179 72 Imâm An

Imâm an-Nawawî's 40
Hadîth Explanation
Ibn Daqîq al-'îd's explanation of the famous
40 hadith collected by Imâm an-Nawawî.
http://islaam.net/main/display.php?
category=24
Introduction to the Collection of Forty Hadeeth
by Imâm an-Nawawî (d. 676 AH / 1299 CE)
All Praise is due to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds, the

[One Who] Sustains the Heavens and Earths, Director
of all that is created, who sent the Messengers (may the
peace and blessings of Allaah be upon all of them) to
rational beings, to guide them and explain the religious
laws to them with clear proofs and undeniable
arguments. I praise Him for all of His bounties. I ask
Him to increase His grace and generosity. I bear
witness that there is none worthy of worship except
Allaah alone, who has no partner, the One, Who
Subdues, the Generous, the Forgiving. I bear witness
that our leader Muhammad is His servant and
Messenger, His beloved and dear one, the best of all
creation. He was honoured with the Glorious Qur'aan
that has been an enduring miracle throughout the years.
He was also sent with his guiding Sunnah that shows
the way for those who seek guidance. Our leader
Muhammad has been particularized with the
characteristic of eloquent and pithy speech, and
simplicity and ease in the religion. May the peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him, the other Prophets
and Messengers, all of their families and the rest of the
righteous.
To proceed :
We have narrated, through many chains (isnaad, pl.

asaaneed) and various narrations, from Ali ibn Abee
Taalib, Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood, Mu'aadh ibn Jabal,
Abu ad-Dardaa, [Abdullaah] ibn 'Umar, [Abdullaah]
ibn 'Abbaas, Anas ibn Maalik, Abu Hurairah and Abu
Sa'eed al-Khudree - May Allaah be pleased with all of
them - that the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi
wa sallam) said : "Whoever preserves for my Ummah
forty hadeeth related to the religion, Allaah will then
resurrect him in the company of the pious and the
scholars." Another narration states : "Allaah will raise
him as an erudite and learned scholar". In the narration
from Abu ad-Dardaa, it is stated : "On the Day of
Resurrection, I will be an intercessor and witness for
him". In the narration from Ibn Mas'ood it is stated that
the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said : "It
will be said to him 'Enter Paradise through any door
you wish'". In the narration from ibn 'Umar, one finds
the words : "He will be recorded among the company
of the scholars and will be resurrected in the company
of the martyrs". [However] The scholars of hadeeth
agree that, although this hadeeth has numerous
chains, it is weak [ie. da'eef, and hence cannot be
used as a sharee'ah proof].
The scholars (may Allaah be pleased with them) have

compiled innumerable works of this nature [ie.
collections of forty hadeeth]. The first one that I know
of who compiled such a work was Abdullaah ibn al-
Mubaarak [a taabi'ee, rahimahu Allaah]. After him
came ibn Aslam at-Toosee, a pious scholar. Then came
al-Hasan ibn Sufyaan an-Nasaa'ee, Abu Bakr al-
Aajurree, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem al-
Asfahaanee, ad-Daaraqutnee, al-Haakim, Abu Nu'aim,
Abu Abd-ir-Rahmaan as-Sulamee, Abu Sa'eed al-
Maleenee, Abu 'Uthmaan as-Saaboonee, Abdullaah ibn
Muhammad al-Ansaaree, Abu Bakr al-Baihaqee and
countless others both from the earlier and later times.
I have turned to Allaah for guidance and prayed to Him

while compiling these forty hadeeth, following the
example of those Imaams and guardians of Islaam. The
scholars have agreed that it is permissible to act in
accordance with weak hadeeth that deal with the
virtues of good deeds [ie not weak hadeeth that deal
with rulings - ahkaam - or acts of worship].
Nonetheless, given that fact, I have not simply relied
upon that [weak] hadeeth [mentioned above], in
compiling this work. Instead, I am following the
statement of the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
found in an authentic hadeeth : "Let him who was
present among you inform those who are absent". The
Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) also said : "May
Allaah make radiant the man who has heard what I
said, preserved it in his memory and conveyed it in the
way that he heard it".
[Note : What an-Nawawi is saying here is that many of

the scholars before him have made collections of forty
hadeeth, and hence he is following their good example
and not simply following the weak hadeeth quoted
above, thus showing that he considers it improper to
base ones actions upon weak hadeeth alone.]
Scholars have compiled forty hadeeth on faith and

belief (usool), on practical matters (furoo'), on jihaad,
on austerity (zuhd), on etiquette (adaab), and even on
sermons (khutbahs). All of these [collections] were
concerning righteous aims. May Allaah be pleased with
those who sought them. However I have found it best
to collect together forty hadeeth which are more
important than all of those. These forty hadeeth
incorporate all of those separate topics. In fact, each
hadeeth is by itself a great general precept from the
foundations of the Religion. Some scholars state that
all of Islaam revolves around these hadeeth. Some have
said, about a particular hadeeth, that they are one-half
of Islaam, one-third of Islaam and so forth.
I have committed myself to including only authentic

hadeeth (saheeh or hasan) in these forty hadeeth. The
majority of them are from Saheeh al-Bukhaaree or
Saheeh Muslim. I have mentioned them without their
chain of narrators in order for it to be easier to
memorize them and thus more [people] will be able to
benefit from them, Allaah willing. After the hadeeth, I
included a section on the meanings of the obscure
expressions found in the hadeeth.
Everyone who desires and looks forward to the

Hereafter must be familiar with these hadeeth
because they cover the most important aspects of
the religion and offer direction to all forms of
obedience of Allaah. This is clear to anyone who
ponders these hadeeth.
I rely only upon Allaah and I entrust my affair only to

Him. To Him is all Praise and Grace, from Him is
Guidance and protection from error.
Hadeeth 1: Actions are but by Intentions

‫عن أمـيـر المؤمنـين أبي حـفص عمر بن الخطاب‬
‫ سمعت رسول الله صلى الله‬: ‫ قال‬، ‫رضي الله عنه‬
:‫عـليه وسلم يـقـول‬
‫( إنـما األعـمـال بالنيات وإنـمـا لكـل امـرئ ما نـوى‬

‫ فمن كـانت هجرته إلى الله ورسولـه فهجرتـه إلى‬.
‫الله ورسـوله ومن كانت هجرته لـدنيا يصـيبها أو‬
.) ‫امرأة ينكحها فهجرته إلى ما هاجر إليه‬
‫رواه إمام المحد ثين أبـو عـبـد الله محمد بن‬

‫إسماعـيل بن ابراهـيـم بن المغـيره بن بـرد زبه‬
‫] وابـو الحسـيـن مسلم‬1:‫[رقم‬،‫البخاري الجعـفي‬
‫بن الحجاج بن مـسلم القـشـيري الـنيسـابـوري‬
‫] رضي الله عنهما في صحيحيهما اللذين‬1907: ‫[رقم‬
.‫هما أصح الكتب المصنفه‬
On the authority of Ameer ul-Mu'mineen (the

Commander of the Faithful), Aboo Hafs Ùmar ibn al-
Khattaab radiAllaahu anhu, who said: I heard the
Messenger of Allaah sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam say:
"Actions are but by intentions and every man

shall have only that which he intended. Thus he
whose migration (Hijrah to Madeenah from
Makkah) was for Allaah and His Messenger, his
migration was for Allaah and His Messenger, and
he whose migration was to achieve some worldly
benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his
migration was for that for which he migrated."
It is related by the two Imaams of the scholars of

Hadeeth, Aboo Àbdillaah Muhammad ibn Ismaaèel
ibn Ibraheem ibn al-Mugheera ibn Bardizbah al-
Bukhaaree and Aboo-l-Husain Muslim ibn al-Hajjaaj
ibn Muslim al-Qushairee an-Naisaabooree, in their two
Saheehs, which are the soundest of compiled books
[i.e. the most truthful books after the Book of Allaah,
since the Qur'aan is not 'compiled'].
Explanation of Hadeeth 1
This is a saheeh hadeeth that has been agreed upon by
the scholars, and is collected in both the collections of
al-Bukhaaree (Hadeeth No. 1) and Muslim (Hadeeth
No. 1907). This hadeeth is great in its benefit and
importance, and it has been said that the religion of al-
Islaam revolves around it. Some of the scholars have
said that it is 1/3rd of Knowledge, because the actions
of man involve his heart, his tongue and his limbs, and
hence the intention in the heart is 1/3rd of that. Other
scholars have said that the whole religion is
encompassed in three hadeeth - this one, the hadeeth
"The Halaal is clear, the Haraam is clear and between
them are doubtful matters...", and the hadeeth
"Whoever innovates in this religion that which is not
from it will have his actions rejected [by Allaah]".
[Note: These other hadeeth will be covered later in
shaa' Allaah]
Some of the scholars have said that this hadeeth should

be mentioned at the beginning of every book, in order
to establish that the seeking of knowledge is for the
sake of Allaah alone, and not for anyone else.
In the hadeeth, when the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi

wa sallam) says "actions are but by intention" then the
'by' here means that the acceptance and correctness of
any action depends upon the intention behind it. An
action which is apparently good, such as giving money
in charity, will be rejected if the intention behind it is
wrong, for example: to show off. Indeed, the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) has narrated from
Allaah that if a person performs an act for Allaah's sake
and also for the sake of someone else, then Allaah will
reject the deed entirely and leave the whole of it for the
partner that the person made. This shows us how grave
the sin of shirk is - it is the only sin that Allaah will
never forgive.
In the hadeeth, the words "shall have" means that the

person will be rewarded for only that which he
intended. So, as mentioned in the hadeeth, if a person
performed the Hijrah, but did it with the wrong
intention then he would not be rewarded for that action
of Hijrah.
The word "actions" refers to those actions which are

part of the Sharee'ah of Islaam. Thus, any action of the
Sharee'ah - such as making wudoo', or ghusl, or
making tayammum, or the prayer, or zakaat, or fasting,
or the Hajj, or i'tikaaf in the masjid, or any other act of
worship - will not be accepted and rewarded unless it is
performed with the correct intention.
Summary
‫‪Everything we do has to be intended to be for Allaah,‬‬
‫‪i.e., for anything we do we want to make sure that it‬‬
‫‪will be acceptable to Him and will not in any way‬‬
‫‪interfere with the upholding of His Deen. A good‬‬
‫‪action with the wrong intention will not get us any‬‬
‫‪reward in the Hereafter.‬‬
‫‪Hadeeth 2: An Explanation of‬‬

‫‪Islaam, Eemaan and Ihsaan‬‬
‫)‪by Imâm an-Nawawî (d. 676 AH / 1299 CE‬‬
‫عن عمر رضي الله عنه أيضا ‪ ،‬قال ‪ :‬بينما نحن‬

‫جلوس عـند رسـول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ذات‬
‫يوم اذ طلع علينا رجل شديد بياض الثياب ‪ ،‬شديد‬
‫سواد الشعر ال يرى عليه أثـر السفر وال يعـرفه منا‬
‫احـد‪ .‬حتى جـلـس إلى النبي صلي الله عليه وسلم‬
‫فـأسند ركبـتيه إلى ركبتـيه ووضع كفيه على فخذيه‪،‬‬
‫وقـال‪ " :‬يا محمد أخبرني عن اإلسالم "‪.‬‬
‫فقـال رسـول الله صـلى الله عـليه وسـلـم ‪:‬‬
‫( اإلسـالم أن تـشـهـد أن ال إلـه إال الله وأن محـمـد‬
‫رسـول الله وتـقـيـم الصالة وتـؤتي الـزكاة وتـصوم‬
‫رمضان وتـحـج البيت إن اسـتـطـعت اليه سبيال)‪.‬‬
‫قال ‪ :‬صدقت‪.‬‬
‫ويصدقه؟‬
‫‌‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‬ ‫فعجبنا له ‪ ،‬يسأله‬
‫قال ‪ :‬فأخبرني عن اإليمان ‪.‬‬
‫قال ‪ :‬أن تؤمن بالله ومالئكته وكتبه ورسله واليوم‬
‫االخر وتؤمن بالقدر خيره وشره ‪.‬‬
‫قال ‪ :‬صدقت ‪.‬‬
‫قال ‪ :‬فأخبرني عن اإلحسان ‪.‬‬
‫قال ‪ :‬ان تعبد الله كأنك تراه ‪ ،‬فإن لم تكن تراه فإنه‬
‫يراك ‪.‬‬
‫قال ‪ :‬فأخبرني عن الساعة ‪.‬‬
‫قال ‪" :‬ما المسؤول عنها بأعلم من السائل "‬
‫قال ‪ :‬فأخبرني عن أماراتها ‪.‬‬
‫قال ‪ " :‬أن تلد األم ربتها ‪ ،‬وان ترى الحفاة العراة‬
‫العالة رعاء الشاء يتطاولون في البنيان"‬
‫ثم انطلق ‪ ،‬فلبثت مليا ‪،‬ثم قال ‪ ":‬يا عمر أتدري من‬
‫السائل ؟"‬
‫قلت ‪" :‬الله ورسوله أعلم "‪.‬‬
‫قال ‪ :‬فإنه جبريل ‪ ،‬اتاكم يعلمكم دينكم "رواه‬
‫مسلم [ رقم ‪] 8 :‬‬
‫‪Also on the authority of Ùmar (radi Allaahu 'anhu),‬‬

who said:
One day while we were sitting with the

Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) there appeared before us a man whose
clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair
was exceedingly black; no signs of journey were
to be seen on him and none of us knew him. He
walked up and sat down in front of the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam), with his knees
touching against the Prophet's (sallAllaahu alayhi
wa sallam) and placing the palms of his hands on
his thighs he said: “O Muhammad, tell me about
Islaam.”
The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) said: “Islaam is to testify that there is no
deity worthy of worship but Allaah and
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, to
perform prayers, to give zakaah, to fast in
Ramadaan, and to make the pilgrimage to the
House if you are able to do so.”
He said: “You have spoken rightly”; and we were
amazed at him asking him and saying that he had
spoken rightly.
He (the man) said: “Tell me about Eemaan.”
He (the Prophet, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
said: “It is to believe in Allaah, His Angels, His
Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, and to
believe in divine destiny (qadr), both the good
and the evil of it.”
He said: “You have spoken rightly.”
He (the man) said: “Then tell me about Ihsaan.”
He (the Prophet, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
said: “It is to worship Allaah as though you see
Him, and if you do not see Him, then (knowing
that) truly He sees you.”
He said: “Then tell me about the Hour.”
He said: “The one questioned about it knows no
better than the questioner.”
He said: “Then tell me about its signs.”
He said: “That the slave-girl will give birth to her
mistress, and that you will see barefooted, naked
destitute shepherds competing in constructing
lofty buildings.”
Then he (the man) left, and I stayed for a time.
The he (the Prophet, sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) said: “O Ùmar, do you know who the
questioner was?”
I said: “Allaah and His Messenger know best.”
He said: “It was Jibreel, who came to teach you
your religion.”
It was related by Muslim.
This is no doubt a great hadeeth, in that it includes
within it all the outwardly apparent and inwardly
actions, and all the Sciences of the Sharee'ah return
back towards it due to its encompassing all the
Knowledge of the Sunnah. Hence some of the scholars
have termed this hadeeth the Mother/Core of the
Sunnah (Umm as-Sunnah), just as soorah al-Faatihah
has been termed the Mother/Core of the Qur'aan (Umm
al-Qur'aan), due to its succintly containing all of the
Message of the Qur'aan.
And in this hadeeth (from the mention of the white

dress and black hair) is evidence for the beautification
of ones appearance when entering upon the scholars,
the pious and the kings, as Jibreel (alayhi as-salaam)
came to teach the people by his appearance, his
statements and his actions.
The fact that the 'man' had no sign of travel upon him,
and yet no one had ever seen him before surprised the
Sahaabah, as if he did not live amongst them then how
did he just appear from 'nowhere'. In this way, Jibreel
(alayhi as-salaam) was able to attract their attention to
what he was to say next. His statement 'O Muhammad'
rather than the respectful 'O Messenger of Allaah' that
was obligatory upon the Sahaabah, also helped to attain
the full attention of the Sahaabah.
His questions regarding Islaam, Eemaan and Ihsaan

show us that these are three distinct levels, with the
level of Ihsaan being the highest. It is important to note
here that these terms when used together indicate
specific meanings, whereas when used on their own
they may encompass the meanings of the other terms.
What this means will be explained in more detail below
in shaa' Allaah.
The term 'Islaam' in its specific meaning refers to the

outwardly apparent actions - such as the Shahaadah,
the Prayer, paying the Zakaat etc. If a person has the
basic amount of eemaan required of him and then
performs these major outward actions then he is at the
level of 'Islaam'.
The term 'Eemaan' in its specific meaning refers to the
inward beliefs of the heart, and for a person to enter the
fold of Islaam he must adhere to the basic beliefs
mentioned in this hadeeth. However, in a more general
sense the word Eemaan denotes the beliefs and actions
in the heart (eg aqeedah and fear of Allaah), the
statements of the tongue (e.g. dhikr of Allaah) and
actions of the limbs (e.g. fighting jihaad in Allaah's
cause). If a person achieves the basic outward actions
of Islaam, and then increases upon that in terms of his
belief and his other actions, then he rises to the level of
Eemaan.
Having eemaan in Allaah means the attestation that

Allaah - Glory be to Him - exists, and is described with
the Lofty and Perfect Attributes, and is free from all
deficient characteristics. And it includes the belief that
He is One, The Truth, The Independent, and He is the
Only Creator of all that exists, and He changes the
creation as He wishes and He acts within His Kingdom
whatever He wishes.
And eemaan in the Angels means attesting that they are

His honoured slaves, and that they do not act except
according to Allaah's command.
And eemaan in the Messengers involves attesting that

they are Truthful in all that they have conveyed about
Allaah, and that they were aided by Allaah in the
miracles that they performed to prove their
truthfulness, and that they conveyed and explained the
Message of what Allaah has ordered us with. Also, we
must respect and honour them all, and we must not
differentiate between them.
And eemaan in the Last Day involves the attestation

that we shall be brought back to life again after our
death, and shall be collected together on the Day of
Judgement, and on that Day will be the Accounting of
our deeds, and the weighing in the Meezaan (Scales),
and the crossing of the Siraat (Bridge), and finally the
entry to either Paradise or Hellfire. And the belief that
Paradise is the place for rewarding the doers of good,
while Hellfire is the place for retribution for the doers
of evil.
And eemaan in Qadr (Divine Preordainment) includes

the belief that Allaah knows all that has happened and
all that will happen, and that He has written this down
in the Protected Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfooz) which is
with Him, and that nothing can happen except by
Allaah's Will and Permission.
And the way of the Salaf and the Imaams of the later
times has been that whomsoever attests to and believes
in these matters with a firm conviction having no doubt
in them, then he will be counted amongst true
Believers, whether he arrived at these beliefs through
detailed study of the intellectual proofs or not.
The term 'Ihsaan' refers to the third and highest level,

and is attained as mentioned in the hadeeth when the
person worships Allaah as though he sees Him, and if
he does not see Allaah, then he worships Him knowing
that Allaah sees him. The scholars have mentioned that
the higher level of worshipping Allaah as though one
sees him is the level of mushaahadah. This implies that
the person worships Allaah seeing the effect of Allaah's
Names and Attributes in all the things around him. For
example, when he sees mercy shown by an animal to
its young he sees this as the effect of the Mercy of
Allaah upon His Creation, and so on and so forth. Thus
whatever the slave sees around him he is reminded of
the Perfect Attributes of Allaah 'azza wa jall. It does
not mean that the slave sees Allaah with his eyes, as
this ru'yaa (Seeing) is only for the Believers on the Day
of Resurrection. The second and lower level of Ihsaan
is where the slave is constantly aware of Allaah
watching him at all times.
The statement of the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa

sallam) that "the one questioned knows no better than
the questioner" shows that even the Prophet
sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam had no knowledge of
when the Last Hour shall be. This knowledge is with
Allaah, and Allaah alone. Regarding the Signs of the
Day of Judgement, then two are mentioned in this
hadeeth.
The first states that a slave-girl shall give birth to her

master. Some of the scholars have suggested that this
could mean that the people will degenerate to the
extent that they will sell their women slaves, from
whom they have already had children. These children
may then unwittingly buy their mothers as slaves, and
thus become their masters. Others have suggested that
it means that children will become so bad mannered
and insolent towards their parents that they treat their
parents as though they were their slaves - and this is
what we see in todays society.
The second sign is that the poor, destitute shepherds

will compete with one another in building tall
buildings. We only have to look to the Arabian
Peninsula to see how people who were desert bedouins
only a few decades ago are now literally competing
with one another in constructing lofty sky scrapers.
And there are some ahaadeeth from the Messenger
sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam indicating that
constructing tall buildings is hated, if there is no
genuine need for doing so.
So this hadeeth contains an explanation of Islaam,

Eemaan and Ihsaan. It has been narrated from the
scholars of the past, such as Imaam Aboo al-Husain ibn
Bataal al-Maalikee that Ahl-us-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa'ah
are united upon understanding Eemaan to consist of
Beliefs, Speech and Action, and that Eemaan increases
with the obedience of Allaah and decreases with His
disobedience. This is contrary to the statement of some
of the deviant sects that Eemaan is fixed or constant,
and a person either has it or does not. So different
people have different levels of Eemaan, and we are not
all equal in this respect. Rather, we know from the
statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam
that the Eemaan of Abu Bakr radiAllaahu anhu was
greater than the eemaan of the rest of the people
combined (excluding Allaah's Messenger, of course).
And we also learn from this hadeeth that the person

who attests to the shahaadataan and displays the major
outward aspects of Islaam is considered a Muslim,
while the one who goes further than that and increases
in actions and beliefs is called a Mu'min. Thus the
Mu'min is at a higher station than the Muslim. And the
one who achieves the level of Ihsaan is the best of the
three and is called a Muhsin - may Allaah 'azza wa jall
make us of them.
Summary
 That the Angel Jibreel himself came to
teach the fundamentals of the Faith
to the Companions by asking
questions to the Messenger
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam).
 That one can teach others by asking
about that which he already knows.
 That if someone wants to know about
Islaam generally, then he should be
made aware of the pillars which
constitute it.
 That Islaam is built on the five pillars
which have to be acted upon with
eemaan and ihsaan. Denying any one
of these pillars and not wishing to
fulfill any one of them makes one a
non-Muslim.
 That belief in what Allaah has
destined for us, whether it is
perceived to be good, or bad, is part
of eemaan, and without believing in
it, our eemaan is incomplete and
defective.
 That one must accept the Messengers
sent by Allaah.
 That one must develop ihsaan in all
that he does so that he is as much
aware as he can be that Allaah is
indeed watching every move that he
makes.
 That as part of the Islaamic manner
the teacher should be ready to accept
and say that he does not know the
answer or that he does not know it
better than the enquirer.
 That the signs of the Last Hour are
real and cocern how we live and
behave.
 That although the Companions were
the best of the people and were the
most knowledgeable, they did not
interrupt with their own answers, nor
did they show impatience at the
questioner. Therefore as part of the
Islaamic manners, if someone asks a
question to the teacher in a group,
then the others in the group should
keep quiet until one of them is asked
for help.
 It is not permissible to say that there
is a certain length of time left before
the end of the world, for none knows
but Allaah, not even the Messenger
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam).
Hadeeth 4: Deeds are by their
Final Actions
‫عن أبي عبد الرحمن عبد الله بن مسعـود رضي‬

‫ حدثنا رسول الله صلي الله عليه‬: ‫ قال‬، ‫الله عنه‬
‫( إن أحـدكم‬: - ‫وسلم – وهو الصادق المصدوق‬
‫ ثم‬، ‫يجمع خلقه في بطن أمه أربعين يوما نطفه‬
، ‫ ثم يكون مـضغـة مثل ذلك‬، ‫يكون علقة مثل ذلك‬
‫ ويـؤمر‬، ‫ فينفخ فيه الروح‬، ‫ثم يرسل إليه الملك‬
‫ وشقي‬، ‫ وعمله‬، ‫ واجله‬، ‫ بكتب رزقه‬: ‫بأربع كلمات‬
‫أم سعيد ؛ فوالله الـذي ال إلــه غـيره إن أحــدكم‬
‫ليعـمل بعمل أهل الجنه حتى ما يكون بينه وبينها إال‬
‫ذراع فيسبق عليه الكتاب فيعـمل بعـمل أهــل النار‬
‫ وإن أحدكم ليعمل بعمل أهل النار حتي‬. ‫فـيـدخـلها‬
‫ما يكون بينه وبينها إال ذراع فــيسـبـق عليه الكتاب‬
‫فيعمل بعمل أهل الجنة فيدخلها ) رواه البخاري‬
] 2643 : ‫ ] ومسلم [ رقم‬3208 : ‫[ رقم‬
On the authority of Aboo Àbd ir-Rahmaan Àbdullaah

ibn Masòod (radiAllaahu anhu), who said: The
Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
and he is the Truthful, the Believed, narrated to us:
Verily the creation of each one of you is brought

together in his mother's womb for forty days in
the form of a nutfah (a drop), then he becomes an
'alaqah (clot of blood) for a like period, then a
mudghah (morsel of flesh) for a like period, then
there is sent to him the angel who blows his soul
into him and who is commanded with four
matters: to write down his rizq (sustenance), his
life span, his actions, and whether he will be
happy or unhappy (i.e. whether or not he will
enter Paradise).
By the One, other than Whom there is no deity,

verily one of you performs the actions of the
people of Paradise until there is but an arms
length between him and it, and that which has
been written overtakes him, and so he acts with
the actions of the people of the Hellfire and thus
enters it; and verily one of you performs the
actions of the people of the Hellfire, until there is
but an arms length between him and it, and that
which has been written overtakes him and so he
acts with the actions of the people of Paradise and
thus he enters it. [Narrated by al-Bukhaari and
Muslim.]
The statement of ibn Mas'ood that the Prophet
sallAllaahu alayhi wa salaam was "the Truthful, the
Believed" means that he was Truthful in his speech and
that he was Believed in whatever he came with of the
the Wahee (inspiration).
Regarding the statement that "the creation of each one

of you is brought together in his mother's womb for
forty days ..." then some of the scholars have
commented that this means that the sperm and egg are
initially separate within the mother's womb, and it is
Allaah who brings them together (to form the zygote)
and they remain in this 'basic' state for a period of forty
days. [Please note that this comment was made before
the 8th Century Hijree, showing the knowledge of the
'Ulemaa at that time - and further evidence of the
Truthfulness of what the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi
wa salaam came with]
The further description of the embryo in the various

stages of 'alaqah and mudghah are also incredibly
accurate - and in our times Dr Keith Moore has
described this in detail in his books on Human
Development.
The angel that is sent to the embryo is the angel who is

deputised with the Responsibility of the Womb.
Regarding the statement "verily one of you performs

the actions of the people of Paradise ..." then we
understand that this means that a person may perform
good actions correctly until he is an arms length away
from Paradise, but then what has been previously
written about him (i.e. his Qadar) will override that and
he will perform evil deeds and thus enter the Hellfire.
And this is in conformance to the hadeeth that "Deeds
are by their final actions".
And it is understood and seen that the changing of a

person from good to evil is rare and is not the norm,
whereas the changing of a person from evil to good is
far more common - and this is from the Kindness and
Mercy of Allaah subhaanahu, the One whose Mercy
knows no bounds, and we thank and praise Him for
that. And we know from the Messenger sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam that Allaah has said: "Verily My
Mercy precedes My Anger" and in another narration
"Verily My Mercy overcomes my Anger".
And in this hadeeth is the establishment of the Belief in

Qadar, and this is the belief of Ahl-us-Sunnah wa al-
Jamaa'ah. We believe that all occurrences are by the
Pre-ordainment of Allaah (i.e. everything that occurs
has already been decreed by Allaah) and everything
that happens is only by His Will - both the good of it
and the evil of it. Allaah 'azza wa jall has said
concerning Himself in His Noble Book:
"He is not asked about His

