The Pledge of Shajara (Tree)

 

 

Is the pledge of Shajara [Tree] a ground for justness of the Companions?

“Allah’s Good Pleasure was on the Believers when they swore Fealty to thee under the Tree: He knew what was in their hearts, and He sent down Tranquillity to them; and He rewarded them with a speedy Victory.” (The Quran, AL-FATH: 18)

Sunni sect’s reasoning:

1. Um Bushr says I heard Prophet (PBUH) saying to Hafsah: God willing, none of the people who swore fealty under the tree, will ever enter Hellfire.

(Al-Qushayri An-Naysaburi, Abul Hussain Muslim ibn Hajjaj, Shih Muslim, Vol. 4.)

1. Muslim Naysaburi has narrated in his book, i.e. Sahih, that all people who was present in the pledge of Al-Ridwan, has sworn fealty to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH); among them one person was excepted and he was Jadd ibn Qays who was hiding under the belly of his camel to refrain from swearing fealty:

People were asking Jabir: How many of companions were present on the day of the treaty of Hudaybiyyah? Jabir said: We were under the tree which was banana, we were one thousand and four hundred people; that day we all swore fealty to the Prophet (PBUH)  while Umar was holding the tree trunk; then we all sworn fealty to the Prophet (PBUH), except for Jadd ibn Qays who was hiding under the belly of his camel.

(Al-Qushayri An-Naysaburi, Abul Hussain Muslim ibn Hajjaj, Shih Muslim, Vol. 3.)

1. And the reasoning they present is that if Allah and His Messenger didn’t mean all of companions, they would said explicitly that Allah pleased with some or many of them and this is because of the Shia’s hostility toward companions that overlook generality of the verse and decide for Allah and don’t regard it general.

An example of The Holy Quran

The Holy Quran explicitly states that Allah has graced Children of Israel and has preferred them over all nations.

Isn’t it that Allah has said that His best promise has been perfected and completed about them because of their patience and endurance? Weren’t they in the best state and after accomplishing high levels of science and knowledge, didn’t they fell into schism?!

Don’t you remember another event about Children of Israel that a group of them asked their prophet: choose a leader for us to fight our enemies under his command, and the prophet answered perhaps you disobey, and refuse to fight when you receive the order of war! They said how it’s possible to refuse to fight while we were turned out of our homes and our children! The order of fight was given because of their insistence, however, from the beginning of war they disobeyed except a few of them! Nevertheless Talut was chosen as commander of Children of Israel which was objected by them! Then that few people set out with Talut and the Ark of the Covenant that contained security from Allah and the relics of ancients, and was carried by angels and was bestowed to them as an assurance. After the revelation of these divine symbols, Talut tested them with a stream and most of them departed except for few who had come along with him.

Of course Allah showed his favor toward those few and they defeated their enemies when David (PBUH) killed Goliath!

Now could we state that we should avoid further criticizing the people who fled from battle in two steps, because of Allah’s security which is a symbol of his satisfaction and was descended to all of the children of Israel before they set out to the battle field?! Is this viewpoint, compatible with the logic of the Quran and isn’t the question raised here something like that?!

Perhaps you say these are two different matters and Talut’s companions destroyed their past by fleeing from battle, but it didn’t happen for Prophet’s companions in which case it should be mentioned that:

Firstly: in this case you’ve accepted immediately that humans later actions could destroy their honorable past!

Secondly: we know that it was stated in the Pledge of Ridwan that Muslims should not run away from battle, but at that time, no battle took place to test their loyalty, But it is seen that after years and in the battle of Hunayn, many of those who were in attendance on the day of the Pledge of Ridwan and in the battle of Hunayn, fled when enemy attacked and left Prophet with few till he shouted where are those who gave me the pledge under the tree?!  And then it was only by secondary revelation of divine security and sending an invisible army, that battle ended in favor of Muslims!

It is narrated that in the battle of Hunayn, when companions and those who had given the pledge fled, Prophet shouted: Where are those who gave the pledge under the tree.

So, undoubtedly some of them didn’t keep their promises and left Prophet against the provisions of the pledge.

(Tabari, Abu Jafar, Jame’ Al-Bayan, Vol. 10.)

• Now let’s mention some of people who were present in the pledge according to Authentic Books of Sunni Muslims:

Abdu al Rahman ibn Udais, Farvat ibn Amr Ansari, Jabalat ibn Amr Saedi, Talhat ibn Ubaydullah, Abu Ghadiya …

Jabalat ibn Amr Saedi was the person who prevented Uthman’s burial in the graveyard.

Abd Al-Rahman ibn Udays is one of the people who was present in the pledge of Ridwan and had a major role in assassination of Uthman, and it is narrated that he was the commander of the army of Egypt and rebels against Uthman.

