Tag: Tarikh

Praise be to Allah.Prophet Muhammad’s advice on business
We can sum up the teachings of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) with regard to doing business, buying and selling, as follows: 
·         The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) worked in business before his mission began, with his paternal uncle Abu Talib, and he also worked for Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her), and he travelled for that purpose to greater Syria. He also did business in the markets; Majannah and ‘Ukath were markets during the Jahiliyyah [the pre-Islamic era] to which merchants would come to buy and sell. 
·         The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to engage directly in transactions himself, as we shall see below in the Hadith about the camel of ‘Umar and the camel of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with them both). He also used to appoint one of his companions to do that for him, as in the case of ‘Urwah ibn Abu Al-Ja‘d Al-Bariqi (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) gave him a Dinar to buy a sacrificial animal or a sheep for him. He bought two sheep and sold one for a Dinar, and he came back with a sheep and a Dinar. He (the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) prayed for blessing for him in his business dealings, and (after that) if he had bought dust he would have made a profit. (Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, 1258; Abu Dawood, 3384; Ibn Majah, 2402; classed as authentic by Al-Albani in Sahih At-Tirmidhi.)
·         The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to enjoin traders to be righteous and honest and to give charity. 
It was narrated that Hakim ibn Hizam (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The two parties to a transaction have the option (of cancelling it) until they part. If they are honest and disclose any defects, their transaction will be blessed, but if they lie and conceal defects the blessing of their transaction will be erased.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 1973 and Muslim, 1532) 
It was narrated from Isma`il ibn `Ubayd ibn Rifa`ah from his father from his grandfather that he went out with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to the prayer place, and he saw the people engaging in trade. He said:  “O merchants!” and they responded to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), craning their necks and looking up at him. He (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him said, “The merchants will be raised on the Day of Resurrection as evildoers, apart from those who fear Allah and are sincere and honest.” (Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, 1210; Ibn Majah, 2146; classed as authentic by Al-Albani in Sahih At-Targhib, 1785). 
It was narrated that Qays ibn Abu Gharazah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to say: “O merchants, selling involves idle talk and oaths, so mix it with Sadaqah (charity).” (Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, 1208; Abu Dawood, 3326; An-Nasa’i, 3797; Ibn Majah, 2145; classed as authentic by Al-Albani in Sahih Abu Dawood.)
·         The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to enjoin people to be tolerant and easy-going in buying and selling . 
It was narrated from Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “May Allah have mercy upon a man who is easy-going when he sells and when he buys and when he asks for payment.” (Al-Bukhari, 1970) 
Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 
“In this Hadith it is encouraged to be easy-going in transactions, to have the most sublime of attitudes, and to avoid miserliness, and it is encouraged to avoid putting pressure on people when asking for payment, and to take from them what they can afford.” (Fath Al-Bari, 4/307) 
Examples of the tolerance and easy-going nature of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) include the following: 
1.      It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We were with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) on a journey, and I was riding on a recalcitrant young camel belonging to ‘Umar. It kept getting the better of me and kept going ahead of the people, so ‘Umar kept checking and making it go back. Then it went on ahead and ‘Umar checked it and made it go back. Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Sell it to me.” He said: It is yours, O Messenger of Allah. He said: “Sell it to me.” So he sold it to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “It is yours, O ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar; do with it whatever you will.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 2610) 
2.      It was narrated from Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he was riding on a camel of his that had become exhausted to the point that he wanted to let it go. He said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) caught up with me and offered supplication for me, and he hit it and the camel started moving (energetically) as I had never seen it move before. He said: “Sell it to me for one Uqiyah.” I said: No. He (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Sell it to me.” So I sold it to him for one Uqiyah and stipulated that I be allowed to ride it home. When I arrived I brought the camel to him, and he gave me its price, then I left. He sent someone after me and said: “Did you think that I bargained with you in order to take away your camel? Take your camel and its price; they are both yours.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 1991 and Muslim, 715) 
·         The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to give people their rights and urge others to do likewise. 
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: A man was owed a camel of a certain age by the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), so he came to him to ask him to repay him, and he said: “Give him.” They looked, but they could not find anything but a camel that was older than his, so he said: “Give him.” He said: You have paid me back in full, may Allah reward you. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Verily the best of you are those who are the best in paying off debts.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 2182 and Muslim, 1601) 
·         The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to urge people to let a buyer cancel the transaction if he regrets it. 
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever lets a Muslim off (a transaction), Allah will relieve him of his distress on the Day of Resurrection.” (Narrated by Abu Dawud, 3460 and Ibn Majah, 2199; classed as authentic by Al-Albani in Sahih Abu Dawud) 
Letting someone off means being easy-going and agreeing to cancel a sale or purchase; it is indicative of generosity of spirit. 
What is meant by letting someone off a sale is: if someone buys something from a man, then regrets his purchase, either because he feels that he did not get a good deal, or because he no longer has any need of it, or because he does not have the wherewithal to pay for it, so he returns the item to the seller and the seller agrees to take it back, Allah will remove his hardship and distress on the Day of Resurrection, because of his kindness towards the buyer, because the transaction has been finalised, so the purchaser could not cancel it.” (`Awn Al-Ma`bud)
·         The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to bargain with people when buying , but he would not go so far as to undermine the real value of the item, as we have seen above in the Hadith about the camel of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him). 
It was narrated that Suwayd ibn Qays (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Makhramah Al-`Abdi and I brought some garments from Hajar to Makkah. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came to us on foot and bargained with us for some trousers, and we sold them to him. (Narrated by At-Tirmidhi, 1305 – he said: it is authentic. Also narrated by Abu Dawud, 3336, An-Nasa’i, 4592 and Ibn Majah, 2220) 
·         The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to urge people to give a little more when weighing. 
It was narrated that Suwayd ibn Qays (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) saw a man who weighed things for a fee and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said to him: “Weigh and give a little more.” 
This is the continuation of the Hadith quoted above. 
·         The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to enjoin people to give more time for a debtor who is in financial difficulty, or to waive the debt. 
It was narrated that Abu Al-Yasar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever waits for one who is in (financial) difficulty (to pay a debt) or waives it for him, Allah will shade him in His shade.” (Narrated by Muslim, 3006) 
·         The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade transactions involving Riba (usury) , transactions involving ambiguity, ‘Einah transaction [which involve selling something for a price to be paid at a later date, then buying it back from the same person who bought it for a lower price to be paid immediately], dealing in prohibited things, and cheating and deception. 
The evidence for that is abundant and well-known. 
How did Prophet Muhammad run his business?
We do not have details on his buying and selling in all of his commercial transactions, because his (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) trading was done during the Jahiliyyah, when he was not yet a Prophet such that his actions would be transmitted from his companions. But what has been narrated of his Sunnah is sufficient, in sha Allah.
For more details, please see this category: Business and Financial Transactions    
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.
Before the Islamic conquest, Iran was under the rule of the
Sasanids, and suffered from a great deal of injustice, corruption and
oppression. Zoroastrianism was the official religion of Iran until the
Islamic conquest. 

The Islamic conquest of Iran began during the caliphate of
Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq (may Allah be pleased with him), when al-Muthanna ibn
Haarithah conquered some of the neighbouring lands in the region of
Mesopotamia in 13 AH. 

During the caliphate of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with
him), Abu ‘Ubayd ath-Thaqafi (may Allah be pleased with him) tried to invade
Iran from the south-west, and faced the Persians in the Battle of the Bridge
in 13 AH. He met Jaabaan in battle, and Allah defeated the Magians and
enabled the Muslims to capture Jaabaan. Then Abu ‘Ubayd marched to Kaskar
when he and Nursi met in battle and he defeated him. Then he met Jalinus in
battle and defeated him. Then the tide of fortune turned against the
Muslims, and many of them were killed and drowned, and Abu ‘Ubayd (may Allah
be pleased with him) was killed. 

Siyar A‘laam an-Nubala’
(2/421) 

Then the Muslims completed the conquest of Iran under the
leadership of Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqaas in 14 AH, when the Muslim army in Persia
inflicted a mighty defeat (on the Persians) in the Battle of al-Qaadisiyyah,
which was one of the major battles of the Muslims. 

The historians stated that the Muslims were between seven and
eight thousand strong, and that Rostom, the Persian commander, had sixty
thousand troops. 

On a Monday in Muharram 14 AH, a strong wind blew and lifted
the tents of the Persians from their places, and the couch of Rostom, that
had been set up for him, was overturned. He hastened to ride his mule and
flee, but the Muslims overtook him and killed him. They also killed al-Jalinus,
the commander of the Persian vanguard, and the Persians were defeated –
praise be to Allah – to the last man and the Muslims pursued them. On that
day those who were chained were killed in their entirety, of whom there were
thirty thousand. Ten thousand were killed in the battle, and before that a
similar number had also been killed. On that day and on the previous days,
two thousand five hundred Muslims were killed, may Allah have mercy on
them. 

