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The above is the part of a noble verse found in chapter 59 , verse 7 . When we read the complete verse that segment gives us a very different understanding than the orthodox interpretation . The complete verse goes like :
[059:007] That which Allah giveth as spoil unto His messenger from the people of the townships, it is for Allah and His messenger and for the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer, that it become not a commodity between the rich among you. And whatsoever the messenger giveth you, take it. And whatsoever he forbiddeth, abstain (from it). And keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is stern in reprisal.
The context of the above verse is the distribution of spoils of war and nothing else . Hence by take whatever the messenger gives , ALLAH (swt) instructed the participants of the war to accept happily whatever portion of spoils the Prophet was offering them and by abstain from what he forbids meaning people should not ask or desire for what the Prophet didnt want to give them from the amount of booty . Hence the above part of the noble verse is related with a specific incident, not a general case .
Even after that if somebody insists on we have to take it as an universal instruction and make it mandatory to follow each and every instructions that the Prophet did/say , then we must also follow him on everything he did wrong . Prophet Muhammad was nothing but a human being and he also made so many mortal mistakes which natural for any human. Quran and Hadith both recorded plenty of those types of mortal mistakes of the prophet. A few may be able to be illustrative in this case.
[008:067] It is not fitting for an apostle that he should have prisoners of war until he hath thoroughly subdued the land. Ye look for the temporal goods of this world; but God looketh to the Hereafter: And God is Exalted in might, Wise.
[008:068] Had it not been for a previous ordainment from God, a severe penalty would have reached you for the (ransom) that ye took.
[008:069] But (now) enjoy what ye took in war, lawful and good: but fear God: for God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
In the above verses Almighty ALLAH (swt) clearly showed HIS dislike about the strategy of the Prophet Muhammad concerning the captives of war . It unpleased GOD (swt) such a way that HE even threatened Adhabe Azeem ( Great Punishment) for the Prophet and his companions for taking such wrong decision. Therefore we cant follow in this case of course whatever the Prophet did .
[066:001] O Prophet! Why holdest thou to be forbidden that which God has made lawful to thee? Thou seekest to please thy consorts. But God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
[066:002] God has already ordained for you, (O men), the dissolution of your oaths (in some cases): and God is your Protector, and He is Full of Knowledge and Wisdom.
The above noble verse is another example where Prophet made a gross mistake by exchanging Halal to haram just to please his wives . Almighty ALLAH (swt) found it objectionable and rectified as well as warned him . Should we need to follow everything the Prophet did/said , we could swap around the haram and halal and still we would be rewarded for performing the Sunnah . It is very clear that such a horrendous act cant be accepted by Almighty GOD . Rather HE, the Exalted warned :
[016:116] But say not for any false thing that your tongues may put forth,- This is lawful , and this is forbidden, so as to ascribe false things to God. For those who ascribe false things to God, will never prosper.
Now let see the famous incident of Abasa :
[080:001] (The Prophet) frowned and turned away,
[080:002] Because there came to him the blind man (interrupting).
[080:003] But what could tell thee but that perchance he might grow (in spiritual understanding)?-
[080:004] Or that he might receive admonition, and the teaching might profit him?
[080:005] As to one who regards Himself as self-sufficient,
[080:006] To him dost thou attend;
[080:007] Though it is no blame to thee if he grow not (in spiritual understanding).
[080:008] But as to him who came to thee striving earnestly,
[080:009] And with fear (in his heart),
[080:010] Of him wast thou unmindful.
In the above set of verses GOD almighty criticized the Prophet for ignoring or belittling a blind man . This is a general instruct to the prophet as well as for us not to show any disrespect or attitude of ignorance to the poor or weak people while flattering the rich and strong ones . Therefore we should not follow this Sunnah of the Prophet , not all . This verse also exposed the fallacy of the concept Sunnah in the light of Take whatever the Prophet gives you ..
Now we will mentioned some few hadith in this respect that the prophet made mistakes and said something which was reproached by himself even .