Ibn Abd al-Birr, writes down in Al-Isti’ab (The Comprehensive Compilation of the Names of the Prophet’s Companions):

Abd Al-Rahman ibn Udays is the one who swore fealty to the Prophet (PBUH) and he was the flag bearer of the group who besieged Uthman’s house and murdered him.

(Ibn Abd Al-Birr, Yusuf ibn Abdallah ibn Mohammed, Al-Isti’ab fi Ma’rifat Al-Ashab, Vol. 2.)

There are few people who haven’t heard hadith of the Prophet about the killer of Ammar…

Zahabi in Mizan Al-Etedal and Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani in Lesan Almizan writes down:

It is narrated from Abu Ghadiya that I heard Prophet (PBUH) saying: The killer of Ammar will be in hell. And it’s strange; because Abu Al-Ghadiya himself is the one who has killed Ammar.

There were some of the first among Muhajirs [Emigrants] who were accompanying Muawiyah, and the killer of Ammar is Abu Ghadiya and he was one of those who have given the pledge to Prophet under the tree and they are of the first companions of the Prophet (PBUH). This is narrated by Ibn Hazm and others.

(Al-Harani, Ahmad ibn Abdul Halim ibn Taymiyyah Abul Abbas, Menhaj As-Sonnah An-Nabawiyyah, Vol. 6.)

Ibn Athir writes down in Asad Al-Ghabat:

Abu Ghadiya is the person who has sworn fealty to the Prophet (PBUH).

How is it acceptable that all who were present at the pledge of Ridwan are immune to error and Allah is pleased with them forever?

 

Every contract has some provisions.

The provision not to run away in battles:

Since in previous battles like the battle of Uhud, many of companions fled battlefield and left Prophet alone, he took the pledge from them at Hudaybiyah that they never ever run away from any battle.

Muslim Naysaburi has written in his book (i.e. Sahih):

It is narrated from Jabir that he said: On the day of Hudaybiyyah, we were one thousand and four hundred that swore fealty to the Prophet (PBUH), Umar was holding his arms under the tree of Samurah and said: we sworn before the Prophet not to run away from battles, not to swear fealty till death.

An-Naysaburi, Muslim ibn Hajjaj Abul Hussain Al-Qushayri, Shih Muslim, Vol. 3.

Umar ibn Khattab justifies his retreat:

Interestingly, the name of the second caliph is among people who fled. Bukhari writes down in his book (i.e. Sahih):

Abu Qatada says: The year in which the battle of Hunayn occurred, I was with Prophet (PBUH), when two armies faced each other, Muslims were fleeing, then returned.

I saw a man of polytheists overpowering a Muslim and was going to kill him, I turned around and hit him between his shoulder and neck with a sword from behind, that polytheist turned back and seized me so tightly that I felt as if it were death itself, he released me and fell down and died. I met Umar, asked him why are people fleeing? He said this is the will and order of Allah.

(Al-Bukhari Al-Ju’fī, Muḥammad ibn Isma’il Abu Abd Allah, Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol. 4.)

 The Attributes of the god in his Essence and his acts

There are two kinds of attributes for God: the Attributes of the Essence and the Attributes of Act. The Attributes of the Essence are the eternal ones; but Attributes of Act are not the same; they may be present in some time and not in the other.

Fakhr Razi says on this subject:

There are differences in some ways, between these two types of God’s Attributes (the Essence and the Act Attributes): 1. The Attributes of the Essence are the eternal while the Attributes of Acts are not; 2. Negation of the Attributes of the Essence is impossible (like ignorance vs. knowledge); but the Attributes of Act are not alike; 3. The Attributes of Act are relative, that sometimes be actualized by being arisen in some acts; but the Attributes of the Essence are not relative (but are absolute, eternal and perpetual).

(Al-Razi Al-Shafei, Fakhr Al-Din Muhammad ibn Umar Al-Tamimi, Al-Tafsir Al-Kabir or Mafatih Al-Ghayb, Vol. 4.)

Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani says on this subject:

The implication of the term “[the God] won’t like” is that He doesn’t appreciate and reward them because of what they do, in this case, Allah’s action is one of the Attributes of Act.

(Al-Asqalani Al-Shafei, Ahmad ibn Ali ibn Hajar Abulfadhl, Fath Al-Bari Syarh Shahih Al-Bukhari, Vol. 11.)

Ascribing pleasure or wrath to God implies rewarding the humans not the aspect that occurs on soul; because it is impossible for God to be affected by events; so pleasure and wrath are of the Attributes of Act not the Essence. And as it is of the Attributes of the Essence, it couldn’t be perpetual.

