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Itmam-e-Hujjat (The Law, Its Application, Common Misconceptions & FAQs)
Itmam al-Hujjah [1] of God’s Messengers:
This world has been made as a place of a trial for mankind. Its essential consequence is reward and punishment for which the Day of Judgement has been fixed. In order to prove this to mankind in the same manner as scientific facts are proven in a laboratory, the Almighty, on several occasions, brought about lesser days of judgement in this very world. The way which was adopted for this was that the Almighty would send His messenger to any nation He intended. That messenger would conclusively convey the truth to it, after which its fate would be decided with full justice in this world. The way this would happen is that those who accepted the truth would be salvaged and those who rejected it would face the wrath and torment of God and would be eternally wiped out from the face of the earth or would face the eternal punishment of subjugation and live in eternal humiliation. The accounts of the nations of Noah (sws), the ‘Ad, the Thamud, the people of Lot (sws) and other similar nations related in the Qur’an are the accounts of such punishments.
The Quran states that no nation faces this punishment unless a messenger of God conclusively delivers the truth to them. Thus it is said: (١٥:١٧) وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولاً (We never punish unless We send a messenger, (17:15)). A question arises on this: How exactly is the truth conclusively communicated? It is evident from the Quran that three things are required for this:
Firstly, the presence of a messenger of God who invites a nation to profess faith in him.
Secondly, the nation is given enough time so that if its people want they can come to see the messenger and directly hear the message of God from his tongue because the person of a messenger itself is a sign of God.
Thirdly, God’s help and close relationship with the messenger and his companions manifests itself in such a grand way before the eyes of their addressees that no one can form another opinion about it.
God says that after this no one is left with an excuse to present before God: لِئَلاَّ يَكُوْنَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى اللّهِ حُجَّةٌ بَعْدَ الرُّسُلِ (٤: ١٦٥) (so that after the messengers people are left with no excuse which they can present before God, (4:165)).
Thus if it is possible for the believers to punish the rejecters, they are directed to do so. Otherwise the angels carry out this task.
Muhammad (sws) was also a messenger of God and was sent to his people to bring about this lesser day of judgement for the last time on the face of the earth. Thus after he had done itmam al-hujjah, his companions were also directed to implement divine punishment on the rejecters.
Thus about the Idolaters of Arabia, it is stated:
فَإِذَا انسَلَخَ الْأَشْهُرُ الْحُرُمُ فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ وَخُذُوهُمْ وَاحْصُرُوهُمْ وَاقْعُدُوا لَهُمْ كُلَّ مَرْصَدٍ فَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَخَلُّوا سَبِيلَهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (٩: ٥)
Then when the sacred months [after the hajj] have passed, kill these Idolaters wherever you find them, and [for this purpose] capture them and besiege them, and lie in wait for them in each and every ambush. But if they repent and are diligent in the prayer, and give zakah, then leave them alone. Indeed, God is Forgiving, Most Merciful. (9:5)
Similarly, about the People of the Book of Arabia, the words are:
قَاتِلُوا الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَلَا بِالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَلَا يُحَرِّمُونَ مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَلَا يَدِينُونَ دِينَ الْحَقِّ مِنْ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ حَتَّى يُعْطُوا الْجِزْيَةَ عَنْ يَدٍ وَهُمْ صَاغِرُونَ (٩:٢٩)
Fight with those from among the People of the Book who believe not in God or the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which has been forbidden by God and His Messenger, nor adopt the Religion of Truth as their own religion until they pay the jizyah after being subdued and live a life of submission. (9:29)
It is evident from the context of these verses that their directive was specific to the Idolaters and People of the Book of Arabia. However, we see that those of the companions who succeeded the Prophet (sws) dealt with certain nations outside Arabia in the very manner mentioned in these verses for the People of the Book of Arabia. This obviously is a decision that is based on their opinion and can be regarded as correct or otherwise. In our opinion, this decision taken by them was absolutely correct. The reason is that the essential components needed for the itmam al-hujjah of a messenger existed for all these nations as well. Its details follow.