Aisha reported that two persons visited Allahs Messenger and both of them talked about a thing, of which I am not aware, but that annoyed him and he invoked curse upon both of them and hurled malediction, and when they went out I said: Allahs Messenger, the good would reach everyone but it would not reach these two. He said: Why so? I said: Because you have invoked curse and hurled malediction upon both of them. He said: Dont you know that I have made condition with my Lord saying thus: O Allah, I am a human being and that for a Muslim upon whom I invoke curse or hurl malediction make it a source of purity and reward? (Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Number 6285)
Abu Huraira reported Allahs Apostle as saying: O Allah, I make a covenant with Thee against which Thou wouldst never go. I am a human being and thus for a Muslim whom I give any harm or whom I scold or upon whom I invoke a curse or whom i beat, make this a source of blessing, purification and nearness to Thee on the Day of Resurrection. (Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Number 6290)
Salim, the freed slave of Nasriyyin, said: I heard Abu Huraira as saying that he heard Allahs Messenger as saying: O Allah, Muhammad is a human being. I lose my temper just as human beings lose temper, and I have held a covenant with Thee which Thou wouldst not break: For a believer whom I give any trouble or invoke curse or beat, make that an expiation (of his sins and a source of) his nearness to Thee on the Day of Resurrection. (Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Number 6293)
Anas b. Malik reported that there was an orphan girl with Umm Sulaim (who was the mother of Anas). Allahs Messenger saw that orphan girl and said: O, it is you; you have grown young. may you not advance in years! That slave-girl returned to Umm Sulaim weeping. Umm Sulaim said: O daughter, what is the matter with you? She said: Allahs Apostle has invoked curse upon me that I should not grow in age and thus I would never grow in age, or she said, in my (length) of life. Umm Sulaim went out wrapping her head-dress hurriedly until she met Allahs Messenger. He said to her: Umm Sulaim, what is the matter with you? She said: Allahs Apostle, you invoked curse upon my orphan girl. He said: Umm Sulaim, what is that? She said: She (the orphan girl) states you have cursed her saying that she might not grow in age or grow in life. Allahs Messenger smiled and then said: Umm Sulaim, dont you know that I have made this term with my Lord. And the term with my Lord is that I said to Him: I am a human being and I am pleased just as a human being is pleased and I lose temper just as a human being loses temper, so for any person from amongst my Ummah whom I curse and he in no way deserves it, let that, O Lord, be made a source of purification and purity and nearness to (Allah) on the Day of Resurrection. (Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Number 6297)
Leading by the examples from the Quran and also from the Hadith , we can comprehend with ease that the noble expression whatever the Prophet gives you take it and what he forbids , you abstain really related with distribution of the spoils of the war and not an universal instruction . As a Prophet and Messenger Muhammad showed his exalted character which is really model for us but whenever he erred as human being we must avoid it .
[059:007] That which Allah giveth as spoil unto His messenger from the people of the townships, it is for Allah and His messenger and for the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer, that it become not a commodity between the rich among you. And whatsoever the messenger giveth you, take it. And whatsoever he forbiddeth, abstain (from it). And keep your duty to Allah. Lo! Allah is stern in reprisal.
The context of the above verse is the distribution of spoils of war and nothing else . Hence by take whatever the messenger gives , ALLAH (swt) instructed the participants of the war to accept happily whatever portion of spoils the Prophet was offering them and by abstain from what he forbids meaning people should not ask or desire for what the Prophet didnt want to give them from the amount of booty . Hence the above part of the noble verse is related with a specific incident, not a general case .
Even after that if somebody insists on we have to take it as an universal instruction and make it mandatory to follow each and every instructions that the Prophet did/say , then we must also follow him on everything he did wrong . Prophet Muhammad was nothing but a human being and he also made so many mortal mistakes which natural for any human. Quran and Hadith both recorded plenty of those types of mortal mistakes of the prophet. A few may be able to be illustrative in this case.
[008:067] It is not fitting for an apostle that he should have prisoners of war until he hath thoroughly subdued the land. Ye look for the temporal goods of this world; but God looketh to the Hereafter: And God is Exalted in might, Wise.
[008:068] Had it not been for a previous ordainment from God, a severe penalty would have reached you for the (ransom) that ye took.
[008:069] But (now) enjoy what ye took in war, lawful and good: but fear God: for God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
In the above verses Almighty ALLAH (swt) clearly showed HIS dislike about the strategy of the Prophet Muhammad concerning the captives of war . It unpleased GOD (swt) such a way that HE even threatened Adhabe Azeem ( Great Punishment) for the Prophet and his companions for taking such wrong decision. Therefore we cant follow in this case of course whatever the Prophet did .
[066:001] O Prophet! Why holdest thou to be forbidden that which God has made lawful to thee? Thou seekest to please thy consorts. But God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
[066:002] God has already ordained for you, (O men), the dissolution of your oaths (in some cases): and God is your Protector, and He is Full of Knowledge and Wisdom.
