Sword of Shirk ?

(Al-Battar)

Wahhabi/Salafi say:

 " How can this sword belong to the Prophet(s) when it has an image on it,

Shirk!"

Quote:

"There is a description in the Sunnah of the sword of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), Dhu’l-Fiqaar, but it does not say that it included an image of anyone.

How could the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) have kept such a sword, when he is the one who forbade images and ordered that they be erased? 

When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) conquered Makkah, he did not enter the Ka’bah until after he had issued instructions that the images inside it be erased. 

It was narrated from Jaabir that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him), at the time of the conquest when he was in al-Bat-ha’, to go to the Ka’bah and erase every image that was inside it, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not enter it until it had been rid of every image that was inside it."

Quote:

" As for his sword al-Battaar, it is mentioned by Ibn Sa’d in al-Tabaqaat (1/486), but it is mursal – which is a type of da’eef (weak) report – its isnaad includes al-Waaqidi. And there are other ahaadeeth which are not saheeh.  

Al-Haafiz al-‘Iraqi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: In al-Tabaqaat, Ibn Sa’d mentions the mursal report of Marwaan ibn Abi Sa’eed Ibn al-Mu’alla who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) acquired three swords from the weapons of Banu Qaynuqa’: a sword called Qa’li, a sword called Battaar and a sword called al-Hatif.  After that, he got al-Mikhdham and Rasoob. Its isnaad includes al-Waaqidi. Takhreej Ahaadeeth al-Ihya’ (2471). "

Quote:

" Ibn al-Qayyim  said: 

He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had nine swords:

1. Ma’thoor, which was the first sword he owned and which he inherited from his father; al-‘Adb (cutting or sharp); 2. Dhu’l-Fiqaar, which almost never left his side, its handle, its pommel, its ring, its decorations and the end of its scabbard were made of silver; 3. al-Qal’i; 4. al-Battaar; 5. al-Hatif; 6. al-Rasoob; 7. al-Mikhdham; and 8. al-Qadeeb. The end of the scabbard was of silver. 

His sword Dhu’l-Fiqaar was acquired as booty at the battle of Badr, and it is the one that was shown in dreams.  

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When he entered Makkah on the day of the Conquest, there were gold and silver on his sword. [This was classed as da’eef (weak) by al-Albaani in Mukhtasar al-Shamaa’il (87)]. Zaad al-Ma’aad (1/130). See also: al-Taraateeb al-Idaariyyah by al-Kataani (1/343). "

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Hazrat Mazeedah bin Malik, the (maternal) grandfather of Hud says that when the Prophet of Allah sallallahu alaihe wasallam entered Makkah on the day it was conquered, his sword had gold and silver on it. Talib who is one of the narrators of this hadith says that he asked the ustaadh, "On which part of the sword was the silver?" He replied, "The cap of the grip handle was made of silver.

[Shama'il Muhammadiyah, (Eng: Book,13-Hadith,101. )(Arabic: Book,14-Hadith,107.) ]

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Al-Ma'thur

(Top sword: Al Ma'thur & Bottom sword: al-Qadib)

Topkapi Museum, Istanbul

It is 99 cm in length, and its eight dimensional hilt is overlaid with gold. Its handle is a little curled. Its hilt has flower engravings and rubies and turquoises on the golden slots. The hilt is curvature towards the blade.The guard in the shape of a dragon head is decorated in parallel to the hilt.

The writing of “Rasulallah” on the plain and sharp blade is barely readable.

Its sheath is 85 cm in length. In accordance with the hilt, one face of its sheath is overlaid with gold. The other face of the sheath is embroidered with flower like motifs and cypress figures made of niello. It has a band made of red silk and having a circular buckle and casing made of green fabric embroidered flower motifs. The flower motif is protected in a green fabric on which it is written that it belongs to Prophet(s).

al-Ma'thur, also known as "Ma'thur al-Fijar" is the sword which was owned by the Prophet (s) before he received his first revelations in Mecca. It was willed to him by his father. The Prophet (s) migrated with the sword from Mecca to Medina, and the sword remained with him until it was transferred, along with other war equipment, to Ali b. Abi Talib.

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Al-Waqidi is reliable for purely historical reports. Ahl al- Hadith consider him too honest and too rich a source to be discarded especially in light of Ibn Sa`d's accreditation, which lent him huge credit--but they unanimously discard him with regard to ahkam reports which are uncorroborated by other narrators e.g. wiggling the index finger in Salat. It is the latter category they meant when they called him a liar, i.e. thoroughly unreliable and/or inaccurate in his isnads, not at all that he was dishonest. 

Al-Dhahabi said: "I have no doubt in his sidq." And Allah knows best.

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Those who questioned the `adl of al-Waqidi and Sayf were dismissed.The issue here is dabit vs. non-dabit. You know well we can have honest people who do not have a clue what dabt requires. Imam Malik mentioned that he met 70 extremely honest shuyukh in Madina but he did not narrate from a single one of them because they were nescient in hadith transmission.

Now, take someone who does have a clue but given the abundance of things he transmits he makes so many mistakes that he becomes similarly discardable.

Now make him so erudite, so researched, so full of gems that it is simply impossible to discard him altogether. This is the case with al-Waqidi and Sayf. These scholars would go to the actual sites of battles and look for descendents and interview them one by one for stories. Hence the large number of "unknowns" in their chains. Yet, when it comes to purely historical details such as whether a certain Sahabi was a Badri or not, they might even best al-Bukhari and Muslim.