Actions, but they (the
creation) are asked" [Soorah
al-Anbiyaa', aayah 23]
Allaah Acts as He Wishes in His Kingdom, and no one

else may act except by His Will.
Imaam as-Sam'aanee said:
The path to understanding this subject [of Qadaa'

and Qadar] is through the guidance of the Qur'aan
and Sunnah, and not through analogy and bare
intellect. So whoever turns away from the
guidance of these two [the Qur'aan and Sunnah]
then he is misguided and astray in a sphere of
confusion, and he does not achieve the
purification of the soul, nor does he attain that
which contents the heart. [This is] because al-
Qadar is something Hidden from amongst the
Hidden Secrets of Allaah ta'aalaa, which He has
kept for Himself only, and has veiled from the
minds and understanding of the creation. And
Allaah ta'aalaa has veiled the knowledge of al-
Qadar from all of creation, so that not even the
angels or the Messengers comprehend it. And it
has been said that the secrets of al-Qadar will be
revealed to them when they enter Paradise, but
not before that.
And in other ahaadeeth it is established that a person
should not leave performing good actions, depending
upon what has already been written for him in his
Qadar, but rather he should act according to whatever
has been prescribed for him in the Sharee'ah. For
whoever is of the People of Bliss then Allaah will
make easy for him the actions of the People of Bliss,
whereas whoever is of the People of Sadness then
Allaah will make easy for him the actions of the People
of Sadness, as is mentioned in the hadeeth. And also
there is the saying of Allaah 'azza wa jall in His Noble
Book:
"And We shall make easy for

him [the righteous one] the
path of Good ... And We shall
make easy for him [the
wicked one] the path of Evil"
[Soorah al-Lail].
Some of the Scholars have said : It is obligatory to

have eemaan [faith] in the Book of Allaah, and the
Lawh (Protected Tablet) and His Pen [which was
ordered to write down everything in the Lawh], but as
for the precise nature of these and their modality or
'howness' (kayfiyyah) then this knowledge is with
Allaah alone, and no one attains any of His knowledge
except what He wishes, and Allaah knows best.
Summary
 That the angel of life blows the soul
into the foetus after it is 120 days old,
so without doubt, terminating the life
of a foetus when it is over 4 months
old is definitely murder.
 That each child which is born has its
sustenance, how long it will live, what
it will do and how it will fare, recorded
before birth since Allaah knows the
past and the future and allows the
child to be what it will be.
 That since life, sustenance, ability and
existence is in the Hands of Allaah
and taken care of by Him, one who
knows this will not become deceitful
or desperate about these things, but
worship Allaah constantly and
patiently.
 That the results are in the Hands of
Allaah and one must do what one
knows is best according to His Deen.
 That one never knows how a person
will change, either for the good or the
bad, so one should not give up trying.
 It is permissible to say "By Allaah" to
emphasise something.
 One should seek refuge with Allaah
from lapsing into evil.
Hadeeth 5: Rejection of Evil Deeds

and Innovations
‫عن ام المؤمنين أم عبد الله عـائـشة رضي الله‬

‫ قال رسول الله صلي الله صلى الله‬: ‫ قالت‬، ‫عنها‬
‫عليه وسلم (من أحدث في أمرنا هـذا مـا لـيـس‬
، ] 2697 : ‫ رواه الـبـخـاري [ رقم‬.) ‫مـنه فهـو رد‬
.] 1718: ‫ومسلم [ رقم‬
‫ ( مـن عـمـل عـمـال لـيـس‬: ‫وفي رواية لمسلم‬
) ‫عـلـيه أمـرنا فهـو رد‬
On the authority of the Mother of the Faithful, Umm

Àbdillaah Àaishah (radi Allaahu 'anhaa) , who said:
The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaau alayhi wa sallam)
said:
“He who innovates something in this matter of

ours [i.e. Islaam] that is not of it will have it
rejected [by Allaah]”. [Related by al-Bukhaari
and Muslim]
In one version by Muslim it reads: He who does an act

which we have not commanded, will have it rejected
[by Allaah].
Explanation of Hadeeth Number 5

This hadeeth is a Great Principle from
amongst the Principles of the Religion, and
it is an example of the Perfect and Concise
Speech of the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi
wa salaam, as in it is found a clear rejection
of every innovation (bid'ah) and every
innovator. And this hadeeth is also used as
a proof of the invalidity of every contract
prohibited by the Sharee'ah, and also by
some of the scholars of Usool ul-Fiqh when
they say that a prohibition implies the
invalidity of that action.
And in the second narration which states that "He who

does an act which we have not commanded, will have
it rejected" there is a clear and unequivocal command
to leave all things which are newly introduced into the
religion, whether the person invents that action himself
or whether he follows someone else who has preceeded
him. For verily some of the obstinate innovators give
as a proof for their innovation the fact that they
themselves have not introduced the innovation, but
rather they are following the action of someone else -
and they use the first hadeeth above to show that they
are then not blameworthy.
And this hadeeth should be acted upon meticulously in

all our affairs, and it should be preserved and spread
amongst the people and used as an evidence to show
the invalidity of all innovations and evil actions, for
verily it includes in its meaning all of that.
However, as for the Furoo' (branches) of knowledge

which are established from the Usool (basic principles)
and which do not depart from the Sunnah, then these
are not referred to by this hadeeth. For example, the
writing down of the Qur'aan as a Mus-haf by 'Uthmaan
(radiAllaauh 'anhu), or the establishment of the various
madhhabs in Fiqh (Schools of Jurisprudence), which
are from the understanding of the Mujtahid scholars of
Fiqh, those who built the matters of Furoo' upon the
Usool (which are the statements of the Prophet
sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam). And also, from amongst
the matters not included in this hadeeth is the writing
of books on subjects such as Grammar, or Arithmetic,
or the Laws of Inheritance, and other than that from the
sciences that are built upon the statements and
commands of the Messenger of Allaah sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam.
Summary
 That anything new introduced in the
matter of worship, which has not
already been given sanction from the
Qur'aan and the Sunnah will not be
accepted by Allaah.
 That anything new incorporated into
the Deen must be thrown away and
rejected by the Muslims.
Hadeeth 6: The Halaal is Clear

and the Haraam is Clear
‫عن أبي عبد الله النعـمان بن بشير رضي الله‬

‫ سمعـت رسـول الله صلي الله‬: ‫ قـال‬، ‫عـنهما‬
‫ وإن الحـرام‬، ‫ ( إن الحالل بين‬:‫عـليه وسلم يقول‬
‫ وبينهما أمـور مشتبهات ال يعـلمهن كثير من‬، ‫بين‬
‫ فمن اتقى الشبهات فـقـد استبرأ لديـنه‬، ‫الناس‬
، ‫ ومن وقع في الشبهات وقـع في الحرام‬، ‫وعـرضه‬
‫أال‬،‫كـالراعي يـرعى حول الحمى يوشك أن يرتع فيه‬
‫ أال‬، ‫ أال وإن حمى الله محارمه‬، ‫وإن لكل ملك حمى‬
‫وإن في الجـسد مضغة إذا صلحـت صلح الجسد كله‬
‫ أال وهي‬، ‫ وإذا فـسـدت فـسـد الجسـد كـلـه‬،
: ‫ ] ومسلم [ رقم‬52 : ‫الـقـلب) رواه البخاري [ رقم‬
] 1599
On the authority of Aboo Àbdillaah an-Nu`maan the

son of Basheer (radiAllaahu 'anhumaa), who said: I
heard the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) say:
That which is lawful is clear and that which is

unlawful is clear, and between the two of them
are doubtful matters about which many people do
not know. Thus he who avoids doubtful matters
clears himself in regard to his religion and his
honour, but he who falls into doubtful matters
[eventually] falls into that which is unlawful, like
the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all
but grazing therein. Truly every king has a
sanctuary, and truly Allaah's sanctuary is His
prohibitions. Truly in the body there is a morsel
of flesh, which, if it be whole, all the body is
whole, and which, if it is diseased, all of [the
body] is diseased. Truly, it is the heart. [Related
by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.]
This hadeeth is a great Principle from the
Principles of the Sharee'ah, such that the
well known Muhaddith Aboo Dawood as-
Sijistaanee said, "al-Islaam revolves around
four ahaadeeth" , and he then mentioned
this hadeeth amongst them. And there is
consensus amongst the People of
Knowledge upon the great status of this
hadeeth and its immense benefits.
The statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa

sallam "That which is lawful is clear and that which is
unlawful is clear, and between the two of them are
doubtful matters" implies that matters are of three
types.
Whatever Allaah has established to be permissible in a

text, then it is the 'clear' Halaal, such as the statement
of Allaah ta'aalaa:
"Made lawful to you this day

are AtTayyibaat [all kinds of
lawful foods, such as meat of
slaughtered eatable animals,
milk, vegetables and fruits,
etc.] The food of the people of
the Scripture (Jews and
Christians) is lawful to you
and yours is lawful to them."
[al-Maa'idah 5:5]
And whatever Allaah has established to be forbidden in

a text, then that is the 'clear' Haraam, such as the
statement of Allaah ta'aalaa:
"Forbidden to you (for

marriage) are: your mothers,
your daughters, your
sisters ..." [an-Nisaa 4:23]
And also such as the forbiddance of fawaahish (evil

lusts and desires), that which is apparent of it and also
that which is hidden of it. And every matter concerning
which Allaah has established upon it a limit or
associated with it a punishment or a threat, then that
matter is also included amongst the 'clear' haraam.
As for the the 'doubtful matters' then they are those

issues in which there appears (to the layman) to be
opposing evidences from the Book and the Sunnah, and
so in this case restraint from them is from piety.
And the scholars have differed regarding the ruling

upon the doubtful matters mentioned by the Prophet
sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam in this hadeeth.
So one opinion is that they are all Haraam, due the

saying of the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa salaam
"[he] clears himself in regard to his religion and his
honour", as whoever does safeguard his religion and
his honour has definitely fallen into the Haraam.
Another opinion is that they are Halaal, due the

statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam
"like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary",
so this indicates that these actions are permissible, but
leaving them is from piety.
And a third opinion is that we make no ruling

regarding the doubtful matters, and do not say that they
are Halaal nor that they are Haraam, as the Prophet
sallAllaahu alayi wa salaam placed them between the
clear Halaal and the clear Haraam. Hence it is required
that we refrain from passing judgement and this too is
from piety.
And in the hadeeth from 'Adiyy ibn Haatim that he said

to the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa salaam:
"O Messenger of Allaah! [Sometimes] I send my

hunting dog after game, after pronouncing
'bismillaah' upon it, but when I reach the catch I
find another dog there too (upon which I had not
pronounced the name of Allaah)." So the Prophet
sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam replied: "Do not eat
from it (the catch), for verily you pronounced the
name of Allaah upon your dog, but not upon the
other dog."
So the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam gave a

verdict based upon a doubt, fearing that the dog which
killed the game was the other dog upon which the
name of Allaah had not been pronounced, hence
making the kill slaughtered for other than Allaah. And
Allaah has said about this:
"Eat not of that (meat) on

which Allaah's Name has not
been pronounced (at the time
of the slaughtering), for surely
it is Fisq (a sin and
disobedience of Allaah)." [al-
An'aam 6:121]
So this verdict contains evidence for taking care

regarding those actions or events that involve some
judgement regarding what is Halaal or Haraam, due to
the similarity between the different situations. And this
is encompassed in the meaning of the statement of the
Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam: "Leave that
which causes you doubt, for that which does not cause
you doubt." [narrated by an-Nasaa'ee]
And some of the scholars have said the doubtful

matters can be divided into three types:
1) That affair which a person knows to be Haraam, but

which he then doubts as to whether its forbiddance still
continues or not. For example, a person cannot eat
from an animal until he is sure that is has been
slaughtered Islaamically, and so if he has doubts about
this then the forbiddance to eat continues until certainty
of the correct slaughtering is achieved. And the origin
of this is in the hadeeth of 'Adiyy mentioned above.
[Note: this is referring to a situation similar to when
'Adiyy came upon the dogs next to the kill - and not
when your butcher says the meat is Halaal and you
doubt it!]
2) The opposite of this, where the affair is originally

Halaal, and the person has doubts regarding whether it
has become Haraam. And whatever is of this type then
it is considered permissible until its forbiddance is
clearly established. And the origin of this is the hadeeth
of Abdullaah bin Zayd, regarding the doubt in ones
wudoo' if one is sure that previously he had made
wudoo'. [i.e. one continues upon the assumption of
being with wudoo' until it becomes clear that the
wudoo' has broken]
3) The third type is where one has doubts about a

matter and one does not know whether it is Halaal or
Haraam, and the matter could be of either of the two,
and there is no clear evidence to establish either ruling.
Then in this situation the best course of action is
restraint. For example, once the Prophet sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam found a date in his house, but did not
eat it for he feared that it may have been from that
given as sadaqah (as the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam was forbidden from taking of sadaqah).
However, if a person chooses the opposite of what is

clearly apparent due to an imaginary doubt which has
no evidence, then restraint in such a situation is
foolishness, and is from the whisperings of shaytaan.
For example, a person may restrain from praying in a
place which has no visible traces of filth, simply out of
a fear that maybe some urine had fallen there and since
dried. Or a person may wash a dress simply out of a
fear that some filth (najaasah) came upon it but which
he did not actually see upon it. So in all such situations
where there is no 'real' doubt then it is required that one
does not leave the action.
And the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa

sallam "about which many people do not know" means
that many people do not know the shar'ee ruling upon
these matters. However, the People of Knowledge may
be able to associate such matters with other principles
that they must follow, and thus achieve a ruling upon
them as to whether they are Halaal or Haraam, and thus
they cease to be doubtful matters.
As for the statement "but he who falls into doubtful

matters [eventually] falls into that which is unlawful"
then this is from two angles:
1) The one who does not fear Allaah and indulges in

doubtful matters, eventually begins to practise the
Forbidden actions too, and becomes lenient in these
affairs. And this is as some of the 'ulemaa have said
that minor sins lead to major sins and major sins lead to
kufr.
2) The one who often indulges in doubtful matters

oppresses himself as his heart is deprived of the Light
of Knowledge and the Light of Piety, so he ends up
falling into the Haraam and does not realise it.
And just as a King has a sanctuary, which the

shepherds must keep their sheep away from, so too has
Allaah specified certain things as Forbidden for his
slaves, which they must refrain from - such as murder,
interest (ribaa), theft, drinking alcohol, backbiting and
tale-carrying, and other such things, all of which we
should keep well away from for fear of falling into
them.
As for the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi

wa sallam "Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh,
which, if it be whole, all the body is whole ... ":
Allaah ta'aalaa has blessed only man and the animals

with this special organ - the heart - and through it we
find that even the animals recognize that which
benefits them and that which harms them. Then, Allaah
has singled out al-Insaan from amongst all the animals
with the faculty of the intellect, and additional faculties
within the heart. Allah says:
"Have they not travelled

through the land, and have
they hearts wherewith to
understand and ears
wherewith to hear?" [al-Hajj
22:46]
And the various limbs of the body are subservient to

the heart, so whatever the heart decides upon, that
action appears upon the limbs. So if the heart is good
then the actions of the limbs are good, and if the heart
is corrupt then the actions of the limbs are also corrupt.
And if this fact is understood then the statement of the
Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam "if it be whole,
all the body is whole, and if it is diseased, all of [the
body] is diseased" becomes clear.
We ask Allaah the Majestic to cleanse the corruption of

our hearts. O Changer of Hearts, establish our hearts
upon Your Deen! O Controller of Hearts, turn our
hearts towards Your obedience!
Summary
 That those things which are Haraam
are clear and need clear evidence.
 That one who does doubtful things
may well be doing what is Haraam.
 That it is difficult to live honorably
when doing the doubtful.
 That Allaah is the King; The King of
kings.
 That it is understandable that Allaah
should have things prohibited for us.
 That the sanctuary of Allaah which we
must not enter is all those things
which He has made Haraam for us.
Thus we must know what is Haraam
and definitely avoid them.
 That doing the doubtful or what is
forbidden adversely affects the heart.
 That it is important to make and keep
the heart pure, since it affects the
rest of us. Thus we should look for
ways to purify and preserve our
hearts from being stained.
Hadeeth 7: The Religion is

Naseehah (Sincere Advice)
‫عن أبـي رقــيـة تمـيم بن أوس الـداري رضي الله‬

: ‫ أن النبي صلى الله عـليه وسـلم قـال‬، ‫عنه‬
.) ‫( الـديـن النصيحة‬
‫ لمن ؟؟‬: ‫قلنا‬
‫ وأل ئـمـة‬، ‫ ولـرسـولـه‬، ‫ ولـكـتـابـه‬، ‫ ( الله‬: ‫قال‬
: ‫الـمـسـلـمـيـن وعــامـتهم ) رواه مسلم [ رقم‬
] 55
On the authority of Abu Ruqayya Tameem ibn Aus ad-

Daaree (radi Allaahu anhu) that the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
'The Deen (religion) is naseehah

(advice/sincerity)'. We said 'To whom?' He said
'To Allah and His Book, and His Messenger, and
to the leaders of the Muslims and their common
folk.' [Related by Muslim]
This is the only hadeeth narrated by
Tameem ad-Daaree (radi Allaahu 'anhu).
And 'Naseehah' is a comprehensive word,
whose meaning implies the desire for all
possible good for the one being advised.
And this word 'an-naseehah' is most concise
in speech, and there is no other single word
in the Arabic language that completetly and
precisely explains its meaning, just as it is
said that regarding the word 'al-Falaah' (the
success) that there is no other word in the
Arabic language that more precisely and
succinctly describes the good of both this
world and the next.
And the meaning of his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)

statement "The Deen is Naseehah" is that the main
pillar of the Religion and its Straightness lies in this
concept of Naseehah. And this is similar to the
Prophet's sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam statement "The
Hajj is 'Arafah", meaning the main pillar of the Hajj is
the standing in the Plain of 'Arafah.
As for the detailed explanation of Naseehah then al-

Khattaabee (rahimhu Allaah) and others from amongst
the 'ulemaa have said:
Naseehah to Allaah ta'aalaa refers to belief in

Him and the negation of all shirk, and leaving
heresy and disbelief in His Attributes, rather
describing Him with the Perfect and Complete
Attributes, all of them, and freeing Him of all
deficiencies. And it further implies being firm
upon His obedience and keeping away from sin,
and loving for His sake and hating for His sake,
and waging Jihaad against those who disbelieve
in Him. And recognising His favours and
thanking Him for that, and having sincerity for
Him in all our affairs, and supplicating to Him
with all of His Names and Attributes that He has
mentioned, and encouraging others upon that, and
courteous behaviour with the people.
al-Khattaabee also said:
And the reality of these characteristics return back

to the slave himself, in his advising himself, for
verily Allaah subhaanahu wa ta'aalaa is in no
need of any advice/counsel from His slaves.
And as for the Naseehah to His Book, then this is by
believing it to be the Speech of Allaah ta'aala, and what
He has sent down as Revelation, and that there is no
similarity between the Speech of Allaah and the speech
of mankind. And that no one from amongst the creation
is able to produce anything like it. And further,
glorification of His Book and reciting it as it should be
recited and fulfilling its Rights, beautifying the
recitation and having khushoo' (humility,
submissiveness) while doing so, and establishing the
correct pronunciation of its letters. And also, defending
the Qur'aan from the false interpretations of the
innovators, and having faith in all that is in it, and
understanding its sciences and examples, and accepting
its mutashaabih (hidden, unclear), and making du'aa by
it.
And as for the Naseehah to His Messenger (sallAllaahu

alayhi wa sallam) then this involves believing in his
Messengership, and having faith in all that he came
with, and obeying him in all that he ordered or forbade,
and helping him both in his life and after his death, and
having enmity with all those who have enmity with
him, and having allegiance to all those who have
allegiance with him, and fulfilling his Rights, and
honouring him, and reviving his manner and Sunnah,
and responding to his da'wah, and spreading his
Sunnah, and understanding its meanings and sciences,
and calling towards it, and being eager in studying it,
and showing respect when it is mentioned, and
refraining from speaking about it without knowledge,
and mixing amongst the people of the Sunnah, and
behaving with the character taught by the Sunnah, and
showing love towards the members of the Prophet's
sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam Household, and his
Companions, and keeping away from those who
innovate in his Sunnah or those who reject/oppose any
one of his Companions, or anything like that.
And as for the Naseehah to the leaders of the Muslims,

then this involves helping them in the Truth, and
obeying them, and ordering them with the Truth, and
reminding them of it with kindness and gentle words,
and notifying/advising them of that which they have
neglected, and informing them of the Rights of the
Muslims, and not rebelling against them with the
sword, and gathering the hearts of the people upon
obeying them, and praying behind them, and fighting
in Jihaad along with them, and making supplication for
their correction.
And as for the Naseehah to the common folk of the

Muslims, and they are those who are other than the
rulers, then it involves guiding them towards that
which will correct their affairs of both this life and the
next, and helping them in that. And it involves
protecting them from harm, and helping them in times
of need, and acquiring what is beneficial for them, and
ordering them with al-Ma'roof (good) and forbidding
them from al-Munkar (evil) with kindness and
sincerity, and showing mercy towards them. And it
involves honouring and respecting their elders, and
showing kindness to their youngsters, and supporting
them with good advice. And leaving cheating them or
having jealousy of them, and that one loves for them
what one loves for oneself of goodness, and that one
hates for them what one hates for oneself of evil, and
protecting their wealth and honour, and other than that
from speech and action. And it also involves
encouraging them upon all that we have mentioned
above of the various types of Naseehah, and Allaah
knows best.
And giving Naseehah (advice) is a Fardh Kifaayah,

such that if a sufficient number of people perform it
then the obligation is lifted from the community as a
whole, and it is obligatory according to the ability of
the individual.
And in the arabic language 'naseehah' means

'purification/clarification', as it is said: "I purified
(nasahtu) the honey", and it is said that it means other
than that. And Allaah knows best.
Summary
That one cannot worship Allah sincerely
without being sincere to what He has
revealed, and to the people according to
their station in life. Also one has to respect
and honour His Messenger (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam), which is to respect and
honour what he said, did, approved of or
recommended, and to love him for who he
was and what he was.
Hadeeth 8: Sanctity of a Muslim
‫ ان رسول الله صلى‬، ‫عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما‬

‫( أمرت أن أقاتل الناس حتى‬: ‫الله عليه وسلـم قـال‬
‫يـشـهــدوا أن ال إلــه إال الله وأن محمد رسول‬
‫ ويؤتوا الزكاة ؛ فإذا فعلوا‬، ‫ ويـقـيـمـوا الصالة‬، ‫الله‬
‫ذلك عصموا مني دماءهم وأموالهم إال بحق‬
[ ‫ وحسابهم على الله تعالى ) رواه البخاري‬، ‫اإلسالم‬
]22 : ‫] ومسلم [ رقم‬25:‫رقم‬
On the authority of the son of 'Umar (radi Allaahu

'anhumaa) that the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) said:
I have been ordered to fight against the people

until they testify that there is none worthy of
Worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allaah, and until they establish the
Salaah and pay the Zakaah. And if they do that
then they will have gained protection from me for
their lives and property, unless [they commit acts
that are punishable] in Islaam, and their
Reckoning will be with Allaah. [Related by
Bukhaaree and Muslim]
This is a Great Hadeeth and a Principle from amongst
the Principles of the Religion. It has also been narrated
by Anas (radi Allaahu 'anhu) whose version mentions:
"Until they testify that there is none worthy of
worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His
slave and Messenger, and accept our Qiblah, and
eat from what we slaughter, and and pray our
Salaah. And if they do all that, then their blood
and wealth is Protected except from the Rights of
Islaam. And for them is what is for the Muslims
and upon them is what is upon the Muslims."
And it has come in Saheeh Muslim from the narration

of Abu Hurayrah (radiAllaahu 'anhu):
"Until they testify that there is none worthy of

worship except Allaah and believe in me and in
what I have come with"
and this has the same meaning as what Ibn 'Umar

narrated.
As for the meaning of this hadeeth, then the scholars of

seerah have said:
After the death of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi

wa sallam, Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq radiAllaahu
'anhu became the Khaleefah, and some of the
Arab tribes apostasized, so Abu Bakr prepared to
fight them. And amongst them were those who
refused to pay the Zakaah, but who had not
explicitly apostasized. So 'Umar radiAllaahu
'anhu said to Abu Bakr:
"How can you fight a people who have said 'laa

ilaaha illaa Allaah' and the Prophet sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam said 'I have been ordered to fight
the people until they say 'laa ilaaha illaa Allaah'?"
So Abu Bakr radiAllaahu 'anhu replied : "By
Allaah! If they refuse to pay (in Zakaah) a young
goat that they used to pay the Prophet sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam, I will fight them."
And 'Umar radiAllaahu 'anhu followed him in doing

this.
Regarding the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu

alayhi wa salaam "I have been ordered to fight the
people until they say 'laa ilaahaa illaa Allaah' ..." al-
Khattaabee rahimahu Allaah and others said:
The people referred to here are the idol

worshippers and the mushriks of the Arabs, and
those who do not believe apart from the People of
the Book. And whoever approves of Tawheed
from his own religion of Kufr, then his statement
of 'laa ilaaha illaa Allaah' is not enough to protect
his blood and wealth, as has come in other
narrations that mention that one must also believe
that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, and
establish the Salaah, and pay the Zakaah.
And Shaykh Muyee ad-Deen an-Nawawee said:
"And it is necessary that he believes along with

this in all that the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi
wa sallam came with, as is mentioned in the
hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah : 'until they testify that
none is worthy of worship except Allaah, and
believe in me and in all that I come with'".
And the meaning of his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)

statement: "and their Reckoning will be with Allaah"
refers to those matters which they hide from the
people, i.e. those things other than that which is
outwardly apparent from the compulsory actions. Al-
Khattaabee mentions this and then says:
"And from this is that the one who outwardly

shows Islaam but secretly maintains Kufr, then
his Islaam is accepted outwardly by the people,
and this is the opinion of most of the People of
Knowledge."
And in his (sallAllaahu alayi wa sallam) statement: "I

have been ordered to fight the people until they testify
that none is worthy of worship except Allaah, and
believe in me and in all that I come with" is a clear
proof for the position of the People of Truth and the
vast majority of the Salaf and the Khalaf, that it is
enough for a person to believe in the Religion of
Islaam with a firm, unwavering belief, without it being
necessary for him to understand the proofs of the
Mutakallimoon (people of Theological Rhetoric)
regarding the 'recognition' of Allaah through the
intellect. And this opposite to the statement of those
people that it is an obligatory condition for the
correctness of ones eemaan. And this is clear from the
fact the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam
mentioned only at-Tasdeeq (belief, affirmation) and did
not lay any condition for it through intellectual
recognition. And this hadeeth appears a number of
times in the Saheeh, and together they reach the rank of
mutawaatir, without doubt yielding definite knowledge,
and Allaah knows best.
Summary
 That the disbelieving people are
fought until Islaam triumphs.
 That it is an order from Allaah and
thus waajib.
 That the Ameer of the Muslims
enforces protection of the lives and
the properties of the Muslims.
 That if a Muslim does something
which deserves a punishment
according to the Rulings of Islaam,
then the Ameer of the Muslims must
enforce that too.
 That the punishments must be given,
regardless of what Allaah will Judge
for them (i.e. Allaah may punish them
or forgive them).
Hadeeth 9: Obligations are

according to Ability
‫عن أبي هريرة عبد الرحمن بن صخر رضي الله عنه‬

‫ سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم‬: ‫ قال‬،
‫ وما أمرتكم به‬، ‫ ( ما نهيتكم عنه فاجتنبوه‬: ‫يقول‬
‫ فإنما أهلك الذين من قبلكم‬، ‫فأتوا منه ما استطعتم‬
‫ رواه‬.) ‫كثرة مسائلهم واختالفهم على انبيائهم‬
]1337 : ‫ ومسلم [ رقم‬، ] 7288 : ‫البخاري [ رقم‬
On the authority of Abu Hurairah 'Abd-ur-Rahmaan

ibn Sakhr (radiAllaahu 'anhu) who said: I heard the
Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayi wa sallam) say:
"What I have forbidden for you, avoid. What I

have ordered you [to do], do as much of it as you
can. For verily, it was only the excessive
questioning and their disagreeing with their
Prophets that destroyed [the nations] who were
before you". [Related by al-Bukhaaree and
Muslim]
The wording of this hadeeth in Saheeh Muslim, from
Abu Hurairah radiAllaah 'anhu, states: The Messenger
of Allaah sallAllaahu alayi wa sallam addressed us and
said:
"O People! Hajj has been made obligatory upon
you, so perform the Hajj." So a man asked: "Is
that every year, O Messenger of Allaah?" So the
Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam remained
silent until the man repeated his question three
times. Then he said: "If I had said 'yes' then it
would have become obligatory upon you [i.e.
every year], and you would not have been able to
do so. Do not ask me about that which I have left
[unspecified], for verily the nations before you
were destroyed by their excessive questioning and
their disagreeing with their Prophets. So if I order
you with something then do as much of it as you
are able, and if I forbid you from something then
keep away from it."
And the Scholars of Usool (i.e. in Fiqh) have differed

over the issue of the Command to perform an action -
does it imply repetition? That is, if we are ordered to
do something then does that automatically imply that
we must do it repeatedly? Or does it mean that doing it
once is sufficient unless otherwise specified? For
example, we are commanded with Hajj but that is just
once in a lifetime, but we are also commanded with
Salaah and that is every day. So most of the Fuqahaa
(jurists) have decided that a command does not
automatically imply repetition. Others have said that
we do not rule that it implies repetition nor do we rule
that it does not imply repetition, except with a further
evidence that indicates one or the other. And this
hadeeth is a proof for those who have the latter
opinion. For if there were an automatically implied
ruling of either repetition or no repetition then the
Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam would not have
replied "If I had said yes then it would have become
obligatory, and you would not have been able to do
that." Rather, if there had been an automatic
implication of repetition or otherwise, then the man
would not have asked the question in the first place.
And as for his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement

