After reciting the Tashahhud, Ta‘awwuz, and Surah Al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) stated: in the last sermon I explained the incidence of the capital punishment of Ka‘b bin Ashraf at the hands of Hazrat Muhammad bin Maslamah (ra). I explained that the assertion that one is permitted to tell a lie in three situations is a completely false notion and it is based on a wrong interpretation of the hadith. The Promised Messiah (as) has also made this point evidently clear in his book Nurul Qur’an, where he clarifies beyond doubt that Islam categorically forbids lying.
The Promised Messiah (as) states: “The Holy Qur’an considers uttering falsehood akin to idolatry, as God Almighty says, i.e. “Shun therefore the abomination of idols, and shun all words of untruth.” (22:31) And as He states on another occasion: i.e. “O ye who believe! be strict in observing justice, and be witnesses for Allah, even though it be against yourselves or against parents and kindred.” The Promised Messiah (as) further states, “… in actuality, there is no hadith which permits one to lie. In fact, the words of the hadith are, i.e. ‘Do not deviate from truth even if you are murdered or you are set on fire for it.’
The Promised Messiah (as) states: “Indeed, in some Ahadith an indication towards the permission of Tauriyah can be found; in Islamic terminology, Tauriyah refers to a statement made in the form of parables and allegories in order to keep a matter confidential for some other reason, this can be correctly interpreted by the wise audience while giving nothing away to others. Tauriyah, which is not Kizb in its literal sense, although it can be deemed so; Tauriyah is permissible only under desperate circumstance but abstaining from Tauriyah is regarded as of a greater moral excellence.” The Promised Messiah (as) further states: “In some Ahadith permission for Tauriyah can be found when adopted to bring about reconciliation between two Muslims, safeguarding one’s wife from any discord or domestic dispute and keeping one’s affairs hidden from the enemy during war. However, this needs to be understood in the broader context that there are many other Ahadith, which suggest that Tauriyah stands in contrast to a high standard of righteousness and that the clear truth is better.”
The Promised Messiah (as) further states, “The Holy Qur’an has sent curse upon those who speak falsehood. Moreover, it has stated that those who speak falsehood are the companions of Satan…. Not only does it state that one should not speak falsehood, but also to abandon the company of such people and not to befriend them.”
I shall now continue with the accounts from Hazrat Muhammad (ra) bin Maslamah’s life. When the Banu Nadir attempted to deceive the Holy Prophet (sa) and sought to kill him by throwing a millstone on him, God Almighty informed the Holy Prophet (sa) of their plans through divine revelation. The Holy Prophet (sa) left the meeting and was saved. Later, the Holy Prophet (sa) sent Hazrat Muhammad (ra) bin Maslamah to the Jews to explain to them that for this act of treason and attempted murder, they will be exiled from the city of Medina for violating their covenant. Jews were given ten days to make their exit.
This attempt to kill the Holy Prophet (sa) was one in a long series of treachery and treason by Jews. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) gave the example of the treachery of the Banu Quraizah. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) said that although this has been narrated previously, however owing to its historical importance, I will narrate it here as well. Banu Quraizah turned against Muslims during the battle of Ditch and broke their pact of mutual protection in the event of an external attack. When Muslims were returning from the battle, Jews instead of being sorry for the treacherous acts, tried to inflame the situation further by calling names to the Holy Prophet (sa) and passing unsavoury remarks about his wives and daughters. When the Holy Prophet (sa) heard about this, he said, ‘Moses was of their kith and kin. Yet they inflicted more suffering on him than they have on me.’ The Holy Prophet (sa) continued to advance towards the Jewish part of the city. The Jews put up their defences and locked themselves in their compound. Some Muslims were sitting at the foot of a wall. A Jewish woman, seeing this, dropped a stone on them, killing one of the Muslims… Later, Jews refuse to accept the decision of the Holy Prophet (sa) to be expelled from the city and had to be punished, according to the rule of Torah, at their own request by Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh, chief of their allies, the Aus.
Listing the acts of treason by Jews of Medina, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) also explained the rebellion instigated by the people of Khayber. Their leader Abu Rafi was sentenced to death because of his acts of treachery, treason and betrayal. The Holy Prophet (as) was the democratically elected head of Medina and sentenced Abu Rafi to death for his heinous crimes. A party was sent to Khyber to carry out the execution and Hazrat Muhammad bin Maslamah (ra) was also part of that group. Abu Rafi was killed by Abdullah bin ‘Atik (ra), who gained entry to the Castle. When his wife got to know about this, she screamed. ‘Abdullah bin ‘Atik (ra) became worried that others might be alerted by her noise. Upon this, he raised his sword to kill her, but then he remembered that the Holy Prophet (sa) had prohibited the killing of women and therefore he refrained from doing this. Afterwards, Abdullah bin ‘Atik (ra) escaped from the castle and informed the Holy Prophet (sa) of the death of Abu Rafi’. In context of this execution, this must be understood that during that era, the Muslims were in a very weak state, surrounded by adversity from all direction. It was as if the entire land was uniting to annihilate the Muslims. In these delicate times, Abu Rafi was inciting the various tribes of Arabia against Islam. The norm of that era was that every tribe was free to defend itself. Muslims had to do what it took to defend themselves. In the state of war, killing of the enemy in self-defence is absolutely justifiable. Therefore, in these circumstances, whatever the companions did was correct and prudent.
During the Caliphate of Hazrat Umar (ra), Hazrat Muhammad bin Maslamah (ra) was appointed to collect the Zakat from the Juhainah tribe. Whenever a complaint was received by the Khalifa against a collector, Hazrat Muhammad bin Maslamah (ra) would be sent to investigate the matter. Hazrat Umar (ra) trusted Hazrat Muhammad bin Maslamah (ra) greatly and would also send him to various areas to resolve difficult matters. After the martyrdom of Hazrat Usman (ra), it is said that Hazrat Muhammad bin Maslamah (ra) lived in seclusion and kept himself away from any conflict. Hazrat Muhammad bin Maslamah (ra) passed away in Madinah in 43A.H., 46A.H. or 47A.H. and at the time of his demise he was 77 years old. Marwan bin Hakam (ra) led his funeral prayer who was the Ameer of Madinah at the time. It is also mentioned in some accounts that he was martyred. This concludes the accounts relating to Hazrat Muhammad bin Maslamah (ra).
After the Friday prayer I shall lead the funeral prayer of Respected Taj Din Sahib, son of Sadr Din Sahib. He passed away on 10th February at the age of 84. Verily to Allah we belong, and to Him shall we return. By the grace of Allah Almighty, he was a Moosi [part of the system of Al-Wasiyyat]. When Islamabad was bought in 1984, Taj Din Sahib offered his services to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) for the Islamabad. Thereafter, he continued to serve with utmost sincerity and selflessness in Islamabad for 22 years. He worked tirelessly ever since the first Jalsa Salana [Annual Convention] in Islamabad was held, up till the very last one held there and made every possible effort to provide comfort and ease for the guests of the Promised Messiah (as). He possessed the ability to do all sorts of technical work, which is why he spent day and night working on all kinds of tasks, including electrical work, plumbing, sanitation, woodwork etc. He was very regular in observing fasts and offering his prayers, he was very devout, extremely well-mannered, obedient and had a composed personality. He had a deep bond of sincerity and loyalty with Khilafat. He was always courteous and cheerful. May Allah Almighty grant him forgiveness and mercy and enable his progeny to excel in sincerity and loyalty as he did and may God Almighty grant them patience and steadfastness.