The Muslims pursued those who fled until they entered the
capital city behind them, namely al-Madaa’in (Ctesiphon), which was the seat
of the court of Chosroes. 

From the battle of al-Qaadisiyyah the Muslims seized an
indescribably huge amount of wealth and weapons. The booty was gathered
after giving the troops their shares, and the khums and glad tidings of the
victory were sent to Ameer al-Mu’mineen ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be
pleased with him). 

Al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah
(9/630) 

Then the Muslims continued their advance into Persian
territory, and were enabled to conquer the southern part of Iran, whilst the
ruler Yazdegerd III retreated to the region of Isfahan in central Iran,
where he began to assemble troops in an attempt to retake what he had lost.
The Muslims and the troops of Yazdegerd met in the Battle of Jalula in 18
AH, which ended with the defeat of Yazdegerd and his army, and his retreat
towards Isfahan. 

At-Tabari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

On that day Allah killed one hundred thousand of them, and
the slain covered [jallalat] the ground in all directions. It was called
Jalula because it was covered with the bodies of their slain. 

Tareekh at-Tabari
(4/26) 

Then Yazdegerd met the Muslims in the decisive Battle of
Nahawand in 21 AH, where the Muslims won a clear victory, after which the
Sasanids no longer had any power. The Muslims seized a great deal of booty,
which led to them dubbing this battle “the conquest of conquests”. 

Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It was a
mighty battle of great significance and wondrous events, and the Muslims
used to call it the conquest of conquests. End quote. 

Al-Bidaayah wa’n-Bihaayah
(10/111) 

It took the Muslims ten years to gain control over all the
Iranian lands, because of their huge size and difficult terrain. 

One of the things that played a role in the spread of Islam
in Iran was the migration of many Arab tribes to Iranians land in which they
settled and mixed with the Iranians. 

For nearly nine centuries, Iran followed the madhhab of Ahl
as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah, until the Shi‘i Safavid state seized control of it
in 906 AH. 

See: 

Tareekh at-Tabari
by Ibn Jareer at-Tabari

Siyar A‘laam an-Nubala’
by al-Haafiz Shams ad-Deen adh-Dhahabi

Al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah
by al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer ad-Dimashqi

Al-Mufassal fi Tareekh al-‘Arab qabl al-Islam
by Dr Jawaad ‘Ali

Iran fi Zill al-Islam fi’l-‘Usooi as-Sunniyyah
wa’sh-Shi‘iyyah by Dr
‘Abd al-Mun‘im Hasanayn

Qaadat Fath Bilaad Faaris
– Mahmoud Sheet Khattaab

Iran wa Afghanistan
– Mahmoud Shaakir

Iran mundhu Fajr at-Tareekh hatta al-Fath al-Islami
by Dr Muhammad ‘Abd al-Qaadir Muhammad

And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.Firstly:
This temple which is mentioned in the question is what the Jews call Solomon’s Temple.
The Hebrew word for the temple means the House of God. 
According to Jewish narrations, David (Dawud – peace be upon him) was the one who lay the foundations for the building of the temple, but he died before he could begin its construction. His son Solomon (Sulayman – peace be upon him) is the one who undertook the building of the temple atop Mount Moriah, which is known as the plateau of the sanctuary. This is the place where al-Masjid al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock are located.
The Temple has a special place in the hearts and minds of the Jews, and they claim that it is the most important place of worship, and that Solomon built it for them and for their religion.
Secondly:
After the death of Sulayman (peace be upon him), his children disputed and his kingdom was divided into two kingdoms, each of which was ruled by one of the sons of Sulayman.
The first kingdom was in the north, and it was called the Kingdom of Israel or the Kingdom of Samaria; its capital was Nablus.
The second kingdom was in the south, and it was called the Kingdom of Judah; its capital was Jerusalem (al-Quds).
The Northern Kingdom of Israel was destroyed in 721 BCE.
Approximately 150 years after that, the other kingdom, the Kingdom of Judah, was destroyed and the Jews tried to restore their kingdom and rebuild the temple.
In the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1926 CE edn.) it says: “The Jews look forward to bringing the Jewish people together in Palestine, restoring the Jewish state, rebuilding the Temple and establishing the throne of David in Jerusalem once more, to be ruled by a descendant of David.” End quote.
Thirdly:
There is no historical book or authentic source which proves that Sulayman (peace be upon him) built the temple, and there is no proven date for that. But we will give a brief history of the supposed temple, as it is narrated in the books of the Jews, then we will explain after that that the temple of Solomon is no more than a myth, and in fact never existed.

The one who lay the foundations for the building of the temple was David (Dawud – peace be upon him), and the one who actually built it was Solomon (Sulayman – peace be upon him).
Its construction took seven years, and more than 180,000 men took part in its construction.
The temple was destroyed for the first time by the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE.
Several decades after that, the captive Jews in Babylon were allowed to return to Jerusalem, so they returned and rebuilt the temple circa 521 BCE.
Then the temple was destroyed again at the hands of Titus, the son of the Roman emperor Vespasian. This was the second destruction of the temple.
So that the Jews would not forget the temple, and so that it would remain alive in their memories, their rabbis introduced rituals and ceremonies that every Jew performs in order to remember the Temple, at the time of birth, at the time of death, at the time of marriage, when painting the house, and so on.
The second destruction of the temple occurred on the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Ab. The Jews fast on this day every year, in commemoration of this event.
In 135 CE (at the time of the Emperor Hadrian) the city was destroyed completely and the Jews were expelled from it. A new city was built in its place, which was called Aelia Capitolina. It continued to be known by this name until the Muslims entered it during the caliphate of the second caliph, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), when it became known as al-Quds or Bayt al-Maqdis.
In 313 CE, the Emperor Constantine embraced Christianity, and began to build churches. The Church of the Resurrection was the first church to be built during that period, and the site of the temple became a rubbish dump, to spite the Jews.
The Jews were scattered throughout the earth, because of their treachery, their killing of the prophets, and their disobedience toward God – as the Jews themselves say. So they went to Arabia, Iraq, Egypt and Europe, and the Jews forgot Jerusalem and forgot the temple, until the nineteenth century CE, when they began to leaf through the pages of history, looking for any Jewish claims that would justify their return to Jerusalem.
They began to hold conference after conference. The first Zionist conference was held in the city of Basle in Switzerland in 1897 CE, led by Theodore Herzl, with the aim of establishing a national homeland for the Jews in Palestine, so that they would be able to rebuild the Temple.
The Jews claim that the Wailing Wall [which is located on the western side of al-Masjid al-Aqsa] is part of the remains of the Temple of Solomon.
The Jews claim that the restoration of their kingdom can only be brought about by returning to Jerusalem and rebuilding the Temple. They also claim that al-Masjid al-Aqsa is built on the ruins of the Temple. This means that there is no alternative to destroying al-Masjid al-Aqsa in order to rebuild the Temple, and that the kingdom of the Jews cannot be established unless that happens.
They also claimed that the Temple is the holiest place on the face of the earth.

