Ibn Bazz: Elaborating of the Hadiths on the Trials of the End of Time

( Part No : 7, Page No: 359) 

Elaborating of the Hadiths on the Trials of the End of Time 

From `Abdul `Aziz Bin `Abdullah Ibn Baz to our honorable brother Sheikh `A.H.Kh. May Allah help you do what pleases Him and increase your knowledge and faith, amen! 

As­salamu `alaykum warahmatullah wabarakatuh (May Allah's Peace, Mercy, and Blessings be upon you!) 

I received your message, dated Muharam 24, 1411 A.H., may Allah guide you. I have read all that you have mentioned. It is my pleasure to inform you that Scholars state that Hadiths mentioning trials and warning against them refer to trials where one cannot determine the party telling the truth and the dishonest party. In such trials, it is ordained for the believer to beware of them. These are the trials that are meant by the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): He who sits with them will be better than he who gets up and he who walks with them is better than he who runs... 

As for the trials where the right and the wrongful party are distinguished, they are not included in the mentioned Hadiths. The proofs from the Qur'an and Sunnah support the obligation of aiding those who have been wronged against the unjust. 

An example of these trials is what happened between `Aly and Mu‘awiyah (may Allah be pleased with them both). Ahl­ A l­Sunnah i.e. the Sunni Muslims, believe that `Aly was right. He is a Mujtahid (a scholar qualified to exercise juristic effort to infer expert legal rulings) who will have a double reward. As for Mu‘awiyah, and his followers, they are wrongful and rebels but they are Mujtahidun (scholars qualified to exercise juristic effort to infer expert legal rulings) who will have one reward, may Allah be pleased with them all. 

As for seeking help from some disbelievers to fight against other disbelievers when necessary, the right opinion is that there is nothing wrong with doing so if the ruler chooses to 

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seek help from some individuals or from a disbelieving country to fight against the aggressive country to ward off aggression according to all proofs. When there is neither a need nor a necessity, it is impermissible to seek their help. When there is a need or a necessity, it is permissible to seek their help as long as this benefits the Muslims and does not harm them. Doing so matches with the Shar`i proofs, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) sought the help of Al­Mut`im Ibn `Ady upon returning from Al­Ta'if. The Prophet entered Makkah under his protection. He (peace be upon him) sought the help of `Abdullah ibn Urayqit Al­Dayly to guide him on the way to Madinah. Both these two men were Mushriks (those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity or worship). Moreover, the Prophet allowed the Muslim immigrants to immigrate to the Christian Abyssinia (Ethiopia) for the public interest of Muslims and keeping them away from the harm they may suffer at the hands of their tribe in Makkah. 

He (peace be upon him) borrowed arms from Safwan Ibn Umayyah, who was a disbeliever, during the battle of Hunayn. According to the Hadith of `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), the Prophet said to the Mushrik (one who associates others with Allah in His Divinity or worship) who wanted to fight with him at the battle of Badr: Go back as we will not seek the help of a Mushrik. Yet the Prophet allowed the Jews to settle in Khaybar and entrusted them with the works of agriculture and palm farms, because Muslims were in need of such trees and the Companions were engaged in defending the Way of Allah. When Muslims were in no need of the disbelievers, `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) ended this state. There are many proofs supporting this. 

It is obligatory upon Muslim scholars to reconcile the texts, not to make them seem contradictory. The Ba`th nation is more dangerous to the Muslims than the Christian nation, because it is apparent that atheists are more indulged in Kufr than the people of the Scripture. What has been committed by the Ba`thist ruler of Iraq against Kuwait exposes his extreme malice and plot against Islam and Muslims. 

It should be noticed that some people assume that seeking the help of disbelievers is considered supporting them. But this is not the case, because seeking their help differs from 

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taking them as allies. When he sought the help of Al­Mut`im Ibn `Ady, Abdullah ibn Urayqit, or the Jews of Khaybar, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was neither allying with the disbelievers nor taking them as intimates. Rather he (peace be upon him) did so, because the Muslims were in need of using them in such matters that would benefit Muslims and keep harm away from them. 

The same applies to sending the immigrants from Makkah to Abyssinia (Ethiopia). This is not out of allying with the Christians. Rather, the Prophet did so out of seeking the benefit of Muslims to relieve them from the evil committed against them. A Muslim should differentiate between what Allah made different and should employ the proofs appropriately. Allah (may He be Praised) is the One Who gives success and the Giver of guidance. There is no God but He. There is no Lord except Him. Kindly, find the attached copy of what we 

have written in this regard and a copy of the decisions of the conference held in Makkah Al­Mukarramah during the period from 21­23/2/1411 A.H. as well as a copy of the document of Makkah Al­Mukarramah issued by the stated conference. 

I ask Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) to grant us and you comprehension of religion, let us adhere to it and call (people) to it with sure knowledge. May Allah save us, you, and all Muslims from delusive temptation! Truly, He is All­Hearing and Near. 

May Allah's Peace, Mercy, and Blessings be upon you! The general president of Scientific Research, Fatwas, Da'wah and Guidance Departments