1. The Prophet (sws) was still living in this world when he sent his envoys to those nations and invited them to profess faith in him. Everyone aware of the history of his time knows that he had written letters to heads of state of these nations and warned them that since he was the messenger of God and since he had invited them to accept Islam, the only way left for them to succeed in this world and in the next was to respond positively to this invitation. These letters were written to the following heads of state: Negus of Abyssinia, Maqawqas of Egypt, Khusro Parvez of Persia, Heraclius of Rome, Mundhir ibn Sawi of Bahrain, Hudhah ibn Ali of Yamamah, Harith ibn Abi Shamr of Damascus and Jayfar of Amman. There is not much difference between the content of these letters. Following is the letter written to Heraclius, the Caesar of Rome. The style, majesty and authority with which these letters are written will become evident from it:
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرحمن الرَّحِيمِ من مُحَمَّدٍ عبد اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ إلى هِرَقْلَ عَظِيمِ الرُّومِ سَلَامٌ على من اتَّبَعَ الْهُدَى أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنِّي أَدْعُوكَ بِدِعَايَةِ الْإِسْلَامِ أَسْلِمْ تَسْلَمْ يُؤْتِكَ الله أَجْرَكَ مَرَّتَيْنِ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ فإن عَلَيْكَ إِثْمَ الْأَرِيسِيِّينَ قل يا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ تَعَالَوْا إلى كَلِمَةٍ سَوَاءٍ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ ألا نَعْبُدَ إلا اللَّهَ ولا نُشْرِكَ بِهِ شيئا ولا يَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضًا أَرْبَابًا من دُونِ اللَّهِ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَقُولُوا اشْهَدُوا بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful. From Muhammad, the servant and messenger of God, to Heraclius, the ruler of Rome. Peace to him who follows the guidance. After this I invite you to accept Islam. If you become Muslim you will live in peace. God will give you a double reward for this. If you turn away, then you will also be responsible for the sin of your subjects. People of the Book! Come to what is common between us: we shall not worship anyone except God and nor associate anyone with him and none of us will make anyone except God his Lord. Then if they turn away, tell them: “Bear witness that we are Muslims.”[2]
2. These letters were written in Muharram 7th hijrah after the Prophet (sws) had returned from Hudaybiyyah. He lived for about four years after this. During this time, he even journeyed to Tabuk in anticipation of any attack from the Romans. If the people of these nations as well as their ruling nobles had come to meet him if they wanted, they could have seen the last messenger of God with their very eyes.
3. God’s help and close relationship that manifested itself in the battles of Badr, Uhud, Ahzab and Khaybar before the Idolaters and the People of the Book of Arabia, and as a consequence of which they were declared worthy of punishment, also manifested itself before all those nations when, in accordance with the explicit predictions of the Quran, the Quraysh of Makkah were subdued in spite of all their might and majesty, all their leadership was killed, Makkah was conquered, the Quraysh were stripped of the custodianship of the foremost House of God, people in multitudes entered the folds of Islam, the shariah was imposed and no other religion could politically and religiously dominate Arabia. Not only this, the empires of all these nations crumbled to dust when onslaughts were launched against them – nations whose rulers had been told that they will necessarily be subdued after itmam al-hujjah by the messenger of God. Without accepting faith their kingdoms could not flourish on the earth.
All these are established facts which manifested themselves before people of those times. Whatever the companions of the Prophet (sws) did was on these very grounds. They would have necessarily directed the attention of people to these facts when they delivered their message. There is no reason to make the evil estimation about them that without communicating these facts to people they would have punished an individual or a nation in this manner.
(Javed Ahmed Ghamidi)
(Translated by Dr. Shehzad Saleem)
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[1]. The term itmam al-hujjah refers to the conclusive communication of the truth.
[2]. Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Isma‘il al-Bukhari, Al-Jami‘ al-sahih, 3rd ed., vol 1 (Beirut: Dar Ibn Kathir, 1987), 8-9, (no. 7).
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17 Replies
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Itmam-e-Hujjat (The Law, Its Application, Common Misconceptions & FAQs)
updated 2 years ago
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17
Replies
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Ghamidi Sahab Explaining The Law of Itmam e Hujjah:
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The Law of Itmam e Hujjah And Its Application (Part-1):
Questions:
2:58 Meaning of term itmam-e-hujjat in terms of linguistics:
4:27 Meaning of term itmam-e-hujjat in accordance with quran:
13:25 In previous nations, azab/punishment was given through angels, while in prophet Muhammad (sws) case, azab/punishment was given through sahaba:
19:00 Why was azab/punishment in case of prophet Muhammad (sws) was given in stages, like first phase in ghazwa e badar etc. etc.:
20:58 According to you, punishment of itmam e hujjah was enforced through Sahaba swords but Allah says in Quran that it was from Him and His angels?