This in brief is the story of the Temple as the Jews believe in it.
Fourthly:
There is a great deal of evidence which indicates that it is incorrect to attribute the temple to Sulayman (peace be upon him), and that Solomon’s building of the temple is just one of the lies of the Jews. The evidence for that is abundant, some of which may be deduced from what the Jews themselves have written about the temple!
This evidence includes the following:
1.
There is no authentic source to prove that Solomon (Sulayman – peace be upon him) built this Temple. The Holy Quran tells us the story of Dawud and Sulayman in numerous places, and it tells us the story of Sulayman and Balqis, and the hoopoe and the ant, and the jinn; some of these events would appear to be of less importance than the temple, so why does the Quran not speak about the temple, if it was as holy and significant as the Jews say?
2.
This temple is not mentioned anywhere except in the books of the Jews, the content of which cannot be trusted, even the Bible itself. Many Jewish and Christian scholars and historians have admitted that the Bible has been subjected to distortion, tampering, additions and subtractions, which means that it cannot be regarded as a reliable historical source. It has no chain of narration going back to Moses (Musa – peace be upon him) or to any of the prophets who came after him, and their history is written in that book.
Regarding the First and Second Books of Kings – which are the books that speak about the Temple – the Jews say that their author was Jeremiah the prophet, but this is false, because the events described in the second book go beyond the era of Jeremiah, so it does not make sense that he could have been its author. See: al-Madkhil ila al-Kitab al-Muqaddas by Habib Sa‘id (p. 99).
Hence many scholars and historians expressed doubts about these two Books.
The French scholar Dr. Maurice Bucaille says that scholars doubt the historical value of the Books of Samuel and the Books of Kings, as they mix historical events with myths; they contain multiple errors, and a single event may may be recounted twice or even three times.
Dirasat al-Kitab al-Muqaddas fi Daw’ al-Ma‘arif al-Hadithah (p. 34).
Moreover, the scholars doubt the first and second Books of Chronicles, which also mention the building of Solomon’s Temple.
Many Jewish and Christian scholars also doubt the entire Old Testament and do not regard it as an authentic source. They include Will Durant, the author of the Story of Civilization, the Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza, the French doctor Maurice Bucaille, and others.
The author of Mawsu‘at Bayt al-Maqdis says: The building of the Temple is the matter of myth and imagination. The Jews attributed it to Sayyiduna Sulayman, but the story of the building of the temple is not recognized by history, and there is no source for it except the books of the Jews. End quote.
3.
The books of the Bible which speak of the temple contradict one another, which indicates that it is not a holy book and was not revealed by Allah; rather it is the writings of human beings which is falsely attributed to Allah.
One of these contradictions is that the First Book of Kings states that the number of Solomon’s chief officers or foremen, who supervised the workers, was 3300 men (1 Kings 5:14-16).
In the Second Book of Chronicles, it says that the number was 3600 (2 Chronicles 2:2, 18).
They claim that these books are a revelation from God to the prophets who came after Solomon, so it is impossible that there could be any difference or contradiction between them.
4.
The one who studies the Bible texts having to do with the building of the temple will be astonished and shocked, and he will be certain that the story of its construction is a myth and fable that has no basis in reality.
That is because the texts describe an immense structure, perhaps one of the greatest buildings known to humanity. The materials used in its construction and the number of workers are imaginary, exaggerated beyond the bounds of logic.
The amount of gold used was one hundred thousand talents [a talent is equivalent to approximately 16 g], in other words, 1.6 tons of gold!
The amount of silver was one million talents; in other words, 16 tons of silver!
The amount of iron and copper is not mentioned, because it was a huge amount, and the amount of wood and stone used was even more than that.
The number of workers who took part in the construction was 180,000, of whom 30,000 Solomon sent to Lebanon to cut down trees there.
They were supervised by chief officers or foremen numbering 3600 or 3400, according to differences in the texts about their number.
Despite all these materials and workers, how long, wide and tall was the temple?
The Bible says that the temple was sixty cubits long (approximately 30 metres); it was twenty cubits (10 metres) wide, and thirty cubits (15 metres) high. The porch (courtyard) in front of it was twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.
1 Kings 6; 2 Chronicles 3.
In other words, the size of the temple was 30 metres x 10 metres x 15 metres, and the area it covered was 300 m², with a height of four or five storeys.
Does it make sense to suggest that all these materials were used, and 180,000 workers participated in its construction for a period of seven years, for the sake of such a small building? 
These lies and exaggerations have no aim except to imbue this alleged structure with a kind of grandeur and majesty.
5.
The Jews themselves are not agreed on one temple or one location. The Jews of the kingdom of Samaria (Samaritans) say that their temple was in the city of Nablus, not in Jerusalem; others say that it was in the village of Beitin, north of Jerusalem; a third group say that their temple was built on the hill of Dan (the judge), and so on. All of this confirms that the story of the temple is a myth, because none of these structures exist and no trace of them has ever been found.
6.
Those who mention these structures affirmed that they were completely destroyed. Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 CE and became ruins, including the temple. Searching for a building that was completely destroyed two thousand years ago is utterly pointless.
7.
The historical evidence indicates that the one who built al-Masjid al-Aqsa was Ibrahim or his grandson Ya‘qub (peace be upon them both). That was hundreds of years before Sulayman. So it does not make sense to suggest that Sulayman would destroy a place that was built by a prophet like him for the worship of Allah, may He be exalted, for the sake of building a temple on it.
Al-Bukhari (3366) and Muslim (520) narrated that Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, which mosque on earth was built first? He said: “Al-Masjid al-Haram (in Makkah).” I said: Then which? He said: “Al-Masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem).” I said: How long was there between the two? He said: “Forty years.”
See: al-Bidayah wa’l-Nihayah (1/375); al-Tahrir wa’l-Tanwir (4/15).
See also question no. 224401 .
8.
Veneration of the temple is an ancient pagan belief that existed in the ancient pagan countries in Iraq, Syria and Egypt. They believed that the gods resided in heaven, and that if they wanted to come down to earth, they could only reside in large houses [temples].
One researcher, Ahmad Sousa, who converted to Islam from Judaism, questioned the idea of the temple as it is described in the Jewish Bible. He was of the view that it was an idea that was alien to Judaism, and that it was a pagan Canaanite idea.
9.
The Jews began to excavate underneath al-Masjid al-Aqsa to search for traces and remains of Solomon’s Temple in 1968 CE.
The Jewish archaeologist Israel Flenkstein stated that archaeologists did not find any archaeological evidence indicating that the Temple actually existed, and he regarded the idea of the existence of the Temple as a mere myth that did not exist, and that the writers of the Torah in the third century added stories that did not happen.
This was also mentioned by other archaeologists who participated in the excavations beneath al-Masjid al-Aqsa. The American archaeologist Gordon Franz stated that there is no evidence of the presence of the Temple in this place (underneath al-Masjid al-Aqsa), and when he was asked: Where is the location of the Temple? He replied: I don’t know, and no one knows.
Moreover, archaeologists have unearthed some things from a time before that of David and Solomon, and others from later times; this is one of the strongest proofs that the Temple of Solomon is nothing but a myth, written by the writers of the Bible who falsely attributed it to God, and these are the ones of whom Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
{ So woe to those who write the “scripture” with their own hands, then say, “This is from Allah ,” in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn} [Al-Baqarah 2:79].
10.
The Jews claim that the Buraq Wall (which they call the Wailing Wall) is part of their alleged temple. This claim was disproven and demonstrated to be false by modern scientific studies. An international committee was sent to investigate the events of al-Buraq that took place in 1930 CE. The committee’s work was scientific and historical, and the committee proved in its report that the Buraq Wall belongs to the Arabs (Muslims).
11.
No historian said that when the Muslims entered Jerusalem at the time of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, they found in it any Jewish place of worship and destroyed it, and built a mosque in its place.
12.
The building which it is proven that Sulayman (peace be upon him) built to be a place of worship is al-Masjid al-Aqsa, which he (peace be upon him) rebuilt and refurbished. Sulayman’s rebuilding of al-Masjid al-Aqsa was confirmed by the Christian historian Ibn al-‘Ibri (d. 1286 CE), who said: “In the fourth year of his reign, Solomon began to build Bayt al-Maqdis, which is known as al-Masjid al-Aqsa.” End quote.
13.
If we assume, for the sake of argument, that this temple existed, and that Dawud (peace be upon him) is the one who lay the foundations for the building of this temple, and that his son Sulayman is the one who completed it, then we – Muslims – are more entitled to this temple than the Jews, because this temple was built by Dawud and Sulayman to be a place of worship for those who believed in them and in all the prophets and messengers, so it is a temple for the monotheists who believed in the prophets and worshipped Allah, may He be exalted, and affirmed His oneness, and it is not a temple for the killers of the prophets or for those who disbelieved in Dawud and Sulayman and denied their prophethood, and claimed that they were merely two kings, and even attributed to them polytheism and idol worship. We – the Muslims – have a greater right to that temple, if it exists, because we believe in them as two of the noble prophets of Allah, may He be exalted.
14.
What is known to the Jews is that the Bible was written during the period of captivity in Babylon, and we have noted above that the Jews were allowed to return to Palestine after many years of captivity. Perhaps the writers added some fables about the temple so as to encourage the Jews to return to Jerusalem.
All this evidence – and more – indicates that the issue of the temple is mere lies that were written by the authors of the Bible and attributed to God, to connect the Jews to that city and encourage them to return to it, based on the argument that their kingdom could not be complete except by rebuilding this alleged temple.
There are many books and essays that have been written about the temple. For example, see: al-Haykal al-Maz‘um bayna al-Wahm wa’l-Haqiqah by Dr. ‘Abd al-Nasir Qasim al-Farra, and Naqd al-Maza‘im al-Suhyuniyyah fi Haykal Sulayman by Dr. Salih Husayn al-Raqab.
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.
The Jews did not originate in Egypt; rather they originated
in Palestine, but Egypt was one of the significant stages in the history of
the Jews. That is because the Jewish religion began at the time of the
Prophet of Allah Ya‘qoob (peace be upon him), who was born and lived in the
holy land, and was granted the honour of Prophethood there. Allah blessed
him with many children, and part of his story is what Allah, may He be
glorified and exalted, tells us of in detail in Soorah Yoosuf, when the
brothers of Yoosuf (peace be upon him) plotted against their brother. The
story led to him becoming a governor in Egypt, and ended with Ya‘qoob (peace
be upon him) and his sons coming to Egypt and settling there under the
auspices of Yoosuf (peace be upon him), as Allah, may He be glorified and
exalted, tells us (interpretation of the meaning):

“Then, when
they entered unto Yoosuf (Joseph), he betook his parents to himself and
said: ‘Enter Egypt, if Allah wills, in security’”

[Yoosuf 12:99]. 

