A Horse of Red Rubies..

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

{ وَالْعَـدِيَـتِ ضَبْحاً – فَالمُورِيَـتِ قَدْحاً – فَالْمُغِيرَتِ صُبْحاً – فَأَثَرْنَ بِهِ نَقْعاً – فَوَسَطْنَ بِهِ جَمْعاً – إِنَّ الإِنسَـنَ لِرَبِّهِ لَكَنُودٌ – وَإِنَّهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ لَشَهِيدٌ – وَإِنَّهُ لِحُبِّ الْخَيْرِ لَشَدِيدٌ – أَفَلاَ يَعْلَمُ إِذَا بُعْثِرَ مَا فِى الْقُبُورِ – وَحُصِّلَ مَا فِى الصُّدُورِ – إِنَّ رَبَّهُم بِهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّخَبِيرٌ }

[سورة العاديات ]

{By the `Adiyat, snorting * Striking sparks of fire * And scouring to the raid at dawn * And raise the dust in clouds the while * And penetrating forthwith as one into the midst * Verily, man is ungrateful to his Lord * And to that He bears witness*  And verily, he is violent in the love of wealth * Knows he not that when the contents of the graves are poured forth * And that which is in the breasts shall be made known *  Verily, that Day their Lord will be Well-Acquainted with them}

[al-‘Adiyat; 100:1-11]

Narrated Anas (رضي الله عنه): The Nabbi (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, ‘There is always goodness in horses.’

[Bukhari]

Allah سبحانه وتعالى has mentioned and referred to the horse in many ayat in the Quran, as has His سبحانه وتعالى Rasul صلى الله عليه وسلم‎ , in many ahadith. In the Arabic language the horse is referred to by many different words. Among those most frequently used by Allah سبحانه وتعالى or Rasulallah صلى الله عليه وسلم‎ are:  خيل (khayl), and فرس (faras),  and among the common people حِصان (hisaan).

When queried about the origin of the word خيل (khayl), Abu Hatim, one of the classical scholars of the Arabic language, was unable to answer and according to the reports, at  that moment a madman was walking by; hearing the question he said: ‘I will tell you! The horse was called خيل (khayl) due to the pride and arrogance it displays when it walks!’ Approving the statement, Abu Hatim is reputed to have said: ‘Note down this wise reply and pass on the knowledge, even if it is on the authority of a madman!’

اختيال (ikhtiyaal) is the verbal noun derived from the verb اختال  (ikhtaala) meaning ‘to swagger, parade or strut’ and it is likely upon this that the man based his assertion regarding the etymology of the word خيل (khayl). In al-Qamus al-Muhit, a dictionary of the Arabic language, it was written by al-Fayroozabadi that the word خَيْل khayl means: pride, arrogance, and vanity.

This understanding of linking the attributes and characteristics of pride, conceitedness and arrogance to the horse is in agreement with the hadith of Rasuallah صلى الله عليه وسلم‎ , who likewise linked the two as it has been recorded in the sahihain which supports the explanation of the ‘madman’ by the statement of one who always speaks the truth صلى الله عليه وسلم‎ .

Al-Bukhari narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira (رضي الله عنه) that Rasulallah (صلى الله عليه وسلم‎) observed: ‘al-Iman is among the Yemani (the people of Yemen), and al-kufr is towards the east, and tranquility is among those who rear goats and sheep, and pride and conceitedness is among the uncivil and rude owners of horses and camels.’ and in another narration it is recorded that he صلى الله عليه وسلم‎ said: ‘Pride and arrogance are characteristics of the owners of horses and camels, and those bedouins who are busy with their camels and pay no attention to religion…’

Faras فرس (faras) is derived from the root ف ر س (faa raa seen) meaning ‘to break’ or ‘to crush’ and its application to the appellation of the horse is apparently due to descriptive attribute of the hooves of the horse which crush or break the earth as they strike them. And this is like the saying of Allah سبحانه وتعالى:

{ فَالمُورِيَـتِ قَدْحاً }

{Striking sparks of fire} ‘meaning, the striking of their hooves on the rocks, which causes sparks of fire to fly from them’ as mentioned in the Tafsir of ibn Kathir.

The horse is also called حِصان (hisaan) which stems from the root ن ص حِ (haa’ saad noon) which means ‘to preserve’ or ‘to shelter’ and also has a connotation alluding to protecting something, from which the word حِصن (hisn), which refers to a fort or citadel, is derived. Thus a horse was apparently given the name hisaan because he stores water and energy and is a means of fortification, protection, conservation and sheltering.