22:57 Why wasn’t itmam-e-hujjat law discovered by scholars/ulemas before Imam Farahi and Imam amin ahsan islahi:
25:20 But Quraysh of Mecca used to say that there was no itmam-e-hujjat done on them, why is it that we never present their point of view:
27:15 Is itmam-e-hujjat happening on common people even today’s time:
28:32 Do we have this right in today’s time to declare itmam-e-hujjat on someone:
31:52 letters sent to other nations by prophet Muhammad (sws)? Do letters solely establish itmam-e-hujjat? Are letters enough?:
34:39 nations that received letters from prophet Muhammad (sws), how will they know that he is the one true prophet? They could’ve simply considered Him as another warrior who keeps conquering the world?:
37:22 Invasions of Rome and Persia during caliphate of Umar (rta) and Abu Bakar (rta), were those also a part of itmam-e-hujjat law and its application?:
39:07 How do we know that itmam-e-hujjat of prophet Muhammad (sws) is part of established history?:
42:13 Arabs used to fight a lot, how will outsiders know that wars of badar etc etc. were not just simple tribal wars?:
Alternative Link: ilm-o-Hikmat 19-01-2020
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The Law of Itmam e Hujjah And Its Application (Part-2):
Questions:
1:41 What about itmam-e-hujjat on those people of Bani-Ismael who had no prophet sent to them for almost 2,000 years and there was a big gap of prophethood between between Hazrat Ismael (sws) and Prophet Muhammad (sws)?:
6:26 Definition of tawheed (monotheism)?:
6:57 How can a Muslim convince an Atheist on reality of law of itmam-e-hujjat and its application?:
8:00 What is relationship between khatam-e-nabuwat (finality of prophethood) and itmam-e-hujjat?”
9:28 There is no proof/evidence that full Quran had reached Rome and Persia during the life-time of Prophet Muhammad (sws), then how can we say that itmam-e-hujjat happened on them?:
13:45 What basis you have to say that previous nations had Azab/punishment under itmam-e-hujjat and their destruction was not because of some natural calamity like earthquakes etc.?:
16:14 Quran, Surah Araf, verse 94, وَ مَاۤ اَرۡسَلۡنَا فِیۡ قَرۡیَۃٍ مِّنۡ نَّبِیٍّ اِلَّاۤ اَخَذۡنَاۤ اَہۡلَہَا بِالۡبَاۡسَآءِ وَ الضَّرَّآءِ لَعَلَّہُمۡ یَضَّرَّعُوۡنَ (whenever we send any Nabi as a Rasul), your translation is unique, why hasn’t any other Scholar translated it like this ever?:
17:35 Quran, Surah Araf, 158, قُلۡ یٰۤاَیُّہَا النَّاسُ اِنِّیۡ رَسُوۡلُ اللّٰہِ اِلَیۡکُمۡ جَمِیۡعَۨا (we have sent you as a prophet to all people of the world), but you never address Christians and Jews in your Dawah?:
19:01 Itmam-e-hujjat of prophet Muhammad (sws), why hasn’t it been transmitted to us as an established history along with the same interpretation as yours?:
22:55 Were all ghazwas (wars) of prophet Muhammad (sws) part of itmam-e-hujjah? What about ghazwa e uhad?:
25:33 Was ghazwa e uhad part of punishment/azab under itmam-e-hujjat?:
27:45 Muanedeen (extreme enemies), those belonging to Ahl e kitaab (Jews) were all killed, while those belonging to Quraysh were forgiven at the time of conquest of mecca, why?
