*AR-RAHĪQ AL-MAKHTOUM (The Pure Nectar). A Treaties On Prophet Muhammad's Biography.*
*Part 12*
*RELIGIONS OF ARABS continues...*
In the same regard, Ibn Is'hāq said: "Al-Bahīrah is the daughter of As-Sā'ibah. And it is the she-camel which was neglected when it had produced ten female young successive camels. Its hair was not sheared and nobody could ride it. Only guests were allowed to drink of its milk. If it bore a female, its ear was cut and it was set free with its mother. Al-Wasīlah was a ewe that was left to idols when it had produced ten young consecutive ewes. As for any young ewes that were born thereafter, they were allowed for males, not females. Al-Hāmy is the male camel which was not ridden and left with camels and whose hair was not sheared off when it had produced ten consecutive females. Concerning this Allāh says:
Surah Al-Maeda, Verse 103:
مَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ مِن بَحِيرَةٍ وَلَا سَائِبَةٍ وَلَا وَصِيلَةٍ وَلَا حَامٍ وَلَٰكِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ
"Allah has not instituted things like Bahirah (a she-camel whose milk was spared for the idols and nobody was allowed to milk it) or a Sa'ibah (a she-camel let loose for free pasture for their false gods, e.g. idols, etc., and nothing was allowed to be carried on it), or a Wasilah (a she-camel set free for idols because it has given birth to a she-camel at its first delivery and then again gives birth to a she-camel at its second delivery) or a Ham (a stallion-camel freed from work for their idols, after it had finished a number of copulations assigned for it, all these animals were liberated in honour of idols as practised by pagan Arabs in the pre-Islamic period). But those who disbelieve invent lies against Allah, and most of them have no understanding."
Surah Al-Anaam, Verse 139:
وَقَالُوا مَا فِي بُطُونِ هَٰذِهِ الْأَنْعَامِ خَالِصَةٌ لِّذُكُورِنَا وَمُحَرَّمٌ عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَإِن يَكُن مَّيْتَةً فَهُمْ فِيهِ شُرَكَاءُ سَيَجْزِيهِمْ وَصْفَهُمْ إِنَّهُ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ
And they say: "What is in the bellies of such and such cattle (milk or foetus) is for our males alone, and forbidden to our females (girls and women), but if it is born dead, then all have shares therein." He will punish them for their attribution (of such false orders to Allah). Verily, He is All-Wise, All-Knower. (Tafsir At-Tabari, Vol. 8, Page 49).
It occurred in the two Sahīhs (the two authentic collections of prophetic hadīths Narrated by Al-Bukhāry and Muslim) that the prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) said: "I saw 'Amr Ibn Luhayy Al-khuzā'i dragging his intestines in hell." (Narrated by Al-Bukhāry) This was because he was the first to change the religion of Abraham, install idols and leave As-Sā'ibah, Al-Bairah and Al-Wasīlah and exempt Al-Hāmy from carrying things.
Arabs were doing that with their idols with the belief that they would bring them near to and intercede for them with Allāh (Sub-haanahu wata'aala). Allāh says:
Surah Az-Zumar, Verse 3:
أَلَا لِلَّهِ الدِّينُ الْخَالِصُ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَا إِلَى اللَّهِ زُلْفَىٰ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ فِي مَا هُمْ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي مَنْ هُوَ كَاذِبٌ كَفَّارٌ
Surely, the religion (i.e. the worship and the obedience) is for Allah only. And those who take Auliya' (protectors and helpers) besides Him (say): "We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allah." Verily, Allah will judge between them concerning that wherein they differ. Truly, Allah guides not him who is a liar, and a disbeliever.
Surah Yunus, Verse 18:
وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنفَعُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ هَٰؤُلَاءِ شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِندَ اللَّهِ قُلْ أَتُنَبِّئُونَ اللَّهَ بِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ
And they worship besides Allah things that hurt them not, nor profit them, and they say: "These are our intercessors with Allah." Say: "Do you inform Allah of that which He knows not in the heavens and on the earth?" Glorified and Exalted be He above all that which they associate as partners with Him!
