The Fifth Issue:
25 August 2024 • 1.06K views
Some who disagree with the depiction of substitution have cited the statement of Al-Bukhāri regarding the War of Apostasy:
«فلم يلتفت أبو بكر إلى مشورة إذ كان عنده حكم رسول الله ﷺ في الذين فرقوا بين الصلاة والزكاة وأرادوا تبديل الدين»
"Abu Bakr paid no heed to any counsel, as he had the ruling of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ regarding those who differentiated between prayer and zakat and sought to alter the religion" (Sahih Al-Bukhāri, before ḥadīth no. 7369).
However, this citation is not accurate, because Al-Bukhāri was referring to people who engaged in substitution in the sense that I have described. They claimed that abandoning zakat was part of the religion, arguing that zakat should be given only to the Prophet, citing the Āyah:
{خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً}
'Take, [O Muḥammad], from their wealth a charity.' [Tawbah :103].
وبرهان ذلك فيما قال ابن حجر رحمه الله: (فتح الباري ۲۸۸/۱۲، قبل الحديث رقم ٦٩٢٤).
This is supported by what Ibn Ḥajar, may Allāh have mercy on him, stated:
«قال القاضي عياض وغيره: كان أهل الردة ثلاثة أصناف...وصنف ثالث استمروا على الإسلام، لكنهم جحدوا الزكاة، وتأولوا بأنها خاصة بزمن النبي وهم الذين ناظر عمر أبا بكر في قتالهم، كما وقع في حديث الباب»
"Qāḍhi ’Iyāḍh and others mentioned that the apostates were of three groups...one group remained Muslim but denied the obligation of zakat, interpreting it as something specific to the time of the Prophet. These were the ones whom ’Umar debated with Abū Bakr regarding fighting them, as mentioned in the hadith of the chapter." [Fat-ḥ Al-Bāri, 12/288, before ḥadīth no. 6924].