Now we study the verse accurately once more:

لَقَدْ رَضِیَ اَللّٰهُ عَنِ اَلْمُؤْمِنِینَ إِذْ یُبٰایِعُونَکَ تَحْتَ اَلشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مٰا فِی قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَنْزَلَ اَلسَّکِینَةَ عَلَیْهِمْ وَ أَثٰابَهُمْ فَتْحاً قَرِیباً

“Allah’s Good Pleasure was on the Believers when they swore Fealty to thee under the Tree: He knew what was in their hearts, and He sent down Tranquility to them; and He rewarded them with a speedy Victory.”

Firstly it was mentioned that pleasure is of the Attributes of Act.

Secondly Allah’s pleasure is not with all who swore fealty; but it is conditional upon the fact they would be “believer”, and excludes anyone who wasn’t a true believer or has any doubt about the prophecy of the messenger of Allah.

Thirdly Allah’s pleasure is with the people who swore fealty, provided that they don’t forget the pledge in Hudaybiyyah and hold to their promise and avoid actions that transform Allah’s pleasure to His wrath and anger.

So we cannot conclude from the verse of «pledge of Ridwan» that god is eternally pleased with the second Caliph and deny or justify, some acts like usurpation of the succession right of Imam Ali(PBUH) and invasion to the house of revelation and … .

 Now we consider one of the Sunni sect’s reasoning that:

If Allah and His Messenger didn’t mean all of companions, they would said explicitly that Allah is pleased with some or many of them and this is because of the Shia’s hostility toward companions that overlook generality of the verse and decide for Allah and don’t regard it general.

In response to their reasoning we present two examples from the Quran that Allah has used general expression but He didn’t meant all cases.

First example: in the Surate of Baqarah, verses 47 and 122 Allah says: {I preferred you over all others} meaning Allah preferred Children of Israel over others.

While in Surate of Al-Ghesas, verses 76-82, Allah narrates the story of Qarun that how he became wretched while he was one of the Children of Israel. Or in verses 83-97, Allah tells the story of Samiri that how a person among the Children of Israel mislead them. Truly Allah has preferred Children of Israel, but does this preference includes Qarun or Samiri.

Second example: Allah says in Surate of Ghafir, verses 45-46: {God protected him against their evil plans and the people of the Pharaoh were struck by the most horrible torment. / They will be exposed to the fire in the mornings and the evenings and on the Day of Judgment, they will be told,” People of the Pharaoh, suffer the most severe torment} It means that Allah punished the People of Pharaoh due to their deeds.

On the other hand in the same Surate, verses 28-29, Allah talks about the faithful man among the people of Pharaoh, or in Surate of Tahrim, verse 11, Allah name Pharaoh’s wife as an example for believers. Does the faithful man among the people of Pharaoh and Pharaoh’s wife are part of the generality of the verse and they taste the penalty or these two are excluded from the generality of the verse by a reason.

There are some evidences in the verse itself that implies the intent of the verse is just some of the believers who swore featly to Prophet (PBUH), not all of His companions.

Firstly: in the continuance of this verse and the following verse, Allah gives two promises to these believers that: they will reach a victory and acquire numerous gains.

“And He rewarded them with a speedy Victory/And many gains will they acquire”

Secondly this verse was revealed in the 6^th year after Hijra in the year of the peace of Hudaybiyyah, And the closest conquest was the battle of Kheybar that provided the most booties.

Thirdly: the pronoun “them” in the phrase “And He rewarded them with a speedy Victory/And many gains will they acquire” refers to “the believers”. It means the believers who swore fealty, will be rewarded with a speedy Victory and acquire gains.

(There is a difference between acquiring booty and bringing booty to Prophet (PBUH) and acquiring it after distribution, and in this verse Allah says “acquire gains”, meaning that they acquire it)

Fourthly: it is written in biography of some of these companions who were in attendance in the pledge of the tree that they fled in the battle of Kheybar rather than fight or returned without any conquest and it was then that Prophet (PBUH) said the well-known  Hadith al-Raya’ (flag) about Imam Ali (PBUH): “Undoubtedly the messenger of Allah (PBUH) said on the day of Kheybar Tomorrow I will give the flag to a man who Allah will conquer by his means, He loves Allah and His messenger and Allah and His messenger love him” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Chapter: The battle of Kheybar, Hadith 3888)

So undoubtedly this verse is not about who fled or didn’t conquer and didn’t acquire booty.

In this Holy verse Allah has announced his pleasure in a specific time and says: “Allah’s Good Pleasure was on the Believers when they swore Fealty to thee under the Tree” so it’s not in the way that if they commit a sin or a crime in the future they have Allah’s Pleasure as before.

And so it is said in this Holy verse that Allah is pleased with any believer who swore fealty, not that anyone who swore fealty is believer, and the difference between these two meanings is crystal clear.

 

Source : islampfr.com