They did not leave Egypt until they left with the Prophet of
Allah Moosa, and after wandering in the wilderness for forty years, until
they entered the holy land of Palestine, where they were ruled by Sulaymaan
(peace be upon him) and where they had a glorious history. 

The Muslims and Jews do not differ concerning this general
history. In fact the Torah – as it exists in the print editions today –
clearly states the connection of Ya‘qoob (Jacob – peace be upon him) – also
known as Israa’eel or Israel – to the land of Kan‘aan (Canaan), the land of
Palestine, as it says in the Torah:

“And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings, in
the land of Canaan”

Genesis 31:1. 

We referred to a number of historical books that deal with
the history of the Jews or the Children of Israel, and we found that they
are unanimously agreed on this historical summary, despite the fact that
these books based their information on so many sources. But this overview is
proven and confirmed. 

See:

Al-‘Arab wa’l-Yahood fi’t-Tareekh
by Dr Ahmad as-Soosah, Dar al-‘Arabi

Al-‘Arab wa’-s-Saamiyyoon wa’l-‘Ibraaniyyoon wa Bani
Israa’eel wa’l-Yahood by
Dr Ahmad Dawood, Dar al-Mustaqbal

Tareekh Filasteen al-Qadeem
by Zafar Islam Khan, Dar an-Naqqaash

We will quote here a medium-length overview of Jewish
history, by Dr Mahmoud Qadah, who said: 

Our history begins with Israa’eel (Israel) – namely Ya‘qoob
ibn Is-haaq ibn Ibraaheem al-Khaleel (Jacob son of Isaac son of Abraham the
Close Friend of Allah – peace be upon them all) – who grew up and lived in
the land of the Canaanites (Palestine), who had twelve sons from four wives,
as follows:

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun – their
mother was Leah 

Joseph (Yoosuf – peace be upon him) and Benjamin (Binyameen)
– their mother was Rachel (Raaheel) 

Dan and Naphtali – their mother was Bilhah, the handmaid of
Rachel

Gad and Asher – their mother was Zilpah, the handmaid of
Leah 

The twelve sons were the origin of the Israelite tribes. 

Then comes the famous story of Joseph (Yoosuf – peace be upon
him) with his brothers and their father Jacob (Ya‘qoob – peace be upon him),
and how Israel (Jacob) and his sons moved to live in the land of Egypt,
where they were honoured and respected under the auspices of Joseph (peace
be upon him). 

After the deaths of Jacob and Joseph (peace be upon them),
with the passage of time and the succession of kings, the situation of the
Children of Israel in Egypt changed from one of honour and respect to one of
humiliation and ignominy, because the Pharaoh of Egypt persecuted and
enslaved the Israelites. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of
the meaning):

“And
(remember) when We rescued you from Firauns (Pharaoh) people, who were
afflicting you with the worst torment, killing your sons and letting your
women live. And in that was a great trial from your Lord”

[al-A‘raaf 7:141]

Then Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, sent Moses and
Aaron (peace be upon them), the two sons of Amram son of Kohath son of Levi
son of Jacob (‘Imraan ibn Qahaat ibn Laawi ibn Ya‘qoob – peace be upon him)
to Pharaoh and his people, supported with miracles, to call them to believe
in Allah alone, and to stop persecuting the Children of Israel. But Pharaoh
and his people rejected the message, disobeyed Allah and disbelieved in Him
and his signs. So Allah commanded His Messenger Moses to depart from Egypt
with the Children of Israel. Pharaoh pursued them with his troops, and Allah
drowned them in the sea, but He delivered Moses and his people into the land
of Sinai. 

The people of Moses (peace be upon him), the Children of
Israel – with whom he departed from Egypt – had lived in a state of
servitude, humiliation and idolatry for many years. Their beliefs had become
corrupted, their souls had been tainted with evil, and their resolve have
weakened. Their stubbornness, laziness, fatalism, carelessness and
disobedience to the command of Allah and His Messenger became obvious…
Despite the many signs and miracles that Allah, may He be glorified and
exalted, bestowed upon the people of Moses, they showed an attitude of
stubbornness and arrogance, and refused to believe unless they saw Allah
with their own eyes. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning):

“And
(remember) when you said: ‘O Moosa (Moses)! We shall never believe in you
till we see Allah plainly.’ But you were seized with a thunderbolt
(lightning) while you were looking.

Then We raised you up after your death, so that you might be
grateful”

[al-Baqarah 2:55]

“The people
of the Scripture (Jews) ask you to cause a book to descend upon them from
heaven. Indeed they asked Moosa (Moses) for even greater than that, when
they said: ‘Show us Allah in public,’ but they were struck with thunder clap
and lightning for their wickedness. Then they worshipped the calf even after
clear proofs, evidences, and signs had come to them. (Even) so We forgave
them. And We gave Moosa (Moses) a clear proof of authority”

[an-Nisa’ 4:153]. 

After these miracles and clear signs that Allah bestowed upon
the Children of Israel, when Moses (peace be upon him) went to meet his Lord
and receive the Torah on Mount Sinai, and they thought that he was taking
too long to return to them, they reverted to what they were familiar with of
idolatry in Egypt, and they took the calf for worship. 

They continued to be impatient lazy, demanding, stubborn and
rebellious, until they said what Allah, may He be glorified and exalted,
tells us about in the Holy Qur’an, where He says (interpretation of the
meaning):

“And
(remember) when you said, ‘O Moosa (Moses)! We cannot endure one kind of
food. So invoke your Lord for us to bring forth for us of what the earth
grows, its herbs, its cucumbers, its Foom (wheat or garlic), its lentils and
its onions.’ He said, ‘Would you exchange that which is better for that
which is lower? Go you down to any town and you shall find what you want!’
And they were covered with humiliation and misery, and they drew on
themselves the Wrath of Allah. That was because they used to disbelieve the
Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah
and killed the Prophets wrongfully. That was because they disobeyed and used
to transgress the bounds (in their disobedience to Allah, i.e. commit crimes
and sins)”

[al-Baqarah 2:61]. 

Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, instructed them to
enter the holy land (Bayt al-Maqdis – Jerusalem – and the land of goodness)
and promised them victory, and Moses asked his people to do that. Allah, may
He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And
(remember) when Moosa (Moses) said to his people: ‘O my people! Remember the
Favour of Allah to you, when He made Prophets among you, made you kings, and
gave you what He had not given to any other among the Alameen (mankind and
jinns, in the past).

‘O my people! Enter the holy land (Palestine) which Allah has
assigned to you, and turn not back (in flight) for then you will be returned
as losers.’

They said: ‘O Moosa (Moses)! In it (this holy land) are a
people of great strength, and we shall never enter it, till they leave it;
when they leave, then we will enter.’

Two men of those who feared (Allah and) on whom Allah had
bestowed His Grace (they were Yoosha (Joshua) and Kalab (Caleb)) said:
‘Assault them through the gate, for when you are in, victory will be yours,
and put your trust in Allah if you are believers indeed.’

They said: ‘O Moosa (Moses)! We shall never enter it as long
as they are there. So go you and your Lord and fight you two, we are sitting
right here.’

He (Moosa (Moses)) said: ‘O my Lord! I have power only over
myself and my brother, so separate us from the people who are the Fasiqoon
(rebellious and disobedient to Allah)!’

(Allah) said: ‘Therefore it (this holy land) is forbidden to
them for forty years; in distraction they will wander through the land. So
be not sorrowful over the people who are the Fasiqoon (rebellious and
disobedient to Allah).’”

[al-Maa’idah 5:21-26]. 

Therefore Allah decreed that they should wander in the
wilderness of Sinai for forty years, constantly travelling and not finding
their way out of it, until that disobedient, careless generation that had
left Egypt with Moses died, from whom he had encountered indescribable
offence and disobedience. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says,
describing the offence they caused to Moses (interpretation of the meaning):

“And (remember) when Moosa (Moses) said to his people: ‘O my
people! Why do you hurt me while you know certainly that I am the Messenger
of Allah to you?’ So when they turned away (from the Path of Allah), Allah
turned their hearts away (from the Right Path). And Allah guides not the
people who are Fasiqoon (rebellious, disobedient to Allah)”

[as-Saff 61:5]. 