30:01 Ghazwa e badar (war of Badar), Muslims did win that war, but in the hindsight it is easy to say that Muslims won because God was on their side, what’s the basis to believe this claim?:
32:00 Why were innocent children also killed during azab/punishment under itmam-e-hujjat?:
34:16 Definition of jihad in Islam.:
34:40 Is jihad in Islam a war against deniers of Islam?:
36:01 Persecution now a days happening on Muslims (especially in china)?:
36:13 why were Ahl-e-Kitaab (Jews) kicked out of Arab during Caliphate of Hazrat Umar (rta)?:
37:51 In today’s IT revolution, is it possible for anyone in the world to not have received the message of God?:
40:46 Surah Baqarah, verse 62 (in Surah Maida as well), why is there no requirement of belief in Prophets mentioned as a prerequisite for salvation?:
44:02 What is difference between a kafir (Infidel) and a Non-Muslim?:
45:34 Summary of Messengers (Rasul) itmam-e-hujjat:
Alternative Link: ilm-o-Hikmat 26-01-2020
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Questions:
13:43 Difference between terms Nabi (prophet) and Rasul (Messenger) in the light of Quran?:
20:45 Traditional scholars say that a Rasul (messenger) is given Sharia (Law) while a Nabi (prophet) on the other hand is not given Sharia, why is your point of view so much different from traditional narrative?:
24:07 Whether A Messenger (Rasul) Can Be Killed Or Not? What about the verses in Quran which talk about murder of Rusul (Messengers) at the hands of disbelievers?:
27:23 Why were innocent children also killed during azab/punishment under itmam-e-hujjat?:
For answers, please refer to the video below from 13:43 to 30:32
Alternative Link: ilm-o-Hikmat 26-01-2020
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Question: How was itmam-e-hujjat done on nation (i.e. Bani-Israel) of Prophet Jesus (sws) and what punishment was imposed on them and in how many stages? Will their punishment be till Qiyamah (the day of judgement)?
For answer, please refer to the video from 38:35 to 44:28
Alternative Link: ilm-o-Hikmat 24-12-2017
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Question: It seems that country of Israel (Bani-Israel) is controlling USA and all other Christian Nations and not vice versa, which goes against Quran’s prophecy in which punishment of itmam-e-hujjat was imposed on them till Qiyamah (the day of judgement)? Also, the majority western countries now a days do not have Christianity as a state religion anymore, then how can we estalish that it is the followers of Christ who have dominance over Bani-Israel in today’s time?:
For answer, please refer to the video below from 3:32 to 4:43 and from 6:45 to 8:57
Alternative Link: ilm-o-Hikmat 14-01-2018
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Questions:
00:55 itmam-e-hujjat and impositon of azab/punishment on kuffar/polytheists/mushrikeen of Arab at the time of Prophet Muhammad (sws) seems like persecution/jabar while on the other hand Quran says that there is no compulsion in religion:
5:26 It seems to an outside observer who is not a Muslim that itmam-e-hujjah and its related punishment is more like persecution/jabar on Non-Muslims who were present at the time of Prophet Muhammad (sws):
For answers, please refer to the video below from 00:55 to 7:56
Alternative Link: ilm-o-Hikmat 27-01-2019
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Question: Why is there difference in punishment under itmam-e-hujjat for both Polytheists of Arab (Mushrikeen) and People of the book (Ahl-e-Kitaab) residing there despite the fact their crime was the same? Secondly, we also find that Nations of Prophets Loot (sws) and Shoaib (sws) were not involved in open polytheism as per Quran, their crimes were different and yet you describe their destruction under the same principle of itmam-e-hujjat?:
For answer, please refer to the video below from 12:27 to 27:32
Alternative Link: ilm-o-Hikmat 27-01-2019
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Question: Why is it that whole 1,400 years of Muslim history, their jurisprudence, and their intellectual tradition failed to discover the law of itmam-e-hujjat the way Farahi School of Thought has discovered it?
For answer, please refer to the video below from 45:41 to 52:38
Alternative Link: ilm-o-Hikmat 31-03-2019
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Questions:
00:25 Is law of itmam-e-hujjat written explicitly in the Quran or is it just your inference drawn from the Quran?:
04:57 Can you give an example of inference drawn from Quran and how does that differ from inference of law of itmam-e-hujjat as mentioned in the Quran, and a reasoning as to how they both differ in their nature?:
6:50 Are differences of interpretation in understanding any religious text and inferences drawn from the same text two different things? If yes, then how?:
11:20 If law of itmam-e-hujjat was specific to messengers (‘rasul’) only, then how would you justify the act (‘iqdaam’) of Sahaba (companions) of the prophet Muhammad (sws)?:
31:01 If act (‘iqdam’) of Sahaba (companions) was done under law of itmam-e-hujjat then logic dictates that they should’ve experienced or seen some divine help in the form of angels etc.?:
32:18 If Bani-Ismael have a responsibility of implementing and imposing itmam-e-hujjat punishment on rejectors of truth, then what is the responsibility of common Muslims who do not belong to Bani-Ismael, doesn’t this make us common Muslims detached from critical religious responsibilities?:
33:30 How can then Muslims fulfill this natural desire of Islam having dominance over all other religions in the world if we limit the act (‘iqdaam’) of itmam-e-hujjat specific to Sahaba (companions) only?:
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Please find attached ‘The Narrations’ from ‘Hadith Corpus’ identifying the act (‘iqdaam’) of Sahaba (rta) as being ordained by Prophet Muhammad (sws) Himself as part of itmam-e-hujjat.
