Shariah Objectives

A man came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah, what if a man comes to me wanting to take my money? He said: You are not required to submit to him and give him your money. He said: What if he fights with me? He said: You are permitted to fight him. He said: What if he kills me? He said: Then you would be a martyr. He said: What if I kill him? He said: He deserves to be punished in Hellfire on the Day of Judgment.

1. An-Nawawi said: Defending one's womenfolk is obligatory without disagreement. As for defending oneself to the point of killing, there is a difference of opinion in our school and others; whereas, defending one's wealth is permissible but not obligatory.
2. The Hadīth is evidence that knowledge precedes action, as this Companion asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about what was required of him before acting.
3. One should follow a gradual approach in repelling an aggressor—by advising him or calling for help—before resorting to fighting him. But if it starts fighting, the aim should be to repel him, not to kill him.
4. The blood, wealth, and honor of a Muslim are inviolable.
5. An-Nawawi said: Know that martyrdom is of three categories. The first is the one killed in battle against the disbelievers due to one of the causes of the fighting. This person has the rulings of martyrs both in the Hereafter and in worldly terms, meaning he is not to be washed or prayed over. The second is considered a martyr in terms of reward only, not in worldly rulings—such as the one who dies of a stomach illness, the one who dies in a plague, the one who dies under a collapsed building, the one killed while defending his wealth, and others whom authentic Hadīths have referred to as martyrs. Such a person is washed and prayed over, yet he receives the reward of martyrs in the Hereafter, though not necessarily equal to the reward of the first category. The third is someone who, for example, stole from the war booty or committed similar acts, and for whom narrations have come denying him the title of martyr, even if he was killed in battle against the disbelievers. This person has the rulings of martyrs in the worldly sense—so he is not washed or prayed over—but he does not receive the full reward of martyrs in the Hereafter.

صحيح مسلم (1/ 124) (140). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (2/ 449). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (2/ 936). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (5/ 389).

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed us that if he forbade us from something, we must avoid it without exception, and if he ordered us to do something, we have to do it as much as we can. He then warned us against being like some of the previous nations, who asked their prophets excessive questions and disagreed with them, so Allah punished them with different types of destruction and ruin. We should therefore avoid being like them, so we will not be destroyed in the ways that they were.

1. It enjoins compliance with the commands and prohibitions.
2. We are not permitted to do anything of the prohibitions. With regard to the commands, however, we are required to comply according to our abilities. This is because the abandonment of something falls within one’s capacity, whereas taking a certain action requires ability.
3. It is prohibited to ask a lot of questions. The scholars divided questions into two types, one of which aims at learning things needed in the religion. This type is required, and it applies to questions the Companions used to ask. The other type is such questions that are posed by way of obstinacy and affectation, which is prohibited.
4. It warns the Ummah of disobeying the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), as happened in the past nations.
5. When something is prohibited, this applies to any part of it, great or small, for avoiding it requires avoidance of the action altogether. For example, we are prohibited from usury, and this applies to any amount of it, big or small.
6. We are required to shun the means conducive to something prohibited, for this falls under the meaning of avoidance.
7. Man has certain capacity and ability, as indicated by his words: “As much as you can.” This refutes the claim by the Jabriyyah (Determinism) doctrine that man has no ability because he is forced to do whatever he does; even when a person moves his hand during his speech, this, according to them, is out of his control and he is compelled to do so. This view is undoubtedly wrong, and it results in great evils.
8. When a person hears a command from the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), he should not ask whether it is obligatory or recommended; for he said: “Do it as much as you can.”
9. Whatever the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) commanded or prohibited is part of the Shariah, whether it exists in the Qur’an or not. We should observe the Sunnah if introduced something not in the Qur’an, be it a command or a prohibition.
10. One of the means to ruin is posing a lot of questions, especially about things that cannot be realized, like matters related to the unseen, the names and attributes of Allah, and the events on the Day of Judgment. Do not ask a lot about such matters, lest you ruin your life and become an obstinate and unnecessarily inquisitive person.
11. The past nations were ruined due to their frequent questioning and disobeying their prophets.

-التحفة الربانية في شرح الأربعين حديثًا النووية، مطبعة دار نشر الثقافة، الإسكندرية، الطبعة: الأولى، 1380 هـ. -شرح الأربعين النووية، للشيخ ابن عثيمين، دار الثريا للنشر. -فتح القوي المتين في شرح الأربعين وتتمة الخمسين، دار ابن القيم، الدمام المملكة العربية السعودية، الطبعة: الأولى، 1424هـ/2003م. -الفوائد المستنبطة من الأربعين النووية، للشيخ عبد الرحمن البراك، دار التوحيد للنشر، الرياض. -شرح الأربعين النووية، للشيخ صالح آل الشيخ، دار الحجاز، الطبعة: الثانية، 1433هـ. -الأربعون النووية وتتمتها رواية ودراية، للشيخ خالد الدبيخي، ط. مدار الوطن. -الجامع في شروح الأربعين النووية، للشيخ محمد يسري، ط. دار اليسر. -صحيح البخاري، نشر: دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم ترقيم محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، الطبعة: الأولى، 1422هـ. -صحيح مسلم، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، نشر: دار إحياء التراث العربي – بيروت.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) reports that Allah loves that people should take the dispensations He made lawful, such as lightening the rulings and acts of worship and making them easier for the performers, due to some excuse, like shortening and combining the prayers during travel - as He loves that His obligations and duties be discharged. This is because Allah's command in terms of dispensations and obligations is the same.

1. The Hadīth shows Allah's mercy towards His servants and that He loves His lawful dispensations to be taken.
2. It highlights the perfection of this Shariah and how it removes undue restrictions from the Muslims.

صحيح ابن حبان (2/ 69) (354)، فيض القدير (2/292)، نيل الأوطار (3/244).