Part 9
Author: Mawlawi Ahmad Ali
The Stance of Imam Muhammad (رحمه الله) Regarding Assistance to Disbelievers Against Muslims (Muẓāharah ʿalā al-Muslimīn)
The esteemed Hanafi scholar, Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani (may Allah have mercy on him) (189 AH), was a prominent figure of the Salaf and a teacher to many. Imam Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) said about him:
لو أشاء أن أقول: نزل القرآن بلغة محمد بن الحسن لقلت لفصاحته
“If I wished to say that the Qur’an was revealed in the language of Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, I could, due to his eloquence.”
In his book “Al-Siyar Al-Kabir” (Vol. 5, p. 354), Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani explains:
بَابٌ، الْعَيْنُ يُصِيبُهُ الْمُسْلِمُونَ – قَالَ: وَإِذَا وَجَدَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ رَجُلًا مِمَّنْ يَدَّعِي الْإِسْلَامَ عَيْنًا لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ يَكْتُبُ إلَيْهِمْ بِعَوْرَاتِهِمْ، فَأَقَرَّ بِذَلِكَ طَوْعًا، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يُقْتَلُ، لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَتْرُكْ مَا بِهِ حَكَمْنَا بِإِسْلَامِهِ، فَلَا نُخْرِجُهُ مِنْ الْإِسْلَامِ فِي الظَّاهِرِ مَا لَمْ يَتْرُكْ مَا بِهِ دَخَلَ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ، وَلِأَنَّهُ إنَّمَا حَمَلَهُ عَلَى مَا صَنَعَ الطَّمَعُ، لَا خُبْثُ الِاعْتِقَادِ، وَهَذَا أَحْسَنُ الْوَجْهَيْنِ، وَبِهِ أُمِرْنَا قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿فَيَتَّبِعُوْنَ اَحْسَنَهٗ﴾.
وَقَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: “لَا تَطْلُبَنَّ بِكَلِمَةٍ خَرَجَتْ مِنْ فِي أَخِيك سُوءًا وَأَنْتَ تَجِدُ لَهَا فِي الْخَيْرِ مَحْمَلًا”.
وَاسْتُدِلَّ عَلَيْهِ بِحَدِيثِ حَاطِبِ بْنِ أَبِي بَلْتَعَةَ، فَإِنَّهُ كَتَبَ إلَى قُرَيْشٍ: أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَغْزُوكُمْ فَخُذُوا حِذْرَکم.
فَلَوْ كَانَ بِهَذَا كَافِرًا مُسْتَوْجِبًا لِلْقَتْلِ مَا تَرَكَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ، بَدْرِيًّا كَانَ أَوْ غَيْرَ بَدْرِيٍّ.
وَكَذَلِكَ لَوْ لَزِمَهُ الْقَتْلُ بِهَذَا حَدًّا مَا تَرَكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ إقَامَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ.
وَفِيهِ نَزَلَ قَوْله تَعَالَى: ﴿يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تَتَّخِذُوْا عَدُوِّىْ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ اَوْلِيَآءَ﴾.
فَقَدْ سَمَّاهُ مُؤْمِنًا، وَعَلَيْهِ دَلَّ قِصَّةُ أَبِي لُبَابَةَ حِينَ اسْتَشَارَهُ بَنُو قُرَيْظَةَ، فَأَمَرَّ أُصْبُعَهُ عَلَى حَلْقِهِ يُخْبِرُهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ لَوْ نَزَلُوا عَلَى حُكْمِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَتَلَهُمْ.
وَفِيهِ نَزَلَ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تَخُوْنُوا اللّٰهَ وَالرَّسُوْلَ﴾
Translation:
If Muslims find a person who claims to be Muslim but acts as a spy for the disbelievers, providing them with information about the weaknesses of Muslims, and he admits to this voluntarily, then he will not be executed. This is because he has not abandoned the foundational tenets that make him a Muslim. Therefore, we cannot declare him an unbeliever outwardly unless he explicitly rejects the principles through which he entered Islam. Additionally, his act of espionage was likely driven by worldly greed rather than a malicious creed or corrupt beliefs.
– Allah commands us to follow the most gracious path, as mentioned in the Qur’an: ‘So they follow the best thereof’ (39:18).”
The Prophet ﷺ also advised:
“Do not seek an evil interpretation for a word spoken by your Muslim brother if you can find a good interpretation for it.”
Evidence from the Hadith of Hatib ibn Abi Balta’ah (رضي الله عنه):
The case of Hatib ibn Abi Balta’ah (رضي الله عنه) serves as evidence for this ruling. Hatib wrote a letter to the Quraysh, informing them that the Prophet (ﷺ) was preparing to attack them. If such espionage or assistance had rendered Hatib a disbeliever deserving execution, the Prophet (ﷺ) would not have pardoned him. Whether the person is a participant of Badr or not, disbelief remains disbelief and applies to everyone equally.
Furthermore, if such an action required execution as a punishment (hadd), the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would not have hesitated to enforce it, as the enforcement of the hudood is a divine right. This is evident from his statement concerning the implementation of legal punishments:
عن الزهري عن عروة عن عائشة أن قريشاً أهمهم شأن المرأة المخزومية التي سرقت فقالوا من يكلم فيها رسول الله {ﷺ} فقالوا: ومن يجترئ عليه إلا أسامة بن زيد حب رسول الله {ﷺ} فكلمه أسامة فقال رسول الله {ﷺ} أتشفع في حدٍّ من حدود الله ثم قام فاختطب ثم قال إنما أهلك الذين قبلكم أنهم كانوا إذا سرق فيهم الشريف تركوه وإذا سرق فيهم الضعيف أقاموا عليه الحد، وايم الله لو أن فاطمة بنت محمد سرقت لقطعت يدها.
Translation:
“The people before you were destroyed because when a noble person among them stole, they let them go, but when a weak person stole, they punished them. By Allah, if Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad, were to steal, I would cut off her hand.”
For Hatib’s case, Allah revealed the verse:
﴿يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تَتَّخِذُوْا عَدُوِّىْ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ اَوْلِيَآءَ﴾
Despite this, Hatib was still called a believer, as evident in the verse and its context.
Collaboration Against Muslims and the Case of Abu Lubabah (RA):
Another example proving that such actions do not expel one from Islam is the story of Abu Lubabah (رضي الله عنه). When the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayzah sought his counsel, he gestured by drawing his finger across his throat, signaling that if they surrendered to the Prophet ﷺ’s judgment, they would be executed. This act constituted significant cooperation with the Banu Qurayzah, as he informed them of the likely consequences.
If the Banu Qurayzah had not surrendered and instead continued to fight, only Allah knows what circumstances might have unfolded. Hence, this was an important form of assistance and warning, even though they did not ultimately benefit from it.
Due to this incident, Allah Almighty revealed the verse:
﴿يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تَخُوْنُوا اللّٰهَ وَالرَّسُوْلَ﴾
