RENAISSANCE MAY 2021

Had ī th Studies 16 Monthly Renaissance May 2021 God forbid, regard him as a f ā siq. Not only this, such was the nature of his reliability and trustworthiness that the Prophet (sws) entrusted him with the responsibility of collecting zak ā h . If there had been some issue with his character, the Prophet (sws) would never have selected him for such an important service. Secondly, if this occasion of revelation is accepted, then it will have to be conceded that the Prophet (sws), God forbid, was so unaware of his Companions (rta) that he would select from among them for such important positions those, who because of their dishonest misconduct, would endanger both the citizens and the government. Such short-sightedness is not expected even from a common sane human being, let alone the Prophet (sws). Thirdly, if Wal ī d ran away from the tribe thinking the group which had come out to receive him to be armed in order to attack him and if he conveyed this impression of his to the Prophet (sws), then though this could be regarded as a naïve act on his part, as per the shar ī ‘ah , it cannot be regarded as fisq . Had this been the case, the verse should have been something to the effect: “Believers! Do not entrust your responsible positions to simpletons who are not even able to distinguish between a welcoming faction and a warring faction.” What needs to be kept in consideration is that had Wal ī d been such a simpleton, would the Prophet (sws) have entrusted him with such a political and fiscal position? Can the trait of being a simpleton suddenly emanate from a person and the people around him not know about it beforehand? Even a person like the Prophet (sws) was not able to discern it? Fourthly, it is Wal ī d who was made the governor of K ū fah by the caliph ‘Uthm ā n (rta) in his time. Was he not aware of the fact that as per a Qur’ ā nic verse, this person had been classified as a f ā siq and was not even eligible to narrate a report or to bear witness, let alone be eligible for governorship? If he was not aware, then it should be accepted that a rightly guided caliph as ‘Uthm ā n (rta) who is also known as the collector of the Qur’ ā n, God forbid, did