Al-‘Araj narrated that It was narrated on the authority of Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), "Allah's Messengerﷺ said, 'No one should prevent his neighbor from fixing a wooden peg in his wall." It was narrated on the authority of Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) (to his companions), "Why do I find you aayah to it? By Allah, I certainly will narrate it to you."
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Commentary :
Islam assigns great rights to neighbors, and the Prophet ﷺ enjoined Muslims to treat their neighbors nicely, and urged them to be kind and cooperative with them.
In this hadeeth, the Prophet ﷺ commanded Muslims to be cooperative and considerate with their neighbors, and to give precedence to kindness and tolerance in some situations. One of the situations in which tolerance is urged is when a neighbor wants to fix a wooden peg in his wall, although the neighbor has no right to this wall and it is no co-owned by him. However, one of the rights of the neighbors over each other is to benefit one another, without causing any harm to either party.
It seems that some people in the audience who were listening to this hadeeth from Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) did not like what they heard and did not approve of it. Therefore, he (may Allah be pleased with him) said to them: “Why do I find you aayah to it?” It means, ‘Why do you seem dissatisfied with the ruling although it is established by the Prophet’s statement, and you refrain from acting upon it?” He (may Allah be pleased with him) added: “By Allah, I certainly will narrate it to you!” He (may Allah be pleased with him) meant to reproach them and lay more emphasis on this ruling by narrating the hadeeth often to them, even if they disliked it! It could also mean that if they disliked to let their neighbors fix a wooden peg in their wall, he (may Allah be pleased with him) would throw such wooden pegs at their shoulders, and not the walls. This meaning also implies emphasizing the gravity of denouncing the Prophet’s command and rejecting it.
The hadeeth underlines the importance of proclaiming the truth to people, even if it is hard and bitter from them to hear it!
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2465

Aboo Sa’eed Al-Khudree (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
The Prophet ﷺ said, "Beware! Avoid sitting on roadsides." People said, "There is no way out of it as these are our sitting places where we have talks." The Prophet ﷺ said, "If you must sit there, then observe the rights of the road." They asked, "What are the rights of the road?" He ﷺ said, "They are: lowering your gazes (from looking at what is unlawful to look at), refraining from harming people, returning the greetings of peace, enjoining good and forbidding evil."
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Commentary :
It is not permissible to harm or cause harm to a Muslim, be it a significant or insignificant harm. The Islamic Laws of Islam keenly recognizes and protects the rights and interests of all people.
In this hadeeth, the Prophet ﷺ warned Muslims against sitting on roadsides; on benches, sofas, chairs, or mats, because sitting on roadsides often leads to harming the passers-by, causing them inconvenience by following them with one’s eyes, or narrowing the roads for the pedestrians and limiting their freedom to walk, and the like. Moreover, the one sitting on roadsides may be exposed to Fitnah (i.e., temptations), or imperil others to it, and the like of evils. People said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: “There is no way out of it as these are our sitting places where we have talks,” meaning that they could not do without sitting on roadsides, being their gathering places where they normally met to discuss their personal affairs, talk about their religious and worldly interests, engage in recreational activities by conversing about lawful matters, and comfort one another, and giving this up would be difficult for them. It seems that they understood from his words that it was for the purpose of warning, not an explicit prohibition, or that it was a non-prohibitively disliked act, because the Prophet ﷺ did not prohibit what was beneficial, nor did he ﷺ permit what was harmful. It is also possible that the prohibition of such an act was related to what was done during such gatherings, not for their own sake, and they believed that they could avoid this objectionable aspect for which the gatherings were deemed forbidden; otherwise the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) hastened to comply with the commands of Allah, Exalted is He, and His Messenger ﷺ. This is why their remarks were more inquiries based on what they understood from his statement, not opposition to him. Had they known that the prohibition in this regard was decisive, they would have hastened to comply immediately. The Prophet ﷺ answered that the prohibition was not of these gatherings in and of themselves, but rather to fulfill the rights of the roads. He ﷺ said: “If you must sit there, then observe the rights of the road,” confirming the Islamic etiquette and rights of the roads. They asked him about such rights, seeking his guidance, and he ﷺ replied: “They are: lowering your gazes (from looking at what is unlawful to look at), refraining from harming people, returning the greetings of peace, enjoining good, and forbidding evil.”
