Shaykh Ubayd al-Jaabiree: An Explanation of the Verse 'Those Who Believe and Do Not Mix Their Faith with Oppression'
Tuesday, April 09 2013 - by Abu.Iyaad
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The Shaykh, after praising Allaah and sending salat and salaam upon the Messenger of Allaah, stated:

The topic in front of us is the saying of Allaah, the Exalted:

ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوٓا۟ إِيمَٰنَهُم بِظُلْمٍ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ لَهُمُ ٱلْأَمْنُ وَهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ

Those who believe and do not mix their belief with oppression, they will have security and they are (the ones) who are guided. (6:82)

So what is the meaning of (يلبسوا), it means (يخلطوا), which is to mix (confuse), as occurs in Sahih al-Bukhari from Ibn Mas'ood (radiallaahu anhu), that when it was revealed it caused some confusion upon the Companions, so they said, "Which one of us does not have oppression (dhulm) in his eemaan (faith)." So the Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said, "It is not that (what you think), have you not heard the saying of the righteous servant (Luqmaan), ( إِنَّ ٱلشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ), "Indeed shirk (associating partners with Allaah) is a great oppression" (31:13).

So this story gives us two benefits:

The first is the intense and severe fear of the Companions (radiallaahu anhum) when this verse was revealed upon them. They feared for their faith, because they understood the (verse upon) the generality of its meaning, that the one whose eemaan is mixed with dhulm (oppression), he wil not have security (amn) on the Day of Judgement and he is not from the guided ones. In a like way, the Muslim is eager for his eeman (faith) from everything which negates it from (affairs of) shirk and kufr or which decrease it (and remove it from) perfection such as major sins.

The second benefit is that the Prophet (sallallau alayhi wasallam) explained the meaning of the oppression (ظلم) mentioned in the verse and that it was not what they understood for they understood it in a generalized sense involving major sins (such as cutting of ties and what is similar to that). So the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) explained that the oppression mentioned in the verse is actually shirk (setting up partners in worship) with Allaah, and the intent (by 'shirk') is the major shirk alongside which eemaan will not benefit (at all) and no action will be of benefit in its presence, for every action alongside the presence of shirk is vain (invalidated).

There remains two further issues in the verse.

The first is regarding the types of oppression (dhulm) which are present amongst the people. Know O listeners from the Muslim men and women (present) that the oppression occurring amongst people is of three types:

1) The oppression which Allaah does not forgive except with repentance and whoever dies upon this type of oppression, he will remainin in the fire forever, forever absolutely, and this is the major shirk.

2) The oppression which Allaah forgives when the wrong has been corrected, this is the oppression of the servants regarding that which occurrs between them. This oppression between the servants is not removed by repentance on its own, rather the right which has been taken or transgressed against must be returned to the person (in question). The Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said, "Return the right to the one to whom it is due before the day when there is no deenaar or dirham (to offer as ransom)." The rights of the people (that have been transgressed against) are to be returned or rectified first then repentance is to be made.

3) The oppression of a person upon himself, (such as stealing, drinking), this is under Allaah's will, He, the Exalted said, "Allaah does not forgive that partners should be associated with Him (in worship) but he forgives what is less than that to whomsover He wills" (4:48). If a person met Allaah without repenting, he is under the will (of Allaah), if Allaah wills He will forgive him and if He wills He will punish him and if He punishes him He will not leave him in the Fire forever. Hence, the muwahhid (monotheist) who met Allaah upon Tawheed his final destination is Paradise. He (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) said, "Whoever met Allaah not associating any partners with him in anything will enter Paradise and whoever met Allaah associating partners with him in anything, he will enter the Fire."

The second issue is related to amn (security) and hidaayah (guidance).

Amn (security) is the opposite of khawf (fear). Know O gathering of Muslim men and women (present here) that security is of two types: a) security that is complete and b) security that is deficient.

The complete security is for the one who meets Allaah free of shirk and free of sins [due to repentance] and these are people who are secured from entering the Fire because they combined two matters, Tawheed and freedom of sins and they met Allah with these two matters. The incomplete (deficient) security, this is for the one who met Allaah with Tawheed but did not repent from the major sins, he fell into major sins in the world and died with out repentance so his security (from punishment) is deficient. How is this? It means that he will be secure from remaining in the Fire foreever, but not secure from entering it to begin with.

And know also that that hidaayah (guidance) is of two types (the complete guidance and the deficient guidance):

The complete guidance has as its fruit complete security, because this person was pleased with Allaah as his Lord and with Islaam as his deen and with the Muhammad as his Messenger, and venerated Allaah as he should be venerated and he met Him with Tawheed and was safe and secure from (committing) major sins. As for the deficient guidance, its fruit is a deficient security. He was upon Tawheed but he did not abandon major sins. He fell into something of them and so such a one, in the life of this world, is a believer due to his faith and a sinner due to his major sin and in the Hereafter he will be subject to the will of Allaah and will receive a deficient security. He will be secure form abiding in the Fire forever but will not be secure from having to enter it.

We ask Allaah to bestow us with complete guidance and to make us firm with a firm saying in this life in the next and may the salaat and salaam be upon the Messenger of Allaah, his family and all his companions.


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