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Questions:
7:53 Quran’s verses talking about this religion (i.e. Islam) is meant to take over and dominate all other religions of this world and Prophet Muhammad (sws) is best role model for Muslims, don’t these verses mean that we Muslims also need to establish and enforce Islamic state and Islamic Sharia all over the world just the way our Prophet Muhammad (sws) did on Arabian Peninsula?:
14:58 Sahaba / companions of the Prophet (sws) were not messengers (‘rasul’) themselves, then why did they invade nearby nations/countries and made them pay jizya?:
19:54 How did writing simple letters to nearby nations/countries by Prophet Muhammad (sws) established itmam e hujjat on them? A normal person belonging to a nearby country can simply see the conquest of mecca as a normal political victory?:
27:42 Did Sahaba / companions of the Prophet (sws) only limit their invasions to the countries/nations where letters were sent by Prophet Muhammad (sws) Himself?:
30:11 Then why did all these invasions happen during the time of Hazrat Umar (rta) only, and not at the time of Hazrat Abu Bakar (rta)? Why did Abu bakar (rta) only sent army to fight rejecters of zakat and not to any other place?:
For answers, please refer to the link below from 7:53 to 32:43
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Questions:
00:37 What is Breakdown of Law of Itmam-e-Hujjat into its phases and its types and w.r.t differences in nature of punishment (‘Azab’) imposed under this Law. Why is there difference in punishment (‘Azab’) on Bani-Israel of Arab who were made oppressed and were made to pay ‘Jizya’ and Bani-Israel in General who will stay politically oppressed till the day of judgement (‘Qiyamah’)? And why are laws of Itmam-e-hujjat different for General Nations of Rusul (Messengers) and for Progeny of Prophet Abraham (sws) (‘Zuriyat e Ibrahim’) i.e. Bani-Israel and Bani-Ismael. And What was the nature and types of punishment (‘Azab’) inflicted upon rejecters of Prophet Jesus (sws) i.e. Bani-Israel?:
31:55 What was the nature of law and punishment (‘Azab’) applied on Bani-Israel of Arab who rejected prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (sws)?:
33:30 If punishment (‘Azab’) was already imposed on Bani-Israel of Arab under Itmam-e-hujjat where they were forced to give ‘Jizya’, then why were they later on kicked out of Arabian Peninsula after death of Prophet Muhammad (sws)?:
35:29 Under what law nearby nations of Rome and Persia were given punishment (‘Azab’)?:
37:31 Where can we read law of Itmam-e-Hujjat as understood by you in your own writing?:
For answers, please refer to the video below
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Question: How was itmam-e-hujjat done on nation (i.e. Bani-Israel) of Prophet Jesus (sws) and what punishment was imposed on them and in how many stages? Why is their punishment be till Qiyamah (the day of judgement)?:
For answer, please refer to the video from 49:43 to 53:11
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Questions:
29:16 to 32:19 Quran says that both Prophet Abraham (sws) and his son Prophet Ismael (sws) were ‘rusul’ (messengers), then how did they complete Itmam-e-hujjat on their respective nations and what kind of punishment (‘Azab’) was imposed on their nations under Itmam-e-hujjat law?:
42:53 to 45:58 Whether A Messenger (Rasul) Can Be Killed Or Not? What about the verses in Quran which talk about murder of Rusul (Messengers) at the hands of disbelievers?:
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Please also see:
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Response to 23 Questions – Detailed Discussion on the Law of Itmam-e-Hujjah
Sponsor Ask Ghamidi
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