Lowering one’s gaze means refraining from looking at whatever is deemed unlawful to look at as per the laws of Islam, and guarding one’s eyes from seeing what is feared to be a source of Fitnah (i.e., temptations). For instance, one must lower his gazes from looking at what it is not permissible for him to look at, such as looking at women. He ﷺ made mention of lowering the gaze here as a reference to guarding oneself against sources of Fitnah in general (as one may be tempted by women or other passers-by), and consequences of looking at women as they walk down the roads to fulfill their needs.
Refraining from harming people means abstaining from harming others with one’s tongue (words), or hand (actions). This means that one must not verbally abuse passers-by, insult, despise, mock, backbite, or strike them by hand or a stick except rightfully (i.e., for a wrongdoing warranting it as per the laws of Islam). He may not usurp their wealth or belongings wrongfully, pour water on the road, lest it would cause the pedestrians to slip and fall, put obstacles hindering their way, throw dirt or thorns that would hurt the passers-by.People must also refrain from narrowing the roads to pedestrians and limiting their freedom to walk because of their gatherings on roadsides, and causing harm and inconvenience for neighbors by invading the privacy of their womenfolk in their houses and restricting their freedom,which may lead to forcing women to refrain from going out to carry out their errands to fulfill their needs to spare themselves the inconvenience of passing by the roads. In addition, sitting on roadsides also causes the ones sitting there to learn about people’s private conditions what they hate to reveal, and the like of harms that must be eliminated and warded off, and these include refraining from harming animals as well.
Returning the greetings of peace is a religious obligation, and it implies honoring the passers-by, because they greet the one sitting on roadsides and returning the greetings fosters accord and mutual love among Muslims. The one sitting on roadsides must not get frustrated with returning the greetings of the passers-by, because they are inclined to endear themselves to the one sitting on roadsides by greeting and honoring him. Therefore, the one sitting on roadsides should graciously return the greetings of peace with its like or one that is better; he should be gracious and recompense people’s love and consideration in kind. Allah, Exalted is He, Says (what means): {And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet [in return] with one better than it or [at least] return it [in a like manner].} [Quran 4: 86].
Enjoining good and forbidding evil should be done by means of all the prescribed ways, while avoiding all the unprescribed ones, provided that it would not incur a graver evil, even if the one enjoining good or forbidding evil believes that his act is of no real benefit. If the one sitting on roadsides witnesses any incident that entails advising the doer and edifying him on the truth, he should enjoin what is good. The same goes for seeing what warrants forbidding the evil; he should forbid the evil deed and warn against it, stirring the fear of Allah within the doer. It should be noted that enjoining good and forbidding evil must be done in a loving and kind manner, and must not incur a graver evil than what is being forbidden. For instance, if he sees two disputing people arguing or fighting, he should enjoin them to stop such fighting, and reconcile between them; if he sees a young man chasing a girl or annoying her, he should advise him and prevent him from doing so to the best of his ability without doing anything reckless or causing harm to himself or others, and so on. He should also take into account the need to give priority to the most important and significant interests, and should bear in mind that the elimination of evil takes precedence over the realization of benefit and that the lesser evil may be endured to ward off the graver one.
This was a brief account of the Islamic etiquette of sitting on roadsides, and they also include: good speech, giving directions to a wayfarer, relieving the distressed, guiding the one who has got lost, helping the wronged person, helping people with their loads, and the like.
The hadeeth urges Muslims to treat one another kindly; the ones sitting on roadsides encounter many passers-by, and engage in many interactions with them, and they are required to treat them all kindly and considerately.