Aaron died, followed by Moses (peace be upon them both) in
the wilderness, and Allah brought forth among the Children of Israel Yoosha‘
ibn Noon (Joshua son of Nun), the servant of Moses (peace be upon them
both), as a Prophet and successor to Moses (peace be upon him). 

When their sojourn in the wilderness ended, Joshua (peace be
upon him) brought the Children of Israel out to Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem),
which they besieged and Allah granted them the conquest thereof. Allah, may
He be glorified and exalted, commanded them, when they entered the holy land
(interpretation of the meaning):

“And
(remember) when We said: ‘Enter this town (Jerusalem) and eat bountifully
therein with pleasure and delight wherever you wish, and enter the gate in
prostration (or bowing with humility) and say: Forgive us, and We shall
forgive you your sins and shall increase (reward) for the good-doers.’

But those who did wrong changed the word from that which had
been told to them for another, so We sent upon the wrong-doers Rijzan (a
punishment) from the heaven because of their rebelling against Allah’s
Obedience.”

[al-Baqarah 2:58]. 

After they entered the holy land, Joshua (peace be upon him)
began to complete the conquest thereof, and he divided the conquered lands
among the twelve Israelite tribes. 

After the death of Joshua (peace be upon him), leadership of
the Children of Israel was taken over by their judges. 

End quote from Majallat al-Jaami‘ah al-Islamiyyah
(issue no. 107, p. 246-253)

And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.Firstly:
Previously, in the answer to question no. 230200 , we noted that the Temple was a place of worship, and that what the Jews call the Temple of Solomon is not real; rather it is a myth and one of the lies of the Jews.
The temple which it is proven that Sulayman (peace be upon him) built is in fact al-Masjid al-Aqsa, and he actually rebuilt it; he did not build it for the first time.
Secondly:
The first masjid to be built on the face of the earth for the worship of Allah, may He be exalted, alone, is al-Masjid al-Haram, as Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
{Indeed, the first House [of worship] established for mankind was that at Makkah – blessed and a guidance for the worlds} [Al ‘Imran 3:96].
‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “There were houses before it, but it was the first house that was built for the worship of Allah, may He be exalted.”(Tafsir Ibn Kathir 2/77).
Then forty years after that, Ibrahim or his grandson Ya‘qub (peace be upon them both) built al-Masjid al-Aqsa.
The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) told us about that, in the report narrated by al-Bukhari (3366) and Muslim (520) from Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, which mosque on earth was built first? He said: “Al-Masjid al-Haram (in Makkah).” I said: Then which? He said: “Al-Masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem).” I said: How long was there between the two? He said: “Forty years.”
Al-‘Allamah al-Tahir ibn ‘Ashur (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
What appears to be the case is that when Ibrahim passed through the land of al-Sham (Greater Syria, including Palestine) and Allah promised him that his progeny would inherit this land, Allah showed him the place where the biggest masjid that his progeny would build would be. So he built a small masjid there, in gratitude to Allah, may He be exalted, and he built it on the rock that was allocated for the purpose of offering sacrifices. This is the rock on which Sulayman built the masjid. But as the people of that time were polytheists, that structure was neglected and disappeared, until Allah guided Sulayman to build al-Masjid al-Aqsa on it. This is knowledge that the Jewish books ignore and do not mention.”(Al-Tahrir wa’l-Tanwir  4/15).
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
According to the People of the Book, Jacob (Ya‘qub – peace be upon him) was the one who laid the foundations of al-Masjid al-Aqsa, which is the masjid of Aelia, the masjid of Bayt al-Maqdis, may Allah honour it.
This is valid, and is supported by the hadith that we have quoted above.”(Al-Bidayah wa’l-Nihayah  1/375).
It is very clear that this masjid (al-Masjid al-Aqsa) was not built as a place of worship exclusively for the Jews; rather it was built as a masjid for the believers who affirm the oneness of Allah to worship Allah, may He be exalted, in it.
The believers are the followers of the prophets in all eras, and it is they who are most deserving of this masjid, until the divine message ended with our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), the last of the prophets and messengers. So he is the most deserving of this masjid, because no person’s faith is valid or has any value, after he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was sent, unless he believes in Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) as a prophet and messenger, and follows him.
Our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led all the Prophets in prayer in this masjid, on the night of the Isra’ and Mi‘raj (night journey and ascent to heaven).
This indicates that the role of leading mankind in the path of monotheism and the true religion was passed to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and that what is required of all people – including the followers of the earlier prophets – is to be among his followers, for he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is the most deserving of this mosque, and his followers inherited that right and it will be theirs until the onset of the Hour.
Thirdly:
The view that there was no masjid before Islam is undoubtedly false, because Islam (in the sense of affirming Allah’s oneness and obeying Him) is the religion of all the prophets, and the structure that is built for the purpose of prostrating to Allah, may He be exalted, in it and worshipping Him in it is a masjid. This word was known before the sending of our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
This blessed masjid [al-Masjid al-Aqsa] was not intended, when it was first built, to be only for the followers of the Jewish religion, and in all the texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah, it was not referred to by the word which refers to Jewish houses of worship. This word is “salawat”, which appears in the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
{[They are] those who have been evicted from their homes without right – only because they say, “Our Lord is Allah.” And were it not that Allah checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues [salawat], and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned} [al-Hajj 22:40].
Ibn ‘Abbas, ‘Ikrimah, al-Dahhak and Qatadah said regarding the meaning of the word “salawat” here: It refers to the synagogues of the Jews.
Al-‘Allamah al-Tahir ibn ‘Ashur (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Salawat is the plural of salah; here it refers to the synagogues of the Jews. It is arabized from the word salutha; when it was arabized the ‘th’ was replaced with ‘t’, and it was made plural.”(Al-Tahrir wa’l-Tanwir  17/278).
What the Holy Qur’an calls a masjid cannot be a Christian church or Jewish synagogue; rather it is a masjid in Islamic terminology from the earliest time, going back to the religion of Ibrahim al-Khalil (peace be upon him). When the Jews and Christians inherited it from their monotheist ancestors, it was still called a masjid, and was never regarded as a place of worship that was specifically for the worship of these two religions.
Even during the eras of the noble prophets, Musa, Sulayman, ‘Isa and others, it was called a masjid, so the followers of these prophets have no right to change the name by which it was originally called, which is a masjid.
Hence it says in the hadith of al-Harith al-Ash‘ari from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): “Yahya gathered the Children of Israel in Bayt al-Maqdis, until the masjid was full and people sat in the balconies.” Narrated by Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad (28/404); classed as sahih by the commentators.
There is also the hadith of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, according to which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Sulayman ibn Dawud (peace be upon him) asked Allah for three things. He was granted two, and we hope that he will be granted the third. He asked Him for judgement that was in accordance with His judgement, and Allah granted him that; he asked Him for a kingdom such as would not belong to anyone after him, and He granted him that; and he asked Him that if any man went out of his house only wanting to pray in this masjid [al-Masjid al-Aqsa], that he would emerge free of sin as on the day his mother bore him. We hope that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has granted that to him.” Narrated by Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad (11/220); classed as sahih by the commentators.
Allah, may He be exalted, tells us about the People of the Cave (interpretation of the meaning):
“Those who prevailed in the matter said: We will surely build a masjid over them” [al-Kahf 18:21].
Al-Alusi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “What appears to be the case, based on the above, is that the masjid is a structure that is usually built for anyone who wants to worship Allah, may He be exalted, in it.”(Ruh al-Ma‘ani  8/225).
The People of the Cave – according to what was mentioned by some commentators – were Christians.
It says in al-Mufassal fi Tarikh al-‘Arab qabl al-Islam (11/177): “Masjid” is a word that was well known among the pre-Islamic Arabs. It refers to a house in which people prostrate, and any place of worship is a masjid. End quote.
This means that there is no error in calling al-Masjid al-Aqsa a masjid before the sending of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), because this is the name by which Allah calls it in the verse (interpretation of the meaning):
{Glory be to Him Who took His slave for a journey by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, the environs of which We have blessed, so that We might show him some of Our signs. Verily, He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing} [al-Isra’ 17:1].
When this verse was revealed, the polytheists did not find this name strange and they did not say, “We do not know what al-Masjid al-Aqsa is.” They did not reject this name, which indicates that this name was known to them.
Thus we know that al-Masjid al-Aqsa is the name which will endure until the Day of Resurrection, by Allah’s leave. At the same time, it is the historical name by which the prophets called it.
Fourthly:
As for saying that everyone who existed at the time of Sulayman (peace be upon him) was Jewish, this statement is no less flawed than the previous one.
The Jewish system of law and religion is not for all people; rather it is a system of law that is only for one group of humans, namely the descendants of Jacob (Ya‘qub – peace be upon him).
Since the time of Ya‘qub (peace be upon him) there have always been other groups of humans, Arabs and others, and the matter continued like that at all times, at the time of Yusuf, then Musa, then Dawud, then Sulayman… then ‘Isa.
But at all those times, there were monotheists other than the Jews.
All of these matters are obvious and basic principles of the Jewish religion and system of laws, which confirm that this religion is exclusive and is not universal. This means that many of the nations and peoples around the Jews were monotheists who followed the way of Ibrahim, and Musa (peace be upon him) was not sent to them with the Jewish religion.
But arrogance makes people deny obvious facts and be unfair in ruling, so as to provide a cover for occupation, murder and confiscation of land, and to promote Zionist terrorist ideology in the name of religion or history.
Fifthly:
As for the Kingdom of Judah and Kingdom of Israel, after the death of Sulayman (peace be upon him), his children disputed and his kingdom was divided into two kingdoms, each of which was ruled by one of the sons of Sulayman.
The first kingdom was in the north, and it was called the Kingdom of Israel or the Kingdom of Samaria; its capital was Shechem (Nablus) and its king was Jeroboam. The Israelite tribes swore allegiance to him, except for Judah and Benjamin.
The second kingdom was in the south, and it was called the Kingdom of Judah; its capital was Jerusalem (al-Quds) and its king was Rehoboam. Two of the Israelite tribes swore allegiance to him, namely Judah and Benjamin.
The Northern Kingdom of Israel was destroyed in 721 BCE.
In 586 BCE, the Babylonian leader Nebuchadnezzar entered al-Quds and destroyed it, and he destroyed and burned the temple, and took thousands of Jews with him as captives to Babylon, in what is historically known as the first Babylonian captivity. Then he went back to the city and destroyed it again, in what is known as the second Babylonian captivity, which put an end to the Kingdom of Judah.
The Jews strove to regain their kingdom and rebuild the temple.
In the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1926 CE edn.) it says: “The Jews look forward to bringing the Jewish people together in Palestine, restoring the Jewish state, rebuilding the Temple and establishing the throne of David in Jerusalem once more, to be ruled by a descendant of David.” End quote.
Sixthly:
As for the going astray of the Jews and their distortion of the Torah, despite the coming of many prophets to them, this is something that indeed happened and cannot be hidden. They turned away from monotheism to polytheism several times after the death of Musa (peace be upon him). Allah, may He be exalted, repeatedly sent prophets to them to revive the law of the Torah and guide them back to monotheism, but – in most cases – they rejected and fought these prophets and killed some of them. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
{Is it that whenever there came to you a Messenger with something that was not in accordance with your desires, you became arrogant; some you disbelieved, and others you killed?} [Al-Baqarah 2:87].
And they distorted their Book, adding to it and taking away from it.
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.
There are no isnaads in the books of the Sunnah and reports that
we have read for the incident of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased
with him) praying in the church at the time of the conquest of Bayt al-Maqdis.
Similarly, there is no report from the Sahaabah to suggest that they prayed
in the church. 

