Ribat is a part of Islamic teachings that holds diverse meanings. This diversity arises from various perspectives on ribat. In the history of Islam, the term ribat was initially used to describe a fortress of protection for Muslims against enemy attacks at the borders of the Islamic state. In ribat, Muslims not only received military training but also religious education. Therefore, at that time, ribat had two functions: as a military defense headquarters and as a place for religious learning. [1]
When viewed through the primary guidance of Muslims, the Qur'an, in Surah Al-Anfal, verse 60:
وَاَعِدُّوْا لَهُمْ مَّا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِّنْ قُوَّةٍ وَّمِنْ رِّبَاطِ الْخَيْلِ تُرْهِبُوْنَ بِه عَدُوَّ اللّٰهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ وَاٰخَرِيْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِهِمْۚ لَا تَعْلَمُوْنَهُمْۚ اَللّٰهُ يَعْلَمُهُمْۗ وَمَا تُنْفِقُوْا مِنْ شَيْءٍ فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ يُوَفَّ اِلَيْكُمْ وَاَنْتُمْ لَا تُظْلَمُوْنَ. [2]
Translation: "And prepare for them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war by which you may strike fear into the enemy of Allah, your enemy, and others besides them whom you do not know but whom Allah knows. And whatever you spend in the cause of Allah will be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged."
Imam al-Baidâwî mentions that ribâṯ in this verse is an ism with the meaning of a masdar or maf'ûl. The word ribâṯ comes from the root rābaṭa (رابط), which means "to bind" or "to tie." Additionally, the word ribâṯ can also be the plural form of rabīṭ (ربيط), following the pattern of fasīl (فصيل) and fisāl (فصال). [3] Thus, ribâṯ al-khayl in this verse can be interpreted as horses that are tied (or tethered) for war. [4]
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), in several narrations found in various hadith collections, used the term ribâṯ. Among them, in Sahîh al-Bukhârî, hadith number 2892, and Sahîh Muslim, hadith number 1913:
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُنِيرٍ سَمِعَ أَبَا النَّضْرِ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ دِينَارٍ عَنْ أَبِي حَازِمٍ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ السَّاعِدِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: رِبَاطُ يَوْمٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ مِن الدُّنْيَا وَمَا عَلَيْهَا وَمَوْضِعُ سَوْطِ أَحَدِكُمْ مِن الْجَنَّةِ خَيْرٌ مِن الدُّنْيَا وَمَا عَلَيْهَا وَالرَّوْحَةُ يَرُوحُهَا الْعَبْدُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَو الْغَدْوَةُ خَيْرٌ مِن الدُّنْيَا وَمَا عَلَيْهَا. [5]
Translation: "Abd Allah bin Munîr narrated to us, who heard from Abâ al-Nadr, who narrated from ‘Abd al-Rahman bin ‘Abd Allah bin Dînâr, from Abû Hâzim, from Sahl bin Saʻad al-Sâʻidî (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: 'Ribâṯ for one day in the way of Allah is better than the world and everything in it. The place of a whip of one of you in Paradise is better than the world and everything in it. And the early or late departure of a servant in the way of Allah is better than the world and everything in it.'"
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ بَهْرَامٍ الدَّارِمِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْوَلِيدِ الطَّيَالِسِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ يَعْنِي ابْنَ سَعْدٍ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ بْنِ مُوسَى عَنْ مَكْحُولٍ عَنْ شُرَحْبِيلَ بْنِ السِّمْطِ عَنْ سَلْمَانَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ رِبَاطُ يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ صِيَامِ شَهْرٍ وَقِيَامِهِ وَإِنْ مَاتَ جَرَى عَلَيْهِ عَمَلُهُ الَّذِي كَانَ يَعْمَلُهُ وَأُجْرِيَ عَلَيْهِ رِزْقُهُ وَأَمِنَ الْفَتَّانَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو الطَّاهِرِ أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ شُرَيْحٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ الْكَرِيمِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ بْنِ عُقْبَةَ عَنْ شُرَحْبِيلَ بْنِ السِّمْطِ عَنْ سَلْمَانَ الْخَيْرِ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِمَعْنَى حَدِيثِ اللَّيْثِ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ بْنِ مُوسَى. [6]
Translation: "ʻAbd Allâh bin ʻAbd al-Rahman bin Bahrâm al-Dârimî narrated to us, Abû al-Walîd al-Tayâlisî narrated to us, Laits, who is Ibn Saʻad, from Ayyûb bin Mûsâ from Makhûl from Syurahbîl bin al-Simti from Salmân, who said, 'I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say: "Ribâṯ for one day and one night is better than fasting for a month and standing in prayer during the night, and if he dies, his deeds that he used to do will continue to flow, his sustenance will continue, and he will be safe from the trials." Abû al-Tâhir narrated to us, and he informed us that Ibn Wahb narrated from ʻAbd Rahman bin Syuraih from ʻAbd al-Karîm bin al-Hârits from Abu ʻUbaidah bin ʻUqbah from Syurahbîl bin al-Simti from Salmân al-Khair from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, with the same meaning as the hadith of Laits from Ayyûb bin Mûsâ.'”