The above noble verse is another example where Prophet made a gross mistake by exchanging Halal to haram just to please his wives . Almighty ALLAH (swt) found it objectionable and rectified as well as warned him . Should we need to follow everything the Prophet did/said , we could swap around the haram and halal and still we would be rewarded for performing the Sunnah . It is very clear that such a horrendous act cant be accepted by Almighty GOD . Rather HE, the Exalted warned :
[016:116] But say not for any false thing that your tongues may put forth,- This is lawful , and this is forbidden, so as to ascribe false things to God. For those who ascribe false things to God, will never prosper.
Now let see the famous incident of Abasa :
[080:001] (The Prophet) frowned and turned away,
[080:002] Because there came to him the blind man (interrupting).
[080:003] But what could tell thee but that perchance he might grow (in spiritual understanding)?-
[080:004] Or that he might receive admonition, and the teaching might profit him?
[080:005] As to one who regards Himself as self-sufficient,
[080:006] To him dost thou attend;
[080:007] Though it is no blame to thee if he grow not (in spiritual understanding).
[080:008] But as to him who came to thee striving earnestly,
[080:009] And with fear (in his heart),
[080:010] Of him wast thou unmindful.
In the above set of verses GOD almighty criticized the Prophet for ignoring or belittling a blind man . This is a general instruct to the prophet as well as for us not to show any disrespect or attitude of ignorance to the poor or weak people while flattering the rich and strong ones . Therefore we should not follow this Sunnah of the Prophet , not all . This verse also exposed the fallacy of the concept Sunnah in the light of Take whatever the Prophet gives you ..
Now we will mentioned some few hadith in this respect that the prophet made mistakes and said something which was reproached by himself even .
Aisha reported that two persons visited Allahs Messenger and both of them talked about a thing, of which I am not aware, but that annoyed him and he invoked curse upon both of them and hurled malediction, and when they went out I said: Allahs Messenger, the good would reach everyone but it would not reach these two. He said: Why so? I said: Because you have invoked curse and hurled malediction upon both of them. He said: Dont you know that I have made condition with my Lord saying thus: O Allah, I am a human being and that for a Muslim upon whom I invoke curse or hurl malediction make it a source of purity and reward? (Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Number 6285)
Abu Huraira reported Allahs Apostle as saying: O Allah, I make a covenant with Thee against which Thou wouldst never go. I am a human being and thus for a Muslim whom I give any harm or whom I scold or upon whom I invoke a curse or whom i beat, make this a source of blessing, purification and nearness to Thee on the Day of Resurrection. (Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Number 6290)
Salim, the freed slave of Nasriyyin, said: I heard Abu Huraira as saying that he heard Allahs Messenger as saying: O Allah, Muhammad is a human being. I lose my temper just as human beings lose temper, and I have held a covenant with Thee which Thou wouldst not break: For a believer whom I give any trouble or invoke curse or beat, make that an expiation (of his sins and a source of) his nearness to Thee on the Day of Resurrection. (Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Number 6293)
Anas b. Malik reported that there was an orphan girl with Umm Sulaim (who was the mother of Anas). Allahs Messenger saw that orphan girl and said: O, it is you; you have grown young. may you not advance in years! That slave-girl returned to Umm Sulaim weeping. Umm Sulaim said: O daughter, what is the matter with you? She said: Allahs Apostle has invoked curse upon me that I should not grow in age and thus I would never grow in age, or she said, in my (length) of life. Umm Sulaim went out wrapping her head-dress hurriedly until she met Allahs Messenger. He said to her: Umm Sulaim, what is the matter with you? She said: Allahs Apostle, you invoked curse upon my orphan girl. He said: Umm Sulaim, what is that? She said: She (the orphan girl) states you have cursed her saying that she might not grow in age or grow in life. Allahs Messenger smiled and then said: Umm Sulaim, dont you know that I have made this term with my Lord. And the term with my Lord is that I said to Him: I am a human being and I am pleased just as a human being is pleased and I lose temper just as a human being loses temper, so for any person from amongst my Ummah whom I curse and he in no way deserves it, let that, O Lord, be made a source of purification and purity and nearness to (Allah) on the Day of Resurrection. (Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Number 6297)
Leading by the examples from the Quran and also from the Hadith , we can comprehend with ease that the noble expression whatever the Prophet gives you take it and what he forbids , you abstain really related with distribution of the spoils of the war and not an universal instruction . As a Prophet and Messenger Muhammad showed his exalted character which is really model for us but whenever he erred as human being we must avoid it .