mu'adh except once, and did not advise him except once. And on this basis, it is necessary for us to choose from the wordings of this hadith the most complete and most comprehensive one. And so it should be in every hadith whose wordings differ, and we know that it did not occur except once; it is obligatory upon us to take the most complete and most comprehensive in context, because the complete and comprehensive context indicates that its narrator has memorized it and encompassed it.
In any case, "until they affirm the oneness of Allah" means the testimony that there is no god but Allah. In the hadith is evidence that the People of the Book did not affirm the oneness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and that is the case. For the Jews say: "Ezra is the son of Allah," and the Christians say: "The Messiah is the son of Allah," and the Christians say: "Allah is the third of three." So they did not affirm the oneness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) until the tenth year, and they did not affirm the oneness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And by this we know that His saying, the Exalted:[Al-Ma'idah 5:5] meaning that the women of the People of the Book are lawful, is established even if they were saying words of shirk (associating partners with Allah).
When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu'adh to Yemen, he said: "You will come upon a people of the Book, so let the first thing you call them to be the oneness of Allah the Exalted. When they know that, then inform them that Allah has made obligatory upon them five prayers in their day and night. When they pray, then inform them that Allah has made obligatory upon them the zakah of their wealth, which is taken from their rich and returned to their poor. When they accept that, then take it from them and beware of the best of people's wealth."
لما بعث رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم معاذا إلى اليمن قال: إنك تقدم على قوم أهل كتاب، فليكن أول ما تدعوهم إلى أن يوحدوا الله تعالى، فإذا عرفوا ذلك فأخبرهم أن الله فرض عليهم خمس صلوات في يومهم وليلتهم، فإذا صلوا فأخبرهم أن الله افترض عليهم زكاة أموالهم تؤخذ من غنيهم فترد على فقيرهم، فإذا أقروا بذلك فخذ منهم وتوق كرائم أموال الناسThe Shaykh : The chapter on the sending of Mu'adh to Yemen. This was in the tenth year of the Hijrah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent him and Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, but he sent each of them to a different region. For this reason, the words of Ibn Abbas regarding the sending of Mu'adh came in two forms:
The first form: Mu'adh was sent to Yemen.
The second form: Mu'adh was sent toward Yemen, meaning in the direction of Yemen. The second is closer to the reality, namely toward Yemen, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu'adh to one direction and Abu Musa al-Ash'ari to another direction. It is not impossible that the wording containing "to Yemen" intends the specific, even if it is for the general. It is known that Mu'adh did not travel through all of Yemen. The evidence from this hadith is his saying:
so let the first thing to which you will invite them, be the Tauhid of Allah
فليكن أول ما تدعوهم إلى أن يوحدوا اللهIn another wording in the same hadith:
Until they testify that there is no god but Allah, so let the first thing you call them to be the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah
إلى أن يشهدوا أن لا إله إلا الله، فليكن أول ما تدعوهم إليه شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمدا رسول اللهMuhammad is His Apostle
أن محمدا رسول اللهIn any case, "until they affirm the oneness of Allah" means the testimony that there is no god but Allah. In the hadith is evidence that the People of the Book did not affirm the oneness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and that is the case. For the Jews say: "Ezra is the son of Allah," and the Christians say: "The Messiah is the son of Allah," and the Christians say: "Allah is the third of three." So they did not affirm the oneness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) until the tenth year, and they did not affirm the oneness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And by this we know that His saying, the Exalted: