Do Not Slaughter in the Name of Allah (swt ) in a Place Where Animals Are Slaughtered in the Name of Others Beside Him

Allah (swt ), says:

" Do not ever stand [in prayer] therein. There is a mosque whose foundation was laid on piety from the first day. It is more worthy of your standing [for prayer] therein. In it are men who love to be purified; and Allah loves those who purify [themselves after answering the call of nature]" (Qur'an 9:108)

Allah (swt ), Most High, forbids His Prophet (saas ) in this verse, from praying in the Mosque of Harm and Disbelief,1 which was the first mosque to be built on a foundation of wicked intentions; and He commands them (the Muslims) to pray in the mosque which was built from the first upon a foundation of obedience to Allah (swt ) and His Messenger (saas );2 then Allah (swt ) praises the people of that mosque and He tells us that they are meticulous in their cleanliness and ablutions; then He informs us that he loves those who purify themselves from all unclean things, especially when coming from the toilet, or after sexual intercourse, etc. And those who purify themselves from the spiritual `filth' of Shirk.

Benefits Derived From This Verse

1. The prohibition of encouraging that which is false.

2. The obligation to deny those deeds which are rejected and whose perpetrators are abandoned.

3. The evidence of the danger of the hypocrites to this Ummah, and the obligation to warn against them.

4. The superiority of The Prophet's Mosque and/or Qubaa` Mosque.

5. Confirmation of Allah's Divine Attribute of Love.

6. That Islam encourages cleanliness and purity, both physical and spiritual.

7. The forbiddance of praying in the Mosque of Harm and Disbelief or in the place where it stood, up to the Day of Resurrection.

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves that it is forbidden to carry out an act of obedience to Allah (swt ) and His Prophet (saas ) in a place used to carry out acts of disobedience to Allah (swt ) and His Messenger (saas ), and that includes slaughtering animals in a place where animals are slaughtered for others besides Allah (swt ).

Relevance of This Verse to the Subject of Tawheed

That it proves the prohibition of all things which might lead in the end to Shirk.

..ooOOoo..

It is reported on the authority of Thabit Ibn Adh-Dhahhak (saas ) that he said: "A man vowed to sacrifice a camel at a place called Buwanah, and he asked the Prophet (saas ) about it. He (saas ) said to him: "Does the place contain any of the idols from the time of the Jahiliyyah?"3 They said: "No." He (saas ) then asked: "Did the disbelievers hold any of their (religious) festivals there?" They replied: "No." So the Messenger of Allah (saas ) said:

"Then fulfill your vow, for verily, vows, which entail disobedience to Allah (swt ) or that which is beyond the capacity of the son of Adam should not be fulfilled." (Narrated by Abu Dawood, with a Sanad that meets the conditions of acceptance laid down by Bukhari and Muslim)

Thabit Ibn Adh-Dhahak (ra ) informs us that a man made a vow to slaughter a female camel in a place called Buwanah, and so the Prophet (saas ) enquired as to whether it had been used as a place of worship for the idols of the Jahiliyyah or whether any of their pagan festivals had been celebrated there. When it was made clear to him that this was not the case, he ordered the man to fulfill his vow. In addition to this, he then gave a general ruling binding upon his Ummah until the Day of Ressurrection, prohibiting the fulfillment of vows made in disobedience to Allah (swt ) or which require of man what is beyond his capacity.

Benefits Derived From This Hadith

1. The obligation to fulfill one's vows so long as it does not entail disobedience to Allah (swt ) or some impossible act.

2. The lawfulness of making inquiries on the part of the Mufti before delivering judgement.

3. The prohibition of carrying out an act of obedience in a place where acts of disobedience are performed.

4. The forbiddance of fulfilling vows which entail disobedience; instead, an act of recompense is required.4

5. That a vow should not be taken to do something which is beyond man's ability.

6. The permissibility of specifying a place or a time for the fulfillment of a vow.

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter

That it proves the prohibition of carrying out an act of obedience to Allah (swt ) in a place where acts of disobedience to Him are performed, and this includes slaughtering animals in a place where animals are dedicated to others than Allah (swt ).

Relevance of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed

That it proves the forbiddance of performing an act which may lead in the end to Shirk.

Footnotes
1. This mosque known as Masjid Dhiraar, or, the Mosque of Harm and Disbelief, was built by the hypocrites of Madinah in an attempt to prove their allegiance to Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saas).
2. It is commonly believed that the mosque referred to in this verse is Qubaa` Mosque, on the outskirts of Madinah, as this is the first mosque built by the Muslims after the Hijrah (Migration) of the Muslims from Makkah to Madinah. Ibn Katheer states that some, or a few (???) of the Salaf held this view, while he says that a number ( (????? held that it was the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah that was referred to in the verse. While there are some proofs for both views, those who held the latter view drew support from the Hadith reported by Muslim, Ahmad, Ibn Abi Shaibah and others, on the authority of Humaid Al-Kharraat, who said: " I heard Abu Salamah Ibn 'Abdul-Rahman say: "'Abdul-Rahman Ibn Abi Sa'eed Al-Khudri visited me, and I said to him: "What did you hear from your father, concerning the mosque which was built upon a foundation of piety?" He replied: "My father said: "I visited the Messenger of Allah (saas) in the house of one of his wives, and I said to him: "Oh, Messenger of Allah (saas)! Which of the two mosques is it that was built upon a foundation of piety?" The Prophet took a handful of stones and beat the earth with them, then he said: "It is this, your mosque, the Mosque of Madinah." He (Abu Salamah) then said: "I testify that I heard your father say likewise." Ibn Jareer At-Tabari agreed with this, while Ibn Katheer said that there was no contradiction in saying that both mosques were intended - and Allah (swt) knows best.
3. Jahiliyyah: The time of ignorance and polytheism prior to Islam.
4. It is reported on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas (ra) that the Prophet (saas) said: "If anyone takes a vow to do an act of disobedience, its atonement is the same as that for an oath." (Narrated by Abu Dawood) - and concerning the atonement for an oath, Allah (swt), Most High says: [Allah will not call you to account for your unintentional oaths, but He will hold you to account for your deliberate oaths: For expiation, feed ten poor persons, on a scale of what is average for the food of your families; or clothe them; or give a slave his freedom. If that is beyond your means, fast for three days. That is the expiation for the oaths you have sworn] (Qur'an 3:89)