(وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا) (And thus we have made you a just community): Wasaṭiyya or moderation about which we always talk, is the one that was brought by Islam.
(that you will be …): Is the Lam of (لِّتَكُونُوا) (that) here for talking about what is going to happen or for reasoning and explanation?
It is for reasoning and explanations, and not for telling about what is going to happen. This means that you will not be witnesses over people except by your moderation (wasaṭiyyah), because if you are extremists, you will harm people since extremism leads to offence, resentment and hardship, and Allah (swt) says:
{وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍ}
(and has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty) ) Al-Hajj: 78)
Excessiveness is unacceptable in anything, and the nation of Muhammad (saws) has been given, because of its moderation (wasaṭiyyah), a high position, as it will witnesses over the rest of nations on the Day of Judgment.[1] Because we are a moderate nation, we will be witnesses over all the nations as we are the nation of moderation and fairness, the Prophet (saws) said:
“I was sent with the upright, lenient Hanifiyyah (Islamic Monotheism)”[2]
Hence, extremism and takfir (Accusing others of disbelief) do not belong to our shari‘ah law, because of the Qur’anic statement:
( وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا) (And thus we have made you a just community). So, we will not be witnesses over the people if we are not a moderate nation.
(وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا)) and the Messenger will be a witness over you): because whenever the Prophet (saws) was given a choice between two matters, he would (always) choose the easier. He used to say:
“Make things easy and do not make them difficult, cheer the people up by conveying glad tidings to them and do not repulse (them)”[3].
He also said:
“Seek what is appropriate and come as close as you can and receive the glad tidings (that you be rewarded)”[4].
Is there more facilitation than this!
Whilst the takfiris say, “this one is to be killed; this one is to be slaughtered, this one is to be punished, and this one is to be whipped…” while this is not the religion of Islam, this is a terrorism and criminality.
Our religion is the religion of moderation and fairness in everything. Allah (swt) says:
{وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَأَحْسِن كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ}
(and [yet], do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you) (Qur’an 28: 77)
Everything has a purpose, and each side of this purpose is obnoxious. Allah (swt) says:
{يَا بَنِي آدَمَ خُذُوا زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا ۚ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ}
(O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess) (Al-A’raaf: 31)
Thus, everything in our religion is moderate and fair. Islam is not a religion of cruelty. Where are those who behead people from religion? Where are we from our Prophet (saws) who said:
The best house among the Muslims is the house in which orphans are well treated. The worst house among the Muslims is the house in which orphans are ill-treated. I and the guardian of the orphan will be in the Garden like that,”[5] indicating his forefinger and middle finger
Where are we from our great religion, which says:
أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يُكَذِّبُ بِالدِّينِ * فَذَٰلِكَ الَّذِي يَدُعُّ الْيَتِيمَ * وَلَا يَحُضُّ عَلَىٰ طَعَامِ الْمِسْكِينِ * فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُصَلِّينَ * الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ * الَّذِينَ هُمْ يُرَاءُونَ * وَيَمْنَعُونَ الْمَاعُونَ
(Have you seen the one who denies the Recompense? % For that is the one who drives away the orphan % And does not encourage the feeding of the poor %So woe to those who pray % [But] who are heedless of their prayer %Those who make show [of their deeds] % And withhold [simple] assistance) (Al-Maa’un: 1-7)
Where are we from our great religion, which when talks about the tyrants it says:
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ * إِرَمَ ذَاتِ الْعِمَادِ * الَّتِي لَمْ يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِي الْبِلَادِ * وَثَمُودَ الَّذِينَ جَابُوا الصَّخْرَ بِالْوَادِ *وَفِرْعَوْنَ ذِي الْأَوْتَادِ * الَّذِينَ طَغَوْا فِي الْبِلَادِ * فَأَكْثَرُوا فِيهَا الْفَسَادَ * فَصَبَّ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّكَ سَوْطَ عَذَابٍ * إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِالْمِرْصَادِ * فَأَمَّا الْإِنسَانُ إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَأَكْرَمَهُ وَنَعَّمَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَكْرَمَنِ * وَأَمَّا إِذَا مَا ابْتَلَاهُ فَقَدَرَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقَهُ فَيَقُولُ رَبِّي أَهَانَنِ * كَلَّا ۖ بَل لَّا تُكْرِمُونَ الْيَتِيمَ
(Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with ‘Aad % [With] Iram – who had lofty pillars, %The likes of whom had never been created in the land? % And [with] Thamud, who carved out the rocks in the valley? % And [with] Pharaoh, owner of the stakes? – % [All of] whom oppressed within the lands % And increased therein the corruption. % So your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment. %Indeed, your Lord is in observation. % And as for man, when his Lord tries him and [thus] is generous to him and favors him, he says, “My Lord has honored me.” % But when He tries him and restricts his provision, he says, “My Lord has humiliated me.” % No! But you do not honor the orphan. (Al-Fajr 89: 6-17)
This is Islam; the religion of moderation, the religion of fairness, goodness and love, the religion of tender and mercy. They have turned it into slogans of killing, terrorism, takfir, sectarianism and hatred. However:
{وَاللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَىٰ أَمْرِهِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ}
(And Allah is predominant over His affair, but most of the people do not know) (Yusuf: 21)
(وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا) (and the Messenger will be a witness over you): The Messenger (saws) is a witness over all nations, as well as his nation.
