Eagle continued, "The Sabians (As-Sābi’an) mentioned in the Qur’ān:
In this verse, Allah stated that the earlier nations who were righteous and obedient received the rewards for their good deeds. This shall be the case, until the Day of Judgment. Therefore, whoever follows the unlettered Messenger and Prophet, shall acquire eternal happiness and shall neither fear from what will happen in the future nor become sad for what has been lost in the past.إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَالَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالنَّصَارَىٰ وَالصَّابِئِينَ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ"Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabians [before Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)] - those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness - will have their reward with their Lord, and no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve." - [QS.2:62]
‘Ali bin Abi Talhah narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas, about the verse, "Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabians [before Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)] - those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day...", that Allah revealed the following Ayah afterwards,
This statement by Ibn ‘Abbas indicates that Allah does not accept any deed or work from anyone, unless it conforms to the Law of Muhammad (ﷺ) that is, after Allah sent Muhammad (ﷺ). Before that, every person who followed the guidance of his own Prophet was on the correct path, following the correct guidance and was saved.وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ"And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers." - [QS.3:85]
The Jews are the followers of Prophet Musa, alayhissalam, who used to refer to the Tawrah for judgment. The Jews were called 'Yahud', a word that means, ‘repenting’, just as Musa said,
meaning, we repent to You.اِنَّا ہُدۡنَاۤ اِلَیۡکَ"...Certainly we have Hudna to You..." - [QS.7:156]
This indicates that they were first called Yahud, because they repented and, because they were kind to each other. It was also said that they were called Yahud in reference to Yahuda (Judah) the eldest son of Prophet Ya'qub. Abu ‘Amr bin Al-'Ala’ said that they were called Yahud, because they swayed when they read the Tawrah.
Iblis's deception of Jews took many forms. Here are some examples. They claimed that there are similarities between The Creator and His creation. Had this been true, then everything applicable to the creator would be applicable to the creation. Abu Jamid said that Jews claim that god was a man made fom light sitting on a chair of light, wearing a crown of light, and that he had limbs similar to human limbs.
Another example is, their claim that 'Uzayr was Allah's son. Had they understood the reality of childhood, they would have realised that it could only take occur when the father give a piece of him (sperm). Allah would never give a piece of Him away because He is not composed of different pieces. Also, the son usually is of the same status as the father. Yet, 'Uzayr had to eat to survive. How could he have been a god when a god was always needed and was never in need. They only assumed that 'Uzayr was Allah's son because he came back fom the dead and recited the Torah from memory.
What proves that Jews are weak minded is that after seeing Allah's ability of splitting the sea, they requested to worship idols saying, "Make fr us a god as they have gods". When Musa scolded them for making this request, they continued to wish for such an idol but in secret. Their wish finally came true when they worshiped the calf.
This was a result of two things, first, their ignorance of The Creator, and second, that they wanted something that they could sense, because feeling was more effective to them than contemplating. Had they not been ignorant of their Rabb, they would not have called him with bad words, such as, "Allah is poor" and "Allah's hand is tied."
lblis also deceived them into thinking that Shari'ahs may never be abrogated. However, they knew well that in Adam's Shari'ah, it was permissible to marry one's sister and to work on Saturday. This was abrogated by Musa's religon. They said, "Whenever Alah orders something then it may never be changed."
Another example of lblis's deception of Jews was their claim, "The Hellfire shall not touch us but for a few numbered days." These days are the days during which they worshiped the calf.
Their shameful acts were numerous. lblis also caused them to become very stubborn to the point of denying that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was described in their book. They modifed the verses that mentioned this, refused to beleve in Him and accepted the punishment of the Hereafer.
So their scholars were stubborn, and the ignorant among them followed. And they modifed their religion to suit thei needs, so how could servitude be manifsted in those who abandoned Allah's order and acted upon their desires. They used to disobey Musa, alayhissalam, and accuse him of having overly large testicles! And they accused him of killing Harun, alayhissalam, and also accused Dawud, alayhissalam, with regard to the wife of Irya.