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2468

‘AbdullahNarrated Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him):
I had been eager to ask ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) about the two wives of the Prophet ﷺregarding whom Allah, Exalted is He, Says (what means): {If you two [wives] repent to Allah, [it is best], for your hearts have deviated.} [Quran 66:4] (namely, ‘Aa’ishah and Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with them))till I performed the Hajj along with ‘Umar (and on our way back from Hajj) he (may Allah be pleased with him) went aside (to answer the call of nature) and I also went aside along with him carrying a tumbler of water. When he had answered the call of nature and returned. I poured water on his hands from the tumbler and he performed ablution. I said, "O Commanders of the believers! Who were the two ladies from among the wives of the Prophet ﷺ to whom Allah, Exalted is He, Says (what means): {If you two [wives] repent to Allah, [it is best], for your hearts have deviated} [Quran 66:4]? He (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I am astonished at your question, O Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with them). They were ‘Aa’ishah and Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with them)." Then ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) went on relating the narration and said, "I and a neighbor of mine from the Ansaar, from Banee Umayyah ibn Zayd who used to live in ‘Awaalee Al-Madeenah, used to visit the Prophet ﷺ in turns. He used to go one day, and I another day. When I went, I would bring him the news of what had happened that day regarding the instructions and orders (i.e., the divine revelation) and when he went, he used to do the same for me. We, the people of Quraysh, used to have authority over women, but when we came to live with the Ansaar, we noticed that their women had the upper hand over their men, so our women started acquiring the habits of the women from the Ansaar. Once, I shouted at my wife and she paid me back in my coin and I disliked that she should answer me back. She said, 'Why do you take it ill that I retort upon you? By Allah, the wives of the Prophet ﷺretort upon him, and some of them may not speak with him for the whole day till night.' What she said scared me and I said to her, 'Whoever amongst them does so, will be a great loser.' Then I dressed myself and went to Hafsah and asked her, 'Does any of you keep Allah's Messengerﷺangry all the day long till night?' She (may Allah be pleased with her) replied in the affirmative. I said, 'She is a ruined losing person (and will never have success)! Does not she fear that Allah may get angry for the anger of Allah's Messengerﷺ and thus she will be ruined? Do not ask Allah's Messengerﷺtoo many things, and do not retort upon him in any case, and do not desert him. Demand from me whatever you like, and do not be tempted to imitate your neighbor (i.e., ‘Aa’ishah) in her behavior towards the Prophet ﷺ), for she (i.e., ‘Aa’ishah) is more beautiful than you, and more beloved to Allah's Messengerﷺ. In those days it was rumored that Ghassaan, (a tribe living in Shaam) was getting prepared their horses to invade us. My companion went (to the Prophet ﷺ on the day of his turn, went and returned to us at night and knocked at my door violently, asking whether I was sleeping. I was scared (by the hard knocking) and came out to him. He said that a great thing had happened. I asked him: What is it? Have Ghassaan come? He replied that it was worse and more serious than that, and added that Allah's Messenger ﷺ had divorced all his wives. I said, Hafsah is a ruined loser! I expected that would happen someday.' So, I got dressed and offered the Fajr prayer with the Prophet ﷺ. Then the Prophet ﷺ entered an upper room and stayed there alone. I went to Hafsah and found her weeping. I asked her, 'Why are you weeping? Did not I warn you? Have Allah's Messengerﷺ divorced you all?' She replied, 'I do not know. He is there in the upper room.' I then went out and came to the pulpit and found a group of people around it and some of them were weeping. Then I sat with them for some time, but could not endure the situation. So, I went to the upper room where the Prophet ﷺ was and requested to a black slave of his: "Will you get the permission of (Allah's Messenger) for ‘Umar (to enter)? The slave went in, talked to the Prophet ﷺ about it and came out saying, 'I mentioned you to him but he did not reply.' So, I went and sat with the people who were sitting by the pulpit, but I could not bear the situation, so I went to the slave again and said: "Will you get he permission for ‘Umar? He went in and brought the same reply as before. When I was leaving, the slave called me saying, "Allah's Messengerﷺ has granted you permission." So, I entered upon the Prophet and saw him lying on a bedstead made of date-palm leaves and covered with no mattress, and such mat had left its mark on the body of the Prophet ﷺ, and he was leaning on a leather pillow stuffed with palm fires. I greeted him and while still standing, I said: "Have you divorced your wives?' He ﷺ raised his eyes to me and replied in the negative. Then while still standing, I said chatting: "Will you heed what I say, 'O Allah's Messenger ﷺ! We, the people of Quraysh used to have the upper hand over our women (wives), and when we came to the people whose women had the upper hand over them..." ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) told the whole story (about his wife). "On that the Prophet ﷺsmiled." ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) further said, "I then said, 'I went to Hafsah and said to her: Do not be tempted to imitate your companion (‘Aa’ishah) for she is more beautiful than you and more beloved to the Prophet ﷺ.' The Prophet ﷺ smiled again. When I saw him smiling, I sat down and cast a glance at the room, and by Allah, I could not see anything of importance but three hides. I said (to Allah's Messenger ﷺ), "Invoke Allah to make your followers prosperous for the Persians and the Byzantines have been made prosperous and given worldly luxuries, though they do not worship Allah?' The Prophet ﷺ was leaning then (and on hearing my speech he sat straight) and said, 'O Ibn Al-Khattaab! Do you have any doubt (that the Hereafter is better than this worldly life)? These people have been given rewards of their good deeds in this worldly life only.' I asked the Prophet ﷺ, 'Please ask Allah's forgiveness for me.’ The Prophet ﷺdid not go to his wives because of the secret which Hafsah had disclosed to ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with them), and he said that he would not go to his wives for one month as he was angry with them when Allah admonished him. When twenty-nine days had passed, the Prophet ﷺ went to ‘Aa’ishah first of all. She said to him, 'You took an oath that you would not come to us for one month, and today only twenty-nine days have passed, as I have been counting them day by day.' The Prophet ﷺ said, 'The month is also of twenty-nine days.' That month consisted of twenty-nine days. ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, 'When the Divine revelation of Choice was revealed, the Prophet ﷺ started with me, saying to me, 'I am telling you something, but you need not hurry to give the reply till you can consult your parents." ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) knew that her parents would not advise her to part with the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺsaid that Allah Says (what means): {O Prophet, say to your wives, "If you should desire the worldly life and its adornment, then come, I will provide for you and give you a gracious release.} [Quran 33:28] ‘Aa’ishah said, 'Am I to consult my parents about this? I indeed prefer Allah, Exalted is He, His Messenger ﷺ, and the Hereafter.' After that the Prophet ﷺgave the choice to his other wives and they also gave the same reply as ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) did.”
