Ihyaaud Deen An Effort to Revive Deen in Totality
Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) Choosing the Easy path for his Ummah in Deeni and Worldly Matters
عن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت ما رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم منتصرا من مظلمة ظلمها قط ما لم ينتهك من محارم الله تعالى شيء فإذا انتهك من محارم الله تعالى شيء كان من أشدهم في ذلك غضبا وما خير بين أمرين إلا اختار أيسرهما ما لم يكن مأثما (الشمائل المحمدية للترمذي، الرقم: 332)
Translation
Hazrat Aa’ishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) reports, “I never saw Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) ever (become angry and) take revenge for his personal self in regard to any injustice that was done to him, (and he never expressed anger) so long as the limits of Allah Ta‘ala were not broken. However, if any of the limits of Allah Ta‘ala were violated, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) would become extremely angry on account of that. Whenever Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was given a choice between two options, he always chose the easier option, provided it (the option he chose) was not a sin.”
Commentary:
In the Ahaadith, occasions are recorded where Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) took revenge from kuffaar and even Muslims. Among these occasions was the occasion of the conquest of Makkah. When Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) conquered Makkah Mukarramah, he announced general forgiveness for one and all, including those who were the arch enemies of Islam. However, he excluded a few kuffaar from the general pardon and instructed that they be put to the sword. This retribution was in lieu of the many atrocities and killings which they were responsible for. In other words, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) took revenge for the sake of Allah Ta‘ala’s Deen, and not for his personal self.
Similarly, it is reported that at the conquest of Khaybar, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was poisoned by a Jewess. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) initially did not take any revenge from her. It was only after a Sahaabi who had partook of the poisoned meal passed away that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) gave the command for her to be killed in retribution. In this case also, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) took revenge on behalf of the Deen of Allah Ta‘ala as the woman was responsible for killing a person.
Likewise, in certain Ahaadith, it is reported that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) commanded that corporal punishment be carried out against certain Muslims for certain crimes that they had committed against other Muslims or even non-Muslims.
In the last portion of this Hadith, it is mentioned that when Hazrat Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was given a choice by Allah Ta‘ala between two options, whether in deeni or worldly matters, he always chose the easy and simple option. The reason for this was that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was the most merciful and compassionate of Allah Ta‘ala’s servants. Hence, he always chose the path of ease for his ummah and for mankind at large. This sublime and noble quality was in actual fact a manifestation of the supreme kindness and divine compassion which Allah Ta‘ala shows to His servants. In regard to the laws of Shari’ah, Allah Ta‘ala declares,
يُريدُ اللَّـهُ بِكُمُ اليُسرَ وَلا يُريدُ بِكُمُ العُسرَ
Allah Ta‘ala intends ease for you and He does not intend to put you in difficulty
However, together with Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) choosing the easy option, he ensured that the option was not one of sin or one which violated any Shar’ee law as this would result in disobeying Allah Ta‘ala. In other Ahaadith, it is mentioned that if the option was one of sin, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) remained most distant from it.
Hazrat Sheikh Moulana Muhammed Zakariyya (rahimahullah) has written in his commentary on Shamaa’il Tirmizi that in many Ahaadith relating to various subjects, it is established that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) disliked one leaving out ease and putting oneself into unnecessary difficulty.