Linguistically and according to the grammarians of the Arabic language the word hisaan refers to the stallion while faras may refer to both the mare and the stallion as explained by the hadith of Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه which was recorded in the Sunan of Abu Daud:

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ‏ ‏صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ‏ ‏كَانَ ‏ ‏يُسَمِّي الْأُنْثَى مِنْ الْخَيْلِ فَرَسًا

‘Rasulallah (صلى الله عليه وسلم‎) used to name a horse (الْخَيْلِ) a mare (فَرَسًا).’

فروسية (furusiyya) coming from faras, is the art or practice of riding horses and specifically the art of using mounts in battle and war. The term also carries the meanings of knighthood, heroism, valor, bravery, honour and chivalry; all the qualities possessed by those mujahidin striving in the path of Allah سبحانه وتعالى .

And the horse is one of the means by which Allah سبحانه وتعالى has distinguished and honoured man and shown His سبحانه وتعالى favor for him by making these beautiful and powerful creatures subservient to him. Allah سبحانه وتعالى Himself has mentioned in a Hadith ul Qudsi recorded in the Sahih of al-Bukhari:

أَلَمْ أُزَوِّجْكَ أَلَمْ أُكْرِمْكَ أَلَمْ أُسَخِّرْ لَكَ الْخَيْلَ وَالْإِبِلَ وَأَذَرْكَ تَرْأَسُ وَتَرْبَعُ فَيَقُولُ: بَلَى، فَيَقُولُ: أَظَنَنْتَ أَنَّكَ مُلَاقِيَّ؟ فَيَقُولُ: لَا، فَيَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالَى: فَالْيَوْمَ أَنْسَاكَ كَمَا نَسِيتَنِي

‘Have I not gotten you married, have I not honoured you, have I not made horses and camels subservient for you and allowed you to become a leader and a master?’ He (Man) will say: ‘Yes.’ Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) will say: ‘Did you think that you will meet Me?’ He will say: ‘No.’ Allah تَعَالَى will say: `Then this Day, I will forget you as you have forgotten Me.’

Allah سبحانه وتعالى has made them among those things that were most beloved to His سبحانه وتعالى Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم‎ and to humanity as it was mentioned in the Tafsir of Ibn Kathir that `A’ishah, رضي الله عنه , said: ‘Nothing was more beloved to Rasulallah (صلى الله عليه وسلم‎) than women, except horses’ and in another narration, ‘Nothing was more beloved to Rasulallah (صلى الله عليه وسلم‎) than horses, except women.’

And as Allah سبحانه وتعالى has said in the fourteenth ayah of surah Al-Imran:

{ زُيّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّهَوتِ مِنَ النّسَآء وَالْبَنِينَ وَالْقَنَـطِيرِ الْمُقَنطَرَةِ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ وَالْخَيْلِ الْمُسَوَّمَةِ وَالانْعَـمِ وَالْحَرْثِ ذلِكَ مَتَـعُ الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا وَاللَّهُ عِندَهُ حُسْنُ الْمَأَبِ- قُلْ أَؤُنَبّئُكُمْ بِخَيْرٍ مّن ذلِكُمْ لِلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْاْ عِندَ رَبّهِمْ جَنَّـتٌ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا الاْنْهَارُ خَـالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَأَزْوجٌ مُّطَهَّرَةٌ وَرِضْونٌ مّنَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِالْعِبَادِ  }

[سورة آل عمران]

{Beautified for men is the love of things they covet; women, children, Qanatir al-Muqantarah of gold and silver, branded beautiful horses (Musawwamah), cattle and fertile land. This is the pleasure of the present world’s life; but Allah has the excellent return with Him}

[al-Imran 3:14]

As for the Musawwamah horses mentioned by Allah تَعَالَى in the ayah, ibn Kathir recorded in his Tafsir that Ibn `Abbas (رضي الله عنه) said that: ‘they are the branded, beautiful horses [and] this is the same explanation of Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Abdur-Rahman bin Abdullah bin Abza, as-Suddi, ar-Rabi` bin Anas and Abu Sinan and others. Makhul said the Musawwamah refers to the horse with a white spotted face and the horse with white feet.’