The Christians were called ‘Nasara’. When Isa was sent, the Children of Israel were required to follow and obey him. The followers of Isa and his companions are called An-Nasara, because they gave aid and support to each other. They are also called Ansar (helpers), as ‘Isa said,
It was said that they were called ‘Nasara’, because they inhabited a land called An-Nasirah (Nazareth), as Qatadah, Ibn Jurayj and Ibn ‘Abbas were reported to have said it. Nasara is certainly plural for Nasran.مَنۡ اَنۡصَارِیۡۤ اِلَی اللّٰہِ ؕ قَالَ الۡحَوَارِیُّوۡنَ نَحۡنُ اَنۡصَارُ اللّٰ"...Who will be my helpers in Allah's cause?" Al-Hawariyyun said, "We are the Ansar of Allah..." - [QS.61:14]
When Allah sent Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) as the Last and Final Prophet and Messenger to all of the Children of Adam, mankind was required to believe in him, obey him and refrain from what he prohibited them; those who do this are true believers. The Ummah was called ‘Mu’minin (believers) because of the depth of their faith and certainty, and because they believe in all of the previous Prophets and matters of the Unseen.
Iblis's deception of al-Nasara took many forms. Here are some examples. He deceived them to think that The Creator (the Mighty and the Majestic) was of matter form. Al-Ya'qubiyyah, followers of Ya'qub, al-Malikiyyah, followers of the King's (Constantine) Religion, and al-Nastiriyyah, followers of Nastur, all have said that Allah is one essence but is three distinct characters: the father, the son and the holy spirit. Some of them claimed that the three characters were only features. Others said they were attributes. And others claimed that they were persons. They forgot that had Allah been of matter from them everything that was applicable to matter must be applicable to Him, such as being confined by space, motion, stillness and color.
Then Iblis convinced some of them to believe that 'Isa, alayhissalam, was Allah. Abu Muhammad al-NubakhtI said, 'Al-Malikis and al-Ya'qubis claimed that Maryam gave birth to the Rabb. Iblis whispered to some of them to believe that 'Isa was Allah's son.' Others claimed that 'Isa had two essences, one ancient and the other recent. They confirmed 'Isa's need for food and that he was crucifed and unable to repel harm away fom himself. They said, "That which was crucifed was the humanistic essence.'' Well, could not the divne essence have repelled harm away fom the humanistic essence?
Iblis also deceived them into denying our Prophet (ﷺ) although he was mentioned in the Injil. Some People of the Book admitted that our Prophet (ﷺ) was a true Prophet but sent only to Arabs. This was another aspect of Iblis's deception of them, because once they admitted that Muhammad (ﷺ) was a Prophet, they should have confrmed that he could not have been a liar. He (ﷺ) said, "I was sent to all people", and he (ﷺ) wrote letters to kings of non-Arab nations inviting them to Islam.