"Do not ask me about that which I have left
[unspecified]" then this apparently indicates that a
command does not imply repetition, and also that the
origin of all affairs is that they are not waajib, until the
Sharee'ah specifies them as being waajib. And this is
the correct position according to the majority of the
Scholars of Usool.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement: "If I
had said yes it would have become obligaotory upon
you" is an evidence that he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) would make ijtihaad in rulings, and that it was
not binding upon him that all rulings be made by
Revelation.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement:

"What I have ordered you [to do], do as much of it as
you can" is an important Principle of Islaam, and is
from his Concise speech. And based upon this principle
are countless other rulings - such as the Prayer of one
who is unable to complete some of its pillars or
conditions, then he performs what he is able to from
that which remains. And the one who cannot wash all
the necessary limbs of wudoo', washes that which he is
able to. And in the case of removing evil, then if one is
not able to remove it entirely then one removes what
one is able to. And many other affairs like these, as are
well known from the Books of Fiqh. And this hadeeth
is similar to the statement of Allaah ta'aalaa:
"And have taqwaa of Allaah,

as much as you are able" [at-
Taghaabun, 16]
And as for His statement
"O you who believe! Fear

Allaah as He should be
feared" [aal 'Imraan, 102]
then it has been said that this is abrogated by the aayah

"And have taqwaa of Allaah, as much as you are able".
However, what is correct is that it is not abrogated, but
rather the first aayah is an explanation of this aayah,
and makes clear what is intended by it. And it has been
said that "fearing Allaah as He should be feared"
means obeying Him all in that He has commanded, and
staying away from all that He has forbidden, and
Allaah subhaanahu does not order us except with that
which we are able to do, as verily Allaah has said:
"Allaah does not burden a soul

more than it can bear" [al-
Baqarah, 286]
"and [Allaah] has not laid

upon you in religion any
hardship" [al-Hajj, 78]
And as for his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)

statement: "and what I have forbidden you from then
avoid it" then this is to be taken to apply generally in
all situations, except if one has a necessity, such as
eating meat from an animal which has not been
correctly slaughtered if one's life is in danger or what is
similar to that, then that is not considered to be
forbidden. However, in all conditions other than that of
ncessity the individual is not considered to have
fulfilled this forbiddance of the Prophet sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam until he leaves all those things which
the Sharee'ah forbids. So he does not fulfill the
forbiddance if he continues to practise even one of the
forbidden things. This is in opposition to what has been
commanded to do, for in terms of the commands we
must do whatever we are able.
And in his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement:

"verily the nations before you were destroyed due to
their excessive questioning and disagreeing with their
Prophets", then this was mentioned after his saying
[unspecified]". And this implies that we should not be
excessive in questioning, as then we would be similar
to the Banoo Israa'eel when it was said to them:
"Sacrifice a cow". So if they had taken these words
upon their apparent meaning and sacrificed any cow
they would have fulfilled the command. But because
they insisted on asking many questions regarding its
colour, its appearance, its work etc, the matter became
difficult for them, until they were able to find a suitable
cow only after a great search and paying a large sum of
money. So they were blameworthy for this, and our
Prophet Muhammad sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam
feared the same for his Ummah.
Summary
 That what is Haraam must be avoided
 That one must make sure that one
has a satisfactory plea to present to
Allaah for not doing what the
Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam has ordered
 That one must not ask too many
questions. Ideally, one only wants to
know what Islaam says [about a
thing] and do that
 That asking too many questions and
disagreeing with the Messenger
sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam can
cause our destruction. If it happened
to the people before us it can happen
to us too
Hadeeth 10: Restricting oneself to

the Pleasant Halaal
‫ قال رسول‬: ‫ قال‬، ‫عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه‬

‫( إن الله تعالى طيب ال‬: ‫الله صلي الله عليه وسلم‬
‫ وإن الله أمر المؤمنين بما أمر به‬، ‫يقبل إال طيبا‬
‫{ يا أيها الرسل كلوا من‬: ‫المرسلين فقال تعالى‬
‫{ يا أيها‬: ‫ وقال تعالى‬، } ‫الطيبات واعملوا صالحا‬
‫ ثم ذكر‬، } ‫الذين امنوا كلوا من طيبات ما رزقناكم‬
‫الرجل يطيل السفر أشعث أغبر يمد يده إلى‬
‫ يا رب ! يا رب ! ومطعمه حرام ومشربه‬: ‫السماء‬
‫حرام وملبسه حرام وغذي بالحرام فأنى يستجاب‬
] 1015 : ‫ رواه مسلم [ رقم‬.‫له ؟‬
On the authority of Abu Hurairah (radiAllaahu 'anhu)

who said: The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi
wa sallam) said:
Allaah the Almighty is Good and accepts only

that which is good. And verily Allaah has
commanded the Believers to do that which He has
commanded the Messengers. So the Almighty has
said:
"O (you) Messengers! Eat
of the Tayyibaat [all kinds
of Halaal (legal) foods],
and perform righteous
deeds." [23:51]
and the Almighty has said:
"O you who believe! Eat of

the lawful things that We
have provided you" [2:172]
Then he mentioned [the case] of a man who,

having journeyed far, is dishevelled and dusty,
and who spreads out his hands to the sky saying
"O Lord! O Lord!", while his food is Haraam
(unlawful), his drink is Haraam, his clothing is
Haraam, and he has been nourished with Haraam,
so how can [his supplication] be answered ?!
[Narrated by Muslim.]
And this is one of those ahaadeeth upon
which the Principles and Rulings of Islaam
are built. And in it is encouragement
towards spending upon that which is Halaal,
and forbiddance from spending upon that
which is other than that. And that what is
eaten, and what is drunk and what is worn,
and all such similar things should be purely
Halaal, without any doubt in them. And that
whosoever wishes to supplicate to Allaah
should humble and submit himself before
his Lord with that which is Halaal. And from
the hadeeth we also understand that when
the slave spends upon the good, Halaal
things then these things purify him and
bring him prosperity. And that delicious and
tasty food which is not permissible to eat
will instead be a source of evil and
punishment, and the actions of the slave
will then not be acceptable by Allaah.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement

"Then he mentioned [the case] of a man who, having
journeyed far, is dishevelled and dusty ..." then its
meaning is best known by Allaah. But we know from
other ahaadeeth that the supplication of the traveller is
more readily acceptable to Allaah, and a 'long journey'
could be from amongst the actions of worship, such as
the Hajj or Jihaad or other than that from the pious
actions. And even in this case his supplication is still
not accepted because his food, drink and clothing are
Haraam. So how about the case of the one who is
travelling for some purpose of the dunyaa, or for
oppressing the people, or those who are ignorant of the
various types of worship and goodness.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement:

"who spreads out his hands to the sky" means that he
raises his hands in supplication to Allaah 'azza wa jall,
while at the same time he is opposing His commands
and is sinning. And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
statement: "so how can [his supplication] be
answered ?!" and in another narration "so how can he
be answered because of that ?!", means that there
cannot be an answer for the one who possesses such
characteristics. Such a person cannot be amongst those
whose supplication will be answered, unless Allaah the
Almighty does so out of His infinite Grace and
Kindness and Generosity, and Allaah knows best.
Summary
 That Allaah accepts only that which is
good
 That every believer is obliged to do
that which the Messengers were
obliged to do (except what is
specifically exempted)
 That every Muslim must eat only
Halaal and must take great care that
he has avoided eating whatever he
knew to be Haraam or suspicious
 That performing righteous deeds is
waajib for every one of us
 That frequently we turn to Allaah for
help while we do not try to eat, drink,
maintain ourselves and earn in a pure
way
 That if we do not take care of the
above then our prayers will not be
effective
 That it is correct to raise ones hands
while asking Allaah for something
Hadeeth 11: Being Cautious of the

Doubtful
‫عن أبي محمد الحسن بن على بن ابي طالب سبط‬
‫رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وريحانته رضي‬
‫ حـفـظـت مـن رســول الله‬: ‫ قـال‬، ‫الله عـنهـما‬
‫ ( دع ما يـريـبـك إلى ما ال‬: ‫صلى الله عـليـه وسلم‬
.) ‫يـريـبـك‬
: ‫ والنسائي [ رقم‬، ] 2520 : ‫رواه الترمذي [ رقم‬
.‫ حديث حسن صحيح‬: ‫ وقال الترمذي‬، ] 5711
On the authority of Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn

'Alee ibn Abee Taalib (radiAllaahu 'anhumaa), the
grandson of the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam), and the one much loved by him,
who said: I memorised from the Messenger of Allaah
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam):
Leave that which makes you doubt for that which

does not make you doubt. [It was related by at-
Tirmidhee and an-Nasaa'ee, with at-Tirmidhee
saying that it was a good and sound (hasan
saheeh) hadeeth.]
Its meaning returns back to what has
already been said regarding the meaning of
Hadeeth 6, that is "The Halaal is Clear, and
the Haraam is Clear, and between them are
Doubtful matters". And it has been narrated in
another hadeeth that the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi
wa sallam said:
"The slave will never be able to attain the ranks of
the Muttaqoon (pious ones) until he leaves those
things which do not seem to have any harm in
them, fearing that they may indeed be
harmful/unlawful."
And this would be a higher station than that indicated

by the first hadeeth.
And Allaah knows best.
Summary
 That it is essential to leave the
doubtful things
 That one cannot continue doing the
doubtful when one knows of an
alternative with certainty
Hadeeth 12: Leaving that which

does not concern a Muslim
‫ قال رسول‬: ‫ قال‬، ‫عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه‬

‫ ( من حسن إسالم‬: ‫الله صلى الله عليه وسلم‬
. ) ‫المرء تركه ما ال يعـنيه‬
‫ ] ابن‬2318 : ‫ رواه الترمذي [ رقم‬، ‫حديث حسن‬
] 3976 : ‫ماجه [ رقم‬
On the authority of Abu Hurairah (radiAllaahu 'anhu)

who said: The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi
wa sallam) said:
Part of the perfection of one's Islaam is his

leaving that which does not concern him.
A Hasan (Good) Hadeeth which was related by at-

Tirmidhee and others in this fashion.
And this hadeeth has also been narrated by Qurrah bin
'Abd-ir-Rahmaan from [the great Muhaddith] az-
Zuhree, from Abee Salamah from Abee Hurairah, and
he considered its chains of narration Saheeh
(Authentic), and then he said regarding the hadeeth that
it is from the Comprehensive speech that contains
many significant meanings, and all this in very few
words. And similar to this [hadeeth] is the statement of
Abu Dharr (radiAllaahu anhu) in some of his narrations
from the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) that he
said:
"And whoever accounts his speech by his actions,
then his speech will be very little except in that
which concerns him".
And Imaam Maalik mentioned that it reached him that

it was said to Luqmaan: "What has enabled you to
attain what we see in you of Grace and Blessing ?" to
which he replied:
"Speaking the Truth, returning the Trusts, and

leaving that which does not concern me."
And it has been narrated from Hasan [al-Basree] that

he said:
"From the signs that Allaah ta'aalaa has turned

away from the slave is that he finds himself
continually engaged in those matters which are
not of his concern."
And Abu Daawood as-Sijistaanee said:
"The basic principles of the Sunnah in each

branch of learning are based upon four ahaadeeth"
and he mentioned among them this hadeeth.
Summary
That prying and interfering in others affairs
is a sign of not being a good Muslim
Hadeeth 13 : Loves for his Brother

that which he Loves for Himself
، ‫عـن أبي حـمـزة أنـس بـن مـالـك رضي الله عـنـه‬

‫عن‬،‫خــادم رسـول الله صلى الله عـلـيـه وسـلم‬
‫ (ال يـؤمـن‬: ‫النبي صلي الله عـلـيـه وسـلـم قــال‬
‫احـدكـم حـتي يـحـب ألخـيـه مــا يـحـبـه‬
. ) ‫لـنـفـسـه‬
] 45 : ‫ ومسلم [ رقم‬، ] 13 : ‫رواه البخاري [ رقم‬
On the authority of Abu Hamzah Anas bin Maalik

(radiAllaahu anhu) - the servant of the Messenger of
Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) - that the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said :
None of you [truly] believes until he loves for his

brother that which he loves for himself.
It was related by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim
Explanation of Hadeeth Number

13
This hadeeth has been narrated thus in
Saheeh al-Bukhaaree as "for his brother"
without any doubt on the part of the
narrator, while in Saheeh Muslim the
narrator mentions that the wording may
have been "for his brother" or "for his
neighbour".
The 'ulamaa have said that the meaning of the hadeeth

is that the one who does not have this characteristic has
not believed with the complete and perfect eemaan,
while he has already achieved the basic level of
eemaan.
And the intented meaning of "loves for his brother" is

those things which are from obedience to Allaah, and
the permissible matters, as opposed to the evil or
Haraam matters, and this is proved from the narration
collected by an-Nasaa'ee which mentions : "until he
loves for his brother from the good that which he loves
for himself".
Shaykh Abu 'Amr ibn as-Salaah said : And this appears

to be something which is difficult/unobtainable, but
this is not the case, beacuse its meaning is that the
eemaan of one of you is not completed/perfected until
he loves for his brother in Islaam that which he loves
for himself [and not that he has no eemaan at all until
he does so]. And establishing this is obtained through
loving that he obtains something good without
vying/competing with him in obtaining that thing,
meaning that he does not desire any decrease in him of
blessing. [This is the opposite of hasad or jealousy,
where one wishes that his brother is deprived of a
blessing, and that you posses it instead]. And this is
easy and attainable for the Pure and Upright heart, but
is difficult for the corrupt heart - may Allaah ta'aalaa
forgive us and all of our brothers.
And Abu az-Zinaad said : What is apparent from this

hadeeth is that one desires for ones brother the same as
that which one wishes for oneself, but the real meaning
is that one desires for him better than what one wishes
for oneself. This is because man always wishes that he
is the best of the people [in all things]; so if he loves
for his brother what he loves for himself [to be the
best], then he has placed his brother amongst the
generality of those who are the best. [Also,] do you not
see that man desires to receive justice for his rights and
injustices done against him ? So if he has
completed/perfected his eemaan, and then he sees that
he has wronged his brother or his brother has a right
upon him, then he makes haste to establish justice in
that affair, even if this may cause himself difficulty.
And it is narrated that al-Fudail bin 'Iyaad said to

Sufyaan bin 'Uyaynah "If you wish that the people are
similar to you then you have not offered to Allaah, the
Most Generous, the True Naseehah [sincerity - see
Hadeeth 7], so how will it be if you love that they are
less than you ?"
And some of the 'Ulamaa have said based upon this

Hadeeth that the believer with another believer is like a
single soul, and so it is desired that he loves for him
that which he loves for himself, since they are as
though a single soul. And similar to this has come in
another hadeeth : "The Believers are like a single body;
if a single limb feels pain, then the whole body along
with it suffers with fever and sleeplessness."
Summary :
 The hadeeth negates the
perfection/completeness of Faith
(eemaan) for someone who does not
wish for his Muslim brother that which
he likes for himself
 That a believer will not want
something to happen to another
Muslim which he would not like for
himself
Hadeeth 14 : The Prohibition of

the Blood of a Muslim and the
Reasons for Shedding it
‫ قال رسول‬: ‫ قال‬، ‫عن ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه‬
‫ (ال يحل دم امرىء‬: ‫الله صلى الله عليه وسلم‬
] ‫ وأني رسول الله‬، ‫مسلم [ يشهد أن ال إله إال الله‬
‫ والـنـفـس‬، ‫ الـثـيـب الــزاني‬: ‫إال بـإحـدي ثـالث‬
‫ والـتـارك لـد يـنـه الـمـفـارق للـجـمـاعـة‬، ‫بـالنفس‬
.)
: ‫ ومسلم [ رقم‬، ] 6878 : ‫رواه البخاري [ رقم‬
"] 1676
On the authority of Ibn Mas'ood (radiAllaahu anhu)

who said : The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu
'alayhi wa sallam) said :
It is not permissible to spill the blood of a Muslim

except in three [instances] : the married person
who commits adultery, a life for a life, and the
one who forsakes his religion and separates from
the community.
It was related by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.

14
And in some of the narrations of this
hadeeth, that are also agreed upon by al-
Bukhaaree and Muslim, it mentions : "It is
not permissible to spill the blood of a
Muslim who testifies that there is none
worthy of worship except Allaah, and that I
am the Messenger of Allaah, except in three
[instances] ...". So his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) statement "testifies that none is
worthy of worship except Allaah and I am
the Messenger of Allaah" is as though a
tafseer (explanation) of his statement "a
Muslim". Similarly, his statement "[who]
separates from the community" is like a
tafseer of his statement "who forsakes his
religion". So in these three instances the
blood of a Muslim can be spilt, from a
textual evidence. And the meaning of the
'community' (al-jamaa'ah) is the community
of Muslims. So separating from the Muslims
by apostacy from the Religion of Islaam is a
reason for the permissibilty of shedding his
blood.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "the

one who forsakes his religion and separates from the
community" is general and refers to all those who
apostate from Islaam, by whichever method this may
occur, and it then becomes obligatory on the Muslims
to kill him unless he returns to Islaam.
And the scholars have mentioned that this also includes

all those who leave [being of] the community of
Muslims through an innovation or transgression or
other than that, and Allaah knows best. [Note: It would
appear that this innovation or transgression must be of
a very serious nature, such that the perpetrator would
effectively leave the fold of Islaam]
And what is apparent is that this is a general rule [ie.

killing a Muslim is only allowed in these three
instances], but it also includes certain specific
situations such as an attacker or similar to that. In such
cases, then it is permissible to kill a Muslim out of
defence from harm from him - indeed it may be that
this becomes obligatory, as such an attacker comes
under those who have separated from the community.
And also, the meaning here is that killing a Muslim
intentionally is not permitted except in these three
instances, and Allaah knows best.
And some of the 'ulamaa have used this hadeeth to

show that the one who abandons the Prayer (salaah) is
killed, because the one who abandons the Prayer is
included amongst these three. And the scholars have
differed over this issue, so from them are those who
say that the one who abandons the Prayer becomes a
disbeliever (kaafir) while others say that he does not.
And some of those who rule that he becomes a kaafir
use as a proof another hadeeth in the Prophet
sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam said "I have been ordered
to fight the people until they testify that none is worthy
of worship except Allaah, and that I am the Messenger
of Allaah, and they establish the Prayer (salaah) and
pay the poor due (zakaah)". So it is said: "the angle of
derivation of proof is that the Prophet sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam made protection based upon fulfilling
all of these conditions - the two shahaadahs,
establishing the salaah and paying the zakaah. And the
consequence of these things (protection) is not attained
except by fulfilling all of them, and is negated by the
absence of any one of them." And this is what is
obtained if we consider only the apparent speech of the
Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam where he said "I
have been ordered to fight the people ...", as this seems
to indicate an order to fight until the goal is obtained.
However, [in taking such an understanding] it is
forgotton and overlooked that there is a difference
between muqaatalah (fighting) over something, and
qatl (killing) over it. For in fighting over something the
purpose is to obtain what is desired [that they return to
the Prayer] in any way that may occur, and it does
imply the necessity of killing the one who leaves the
Prayer, as long as they do not fight us, and Allaah
knows best.

"the married person who commits adultery" then this
includes both males and females, and it is a proof for
that which is agreed upon by the Muslims that the
ruling for the adulterer is stoning to death, with its
conditions, as are mentioned in the books of Fiqh.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement : "a

life for a life" is in agreement with the statement of
Allaah ta'aalaa "And we have prescribed for them in it
(the Tawraat) : a life for a life" [al-Maa'idah, 45]. And
its meaning is those who are equivalent in Islaam and
Freedom, due to the statement of the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) "A Muslim is not killed
[in requittal] for a kaafir". And also, Freedom is a
condition for equality according to Imaams Maalik,
ash-Shaafi'ee and Ahmad. [ie. A free man cannot be
killed for a slave] However, the scholars of Ahl-ur-
Rayy [The People of Opinion - a reference to the
scholars of the Hanafee madhhab] have taken the
position that a Muslim is killed for a dhimmee [a non-
Muslim who pays the jizyaa, and lives under the
protection of a Muslim state] and that a free man is
killed for a slave, and they use this hadeeth as a proof.
But the jamhoor (majority of the scholars) have ruled
opposite to this.
Summary :
 That a Muslim can be killed legally
only for three crimes : a) adultery b)
murder and c) apostacy
Hadeeth 15 : Islaamic Manners

‫ ان رســول الله‬، ‫عن أبي هـريـرة رضي الله عـنه‬

‫ ( مـن كـان يـؤمن‬: ‫صلي الله عـليه وسـلـم قــال‬
، ‫بالله والـيـوم األخـر فـلـيـقـل خـيـًر ا أو لـيـصـمـت‬
‫ومـن كــان يـؤمن بالله واليـوم األخر فـليكرم جاره‬
.) ‫ ومن كان يؤمن بالله واليوم األخر فليكرم ضيفه‬،
] 47 : ‫ ومسلم [ رقم‬، ] 6018 : ‫رواه البخاري [ رقم‬
On the authority of Abu Hurairah (radiAllaahu anhu)

that the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) said :
Let him who believes in Allaah and the Last Day

speak good, or keep silent; and let him who
believes in Allaah and the Last Day be generous
to his neighbour; and let him who believes in
Allaah and the Last Day be generous to his guest.

15
His (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement
"Let him who believes in Allaah and the Last
Day" means the one who believes with the
complete Eemaan that will save him from
the Punishment of Allaah, and will attain for
him the Pleasure of Allaah; then for such a
person, "let him speak good, or keep
silent", because the one who believes in
Allaah and does not fulfill everything that
his Eemaan entails [ie. he falls into sin] then
he fears His Threat [of Punishment] and he
hopes in His reward, and he strives in
performing what he has been commanded
with, and in leaving that which he has been
forbidden from. And the most important of
what is upon him from this is being careful
about his tongue and limbs, which are
under his control, and which he will be
asked about on the Day of Standing, as
Allaah ta'aalaa has said : "Verily! The
hearing, and the sight, and the heart, of
each of those you will be questioned (by
Allaah)" [al-Israa', 36]. And Allaah ta'aalaa
has said : "Not a word does he (or she)
utter, but there is a watcher by him ready
(to record it)" [Qaaf, 18].
And the sins of the tongue are numerous, and because

of this the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam said :
"And what is it that throws the people into the Hellfire
upon their noses, except what their tongues have
harvested" and he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) has
said : "Everything that the son of Aadam speaks will be
a proof against him, except the dhikr of Allaah and his
ordering the good and forbidding the evil". So
whosoever understands this, and protects the rights of
his Eemaan, then he will fear Allaah and have taqwaa
of Him with regards to his tongue, and he will not
speak except with good, or will remain silent.
Some of the 'ulamaa have mentioned that all of the

Good Manners can be derived from four hadeeth, and
they mentioned amongst them this hadeeth. And some
them have said regarding the meaning of this hadeeth
that if a person wishes to say something, then if that
speech is good, and will surely be rewarded for, then
let him say it. And if not, then let him keep silent -
whether it is apparent that the speech is Haraam
(forbidden) or Makrooh (disliked) or even Mubaah
(permissible). So from this it is said that the
permissible speech is to be left and avoided, and rather
it is preferred to keep silent in such situations, out of
fear that it may turn into something which is Haraam or
Makrooh; and it is seen that this happens a great deal,
and thus Allaah has said : "Not a word does he (or she)
utter, but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it)"
[Qaaf, 18].
However, the 'ulamaa have differed over whether

everything that a person says is written down by the
Recording Angels, including that which is considered
Mubaah (permissible), or if it is only those things for
which he may be rewarded or punished. And Ibn
'Abbaas (radiAllaahu anhu) and others have adopted
this second opinion, and so in this case the aayah
mentioned above would have its meaning restricted to
those words or statements for which there is some kind
of recompense - good or bad.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "let

him be generous to his neighbour" and "let him be
generous to his guest" contains instruction on the rights
of the neighbours and guests, and on doing good to
them and encouragement upon protecting the limbs
from doing harm to them, and also Allaah ta'aalaa has
advised us in His Noble Book with Ihsaan (good
behaviour, kindness, good treatment) towards the
neighbours. And the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam has said : "Jibreel - alayhi as-salaam - did not
cease to advise me regarding the rights of the
neighbour, until I began to think that they would also
receive a part of the inheritance".
And hospitality is from Islaam, and from the character

of the Prophets and the Pious. And some of the
scholars have made it obligatory, though the majority
consider it to be from the noble, recommended traits of
character. And the author of "al-Ifsaah" has said
regarding this hadeeth :
"It should be believed that hospitality to the guest is a
means of attaining nearness to Allaah, and that it is a
form of worship of the Lord, and that this worship is
not decreased if the guest is a wealthy person (rather
than a poor man), nor is it affected if one presents for
ones guest simple things from what one posseses.
Rather, the correct hospitality is achieved by keeping a
smiling countenace for ones guest, and beautifying
ones conversation with him, and the Pillar of
Hospitality is preparing a meal for the guest; and so
one should be eager to prepare for him from what
Allaah has provided and made easy, without causing
oneself undue difficulty."
He then mentioned some other points on hospitality,

before saying :
"And as for his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
statement 'let him speak good or keep silent', then this
indicates that the Good Speech is better than keeping
silent, and that silence is better than Evil Speech, and
this is because the form of the Prophet's (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) statement contains a command. And
from the Good Speech is conveying knowledge from
Allaah 'azza wa jall and his Messenger sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam, and teaching the Muslims, and
commanding the good, and forbidding the evil, and
reconciling the differences between people, and
speaking well to the people, and from amongst the best
of speech is the Statement of Truth, for the one who
truly Fears and Hopes for the Recompense."
Summary :
 That one should only speak what is
good and true
 That one must not under any
circumstances speak evil or use filthy
language
 That one should be kind and generous
to ones neighbour
 That one should treat ones guest well
 That if one is a true Muslim then one
would do the above, else ones [true]
belief in Allaah and the Last Day is in
question
Hadeeth 16 : The Forbiddance of

Anger
‫ ان رجــال‬، ‫عــن أبـي هـريـرة رضي الله عــنـه‬

. ‫ أوصــني‬: ‫قـــال للـنـبي صلي الله عـلـيـه وسـلـم‬
.) ‫ (ال تغضب‬: ‫ قال‬، ‫(ال تغضب ) فردد مراًر ا‬: ‫قال‬
] 6116 : ‫رواه البخاري [ رقم‬
On the authority of Abu Hurairah (radiAllaahu anhu),
That a man said to the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi

wa sallam : "Counsel me", so he (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) said :
Do not become angry.
The man repeated [his request for counsel]

several times, and he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) said :
Do not become angry.


