The Extraordinary Precautions taken by the Holy Companions against Consuming what is Haram in the Religion of Islam

*EARNING HALAL IN ISLAM*

             
*The Extraordinary Precautions taken by the Holy Companions against Consuming what is Haram in the Religion of Islam:*
The biographers of Sayyidna Abu Bakr Siddique (ra) have recorded that he had
a slave. Once he brought some food to him. Abu Bakr took a morsel from it. Later he discovered that the food was Haram. The slave told him that he used to work as a foreteller and a seer in the Days of Jahiliyyah and he had purchased that food from that income. Abu Bakr (ra) said, “You have destroyed me.” Abu
Bakr wanted to put his hands into his mouth to vomit out the food but he could not.
Some people told him that he might vomit easily if he took water. He sent for water and kept on drinking it and vomiting the food until he had emptied all the food in his stomach and he could vomit no more. Some onlookers commented and said, “Why are you suffering so much for a small morsel of food?” He said, “I will take out this morsel from my stomach even if at the cost of endangering my life for I have heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) as saying that the body grown with a Haram food deserves the Hellfire.”
(Sifatus-Sufwah, 1: 252, Hilyatul-Auliya, 1: 13, Ar-Riyad An-Nadirah, 2:141)

In the same way, something to this effect has been mentioned about Umar Ibn Khattab. It is reported that once he drank some milk. He tasted something
strange in it. He inquired from where the milk had come. The person answered that he had gone to the forest where some camels of Zakat were grazing. This milk is from those camels. When he heard this, he vomited out for “this was not Halal for him.”
(Muwatta Malik, 1: 269, Sunan Al-Baihaqi, 7: 14, Shuab Al- Iman, 5: 60)

Ismaiel Ibn Muhammad reports that once some Musk and Ambar were brought to Umar Ibn Khattab (ra) from Bahrain. He said, “By Allah, I want a woman who may weigh this musk and Ambar, so that I could distribute them among the Muslims. Upon this, his wife Atiqa Bint Zaid said, “I know how to weigh well.” He said, “No.” She asked, “Why?” Upon this, Umar answered, “It is possible that you take something from it accidentally, in the way that you wipe your hands with your neck.”
(Al-Wara Imam Ahmad: 37, Az-Zuhd Ibn Abi Asim, 1: 119)

Attara says, “Umar Ibn Khattab used to give perfumes to his wife who would sell them. When necessary she would break them with her teeth. Once she wiped some perfume with her scarf. When Umar Ibn Al-Khattab came to his house he asked what type of perfume is that she told the whole story. Then he
said, “You have used the perfume of the Muslims.” After that, he took her scarf and started to wash it until he was completely sure that all the perfume was gone from the scarf.”
(Al-Wara: 37)

Caliph Ali (ra) had appointed a person from Bani Thaqeef as a governor in a village of Kufah. The person says that once Ali (ra) told him to offer his Zuhr prayer with him. He went to him freely. He saw some water and a bowl there. He took out Sattu (wheat flour mixed with jaggery and other ingredients) from a
glass pot. The person said "O Commander of Faithful is that what happens in Iraq, while Iraq has abundant food? He said, "I have not done it with miserliness but I do not want to take anything into my stomach which is Makrooh or undesirable.”
(Al-Wara: 75)

All these incidents show that the Companions of the Prophet used to shun all doubtful foods and be extremely cautious about taking something, which could possibly be Haram. They would fight shy from consuming it until they were sure what they were eating was completely earned in the Halal way. These are the noble examples set for us by our illustrious predecessors for the Muslims to follow. If they follow what is lawful in the Islamic Shariah and avoid the Prohibited then they are following the best commandments of the Holy Qur'an and the Noble Traditions.

*Abstention of our Ancestors from Haram things in their Lives!*
Abdullah Ibn Rashid, who was appointed by Caliph Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz, as the manager of perfumes in the Public Treasury, says, “Once, I brought the
perfume of the Public Treasury before the presence of the Caliph, which used to
be prepared and served to the other Caliphs before him. He kept his fingers on his nose and commented that what benefit it yields, except for the waft of the perfume! Upon this, Abdullah Ibn Rashid said, “May I narrate this incident to others?” Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz gave him the permission.
(Al-Wara, Imam Ahmad, 1:37)

Bishr Ibn Harith used to say that Muafa Ibn Imran often commented, "There
were ten people among the knowledgeable personalities in the past, which used to be extremely careful with regard to the Halal and go to extreme lengths to avoid the Haram in the sight of Allah (swt). They used to make sure that nothing entered into their stomach, which was Haram. If they were unable to confirm the nature of their food, they used to depend on mere water. Then, Bishr
specified the names of those fortunate and righteous people. They were Ibrahim
•Ibn Adham,
• Sulaiman Al-Khawwas,
• Ali Ibn Fudail,
• Abu Mu'awiyah Al-Aswad,
• Yusuf ibn Asbat,
• Wuhaib Ibn Al-Ward,
• Hudaifah from Harran, and
• Dawood At-Tai.”
(Al-Wara, 1:10)

Imam Ghazali has narrated an incident that, once a sage was sitting beside a person who was on the threshold of his death. Meanwhile, the person passed away while there was a kindle burning over that place. The sage ordered the lamp to be put off. For now, only the inheritors of the deceased were authorized to use the oil of this lamp i.e. it was not lawful to apply or use it without the permission of the inheritors.”
(Ihyaul Uloom, 2:96)

Imam Dhahabi has reported that once a sage was seen in the dream of a person after his death. He was asked how Allah (SWT) treated him. He answered that he had been treated well, but he had been barred from entering the Paradise for he had
borrowed a needle from a person, which he was unable to return to its owner.
(Al-Kabair, Dhahabi: 121)

Maulana Muzaffar Hussain Kandhlawai is counted among the great sages of Islam in India. Once he intended to come back from Delhi to his place of origin, Kandhla. He rented a bullock cart. While on his way, he started to talk to the owner of the bullock cart. During the conversation, the person guiding the
bullock cart informed him that it belonged to a prostitute, which I have rented from her for earning my livelihood. When he heard this, he got out of the bullock cart on the pretext of passing water. He eased himself and then told the person that sitting on the bullock cart was making his legs numb, and he wanted to walk the rest of the way on foot. He told him to go ahead with his cart. And, he started to walk on foot. When they went for a long distance, the person said to the Maulana, "Please sit in the cart!" This time, too, he postponed and declined to sit on the cart on some pretext or the other. Finally, the person realized the point and asked the Maulana, “Don't you want to sit on the cart owned by a prostitute?” The Maulana gave him his wage, which was agreed upon in full, but he never sat on the cart all the way back to his home.
(Arwahe Salasa, Maulana Thanwi: 214)

All these incidents are an eye-opener for us. They speak of the great care, which our ancestors used to have in the matters relating to that of Halal and the Haram.

To be continue  Insha Allahu.