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Commentary :
Like all married couples, the married life of the Prophet ﷺ was not trouble-free and his wives sometimes saddened him with their overjealously or other annoying attitudes.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with them) stated that he was keen to ask ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him) about the two wives of the Prophet ﷺ about whom Allah, Exalted is He, Says (what means): {If you two [wives] repent to Allah, [it is best], for your hearts have deviated.} [Quran 66:4].The Arabic word used in the hadeeth is Saaghat meaning deviated from the obligation and duty, and the ayah means, “If you repent to Allah, Exalted is He, your repentance is justifiable and called for, because your hearts have deviated from the truth and what is obligatory on you towards the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, keeping his secret, being keen on his comfort, and respecting his acts.
Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with them) remained keen on asking his question, but could not do so, out of his reverence for ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), until the opportunity presented itself when they went together for Hajj. Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with them) related that on their way back from Hajj, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) went aside to a deserted path, to answer the call of nature and Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with them) accompanied him carrying a tumbler of water, i.e., a small container made of leather used for carrying water. When he had answered the call of nature and returned, Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with them) poured water on his hands from the tumbler and he (may Allah be pleased with him) performed ablution. Afterward, he (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "O Commander of the believers! Who were the two wives of the Prophet ﷺ to whom Allah, Exalted is He, Says (what means): {If you two [wives] repent to Allah, [it is best], for your hearts have deviated} [Quran 66:4]? ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was astonished at his question, given the fact that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with them) was well-ayahd in Tafseer and this information should not have missed him. It is also possible that ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was astonished at his keenness on learning the ambiguous meanings of the Quran as reflected in his question. It was also said that ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) disliked the question. Anyway, he (may Allah be pleased with him) told him that they were ‘Aa’ishah bint Aboo Bakr and Hafsah bint ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them).
Afterward, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) went on relating the narration to him and said, “I and a neighbor of mine from the Ansaar,” named Aws ibn Khawlee ibn ‘Abdullah Al-Ansaaree (may Allah be pleased with him) from Banee Umayyah ibn Zayd, “used to live in ‘Awaalee Al-Madeenah,” i.e., the villages near Al-Madeenah, three or four miles away from it in the direction of Najd, “used to visit the Prophet ﷺ in turns. He used to go one day, and I another day. When I went, I would bring him the news of what had happened that day regarding the instructions and orders (i.e., the divine revelation) and when he went, he used to do the same for me. We, the people of Quraysh, used to have authority over women,” and they had no authority over us, “but when we came to live with the Ansaar, we noticed that their women had the upper hand over their men.” It means that the men from the Ansaar were rather more lenient with their wives. He (may Allah be pleased with him) added: “So, our women started acquiring the habits of the women from the Ansaar,” copying their attitudes towards their husbands. “Once, I shouted at my wife and she paid me back in my coin and I disliked that she should answer me back. She said, 'Why do you take it ill that I retort upon you? By Allah, the wives of the Prophet ﷺretort upon him, and some of them may not speak with him for the whole day till night.'” Another version of the hadeeth recorded in Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim reads: “How strange is it that you, O son of Khattaab, do not like anyone to retort upon you, whereas your daughter retorts upon Allah's Messenger ﷺ until he spends the day angry!” ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) added: “What she said scared me and I said to her, 'Whoever amongst them does so, will be a great loser!'”