(وَمَا جَعَلْنَا الْقِبْلَةَ الَّتِي كُنتَ عَلَيْهَا) (And We did not make the Qiblah which you used to face): it is the Qiblah towards Al-Aqsa mosque.
(إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَن يَتَّبِعُ الرَّسُولَ مِمَّن يَنقَلِبُ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ)
(except that We might make evident who would follow the Messenger from who would turn back on his heels): except that we might know those who would follow the Messenger (saws) from those who would not, so it would be an evident, an amendment and a trial. Therefore, if the Prophet (saws) orders us to go this way or that way, we would follow his orders, because we believe in Muhammad (saws) and in His message from Allah (swt) Allah (swt) says:
{وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانتَهُوا}
(And whatever the Messenger has given you – take; and what he has forbidden you – refrain from) (Al-Hashr: 7)
This is the concept of obedience without knowing the objective of changing the Qiblah, and why this ruling was abrogated.
(وَإِن كَانَتْ لَكَبِيرَةً إِلَّا عَلَى الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّهُ ۗ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَانَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ) )And indeed, it is difficult except for those whom Allah has guided. And never would Allah have caused you to lose your faith. Indeed Allah is, to the people, Kind and Merciful(: Some of them saw it difficult. How could they, after they had prayed for a long time towards Al-Quds, face and pray towards a place that contained idols around the Ka‘bah!! However, the believers knew that they had to obey without thinking about the effective objective of the command.
The Jews did not let the process of changing the Qiblah pass without spreading rumors and doubts. They told Muslims that their prayers during the past year and a half had no reward or recompense. Therefore, Allah (swt) told the Muslims that:
(وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَانَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ) )never would Allah have caused you to lose your faith. Indeed Allah is, to the people, Kind and Merciful(. Kindness is more specific and mercy is more general.
Had the Qur’an been from any other than Allah (swt), the verse would have been: (never would Allah have caused you to lose your prayer) instead of {never would Allah have caused you to lose your faith}. Allah (swt) has expressed prayer by faith, because prayer is the pillar of religion, whoever establishes it has established the religion and whoever neglects and destroys it has destroyed the religion, and this is the content of faith.
There are many hadiths that talk about the mercy of Allah (swt), among which is the narration of Sayyedina ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khaṭṭab (may Allah be pleased with him) that: Some captived women were brought to the Messenger of Allah (swt), amongst whom there was a woman who was running (searching for her child). When she saw a child among the captives, she took hold of him and fed him. Messenger of Allah (swt) said:
“Do you think this woman would ever throw her child in fire?”
We said, “By Allah, she would never throw the child in fire.” Thereupon Messenger of Allah (swt) said:
“Allah is more merciful to his slave than this woman is to her child”[6].
[1] Narrated by Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri: Allah’s Messenger) said: “Noah will be called on the Day of Resurrection and he will say, ‘Labbaik and Sa`daik, O my Lord!’ Allah will say, ‘Did you convey the Message?’ Noah will say, ‘Yes.’ His nation will then be asked, ‘Did he convey the Message to you?’ They will say, ‘No Warner came to us.’ Then Allah will say (to Noah), ‘Who will bear witness in your favor?’ He will say, ‘Muhammad and his followers. So they (i.e. Muslims) will testify that he conveyed the Message…, and that is what is meant by the Statement of Allah “Thus We have made of you a just and the best nation that you may be witnesses over mankind and the Apostle (Muhammad) will be a witness over yourselves.” (2.143)
Sahih al-Bukhari, the book of tafsir, surah al-Baqarah, 4217.
[2] Musnad of Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal, no. 22345
[3] Sahih al-Bukhari, the Book of Knowledge, no. 69.
[4] Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 6102.
[5] Kanzul-‘Ummᾱl, vol.3, no. 5994
[6] Shu‘abu Al-Imᾱn, seventy five, no. 11018.