By Rabi Ben
Abrahamson
There is an opinion
in Rabbinic Judaism that all mankind should remember the Sabbath, in
recognition when God created the world.
This doesn't mean they should keep it with various laws and regulations,
but that it should be marked. Rabbi Yoel
Schwatz recently told me that Muslims fulfill this when they use the word
al-Sabt for the seventh day of the week.
On that subject,
here is an interesting hadith that seems to imply that keeping the Sabbath is
sunnah for Jews.
Narrated
Safwan bin Assal: "... So they [some Jews] went to the Messenger of Allah
(ﷺ)
to question him about nine clear signs. So he said to them:
1) 'Do not associate
anything with Allah,
2) nor steal,
3) nor commit
unlawful intercourse,
4) nor take a life
which Allah has made prohibited prohibited, except for what is required (in the
law),
5) nor hasten to
damage the reputation of one of power so that he will be killed,
6) nor practice
magic,
7) nor consume Riba,
8) nor falsely
accuse the chaste woman,
9) nor turn to flee
on the day of the march,
and for you Jews
particularly, to not violate the Sabbath.'..." (Jami' al-Tirmidhi Book:
42, Hadith: 2733 )
The full hadith is:
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ،
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ إِدْرِيسَ، وَأَبُو أُسَامَةَ عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، عَنْ
عَمْرِو بْنِ مُرَّةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَلِمَةَ، عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ
عَسَّالٍ، قَالَ قَالَ يَهُودِيٌّ لِصَاحِبِهِ اذْهَبْ بِنَا إِلَى هَذَا
النَّبِيِّ . فَقَالَ صَاحِبُهُ لاَ تَقُلْ نَبِيٌّ إِنَّهُ
لَوْ سَمِعَكَ كَانَ لَهُ أَرْبَعَةُ أَعْيُنٍ . فَأَتَيَا
رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَسَأَلاَهُ عَنْ تِسْعِ آيَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ . فَقَالَ
لَهُمْ " لاَ تُشْرِكُوا بِاللَّهِ شَيْئًا وَلاَ
تَسْرِقُوا وَلاَ تَزْنُوا وَلاَ تَقْتُلُوا النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ
إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ وَلاَ تَمْشُوا بِبَرِيءٍ إِلَى ذِي سُلْطَانٍ لِيَقْتُلَهُ
وَلاَ تَسْحَرُوا وَلاَ تَأْكُلُوا الرِّبَا وَلاَ تَقْذِفُوا مُحْصَنَةً وَلاَ
تُوَلُّوا الْفِرَارَ يَوْمَ الزَّحْفِ وَعَلَيْكُمْ خَاصَّةً الْيَهُودَ أَنْ لاَ
تَعْتَدُوا فِي السَّبْتِ " . قَالَ فَقَبَّلُوا يَدَهُ
وَرِجْلَهُ فَقَالاَ نَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ نَبِيٌّ . قَالَ
" فَمَا يَمْنَعُكُمْ أَنْ تَتَّبِعُونِي " . قَالُوا
إِنَّ دَاوُدَ دَعَا رَبَّهُ أَنْ لاَ يَزَالَ فِي ذُرِّيَّتِهِ نَبِيٌّ وَإِنَّا
نَخَافُ إِنْ تَبِعْنَاكَ أَنْ تَقْتُلَنَا الْيَهُودُ . وَفِي
الْبَابِ عَنْ يَزِيدَ بْنِ الأَسْوَدِ وَابْنِ عُمَرَ وَكَعْبِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ . قَالَ
أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ .
Narrated
Safwan bin Assal: "A Jew said to his companion: 'Accompany us to this
Prophet.' So his companion said: 'Do not say: "Prophet". For if he
hears you (say that) then he will be very happy.' So they went to the Messenger
of Allah (ﷺ) to question him about nine clear signs. So he
said to them: 'Do not associate anything with Allah, nor steal, nor commit
unlawful intercourse, nor take a life which Allah has made prohibited
prohibited, except for what is required (in the law), nor hasten to damage the
reputation of one of power so that he will be killed, nor practice magic, nor
consume Riba, nor falsely accuse the chaste woman, nor turn to flee on the day
of the march, and for you Jews particularly, to not violate the Sabbath.'"
He said: "So they kissed his hands and his feet, and they said: 'We bear
witness that you are a Prophet.' So he (ﷺ) said: 'Then what prevents you from following me?'
They said: 'Because Dawud supplicated to his Lord that his offspring never be
devoid of Prophets and we feared that if we follow you then the Jews will kill
us.'"