Then ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) stated that he got dressed and went to Hafsah and asked her, “Do any of you keep Allah's Messengerﷺangry all day long till night?” She (may Allah be pleased with her) replied in the affirmative. He (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “She is a ruined losing person (and will never have success)! Does not she fear that Allah, Exalted is He, may get angry for the anger of His Messengerﷺ and thus she will be ruined?” ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) advised his daughter not to ask Allah's Messengerﷺfor too many things, not to retort upon him in any case, and never to desert him even if he ﷺ did. He (may Allah be pleased with him) also told her to demand whatever she wanted and needed from him, and added: “Do not be tempted to imitate your neighbor (i.e., ‘Aa’ishah),” meaning your co-wife, since the Arabs used to refer to co-wives as neighbors, as they share the same husband, “in her behavior towards the Prophet ﷺ), for she (i.e., ‘Aa’ishah) is more beautiful than you, and more beloved to Allah's Messengerﷺ.” ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) urged his daughter to follow his advice and warned her against being tempted by the fact that the Prophet ﷺ might overlook such behavior and attitude from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with him) to follow her example. He (may Allah be pleased with him) meant that he ﷺ may tolerate ‘Aa’ishah’s behavior given her special status in his heart, and this would not be the case for Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her)!
He (may Allah be pleased with him) added: “In those days it was rumored that Ghassaan,” (a tribe living in Shaam) from Qahtaan tribe who left the area around Ma’rib Dam, scattered, and settled by a well called Ghassaan and therefore they were named after it and lived in Shaam. He (may Allah be pleased with him) added: “Ghassaan was getting prepared their horses to invade us (Muslims). My companion went (to the Prophet ﷺ on the day of his turn), and heard the he ﷺ had divorced all his wives. He went at night and knocked at ‘Umar’s door violently, asking whether he was sleeping. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) got scared (by the hard knocking) and came out to him. He said that a great thing had happened. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him: “What is it? Have Ghassaan come?” He replied that it was worse and more serious than that, and added that Allah's Messenger ﷺ had divorced all his wives. It is possible that the rumor was circulated by the hypocrites that he ﷺ divorced them, contrary to the truth as he ﷺ only forsook them, and this was unusual of him, therefore people thought that he ﷺ had divorced them.
‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Hafsah is a ruined loser! I expected that would happen someday,” because retorting upon one’s husband incurs his anger and this may ultimately end in divorce. He (may Allah be pleased with him) named Hafsah in particular because she was his daughter and he had just warned her of the gravity of such an attitude.
‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) got dressed, went to the Prophet ﷺ and offered the Fajr prayer with him. Then the Prophet ﷺ entered an upper room, where they used to store food, and stayed there alone, forsaking his wives. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) added: “I went to Hafsah and found her weeping. I asked her, 'Why are you weeping? Did I not warn you (of angering, retorting upon, or deserting Allah's Messengerﷺ)? Has Allah's Messengerﷺ divorced you all?' She replied, 'I do not know. He ﷺ is there in the upper room.' ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) went out and came to the pulpit and found a group of people around it and some of them, below ten, were weeping. He (may Allah be pleased with him) added: “Then I sat with them for some time, but could not endure the situation,” meaning that he (may Allah be pleased with him) was concerned with the news about the Prophet ﷺ and that he had divorced his wives, including his daughter! He (may Allah be pleased with him) added: “So, I went to the upper room where the Prophet ﷺ was and requested a black slave of his, named Rabaah: ‘Will you get the permission of (Allah's Messengerﷺ) for ‘Umar (to enter)?’ The slave went in, talked to the Prophet ﷺ about it and came out saying, 'I mentioned you to him but he ﷺ did not reply.' So, I went and sat with the people who were sitting by the pulpit, but I could not bear the situation, so I went to the slave again and said: ‘Will you get his permission for ‘Umar?’ He went in and brought the same reply as before. When I was leaving, the slave called me saying, ‘Allah's Messengerﷺ has granted you permission.’ So, I entered upon the Prophet ﷺ and saw him lying on a bedstead made of date-palm leaves and covered with no mattress, and the mat had left its mark on the body of the Prophet ﷺ, and he was leaning on a leather pillow stuffed with palm fibres. I greeted him and while still standing, I said: ‘Have you divorced your wives?' He ﷺ raised his eyes to me and replied in the negative.