Arabs also were seeking decisions about their affairs by casting Azlām (featherless arrows or shafts) as a type of divination, which were of three types: the first type had three sub-categories: a type showing 'yes', another 'no' and the third was blank. They used to cast them when intending to do serious things like travel, marriage and the likes. If the arrow showed 'yes', they would do what they intended; if it showed 'no', they would defer the action till the following year. But if it was blank, they would cast them again to decide for either of the two options. The second type was being cast for getting water and blood money. As for the third type, it showed 'from you', 'from other than you' or 'consociated.'
Moreover, when Arabs doubted the lineage of someone among them, they brought him to Hubal, with a gift of one hundred dirhams and camels to the arrow caster. If the arrow showed 'from you', this would decide that he should belong to them; if it showed 'from other than you', they would regard him as an ally. If 'consociated' appeared, he would retain his standing among them but with no lineage or alliance agreement.
This resembled greatly gambling and arrow-shafting which they resorted to when dividing the meat of camels. They used to buy camels on credit, then slaughter and divide them into twenty eight or ten Portions. After that, they cast arrow saying 'the winner' or which were blank. If the arrow showed 'the winner', the person would win and take his portion of the meat. If it was blank, he would lose and pay its price as a fine.
Among their deep-rooted belief in divination was that they believed in the words of diviners, soothsayers and astrologers. A diviner was someone who alleged knowledge of things that will happen in the future and secrets. Also among diviners were those who claimed that they had followers of the Jinn and those who alleged the knowledge of the unseen by special perception and understanding. There were also those who alleged familiarity with matters through premises, reason and proofs by which they substantiated their locations through the words, actions or conditions of one who they asked. Those were called soothsayers.
*...To be continued In-sha-Allah!*
*"And keep reminding, because reminding benefits the believers."* (Qur'an 51:55)
*Part 12*
*RELIGIONS OF ARABS continues...*
In the same regard, Ibn Is'hāq said: "Al-Bahīrah is the daughter of As-Sā'ibah. And it is the she-camel which was neglected when it had produced ten female young successive camels. Its hair was not sheared and nobody could ride it. Only guests were allowed to drink of its milk. If it bore a female, its ear was cut and it was set free with its mother. Al-Wasīlah was a ewe that was left to idols when it had produced ten young consecutive ewes. As for any young ewes that were born thereafter, they were allowed for males, not females. Al-Hāmy is the male camel which was not ridden and left with camels and whose hair was not sheared off when it had produced ten consecutive females. Concerning this Allāh says:
Surah Al-Maeda, Verse 103:
مَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ مِن بَحِيرَةٍ وَلَا سَائِبَةٍ وَلَا وَصِيلَةٍ وَلَا حَامٍ وَلَٰكِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ الْكَذِبَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ
"Allah has not instituted things like Bahirah (a she-camel whose milk was spared for the idols and nobody was allowed to milk it) or a Sa'ibah (a she-camel let loose for free pasture for their false gods, e.g. idols, etc., and nothing was allowed to be carried on it), or a Wasilah (a she-camel set free for idols because it has given birth to a she-camel at its first delivery and then again gives birth to a she-camel at its second delivery) or a Ham (a stallion-camel freed from work for their idols, after it had finished a number of copulations assigned for it, all these animals were liberated in honour of idols as practised by pagan Arabs in the pre-Islamic period). But those who disbelieve invent lies against Allah, and most of them have no understanding."
