Ibn Abbas (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated:
"When the prophet (ﷺ) sent mu'adh to yemen, he said to him, 'You will go to the people of scripture. So, when you reach there, invite them to testify that there is no deity but Allaah,' (in another narration, it is narrated that the prophet (ﷺ) said, '... to confess the Oneness of Allaah...') and that Muhammad (ﷺ) is the messenger of Allaah. If they obey you in that, tell them that Allaah has enjoined on them five prayers each day and night. If they obey you in that, tell them that Allaah has enjoined on them to pay the zakah, which will be taken from the rich among them and given to the poor among them. If they obey you in that, then avoid taking the best of their possessions, and be afraid of the invocation of an oppressed person because there is no screen between it and Allaah.' "
(Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
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Keywords and Phrases
The prophet sent Mu'adh to Yemen: The prophet (ﷺ) sent Mu'adh to Yemen as a propogator of Islam, a ruler and a judge in 10 A.H
The people of the scripture: The jews and the christians who were the dominant majority of the population of Yemen at that time.
If they obey you in that: If they proclaim the testification of faith, comply with what you call to and denounce all the false deities worshipped besides Allaah, then proceed in instructing them to accept further teachings of Islam.
Be afraid of the invocation of an oppressed person: The prophet (ﷺ) warns Mu'adh against oppression and commands him to enjoin justice.
There is no screen between it and Allaah: It means that the invocation of an oppressed person will be answered sooner or later.
General meaning of the Hadith:
when the prophet (ﷺ) intended to dispatch Mu'adh to yemen as a caller and an instructor for teaching its people the principles of Islam, he, further, drew for him the major outlines of inviting yemeni people to the religion of Islam. The prophet (ﷺ), thus, informed Mu'adh that he would encounter the jews and the christians who were well versed in religion and fond of engagement in debates. The prophet (ﷺ) urged Mu'adh to be well prepared to argue with them and remove their suspicions. According to the prophet's pieces of advice, Mu'adh was admonished to start his mission with important issues. He was first commanded to correct their understanding of the principles of belief. Once they adopted correct belief, he would command them to establish prayer which took precedence right after adopting monotheism. If they should abide by performing the five regular prayers, he would command the rich among them to pay the zakah as an act of consolation to the poor and gratefulness to Allaah, exalted be He. The Mu'adh was warned of taking the best of their possessions. They were, instead, enjoined to pay zakah from among their average possessions. Finally, he was urged to treat them justly and to avoid oppression so as to stay clear of the invocation of any oppressed person, which will certainly be answered.
Relevance of the Hadith to the chapter:
This hadith stresses that the caller to Allaah should first invite people to testify that there is no deity but Allaah. It also urges muslims to send propagators to achieve such a purpose
Lessons drawn from the hadith:
>> The permissibility of sending preachers who are capable of inviting to Islam.
>> Inviting people to bear witness that there is no deity but Allaah and that Muhammad (ﷺ) is the messenger of Allaah takes precedence over all other religious duties.
>> The testification of faith is defined as dedicating all devotions to Allaah and deifying nothing besides Him.
>> A man becomes a muslim after verbally proclaiming the testification of faith.
>> A man may be well learned but remains unaware of the correct meaning and consequences of the testification of faith. However, some people are aware of its meaning.but do not put it into practice. such is the case of people of the scripture.
>> There are various levels of discourse, which must be taken into account when inviting different people to Islam. This is inferred from the prophet's words, which read, "..You will go to the people of the scripture.."
>> According to the hadith, a propagator of Islam should be well versed in the principles of the Muslim faith so that he may refute all misconceptions. This may be achieved by seeking knowledge.
>> Prayer comes second only to the testification of faith.
>> Paying obligatory zakah follows establishing prayers in importance.
>> According to the hadith, the poor are entitled to receive Zakah. It may also be paid to them only.
>> It is impermissible to take zakah from the best of people's possessions, unless they do it willingly.
>> warning against oppression, as the invocations of the oppressed person will certainly be answered, even if he might be a wrongdoer.
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