While still standing, I said, chatting: ‘Will you heed what I say, O Allah's Messenger ﷺ!’” ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was trying to see if the Prophet ﷺ would forgive them or say something to comfort him and ease his anger. He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “We, the people of Quraysh used to have the upper hand over our women (wives), and when we came to the people whose women had the upper hand over them..." ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) told the whole story (about his wife). "On that the Prophet ﷺsmiled." ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) further said, "I then said, 'I went to Hafsah and said to her: Do not be tempted to imitate your companion (‘Aa’ishah) for she is more beautiful than you and more beloved to the Prophet ﷺ.' The Prophet ﷺ smiled again. When I saw him smiling, I sat down and cast a glance at the room, and by Allah, I could not see anything of importance but three hides,” indicating the shabby appearance of the room where the Prophet ﷺ stayed. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) added: “I said (to Allah's Messenger ﷺ), ’Invoke Allah to make your Ummah (followers) prosperous, for the Persians and the Byzantines have been made prosperous and given worldly luxuries, though they do not worship Allah?' The Prophet ﷺ was leaning then, and on hearing my speech he sat straight, disliking my statement, and said, 'O Ibn Al-Khattaab! Do you have any doubt (that the Hereafter is better than this worldly life)? These people, i.e., the Persians and Byzantines, have been given rewards for their good deeds in this worldly life only.'” Thereupon, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet ﷺ to seek Allah's forgiveness for him, for his boldness to say so in his presence.
The Prophet ﷺdeserted his wives because of the secret which Hafsah had disclosed to ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with them), and this hadeeth did not underline the details of that secret. It was reported in Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim that the Prophet ﷺ used to spend time with Zaynab bint Jahsh, and that he once drank honey at her house, so Hafsah and ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with them) agreed that the one whom the Prophet ﷺ visited first should say, “I notice that you have an odor of Maghaafeer (i.e., plural of Mughfur, the gum of a kind of mimosa, the odor of which is unpleasant)! Have you eaten some?” When he ﷺ visited one of them and she said that to him he ﷺ replied, “Do not worry; I drank some honey at the house of Zaynab bint Jahsh, but I swear that I shall not do it again. Do not tell anyone of that.” It was also said that the reason was not a particular event, but rather that his wives did many things that made him angry.
He ﷺ had said that he would not go to his wives for one month, as he was very angry with them when Allah, Exalted is He, admonished him. Allah, Exalted is He, Says (what means): {O Prophet, why do you prohibit [yourself from] what Allah has made lawful for you, seeking the approval of your wives? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.} [Quran 66:1].
When twenty-nine days had passed, the Prophet ﷺ went to ‘Aa’ishah first of all. She (may Allah be pleased with her) said to him, “You took an oath that you would not come to us for one month, and today only twenty-nine days have passed, as I have been counting them day by day.” The Prophet ﷺ said, “The month is also of twenty-nine days!'”That month consisted of twenty-nine days.
‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “When the Divine revelation of Choice was revealed, the Prophet ﷺ started with me.” She (may Allah be pleased with her) was referring to the ayaat that read (what means): {O Prophet, say to your wives, "If you should desire the worldly life and its adornment, then come, I will provide for you and give you a gracious release. * But if you should desire Allah and His Messenger and the home of the Hereafter - then indeed, Allah has prepared for the doers of good among you a great reward."} [Quran 33: 28-29].
Based on these ayaat, the Prophet ﷺ gave his wives the choice for him to divorce them and give them the due provision, or retain his marriage to them and they should endure the straitened circumstances.
He ﷺ said to me, “I am telling you something, but you need not hurry to give the reply till you consult your parents." ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) knew that her parents would not advise her to part with the Prophet ﷺ. Heﷺrecited the two ayaat to her, and ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “Am I to consult my parents about this? I, indeed, prefer Allah, Exalted is He, His Messenger ﷺ, and the Hereafter.“ After that the Prophet ﷺgave the choice to his other wives and they also gave the same reply as ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) did.
The hadeeth highlights the merits of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).
It also underlines the asceticism of the Prophet ﷺ, and the virtue of denouncing worldly pleasures and being content with a humbled life, being a distinct quality of the Prophets.
It also emphasizes that worldly pleasures are fleeting, unlike the eternal bliss of the Hereafter.
It is deduced from the hadeeth that a woman is liable to punishment for disclosing her husband’s secrets.
It is also inferred therefrom that even a rational and wise woman may consult her parents or seek the opinion of whom she trusts about her own affairs. It is also deduced that the Prophet ﷺ used to smile back at those who tried to make him laugh out of courtesy.
The hadeeth also highlights keenness in seeking knowledge, taking turns in checking the latest updates on the divine revelation and being concerned with such pursuits.