Iblis also deceived Jews and Christians into believing that Allah will never punish them for their ancestor's sake. Their ancestors included Prophets and righteous people. Allah, the Mighty and the Majestic, reported their saying,
As for the Sabians or Sabiun, there is a difference of opinion over the identity of the Sabians. Sufyan Ath-Thawri said that Layth bin Abu Sulaym said that Mujahid said that, “The Sabians are between the Majus, the Jews and the Christians. They do not have a specific religion.” Others say that the Sabians are a sect among the People of the Book who used to read the Zabur (Psalms), others say that they are a people who worshipped the angels or the stars. It appears that the closest opinion to the truth, and Allah knows best, is Mujahid’s statement and those who agree with him like Wahb bin Munabbih, that the Sabians are neither Jews nor Christians nor Majus nor polytheists. Rather, they did not have a specific religion that they followed and enforced, because they remained living according to their Fitrah (instinctual nature). This is why the idolators used to call whoever embraced Islam a ‘Sabi’, meaning, that he abandoned all religions that existed on the earth. Some scholars stated that the Sabians are those who never received a message by any Prophet.وَ قَالَتِ الۡیَہُوۡدُ وَ النَّصٰرٰی نَحۡنُ اَبۡنٰٓؤُا اللّٰہِ وَ اَحِبَّآؤُہٗ ؕ قُلۡ فَلِمَ یُعَذِّبُکُمۡ بِذُنُوۡبِکُمۡ ؕ بَلۡ اَنۡتُمۡ بَشَرٌ مِّمَّنۡ خَلَقَ ؕ یَغۡفِرُ لِمَنۡ یَّشَآءُ وَ یُعَذِّبُ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ ؕ وَ لِلّٰہِ مُلۡکُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ وَ مَا بَیۡنَہُمَا ۫ وَ اِلَیۡہِ الۡمَصِیۡرُ"But the Jews and the Christians say, 'We are the children of Allah and His beloved.' Say, 'Then why does He punish you for your sins?' Rather, you are human beings from among those He has created. He forgives whom He wills, and He punishes whom He wills. And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, and to Him is the [final] destination. - [QS.5:18]
Regarding the Sabians, Ibn Al-Qayyim stated, “The Sabians are an ancient people who preceded the Jews and Christians… They were not Jews, Christians or Magians. They were two factions: The monotheistic Sabians and the idolatrous Sabians. So it is the monotheists who were the saved-ones among them. And between the two factions, there were disputes and refutations. They were the people of the Prophet Ibrahim, alayhissalam, just as the Jews were the people of Musa, alayhissalam. And the monotheists of the Sabians were Ibrahim’s followers.”
Ibn al-Qayyim makes the point in Ahkām Ahludh-Dhimmah that in general, the Sabians were better than the Magians. The Magians or Zoroastrians (Arabic: Al-Majoos), in terms of religion, are worse than the Jews, Christians and Sabians – indeed they are the worst of cultures in terms of religion. They have no adherence to any revealed book nor affiliation to a revealed religion. For this reason, when the Persians defeated the Romans (i.e. the Christian Byzantines) at the time of the Prophet (ﷺ), the idolators of Makkah rejoiced at the victory of the Persian Magians, because they were similar to them. The Makkans also were not people of any revealed scripture (just like the Persian-Magians), and so they behaved wickedly towards the Muslims of Makkah. Later, when the Romans defeated the Persians, the Muslims rejoiced because the Christians are closer to the Muslims than the Magians due to the fact that the Christians have a revealed book.
The Magians believe in the concept of dual deities (gods) or supreme forces which oppose each other. Their god, Ahura Mazda, “existed in light and goodness above, while the god of evil, Angra Mainyu, “existed in darkness and ignorance below.” They have existed independently of each other for all time, and make themselves manifest in opposing materials. Zoroastrianism appeared in Iran (Persia) at around the 6th Century BCE, and Zoroastrians (Magians) worship in the presence of some form of fire because they consider it a medium through which spiritual insight and wisdom are attained – and water is treated in much the same way. For this reason, they are often referred to as ‘fire-worshippers” and they were renowned for their building of temples of fire. They have survived until this time and live mostly in India and Iran.
According to Ibn Al-Jawzi, the Sabians (al-Sabi'in) were those who left one religion for the sake of another. Scholars had ten different opinions regardig them. The first was that their religion was a mix between Christianity and Zoroastrianism. The second was, that their religion was a mix between Judaism and Zoroastrianism. The tihrd was that their religion was a mix between Judaism and Christianity. The fourth was that they were a sect of Christianity but that they adopted less radical views. The fifth was that they were a sect of polytheists with no holy book. The sixth was that they were the same as Zoroastrians. The seventh was that they were fom the people of the Book and hat their holy book was al-Zabur. The eighth was that they were a people who prayed towards our qiblah, who prayed to angels and whose holy book was al-Zabur. The ninth was that were simply a sect of the People of the Book. The tenth was that they were a people who affirm that there was none worthy to be worshipped but Allah. They performed no other action except this affirmation.
