What Is The Meaning of Mubahalah and Its Significance in Islam?
By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam
17 April 2021
Is the Mubahalah
Still Permissible for Muslims When Extremely Needed
Highlights:
1. An introduction to Mubahalah
2. Background of the Event of Mubahalah
3. Legal Applicability of Mubahalah
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‘Mubahalah’
is derived from the Arabic word ‘bahlah’ which means “to curse”, “invocation of
God’s curse”, “mutual prayer”, “mutual imprecation”, “withdrawing mercy from
one who lies or engages in falsehood”, “scarcity of water”.
In Islamic terminology, this term refers to
a particular form of resolving religious disputes. When the argumentations from
both the groups fail to resolve any religious dispute, they jointly pray to God
Almighty to cast His curse on whichever of the two parties is false. Thus,
during the Mubahala both the parties
use the phrases, such as “curse be on the liar” or “the divine wrath be on the
liar” to indicate that whoever is the liar shall face the evil consequences
whereas the truth will become evident before the people. Invocation done in
this way is known as ‘Mubahalah’.
The history of Mubahala in Islam goes back to what is known as “the event of Mubahala” referred to in the Quran.
Allah Almighty commanded His Prophet (Muhammad peace be upon him) to call on
the Christians of Najran to invoke God’s curse upon those who are liars to
determine who are truthful.
Allah says in that verse, “The example of
Eisa (Jesus) with Allah is like that of Adam; He created him (Adam) from clay
and then said to him, “Be” – and it thereupon happens! Therefore, say to those
who dispute with you (O Prophet Muhammad) concerning Eisa (Jesus) after the
knowledge has come to you, “Come! Let us summon our sons and your sons, and our
women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves – then pray humbly, thereby
casting the curse of Allah upon the liars!” (3:60-61)
The background of these verses is that in
the ninth year of Hijra, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported
to have sent a letter to Abdul Haris Ibn Alqama, the official representative of
the Roman Church and Grand Bishop of Najran, inviting the inhabitants of that
area to accept Islam. In response to that letter, a Christian delegation was
sent to the Prophet and they discussed the belief about Hazrat Jesus.
The prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
preached to them that Hazrat Jesus is a Prophet who was granted revelation by
God Almighty and asked them to embrace Islam. The Christians refused to embrace
Islam and continued to prove the godhood of Hazrat Jesus (peace be upon him).
It was the moment that this verse of Mubahala
was revealed.
In this verse, they were challenged to
place the curse of God upon those who are liars, and the two sides agreed to
meet the next day. But the Christians consulted among themselves and decided
that, since they wished to remain Christians, it would not be good for them to
enter into this challenge. They feared the curse of God upon themselves if
Muhammad was a true prophet (peace be upon him). It is reported that the
Prophet himself came out the next day with his daughter Sayyidah Fatima,
Sayyiduna Ali and their two sons, Hasan and Husayn for the Mubahalah. Looking at this, a Christian priest Shurahbil said to
his two comrades, “look, you already know that he is a Prophet of Allah and
getting into the Mubahalah with a
Prophet means certain death and destruction for us. So, find out some other way
to get out of this fix”.
In another report, it is mentioned that the
Christian delegation said, “We seek refuge in God”. Thereafter the Prophet
(peace be upon him) and the Christians of Najran came to an agreement that the
Najranis would become a treaty-holding people, remaining Christian and running
their affairs.
The Sunni scholars of Islam hold the view
that doing Mubahala is permissible
only for those who are sure of their truth and only when it is truly needed.
However, there is controversy about whether
this is still permissible or was specifically meant for the Prophet (peace be
upon him). According to Allama Alusi, Imam Abd b. Humayd has narrated that when
Hazrat Ibn Abbas differed with a person on a matter; he invited him to do Mubahala and recited this verse (3:61).
From this narration, it is inferred that doing Mubahala is still permissible. (Ruh al-Ma’ani vol. 3, p.190,
published by Daru Ihya al-turath al-Arabi, Beirut)
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-q-a/meaning-mubahalah-its-significance-islam/d/124708
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