3. As for the hadeeth in which nine
are mentioned then it is the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) that he said, "indeed
Islaam has landmarks and lights as does a road. From them are: that you believe in Allaah
and do not commit shirk with him, establish the prayer, give the zakaah, fast in Ramadaan,
make pilgrimage to the House, enjoin the good, forbid the evil, that you give the salaam
to your family when you enter amongst them, and that you give salaam to the people as you
pass by them. So the one who leaves any of this [then he has left a portion of Islaam, and
the one who leaves all of them] has thrown Islaam behind his back." {6}
4. So the ignorant people thought
that all these ahaadeeth were self contradicting due to the variation of numbers in them,
but they are, and all praise is due to Allaah, by His Mercy far from contradiction. For
their difference lies in the fact that the obligations of Faith were revealed in stages.
So each time Allaah revealed a new obligation of faith, it increased the number (of
tenants of faith) until they reached seventy tenants as occurs in the hadeeth that is
established from him (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) that he said, "faith is seventy and odd branches,
it’s most excellent is the testimony that none has the right to be worshipped except
for Allah, and it’s lowest is removing the harmful thing from the road." {7}
So even if the number mentioned is greater
they still do not contradict those ahaadeeth that came before it for those refer
to the foundations of faith whereas these refer to the branches of faith.
So we believe, and Allaah knows
best, that this is the last statement with which the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) depicted
Faith because the number finished at this, and with it the characteristics of faith were
completed as is testified to by the saying of Allaah,
"This day have I completed your religion for
you, and perfected my favour upon you"
(5:3).
5. Taariq bin Shihaab reported that,
"the Jews said to Umar bin al-Khattaab, may Allaah have mercy upon him,
‘indeed you recite a verse which had it been revealed amongst us we would
have taken that day as an Eed,’ and this verse was mentioned. So Umar
said, ‘indeed I know when it was revealed and on what day it was revealed.
[It was revealed] on the Day of Arafah and the Messenger (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) was standing on
Arafah’". Sufyaan said, "I do not know whether he said ‘on
the Day of Jumu`ah’ or not" {8}
6. From ibn Abee Ammaar who said, "ibn
Abbaas recited this verse while there was a Jew in his presence. So the Jew
said, ‘if this verse had been revealed amongst us we would have taken that
day as an Eed.’ Ibn Abbaas replied, ‘it was revealed on the day of
Eed, the day of Jumu`ah, the day of Arafah.’" {9}
7. From Sha`bee who said, "it
was revealed upon him (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) while he was standing on Arafah when shirk had vanished, and
the sign posts of the Jaahiliyyah had been
destroyed, and not a statute remained hanging in the house" {10}
8. So Allaah, Exalted is He, mentioned the
completion of the religion in this verse, and it was revealed eighty one days
before the death of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) as is reported from ibn Juraij.
So if faith was complete by mere
affirmation while the Messenger (sallallaahu `alaihi wasallam) was in Mecca as stated by these people
then there would be no meaning to completion (of the religion), for how can
something be completed that is already complete and come in its final form?!
Abu Ubaid (the author) said: so if
someone were to ask you, 'so what are these seventy branches branches?' It would be said
to him: these have not been named for us collectively so that we may mention them, but
knowledge does allow us to say that they are from the actions of obedience to Allaah and
taqwa But even though they may not have been mentioned in any specific hadeeth, if you
were to scrutinise the various narrations you would find them dispersed throughout them,
did you not hear his saying concerning removing the harmful thing and that it was a branch
of faith? And likewise his saying in another hadeeth, "modesty is a branch of
faith" {11), and in a third, "shame is branch of faith" {12},
and in a fourth, "ascetism is from faith" {13}, and in a fifth, "fulfilling
contracts/promises is from faith" {14} So all of these are from the branches of
faith, and from them is the hadeeth of Ammaar, "three (characteristics) are from
faith: giving in charity freely, being just even at the expense of yourself, and spreading
the salaam amongst the people"
{15}