The oldest report we have seen that mentions the details of
the incident is the report of Ibn Khaldoon (may Allah have mercy on him),
which says that the reason why ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased
with him) refused to pray in the church was the fear that the Muslims after
him might take it as a mosque. 

Ibn Khaldoon (may Allah have mercy on him) said: ‘Umar ibn
al-Khattaab entered Bayt al-Maqdis, and came to the Church of the
Resurrection and sat in its courtyard. When the time for prayer came, he
said to the patriarch: I want to pray. He said to him: Pray where you are.
But he refused, and he prayed on the doorstep of the church, on his own.
Then when he had finished praying, he said to the patriarch: If I had prayed
inside the church, the Muslims after me would have taken it (as a mosque)
and they would have said: ‘Umar prayed here. And he wrote for them that they
were not to gather to pray on the steps and that adhaan was to be given from
that location.

End quote from Tareekh Ibn Khaldoon (2/225) 

There is no isnaad for this incident, so it is not
permissible to attribute it to ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). 

What appears to us to be the case is that its text is munkar
(odd) and it is not valid for two reasons: 

1.    

The Muslims are not entitled to take a church if a Muslim
ruler or an ordinary Muslim prays in it, and that view [which says that if a
Muslim ruler prays in it, it becomes theirs] is not known to the leading
fuqaha’.

2.    

What is proven from ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)
is that he regarded it as permissible to pray in a church, if it is free of
statues and images, but if there were such things in a church, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab
would refuse to enter it, let alone pray in it.

Al-Bukhaari narrated in his Saheeh (1/167) from ‘Umar
(may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: We do not enter your churches
because of the statues and images in them. End quote.

For more information on the ruling on praying in churches,
please see the answer to question no. 147007.

And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.Firstly:
There is nothing in the Qur’an or Sunnah to indicate that the progeny of Adam (peace be upon him) were limited to Qabil and Habil. Rather the scholars narrated that Adam (peace be upon him) had many children, from whom humanity are descended. This is what is indicated by the apparent meaning of the Qur’an, in the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
{O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. Fear Allah, in Whose name you demand your mutual [rights], and be mindful of your ties of kinship. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer} [an-Nisa’ 4:1].
Ibn Jarir at-Tabari (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
It was said that Hawwa’ bore Adam one hundred and twenty sets of twins. The first of them were Qabil and his twin sister Qalima, and the last of them was ‘Abd al-Mughith and his twin sister Amat al-Mughith. Ibn Ishaq was quoted as saying that all the children that Hawwa’ bore Adam were forty children, male and female, from twenty twin pregnancies. And he said: The names of some of them have come down to us, and the names of others have not.”(Tarikh al-Umam wa’l-Muluk  1/98).
Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The historians stated that Adam (peace be upon him) did not die until he had seen four hundred thousand of his progeny – his children and grandchildren.”(Al-Bidayah wa’n-Nihayah 1/96).
In addition to that, Muhammad ibn Ishaq – who is one of the scholars who had knowledge of lineages and history – stated that the lineages of all humanity go back to Shith ibn Adam, and that the lineages of the children of Adam other than Shith disappeared and became extinct. This is mostly taken from the People of the Book.
Ibn Jarir at-Tabari (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
All the descendants of Adam today are descended from Shith. That is because the progeny of all the sons of Adam except for Shith have disappeared and became extinct, and not one of them remains. So the lineages of all people today go back to Shith (peace be upon him). “(Tarikh al-Umam wa’l-Muluk (1/103). See also: at-Tabsirah by Ibn al-Jawzi (1/36, 24) and al-Bidayah wa’n-Bihayah 1/98).
Secondly:
With regard to the period between Adam and Nuh (peace be upon them both), this is stated in a hadith which was classed as sahih by some of the scholars:
It was narrated from Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man said: O Messenger of Allah, was Adam a Prophet? He said: “Yes; he was spoken to.” The man said: How long was there between him and Nuh? The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Ten generations.”
Narrated by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih (14/69). It was also narrated by al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak (2/262); he said: It is sahih according to the conditions of Muslim, and adh-Dhahabi agreed with him. Ibn Kathir said in al-Bidayah wa’n-Nihayah (1/94): This is according to the conditions of Muslim, although he did not narrate it. Al-Albani classed is as sahih in as-Silsilah as-Sahihah (2668, 3289).
See also the answer to question no. 129959 .
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.Firstly:
The Tabi‘in are those who came after the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and did not meet the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him); rather they met the Companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and learned from them.
Those who came after of the Tabi‘in are those who did not meet the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him); rather they met the Tabi‘in and learned from them.
The Tabi‘i, in hadith terminology, is the one who met the Companion, but it is not stipulated that he should have spent a long time with him, according to the correct view. Anyone who met the Companions and died as a Muslim is a Tabi‘i, and some of them are better than others.
Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Nukhbat al-Fikr (4/724): The Tabi‘i is the one who met the Companion. End quote.
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi said: The Tabi‘i is the one who met the Companion. From the words of al-Hakim, it may be understood that the name Tabi‘i may be applied to the one who met the Companion and narrated from him, even if he did not spend time with him. End quote.
Al-‘Iraqi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his Alfiyah (p. 66):
The Tabi‘i is the one who met the one who accompanied [the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)].
Those who came after the Tabi‘in are those who met the Tabi‘in but did not meet the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them).
The Tabi’in include people such as: Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib, ‘Urwah ibn az-Zubayr, al-Hasan al-Basri, Muhajid ibn Jabr, Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, ‘Ikrimah the freed slave of Ibn ‘Abbas, and Nafi‘ the freed slave of Ibn ‘Umar.
Those who came after the Tabi‘in include people such as ath-Thawri, Malik, Rabi‘ah, Ibn Hormuz, al-Hasan ibn Salih, ‘Abdullah ibn al-Hasan, Ibn Abi Layla, Ibn Shubrumah and al-Awza‘i.
Secondly:
Al-Bukhari (3651) and Muslim (2533) narrated from Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The best of people are my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them. Then there will come people whose testimony will come before their oath, and their oath before their testimony.”
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The correct view is that his generation were the Companions, the second generation were the Tabi‘in, and the third generation were those who came after the Tabi‘in.”(Sharh an-Nawawi ‘ala Muslim 16/85).
Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The words “then those who come after them” mean the generation who followed them, namely the Tabi‘in, and “then those who come after them” refers to the generation who came after the Tabi‘in.”(Fath al-Bari  7/6).
Al-Qari (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
As-Suyuti said: The correct view is that this word – al-qarn (generation) – does not have a defined duration. The Prophet’s generation, namely the Companions, lasted from the time his mission began until the last of the Companions died, approximately one hundred and twenty years. The generation of the Tabi‘in lasted until approximately 170 AH, and the generation of those who came after the Tabi‘in lasted until approximately 220 AH. During this time, innovations appeared and became widespread, the Mu‘tazilah began to preach their misguided notions, philosophers began to spread their misguided ideas, the scholars were put to trial and forced to say that the Qur’an was created, and circumstances changed drastically, and things have only been getting worse until now. This is a confirmation of the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): “Then lying will become widespread.””(Mirqaat al-Mafatih  9/3878).
And Allah knows best.

