Ibn Kathir on Ayyub: The story of the Prophet Ayyub’s vow to strike his wife

Ibn Kathir said: Allah said, “Take in your hand a bundle of grass and strike with it and do not break your oath.” (38:44) The Prophet Job, upon him be peace, was angry with his wife and upset about something she had done, so he swore an oath that if Allah healed him, he would strike her with one hundred blows. When Allah healed him, how could her service of mercy, compassion, and kindness be rewarded with a beating? So Allah showed him a way out, which was to take a bundle of thin grass with one hundred stems and strike her with it once. Thus he fulfilled his oath and avoided breaking his vow. This was the solution and way out for one who had fear of Allah and who turned to Him in repentance.

Source: Tafseer Ibn Kathir 38:44

قال ابن كثير وَقَوْلُهُ وَخُذْ بِيَدِكَ ضِغْثًا فَاضْرِبْ بِهِ وَلَا تَحْنَثْ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ أَيُّوبَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ كَانَ قَدْ غَضِبَ عَلَى زَوْجَتِهِ وَوَجَدَ عَلَيْهَا فِي أَمْرٍ فَعَلَتْهُ قِيلَ إِنَّهَا بَاعَتْ ضَفِيرَتَهَا بِخُبْزٍ فَأَطْعَمَتْهُ إِيَّاهُ فَلَامَهَا عَلَى ذَلِكَ وَحَلِفَ إِنْ شَفَاهُ اللَّهُ لَيَضْرِبَنَّهَا مِائَةَ جِلْدَةٍ وَقِيلَ لِغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْأَسْبَابِ فَلَمَّا شَفَاهُ اللَّهُ وَعَافَاهُ مَا كَانَ جَزَاؤُهَا مَعَ هَذِهِ الْخِدْمَةِ التَّامَّةِ وَالرَّحْمَةِ وَالشَّفَقَةِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ أَنْ تُقَابَلَ بِالضَّرْبِ فَأَفْتَاهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ ضِغْثًا وَهُوَ الشِّمْرَاخُ فِيهِ مِائَةُ قَضِيبٍ فَيَضْرِبُهَا بِهِ ضَرْبَةً وَاحِدَةً وَقَدْ بَرَّتْ يَمِينُهُ وَخَرَجَ مِنْ حِنْثِهِ وَوَفَى بِنَذْرِهِ وَهَذَا مِنَ الْفَرَجِ وَالْمَخْرَجِ لِمَنِ اتَّقَى اللَّهَ وَأَنَابَ إِلَيْهِ

38:44 تفسير القرآن العظيم تفسير سورة ص تفسير قوله تعالى واذكر عبدنا أيوب

Hadith on Mercy: The most pardoning of people regarding killing are the people of faith

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The most forgiving of the people regarding killing are the people of faith.”

[Musnad Ahmad, Number 3720, Sahih]

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ أَعَفُّ النَّاسِ قِتْلَةً أَهْلُ الْإِيمَانِ

3720 مسند أحمد مُسْنَدُ الْمُكْثِرِينَ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ أعف الناس قتلة أهل الإيمان

المحدث أحمد شاكر خلاصة حكم المحدث إسناده صحيح

Hadith on Pardon: The Messenger of Allah forgives the polytheist who tried to murder him

Jabir reported: We took part in the expedition with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, against Najd and when the time for afternoon rest approached, he was in a valley of thorny trees. He dismounted under a tree to rest in its shade and hung his sword upon it. The people dispersed among the trees in order to use their shade. While we were like this, the Messenger of Allah called us and we came to find a Bedouin sitting in front of him. The Messenger of Allah said, “This person came to me while I was asleep and he quietly took my sword. I woke up while he was standing over my head, holding my unsheathed sword. He said: Who will protect you from me? I said: Allah, three times.” And the Messenger of Allah did not punish him.

[Sahih Bukhari, Book 59, Number 460]

In another narration, the polytheist said, “Who will protect you from me?” The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “Allah the Exalted.” Then the sword fell from his hand and the Messenger of Allah seized it. He said, “Who will protect you from me?” The polytheist said, “Be good to me!” He said, “Will you bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I am the Messenger of Allah?” He said, “No, but I give you my word that I will not fight you and I will not join anyone who is fighting you.” So the Messenger of Allah let him on his way. The polytheist returned to his people and said, “I have just come to you from the best of people!”

