APRIL 8

The Study of Hadith

According to a hadith, Asma, daughter of Abu Bakr said: ‘My foster mother came to me in Madinah. She was still an idolater, and an ally of the Quraish (the dire enemy of Islam and Muslims). Then I told the Prophet that my idolatrous mother had come to me in need of assistance and asked if I should help her. The Prophet replied, “Yes, you must.”’

This hadith is set forth in the chapter which deals with the proper treatment of relatives, be they Muslims or non-Muslims. But to fully appreciate any given hadith, we must not only go deeper than the meaning apparent on a first reading, but must also look beyond the section under which it is classified to its broader historical context.

Besides laying stress on the rights of parents, the hadith tells us that this incident took place after the Quraysh and Muslims had signed a peace treaty, as a result of which the Makkan idolaters had started coming to Madinah and the Madinan Muslims had started going to Makkah.

Quite understandably, such inter-communication brought into focus not only the rights of relatives but also the issues of shirk (idolatry) and tawhid (monotheism). The religion of the Prophet began to be compared with that of his forefathers, and the difference between superstition and revealed religion started becoming apparent to the people.

In this way the Sulh-e-Hudaybia (peace treaty) as a matter of strategy turned the atmosphere of militancy into one of peaceful dawah. Makkah and Madinah, where the clash of swords had resounded now began reverberating with voices proclaiming the call of truth. With this, the victory of Islam became as certain as that of the sun after it has risen in the world of darkness.