The shooting in Uvalde really disturbed me. How can this be allowed to continue?! As Muslims we know that not only is anger warranted at certain times, it is a must, as we see in our greatest example, our Prophet ﷺ.
I listened to the teacher whose students were all killed and I was heartbroken but also enraged. Enraged at a system that allows public servants/politicians to be bought out at the expense of its most vulnerable.
I turned after this to read ahadith and Subhan Allah! This hadith came up. It is narrated in Majma’u al-Zawaa-id, quoted from the Musnad of Bazzaar.
The chain has some issues. But the scholars still benefit from the meaning. Here the meaning is so clear: to decrease weapons in order to decrease casualties.
Fitnah here is when there are rebel groups or gangs fighting each other or the government.
What is interesting is that it doesn’t say to sell only to the one who is in the right; it prohibits the selling of weapons altogether. Why? Because people will differ on who is right. Some people will side with x and others with y. So if it was allowed to sell to whoever was “right” then the weapon sales wouldn’t stop.
The Shari’ah protects what is most precious: LIFE. It focuses on human needs and priorities. During turbulent times it puts aside who is “right” and who is “wrong” and its intent is to save lives.
This is true fiqh. This is true understanding. It isn’t possible for filthy-rich ‘lobbies’ to come and buy out Sacred Law.
Alhamduli Allah, this gave me solace. It reminded me that although we don’t live in justice, there is justice out there and sooner or later, the oppressors will have to stand – or more likely be dragged – in front of the Most Just for reckoning.