And it has been reported that Allah سبحانه وتعالى has bestowed upon the steeds of al-Hijaz special favor by permitting them to supplicate to Him سبحانه وتعالى every fajr as recorded by Imam Ahmad upon the authority of Abu Dharr رضي الله عنه that Rasulallah صلى الله عليه وسلم‎ said:

لَيْسَ مِنْ فَرَسٍ عَرَبِيَ إِلَّا يُؤْذَنُ لَهُ مَعَ كُلِّ فَجْرٍ يَدْعُو بِدَعْوَتَيْنِ يَقُولُ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ خَوَّلْتَنِي مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ، فَاجْعَلْنِي مِنْ أَحَبِّ مَالِهِ وَأَهْلِهِ إِلَيْهِ أَوْ أَحَبَّ أَهْلِهِ وَمَالِهِ إِلَيْه

‘Every Arabian horse is allowed to have two supplications every dawn, and the horse supplicates: “Yah Allah! You made me subservient to the son of Adam. Therefore, make me among the dearest of his wealth and household to him” or  “…make me the dearest of his household and wealth to him.”’

Allah سبحانه وتعالى has also informed us in His Book that horses are from the zinat ul dunyah and that He has made them an adornment for man and to serve as mounts, when He سبحانه وتعالى said in the eighth ayah of Al-Nahl:

{ وَالْخَيْلَ وَالْبِغَالَ وَالْحَمِيرَ لِتَرْكَبُوهَا وَزِينَةً وَيَخْلُقُ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ }

{And horses, mules and donkeys for you to ride, and as an adornment. And He creates things of which you have no knowledge}

It has been recorded in many collections from various sahabah رضي الله عنهم that there is inherent blessing and goodness in the horse until the Day of Judgment. Imam al-Bukhari recorded that `Urwah bin Abi al-Ja`d al-Bariqi رضي الله عنه said that Rasulallah صلى الله عليه وسلم‎ said:

الْخَيْلُ مَعْقُودٌ فِي نَوَاصِيهَا الْخَيْرُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ، الْأَجْرُ وَالْمَغْنَم

‘Good will remain in the forelocks of horses until the Day of Resurrection, reward, and the spoils of war.’

And this shows that there will always be in them goodness and benefit from now until the end of the world.

In the Tafsir of ibn Kathir regarding the one-hundredth and twenty-fifth ayah of Al-Imran where Allah تَعَالَى  said: {Your Lord will help you with five thousand angels having marks}, he mentions upon the authority of Abu Ishaq as-Subay`i رضي الله عنه and Harithah bin Mudarrib رضي الله عنه that `Ali bin Abi Talib رضي الله عنه said: ‘The angels were distinguished by wearing white wool at Badr. The angels also had special markings distinguishing their horses.’ This shows that the ever obedient and sinless angels make use of steeds and there are many more ahadith which mention the malaikah riding upon the backs of heavenly horses.

Regarding the akhirah it has been reported that Allah تَعَالَى  has placed the likeness of the horse in al-Jannah, placing them therein as a reward and beatification for the people of Paradise that which is akin to the horses of this life but still from that which Allah سبحانه وتعالى has said ‘an eye has never seen.’

As collected by al-Tirmidhi on the authority of Suliaman ibn Buraydah رضي الله عنه from his father that a man asked the Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم‎: ‘Yah Rasulallah (صلى الله عليه وسلم‎) will there be horses in Jannah?’ He (صلى الله عليه وسلم‎) said: ‘If Allah admits you to Jannah, you will not wish that you could be carried on a horse of red rubies which will fly wherever you want in Jannah, but that will happen.’ And another man asked him: ‘Yah Rasulallah (صلى الله عليه وسلم‎), will there be camels in Jannah?’ but he (صلى الله عليه وسلم‎) did not say something like he had said to his companion. He (صلى الله عليه وسلم‎) said: ‘If Allah admits you to Jannah, you will have therein whatever your heart desires and will delight your eyes.’

They are among the blessed and favored creations of Allah سبحانه وتعالى and are an adornment of this life and among the zinat ul dunyah and among those animals whose likeness will be recreated as the zinat ul akharah and that Allah تَعَالَى has honoured them by His سبحانه وتعالى mentioning them in His Most Noble Speech Al-Quran Kareem, and by making them of the most beloved to man of the zinat ul dunyah and that He سبحانه وتعالى has made them among the beloved of the Beloved of Allah, Rasulallah صلى الله عليه وسلم‎ all as evidenced in numerous ayat and ahadith. May Allah سبحانه وتعالى make us among those who may benefit from these blessed beasts, and may we garner the barakat that He سبحانه وتعالى has endowed them with, and make us to use them as He سبحانه وتعالى has intended and created them for, Amin.

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