16
The author of "al-Ifsaah min al-Jaa'iz" said
that the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam recognised in this man considerable
anger, so he singled out for him this
particular advice. And the Prophet
sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam has praised the
one who is able to control himself at the
time of anger, and has said "The powerful
man is not the one who is able to wrestle,
but the powerful man is the one who is able
to control himself at the time of anger". And
Allaah ta'aalaa has also praised such a
person where He says : "those who repress
their anger, and who pardon others"
[aal-'Imraan, 134]. And it is narrated from
the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
that he said : "Whoever represses his anger
while he is able to express it and is not in
the wrong, then Allaah 'azza wa jall will call
him amongst the best of Creation on the
Day of Resurrection, and he will be allowed
to choose whoever he wishes from amongst
the Hoor."
And it has also been narrated in another hadeeth :

"Verily anger is from Shaytaan", and it is because of
this that the angry person is no longer able to deal
justly, and he speaks falsehood, and he takes on many
blameworthy characteristics, and he takes into his heart
feelings of hatred and malice and other than that of the
despicable, forbiddden characteristics - and all of this is
from anger, may Allaah protect us from it. And it has
been narrated in the hadeeth of Sulaymaan bin Sarud :
"Verily seeking refuge with Allaah from Shaytaan, the
outcast, causes the anger to recede." And this is
because Shaytaan is the one who beautifies anger and
all other such blameworthy affairs, for Shaytaan
always tries to mislead man and keep him away from
the Pleasure of Allaah 'azza wa jall, and so seeking
refuge with Allaah from him is one of the strongest
weapons available to repel his evil designs.
Summary :
 That one can simply ask for advice or
counsel from a teacher
 That one must not become angry
because of impatience
 That the teacher may delay in
responding to the question
 That the teacher can be asked the
same question serveral times
 That the teacher can respond with the
same answer each time
Hadeeth 17 : The Command to

Slaughter and Kill in the Best
Manner
، ‫عـن أبي يعـلى شـداد بـن اوس رضي الله عـنه‬

‫ ( إن‬: ‫عـن الـرسـول صلى الله عـليه وسلم قـال‬
‫ فـإذا‬، ‫الله كتب اإلحـسـان عـلى كــل شيء‬
‫ وإذا ذبـحـتم فـأحسنوا‬، ‫قـتـلـتم فـأحسـنوا القـتـلة‬
‫ ولـيـرح ذبـيـحـته‬، ‫ وليحد أحـدكم شـفـرتـه‬، ‫الذبحة‬
.)
] 1955 : ‫رواه مسلم [ رقم‬
On the authority of Abu Ya'laa Shaddaad bin Aws

(radiAllaahu anhu), that the Messenger of Allaah
sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam said :
Verily Allaah has prescribed Ihsaan (proficiency,

perfection) in all things. So if you kill then kill
well; and if you slaughter, then slaughter well. Let
each one of you sharpen his blade and let him
spare suffering to the animal he slaughters.
It was related by Muslim

17
The Arabic terms "al-qitlah" and "adh-
dhibhah", used for killing and slaughtering
respectively, refer to the manner and
situation of the performance of these acts.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "then

kill well" is general to all situations, whether it be
slaughtering animals, or killing a human in Qisaas
(equal retaliation) or killing as a Shari'ah Punishment,
or other than that.
This hadeeth is from the Comprehensive Statements of

the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam, and contains
many Principles. And the meaning of "killing well" is
that one exerts himself the utmost in performing it
well, and does not intend to cause unnecessary pain or
torment through it. And "slaughtering well" in respect
to livestock implies that one shows kindness to the
animal to be slaughtered, and that one does not fell it to
the ground cruelly or harshly, nor drag it from one
place to another. It also includes facing it towards the
Qiblah and taking the name of Allaah upon it, and
cleanly and quickly cutting the throat and the two
jugular veins, and then leaving it until it has turned
cold. And it also includes recognising and
acknowledging Allaah's favours upon us, and thanking
Him and being grateful to Him for them, for verily He -
subhaanahu - has subdued for us from amongst His
creation whatever pleases Him, and has made
Permissible for us what He could have made
Forbidden, if He had so wished.
Summary :
 That it is obligatory on one doing
something to do it in the best possible
way
 That even killing must be done
efficiently and well
 That the knife must be sharpened
before using it for slaughtering an
animal
 That sparing unnecessary suffering to
the animal to be slaughtered is part of
fulfilling the Deen
 That one must try to do everything in
life in the best and most efficient
manner possible
Hadeeth 18 : Good Character
‫ وأبي عـبد‬، ‫عـن أبي ذر جـنـدب بـن جـنـادة‬

‫ عـن‬، ‫الـرحـمـن معـاذ بـن جـبـل رضي الله عـنهما‬
‫ ( اتـق الله‬: ‫ قـال‬، ‫الرسول صلي الله عـليه وسلم‬
‫ وخالق‬، ‫ وأتبع السيئة الحسنة تمحها‬، ‫حيثما كنت‬
.) ‫الناس بخـلـق حـسـن‬
، ‫ حديث حسن‬: ‫ ] وقال‬1987 : ‫رواه الترمذي [ رقم‬
‫ حسن صحيح‬: ‫وفي بعض النسخ‬
On the authority of Abu Dharr Jundub ibn Junaadah,

and Abu 'Abd-ir-Rahmaan Mu'aadh bin Jabal
(radiAllaahu anhumaa) that the Messenger of Allaah
Have Taqwaa (Fear) of Allaah wherever you may

be, and follow up a bad deed with a good deed
which will wipe it out, and behave well towards
the people.
It was related by at-Tirmidhee, who said it was a Hasan

(Good) Hadeeth, and in some copies it is stated to be a
Hasan Saheeh Hadeeth.

18
The virtues and outstanding traits of Abu
Dharr (radiAllaahu anhu) are many. He
accepted Islaam while the Messenger of
Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) was
still in Makkah, and was instructed by him
to return to and keep close to his tribe [in
order to call them to Islaam]. However,
when the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) saw in him a great eagerness to
remain with him in Makkah, and knowing
that he would not be able to do so [due to
the torment of the Quraysh], he said to Abu
Dharr : "Have Taqwaa (Fear) of Allaah
wherever you may be, and follow up a bad
deed with a good deed which will wipe it
out", and this is in accordance with the
statement of Allaah ta'aalaa "Verily, the
good deeds remove the evil deeds" [Hood,
114].
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "and

behave well towards the people" means that one should
treat the people the way one would like them to treat
oneself. And know that "Verily the heaviest thing to be
placed in the Scales [on the Day of Accounting] will be
the Good Character/Behaviour". And the Messenger of
Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) is reported to
have said "Verily the most loved of you by me and the
closest of you to me on the Day of Resurrection are the
best of you in Character" [related by at-Tabaraanee, but
judged weak by al-Haafidh al-Mundhiree in at-
Targheeb wa at-Tarheeb]. And good character is from
the characteristics of the Prophets and Messengers and
the chosen ones from amongst the Believers - those
who do not retaliate with evil, but rather forgive and
pardon and behave well despite being treated badly.
Summary :
 That one must remember Allaah with
Fear no matter where he may be
 That one must do a good act to cover
up each bad act that he commits
 That a Muslim must behave well
towards others
Hadeeth 19 : Be Mindful of Allaah

and Allaah will Protect You
‫عـن أبي العـباس عـبد الله بن عـباس رضي الله‬

‫ كـنت خـلـف النبي صلي الله عـليه‬: ‫ قــال‬، ‫عـنهما‬
‫ ( يـا غـالم ! إني اعـلمك‬: ‫ فـقـال‬، ‫وسلم يـوما‬
‫ احـفـظ الله‬، ‫ احـفـظ الله يـحـفـظـك‬: ‫كــلمات‬
‫ وإذا‬، ‫ إذا سـألت فـاسأل الله‬، ‫تجده تجاهـك‬
‫ واعـلم أن األمـة لـو‬، ‫اسـتعـنت فـاسـتـعـن بالله‬
‫اجـتمـعـت عـلى أن يـنـفـعـوك بشيء لم‬
‫ وإن‬، ‫يـنـفـعـوك إال بشيء قـد كـتـبـه الله لك‬
‫اجتمعـوا عـلى أن يـضـروك بشيء لـم يـضـروك إال‬
، ‫بشيء قـد كـتـبـه الله عـلـيـك ؛ رفـعـت األقــالم‬
.) ‫وجـفـت الـصـحـف‬
‫ حديث حسن‬: ‫ ] وقال‬2516 : ‫رواه الترمذي [ رقم‬
. ‫صحيح‬
‫ ( احفظ الله تجده‬: ‫وفي رواية غير الترمذي‬
‫ تعرف إلى الله في الرخاء يعرفك في‬، ‫أمامك‬
‫ وما‬، ‫ واعلم أن ما أخطأك لم يكن ليصيبك‬، ‫الشدة‬
‫ واعلم ان النصر مع الصبر‬، ‫أصابك لم يكن ليخطئك‬
) ‫ وان مع العسر يسرا‬، ‫ وان الفرج مع الكرب‬،
On the authority of Abu 'Abbaas 'Abdillaah bin

'Abbaas (radiAllaahu anhumaa) who said : One day I
was behind the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
[riding on the same mount] and he said :
O young man, I shall teach you some words [of

advice]: Be Mindful of Allaah and Allaah will
protect you. Be Mindful of Allaah and you will
find Him in front of you. If you ask, then ask
Allaah [alone]; and if you seek help, then seek
help from Allaah [alone]. And know that if the
Nation were to gather together to benefit you with
anything, they would not benefit you except with
what Allaah had already prescribed for you. And
if they were to gather together to harm you with
anything, they would not harm you except with
what Allaah had already prescribed against you.
The Pens have been lifted and the Pages have
dried.
It was related by at-Tirmidhee, who said it was a Good

and Sound Hadeeth.
Another narration, other than that of Tirmidhee, reads :
Be Mindful of Allaah, and you will find Him in

front of you. Recognise and Acknowledge Allaah
in times of ease and prosperity, and He will
Remember you in times of adversity. And know
that what has passed you by [and you have failed
to attain] was not going to befall you, and what
has befallen you was not going to pass you by.
And know that Victory comes with Patience,
Relief with Affliction, and Hardship with Ease.

19
The virtues and outstanding traits of
'Abdullaah bin 'Abbaas (radiAllaahu
anhumaa) are more than can be
enumerated, and the Prophet (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) supplicated for him and
said : "Oh Allaah! Grant him understanding
(fiqh) of the Religion and teach him the
Interpretation", and he also supplicated for
him that he be given Wisdom twice over.
And it has been narrated that he [ibn
'Abbaas] said that he "saw Jibreel (alayhi
as-salaam) twice", though this narration is
mursal and is not established. And Ibn
'Abbaas (radiAllaahu anhu) is the Ocean of
Knowledge of this Ummah, and its Learned
Scholar. And the Messenger of Allaah
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) considered
him to be worthy of carrying a
Legacy/Advice from him despite his small
age, and so he said to him : "Be Mindful of
Allaah and Allaah will protect you", and its
meaning is "Be obedient to your Lord,
ordering whatever He has ordered and
forbidding whatever He has forbidden".
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement : "Be

Mindful of Allaah and you will find Him in front of
you" means "Perform your actions for His sake out of
His obedience, and let yourself not be seen to oppose
or disobey Him, then you will find Allaah with you in
times of difficulty", as happened to the three men who
fled to a cave to seek shelter from torrential rain,
whereupon a huge rock descended upon the entrance to
the cave and sealed it. So they said to one another :
"Look to the pious actions that you have performed [in
the past] and ask Allaah ta'aalaa by them, for verily He
is the only One who can save us from this." So each
one of them mentioned a good action that they had
performed previously, purely for the sake of their Lord,
so Allaah removed the rock that was blocking the
entrance to the cave, and they were free from their
imprisonment, and their story is well known from the
Saheeh [of Muslim]. [Note: This story shows that one
of the permissible, and indeed recommended, forms of
Tawassul, or seeking Waseelah to Allaah, is through
the good actions that one has performed.]
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement : "If

you ask, then ask Allaah [alone]; and if you seek help,
then seek help from Allaah [alone]" guides us to
having Trust and Reliance upon our Protector, and that
we should not take any Ilaah (object of Worship)
except Him, and that we should not depend upon or be
attached to anyone other than Him in all our affairs, no
matter how small they may be. And Allaah ta'aalaa has
said : "And whosoever puts his trust in Allaah, then He
will suffice him" [at-Talaaq, 3].
So according to the degree by which a person relies

upon other than Allaah ta'aalaa in his desires and by his
heart, or in his hopes, then proportionately he has
turned away from his Lord to those who cannot hurt
him nor benefit him. And similarly in the case of Fear
of other than Allaah, and the Prophet (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) emphasised this when he said : "And
know that if the Nation were to gather together to
benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you
except with what Allaah had already prescribed for
you", and similarly in the case of harm. And this is the
essence of Eemaan in Qadr, and having eemaan in it is
obligatory, the good of it and the evil of it. And once a
Believer has conviction (yaqeen) in this then he sees no
benefit in asking from other than Allaah or seeking
help from them. And similar to this is the answer of al-
Khaleel [Ibraaheem] alayhi as-salaam, to the question
of Jibreel (alayhi as-salaam) when he was in the air
having been thrown towards the Great Fire : "Do you
have any need ?" to which he replied : "As for from
you, then no. As for from Allaah, then definitely."
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement :

"The Pens have been lifted and the Pages have dried"
further emphasises what has preceeded, and there is no
contradiction with that by way of abrogation or change.

"And know that Victory comes with Patience, Relief
with Affliction, and Hardship with Ease" informs him
[Ibn 'Abbaas] to take note that Man in this World will
be presented with trials and misfortunes, especially the
Pious, due to the statement of Allaah 'azza wa jall :
155. And certainly, We shall

test you with something of
fear, hunger, loss of wealth,
lives and fruits, but give glad
tidings to As-Saabireen (the
patient ones) 156. Who, when
afflicted with calamity, say:
"Truly! To Allaah we belong
and truly, to Him we shall
return." 157. They are those
on whom are the Salawaat
(blessings) from their Lord,
and (they are those who)
receive His Mercy, and it is
they who are the guided-ones.
[al-Baqarah, 155-157]
and Allaah ta'aalaa has also said :
Only those who are patient

shall receive their rewards in
full, without reckoning.
[az-Zumar, 10]
Summary :
 That it is allowed for two people to be
seated on a mount if it does not over-
burden the animal
 That if one takes care about Allaah's
Rights, then He takes care of him
 That if one takes care of Allaah's
Rights, then He helps him
 That one must ask of Allaah only, and
seek His help only
 That we cannot be harmed or
benefitted by anything or anyone, no
matter how large they are in number
or strong they appear, except by that
which Allaah allows
 That what Allaah has allowed in our
destiny will definitely occur
 That one should remember and take
care of Allaah's Rights in times of
ease, and Allaah will take care of him
in times of difficulty
 That Victory comes with Patience
 That relief comes after suffering
 That ease comes after hardship
Hadeeth 20 : Modesty is from
Eemaan
‫عن أبي مسعود عقبة بن عمرو األنصاري البدري‬

‫ قال رسول الله صلي الله علية‬: ‫رضى الله عنه قال‬
‫ ( إن مما أدرك الناس من كالم النبوة األولى‬: ‫وسلم‬
.) ‫ إذا لم تستح فاصنع ما شئت‬:
] 3483 : ‫رواه البخاري [ رقم‬
On the authority of Abu Mas'ood 'Uqbah bin 'Amr al-

Ansaaree al-Badree (radiAllaahu anhu) who said : The
said :
Verily, from what was learnt by the people from

the speech of the Earliest Prophecy is : If you feel
no shame, then do as you wish.
It was related by al-Bukhaaree
The meaning of his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa

sallam) statement "From the speech of the
Earliest Prophecy" is that modesty has
always been considered praiseworthy,
commendable and ordered with, and has
never been abrogated in the teachings and
Laws of the earlier Prophets.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "then

do as you wish" has two angles to it :
The first of them is that it is not an order to do as we

please, but rather it is a warning or threat that if we do
so then we shall have to face the consequences. And
this is similar to the statement of Allaah ta'aalaa with
reference to the Disbelievers : "Do what you will"
[Fussilat, 40]. And this is a threat to them as it has been
made clear to them what will come about as a result of
their disbelief. And this is also similar to the statement
of the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
"Whoever sells alcohol then let him also make
permissible the eating of swine" - and, clearly, there is
not in this permission to eat the flesh of pigs !
The second is that if a person does not have any

modesty or shame, then let him come forward and
openly perform every single shameful act without any
reservation. And similar to this is his (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) statement : "Modesty is from
Eemaan (faith)". Its meaning is that modesty prevents a
person from committing shameful and evil deeds, but
rather encourages him towards piety and good actions;
just as a person's Eemaan (faith) prevents him from
committing such acts, and instead encourages him
upon obedience [of the Lord]. Thus, modesty attains
the station and position of Eemaan, through its being
equivalent to Eemaan in this.
Summary :
 That people are generally alright until

they corrupt themselves
 That when one has remained pure
one can trust one's conscience
Hadeeth 21 : Say 'I believe in Allaah' and then be

Steadfast
On the authority of Aboo 'Amr - and he is also called

Aboo 'Amrah - Sufyaan bin Abdillaah ath-Thaqafee
(radiAllaahu anhu) who said :
I said : "O Messenger of Allaah, tell me

something about al-Islaam which I can ask of no
one but you."
He said : "Say: I believe in Allaah - and then be
Steadfast"

The meaning of his (radiAllaahu anhu)

statement "tell me something about al-
Islaam which I can ask of no one but you" is
that he is asking the Prophet (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) to teach him a
comprehensive statement about the
meaning of al-Islaam, that is clear in and of
itself, and does not require any further
explanation by anyone other than the
Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam), such
that he may act upon it and protect himself
(from the Fire) with it. So the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) replied to his
question with his statement : "Say: I believe
in Allaah - and then be Steadfast".
This is from the Complete and Comprehensive Speech

that has been given to our Messenger (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam), for verily he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) has combined, for the questioner, in these two
phrases the complete meanings of al-Islaam and al-
Eemaan. For verily these words instruct one to renew
one's Eemaan through the tongue and the remembrance
of the heart, and they instruct one to remain steadfast
(have Istiqaamah) upon performing the actions of
Obedience and to refrain completely from all the
actions of Disobedience, since it is not possible to
establish al-Istiqaamah while at the same time having
some element of crookedness and disobedience, as this
is its opposite. And this is similar to His statement :
"Verily, those who say: 'Our Lord is Allaah', and then
they remain steadfast upon that" [Fussilat, 30], ie they
believe in Allaah alone, and then they remain steadfast
upon that, and upon His obedience, until Allaah takes
their souls and they are still upon that. 'Umar bin al-
Khattaab (radiAllaahu anhu) said : "They are steadfast
upon the obedience of Allaah, and they do not swerve
away from that with the evasions of the fox". And its
meaning is that they are firm upon most of what Allaah
has ordered, from the matters of Belief, Speech and
Action. And they persist upon that, and this is the
meaning of the explanation given by most of the
scholars of Tafseer, and it is the meaning of the
hadeeth, in shaa' Allaah ta'aalaa.
And similarly the statement of Allaah subhaanahu : "So

stand (O Muhammad SAW) firm and straight (on the
religion of Islaam) as you are commanded" [Hood,
112]. Ibn 'Abbaas (radiAllaahu anhu) said that no other
verse from the entire Qur'aan was revealed upon the
Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) that was
harder upon him than this verse. And due to this he
sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam said : "(The Soorah)
Hood and its companions have made my hair white".
And Aboo Bakr (radiAllaahu anhu) has narrated that he
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said : "My hair has been
made white by (Soorahs) Hood, and al-Waaqi'ah, and
al-Mursalaat, and 'Amma yatasaa'aloon, and Idha ash-
Shamsu Kuwwirat".
al-Ustaadh Aboo al-Qaasim al-Qushairee (rahimahu

Allaahu ta'aalaa) said : al-Istiqaamah is a station by
which is achieved the perfection of the affairs, and
their completion, and with its presence one attains all
that is good and in order. And he who does not attain
Istiqaamah in his endeavour then he has lost that
endeavour and all good fortune.
And it is said : al-Istiqaamah is not sustained except by

the elders and seniors [in the Deen], because it involves
keeping away from the common [incorrect] practises of
the [ignorant] people. And it involves difference and
separation from the [incorrect] customs and traditions
of the people, and instead standing firm between the
Hands of Allaah ta'aalaa upon the Reality of Truth, and
due to this the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
said "Be steadfast [in your actions] and do not
count/enumerate [your good actions, which may cause
you to limit them]. And know that the best of your
actions is the Prayer, and none except the [true]
Believer takes care to maintain his wudoo'". And al-
Waasitee (rahimahu Allaah) said : "al-Istiqaamah is a
trait such that with it all the good qualities are
perfected, and without it they are all disfigured."
Summary :
 That only the Messenger of Allaah

(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) fully
understood the essence and worth of
worshipping Allaah truly
 That one must truly believe that
Allaah is his Lord whom he worships,
and then stay upright and steadfast
upon that belief, and that covers the
whole religion
 That keeping Upright / Steadfast is
following the injunctions that have
come from Allaah in Whom he trusts
and Whom he worships and Whom he
takes as the highest authority
Hadeeth 22 : Confinement to the Obligatory Deeds

is Sufficient to be Entered into Paradise
On the authority of Abu 'Abdillaah Jaabir bin

'Abdillaah al-Ansaaree (radiAllaahu anhumaa) that :
A man questioned the Messenger of Allaah

(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) and said : Do you
think that if I perform the obligatory Prayers, fast
in Ramadaan, treat as lawful that which is Halaal,
and treat as forbidden that which is Haraam, and
do not increase upon that [in voluntary good
deeds], then shall I enter Paradise ?
He (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) replied : Yes
And the meaning of 'treat as forbidden the Haraam' is

to stay away from it, and the meaning of 'treat as lawful
the Halaal' is to perform it believing it to be
permissible.
This man who questioned the Prophet

(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) was an-
Nu'maan bin Qawqal. The Shaykh Aboo
'Amr bin as-Salaah (rahimahu Allaah) said :
"What is apparent from his statement 'treat
as forbidden that which is Haraam' is two
issues. The first : that he believes those
things to be forbidden. The second : that he
does not perform those actions, which is
different from the case of treating the
Halaal as permissible, as in the latter case it
is sufficient to believe that they are
permissible [without actually performing all
of them]."
The author of al-Mufham said that in this hadeeth the

Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) did not mention
to the questioner any of the voluntary actions, and this
is a proof indicating the permissibility of leaving all of
the voluntary actions. But the one who does so, and
does not perform anything from the voluntary deeds,
has deprived his soul of a tremendous profit and an
immense reward. And the one who persists upon
leaving something from the Sunnah is considered to
have a deficiency in his Religion, and an impairment to
his decency and justice. And if his leaving it is due to
disdain or indifference to it, or due to his detesting it,
then this is considered to be fisq (sinfulness) that is
deserving of punishment.
And our scholars have said : If the people of a land

come to an agreement upon the leaving of a Sunnah,
then they must be fought against until they return back
to it. And the leaders from amongst the Sahaabah
(radiAllaahu anhum) and those who followed them
would persevere upon performing the voluntary deeds,
and these would make easy persistence upon the
obligatory deeds, and they would not distinguish
between the voluntary and the obligatory in trying to
attain reward.
And here the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)

left out the Sunan and other voluntary acts in his advice
to the man to make the Religion easy for him, due to
his having recently accepted Islaam, as excessive
obligations may have alienated him from the Religion.
And he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) knew that if the
man established himself upon Islaam and if Allaah
opened his heart to the Deen, then he would, of his own
accord, seek those voluntary actions which the other
Muslims sought. Also, it is possible that the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) did not mention the
voluntary deeds in his advice so that the man would not
wrongly assume that such actions are also obligatory.
And similarly in another hadeeth :

A man asked the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) about the Salaah (Prayer), so he (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) told him that they are five. So the
man said : "Am I required to perform any more [other
than these five] ?" to which the Prophet (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) replied "No, except that which you
perform voluntarily". Then the man asked about the
Fasting, and the Hajj and other prescribed matters, and
the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) answered
him [in a similar manner]. Then at the end of this the
man said : "By Allaah, I will not increase upon this,
nor will I perform less than it", to which the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said : "He will be
Successful if he is truthful", and in another narration "If
he holds onto that which he has been commanded with
then he will enter Paradise".
And the Sunan and voluntary deeds have been

prescribed to complete and beautify the Obligatory
deeds. So in the case of this questioner, and the one
mentioned before him, the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi
wa sallam) did not include in his advice the voluntary
deeds in order to make the Religion easy for them, until
their own understanding of the Deen increased, which
would then lead to a desire to attain the reward of the
voluntary deeds.
So he who preserves the deeds obligatory upon him,

and performs them in their time, without leaving
anything from them or violating any of their requisites,
then he will attain a tremendous and immense Success
- may Allaah grant us that. And similarly, he who
comes with the obligatory deeds and then follows that
up with additional voluntary deeds will achieve a
Success even greater than the first.
Summary :
 The hadeeth is self-explanatory and

clear
 That Paradise is guaranteed for him
who fulfills his Prayer and Fasting in
the right way, with faith and perfect
submission, and without asscociating
any partners with Him, together with
treating as lawful those things that
are so, and treating as forbidden
those things that are so
 That some things become an
obligation to be done or avoided
under certain circumstances and
given certain conditions, and those
things are included in the hadeeth too
 That treating as lawful that which is
lawful and treating as forbidden that
which is forbidden essentially covers
the practising of the whole of the
Deen
 That fulfilling the conditions of this
hadeeth for Paradise is the upholding
of Tawheed by the Worshipper in his
life
Hadeeth 23 : Hastening to do Good
On the authority of Abu Maalik al-Haarith bin al-

Haarith al-Ash'aree (radiAllaahu anhu) who said : The
said :
Purity is half of Eemaan (Faith). 'al-Hamdu

lillaah' [Praise be to Allaah] fills the scales, and
'subhaanAllaah' [How far is Allaah from every
imperfection] and 'al-Hamdu lillaah' fill that
which is between heaven and earth. And the
Salaah (Prayer) is a Light, and charity is a Proof,
and Patience is Illumination, and the Qur'aan is a
Proof either for you or against you. Every person
starts his day as a vendor of his soul, either
freeing it or causing its ruin.
This hadeeth is a Principle from amongst

the Principles of Islaam, and it encompasses
within it many important matters and
fundamental principles of the Deen.
As for 'Purity' then what is intended here is the action.