Surah Al-Anaam, Verse 139:
وَقَالُوا مَا فِي بُطُونِ هَٰذِهِ الْأَنْعَامِ خَالِصَةٌ لِّذُكُورِنَا وَمُحَرَّمٌ عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَإِن يَكُن مَّيْتَةً فَهُمْ فِيهِ شُرَكَاءُ سَيَجْزِيهِمْ وَصْفَهُمْ إِنَّهُ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ
And they say: "What is in the bellies of such and such cattle (milk or foetus) is for our males alone, and forbidden to our females (girls and women), but if it is born dead, then all have shares therein." He will punish them for their attribution (of such false orders to Allah). Verily, He is All-Wise, All-Knower. (Tafsir At-Tabari, Vol. 8, Page 49).
It occurred in the two Sahīhs (the two authentic collections of prophetic hadīths Narrated by Al-Bukhāry and Muslim) that the prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) said: "I saw 'Amr Ibn Luhayy Al-khuzā'i dragging his intestines in hell." (Narrated by Al-Bukhāry) This was because he was the first to change the religion of Abraham, install idols and leave As-Sā'ibah, Al-Bairah and Al-Wasīlah and exempt Al-Hāmy from carrying things.
Arabs were doing that with their idols with the belief that they would bring them near to and intercede for them with Allāh (Sub-haanahu wata'aala). Allāh says:
Surah Az-Zumar, Verse 3:
أَلَا لِلَّهِ الدِّينُ الْخَالِصُ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَا إِلَى اللَّهِ زُلْفَىٰ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ فِي مَا هُمْ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي مَنْ هُوَ كَاذِبٌ كَفَّارٌ
Surely, the religion (i.e. the worship and the obedience) is for Allah only. And those who take Auliya' (protectors and helpers) besides Him (say): "We worship them only that they may bring us near to Allah." Verily, Allah will judge between them concerning that wherein they differ. Truly, Allah guides not him who is a liar, and a disbeliever.
Surah Yunus, Verse 18:
وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنفَعُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ هَٰؤُلَاءِ شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِندَ اللَّهِ قُلْ أَتُنَبِّئُونَ اللَّهَ بِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ
And they worship besides Allah things that hurt them not, nor profit them, and they say: "These are our intercessors with Allah." Say: "Do you inform Allah of that which He knows not in the heavens and on the earth?" Glorified and Exalted be He above all that which they associate as partners with Him!
Arabs also were seeking decisions about their affairs by casting Azlām (featherless arrows or shafts) as a type of divination, which were of three types: the first type had three sub-categories: a type showing 'yes', another 'no' and the third was blank. They used to cast them when intending to do serious things like travel, marriage and the likes. If the arrow showed 'yes', they would do what they intended; if it showed 'no', they would defer the action till the following year. But if it was blank, they would cast them again to decide for either of the two options. The second type was being cast for getting water and blood money. As for the third type, it showed 'from you', 'from other than you' or 'consociated.'
Moreover, when Arabs doubted the lineage of someone among them, they brought him to Hubal, with a gift of one hundred dirhams and camels to the arrow caster. If the arrow showed 'from you', this would decide that he should belong to them; if it showed 'from other than you', they would regard him as an ally. If 'consociated' appeared, he would retain his standing among them but with no lineage or alliance agreement.
This resembled greatly gambling and arrow-shafting which they resorted to when dividing the meat of camels. They used to buy camels on credit, then slaughter and divide them into twenty eight or ten Portions. After that, they cast arrow saying 'the winner' or which were blank. If the arrow showed 'the winner', the person would win and take his portion of the meat. If it was blank, he would lose and pay its price as a fine.
Among their deep-rooted belief in divination was that they believed in the words of diviners, soothsayers and astrologers. A diviner was someone who alleged knowledge of things that will happen in the future and secrets. Also among diviners were those who claimed that they had followers of the Jinn and those who alleged the knowledge of the unseen by special perception and understanding. There were also those who alleged familiarity with matters through premises, reason and proofs by which they substantiated their locations through the words, actions or conditions of one who they asked. Those were called soothsayers.
*...To be continued In-sha-Allah!*
*"And keep reminding, because reminding benefits the believers."* (Qur'an 51:55)
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