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al-Waqidi’s reliability in Maghazi and Siyar

Early scholars of Islam themselves have maintained a difference between the literature of hadith and history. For instance, those who collected materials concerning the person of the Prophet (siyar) in relation to the legal obligations (al-Ahkam al-Shari’yah) were called “MUhaddithin” (Traditionalists); those who concerned themselves only with the life of the Prophet were known as “Ashab al-Sirah”; those who wrote about the character and habits of the Prophet were called “Ashab al-Shama’il”. 

And those who concerned themselves with the campaigns of the Prophet were known as the Ashab al-Maghazi.

On the basis of above categorization the same “Ashab al-Rijal” who, have rejected al-Waqidi in Hadith and in discussions on important religious obligations, have at the same time acknowledged his knowledge of the Maghazi and have specified his fact in their criticisms. 

For instance, the same al-Dhahbi who, at the end of his criticism on al-Waqidi in his Mizan has concluded: “Consensus has taken place on the weakness of al-Waqidi,”[1] has specified in his “Tadhkirat al-Huffaz” that: He is one of the vessels of knowledge but he is not well-versed in Hadith. But he is an expert (on the top) in Maghazi and Siyar. [2]

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[1] al-Dhahbi, Mizan, vol.3 p.111

[2] al-Dhahbi, Tadhkirah, vol.1 pp.317-318

Here it may be added that in case of the narrations on Maghazi (Battles) and Siyar (Biographies), if al-Waqidi’s report does not contradict any authentic narration and established facts, but adds a little to the details of an event otherwise independently known through authentic reports, the addition may be accepted.

Hafiz Ibn Kathir (d. 774 A.H./1373 C.E.) said:

“al-Waqidi: He has reliable additions, and well documented history …”
(al-Bidayah wal Nihayah 3/288)

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Al-Battar

Al Battar : Al battar means Al Saif or Al Qatae i.e. the one that cuts through, according to the records the original owner of this sword was Jaloot whom prophet David had killed at the age of 20 years, the sword has a scene carved where Hazrat David is cutting the head of Jaloot. The sword also has a symbol which is said to be carved on it 2000 years ago in Petra Jordon

This sword is also called Saif Ul Anbia (Sword of Prophets)

Al-Battar: Inscriptions of the names of Prophets

The blade of "Al-Battar" is inscribed in Arabic with the names of the Prophets Dawud(AS) (David), Sumayman (Solomon), Musa (Moses), Harun (Aaron), Joshua, Zachariah, Yahya (John), `Isa (Jesus), and Muhammad(s).

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Al Battar is a sword of the Prophet Muhammad (s) as booty from the Banu Qaynaqa results. The sword is called "The sword of the prophets ', and in carving swords have Arabic writing that reads:' The Prophet David, the U.S., the U.S. Solomon, Prophet Musa, U.S. Aaron, Prophet Yusuf, Prophet Zachariah the U.S., the U.S. John , Prophet Isa, the Prophet Muhammad(s) '. Inside there are also pictures of David from the U.S. when cut Goliath's head, people who have this sword in the beginning. In this sword there are also writings that are identified as Nabataean writings.

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Inscription on the blade of the al-Battar sword,identified as Nabataean

Picture of King David cutting off the head of Goliath at the handle of al-Battar

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[Note this ^picture/image is an Example]

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Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (RA) had a ring on which there was a picture of a lion. But the picture size was so small that it could not be seen clearly. 

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Imam at-Tahawi al-Hanafi said:

“The Lawmaker -Prophet (s)- first forbade pictures entirely, even stripes on clothes, because people had only recently turned away from worshipping images, so that was prohibited across the board.

When his (s) prohibition of such images became solidly ingrained, he (s) permitted striped clothes due to the necessity of using clothes, and he permitted whatever is practiced as a matter of trade, because the ignorant are safe from exalting such practice.

As for what is not practiced as a matter of trade, it remained forbidden.”

The scholar of comparative fiqh (“jurisprudence”) Abdur Rahman al-Jaziri wrote in his three-volume Fiqh cala-l-Madhahib al-arbaca:

“The prohibition of making pictures stems, in the eye of the Law, from the use of pictures towards the corruption of belief, as for example the use of statues for the worship of other than Allah… As for their utilization in the context of a sound matter, such as teaching and learning something, then pictures are permitted and there is no sin in them.”

Readers are invited to look up further discussions of the views of the Fours Schools in the aforementioned book.

Muslim (Hadith) relates on the authority of A’isha (r):

‘We had a curtain on which was the picture of a bird, and which every person would face upon coming in.

*The Prophet (s) said one day, ‘Put this somewhere else, for every time I come in I remember the dunya (the world).”

The scholar of “Salafi” thought, which follows the strictest mashrab (“Drinking-well”) of Ibn Taymiyyah, Sayyid Sabiq, after mentioning the hadith of Muslim quoted above, said:

“This hadith indicates that pictures are not unlawful (haram), because if it were unlawful in the final analysis, he would have ordered that it be destroyed, and not contented himself with having it placed somewhere else. He then mentioned that the reason for placing it somewhere else was that it made him remember dunya. This is also the view of Imam at-Tahawi.”

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*Regarding pictures in your House Note Not in your place/room where you pray/worship!
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More Info: Pictures and Worship see
Building Shrines/Tombs around the Graves...

Here