The 'ulemaa have differed over the meaning of the
phrase 'Purity is half of Eemaan', so some have said
that it means that the reward of purifying oneself is
such that it reaches half the reward of Eemaan, and
some have said that the meaning of Eemaan here is the
Salaah (Prayer). As Allaah ta'aalaa has said : "And
Allaah would never let your eemaan (prayers offered
towards Jerusalem, before Makkah was made the
Qiblah) to be lost" [Soorah al-Baqarah, 143]. And
purity is a condition for the correctness of the Prayer,
so it becomes like a part of it, and it is not necessary
that a part of something is really half of it. And others
have said other than this.

"'al-Hamdu lillaah' [Praise be to Allaah] fills the
scales" then its meaning is that due to the great reward
for reciting the Praise of Allaah, the scale of good
deeds of the worshipper is filled. And it is apparent
from the texts of the Qur'aan and the Sunnah that the
deeds of the slave will be weighed on the Day of
Judgement, and will either be heavy or light.
And similar to this is his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)

statement "and 'subhaanAllaah' [How far is Allaah
from every imperfection] and 'al-Hamdu lillaah' fill
that which is between heaven and earth" and the reason
for its great virtue is that it combines within it the
denial for Allaah of all forms of deficiency and
imperfection, and establishes our complete dependence
upon Him and need of Him.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "the

Salaah (Prayer) is a Light" means that it prevents a
person from sin, forbids him from fahshaa' (lusts) and
guides him towards that which is Right, just as one
uses a light to illuminate ones way. And it has also
been said that it means that its reward will be a light for
the worshipper on the Day of Resurrection, or that it
will be a clear and apparent light on the face of the
worshipper on the Day of Resurrection, and also in this
life in the form of beauty and radiance in his face. And
this is the opposite of those who do not Pray, and
Allaah knows best.

"charity is a Proof" then the author of at-Tajreed said :
Its meaning is that safety and refuge is sought through
it, just as safety and refuge is sought through proofs [of
the truth]. And when the slave will be asked on the Day
of Resurrection about how he spent his wealth, then his
spending in charity will be a proof for him in
answering that question, so he will say "I spent it in
charity".
And others have said that its meaning is that charity is
a proof showing the eemaan of the giver, since the
hypocrite does not give charity as he does not believe
in its prescription or benefit. So whoever spends in
charity, then this is an indication of the strength of his
eemaan, and Allaah knows best.

"and Patience is Illumination" then it refers to that
Patience which is loved and recommended by the
Sharee'ah, and that is Patience upon obedience of
Allaah ta'aalaa, and Patience upon avoiding His
disobedience. And it also includes Patience with the
different difficulties that one must face in the world.
And the implication of all this is that Patience is
praiseworthy, and always shows the correct path, and
always guides to that which is right.
Ibraaheem al-Khawaas (rahimahu Allaah) said :

Patience is having steadfastness upon the Qur'aan and
the Sunnah. And it is said that patience is restraining
oneself in times of difficulty with the best manner and
character. And Abu 'Alee ad-Diqaaq (rahimahu Allaah)
said that patience is not remonstrating against that
which Allaah decrees for us. However, making
apparent ones difficulty through complaining [to
Allaah] about it does not negate ones patience. For
Allaah ta'aalaa said about Ayyoob (alayhi as-salaam)
"Truly! We found him patient. How excellent a slave!
Verily, he was ever oft-returning in repentance (to
Us)!" [Soorah Saad, 44], while also saying "And
(remember) Ayoob, when he cried to his Lord: Verily,
distress has seized me, and You are the Most Merciful
of all those who show mercy." [Soorah al-Anbiyaa',
83], and Allaah knows best.

"and the Qur'aan is a Proof either for you or against
you" then its meaning is clear that if one recites it and
acts upon it, then one will attain great benefit from it,
and if not then it will be a proof against us.

"Every person starts his day as a vendor of his soul,
either freeing it or causing its ruin" means that every
person strives for his soul, so amongst mankind are
those who sell themselves for Allaah through their
obeying Him, and thus free their souls from the
Punishment, as Allaah ta'aalaa has said : "Verily,
Allaah has purchased from the believers their lives and
their properties; for the price that theirs shall be
Paradise" [Soorah at-Tawbah, 111]. And whoever sells
his soul for Shaytaan and his desires through his
following them, then he has destroyed his soul.
O Allaah ! Grant us that we act in Your Obedience, and

save us from destroying ourselves through opposing
You.
Summary :
 That cleanliness according to the

requirements of Islaam is half of Faith
 That realisation and
acknowledgement of Allaah as the
One deserving all Praise adds weight
in our favour to the Scale of Judgment
[al-Meezaan]
 That the above coupled with the
realisation and acknowledgement of
Allaah as the Most Perfect is of great
value and ensures justice to the
creation from the worshipper
 That Prayer builds Faith and shows
the Way
 That charity is a proof of our faith
which will be given credit on the Last
Day
 That patience in our affairs beautifies
them and is a sign of wisdom
 That everything is to be judged by the
Qur'aan
 That taking the Qur'aan as a
judgement of authority either proves
our case or convicts us
 That we are ourselves responsible for
our actions and Paradise or Hell very
much depends on what we have
done, how we have done it and with
what sort of faith
Hadeeth 24 : The Forbiddence of Oppression

On the authority of Abu Dharr al-Ghifaaree
(radiAllaahu anhu) from the Prophet (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) from his Lord ('azza wa jall) that He
said :
O My servants ! I have forbidden dhulm

(oppression) for Myself, and I have made it
forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one
another.
O My servants, all of you are astray except those
whom I have guided, so seek guidance from Me
and I shall guide you.
O My servants, all of of you are hungry except
those whom I have fed, so seek food from Me and
I shall feed you.
O My servants, all of you are naked except those
whom I have clothed, so seek clothing from Me
and I shall clothe you.
O My servants, you commit sins by day and by
night, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness
from Me and I shall forgive you.
O My servants, you will not attain harming Me so
as to harm me, and you will not attain benefitting
Me so as to benefit Me.
O My servants, if the first of you and the last of
you, and the humans of you and the jinn of you,
were all as pious as the most pious heart of any
individual amongst you, then this would not
increase My Kingdom an iota.
were all as wicked as the most wicked heart of
any indivdual amongst you, then this would not
decrease My Kingdom an iota.
were all to stand together in one place and ask of
Me, and I were to give everyone what he
requested, then that would not decrease what I
Possess, except what is decreased of the Ocean
when a needle is dipped into it.
O My servants, it is but your deeds that I account
for you, and then recompense you for. So he who
finds good, let him praise Allaah, and he who
finds other than that, let him blame no one but
himself.
This hadeeth is a hadeeth where the

Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam
narrates something from Allaah ta'aalaa,
and is referred to as a 'Hadeeth Qudsee'.
Regarding His 'azza wa jall statement "I have forbidden

dhulm (oppression) for Myself, and I have made it
forbidden amongst you", some of the 'ulamaa have said
thats its meaning is : "it does not befit My Majesty and
hence is not possible for Me", as Allaah ta'aalaa has
said : "But it is not befitting of (the Majesty of) the
Most Beneficent (Allaah) that He should beget a son".
So dhulm is inconceivable in respect of Allaah ta'aalaa.
And some of the 'ulamaa have said regarding this
hadeeth : "It is not permitted for anyone to ask Allaah
to Judge against his adversary except with the Truth,
from His - suhaanahu - saying : "I have forbidden
dhulm for Myself", so He - subhaanahu - does not
oppress His slaves of His own accord, so how can
anyone conceive that He would oppress one of His
slaves for the sake of another one of His slaves ?"
And similarly He said : "so do not oppress one another"

and this implies that the oppressed will he avenged for
the oppression committed against him.
And His statement "all of you are astray except those

whom I have guided ... all of of you are hungry except
those whom I have fed ... all of you are naked except
those whom I have clothed" is a reminder of our
poverty before Allaah, and our inability to bring about
good for ourselves and to fend off harm from
ourselves, except by the Help of Allaah subhaanahu in
that, and this returns to the meaning of the statement :
'laa howla wa laa quwwata illaa billaah', ie 'there is no
movement or power except by the Will of Allaah'. So
let the slave know that when he sees the traces of these
blessings upon himself then this is from the blessing of
Allaah, and so it is necessary for him to thank Allaah
ta'aalaa for that. And for every thing that he receives in
excess of these blessings he should increase in Praise
and Thankfulness of Allaah ta'aalaa.
And His statement : "so seek guidance from Me and I

shall guide you", then this generally informs the slave
that when he sought guidance from his Master, then He
guided him. And even if he received guidance before
he asked for it from his Lord, then he still cannot say
that he attained guidance by knowledge that he
possessed. And similarly the meaning of "all of of you
are hungry ..." till the end, is that Allaah has created all
of creation in a state of poverty and need of food. So
every one who eats was in a state of hunger until
Allaah fed him, by sending his rizq (sustenace) to him
and perfecting the favours that had been shaped for
him. So let not the possessor of wealth think that the
sustenace which he holds in his hand and which he has
raised to his mouth has been provided to him by
anyone other than Allaah ta'aalaa. And in this statement
also is an indication of the required manners of the
needy - as though He said : "Do not seek sustenance
from anyone other than Me, for verily all those others
from whom you might seek sustenance have
themselves been provided for by Myself. So seek
sustenance from me and I will provide for you", and
similarly for that which follows this.
And His statement "you commit sins by day and by

night" contains a censure against that [sins] which
every believer feels ashamed of. For Allaah has created
the night to be obeyed in, and to be worshipped
sincerely in, as the deeds performed in the night are
generally safe from riyaa' (ostentation) and hypocrisy.
So does not the Believer feel ashamed that he does not
spend his nights and days in the obedience of Allaah ?
And also, Allaah has created witnesses from amongst
mankind too, so what is expected of every intelligent
and astute person is that he will obey Allaah, and will
not openly display disobedience in front of the people.
And how can it be that a Believer would sin whether
openly or secretly, for verily Allaah subhaanaha wa
ta'aalaa has said after that : "and I forgive all sins". And
in the arabic of this statement are two forms of
emphasis which indicate that Allaah will forgive all
forms of sin. And He said this before His order to seek
forgiveness from Him, so that no one who has
committed a sin may despair of the Mercy of Allaah,
no matter how great that sin may be.
And in His statement "if the first of you and the last of
you, and the humans of you and the jinn of you" until
the end, is an indication that the taqwaa (piety) of the
pious is a Mercy granted to them, and that it does not
affect or increase the Kingdom of Allaah in the least.
And as for His statement "... were all to stand together
in one place" then in it is an exhortation to the creation
to lay importance upon asking Allaah and to seek from
Him in all affairs, and not to feel shy or decrease in
asking Him, for verily that which is with Allaah does
not decrease and His treasures are inexhaustible, so let
not anyone think that what is with Allaah will diminish
by His giving, as the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam has explained in another hadeeth : "Allaah's
Hand is Full; it is not diminished by His giving all of
the day and the night. Have you not seen that your
Lord has been giving ever since He created the
Heavens and the Earth, and all that has not diminished
what is in His Right Hand by the least". And what is
hidden in this is that His Qudrah (Power, Ability) is
always ready for bestowing favours upon His creation,
and it is not possible that He lose the ability to do so, or
that He decrease in doing so, or that what He is able to
do becomes restricted.
And His statement "except what is decreased of the

Ocean when a needle is dipped into it" is a metaphor,
whose purpose is to make understood what we testify
for Allaah. And its meaning is that what is with Allaah
does not decrease at all.
And His statement "it is but your deeds that I account

for you, and then recompense you for. So he who finds
good, let him praise Allaah" means that the slave
should not consider his actions of obedience and
worship of Allaah as being the sole result or his own
nafs (soul), but rather he should consider them to be the
result of the tawfeeq (guidance, good fortune) from
Allaah, and hence he should Praise Him for that.
And He said "and he who finds other than that" and He

did not say "and he who finds evil"; and the meaning of
this is therefore "and he who finds anything other than
that which is best". Then, such a person should not
blame anyone except himself. And Allaah emphasises
this through a nuance in the Arabic language, so that no
person may think that there can be anyone else who
partly or wholly bears resposibility for his actions.
Summary :
 That Allaah never oppresses

 That Allaah cannot oppress
 That it is Haraam for us to oppress
one another
 That nobody is guided unless he is
guided by Allaah
 That although the Guidance is to be
found in the Qur'aan and the Sunnah,
yet one cannot be guided by them
unless Allaah turns our hearts to His
worship
 That it is incumbent upon us to seek
His guidance
 That if we sincerely seek His guidance
then He will indeed guide us
 That sustenace and provision is from
Allaah alone
 That we must seek sustenance and
provision from Him Only
 That He will give us sustenance and
provision if we ask it of Him
 That all of us are sinful to a greater or
lesser extent, ie nobody is sinless
 That Allaah forgives all sins except
that which He says He does not
forgive, and which He has mentioned
 That none can forgive sins but He
 That it is obligatory to seek His
forgiveness for our sins
 That nobody can either harm or
benefit Allaah in the least
 That His Kingdom is not affected at all
by all of mankind and jinn either
becoming like the best among them
or the worst among them
 If He were to give everyone what they
requested from Him, then it would not
decrease what He possesses of
treasures and bouties
 That one will be judged on what he
has done, so we must make sure our
actions are always acceptable to
Allaah
 That action is part of Eemaan
 That we cannot be successful without
His Guidance, Help, Protection and
Mercy, so we should always praise
Him for the good that we receive
 That we have no one to blame but
ourselves if we end up in misery due
to our bad deeds
Hadeeth 25 : The Affluent have made off with the

Rewards
Also on the authority of Abu Dharr (radiAllaahu anhu)

that some people from amongst the Companions of the
said to the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) :
O Messenger of Allaah, the affluent have made

off with the rewards; they pray as we pray, they
fast as we fast, and they give [much] in charity by
virtue of their wealth.
He (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said :
Has not Allaah made things for you to give in

charity ? Truly every tasbeehah [saying: subhaan
Allaah] is a charity, and every takbeerah [saying:
Allaahu akbar] is a charity, and every tahmeedah
[saying: al-hamdu lillaah] is a charity, and every
tahleelah [saying: laa ilaaha illaa Allaah] is a
charity. And commanding the good is a charity,
and forbidding an evil is a charity, and in the bud'i
[sexual act] of each one of you there is a charity.
They said : O Messenger of Allaah, when one of

us fulfils his carnal desire will he have some
reward for that ?!
He (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said : Do you

not see that if he were to act upon it [his desire] in
an unlawful manner then he would be deserving
of punishment ? Likewise, if he were to act upon
it in a lawful manner then he will be deserving of
a reward.
In the arabic the word used for affluent is

'duthoor' which implies a large amount of
wealth. And in this hadeeth is an
explanation of the Virtue of reciting tasbeeh
and all of the other forms of dhikr
(remembrance) of Allaah, and of ordering
the good and forbidding the evil, and of
ensuring that one has the intention of
Pleasing Allaah even in the Mubaah
(Permissible) actions, for by having such
pure intentions they turn into actions of
Obediance, deserving of reward.
And in this hadeeth is proof that it is permissible to ask

a scholar about the evidence for some of the things in
the scholar's fatwaa (legal verdict) that are not apparent
to the questioner, as long as it is clear that the scholar
does not dislike this and the questioning is done in a
respectful fashion.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "And

commanding the good is a charity, and forbidding an
evil is a charity" is an indication that every single type
of ordering the good or forbidding the evil carries the
ruling of being a charity. Indeed, it is greater than the
tasbeeh and the other forms of dhikr mentioned after it,
because ordering the good and forbidding the evil is a
Fard Kifaayah (Collective Obligation), and at times it
may become obligatory upon every individual, and this
is opposite to the case of the adhkaar (plural of dhikr)
mentioned previously, which are only nawaafil
(voluntary deeds). And the reward of performing the
Obligatory deeds is much greater than that of the
Voluntary deeds, as the statement of Allaah 'azza wa
jall in a hadeeth Qudsee indicates : "And My slave
does not come closer to Me by anything more beloved
to Me than the deeds that I have Obligated upon him"
[narrated by al-Bukhaaree]. Some of the 'ulamaa have
said that the reward for the obligatory deeds is greater
than that for the voluntary deeds by seventy levels, as
is indicated by some ahaadeeth.

: "and in the bud'i (sexual act) of each one of you there
is a charity" then the word "bud'i" is a general term that
encompasses the meaning of intercourse and also the
private parts themselves, and both of them correctly
convey the intended meaning here. And it has already
been mentioned that the Mubaah (Permissible) actions
- ie not Obligatory nor Recommended - become like
acts of Obediance, which are rewarded for, through the
presence of the correct intention. So the act of
intercourse also becomes an act of worship, if by it a
person intends to fulfill the rights of his wife, and to
live with her in a good way, or to seek a pious child, or
as a protection for himself or his wife from illegal
desires, or other than these from the praisewrothy
purposes.
And their statement (radiAllaahu 'anhum) : "O

Messenger of Allaah, when one of us fulfils his carnal
desire will he have some reward for that ?" and his
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) reply : "Do you not see
that if he were to act upon it [his desire] in an unlawful
manner then he would be deserving of punishment ?"
until the end of the hadeeth, then this indicates the
permissibilty of Qiyaas (using analogy to derive
rulings), and this is the madhhab of the 'ulamaa, and
none are opposed to this except the Dhaahiriyyah
(Literalists - referring to the school of Daawood adh-
Dhaahiree). And as for what has been narrated from
some of the Taabi'een (the generation after the
Sahaabah) and from other scholars to the effect that
Qiyaas is rejected and blameworthy, then what they
intended was not the Qiyaas that is known by the
Mujtahid Fuqahaa (the Jurists who make ijtihaad in
deriving rulings), and this is what is known as Qiyaas
al-'Aks (literally, 'analogy of the opposite'), and the
scholars of Usool have differed over acting upon it, but
this hadeeth is a proof for those who do act upon it.
Summary :
 That we should have concern for

attaining the reward of Allaah
 That such concern is from the
characteristics of the First Generation
of Muslims - the Companions
 That comparing onself to another to
see how many good deeds we are
performing is permissible and
recommended
 That looking towards one who is rich
so that we may do good things like
him is desirable
 That being rich is not a bad thing in
and of itself
 That everyone can perform acts of
charity no matter what his station in
life
 That remembering Allaah with words
is charity
 That conjugal relations with ones wife
is a charity
 That one is rewarded for abstaining
from the unlawful, and instead
adopting a way which is lawful
Hadeeth 26 : The Virtue of Reconciling between

People, and Judging Justly between them, and
Helping them
On the authority of Abu Hurairah (radiAllaahu anhu),

Every joint of a person must perfom a charity

each day that the sun rises : to judge justly
between two people is a charity. To help a man
with his mount, lifting him onto it or hoisting up
his belongings onto it, is a charity. And the good
word is a charity. And every step that you take
towards the Prayer is a charity, and removing a
harmful object from the road is a charity.

"every joint" is in arabic represented by the
word "sulaamaa", and this is explained as
referring to the joints and limbs of the body.
And it is established from another hadeeth,
collected in Saheeh Muslim, that there are
three hundred and sixty joints in the body.
And Qaadee 'Iyaad has mentioned that the
origin of the word "sulaamaa" referred to
the bones of the palm, fingers and feet, but
then it came to be used for all the bones of
the body and its joints. And some of the
'ulamaa have explained that the intended
meaning here of "charity" is that charity
which is encouraged as a means of gaining
additional reward, and is not an obligatory
charity.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "to

judge justly between two people is a charity" implies
that one attains reconciliation between two people in a
just manner.
And in another hadeeth narrated by Muslim : "Each

morning, upon every joint of a person's body is due a
charity; so every tasbeehah [subhaan Allaah] is a
charity, and every tahmeedah [alhamdu lillaah] is a
charity, and every tahleelah [laa ilaaha illaa Allaah] is a
charity, and every takbeerah [Allaahu akbar] is a
charity, and ordering the good is a charity, and
forbidding the evil is a charity. These dues are fulfilled
by praying two rakaa's of prayer at the time of duhaa
[late morning]". So this hadeeth shows that the charity
which is due on all the joints each day is accounted for
by two raka'as of prayer, for verily the Prayer is an
action that involves all of the limbs and joints of the
body, so when a person prays every bone performs its
part of the whole action, and Allaah knows best.
Summary :
 That it is recommended that an act of

charity be done each day for every
joint in the body
 That one must do so every day that
one lives
 That the hadeeth enumerates some
deeds which can be considered as
acts of charity
 That one can understand these to
apply to acts which are done to
mediate between people, helping
someone on his travel, walking to the
masjid, and making the roads safe for
others in any way
Hadeeth 27 : Righteousness is in Good Character
On the authority of an-Nawwaas bin Sam'aan

(radiAllaahu anhu) that the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi
wa sallam) said :
Righteousness is in good character/morality, and

wrongdoing is that which wavers in your soul,
and which you dislike people finding out about.
And on the authority of Waabisah bin Ma'bad

I came to the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu

alayhi wa sallam) and he said : "You have come
to ask about righteousness". I said : "Yes".
He said : "Consult your heart. Righteousness is

that about which the soul feels at ease and the
heart feels tranquil. And wrongdoing is that which
wavers in the soul and causes uneasiness in the
breast, even though people have repeatedly given
their legal opinion [in its favour]."

"Righteousness (al-Birr) is in good
character/morality" means that good
character is the greatest characteristic of
Birr, [and not its only characteristic]. This is
similar to his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
statement "The Hajj is [standing in]
Arafaat", ie. standing in the plain of Arafaat
on the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah is the greatest part
of the Hajj, but is not all of the Hajj. As for
Birr then it is that which encourages its
doer to perform good righteous actions, and
it is associated with the abraar [righteous,
pious individuals], and they are the ones
who are obedient to Allaah 'azza wa jall.
And what is meant by 'good character' is justice in ones

dealings, and kindness and consideration in ones
endeavours, and justice in ones orders, and being
generous in offering help and other than these from the
characteristics of the believers, those whom Allaah
ta'aalaa has described by saying :
"The believers are only those
who, when Allaah is
mentioned, feel a fear in their
hearts and when His Verses
(this Qur'aan) are recited unto
them, they increase their
Faith; and they put their trust
in their Lord alone. Who
perform as-Salaat and spend
out of that which We have
provided them. It is they who
are the believers in truth. For
them are grades of dignity
with their Lord, and
Forgiveness and a generous
provision (Paradise)." [Soorah
al-Anfaal 2-4]
And Allaah has said :
"(The believers whose lives

Allaah has purchased are)
those who repent to Allaah
(from polytheism, sin, etc.),
who worship Him, who praise
Him, who fast (or go out in
Allaah's Cause), who bow
down (in prayer), who
prostrate themselves (in
prayer), who enjoin (people)
with Al-Ma'roof (all what
Islaam has ordained) and
forbid (people) from Al-
Munkar (all that Islaam has
forbidden), and who observe
the limits set by Allaah. And
give glad tidings to the
believers." [Soorah at-Tawbah
112]
And He has said :
"Successful indeed are the

believers. Those who offer
their Salaat with all solemnity
and full submissiveness. And
those who turn away from Al-
Laghuw (dirty, false, evil,
vain talk). And those who pay
the Zakaat. And those who
guard their chastity. Except
from their wives or (the
captives and slaves) that their
right hands possess, for then,
they are free from blame; But
whoever seeks beyond that,
then those are the
transgressors; Those who are
faithfully true to their
Amanaat (all the duties which
Allaah has ordained, honesty,
trusts etc.) and to their
covenants; And those who
strictly guard their (five
compulsory congregational)
Salawaat (prayers) (at their
fixed stated hours). These are
indeed the inheritors [of
Paradise]." [Soorah al-
Mu'minoon 1-10]
And He said :
"And the slaves of the Most

Beneficent (Allaah) are those
who walk on the earth in
humility and sedateness ..."
[Soorah al-Furqaan 63],
until the end of the Soorah.
So whoever is unsure of his condition should compare

himself to these aayaat, and if he finds in himself all of
these good qualities then this is a sign of possessing
good character, and if he finds that he does not possess
any of them then this is a sign of bad character. And if
he finds only some of them, then he should strive to
retain that which he posseses and to obtain that which
he does not.
And let not one think that 'good character' is interpreted

as being only gentleness, and leaving fawaahish (lusts),
and sins, and that whoever does only that has purified
his character. Rather, good character includes all that
along with all the other characteristics of the Believers
that we have mentioned above.
And from good character also is patiently bearing bad

treatment, as has been narrated in the two Saheehs [of
Bukhaaree and Muslim] that a bedouin pulled at the
cloak of the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
until its hem left a mark upon the shoulder of the
Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam), and he [the
bedouin] said : "O Muhammad! Grant for me from the
Wealth of Allaah that is with you", so the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa salaam) turned to him and
laughed, and then ordered that he be given something.

wrongdoing is that which wavers in your soul, and
which you dislike people finding out about" means that
wrongdoing is that thing which results in
aversion/dislike in the heart, and this is a principle that
is depended upon in distinguishing sin/wrongdoing
from righteousness: that sin is that thing which wavers
in the breast and the individual hates that the people
should come to know of it. And what is intended here
by 'the people' is those who are equals in status and
respectability, or the best of society, and not the
common riff raff. So this is what is sin/wrongdoing, so
it is to be left, and Allaah knows best.
Summary :
 That righteousness is beautiful

character
 That one should not do good acts
begrudgingly and with bad manners
 That what is sinful perturbs the
uncorrupted soul
 That secrecy about our acts, generally
speaking, shows the sinfulness of
those acts
 That the feelings of the heart should
be considered when doing something
 That righteousness leaves the soul
and heart at peace
 That wrongdoing causes an
uncomfortable feeling which does not
leave no matter how much you are
advised in its favour
 That the legal verdicts and
exhortations of people do not make a
sin a right thing to do
 That a teacher can pre-empt a pupil's
question in order to help the student
understand his queries
Hadeeth 28 : The Obligation of Binding Oneself to

the Sunnah
On the authority of Abu Najeeh al-'Irbaad ibn Saariyah


sallam) gave us a sermon by which our hearts
were filled with fear and tears came to our eyes.
So we said : "O Messenger of Allaah ! It is as
though this is a farewell sermon, so counsel us".
He said :
I counsel you to have taqwaa (fear) of Allaah, and

to listen and obey [your leader], even if a slave
were to become your Ameer. Verily he among
you who lives long will see great controversy, so
you must keep to my Sunnah and to the Sunnah
of the Khulafaa' ar-Raashideen (the Rightly
Guided Caliphs), those who guide to the right
way. Cling to it stubbornly [literally: with your
molar teeth]. Beware of newly invented matters
[in the religion], for verily every bid'ah
(innovation) is misguidance.
It was related by Abu Dawood and at-Tirmidhee, who

said that it was a good and sound Hadeeth.
In some of the narrations of this hadeeth it

occurs : "Verily this is a farewell sermon, so
what do you charge/entrust us with ?" to
which the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam replied : "Verily I have left you upon
a White Plain [ie Clear Guidance], its Night
is like its Day, and none deviates from it
except that he is destroyed". And in another
narration, his (radiAllaahu anhu) statement
"a profound sermon" means that the
sermon affected them and caused them to
feel fear in their hearts, and brought tears
to their eyes.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "I

counsel you to have taqwaa (fear) of Allaah, and to
listen and obey [your leader]" means the ruler, even if
he may be a slave. And in some of the narrations it
mentions "an Ethiopian slave". Some of the 'ulamaa
have said that a slave cannot be the ruler, and that this
has been mentioned by way of an example or
supposition. And this is similar to his (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) statement "Whosoever builds for
Allaah a masjid like a bird's nest, Allaah builds for him
a house in Paradise". And a bird's nest cannot be a
masjid, but this is given simply by way of an example.
Other 'ulamaa say that in this statement the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) is informing us that the
Rulership will become corrupt, and will be given to
other than its rightful owners, until it is even given to
the slaves. So if this were to occur then still listen and
obey, in order to secure the lesser of two evils, which
are putting up with a Ruler who rules without right, or
bringing about chaos and a great fitnah through revolt.