[Musnad Ahmad, Number 14768]

أَنَّ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا أَخْبَرَ أَنَّهُ غَزَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قِبَلَ نَجْدٍ فَلَمَّا قَفَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَفَلَ مَعَهُ فَأَدْرَكَتْهُمْ الْقَائِلَةُ فِي وَادٍ كَثِيرِ الْعِضَاهِ فَنَزَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَتَفَرَّقَ النَّاسُ يَسْتَظِلُّونَ بِالشَّجَرِ فَنَزَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَحْتَ سَمُرَةٍ وَعَلَّقَ بِهَا سَيْفَهُ وَنِمْنَا نَوْمَةً فَإِذَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَدْعُونَا وَإِذَا عِنْدَهُ أَعْرَابِيٌّ فَقَالَ إِنَّ هَذَا اخْتَرَطَ عَلَيَّ سَيْفِي وَأَنَا نَائِمٌ فَاسْتَيْقَظْتُ وَهُوَ فِي يَدِهِ صَلْتًا فَقَالَ مَنْ يَمْنَعُكَ مِنِّي فَقُلْتُ اللَّهُ ثَلَاثًا وَلَمْ يُعَاقِبْهُ وَجَلَسَ

صحيح البخاري كِتَاب الْجِهَادِ وَالسِّيَرِ بَاب مَنْ عَلَّقَ سَيْفَهُ بِالشَّجَرِ فِي السَّفَرِ عِنْدَ الْقَائِلَةِ

فَقَالَ مَنْ يَمْنَعُكَ مِنِّي قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَسَقَطَ السَّيْفُ مِنْ يَدِهِ فَأَخَذَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ مَنْ يَمْنَعُكَ مِنِّي قَالَ كُنْ كَخَيْرِ آخِذٍ قَالَ أَتَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ قَالَ لَا وَلَكِنْ أُعَاهِدُكَ عَلَى أَنْ لَا أُقَاتِلَكَ وَلَا أَكُونَ مَعَ قَوْمٍ يُقَاتِلُونَكَ فَخَلَّى سَبِيلَهُ فَأَتَى قَوْمَهُ فَقَالَ جِئْتُكُمْ مِنْ عِنْدِ خَيْرِ النَّاسِ

مسند أحمد بَاقِي مُسْنَدِ الْمُكْثِرِينَ صلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم صلاة الخوف

Hateful? Rude? Everyone Deserves Guidance

By Sheikh Salman al-Oadah at Islam Today

Someone who wishes to call other people to Islam has to be prepared to deal with those who are stubborn, rude, and downright insulting in their opposition to Islam and its message. This is one of the reasons why patience and tolerance are indispensable qualities for a Muslim preacher.
Persistence is another. No matter how much hostility and rudeness someone might exhibit when hearing about Islam, it is a mistake for a Muslim preacher to consider anyone a “lost cause.”

Above All, See Others as Human Beings

By Sheikh Salman al-Oadah at Islam Today

Once, while sitting in a public venue, a young man was seated next to me who behaved quite strangely. He looked unbearably sad and distraught. He recoiled from everyone around him, as if he thought that everyone was out to cause him injury. It then occurred to me that this young man was closed off to any possibility of positive engagement with others. In order to reach out to this person, you would first have to know how to get through the barriers that he has erected around himself.
There may be a person who you want to do business with, or who you need to cooperate with in some scientific project or cultural event. Or you may want to call that person to righteousness, or protect that person from harm. Or maybe that person may be able to help you in some way and you wish to ask for help. Or maybe you know there is some way you can help that person.

Ibn Taymiyyah: Good Character is the Creed of the Salaf

Sheikh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله said in Al-Aqidah Al-Wasitiyyah:
By these principles [Ahl us-Sunnah wal Jama’ah] encourage well-known righteous deeds and forbid evil deeds in accordance with what is ordained by the Sharia. And they believe in practicing Hajj (pilgrimage) and Jihad (struggle for the cause of Allah), in attending Friday communal prayers and the holidays with the leaders, be they pious or wicked, and in observing the community prayers. They believe in advising the Ummah (nation of Muslims), and they firmly believe in the Prophet’s صلى الله عليه وسلم saying:

Ibn Qudamah: The Causes and Remedies of Anger, Malevolence, and Envy

Ibn Qudamah رحمه الله writes in Minhaj Al-Qasidin [English translation and Arabic text below]:
Anger is a flame of fire, and when man is angry he has some relation to the accursed Satan who said, as mentioned in the Quran:

خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ

You created me from fire, and him from clay.
[Surah Al-A’raf 7:12]

At-Tabari: Behave well with all sects, creeds, and religions who seek peace

At-Tabari writes concerning the verse, “Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes – from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly,” (60:8) that this means, “Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion – including all the sects, creeds, and religions – that you behave righteously with them, maintain good relations with them, and act fairly with them.”
[Tafsir At-Tabari, verse 60:8]

لَّا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُم مِّن دِيَارِكُمْ أَن تَبَرُّوهُمْ وَتُقْسِطُوا إِلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ

قال الطبري لا ينهاكم الله عن الذين لم يقاتلوكم في الدين من جميع أصناف الملل والأديان أن تبروهم وتصلوهم وتقسطوا إليهم

تفسير الطبري