It also underlines the merits of the Mother of the Believers, ‘Aai’shah (may Allah be pleased with her). .

2473

Narrated Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him)
The Prophet ﷺ judged that seven cubits should be left as a public way when there was a dispute about the land.
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Commentary :
During the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ, people used to refer their differences to the Prophet ﷺ, and he used to make things clear to them and settle their disputes. His statements on those occasions have become legislation for all Muslims.
In this hadeeth, the Prophet ﷺ issued a decree regarding disputes among neighbors over boundaries, spaciousness, and width of roads between their houses. He ﷺ judged that seven cubits should be left as a public way when there isa dispute among people, neighbors, or landlords regarding the width of the road, when landowners want to build thereon. Seven cubits, or seven arms (i.e., an arm is 69 cm approximately) should be left as a public way. This applies to newly constructed roads in the event of disputes among the landlords. A landlord should leave seven arms as a public way, for the public benefit of Muslims, and place his fence around the rest of his property, or build on it as he wishes. As for the old ways, they should be retained as agreed upon by the concerned owners, provided that due regard should be paid to the rights of the road and those of the neighbors.
It is deduced from the hadeeth that the Laws of Islam keenly regulates the urban planning of towns and cities, the construction of roads, and public utilities..

2474

‘Abdullah ibn Yazeed Al-Khatimee Al-Ansaaree (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet ﷺ forbade robbery (i.e., taking away what belongs to others without their permission), and also forbade mutilation (or maiming) of bodies.
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Commentary :
Islam lays a special emphasis on the gravity of violating the inviolability of people's lives, wealth, and honor, and sternly warns against having the audacity to do so.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn Yazeed Al-Ansaaree (may Allah be pleased with him) related that the Prophet ﷺ forbade robbery, which refers to usurping a Muslim’s wealth forcibly, openly, and unjustly. This includes any transgression against people’s wealth, by means of coercion, theft, or betrayal, and it is a sin, because it involves unlawfully consuming people's wealth.
It was also said that the Arabic word used in the hadeeth - Al-Nuhbaa - means what is taken from wealth before dividing it up and estimating its amount, such as stealing from the spoils of war before division. He ﷺ also forbade the mutilation (or maiming) of bodies, which refers to the punishment that involved mutilation by cutting off bodily organs, such as the nose and ears, or poking out the eyes, and the like, because they involve excessive violence, cruelty, and disregard for human dignity, unless it is authorized by the Laws of Islam by virtue of Qisaas (i.e., retribution); it is not forbidden, because Allah, Exalted is He, Says (what means): {And if you punish [an enemy, O believers], punish with an equivalent of that with which you were harmed. But if you are patient - it is better for those who are patient.} [Quran 16:126].
The hadeeth highlights one of the etiquettes of Islam and underlines its respect and high regard for individual property..

2475

It was narrated on the authority of Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺsaid, "A perpetrator of Fornication (i.e., illegal sexual intercourse) is not a true believer when he commits it; no one who dinks Khamr (intoxicants) is a true believer when he drinks it, and when no thief is a true believer when he steals; and a robber is not a true believer at the time of robbery when people look at him.”
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Commentary :
A Muslim may commit a major sin and repent from it. Allah, Exalted is He, forgives all sins, including major ones, Shirk (i.e., polytheism) aside. When a Muslim commits a sin, no matter how grave it is, Allah, Exalted is He, forgives him and confers upon him His pardon whenever he repents.
In this hadeeth, the Prophet ﷺ makes it clear that a believer may fall into grave sins, but he cannot be described as a believer when he commits such a major sin. Rather, he is deprived of his faith while committing such major sins. For instance, a perpetrator of Fornication is not a true believer when he is committing Fornication, and it could also mean that the light of faith is removed from his heart at such time. Faith denotes the beliefs harbored in the heart, declarations made by the tongue, and actions, translating such faith (i.e., acting upon it). If a believer commits Fornication, drinks Khamr, or steals, the light of faith is taken away from his heart and he is left with the darkness of sin. It could also mean that the faith of a perpetrator of major sins is imperfect rather than negating his faith altogether. Thus, the hadeeth would mean that a perpetrator of Fornication does not commit such sin while having perfect and true faith. It is also possible that it means that whoever commits such major sins while believing them to be lawful is not a believer, for declaring lawful what is unlawful warrants Kufr (disbelief). The Prophet’s statement could also be a warning against the loss of faith if one becomes accustomed to committing these major sins and persistently adhering to them. Theft (that warrants the prescribed Hadd) means unlawfully taking the property of another person that is recognized by the Laws of Islam as wealth, stealthily from where similar things are normally kept and there is no suspicion involved (i.e., uncertainty warranting the dismissal of the prescribed punishment).