"Verily he among you who lives long will see great
controversy" is from amongst his (sallAllaahu alayhi
wa sallam) miracles, as he informed his Companions of
that which was to occur after him of differences and
the spreading of evil. And he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) was aware of this in complete detail, but he did
not reveal all these details to every individual. Rather
he used to warn about it in a general fashion, but also
explained it in detail to some individuals such as
Hudhayfah and Abu Hurayrah (radiAllaahu anhumaa),
and this is evidence to show their great position and
status.

"so you must keep to my Sunnah" then the word
'sunnah' means the straight, correct and sound way
which proceeds upon his normal/customary way, and
that is the Clear Path. And "the Sunnah of the
Khulafaa' ar-Raashideen (the Rightly Guided Caliphs),
those who guide to the right way" are those in whom
the Guidance was contained, and they are the Four by
consensus of the Muslims - Abu Bakr, and 'Umar, and
'Uthmaan and 'Alee, may Allaah be pleased with them
all.
And the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) ordered

us with clinging to the Sunnah of the Khulafaa' ar-
Raashideen for two reasons :
The First is in the form of taqleed (following without
evidence) for the one who is incapable of making his
own discernment/judgement.
The Second is in the form of deciding that which is
more correct when faced with a difference of opinion
amongst the Sahaabah themselves.

"Beware of newly invented matters [in the religion]"
then know that such newly invented matters are of two
types :
1) That matter which has no basis in the Sharee'ah, and
this is baatil [rejected] and blameworthy
2) That matter which has a parallel or similarity in the
Sharee'ah, then this is not blameworthy.
This is because the words 'newly invented matter' and
'bid'ah' are not deemed blameworthy purely on the
basis of the words themselves, but due to their
indicating opposition to the Sunnah and calling towards
misguidance, and so they are not considered to be
unrestrictedly wrong. For example, 'Umar (radiAllaah
anhu) reinstated the Taraaweeh Prayer and said "What
an excellent bid'ah is this." It is to be noted here that
the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) had led the
Taraaweeh Prayer in congregation for a few days, but
then discontinued it due to his fear that the people
would think it obligatory. This condition remained
throughout the Khilaafah of Abu Bakr (radiAllaahu
anhu), until 'Umar (radiAllaahu anhu) restarted what
the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) had already
laid a precedent for. Thus, he used the word bid'ah in a
purely linguistic sense, and not in the Shar'ee sense that
is used for blameworthy things.
Summary :
 That one should speak in a way, when

it is needed, that reaches the very
hearts of the people
 That the Sahaabah (radiAllaahu
anhum) cried when listening to the
sermon, and hence it is not wrong to
cry during sermons
 That the advice given in this Hadeeth
is parting advice from the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
 That the first thing advised is to fear
Allaah (ie to have taqwaa)
 That one should obey the Ameer ul-
Mu'mineen completely
 That obedience is due to the Ameer
ul-Mu'mineen, no matter who
becomes so (as long he fulfills its
conditions)
 That there will be controversy and
difference of opinion after the
Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam
 That in all cases of difference it is
obligatory to stick to the Sunnah, the
way of the Messenger (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) and to the way of
the First Four Rightly Guided Caliphs
 That the Messenger (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) has referred to his
Sunnah and that of the Rightly Guided
Caliphs as one thing, through his
saying 'Cling to it'
 That one must be extremely careful
about new things in the Deen
 That one must ensure that everything
that one does as part of his religion
indeed has proof for it in the Qur'aan
and Sunnah
 That every invented matter in the
Deen (which has no basis in the
Sharee'ah) is a bid'ah, and bid'ah
leads away from Paradise and
towards the Hell Fire, and hence there
cannot be a "good bid'ah"
 That innovations can be in belief and
in actions, and are manifestations of
controversy
Hadeeth 29 : That which Enters One into Paradise
On the authority of Mu'aadh bin Jabal (radiAllaahu

anhu) who said :
I said : O Messenger of Allaah, tell me of an act

which will take me into Paradise and will keep
me away from the Hell Fire.
He said : You have asked me about a great matter,

yet it is easy for him for whom Allaah makes it
easy : Worship Allaah, without associating any
partners with Him; establish the Prayer; pay the
Zakaah; fast in Ramadaan; and make the
Pilgrimage to the House.
Then he said : Shall I not guide you towards the

Means of Goodness ? Fasting is a shield; charity
wipes away sin as water extinguishes fire; and the
Praying of a man in the depths of the Night. Then
he recited : "[Those] who forsake their beds, to
invoke their Lord in fear and hope, and they
spend (charity in Allaah's Cause) out of what We
have bestowed on them. No person knows what is
kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what
they used to do." [Soorah as-Sajdah, 16-17]
Then he said : Shall I not inform you of the head

of the matter, its pillar and its peak ?
I said : Yes, O Messenger of Allaah.
He said : The head of the matter is Islaam, its

pillar is the Prayer and its peak is jihaad.
Then he said : Shall I not tell you of the

foundation of all of that ?
I said : Yes, O Mesenger of Allaah.
So he took hold of his tongue and said : Restrain

this.
I said : O Prophet of Allaah, will we be taken to

account for what we say with it ?
He said : May your mother be bereaved of you, O

Mu'aadh ! Is there anything that throws people
into the Hell Fire upon their faces - or : on their
noses - except the harvests of their tongues ?
It was related by at-Tirmidhee, who said it was a good

and sound hadeeth.

"You have asked me about a great matter,
yet it is easy for him for whom Allaah
makes it easy" is referring to the one whom
Allaah grants the ability to act, then guides
him to worship Him with sincerity, and
without associating any partners with Him.
"Establish the Prayer" means performing it by

completing all its requisites in the most perfect manner.
Then after this, he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
mentioned the other Pillars of Islaam, namely the
Zakaah, Fasting and Hajj, and then he asked "Shall I
not guide you towards the Means of Goodness ?"
"Fasting is a shield" - here 'fasting' is referring to the

Fasting other than that of Ramadaan, as that has
already been mentioned. What is implied here is
observing many voluntary fasts. And the protection of
fasting is like a shield and covering from the Fire.
"Charity wipes away sin" - what is meant by 'charity'

here is that which is beyond the obligatory zakaat.
Then he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said : "and the

Praying of a man in the depths of the Night" and he
recited the verses from Soorah as-Sajdah. All this
means that the one who stands in the middle of the
night, abandoning the pleasure of his sleep, prefering
instead that which he hopes from his Lord, then his
reward shall be as mentioned in the verse : "No person
knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward
for what they used to do". And it has been transmitted
in some narrations that "Allaah ta'aalaa boasts about
the one who stands in worship in the darkness of the
night, by saying : "Look at My Slaves who stand in the
darkness of the night, when none except I see them;
bear witness that I have granted for them the abode of
My Favour and Generosity""
And then he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said :

"Shall I not inform you of the head of the matter ? ...".
So he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) likened 'the
matter' to a male camel and made Islaam its head, as
any animal cannot live without a head. Then he said
"its pillar is the Prayer" : the pillar of something is that
thing by which it stands, and remains unstable without
it.

the peak of its hump is jihaad" : the peak of anything is
its uppermost part, and the peak of the hump of a camel
is its uppermost tip. And jihaad is an action which is
not matched or equalled by any other, as has been
narrated by Abu Hurairah (radiAllaahu 'anhu) that a
man came to the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) and said : "Guide me to an action
equal to jihaad", to which the Messenger replied : "I do
not find one". Then he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
said : "Are you able, when the Mujaahid leaves his
house, to enter the Masjid and Pray continuously
without breaking, and fast continuously without eating
[until the Mujaahid returns] ?", to which the man
replied "And who is able to do so ?"

"Shall I not tell you of the foundation of all of that ? ..."
is encouragement first upon jihaad against kufr, and
then the greater jihaad, which is the jihaad against the
nafs (soul), and restraining it from speech which will
harm it and bring about its downfall. For he
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) indicated that most of
the people will enter the Fire because of their tongues,
whence he said : "May your mother be bereaved of
you, O Mu'aadh ! Is there anything that throws people
into the Hell Fire upon their faces - or : on their noses -
except the harvests of their tongues ?" And it has
already been mentioned in the authentic hadeeth that
"whosoever believes in Allaah and the Last Day, then
let him speak good or keep silent", and in another
hadeeth "Whosoever guarantees for me (ie safeguards)
that which is between his jaws (ie his tongue) and that
which is between his legs (ie his private parts), then I
shall guarantee for him Paradise".
Summary :
 That seeking Paradise and seeking to

be saved from the Fire is a matter of
great importance and seriousness,
and this concern should have the
correct priority in our lives
 That this hadeeth confirms that if one
fulfils the requirements of all the five
pillars of Islaam then one is
guaranteed Paradise
 That the first pillar incorporates
abiding by all the compulsory acts
and avoiding all that which is
forbidden
 That living Islaam is easy when Allaah
makes it so
 That the five pillars constitute the
indivisible whole that is Islaam;
therefore denying any one of them is
Kufr that bars us from Paradise
 That fasting, giving in charity and
praying Tahajjud lead to goodness in
this world and the next
 That fasting protects us from sins,
develops in us piety, thus acting as a
shield against the Fire and evil in this
world
 That giving in charity wipes out our
sins
 That praying Tahajjud develops us
spiritually and makes our islaam
stronger and more sincere
 That the head of our affair in life is
living Islaam
 That the Prayer is the central pillar
that holds up our Islaam, and without
which there is no Islaam in our lives
 That the peak of Islaam is Jihaad in
the Way of Allaah, and this is the
highest form of Worship
 That one must use ones tongue with
extreme caution, as wrongful use of
speech will be held against us on the
Day of Judgement and can land us in
Hell Fire
 The Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) did not mean the words "May
your mother be bereaved of you" as a
literal supplication, but it was a
custom of the arabs
Hadeeth 30 : The Rights of Allaah ta'aalaa

On the authority of Abu Tha'labah al-Kushanee -
Jurthoom bin Naashir (radiAllaahu anhu) - that the
said :
Verily Allaah ta'aalaa has laid down Religious

Obligations (faraa'id), so do not neglect them; and
He has set limits/boundaries, so do not overstep
them; and He has Forbidden some things, so do
not violate them; and He has remained silent
about some things, out of compassion for you, not
forgetfulness - so do not seek after them.
A Hasan hadeeth narrated by ad-Daaraqutnee and

others.

"has laid down" means that Allaah 'azza wa
jall has made these things obligatory. And
his statement "so do not overstep them"
means do not enter into them. And as for
the forbiddance from delving into those
matters which Allaah has remained silent
about, then it is in accordance with his
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement :
[unspecified], for the earlier nations were
destroyed because of their excessive
questioning and their disagreeing with their
Prophets" [See Hadeeth Number 9]. Some
of the 'ulamaa have said : "The Banoo
Israa'eel used to ask [much] and they were
answered and given what they asked for,
until this became a fitnah (trial) for them,
and this brought them towards their
destruction."
And the Sahaabah (radiAllaahu 'anhum) understood

this, and restrained from asking except in those matters
which were essential. [Due to this] they would be
delighted when a desert bedouin [who would not be so
restrained] would come to ask the Messenger of Allaah
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) questions, so they
would listen attentively.
And some people became extreme in this until they
said : "It is not permssible to ask the scholars about
new events/situations until they actually occur." And
the Salaf [ie the Early Scholars] used to say similar to
this, that is to leave such matters until they actually
occurred. [This continued] until they began to fear that
Knowledge would be lost [through the death of the
'ulamaa], and so they began to lay down Principles, and
discuss finer issues, and to arrange and write down the
different branches of Knowledge and their rulings.
And the 'ulamaa have differed regarding the ruling on

matters before the Sharee'ah was revealed about them
[ie during the life of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam] - were they all forbidden or permissible or was
there no ruling about them at all ? So the 'ulamaa have
split into three madhhabs on this issue, and all this is
mentioned in detail in the books of Usool ul-Fiqh.
Summary :
 That a Muslim has specified enjoined

duties to perform in his religion, which
he cannot neglect
 That Allaah has shown us how and
where not commit excesses
 That He has set limits and
prohibitions, which also cannot be
neglected
 That what is known clearly from the
Book and the Sunnah is enough for
our lives, and this is a Mercy from
Allaah
 That we should not seek after what
has not been mentioned
 That speculating, philosophising and
hypothesising about Islaam is
forbidden
 That Allaah never forgets
Hadeeth 31 : The Reality of Asceticism
On the authority of Abu al-'Abbaas Sahl bin Sa'ad as-

Saa'idee (radiAllaahu anhu) who said :
A man came to the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa

sallam) and said : O Messenger of Allaah, direct
me to an act which, if I do it, [will cause] Allaah
to love me and the people to love me. So he
Renounce the world and Allaah will love you, and

renounce what the people possess and the people
will love you.
A Hasan hadeeth related by Ibn Maajah and others with

good chains of authorities.
Know that the Messenger of Allaah

(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) used to
encourage his Companions upon making do
with little from worldly possessions and
upon abstemiousness, and said : "Remain in
the World as though you are a stranger, or
a passing traveller." And it has been
narrated that he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) said : "Love of the Dunyaa (Worldly
pleasures) is the head of all sins" [However,
this narration is traceable back only to al-
Hasan al-Basree, and not to the Prophet
sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam]. And in
another hadeeth : "Verily the ascetic in this
life finds his heart contented in this world
and in the Hereafter, while the seeker of the
Dunyaa finds his heart weary in this world
and in the Hereafter".
And know that whosoever lives in the world lives like

a guest, and whatever he holds in his hand is but a loan;
the guest will ultimately depart, and the loan will
ultimately be returned. And 'Alee (radiAllaahu anhu)
said : "The Dunyaa is the land that you see before you -
from it eat the pious and the evil ones", and it is hated
by the Awliyaa (Friends) of Allaah and loved by the
People of the Dunyaa. So whosoever joins them in
their love of it (the Dunyaa) then they too are hated.
And the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa

sallam) has guided the questioner in this hadeeth to
leave the Dunyaa by being abstemious of it, and as a
consequence of that has promised for him the Love of
Allaah, the Most High - and that is His being Pleased
with him, for verily the Love of Allaah for His slaves is
His being Pleased with them. And he (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) also guided him towards being
abstemious of that which the people possess, if he
wishes to obtain the love of the people. And wealth is
from love of the Dunyaa, and verily there is nothing
that the people possess and they hate one another
because of it or compete with one another for it, except
the wealth of the Dunyaa.
And he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said : "Whoever

makes the Hereafter his pre-occupation, then Allaah
gathers together his affairs, and places freedom from
want in his heart, and the Dunyaa comes to him despite
being reluctant to do so. And whoever makes the
Dunyaa his pre-occupation, then Allaah breaks up his
affairs, and places his poverty before his eyes, and
nothing of the Dunyaa comes to him except that which
has been decreed for him. And the happy one is he who
chooses that whose blessings will remain forever over
the trial whose punishments shall never cease".
Summary :
 That renouncing the world secures

the love of Allaah
 That renouncing the world means not
to take it itself as a goal in life and
not to be captivated and misled by it
 Renouncing the world means to leave
those things which are non-essential
even though they are permissible,
and to keep to the necessities of life
[Sharh an-Nawawi]
 That renouncing what people have
will secure their love for you
 That renouncing what people have
means not to compete in having what
they own, thus saving one from
mutual rivalry for gain at the cost of
others and their jealousy
Hadeeth 32 : No Harming nor Reciprocating Harm

On the authority of Abu Sa'eed Sa'ad bin Sinaan al-
Khudree (radiAllaahu anhu) that the Messenger of
Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said :
There should be neither harming [darar] nor

reciprocating harm [diraar].
A Hasan hadeeth related by Ibn Maajah, ad-

Daaraqutnee and others as a musnad hadeeth. It was
also related by Maalik in al-Muwatta in mursal form
from 'Amr bin Yahyaa, from his father from the
Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam), but leaving
Abu Sa'eed from the chain. And it has other chains of
narrations that strengthen one another.
Know that he who harms his brother has

oppressed him, and oppression is Prohibited
[Haraam], as has preceeded in the hadeeth
of Abu Dharr (radiAllaahu anhu) : "O My
servants ! I have forbidden dhulm
(oppression) for Myself, and I have made it
forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress
one another", and the Prophet (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) has said : "Verily your
blood [ie lives] and your property and your
honour are all Sacred/Prohibited". And he
said this on many occasions, including the
Sermon he gave at the Farewell Hajj.

"There should be neither 'darar' nor 'diraar'" then some
of the 'ulamaa have said that these are two words which
have the same meaning, and they have been used
together as a form of emphasis.
And Ibn Habeeb (rahimahu Allaah) said : "According

to the scholars of the Arabic language, ad-darar refers
to the noun and ad-diraar refers to the action/verb, and
so the meaning of 'no darar' is that none of you should
harm any other with something that they have not
harmed you with first. And the meaning of 'no diraar' is
that none of you should harm any other at all."
And al-Muhsinee (rahimahu Allaah) said : "ad-darar is

that by which you attain benefit, but in it is harm for
your neighbour", and this is a good understanding of a
nuance of the meaning. And other scholars have said :
"ad-darar and ad-diraar are similar to al-qatal [murder]
and al-qitaal [fighting one another], so ad-darar is that
you harm one who has not harmed you, while ad-diraar
is that you harm one who also harms you in a way that
is not responding equally or taking revenge rightfully",
and this is similar to his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
statement "Return the Trusts given to you, to those who
entrusted them to you, and do not betray the one who
betrays you" [Hasan Ghareeb, narrated by at-
Tirmidhee]. And the meaning of this according to some
of the 'ulamaa is that one must not betray the one who
betrays, after one has already taken revenge or sought
justice for his betrayal. And so it is as though the
forbiddance here is upon initiating an injustice or harm,
while the one who seeks revenge with the equal of
what he has been harmed with, and who takes his
Right, then he is not considered to be a betrayer.
Rather, the betrayer is he who takes that which does
not belong to him or more than that which is rightfully
his.
And the Jurists [fuqahaa'] have differed over the one

who refuses to fulfill the rights/trusts that others have
upon him, such that the entruster forcibly takes the
wealth that he had entrusted to him. So some of the
scholars have said : "It is not correct for him to
[forcibly] take what is his right due to what is apparent
from his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement
"Return the Trusts, and do not betray the one who
betrays you". On the other hand, other scholars have
said : "It is permissible for him to take revenge from
the one who has betrayed him, and to forcibly take
what is due to him from the hand of his betrayer" and
they use as proof the hadeeth narrated by 'Aaishah
(radiAllaahu anhaa) regarding the incident involving
Hind and her husband Abu Sufyaan, wherein Hind said
to the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) "O
Messenger of Allaah ! Verily Abu Sufyaan is a
stingy/tight-fisted man, and he does not give to me
what is sufficient for myself and my child, unless I take
it from him secretly." So the Prophet (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) replied : "Take [from his wealth]
what is sufficient for you and your child, but with
justice" [narrated by Muslim]. And in this issue the
fuqahaa' have mentioned many points and fine issues
that cannot be mentioned here.
And what is correct from an examination of all the

evidences is that it is not correct for someone to harm
his brother, whether he has harmed him or not, except
if he avenges himself to the extent that Justice allows
him to [ie equally], and this is not considered to be
oppression nor harm, as long at is in a fashion that the
Sunnah makes permissible for him.
And the Shaykh Abu 'Amr bin as-Salaah (rahimahu

Allaah) has said that [the famous hadeeth scholar] ad-
Daaraqutnee has collected a number of chains of
narration of this hadeeth which strengthen one another,
and thus raise it to the level of being Hasan [Sound,
acceptable], and it has been transmitted and used as
proof by the vast majority of the 'ulamaa, and [the
hadeeth scholar] Abu Daawood said : "The Knowledge
of Fiqh revolves around five ahaadeeth", and he
counted this hadeeth amongst them. So Shaykh Abu
'Amr said that the fact that Abu Daawood counted this
hadeeth amongst the five, and his other statements
about it, show that he did not consider it to be a Da'eef
[Weak, unreliable] hadeeth, and he said about it that
ad-diraar is similar to al-qitaal, and this is what is upon
the Sunnah. And many of the scholars of Fiqh and
Hadeeth have also narrated this hadeeth as "There
should be neither darar nor idraar", but this wording
has no basis.
Summary :
 That it is forbidden to harm others

 That it is forbidden to transgress
against those who harm us
Hadeeth 33 : The Onus of Proof is on the Claimant

and The Taking of an Oath is on the Denier

On the authority of Ibn 'Abbaas, radiAllaahu anhumaa,
sallam) said :
Were people to be given everything that they

clamied, men would [unjustly] claim the wealth
and lives of [other] people. But, the onus of proof
is upon the claimant, and the taking of an oath is
upon him who denies.
A Hasan hadeeth narrated by al-Baihaqee and others in

this form, and part of it is in the two Saheehs.
That which is recorded in the Two Saheehs

[ie al-Bukhaaree and Muslim] of this
hadeeth mentions that Ibn Abee Mulaikah
said that Ibn 'Abbaas (radiAllaahu
anhumaa) wrote : "That the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) decreed that
the taking of an oath [of denial] is upon the
one against whom a claim is made", and in
another narration : "That the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said that if
people were given everything that they
clamied, men would [unjustly] claim the
blood/lives of other men, and their
property; but the taking of an oath is upon
the one against whom a claim is made."
The compiler of the Forty Hadeeth [ie Imaam an-

Nawawee] said : "This hadeeth has been narrated by al-
Bukhaaree and Muslim in their two Saheehs in Marfoo'
form [ie the chain of narrartion goes right up to the
Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam] from the
narration of Ibn 'Abbaas, and it has been similarly
narrated by the compilers of the Collections of Sunan
[such as Abu Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, etc] and other
than them."
And al-Aseelee said "Its chain upto the Prophet

(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) is not established -
rather it is the statement of Ibn 'Abbaas", to which the
collector [ie Imaam an-Nawawee] replied : "If it [the
chain of narration] has been declared Marfoo' by the
testimony of the Two Imaams [ie al-Bukhaaree and
Muslim] then the statement of another who restricts it
[to a Sahaabee] does not have any effect, and this is not
considered to be a conflict nor disorder."
And this hadeeth is a principle from the Principles of

the Sharee'ah, and a great authority to which one
resorts in case of dispute or argument, and it implies
that judgement is not simply passed by the claim of an
individual.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "men

would [unjustly] claim the wealth and lives of [other]
people", then this has been used by some people to
prove the invalidity of the statement of Imaam Maalik
regarding the acceptance of the statement of the one
who has been [almost] killed that "so and so killed me"
or "my blood is on the hands of so and so", because if
the statement of the sick man is not accepted that "so
and so has my money" then how can this statement
"my blood is on the hands of so and so" be accepted ?
However, there is no proof in this for them against
Imaam Maalik, as he did not link the Qisaas or Diyah
[the laws relating to murder] to the statement of the
claimant, but rather to the division of the inheritance
upon the murder.

"and the taking of an oath is upon him who denies",
then the 'ulamaa have come to a consensus [ijmaa'] that
the one against whom a claim is made can be forced to
take an oath of denial in the case of disputed
property/possessions, but the 'ulamaa have differed in
cases other than that. So some have ruled that it is
compulsory in every dispute such as in the case of
divorce, or nikaah, or freeing a slave, and they have
taken this from the apparent generality of the hadeeth.
And if the claimed against refuses to take an oath, then
the claimant may take an oath and his claim will be
accepted.
And Abu Haneefah (rahimahu Allaah) said : "An oath

is taken [from the claimed against] in the case of
divorce and nikaah and freeing a slave, and if it is
refused [by the claimed against] then the claimant may
take an oath in all of these cases." And he also said :
"And one does not force an oath in the case of the
hudood".
Summary :
 That we do not have all our wishes

and desires fulfilled for the sake of
the general good
 That mankind cannot always know by
themselves what is good for them all
 That man cannot be completely free
of being selfish, and consequently
unjust, without the control of Allaah
 That the one who claims something
must prove it to be his
 That the one who denies what he is
accused of must take an oath of
denial
Hadeeth 34 : Forbidding the Evil is from Eemaan
On the authority of Abu Sa'eed al-Khudree

(radiAllaahu anhu) who said : I heard the Messenger of
Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) say :
Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it

with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then
[let him change it] with his tongue; and if he is
not able to do so, then with his heart - and that is
the weakest of faith.
Imaam Muslim has transmitted this hadeeth

from Taariq bin Shihaab, who said : The first
person to begin with the Khutbah before the
Prayer on the Day of 'Eed [instead of the
Prayer followed by the Khutbah] was
Marwaan [the son of Yazeed]. So a man
stood up to him and said : "The Prayer
[should be] before the Khutbah !" So
[Marwaan] replied : "That old way has been
left." So Abu Sa'eed [al-Khudree] said : "As
for this man [who spoke up to Marwaan]
then he has completed the duty that was
upon him. I heard the Messenger of Allaah
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) say
'Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him
change it [until the end of the hadeeth]'".
In this hadeeth is a proof that no one before Marwaan

had changed the order of the 'Eed Prayer and Khutbah.
And if it is asked why did Abu Sa'eed himself not
attempt to change this evil, until the other man stood up
against it, then this can be answered in a number of
ways : It is possible that Abu Sa'eed was not present
the first time Marwaan began to give the Khutbah
before the Prayer, or that the man had begun to oppose
Marwaan and then Abu Sa'eed arrived upon the scene
and the two of them then opposed Marwaan together.
Or it is possible that Abu Sa'eed was present but feared
that if he opposed Marwaan then this would lead to a
greater fitnah or he feared for his own life, and so he
remained silent. Or it is possible that Abu Sa'eed was
about to stand up against Marwaan, when the other
man unexpectedly rose before him, and so Abu Sa'eed
assisted him.
And it is narrated in another hadeeth that is agreed

upon by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim, and is mentioned
by them in their Chapters on the 'Eeds, that it was Abu
Sa'eed who pulled at Marwaan's hand when he was
about to climb onto the Mimbar, and Abu Sa'eed and
the other man were together so Marwaan replied to
them both with what is mentioned here, and so the
meaning of what Abu Sa'eed said is that both of them
completed their duties.
And as for his (sallAllaah alayhi wa sallam) statement

