Explanation of the Book: The Beginning of Revelation, Faith, and Knowledge-01b
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The reciter: Abu al-Yaman al-Hakam ibn Nafi' narrated to us, saying: Shu'ayb informed us from al-Zuhri, saying: 'Ubayd Allah ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Utbah ibn Mas'ud informed me that 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas informed him: .
The Shaykh : Who said: "Were it not for the shame"?
The students: Abu Sufyan.
The Shaykh : Abu Sufyan. So reflect on how Abu Sufyan, while he was a disbeliever, feared that a lie would be attributed to him, whereas Muslims today find it easy for a lie to be attributed to them. This indicates that people are far from Islam in this matter, indeed, they are far even from the morals of the Arabs in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. Yes.
The reciter: But, Shaykh, he desires to lie.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The reciter: Does Abu Sufyan desire to lie?
The Shaykh : Yes, but he leaves it off out of showing off, out of fear of disgrace. Yes.
The reciter: If he lies, his people will lie to him. What is the benefit?
The Shaykh : Perhaps his people would fear him, so they would not speak. Yes.
That Abu Sufyan ibn Harb informed him that Heraclius sent for him in a caravan of Quraysh, and they were merchants in the Levant, during the period in which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had granted a truce to Abu Sufyan and the disbelievers of Quraysh. So they came to him while he was at Ilyah, and he summoned them to his council, with the great men of the Romans around him. Then he summoned them and called for his interpreter, and said: "Which of you is closest in kinship to this man who claims to be a prophet?" Abu Sufyan said: "I said: I am the closest of them in kinship." He said: "Bring him closer to me, and bring his companions closer, and place them behind him." Then he said to his interpreter: "Tell them that I am going to ask this man about this man, and if he lies to me, then lie to him. By Allah, were it not for the shame of them attributing a lie to me, I would have lied about him." Then the first thing he asked me about was that he said:
أن أبا سفيان بن حرب أخبره أن هرقل أرسل إليه في ركب من قريش وكانوا تجارًا بالشام في المدة التي كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ماد فيها أبا سفيان وكفار قريش ، فأتوه وهم بإيلياء فدعاهم في مجلسه وحوله عظماء الروم ، ثم دعاهم ودعا بترجمانه فقال : أيكم أقرب نسبًا بهذا الرجل الذي يزعم أنه نبي ، فقال أبو سفيان : فقلت أنا أقربهم نسبًا ، فقال : أدنوه مني وقربوا أصحابه فاجعلوهم عند ظهره ثم قال لترجمانه : قل لهم إني سائل هذا عن هذا الرجل فإن كذبني فكذبوه ، فوالله لولا الحياء من أن يأثروا علي كذبًا لكذبت عنه، ثم كان أول ما سألني عنه أن قالThe Shaykh : Who said: "Were it not for the shame"?
The students: Abu Sufyan.
The Shaykh : Abu Sufyan. So reflect on how Abu Sufyan, while he was a disbeliever, feared that a lie would be attributed to him, whereas Muslims today find it easy for a lie to be attributed to them. This indicates that people are far from Islam in this matter, indeed, they are far even from the morals of the Arabs in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. Yes.
The reciter: But, Shaykh, he desires to lie.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The reciter: Does Abu Sufyan desire to lie?
The Shaykh : Yes, but he leaves it off out of showing off, out of fear of disgrace. Yes.
The reciter: If he lies, his people will lie to him. What is the benefit?
The Shaykh : Perhaps his people would fear him, so they would not speak. Yes.