Praise be to Allah.al-Hajjaaj ibn Yoosuf ath-Thaqafi was the governor of Iraq for the caliph ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwaan. He was known for oppression and bloodshed, showing disrespect to the early generations [the Sahaabah and Taabi‘een] and transgressing all the sacred limits of Allah for the slightest reason. The historians and biographers are unanimously agreed that he was one of the worst oppressors and the quickest to shed to kill people unlawfully. He did not show respect to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in the way he treated his companions, and he showed no respect to the Prophet’s instructions to show kindness and respect to the scholars and people of virtue and righteousness among the followers of his companions. He was a vile Naasibi who hated ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him) and his family.
Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
He was a Naasibi who hated ‘Ali and his supporters so as to appease the family of Marwaan, namely Banu Umayyah. He was a stubborn tyrant, always ready to shed innocent blood for the slightest reason.
Some ugly and abhorrent words were narrated from him, the apparent meaning of which sounds like disbelief (kufr). If he had repented from that and given it up, that would have been counted in his favour, otherwise he is responsible for what he said. But there is the fear that these reports may have been inaccurate, with things added to what he said, because the Shi‘ah hated him intensely for many reasons, and they may have distorted some of his words and added to what they narrated from him some abhorrent and ugly words.” (Al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah 9/153).
It was narrated from Asma’ bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said to al-Hajjaaj: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) told us that among Thaqeef there would be a liar and a shedder of blood. As for the liar, we have seen him; as for the shedder of blood, I do not think but that you are he.
The shedder of blood is the one who goes to extremes in killing people.
From an early age al-Hajjaaj was known to be intelligent, well-spoken and eloquent, and a hafiz of Qur’an. Some of the early generations said: al-Hajjaaj used to recite the entire Qur’an every night. Abu ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ala’ said: I have never seen anyone more eloquent [in Arabic] than him and al-Hasan al-Basri, but al-Hasan was more eloquent than him.
‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir said: I think that in terms of intelligence, people are close to one another, except al-Hajjaaj and Iyaas ibn Mu‘aawiyah, for their intelligence stood out in comparison to other people.” (Al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah 9/138-139).
Ibn Katheer said:
It was narrated to us that he was a religious person with regard to keeping away from intoxicants. He recited Qur’an a great deal and avoided other sins. It was not known that he ever committed fornication; however, he would not hesitate to shed the blood of innocent people. Allah, may He be exalted, knows best what is true and how matters really were, what is hidden of such matters and what is concealed in people’s hearts.
The worst of his evil deeds that made people hate him and it is proven that he did it was shedding blood. That is sufficient to make him deserve punishment from Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. However, he was very keen to engage in jihad and conquer many lands. He was very generous and gave gifts to the people of the Qur’an; he would spend a great deal on the reciters of the Qur’an and when he died, he did not leave behind anything except three hundred dirhams, or so it was said.” (Al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah  9/153).
He was a man of great chivalry, but he often hastened to use his sword unlawfully. He killed many people for the slightest reason  whom he had no right to kill, and when he got angry he would act on his anger (and wreak vengeance, punishing people) as if he were a king. ” (Al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah 9/138).
He went to extremes in transgressing the limits and would hasten to do evil; he would bear grudges and was filled with envy.
It was narrated from ‘Aasim ibn Abi’n-Najood and al-A‘mash that they heard al-Hajjaaj say to the people: By Allah, if I ordered you to exit through this door and you exited through that door, it would become permissible for me to shed your blood. If I find anyone reciting Qur’an according to the recitation of Ibn Umm ‘Abd [‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood], I will strike his neck and erase it from  that Mus-haf, even if I have to use the rib of a pig.
Al-Asma‘i said: ‘Abd al-Malik said to al-Hajjaaj one day: There is no one but he knows his shortcomings, so tell me about your shortcomings. He said: Let me off, O Ameer al-Mu’mineen. But he insisted, so al-Hajjaaj said: I am very stubborn, and my heart is filled with grudges and envy. ‘Abd al-Malik said: Then you must be descended from Iblees!” (Al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah 9/149-153).
A number of leading scholars were of the view that he was a disbeliever (kaafir), although most of the scholars did not think that he was a disbeliever. Some of the Sahaabah, such as Anas and Ibn ‘Umar, prayed behind him, and if they had regarded him as a disbeliever, they would not have prayed behind him.
It was narrated that Qataadah said: It was said to Sa‘eed ibn Jubayr: Did you rebel against al-Hajjaaj? He said: By Allah, I did not rebel against him until he became a disbeliever.
Al-A‘mash said: They differed concerning al-Hajjaaj, so they asked Mujaahid and he said: Are you asking me about this disbelieving old man?
Al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah (9/157-156).
Ash-Sha‘bi said: al-Hajjaaj was a believer in taaghoot (falsehood), and a disbeliever in Allah the Almighty.
Al-Qaasim ibn Mukhaymarah said: al-Hajjaaj is undoing the knots of Islam.
It was narrated that ‘Aasim ibn Abi’n-Najood said: There is no sacred limit ordained by Allah, may He be exalted, but al-Hajjaaj transgressed it.” (Taareekh Dimashq  12/185-188).
At-Tirmidhi narrated in his Sunan (2220) that Hishaam ibn Hassaan said: They counted how many people al-Hajjaaj captured then killed, and the number reached one hundred and twenty thousand.
‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez said: If the nations were to compete in evildoing when al-Hajjaaj is part of our community, we would surpass them in evil because of his evil deeds. He was not good for the people’s affairs in this world or in the hereafter.” (Taareekh Dimashq  12/185).
He was careless and heedless about prayer, and did not pray on time:
‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez wrote to ‘Adiy ibn Artaat, saying: I have heard that you are following in the footsteps of al-Hajjaaj. Do not follow in his footsteps, for he used to offer the prayer after the time for it had ended and take people’s wealth unlawfully, and he was even more negligent with regard to other matters.” ( Taareekh Dimashq 12/187).
Adh-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
He was an oppressor, a tyrant, a Naasibi, an evil man and a shedder of blood.
He was very courageous, brave, devious, crafty, well-spoken and eloquent, and he had a great deal of respect for the Qur’an.
I have mentioned his bad conduct in at-Taareekh al-Kabeer, including his siege of Ibn az-Zubayr when he holed up at the Ka‘bah, how he launched projectiles at it with the catapult, and how he humiliated the residents of the Haramayn (the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah); then his governorship of Iraq and the entire East (i.e., Persia) for twenty years; the rebellion of Ibn al-Ash‘ath against him; and his delaying of prayers until Allah eradicated him.
We revile him and do not love him; rather we hate him for the sake of Allah, for that is one of the strongest bonds of faith.
He did some good deeds, but they are like drops in the ocean of his evil deeds, and his ultimate fate is subject to the will of Allah.
He affirmed Allah’s oneness (Tawheed) in general, and there are other oppressive tyrants and governors of his ilk. End quote.
Siyar A‘laam an-Nubala’ (4/343).
To sum up, the man did a great deal of wrong and transgressed against the people, and he wronged himself a great deal.
He did some good deeds, but they are like drops in the ocean of his evil deeds. However, he strove hard in jihad, fought the enemies of Allah, conquered lands and spread Islam.
Allah, may He be exalted, will judge him. We condemn before Allah his oppression and transgression, and we declare our love and support for those of the Muslim leaders among the Sahaabah and Taabi‘een against whom he transgressed. We regard him as an enemy because of his mistreatment of them, and we leave his final judgement to Allah, may He be exalted.
It is better not to focus on him and worry about him. How good are the words narrated by Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) in az-Zuhd (p. 332) from Bilaal ibn al-Mundhir, who said: A man said: If I do not ask ar-Rabee‘ ibn Khaytham today about what happened, I will never find out his view. I said: O Abu Yazeed, the son of Faatimah (peace be upon her) – meaning al-Husayn – was killed. He said: Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raaji‘oon (Indeed we belong to Allah , and indeed to Him we will return), then he recited the verse (interpretation of the meaning): {Say, “O Allah , Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, You will judge between your servants concerning that over which they used to differ”} [az-Zumar 39:46].
I said: What do you say? He said: What should I say? To Allah they will return and Allah will bring them to account.
And Allah knows best.
See: Wafiyyaat al-A‘yaan (2/29-46); Taareekh Dimashq (12/113-123); Taareekh al-Islam (5/310-316; 6/314-327).