"let him change it" then it is an order indicating
obligation by the consensus of the Imaams, and this is
in conformity to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah
regarding the obligation of commanding the good and
forbidding the evil, and it is also part of giving
Naseehah [sincere advice] which is the Deen [See
hadeeth number Seven]. And as for His - ta'aalaa -
statement : "O you who believe! Take care of your
ownselves; no harm can come to you from those who
are in error if you follow the right guidance" [Soorah
al-Maa'idah, 105] then this is not in opposition to what
we have mentioned. This is because the correct
understanding of this Noble Aayah according to the
'Ulamaa of the Truth is that if one performs ones duty
then one will not be harmed by the deficiencies of
others. And this is similar to His statement : "and no
bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another"
[Soorah al-An'aam, 164]. And if this is the case, then
from what the Muslim has been charged with is
commanding the good and forbidding the evil, and so if
he does that and yet the one spoken to does not submit,
then he carries no blame after that. This is because
upon him is the commanding or the forbidding, but not
the acceptance [of the correction], and Allaah knows
best.
Then, commanding the good and forbidding the evil is

a Fard Kifaayah [Collective Duty], so if a group of
people establish it such that they suffice then the
obligation falls from the rest of the people. But if all of
the people leave it, then all of them, who are able to do
it without difficulty, are sinful.
Further, sometimes it may be restricted to certain

individuals, such as if it concerns an affair that none
knows of other than he, or none other than he has the
ability to stop that affair, such as the one who sees his
wife or son or slave perform an evil.
The 'ulamaa have said that the obligation of

commanding the good and forbidding the evil is not
removed if a person merely suspects that his
admonition will not be accepted - rather he is still
obliged to perform it. Allaah ta'aalaa has said : "Verily,
the reminding benefits the believers" [Soorah adh-
Dhaariyaat, 55], and it has already preceeded that upon
him is to admonish, and acceptance of the
admonishment is not upon him. Allaah ta'aalaa has said
: "The Messenger's duty is only to convey (the
message) in a clear way" [Soorah an-Noor, 54]. The
'ulamaa have said : "It is not a condition for the
commander of good or the forbidder of evil to himself
be perfect in his condition, and fully complying with
that which he commands and fully leaving that which
he forbids. Rather upon him is to command, even if he
himself is not upon that completely. This is because he
has two duties upon him : firstly, to order his own soul
upon good and forbid it from evil, and secondly to
command and forbid other people. So if he fulfils one
of them then the other still remains obligatory upon
him."
And they said that the actions of commanding the good

and forbidding the evil are not meant only for the
government officals, but rather they are required from
every individual amongst the Muslims, and every one
possessing knowledge of what be must commanded or
forbidden must do so. So if the matter is one which is
well known and apparent, such as the Prayer or the
Fasting [of Ramadaan] or Zinaa or drinking of alcohol,
or other matters similar to these, then all of the
Muslims have knowledge of them and so must
command or forbid. But if the matter is from the finer
matters of action or speech or that which is associated
with ijtihaad, and they are not matters that the general
populace have Knowledge of, then it is not for them to
forbid, rather this is for the 'ulamaa.
And the 'ulamaa admonish others regarding those

issues upon which there is ijmaa' [consensus]. But as
for the issues over which there is a difference of
opinion amongst the scholars, then they do not
admonish regarding them. This is because, according to
the first of the two madhhabs in this issue, every
mujtahid is correct in his own ruling, and this madhhab
has been adopted by many of the verifying scholars.
And according to the second madhhab only one
opinion is correct, but which ones are in error is not
identifiable by us, and hence there is no sin [upon the
one who has erred]. So in such cases the scholars do
not admonish, but rather advise, as a form of naseehah
[sincere advice], in order to keep clear of the difference
of opinion, and this is good and desirable, as long as it
is done gently and with kindness.
The Shaykh Muhyee ad-Deen an-Nawawi, rahimahu

Allaah, said : "And know that this affair of
commanding the good and forbidding the evil has been
largely abandoned since a great length of time, and in
this age nothing is left of it except very few formalities,
despite its being an extremely important affair, by
which Authority is established in the land - rather it is
its foundation and basis. And if wickedness and evil
become widespread in the land then the Punishment [of
Allaah] will encompass both the pious and the wicked
people. So if they do not take hold of the oppressors
then they will all be very near to facing the Punishment
of Allaah, as Allaah ta'aalaa has said : "And let those
who oppose the Messenger's commandment beware,
lest some Fitnah (trials, afflictions, etc) befall them or a
painful torment be inflicted on them" [Soorah an-Noor
63]. So it is required of the one who seeks the
Hereafter, and who exerts himself in attaining the
Pleasure of Allaah 'azza wa jall, that he concerns
himself with this affair, for indeed its benefit is great.
And this is so especially since most of the people have
left it, and let not the one who admonishes fear any
[evil] repurcussions, due to the raising of his rank [with
Allaah]. For verily Allaah ta'aalaa has said : "Verily,
Allaah will help those who help His (Cause)." [Soorah
al-Hajj 40]. And know that the reward is proportionate
to the exertion made and hardship faced. And one
should also not leave it due to the wrong-doer being
ones friend or ones loved-one, for verily the true friend
of a person is the one who exerts himself in building
his Hereafter, even if this may bring about some loss in
his worldly affairs. And the true enemy of a person is
the one who exerts himself in taking away his
Hereafter, or reducing it, even if by doing so he brings
about some benefit in his worldly affairs."
And it is required of the one who commands the good

and forbids the evil that he does so with gentleness, in
order to ensure the greatest chance of attaining that
which is desired [ie the correction and rectification of
the wrong-doing individual]. And Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee
rahimahu Allaah said : "He who admonishes his
brother in secret has sincerely advised him and has
adorned him, while he who admonishes his brother
openly [in front of everyone] has humiliated him and
disfigured him."
And from what the people [nowadays] have become

negligient of in this affair is that if they see a trader
selling goods or merchandise or animals that are
defective, and he does not show this defect to his
customers, then nobody admonishes the trader for this,
nor do they inform the buyer about the defect. And
they will be questioned about this [on the Day of
Judgement] for verily the Religion is Naseehah
[sincerity or sincere advice], and he who does not give
sincere advice has cheated.
And his sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam statement "let

him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do
so, then [let him change it] with his tongue; and if he is
not able to do so, then with his heart" means that he
must hate it with his heart, and this does not stop the
evil occurring nor change it to something good, but this
is all that he is capable of doing.
And his sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam statement "and

that is the weakest of faith" means, and Allaah knows
best, that this is the smallest possible fruit or result of
his faith. And it is not upon the one who commands the
good and forbids the evil to investigate and search and
spy upon others, or to invade others privacy or to
suspect others in order to find their wrongs. Rather, if
he comes upon an evil then he changes it. And al-
Maawardee (rahimahu Allaah) said : "It is not for him
to invade the privacy of and spy upon others, except if
he is informed by a trustworthy and reliable person that
someone has secluded himself with another man in
order to murder him, or with a woman in order to
fornicate with her. Then in such cases it is permissible
for him spy upon them and investigate, and to try to
expose them in order to prevent the occurrence of that
which cannot be rectified."
And as for his sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam statement

"and that is the weakest of faith" then it has already
been mentioned that this means the smallest fruit of
ones faith. And it has been related in a different
narration of this hadeeth : "And after that there does
not remain any Eemaan [Faith] even of the size of a
mustard seed", ie. that after that there does not remain
any level of Eemaan. And the word 'Eemaan' in this
hadeeth carries the meaning of 'Islaam'.
In this hadeeth is a proof that the one who fears being

killed or being beaten [for admonishing the wrong-
doer] is no longer required to act to change the evil,
and this is the madhhab of the Scholars of Truth from
amongst the Early and Later scholars. However an
extreme group has adopted the position that the
responsibility to act remains even if he fears for his life
or fears punishment.
Summary :
 That it is everyone's individual duty to

improve matters as far as he is able
to do
 That if one can correct something
with ones hand without bringing
about more harm, then he should do
so
 That if it is that one can only say
something under the circumstances,
then one should do so
 That one must at least hate in ones
heart the evil that has happened,
even if one cannot do anything about
it, and this is the weakest level of
Faith
 That if one does not feel anything in
one's heart against the wrong then
this indicates a lack of Faith
 That one should take action whenever
it is conducive to do so
Hadeeth 35 : The Brotherhood of Islaam

Do not envy one another, and do not inflate prices

for one another, and do not hate one another, and
do not turn away from one another, and do not
undercut one another in trade, but [rather] be
Slaves of Allaah and Brothers [amongst
yourselves]. A Muslim is the brother of a
Muslim : he does not oppress him, nor does he
fail him, nor does he lie to him, nor does he hold
him in contempt. Taqwaa (Piety) is right here
[and he pointed to his chest three times]. It is evil
enough for a man to hold his brother Muslim in
contempt. The whole of a Muslim is inviolable
for another Muslim : his blood, his property, and
his honour.
Regarding his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)

statement "Do not envy one another" : envy
(al-Hasad) is the desire that a blessing is
removed from someone else, and this is
forbidden. And in another hadeeth "Do not
have envy (Hasad), for verily envy eats
away good deeds the way fire consumes
firewood or grass". As for al-Ghibtah then it
is the desire to obtain what another
fortunate person possesses without wishing
that he loses that blessing. And sometimes
the word al-Hasad is used in the place of al-
Ghibtah due to the proximity of meaning of
the two, as in the statement of the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) : "There is to
be no Hasad execpt in two cases ... ",
meaning here "There is to be no Ghibtah
except in two cases".
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "do

not inflate prices for one another" then the word used
here in Arabic is 'najasha', and the origin of this word
carries the meaning of cheating, deception and
swindling. And the Arabs sometimes call a hunter a
'naajish' because he deceives and outsmarts the animal
he hunts. And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
statement "do not hate one another" means do not
adopt the means that lead to hatred. This is because
love and hate are matters of the heart, such that
Mankind does not possess full ability to control them,
nor are they able to bring about change in them. And
this is as the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
said [regarding the division of time he had made
between his wives] : "Oh Allaah this division is what I
have been able to do, so do not take me to account for
that which you control, and over which I have no
control", meaning by this his heart.
And "turning away" means enmity, and it has also been

said that it means cutting off relations or boycotting.
do not undercut one another in trade" is referring to the
situation where a buyer has almost completed a
contract with a seller, and during the final time of
choice a second seller approaches him and says : "If
you revoke this sale then I will sell to you the same
thing or better than it for the same price". Or, if a buyer
and seller have agreed upon a price and are pleased
with it, and only the completion of the contract
remains, and then a second seller offers to give more
for the same price, or to give the same goods at a lower
price, then this is forbidden as it occurs after agreement
on the price has taken place and the buyer and seller
have been pleased with it. However, if the second seller
makes his offer before they are pleased with the price
then this is not forbidden.
And the meaning of "but be you, O Servants of Allaah,

Brothers" means deal with one another and live
together amiably with brotherhood, and treat one
another with love, kindness, compassion and
courteousness, and help one another upon goodness,
while always having a clear heart and offering sincere
advice in all situations.
And regarding his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)

statement "A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim : he
does not oppress him, nor does he fail him, nor does he
lie to him nor does he hold him in contempt" : to fail
someone means to leave helping or aiding him, so if a
Muslim were to seek ones help in defending himself
from an oppressor or similar to that, then it is necessary
to help him if one is able to, and one has no Shar'ee
excuse for not doing so.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "nor

does he hold him in contempt" means that he does not
behave haughtily towards another Muslim, so as to
belittle him.

"Taqwaa (Piety) is right here [and he pointed to his
chest three times]" and in another narration "Verily
Allaah does not look at your bodies nor at your
appearances, but rather he looks at your hearts". This
means that the apparent actions of the limbs do not, by
themselves, attain for one Taqwaa. But rather Taqwaa
is attained through what is in the heart of appreciating
the Greatness of Allaah the Exalted, and having Fear of
Him and having Recognition of Him, and knowing that
the Sight of Allaah encompasses all things. And so the
meaning of the hadeeth, and Allaah knows best, is the
taking of the self to account, and the point of
observation of all of this is by the heart.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "It is

enough evil for a man to hold his brother Muslim in
contempt" contains a severe warning from doing so,
since Allaah ta'aalaa did not look upon him in contempt
when He created him, and nourished him, and then
perfected his outward appearance, and then subdued
whatever is in the Heavens and whatever is in the Earth
for his sake. And even though He did this for others
along with him, no doubt he has a share in it. Then
after that, Allaah - subhaanahu - named him a Muslim
and a Believer and a Slave, and his Command extended
to the extent that he made the Messenger that He sent
to him Muhammad (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam). So
whoever treats with contempt a Muslim from amongst
the Muslims, then he has treated with contempt one
whom Allaah 'azza wa jall has granted greatness and
nobility, and no doubt that is sufficient for him. And so
from treating a Muslim with contempt is not to send
the greeting of salaam upon him if he passes by him,
and not to reply to his greeting of salaam if he begins
with it. And it also includes not thinking that Allaah
will enter him into Paradise or keep him safe from the
Hellfire.
And as for the case of the Intelligent one who is

resentful of (or is hostile to) the Foolish Ignorant one,
or the Just and Honest one who is resentful of the
Sinner, then this is not considered to be contempt of a
Muslim. Rather, this is resent for the ignorance that is
present in the Ignorant one, and the sinfulness that is
present in the Sinner. So when this ignorance or
sinfulness leaves that person, he returns to treating him
well and raises his status in his estimation.
Summary :
 That it is generally forbidden to be

envious of one another, although
other ahaadeeth specify that envy in
certain [good] cases is allowed if we
wish to be like them
 That it is forbidden to raise prices to
harm others, such as through
hoarding or through trying to make
unjust profit
 That it is forbidden to turn away from
being good to or helping one another
 That it is forbidden to undercut one
another in trade
 That we must be brothers to one
another, and true Brotherhood lies in
being Allaah's Worshippers and
Servants
 That it is forbidden to oppress one
another, or fail one another on
purpose, or lie to one another, or to
hold each other in contempt
 That Taqwaa (Piety) is in the heart -
see hadeeth number six - and hence
the heart must be trained, purified
and protected
 That it is forbidden to violate the
rights of another Muslim : to shed his
blood [unlawfully], or physically hurt
him, or to deprive him of what belong
to him, or to cheat him
 That it is forbidden to violate the
honour of another Muslim
Hadeeth 36 : The Virtue of Gathering for the

Recitation of The Qur'aan, and for the
Remembrance of Allaah

that the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said :
Whoever removes a worldly grief from a believer,

Allaah will remove from him one of the griefs of
the Day of Resurrection. And whoever alleviates
the need of a needy person, Allaah will alleviate
his needs in this world and the Hereafter.
Whoever shields [or hides the misdeeds of] a
Muslim, Allaah will shield him in this world and
the Hereafter. And Allaah will aid His Slave so
long as he aids his brother. And whoever follows
a path to seek knowledge therein, Allaah will
make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people
gather together in one of the Houses of Allaah,
reciting the Book of Allaah and studying it among
themselves, except that Sakeenah (Tranquility)
descends upon them, and Mercy envelops them,
and the angels surround them, and Allaah
mentions them amongst those who are with Him.
And whoever is slowed down by his actions, will
not be hastened forward by his lineage.
It was related by Muslim in these words.
This is a great hadeeth that encompasses

all the branches of Knowledge, and the
Principles [of the Religion], and the
Excellent Manners. In it is found the virtue
of fulfilling the needs of the Muslims, and
benefitting them, from what is possible for
one, of Knowledge, or wealth, or aid, or
guidance towards that which will correct
their affairs, or advice. or other than that.
And the meaning of "alleviates the need" is
removing it.

"Whoever shields [or hides the misdeeds of] a
Muslim", then 'shielding' here means to hide his slips
and lapses, and the intended meaning here is hiding the
lapses of those who are of upright and pious character,
and those like them who are not known to be evil-
doers. And this is with regards to hiding the sins that
they may have committed in the past, and which are
over. On the other hand, if they are caught red-handed
performing a sin then it is obligatory to admonish them
and forbid them from it. And if they are unable to do
so, then they must raise the matter to the Authorities, if
they do not fear any evil repurcussions from this. Thus,
in such cases the correct action is not to shield them, as
this may tempt them to perpetrate more evil, to cause
more harm, to enter into more Forbidden matters, or to
encourage others upon what is similar to this. So it is
desired that one raises the matter to the Leader, as long
as he does not fear any further evil from doing so. And
similar to all this is the disparagement and criticising of
the Narrators of Hadeeth by the Hadeeth Scholars, and
of the Witnesses [to contracts], and the Trustees of the
wealth to be distributed in Charity and the Awqaaf, and
those who look after the wealth of the Orphans, and
what is similar to that. Then in all such cases it is
obligatory to expose their evil actions if required, and it
is not permissible to hide their sins if one sees from
them that which is reproachable. And this is not
considered to be from the Forbidden Backbiting, rather
it is part of the Obligatory Naseehah [sincerity, advice].

"And Allaah will aid His Slave so long as he aids his
brother" then this is a generalisation whose detailed
explanation must include the case where the Slave [of
Allaah] resolves to help his brother Muslim [by
admonishing him], whereupon it becomes required of
him not to be cowardly of speaking the Truth to him,
believing, all the while, that Allaah will help him and
protect him from any evil repurcussions of doing so.
And in this hadeeth is mentioned the virtue of fulfilling
the needs of a Muslim, and of striving in the Path of
seeking Knowledge, and this includes the virtue of
being pre-occupied with Knowledge. And what is
intended by Knowledge here is the Knowledge of the
Sharee'ah. And all this requires that one intends by it
the Face of Allaah ta'aalaa, just as this is a condition in
every act of worship.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "No

people gather together in one of the Houses of Allaah,
reciting the Book of Allaah and studying it among
themselves" is a proof for the virtue of gathering in the
masjid for the recitation of the Qur'aan. And regarding
the word 'Sakeenah' mentioned here, then some people
have said that it means 'Mercy', but this interpretation
is weak due to the separate mention of Mercy in the
next part of the hadeeth. And it has been said that it
means Tranquility, Peacefulness and Dignity, and this
is better.
And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "No

people gather together" is in the indefinite, general
form, as though he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
meant to say "Any people" who gather for this, then
they will receive all of the Virtue what he has
mentioned. And he (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) did
not lay a condition here that the people must be
scholars, or ascetics or possessors of High Stations.
And the meaning of "and the angels surround them" is
similar to that mentioned by Allaah ta'aalaa in His
Noble Book : "And you will see the angels surrounding
the Throne (of Allaah) from all round" [Soorah az-
Zumar, 75], that is they will encircle and encompass
them from every side. And so it will be as though the
angels will be so close to them, so as to completely
encircle them, and no gap will be left between them
through which Shaytaan may enter.

"and Mercy envelops them" then the word 'envelop' is
not used except when all the parts of the object are
completely covered from all sides. And Shaykh
Shihaab ad-Deen bin Farj said : "And the meaning of
this, from what I see to be correct, is that the
Envelopment of His Mercy is such that it encircles and
embraces all previous sins, in shaa' Allaah ta'aalaa".

Allaah mentions them amongst those who are with
Him" implies that the mentioning of Allaah ta'aalaa is
amongst the Prophets and the Most Honourable of the
Angels, and Allaah knows best.
Summary :
 That this hadeeth contains

encouragement to help each other for
our own benefit
 That any Muslim who makes a Muslim
happy will receive the Mercy of Allaah
on the Day of Resurrection, and He
will remove one of his griefs that Day
 That any Muslim who sees to the
need of another Muslim, will have his
own needs seen to by Allaah
 That any Muslim who protects
another Muslim will be protected by
Allaah
 That Allaah will help us as long as we
help each other
 That one who strives to gain
Knowledge of the Deen will be helped
by Allaah in acting upon it
 That the mosques should be used to
gather in to study the Deen and to
recite the Qur'aan collectively
 That such groups of people receive
the Peace and Mercy of Allaah, and
are surrounded by the Angels, and
are mentioned by Allaah to those near
Him
 That this is true for any group of
Muslims, whether or not they are
scholars or very pious individuals
 That when we remember Allaah, He
remembers us and makes mention of
us
 That if one becomes lax in his
religious duties, his lineage or
ancestry will not avail him anything
before Allaah
 Seeking knowledge of the Deen
entails acting upon it and propagating
it
Hadeeth 37 : The Grace of Allaah ta'aalaa and His

Mercy
On the authority of Ibn 'Abbaas, radiAllaahu anhu,

from the Messenger of Allaah, sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam, from what he has related from his Lord,
tabaaraka wa ta'aalaa, that He said :
Verily Allaah ta'aalaa has written down the Good

deeds and the Evil deeds, and then explained it
[by saying] : Whosoever intended to perform a
Good deed, but did not do it, then Allaah writes it
down with Himself as a complete Good deed.
And if he intended to perform it and then did
perform it, then Allaah writes it down with
Himself as from ten Good deeds upto seven
hundred times, upto many times multiplied. And
if he intended to perform an Evil deed, but did not
do it, then Allaah writes it down with Him as a
complete Good deed. And if he intended it [ie. the
evil deed] and then performed it, then Allaah
writes it down as one Evil deed.
It was related by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim in their two

Saheehs in these words.
Imaam An-Nawawi then said :
So look [at this], my brother, and may Allaah

grant us the ability to recognise the immense
benevolence of Allaah ta'aalaa, and to
contemplate these words. And His statement
"with Himself" indicates His interest and concern
for it. And His statement "a complete [Good
deed]" is for emphasis and expressing the strength
of His concern. And He said regarding the Evil
deed that one intends to do but then leaves acting
upon it : "Allaah writes it down with Him as a
complete Good deed", so He emphasised it with
completeness. And if he acts upon it : "then
Allaah writes it down as one Evil deed", so He
emphasised its smallness by mentioning it as a
single deed, and He did not describe it with
'completeness'. So for Allaah is all Praise and
Grace, subhaanahu, and we cannot enumerate His
Praises. And from Allaah is the tawfeeq [ability]
for attaining His Pleasure.
The explainers of this hadeeth have said :

This is a noble and great hadeeth in which
the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
has explained the measure of the Grace of
Allaah, 'azza wa jall, upon His creation, as
He has made the intention to do a Good
deed, without actually performing it, equal
to the reward of a Good deed. And He has
made the intention to do an evil deed,
which one then does not perform, as equal
to a complete Good deed [also], and if one
were to act upon it then it is deemed as a
single evil deed. And if one performs a Good
deed then Allaah writes it down as ten, and
this is an immense Grace, as He has
multiplied for the slaves their Good deeds,
but has not multiplied their evil deeds
against them.
And He has made the intention to perform a Good deed

like a [complete] Good deed because the intention to
do good is an action of the heart, due to the resolve of
the heart upon that. And if it is then said : "This
statement then requires that the one who intends to
perform an Evil deed, and does not do it, must also
have an Evil deed written for him, as the [evil]
intention is also an action from amongst the actions of
the heart", then the answer to this would be that this is
not the case, as the one who stops short from
performing an evil, then he has nullified his resolve to
do evil, and has changed it for another resolve to do
good, and has thus disobeyed his evil desires, and so he
is rewarded for this with the reward of a Good deed.
And it has been related in another hadeeth that "Verily
he has left it [the evil deed] because of Me", that is "for
My sake", and this is similar to his (sallAllaahu alayhi
wa sallam) statement "Upon every Muslim is the
giving of charity", so some people asked "What if they
do not do so ?", so he replied "Then let them withold
from evil, and that will be their charity". This was
mentioned by al-Bukhaaree in his Book of Manners.
However, if he leaves an evil deed unwillingly, or
because he is unable to perform it, then a good deed is
not written for him, and this does not enter into the
meaning of this hadeeth.
Imaam at-Tabaree, the famous mufassir, said that in

this hadeeth is evidence for the statement that the Two
Recording Angels, [assigned to each person to write
down the good and bad deeds of that person], write
down not just the actions but also what the person
intends to do of good or evil, and they know what he
resolves to do in his heart. And thus, this hadeeth is a
refutation of those who wrongly think that the Two
Angels only write down that which is apparent from
the outward actions of the person, or from what they
hear him say. And so this all means that the Two
Angels know all that which a person intends in his
heart, and it is conceivable that Allaah ta'aalaa has
granted for them a means to attain this knowledge
[which is from the Knowledge of the Ghayb or
Unseen], just as He has granted a means to many of the
Prophets to attain knowledge of many things from the
Unseen. And Allaah has said regarding 'Eesaa (alayhi
as-salaam) that he said to the Banee Israa'eel "And I
inform you of what you eat, and what you store in your
houses" [Soorah Aal 'Imraan, 49]. And our Prophet
Muhammad (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) was
informed of many things from the Matters of the
Unseen, and hence all this shows that it is possible that
Allaah has granted to the Recording Angels a means to
attain the knowledge of what is in the hearts of
mankind, from good or evil, and so they write down
whatever he resolves to do. And it has been said that
this is through a smell or fragrance that they are able to
detect emanating from the heart. And hence the Salaf
[ie the Early Righteous Scholars] have differed over
which form of Dhikr [Remembrance of Allaah] is
better : the dhikr of the heart or the dhikr made out
loud.
And all of this [that has been narrated from Imaam at-
Tabaree] is the statement of Ibn Khalf, who is better
known as Ibn Buttaal. And the author of al-Ifsaah,
Yahyaa bin Muhammad al-Hanbalee [d. 560 H], said in
some of his writings : When this Ummah had its life
spans reduced [as compared to the people of the
previous Nations who had much longer life spans], it
was compensated for this reduction with a
multiplication of the reward of its actions. [ie. Since the
life span of our Ummah is shorter, we have less time to
do good deeds; so Allaah multiplied the reward for our
good deeds to compensate for this.] So whoever
intends to peform a good action, it will be counted for
him as a complete good deed. And Allaah has declared
it as being a 'complete' deed so that none may think
that since it is only an intention [and not a complete
action] it is somehow deficient. And thus, Allaah has
raised the intention to the level of being included
amongst the complete actions. So He wrote down the
intention as a complete good deed and then multiplied
that according the degree of sincerity of the performer,
and according to the appropriateness of the action to
the time and place.
Then he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said after that

"or many times over". This is mentioned, in the Arabic,
in the indefinite form which is more comprehensive
than the definite, and this implies that the
multiplication may be counted upto the most that is
possible. Then, it is possible that this generous promise
includes that one says that when a man spends in
charity a single grain of wheat, then it will be counted
for him, from the Grace of Allaah ta'aalaa, as though he
sowed that grain in the most pure and fertile land, and
attended to it and protected it and watered it, according
to its needs, until it ripened, so he harvested it; and then
he threshed that harvest in that pure fertile land, so the
grains were sown again in it, and were looked after in
the same manner as has preceeded; and then the same
as this in the second year, and then the third and fourth
years, and the years that followed that; and this
continues until the Day of Resurrection, and so that
single grain of wheat or mustard or couscous will come
that day like a mountain. And if the charity was a tiny
action from amongst the actions of Eemaan [ie. a good
deed] then one may compare it to the profit that may be
attained through the purchase of a commodity during
that time. And so it is possible that if he sold a
commodity in the best market of the greatest nation,
and that commodity were the most profitable for trade,
then that profit were multiplied [through successive
trades] until it returns to him on the Day of
Resurrection such that its magnitude is like that of the
entire world. And similarly all the actions of
righteousness will be treated by Allaah 'azza wa jall in
a similar manner, as long as they are performed with a
pure and clean intention.
And from this also is that the Grace of Allaah

multiplies with the transfer of charity from one person
to another. So, for example, consider if a person gives a
dirham in charity to a poor man, and then that poor
man in turn passes the dirham on to another poor man
who is in greater poverty than he, and then this third
person passes it onto a fourth, and the fourth to a fifth,
and this goes on to a great extent. Then, Allaah ta'aalaa
will count for the first person, who originally gave the
dirham, ten times the reward. But when this dirham is
transferred by the second person to the third, then the
second person gains ten and the first person's reward is
multiplied to ten thousand. Then, when the third
transfers it to the fourth, the second person gets one
thousand, and the first gets a million. And so this
continues until they attain rewards that may only be
counted by Allaah ta'aalaa.
And from this also is that when Allaah - subhaanahu

wa ta'aalaa - accounts His Muslim slave on the Day of
Resurrection, and his good deeds are of varying and
disparate levels, some of them of a high level and
others not so, then He - subhaanahu - from His
immense Generosity and Grace may count all of his
good deeds by the measure of the best and highest
amongst them; for verily His Generosity - jalla
jalaalahu - is far greater than that He should dispute
with his slave, who is pleased with Him, about the
disparity in the measure of his good deeds. And no
doubt Allaah jalla jalaalahu has said :
"We shall certainly pay them a

reward in proportion to the
best of what they used to do"
[Soorah an-Nahl, 97].
And similarly, the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa

sallam) has informed us that if a Muslim declares aloud
in a market from amongst the markets of the Muslims :
"laa ilaaha illaa Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lahu, lahu
al-mulk wa lahu al-hamd, yuhyee wa yumeet, wa huwa
'alaa kulli shayin qadeer [There is none worthy of being
worshipped except Allaah, Alone without any partner;
for Him is the Dominion and for Him is all Praise; He
gives life and He gives death; and He is All-Powerful
over all things]" then Allaah will write for him due to
that a million rewards, and will wipe away from him a
million evil deeds, and will build for him a house in
Paradise [narrated by at-Tirmidhee].
And all this that we have mentioned is according to

only that which we have knowledge of, and not
according to the true level of the Grace of Allaah
subhaanahu wa ta'aalaa. For verily He is far greater
than what anyone may deny for Him, or what any of
the creation may try to estimate of Him.
Summary :
 That whatever is classed as a Good

deed, or an Evil deed, has already
been written down as such by Allaah,
ie. Good and Evil deeds are what He
has specified them to be
 Therefore, what Allaah has given us in
The Qur'aan and Sunnah is from His
knowledge of what is Good and what
is Evil, as defined and accepted by
Him
 That whatever we are going to do is
known by Him
 That if we intend to perform a Good
deed [as defined by the Sunnah], but
do not actually perform it, then we
are still rewarded for one full Good
deed
 That if we intend to perform a Good
deed, and actually perform it, then
Allaah will record it as though it were
done ten to seven hundred times
over, or more than that
 The actual merit of a Good deed is
determined by Allaah according to our
sincerity
 That not doing a bad deed which one
intended to do, obtains for one a
reward equal to a complete Good
deed
 That if one actually performs a bad
deed that one intended to do, then it
is written down only as its worth, ie a
single bad deed
 That if one ends up in the Fire then he
only gets that which he deserves, as
he was indeed a very bad person
 That good actions are not all of equal
merit, nor are bad actions. Hence, it is
not possible to calculate how much
good or bad one has accumulated
each day
 That one must not forget that it is still
possible to destroy all the good deeds
we have been doing
Hadeeth 38 : The Worship of Allaah is the Means of

