Mubahala: Difference between revisions
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==The Incident of ''Mubahala''== |
==The Incident of ''Mubahala''== |
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According to [[hadith]] collections, it is narrated that during the 9th - 10th year after [[Hijri year|hijra]] an Arab Christian envoy from [[Najran]] (currently in northern [[Yemen]] and partly in [[Saudi Arabia]]) came to Muhammad to argue which of the two parties erred in its doctrine concerning [[Jesus]] <ref>{{cite quran|3|61|style=ref}}</ref>. After likening Jesus' miraculous birth to Adam's creation <ref>{{cite quran|3|59|style=ref}}</ref>, Muhammad called them to Mubahala (Cursing), where each party should ask God to |
According to [[hadith]] collections, it is narrated that during the 9th - 10th year after [[Hijri year|hijra]] an Arab Christian envoy from [[Najran]] (currently in northern [[Yemen]] and partly in [[Saudi Arabia]]) came to Muhammad to argue which of the two parties erred in its doctrine concerning [[Jesus]] <ref>{{cite quran|3|61|style=ref}}</ref>. After likening Jesus' miraculous birth to Adam's creation <ref>{{cite quran|3|59|style=ref}}</ref>, Muhammad called them to Mubahala (Cursing), where each party should ask God to curse the lying party. Muhammad, to prove to them that he is a prophet, brought his daughter Fatimah and his surviving grandchildren, Hasan and Husayn, and Ali ibn Abi Talib and came back to the Christians and said this is my family (''[[Ahl al-Bayt]]'') and covered himself and his family with a cloak.<ref>Sahih Muslim, Chapter of virtues of companions, section of virtues of Ali, 1980 Edition Pub. in Saudi Arabia, Arabic version, v4, p1871, the end of tradition #32 and Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, p654</ref> The Christian envoy, the traditions add, declined to take part in Mubahala and chose instead to pay tribute. |
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===In Sahih Bukhari=== |
===In Sahih Bukhari=== |
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Revision as of 20:18, 26 February 2009
Mubahala (Arabic: مباهلة Cursing) or Li’an (Arabic: لعان) refers in Islamic tradition to invoking the curse of God on the erring party as a means to prove one's truthfulness.
The Incident of Mubahala
According to hadith collections, it is narrated that during the 9th - 10th year after hijra an Arab Christian envoy from Najran (currently in northern Yemen and partly in Saudi Arabia) came to Muhammad to argue which of the two parties erred in its doctrine concerning Jesus [1]. After likening Jesus' miraculous birth to Adam's creation [2], Muhammad called them to Mubahala (Cursing), where each party should ask God to curse the lying party. Muhammad, to prove to them that he is a prophet, brought his daughter Fatimah and his surviving grandchildren, Hasan and Husayn, and Ali ibn Abi Talib and came back to the Christians and said this is my family (Ahl al-Bayt) and covered himself and his family with a cloak.[3] The Christian envoy, the traditions add, declined to take part in Mubahala and chose instead to pay tribute.
In Sahih Bukhari
Al-'Aqib and Saiyid, the rulers of Najran, came to Allah's Apostle with the intention of doing Lian one of them said to the other, "Do not do (this Lian) for, by Allah, if he is a Prophet and we do this Lian, neither we, nor our offspring after us will be successful." Then both of them said (to the Prophet), "We will give what you should ask but you should send a trustworthy man with us, and do not send any person with us but an honest one." The Prophet said, "I will send an honest man who Is really trustworthy." Then every one of the companions of Allah's Apostle wished to be that one. Then the Prophet said, "Get up, O Abu 'Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah." When he got up, Allah's Apostle said, "This is the Trustworthy man of this (Muslim) nation."Sahih Bukhari 006.060.371
In the Qur'an
The event is referred to in the Qur'an and Tafsirs of 3:61[4], where the prophet was ordered to invite the disputants regarding the nature of Jesus to imprecation:
If any one disputes in this matter with thee, now after (full) knowledge Hath come to thee, say: "Come! let us gather together,- our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves: Then let us earnestly pray, and invoke the curse of Allah on those who lie! 3:61
Muslim Scholars
Commenting on the Bukhari hadith, Ibn Hajar says: "Some of the benefits of this hadith is that one can do Mubahala with an opponent if he insists after losing the argument.... What is known by experience is that one who takes part in Mubahala to support falsehood will not survive its first anniversary."[5]
Ibn al-Qayyim adds: "It is part of [sunna] when arguing with people of falsehood—when they insist on falsehood regardless of arguments and proofs—to call them to Mubahala."[6]
Modern Times
In modern times, some critics of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad have attributed his death to Mubahala.[7] While his followers state that his opponents met their fate and were destroyed, having accepted the Mubahala.[8]
Notes
- ^ Quran 3:61
- ^ Quran 3:59
- ^ Sahih Muslim, Chapter of virtues of companions, section of virtues of Ali, 1980 Edition Pub. in Saudi Arabia, Arabic version, v4, p1871, the end of tradition #32 and Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, p654
- ^ Quran 3:61
- ^ Fath al-Bari, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, 8/59.
- ^ Zad al-Ma'ad, Ibn al-Qayyim, 3/643.
- ^ Death of Mirza Ghulam Qadiani, irshad.org
- ^ Challenge and response