As for the Mutakallimun, practitioners of deductive reasoning, they said that Sabians adopted various beliefs. Some believed that there had always been a Creator who always created fom the pre-eternal Hyle. Most Sabians believed that the universe was created from nothing, and referred to planets as angels whom they worshipped and built shrines for. They claimed that the Ka'bah was one of these shrines dedicated to planet Saturn. Others claimed that Allah should only be assigned attributes of negation, not attributes of affirmation, so they say, 'Allah was not created, not dead, not ignorant, and not disabled.' They said that this would prevent drawing similitude between Allah and His creation.
As for their acts of worship, they claimed that they were to pray three times a day. The first prayer consisted of eight units with tree prostrations in each unit. This prayer may be performed anytime before sunrise. The second and third prayers each consist of five units.
They also fast for one month, starting the eighth of March plus seven days starting the ninth of December, and another seven days starting the eighth of February. After fasting, they celebrate by giving charity and slaughtering animals.
To them, camel meat is forbidden. And they claim that righteous souls elevate to the stationary planets and to the light. As for evil souls, they descend into the earth and darkness. Some of them claimed that this world never seized to exist, and that reward and punishment took place through reincarnation. Iblis has deceived them into believing that perfection may be attained through connecting to the upper spiritual world. They did so by performing ablutions and following certain rules. Also, they occupied themselves with fortune telling and denied resurrection after death.
Allah also mentioned,
In this verse, as Mujahid stated, those who have believed, referring toاِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ الَّذِیۡنَ ہَادُوۡا وَ الصّٰبِـُٔوۡنَ وَ النَّصٰرٰی مَنۡ اٰمَنَ بِاللّٰہِ وَ الۡیَوۡمِ الۡاٰخِرِ وَ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَیۡہِمۡ وَ لَا ہُمۡ یَحۡزَنُوۡنَ"Indeed, those who have believed [in Prophet Muhammad] and those [before Him] who were Jews or Sabeans or Christians - those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness - no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve." - [QS.5:69]
Muslims, those who are the Jews, who were entrusted with the Tawrah, and the Sabians, a sect from the Christians and Magians who did not
follow any particular religion. As for the Christians, they are known and were entrusted with the Injil. The meaning here is that if each of these groups believed in Allah and the Hereafter, which is the Day of Judgement and Reckoning, and performed good actions, which to be so, must conform to Muhammad's Law, after Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was sent to all mankind and the Jinns. If any of these groups held these beliefs, then they shall have no fear of what will come or sadness regarding what they lost, nor will grief ever affect them.
In another verse, Allah says,
In this verse, Allah tells us about the followers of these various religions, the believers (Muslims) and others such as the Jews and Sabians. We have already discussed a definition of them and have noted how people differ over who they are. There are also the Christians, Majus and others who worship others alongside Allah. Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection with justice; He will admit those who believed in Him to Paradise and will send those who disbelieved in Him to Hell, for He is a Witness over their deeds, and He knows all that they say and all that they do in secret, and conceal in their breast. And Allah knows best.اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ الَّذِیۡنَ ہَادُوۡا وَ الصّٰبِئِیۡنَ وَ النَّصٰرٰی وَ الۡمَجُوۡسَ وَ الَّذِیۡنَ اَشۡرَکُوۡۤا ٭ۖ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ یَفۡصِلُ بَیۡنَہُمۡ یَوۡمَ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ عَلٰی کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ شَہِیۡدٌ"Indeed, those who have believed and those who were Jews and the Sabians and the Christians and the Magians and those who associated with Allah - Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed Allah is, over all things, Witness." - [QS.22:17]
[Following the Forefathers]