Attaining Nearness to Him and His Love

Verily Allaah ta'aalaa has said : Whosoever

shows enmity to a walee (friend) of Mine, then I
have declared war against him. And My servant
does not draw near to Me with anything more
loved to Me than the religious duties I have
obligated upon him. And My servant continues to
draw near to me with nawaafil (supererogatory)
deeds until I Love him. When I Love him, I am
his hearing with which he hears, and his sight
with which he sees, and his hand with which he
strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Were
he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give
it to him; and were he to seek refuge with Me, I
would surely grant him refuge.
It was related by al-Bukhaaree
Explanation of Hadeeth Number 38 :
The author of al-Ifsaah said about this

hadeeth from its understanding : Verily
Allaah subhaanahu wa ta'aalaa has put
aside all excuses from the one who shows
enmity to a walee of His, and has declared
that He shall War against him with the
same enmity. And the walee of Allaah
ta'aalaa is the one who follows that which
Allaah has legislated. So let mankind be
warned against harming the hearts of the
awliyaa of Allaah, 'azza wa jall.
And I consider the meaning [of this hadeeth] as
referring to the one who shows enmity to a walee due
to the Friendship and Allegiance (Wilaayah) shown to
him by Allaah. On the other hand, if the matter is such
that it involves a dispute between two walees of Allaah
in the form of a legal dispute or a quarrel, which is due
to one of them trying to attain a right of his that is
hidden from the other, then this does not enter into this
hadeeth. And such disputes have occurred between
Abu Bakr and 'Umar (radiAllaahu anhumaa), and
between al-'Abbaas and 'Alee (radiAllaahu anhumaa),
and similarly between many of the sahaabah, and all of
them were awliyaa of Allaah.
And His - subhaanahu wa ta'aalaa - statement "And My

servant does not draw near to Me with anything more
loved to Me than the religious duties I have obligated
upon him" contains a reference to the fact that we do
not place the voluntary deeds (nawaafil) before the
obligatory (faraa'id). And the 'nawaafil' are named as
such because they are performed after the obligatory
deeds have been completed; and if not then they are not
given the name 'nawaafil'; and this is indicated by His
statement "And My servant continues to draw near to
me with nawaafil (supererogatory) deeds until I Love
him", since attaining Nearness with the nawaafil occurs
by what follows the completion of the faraa'id. So
when the slave becomes persistent in seeking His
Nearness through the nawaafil, then this causes Allaah
'azza wa jall to Love him.
Then He said "When I Love him, I am his hearing with

which he hears, and his sight with which he sees" until
the end of the hadeeth. Then this is a sign of the
Wilaayah of Allaah, and its meaning is that he does not
hear that which is not permitted for him to hear by the
Sharee'ah, nor does he see that which is not permitted
by the Sharee'ah, nor does he grasp with his hand that
which is not permitted for him by the Sharee'ah, nor
does he hasten with his legs towards anything except
that which the Sharee'ah allows him to hasten towards.
And all of this is the basis (asl) [of being Loved by
Allaah]. But also, the Worshipper of Allaah may
become so engrossed in the Dhikr of Allaah ta'aalaa
that he becomes famous for that, and if another person,
who is not from amongst those who Remember Allaah
much, were to speak to him without mentioning the
Dhikr of Allaah, then it would be as though he did not
hear him; until the speaker approaches him with
something from the Dhikr of Allaah. And similarly in
the case of those things which are seen, and those
things which are grasped, and those things towards
which one walks. And this is a most noble
characteristic, and we ask Allaah that He makes us
from amongst its possessors.
And His statement "and were he to seek refuge with

Me, I would surely grant him refuge" shows that even
after the slave becomes from amongst the Beloved of
Allaah, this does not prevent him from asking his Lord
to satisfy his needs or seeking refuge in Him from
those whom he fears. And Allaah ta'aalaa is able to
give him what he desires before his asking Him for
them, and to grant him refuge before he seeks it, but He
subhaanahu becomes Near to His slaves through His
giving those who ask Him, and His granting refuge to
those who seek it from Him.
Summary :
 That there are Muslims who are the

Awliyaa (Friends) of Allaah
 That one who is close to Allaah
because of his piety and worship of
Him, has Allaah as his Protector
 That whoever makes a walee an
enemy, actually earns the enmity of
Allaah for himself
 That one draws closer to Allaah by
following the Sharee'ah, and by
fulfilling the obligatory duties upon
him
 That a Muslim continues to draw
closer to Him by performing voluntary
acts of worship (nawaafil)
 That ways and means not prescribed
in the Sunnah will not help us in
drawing closer to Allaah
 That when a servant draws closer to
Him, then Allaah Loves him, and then
guides him in each moment of his life
 an-Nawawi said that "I am his hearing
..." can mean "I safeguard his hearing
from shaytaan"
 That when a servant is Loved by
Allaah, He fulfills his du'aa, and
protects him from evil when he asks
Him to do so
Hadeeth 39 : Leniency for the One who Errs, the

One who Forgets, and the One who is Forced
On the authority of Ibn 'Abbaas (radiAllaahu anhumaa)

sallam) said :
Verily Allaah has pardoned [or been lenient with]

for me my Ummah : their mistakes, their
forgetfulness, and that which they have been
forced to do under duress.
A Hasan hadeeth related by Ibn Maajah, and al-

Bayhaqee and others.
And it has been related in the tafseer of the

statement of Allaah, 'azza wa jall, "And
whether you disclose what is in your
ownselves or conceal it, Allaah will call you
to account for it" [Soorah al-Baqarah, 284]
that when this aayah was revealed it
became a great burden upon the Sahaabah,
radiAllaahu anhum. So Abu Bakr, 'Umar
'Abd-ur-Rahmaan bin 'Awf and Mu'aadh bin
Jabal, amongst a number of others, came to
the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi
wa sallam) and said "We have been
burdened with actions which we find we are
incapable of sustaining. Verily one of us
may mention to himself [evil] things which
he would not like to settle in his heart, even
if he were to be offered the wealth of the
dunyaa for doing so." So the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said "I fear
that you are saying what the Banoo
Israa'eel said : 'We hear and we disobey'.
But, rather, you should say : 'We hear and
we obey'". So this became very hard upon
them, and they remained in this state for
some time. Then Allaah ta'aalaa revealed
upon them His mercy and that which gave
them respite, with His statement :
"Allaah burdens not a person
beyond his scope. He gets
reward for that (good) which
he has earned, and he is
punished for that (evil) which
he has earned. 'Our Lord!
Punish us not if we forget or
fall into error'" [Soorah al-
Baqarah, 286].
So Allaah 'azza wa jall said, in a hadeeth Qudsee, "I

have decreed so", and thus Allaah revealed to the
Muslims that which lightened their burden, and which
abrogated the aayah which came before it.
Al-Bayhaqee said that Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee, rahimahu

Allaah, said :
Allaah subhaanahu said "Except him who is forced [to
kufr] and whose heart is at rest with Faith" [Soorah an-
Nahl, 106], and so there are Rulings regarding Kufr.
And since Allaah has dropped the ruling of Kufr from
the one who is forced to utter such words, then
similarly must be the case of the one who is mistaken
or the one who forgets, since when the greater of two
issues is dropped, then that which is less than it is also
dropped along with it. Further, it is related from Ibn
'Abbaas (radiAllaahu anhumaa) from the Messenger of
Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) "Verily Allaah
has pardoned for me my Ummah : their mistakes, their
forgetfulness, and that which they have been forced to
do under duress", and it has been related from 'Ayeshah
(radiAllaahu anhaa) from the Prophet (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) that he said : "There is no divorce
nor freeing of a slave in a state of anger", and this is the
madhhab of 'Umar and Abdullaah ibn 'Umar and
'Abdullaah ibn az-Zubair (radiAllaahu anhum). And
Thaabit bin al-Ahnaf married the mother of a son of
'Abd-ur-Rahmaan bin Zayd bin al-Khattaab, so 'Abd-
ur-Rahmaan intimidated and threatened him with a
whip, until he unwillingly divorced her, during the
Khilaafah of 'Abdullaah bin az-Zubair. So Abdullaah
ibn 'Umar said to him that the divorce was not valid, as
it had been made under duress, and so he should return
to her. At that time Abdullaah bin az-Zubair, the
Khaleefah, was in Makkah so he [ibn az-Zubair] wrote
to his governor in Madeenah to return Thaabit's wife to
him, and to punish 'Abd-ur-Rahmaan bin Zayd. So
Safiyyah bint Abee 'Ubayd, the wife of 'Abdullaah bin
'Umar, prepared her for her return, and 'Abdullaah bin
'Umar attended their Wedding Feast.
Summary :
 That Allaah has forgiven Muslims for

the sins that they commit by mistake
what they do out of forgetfulness
what they are compelled to do
against their wishes
 That we are to overlook and forgive
each other for what we do by
mistake, or out of forgetfulness or
under duress, since Allaah Himself
does so
Hadeeth 40 : The World is the Means and the

Sowing-Field for Attaining the Hereafter
On the authority of 'Abdullaah bin 'Umar radiAllaahu

anhu, who said : The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) took me by the shoulder and said :
Be in this world as though you were a stranger or

a wayfarer.
And Ibn 'Umar (radiAllaahu anhu) used to say :
In the evening do not expect [to live until] the

morning, and in the morning do not expect [to
live until] the evening. Take [advantage of] your
health before times of sickness, and [take
advantage of] your life before your death.
It was related by al-Bukhaaree.
The Imaam Abu al-Hasan 'Alee bin Khalf

said in his explanation of Saheeh al-
Bukhaaree that Abu az-Zinaad said : The
meaning of this hadeeth is an
encouragement upon refraining from
excessive socialising, upon purchasing little
for ones needs, and upon abstention from
the dunyaa. Abu al-Hasan then said : The
explanation of this is that the stranger [in a
town] does not socialise much or behave
cheerfully with its people, but rather
remains aloof and lonely, as he does not
hope to pass by someone who knows him,
with whom he may socialise and be
friendly. Thus he remains lowly, submissive
and in a state of fear. And similar to this is
the traveller, who is unble to complete his
arduous journey except with great strength
and determination, and by keeping light of
all burdens, and by avoiding being
tenacious in retaining those things which
may prevent him from completeing his
journey. And he only takes with him
minimum provision for his journey, and a
riding camel, which are enough to help him
attain his destination. And this is an
indication of his preference for abstention
from the dunyaa, and for taking only that
which is sufficient for him. And so, just as
the traveller does not require more than
that which will help him to reach his
destination, so similarly the Believer does
not require more of the dunyaa than that
which will help him attain his goal [ie.
Paradise].
And al-'Izz 'Alaa-ud-Deen bin Yahyaa bin Hubairah

(rahimahu Allaah) said : In this hadeeth is evidence
that the Messenger of Allaah sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam encouraged emulation of the strangers, since
when a stranger enters a foreign land he does not
compete with its people to attend their gatherings, nor
does he worry about being seen in a state and condition
opposite to that which is his normal habit in terms of
his dress, nor does he try to behave contrary to the
customs of the local people. And similarly is the
condition of the traveller who does not take a
permanent abode of residence, nor does he enter into
arguments with the local people which might cause
hatred between them, knowing that he will only be
amongst them for a few days. So all the conditions of
the stranger and the traveller are beloved for the
Believer in this dunyaa, as the dunyaa is not his true
abode of residence. Rather, the dunyaa is merely an
obstruction that prevents him from reaching his true
abode and dwelling place in the Hereafter.
And as for the statement of Ibn 'Umar (radiAllaahu

anhu) : "In the evening do not expect [to live until] the
morning, and in the morning do not expect [to live
until] the evening", then this is an encouragement from
him for the Believers to always be prepared for the
eventuality of death. And death is prepared for with
Good Deeds. It is also an encouragement upon not
having many hopes and desires, stretching far into the
future. Hence, one should not postpone till the morning
actions that can be performed at night, but rather, one
should hasten towards the performance of good
actions. And similarly, when one wakes in the morning
he should not rely upon the evening and postpone his
good actions till then.
And his, radiAllaahu anhu, statement "Take from your

health before times of sickness" is an encouragement
upon making use of ones health, and striving ones
utmost during times of good health, fearing the onset of
sickness which may prevent one from good actions.
And similarly, his statement "From your life before
your death" is an admonition to make use of the days
of ones life, since the one who dies has his actions cut
off and his hopes lost. And then his distress will
increase no end due to his neglect and previous lack of
remorse. So let us know that a time will come when we
will spend a great length of time under the dirt, unable
to perform any action and unable to remember Allaah
'azza wa jall. So upon us is to hasten to good actions
while we are still capable of doing so. And thus, what
is more comprehensive and honourable than this
hadeeth in its meanings of good ?
And some of the 'ulamaa have said that Allaah ta'aalaa

has condemned having high hopes, as He has said :
"Leave them to eat and enjoy,
and let them be preoccupied
with (false) hope. They will
come to know!" [Soorah al-
Hijr, 3].
And 'Alee radiAllaahu anhu said :
"The Dunyaa has set out from the rear, while the
Aakhirah has set out from the front, and for each
of them are its sons : so be from amongst the sons
of the Aakhirah, and do not be from amongst the
sons of the Dunyaa. For verily, today is the time
for deeds without any accounting, while
tomorrow is the time for accounting without any
deeds."
And Anas radiAllaahu anhu said : "The Prophet

sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam drew some lines [in the
sand], and said 'This [line] is Man, and this is his hope,
and [the third line, between them] is his appointed time
for death. So while he is in this state the closer line
takes him'", and that is his appointed hour of death,
which contains and constrains his life. So this is a
warning to him to lower his hopes, and to expect his
appointed time to be near, and to always remain in fear
that it may come while he is in a state of heedlessness
and indulgence. So the Believer should accustom his
soul to seeking those things which will remind him of
his death, and he should strive against his desires and
never-ending hopes, for verily Man is created with a
disposition towards hope. 'Abdullaah bin 'Umar
(radiAllaahu anhumaa) said : "The Messenger of
Allaah, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam, saw me while I
was strengthening with clay a shelter for my mother
and myself, so he said 'What is this, O 'Abdullaah ?' So
I replied : 'O Messenger of Allaah, it [the shelter] has
become weak, and so we are repairing it'. So he
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said 'I do not see The
Affair [ie Death or the Resurrection] except that it is
closer than that [ie the falling apart of the shelter]'."
We ask Allaah the Glorious to show kindness to us and

to help us abstain from the dunyaa, and to make us
desire that which is with Him and ease on the Day of
Resurrection, for verily He is the Generous, the
Forgiving, the Merciful.
Summary :
 That one can hold another's shoulder
to say something to him
 That one should not seek name and
fame in this world
 That one should not seek permanence
in this world
 That a Muslim must always be aware
of death
 That a Muslim should know that he
may not live to see the night or the
next day, thus making him more
careful of his actions since he may
not have time to repent
 That a Muslim should take advantage
of his health to do good deeds
 That a Muslim knows that he has only
this life to either make it to eternal
happiness or eternal punishment
Hadeeth 41: The Sign of Faith
On the authority of Abu Muhammad 'Abdullaah bin

'Amr bin al-'Aas (radiAllaahu 'anhumaa) who said :
sallam) said :
None of you [truly] believes until his desires are

subserviant to that which I have brought.
[Imaam an-Nawawi says:] We have related

it in Kitaab al-Hujjah with a Saheeh chain of
narrators.
This hadeeth is similar to His - subhaanahu

wa ta'aalaa - statement
"But no, by your Lord, they
can have no Faith [Eemaan]
until they make you (O
Muhammad, sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) judge in all
disputes between them"
[Soorah an-Nisaa', 65].
The reason for the revelation of this aayah,

as related by al-Bukhaaree (2359-2360),
was as follows :
Az-Zubair (radiAllaahu anhu) had a quarrel

with a man from amongst the Ansaar over
the use of water from a stream, so they
both went to the Messenger of Allaah
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) for judgement
between them. So he (sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) said : "O Zubair, irrigate your land
and then let the water flow to [the land of]
your neighbour." Through this, he
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) encouraged
az-Zubair to pardon his neighbour and to
make affairs easy for him. However, the
Ansaaree then said : "[You have judged in
his favour] because he is the son of your
uncle". So the colour of the face of the
sallam) changed [from anger], and he said :
"O Zubair, hold back the water [in your
land] until it rises to the level of the stems
[of the trees], and then let it flow [to your
neighbours land]". And by this the
sallam) indicated to az-Zubair the means by
which the Ansaaree could be corrected from
his error [of not submitting to the
judgement of the Prophet, sallAllaahu alayhi
wa sallam].
So when the Ansaaree offended and

angered the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) with what he said, he (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam) granted for az-Zubair the
whole of his right that was due to him,
without any concession for the Ansaaree.
And it has been authenticated from the

Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) in
another hadeeth that he (sallAllaahu alayhi
wa sallam) said : "By the One in Whose
Hand is my soul, none of you believes until I
am more beloved to him than his father or
child or the whole of mankind". Abu az-
Zinaad said that this is from the
Comprehensive Speech of the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam), as he has
combined in these few, simple words great
meaning and import. This is so since the
types of Love are three : the Love which
arises from a feeling of respect and
greatness, such as the Love of ones
parents; the Love which arises from
compassion and mercy, such as the Love of
ones child; and the Love which arises from
seeing in another [person] traits which are
similar to ones own, such as the Love of the
whole of mankind in general. Thus all the
types of Love have been enumerated [by
the Prophet, sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam, in
this hadeeth].
Ibn Buttaal (rahimahu Allaah) said that the

meaning of the hadeeth, and Allaah knows
best, is that whosoever perfects and
completes his Faith (Eemaan) knows that
Allaah 'azza wa jall has delivered him from
the Fire through the Messenger (sallAllaahu
alayhi wa sallam), and through the
Messenger (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam)
was he guided away from Misguidance and
Error.
And the import of the hadeeth is that one

must not surrender ones soul to [any
person] other than the Messenger
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam). And the
Companions (radiAllaahu anhum) used to
be alongside the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi
wa sallam) in fighting their own fathers and
sons and brothers [who were polytheists],
and Abu 'Ubaydah (radiAllaahu anhu) killed
his own father due to his harming the
sallam). And on the Day of Badr, Abu Bakr
(radiAllaahu anhu) faced his own son, 'Abd-
ur-Rahmaan, in the hope that he would be
able to overcome him and kill him. So
whosoever finds similar to this in his self
then he can be assured that his desires are
subserviant to that which the Prophet
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) brought.
Summary :
 That a person is not a Muslim unless

he accepts what is in the Qur'aan and
Sunnah without grudge and
resistance. "But no, by your Lord,
they can have no Faith [Eemaan] until
they make you (O Muhammad,
sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) judge in
all disputes between them, and find in
themselves no resistance against
your decisions, and accept (them)
with full submission" [Soorah Nisaa',
65]
 That we must train our hearts and
minds to willingly submit to the
teachings of the Qur'aan and Sunnah
 That all our Laws, regulations,
principles, values, norms, outlooks,
etc, come from what has been
revealed
Hadeeth 42 : The Expanse of the

Forgiveness of Allaah The Most High
On the authority of Anas (radiAllaahu anhu) who said :

I heard the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) say :
Allaah the Almighty has said : O Son of Aadam,

as long as you invoke Me and ask of Me, I shall
forgive you for what you have done, and I shall
not mind. O Son of Aadam, were your sins to
reach the clouds of the sky and you then asked
forgiveness from Me, I would forgive you. O Son
of Aadam, were you to come to Me with sins
nearly as great as the Earth, and were you then to
face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would
bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it [too].
It was related by at-Tirmidhee, who said
that it was a Hasan hadeeth.
In this hadeeth are immense good tidings,

clemency and great generosity, and what
cannot be enumerated of the types of
Grace and Beneficence, Compassion and
Mercy and what demands Gratitude. And
similar to it is his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa
sallam) statement: "Allaah is more Joyous
by the repentance of His slave, than the joy
of one of you when he finds his lost camel
[in the desert]".
From Abu Ayyoob (radiAllaahu anhu), when he was

on his death-bed, that he said:
"Until now I have hidden from you something

that I heard from the Messenger of Allaah
(sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam). I heard him say:
'If you did not commit sins then Allaah would
create a new Creation who would then commit
sins [and repent], so He would forgive them'".
And there are many other narrations which

are in agreement with the meaning of this
hadeeth.
As for His, 'azza wa jall, statement: "O Son

of Aadam, as long as you invoke Me and ask
of Me" then this is in agreement with His
statement: "I [treat My Slave] in accordance
to what he supposes of Me, so let him deem
of Me whatever he wishes". And it has been
narrated that when a Slave commits a sin
and then feels remorse, and says "O My
Lord! I have committed a sin, so forgive me,
for surely none can forgive sins except
you!"; so Allaah ta'aalaa says "My slave
knows that he has a Lord, Who forgives sins
and [also] punishes for them. So I testify to
you that I have forgiven him". Then [the
slave] does the same a second time, and a
third, and so Allaah 'azza wa jall replies the
same way each time. Then after that He
says: "Do as you please, for I have forgiven
you!", meaning when he commits a sin and
then repents for it.
Know, that for the acceptance of

Repentance there are three conditions:
1. cessation from the sin,

2. remorse for what has preceeded,
3. and firm resolve not to return to
performing the sin.
And if the sin involved taking the right of

another person, then he must hasten to
return his right and absolve himself from
this transgression. And if the sin was
between him and Allaah ta'aalaa, and a
kaffaarah (expiation) is required for this sin,
then it is also necessary that he fulfills this
kaffaarah, and thus this becomes the fourth
condition [for the acceptance of
repentance]. And so, even if a person were
to commit a sin many times in a single day,
and then repent each time with its
conditions, Allaah ta'aalaa would still
forgive him.
And His, subhaanahu, statement: "for what

you have done" implies that Allaah will
forgive despite the repetition of the sin.
And His, subhaanahu, statement: "O Son of

Aadam, were your sins to reach the clouds
of the sky and you then asked forgiveness
from Me, I would forgive you" means that if
these sins had a physical form then they
would fill the space between the sky and
the earth - and this is the limit of multitude.
However, even then His Generosity,
Clemency, and Forgiveness are still more
and greater than that, and there can not
even be the thought of comparison
between them. So the sins of the creation
are wiped away by His Clemency and
Forgiveness.
And His, subhaanahu, statement: "and were

you then to face Me" means that if the slave were
to die upon Eemaan, without associating any partners
with Allaah. And there can be no solace or contentment
for the Believer until he has faced His Lord. And
Allaah ta'aalaa has said:
"Verily Allaah does not

forgive that partners be
asscociated with Him [in
Worship], but He forgives [all
sins] other than that for
whomsoever He pleases"
[Soorah an-Nisaa', 48].
And Abu Hurayrah (radiAllaahu anhu) said that the

said:
"Having good supposition of Allaah is from the

best Worship of Allaah".
Summary :
 That the door of repentance is ever

open to a person
 That Allaah forgives no matter how
much we sin, as long as we truly
repent
 That asscociating partners with Allaah
(shirk) is a sin which He does not
forgive
 That if we seek to live a life upholding
Tawheed, then we have great hope
that He will turn to us in Mercy
*******************End of
Explanation************************

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Imâm an-Nawawî's 40

Introduction to the Collection of Forty Hadeeth

by Imâm an-Nawawî (d. 676 AH / 1299 CE)

All Praise is due to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds, the

We have narrated, through many chains (isnaad, pl.

The scholars (may Allaah be pleased with them) have

I have turned to Allaah for guidance and prayed to Him

[Note : What an-Nawawi is saying here is that many of

Scholars have compiled forty hadeeth on faith and

I have committed myself to including only authentic

Everyone who desires and looks forward to the

I rely only upon Allaah and I entrust my affair only to

Hadeeth 1: Actions are but by Intentions

by Imâm an-Nawawî (d. 676 AH / 1299 CE)

‫( إنـما األعـمـال بالنيات وإنـمـا لكـل امـرئ ما نـوى‬

‫رواه إمام المحد ثين أبـو عـبـد الله محمد بن‬

On the authority of Ameer ul-Mu'mineen (the

"Actions are but by intentions and every man

It is related by the two Imaams of the scholars of

Some of the scholars have said that this hadeeth should

In the hadeeth, when the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi

In the hadeeth, the words "shall have" means that the

The word "actions" refers to those actions which are

‫‪Hadeeth 2: An Explanation of‬‬

‫عن عمر رضي الله عنه أيضا ‪ ،‬قال ‪ :‬بينما نحن‬

‫‪Also on the authority of `Umar (radi Allaahu 'anhu),‬‬

One day while we were sitting with the

And in this hadeeth (from the mention of the white

His questions regarding Islaam, Eemaan and Ihsaan

The term 'Islaam' in its specific meaning refers to the

Having eemaan in Allaah means the attestation that

And eemaan in the Angels means attesting that they are

And eemaan in the Messengers involves attesting that

And eemaan in the Last Day involves the attestation

And eemaan in Qadr (Divine Preordainment) includes

The term 'Ihsaan' refers to the third and highest level,

The statement of the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa

The first states that a slave-girl shall give birth to her

The second sign is that the poor, destitute shepherds

So this hadeeth contains an explanation of Islaam,

And we also learn from this hadeeth that the person

‫عن أبي عبد الرحمن عبد الله بن مسعـود رضي‬

On the authority of Aboo `Abd ir-Rahmaan `Abdullaah

Verily the creation of each one of you is brought

By the One, other than Whom there is no deity,

Regarding the statement that "the creation of each one

The further description of the embryo in the various

The angel that is sent to the embryo is the angel who is

Regarding the statement "verily one of you performs

And it is understood and seen that the changing of a

And in this hadeeth is the establishment of the Belief in

"He is not asked about His

Allaah Acts as He Wishes in His Kingdom, and no one

Imaam as-Sam'aanee said:

The path to understanding this subject [of Qadaa'

"And We shall make easy for

Some of the Scholars have said : It is obligatory to