Text Explanation
15. Scholars differ concerning the status of a person who says, ‘We have had rain because of this climatic cycle’, stating two views. The first is that this is clear disbelief that deprives a person of the very essence of faith and renders him a non-Muslim. They add that this applies to one who believes that the climatic cycle is what produces rain by its own will, just like some Arabs used to believe in pre-Islamic days. Whoever believes in this is undoubtedly an unbeliever. This is the view of the great majority of scholars, including al-Shafi[i. This is the apparent meaning of the hadith.
They add that if a person says the same words attributing the rain to the climatic cycle, but believing that it is an act of God’s grace and that the climatic cycle is merely a sign of it, confirmed by the fact that it is customary at this time, then he is practically saying that the rain came at this particular time. Such a person is not an unbeliever, though scholars differ as to whether saying this is reprehensible. The weightier view is that it is so, but it is mildly reprehensible incurring no sin. The reason for its being reprehensible is that these words fall in between unbelief and its opposite, hence it leads to people having ill thoughts about whoever says it. Moreover, it is what unbelievers used to say, so it is better abandoned.
The second view is that it means a denial of God’s bounty, because the words simply attach the rain to a climatic cycle. This applies to the one who does not attach to the climatic cycle any will of its own. This explanation is confirmed by the last version of the hadith, which says: ‘Some people are grateful [believers] and some ungrateful’. Another report attributes to God the words: ‘Whenever I bestow some bounty on My servants, some of them turn ungrateful’. Yet another hadith says: ‘Whenever God sends down a blessing from on high, some people are ungrateful for it’. The words ‘for it’ provide a clear indication that it is ingratitude that is meant, but God knows best.
Much has been said about the Arabic word naw’ used in the hadith and translated as ‘climatic cycle’. This is summarized by Shaykh Abu [Amr ibn al-Salah as follows: ‘Naw’ does not mean “planet”, but is rather the root that means “to fall or disappear”, or “to rise”. However, there are 28 planets whose rise is well known throughout the year. Their risings correspond to the 28 phases of the moon. Every thirteen nights one of these planets disappears in the west at the break of dawn and another rises in the east at the same time. The unbelievers in pre-Islamic days used to attribute any rainfall at that time to the disappearing planet, but al-Asma[i said that they attributed it to the rising planet. Abu [Ubayd said that he had never heard anyone attributing climatic cycle to disappearance except in this instance. Moreover, the planet itself may be called naw’ using the root word to describe the acting agent, but God knows best’.i
The last hadith mentions the revelations of eight verses of Surah 56, but Shaykh Abu [Amr ibn al-Salah says: ‘This does not mean that all these verses are referring to what the unbelievers used to say about climatic cycles. Their subject matter does not admit this. What relates to the hadith is the last verse: “Do you make it your livelihood that you persistently deny it?” The other verses were revealed at the same time, but they relate to something different. This is clearly indicated by the fact that some versions reported by Ibn [Abbas mention only a short quotation.’
Explaining the meaning of the verse, Ibn [Abbas and many others said that ‘Do you make it your livelihood …’ means ‘Do you express your thanks …’ but others, including al-Azhari and Abu [Ali al-Farisi, say: ‘Do you show your gratitude for your livelihood in that you persistently deny it?’ Al-Hasan said that it means ‘you make your lot’.
As for ‘the positions of the stars’ which are the subject of the oath in the verses mentioned in the hadith, most scholars say that it refers to the stars in the sky and their positions at the time of their setting, or their rising. It is also mentioned that it refers to their darkening, or their being cleft asunder on the Day of Judgement. Some say that it refers to the times of the revelation of passages of the Qur’an. Mujahid said that the oath refers to the definitive passages of the Qur’an, but God knows best.
Transmission
Abu Zumayl mentioned in the chain of transmission is Simak ibn al-Walid al-Hanafi al-Yamami. Ibn [Abd al-Barr mentions that he is unanimously graded as ‘reliable’.
The chain of transmission of the third hadith goes as follows: ‘Muhammad ibn Salamah al-Muradi narrated to me: [Abdullah ibn Wahb narrated; from [Amr ibn al-Harith [H]. [Amr ibn Sawwad narrated to me: [Abdullah ibn Wahb reported; [Amr ibn al-Harith reported; that Abu Yunus’. All the reporters mentioned here are from Basrah. Muslim gives the details in this fashion, repeating the names of the reporters because of the differences in their reporting. This is a mark of Muslim’s accuracy, taking every precaution to produce his report exactly as he learnt it. We have referred to aspects of his accuracy elsewhere, but God knows best.
i.The full text of these verses is: ‘I do swear by the positions of the stars—a mighty oath, if you but knew it!—that this is indeed a most honourable Qur’an, in a well-guarded record that only the purified can touch: a revelation from the Lord of all the worlds. Would you look on this discourse with disdain? Do you make it your livelihood that you persistently deny it?’ (56: 75–82)
قال الله تعالى: «فلا أقسم بمواقع النجوم، وإنه لقسم لو تعلمون عظيم. إنه لقرآن كريم، في كتاب مكنـون، لا يمسـه إلا الـمطهرون، تنزيل من رب العالـمين. أفبهذا الحديث أنتم مدهنون، وتجعلون رزقكم أنكم تكذبون؟»
i.This explanation reflects what was believed at the time Ibn al-Salah wrote it. He died in 1245 CE, i.e. 772 years ago.
CHAPTER 34
EVIDENCE THAT TO LOVE THE ANSAR AND [ALI IS A MARK OF FAITH; AND TO HATE THEM IS A MARK OF HYPOCRISY
[131–128]. (Dar al-Salam 0136) Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna narrated:i [Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi narrated; from Shu[bah; from [Abdullah ibn [Abdullah ibn Jabr: ‘I heard Anas say: “God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: ‘The mark of a hypocrite is to hate the Ansar, and the mark of a believer is to love the Ansar’”.’
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْـمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ، عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ جَبْرٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَنَسًا، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «آيَةُ الْـمُنَافِقِ بُغْضُ الأَنْصَارِ، وَآيَةُ الْـمُؤْمِنِ حُبُّ الأَنْصَارِ».
[132–000]. (Dar al-Salam