Praise be to Allah.Firstly:
The Sahabi ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him)
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib ibn Haashim, Abu’l-‘Abbas, the paternal cousin of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
His mother was Lubabah bint al-Harith ibn Hazan ibn Bajiyyah ibn al-Hazam ibn Rubiyyah ibn ‘Abdillah ibn Hilal ibn ‘Amir ibn Sa‘sa‘ah al-Hilali.
He was called the scholar (al-habr) and the ocean (al-bahr), because of his abundant knowledge and his deep understanding of subtle issues. He was the scholar and faqih of the ummah, the spokesman of the tribe, a brilliant reflection of prophethood, the one for whom the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed that he would have deep understanding of the faith and of the Quran, thus he was known as the interpreter of the Quran.
He was born when Banu Hashim were in the gully, three years before the Hijrah; it was also said that it was five years before that, but the former view is more sound, and it is closer to what is narrated from him in as-Sahihayn: I was going about some errands, riding a female donkey – and at that time I had just reached the age of puberty – and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was praying in Mina, not facing towards any wall. I passed in front of part of the row, then I let the donkey loose so that it could graze, and I joined the row, and he did not object to me doing that. Narrated by al-Bukhari (76) and Muslim (504).
In Sahih al-Bukhari (6299) it is narrated that Sa‘id ibn Jubayr said: Ibn ‘Abbas was asked: What age were you when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) died? He said: At that time I was circumcised. He (the narrator) said: They used not to circumcise a boy until he reached puberty.
In Musnad Ahmad (3125) it is narrated from Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ‘Abbas, that he said: I learned al-Muhkam [surahs in which nothing is abrogated] at the time of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) died, I was ten years old. He (the narrator) said: I said to him: What is al-Muhkam? He said: al-Mufassal [i.e., the surahs from al-Hujurat to the end of the Quran].
Al-Arnaut said: Its isnad is sahih according to the conditions of al-Bukhari and Muslim.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed for him, asking Allah to grant him deep understanding of religion and to teach him the interpretation of the Quran (tafsir). He said: “O Allah, grant him deep understanding of the faith and teach him the interpretation of the Quran.” Narrated by al-Bukhari (143), Muslim (2477), and Ahmad (2397).
He also asked Allah to teach him wisdom. It was narrated from ‘Ikrimah that Ibn ‘Abbas said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) embraced me and said: “O Allah, teach him wisdom.” Narrated by al-Bukhari (3756).
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab word bring him close to him and ask him questions, and he would let him attend gatherings with the elders of the people of Badr, to show them his knowledge and understanding. He would always have a ready answer and a radiant, handsome face. He had long hair dyed with henna; he was fair skinned and tall, with a yellowish complexion and a big build. His knowledge was abundant and many reports were narrated from him. An ignorant person would learn knowledge and wisdom from him, and a hungry person would have his fill of food and bread from him.
He (may Allah be pleased with him) died in at-Taif in 68 AH. The scholars differed concerning his age; it was said that he was seventy-one years old, or seventy-two, or seventy-four. The first is the strongest view.
For more information on his virtues, please see: Fadail as-Sahabah by Imam Ahmad (2/949); Ma‘rifat as-Sahabah by Abu Nu‘aym (3/1699); and al-Isabah by Ibn Hajar (4/122).
Secondly:
The impact of the Prophet’s supplication for ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas
Undoubtedly the supplication of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) for ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), asking Allah to teach him wisdom, understanding of the faith and the interpretation of the Quran, had a great impact on Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) in forming his character, in terms of faith, knowledge and ethics, and his keenness to seek knowledge and develop good understanding of the knowledge he acquired.
Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) did not rely only on the supplication of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) for him; rather he strove hard to accumulate and attain knowledge and to understand the religion of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, with all that he had of strength, energy, patience and resolve.
He began by staying close to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) from a very early age, until the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) died.
When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) died, he turned to his senior Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), to the extent that he would fold his rida into a pillow and lie at the door of one of them, so as to have the opportunity to learn hadith from him.
It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him): When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) died, I said to one of the Ansar: Let us go and ask the Companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about the sayings of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), for they are many [and this is an opportunity to learn].
The man said: I am astonished at you, O Ibn ‘Abbas. Do you think that people will need you, when there are still on earth what you see of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah?
So he did not like the idea, but I devoted myself to acquiring knowledge and seeking out the Companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), one after another, in order to learn from them. Sometimes I would hear that a man had heard some saying from the Messenger of Allah, so I would go to his house to ask him, but he would be having a siesta. So I would turn my rida (upper garment) into a pillow and rest at his door, with the wind blowing in my face, until he came out.
He would say: What brings you here, O cousin of the Messenger of Allah?
I would say: I have heard that you narrate something from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and I wanted to hear it from you.
He would say: Why did you not send for me so that I could come to you? And I would say: It is more appropriate for me to come to you.
That [Ansari] man would pass by me later on, and would see the people asking me questions, and he would say: You were wiser than me.
Narrated by Imam Ahmad in Fadail as-Sahabah (2/976) (1925); ad-Darimi (590); and by al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak (363) – he said: It is sahih according to the conditions of al-Bukhari, and this report is usually quoted in the context of seeking hadiths and showing respect to the muhaddith. And adh-Dhahabi agreed with him.
Hence if Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked: How did you acquire this knowledge? He said: By asking questions and understanding the answers.
Narrated by Imam Ahmad in Fadail as-Sahabah (2/970 (1903); al-Bayhaqi in al-Madkhil ila as-Sunan al-Kubra (427).
Hence the supplication of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) for Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) was fulfilled. Allah granted him wisdom, which means that he was able to do the right thing and be precise, and to put things in their appropriate places.
Allah granted him deep understanding of the faith, and He taught him the interpretation of the Quran, to the extent that he was known as the interpreter of the Quran and the scholar of the ummah.
Undoubtedly when someone is given knowledge, understanding and wisdom, that will have an impact on his entire life, his faith, his worship, his piety, his attitudes and manners, his bearing, his smartness, his wisdom, his integrity and his sound views.
Hence ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) would let Ibn ‘Abbas attend his gatherings with the elders of the people of Badr; he would consult him and ask him questions in front of them, to show them his knowledge, wisdom and understanding of the faith.
It was narrated by Sa‘id ibn Jubayr that Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘Umar would let me attend his gatherings with the elders of Badr. One of them said: Why do you let this young man join us, when we have sons like him? He said: He is one of those whom you know.
[Ibn ‘Abbas] said: One day, [‘Umar] called them, and he called me with them, and I thought that he only called me on that day to show them how much knowledge I had. He said: What do you say about the verse {When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest …} [an-Nasr 110:1] until the end of the surah? Some of them said: It is commanding us to praise Allah and seek His forgiveness because He granted us victory and conquest. And some of them said: We do not know, and some of them did not say anything. He said to me: O Ibn ‘Abbas, do you agree?
I said: No. He said: Then what do you say? I said: This refers to the approaching death of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), of which Allah informed him (in this surah). Allah told him: When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest – the conquest of Makkah – that is a sign of your approaching death, so glorify and praise your Lord and seek His forgiveness, for He is ever accepting of repentance. ‘Umar said: I do not know anything about its meaning except what you know.
Narrated by al-Bukhari (4294).
It was narrated that Tawus said: By Allah, I never saw anyone who respected the sacred limits of Allah more than Ibn ‘Abbas. By Allah, if I wanted to weep every time I mention him, I could do so.
Narrated by Imam Ahmad in Fadail as-Sahabah (2/950).
This is a brief glimpse of this great scholar. But his virtues are many, as are his stories with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and his Companions. We do not have room here to mention them all.
And Allah knows best.