When Makkah was conquered, the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم initially forbade the cutting of any grass inside the Haram (حرم) boundaries. In a display of his total authority, and upon the request of ‘Abbas bin ‘Abd al-Mutallib رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا, he allowed idhkhir grass to be cut as a need arose for the Companions in relation to this. In other words, the cutting of this grass was made halal and permissible due to the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم making it so.        

The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم has said:

 اِنَّ اللہَ حَرَّمَ مَـکَّۃَ - “Allah has indeed made Makkah a sanctified, sacred place. Its grass shall not be uprooted, nor the trees here cut (as all these acts are haram and prohibited in the Haram (حرم) of Makkah).”

Upon this, ‘Abbas bin ‘Abd al-Muttalib رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ then humbly asked, اِلَّا الْاِذْخِرَ لِصَاغَتِنَا وَلِسُقُفِ بُیُوْتِنَا - “Kindly make idhkhir permissible for our goldsmiths and the roofs of our homes (as it comes in great use for us)!” In response, the final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم consented, and said, اِلَّا الْاِذْخِرَ - “You are permitted to utilise idhkhir grass.”^[1]

سُـبْحٰـنَ الـلّٰــه ! Now, think over what we have just heard! Having clearly heard from the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم himself that the grass etc. of the Haram is impermissible to cut, a renowned Companion like ‘Abbas رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ requested him to declare idhkhir grass permissible instead. He is directly asking the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم to turn something haram into halal, as they knew he was granted total authority to do so by Allah.

This also highlights the beliefs held by the honourable Companions رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُم. They did not consider the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم to be an ordinary human or a human like themselves; instead, their belief was