In terms of language, ribâṯ comes from the root word رابط – يرابط – مرابطا. Emroni [7] and Ahmad Warson Munawwir mention that الرِّبَاطُ refers to something that is tied, like a rope. [8] In the KBBI (Indonesian Dictionary), the word ribâṯ is borrowed and interpreted as a place for religious training and other duties. [9]
In the historical journey of the Islamic community, ribâṯ played a role in the emergence of the Murâbitûn dynasty in the 5th century AH. The origin of this dynasty came from the Lamtûna tribe. [10] According to Philip K. Hitti, the Murâbitûn dynasty was founded by a pious Muslim in a ribâṯ. Starting with about a thousand followers, this dynasty was able to establish itself as the ruler of the northwest of Africa and Spain. [11] Chronologically, the founding of the Murâbitûn dynasty began when the leader of the Lamtûna tribe, Yahyâ bin Ibrâhîm al-Jaddâlî, returned from his pilgrimage to Mecca. During his journey back, he met a scholar from the Mâlikî school of thought named Abû ʻImrân al-Fâsî, and upon his recommendation, Yahyâ invited a scholar named ʻAbd Allâh bin Yâsîn al-Jazûlî to stay in the Lamtûna region to teach Islam. However, ʻAbd Allâh bin Yâsîn did not receive a warm welcome upon his arrival. He had only seven or eight followers. Therefore, he took his followers to an island in Senegal, where together they established a ribâṯ. From here, the name Murâbitûn began to be used for his followers. [12] They were also often referred to as Almoravides or the Murâbit people. [13]
In the ribâṯ, when not engaged in warfare, the Murâbitûn received proper religious training, which led to their rapid growth. As their numbers increased, ʻAbd Allâh bin Yâsîn began to assign them to spread Islam beyond the ribâṯ. They were instructed to combat deviations not only committed by the general public but also by the rulers. Within ten years, the number of their followers grew, and their existence no longer remained purely a religious movement but began to transform into a political power movement. They spread both religion and power to the Sahara regions of Africa, eventually conquering Morocco and Andalusia. [14]
In Islamic jurisprudence, ribât is considered part of the jihad of a Muslim. According to Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, ribât means keeping vigil at the borders of areas that are not inhabited by Muslims, to uphold the teachings of Islam and prevent enemy attacks against Muslims. Those who perform ribât are called al-Murâbitûn. Imam Mālik stipulates that ribât should not be established in non-Muslim territories. According to him, this would constitute coercion in matters of faith. However, some scholars argue that ribât should sometimes be established outside Muslim-majority areas to repel enemy attacks.
Ribât in Islam has several virtues. Abu Hurairah mentioned that ribât for one night in the path of Allah is more beloved to him than spending Laylat al-Qadr near the Black Stone. Furthermore, according to Imam Ahmad, the status and reward of jihad and ribât are unparalleled. Ibn Taymiyyah also stated that ribât established at the borders of Muslim lands, such as in Syria and Egypt, is more virtuous than visiting the Masjid al-Haram, Masjid al-Nabawi, or Masjid al-Aqsa. [15] In Sufism, ribât is the center of activities for Sufi practitioners. According to Maqrîzî, ribât is the home of the Sufis. In ribât, Sufis gather and engage in spiritual training. Additionally, ribât also emphasizes learning. In every ribât, there is a sheikh or teacher who imparts religious knowledge. [16] Therefore, ribât is not only used as a place for spiritual training of a particular tariqah but also as a place for religious education.
This is the meaning of ribât in Islam. The word ribât is not only used with one meaning, but it has various meanings depending on the specific context. However, the spirit and goal remain the same: ribât exists to preserve a person's Islam, whether in the form of efforts to protect Islamic territories or as a place for worship and the study of Islam. In the following chapter, it will be explained how the word ribât appears in the hadiths of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). For Muslims, it is very important to understand the meaning of ribât in these hadiths.