Al-Bushra
Definition
Al-bushra — the good tidings — refers to the divine announcement of Ishaq's birth delivered to Ibrahim and his wife Sarah by angelic visitors, at a time when she was elderly and had long abandoned hope of bearing children. Sarah's laughter — of astonishment, disbelief, or sudden joy — prompted the angels' response: 'Do you wonder at the decree of Allah? The mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, O people of the house.' Ibn Kathir uses this exchange to establish the theological foundation of the volume: when Allah decides that a thing will occur, the ordinary laws of biology, time, and probability are irrelevant obstacles. The bushra is always, in the prophetic tradition, the announcement of something that human calculation declared impossible.
As understood in the classical tradition of Ibn Kathir and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Al-Bushra.
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"Zakariya also mentioned, And my wife is barren, meaning she was unable to bear children even in her youth. As the friend of Allah, Abraham, said, Do you give me good tidings when old age has come upon me? So of what do you give me good tidings? And Sarah exclaimed, Woe to me! Shall I bear a child while I am an old woman and my husband is an old man? Indeed this is an amazing thing. The response was, Are you astonished by the decree of Allah? The mercy of Allah and his blessings be upon you, O people of the house. Indeed he is praiseworthy and exalted. Zakariya was then answered by the angel who conveyed the command of"
— Ibn Kathir, Volume 2 — From the Israelite Prophets to Pre-Islamic Arabia
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"Similarly, Abraham, peace be upon him, was astounded by this good news and reaffirmed it, rejoicing in it. He said, Have you given me good tidings, although old age has overtaken me? Then of what wonder do you inform me? They said, We have given you good tidings in truth, so do not be of the despairing. They confirmed this news explicitly with these glad tidings, and assured him, giving him good tidings of a knowledgeable boy, who was Isaac the brother of Ishmael."
— Ibn Kathir, The Story of Ibrahim
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"This can be done by avoiding the person, withdrawing from them, minimizing attention, or speaking harshly against their actions. The severity of the response should match the gravity of the sin. When it comes to actions, there are two levels of response. The first is to cut off assistance, kindness, and support, which is a lesser degree of response."
— Imam al-Ghazali, Book 15: Friendship and Brotherhood
Appears in
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