Similarly, a robber is not a true believer when he robs. Robbery means taking someone’s property openly and forcibly. His saying, “the people look at him,”refers to the situation of the people being robbed as they look at the robber while being unable to keep him off, even if they beg him. It could also refer to the fact that a robber takes people’s property openly, contrary to theft and embezzlement that are done stealthily. Robbery is a more serious crime because it involves audacity and indifference to (the inviolability of) people. It was also said that the Arabic word Nuhbah refers to what is taken from property before dividing it up and estimating its amount, such as stealing from the spoils of war before division. Accordingly, the meaning of his saying “the people look at him,” would be that such a sin is so grave and serious that it catches the attention of people just like robbery committed by the dissolute at times of Fitnah (i.e., civil war and dissension).
It is deduced from the hadeeth that faith increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience.
It also emphasizes the gravity of Fornication, theft, consumption of Khamr, and usurping people’s wealth wrongfully..

2478

‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet ﷺentered (i.e., conquered) Makkah and (at that time) there were three hundred-and-sixty idols around the Ka‘bah. He ﷺ started stabbing the idols with a stick he had in his hand and reciting the ayah that reads (what means): {And say, "Truth has come, and falsehood has departed. Indeed is falsehood, [by nature], ever bound to depart."} [Quran 17:81]
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Commentary :
Allah, Exalted is He, Says (what means): {That is because Allah is the Truth, and that which they call upon other than Him is falsehood, and because Allah is the Most High, the Grand.} [Quran 22:62].Islam and Tawheed (i.e., Unique Oneness of Allah) are the clear truth, and Shirk (i.e., polytheism) and idolatry are sheer falsehood. The Prophet ﷺ strove to promote Islam and establish Tawheed on one hand, and demolish Shirk and idolatry on the other hand, and thus Allah, Exalted is He, perfected His light of guidance imparted to the worlds through him.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that when Allah, Exalted is He, blessed His Messenger with triumph over the disbelievers at the conquest of Makkah during the month of Ramadan in 8 A.H., he ﷺ entered it to find three hundred and sixty idols around the Ka‘bah, which people had made out of stone and taken as objects of worship. The Prophet ﷺ stabbed these idols with a stick, to demolish them, indicating the humiliation of such idols and their worshippers, and to show people that these idols did not harm or benefit, and could not even protect or defend themselves! While demolishing the idols, the Prophet ﷺ recited the ayah that reads(what means): {And say, "Truth has come, and falsehood has departed. Indeed, is falsehood, [by nature], ever bound to depart."} [Quran 17:81]. The ayah means, ‘O Messenger of Allah, say, ‘Truth has come, and falsehood has departed. Indeed, falsehood is innately ever bound to depart,’ to express gratitude to your Lord, acknowledging His grace, and celebrate His victory. It means, ‘Truth, with which Allah, Exalted is He, sent me has triumphed over all the opposing (false) beliefs: Shirk, Kufr (i.e., disbelief), and falsehood.’ They faded away and their power vanished, for falsehood is inherently unstable and precarious at all times.
It is deduced from the hadeeth that it is permissible to recite this ayah when eliminating an evil..

2480

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn Al-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with them) narrated:
I heard the Prophet ﷺ saying, "Whoever is killed while protecting his property is a martyr."
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Commentary :
The Islamic Laws of Islam aims at the preservation of the five necessities, which are: religion, life, intellect, lineage, and property.
In this hadeeth, the Prophet ﷺ stated that a person has the right to defend his wealth against a usurper or aggressor, and if he is killed while protecting his wealth, he earns the reward of martyrdom in the Hereafter, because Allah, Exalted is He, has legislated the preservation and protection of wealth. If someone fights off his attacker to defend his wealth, he would be fighting in the cause of Allah, and if he is killed in the process, he would be regarded as a martyr in the Hereafter. Such martyrs earn the reward of martyrdom in the Hereafter, but they are not treated as the martyrs who are killed on the battlefield, in the sense that their dead bodies are washed and shrouded and the funeral prayers are performed over them.
The hadeeth urges Muslims to defend their wealth and fend off the attacker rather than surrender to his aggression and allow him to take one’s wealth by force.
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2484

Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Once (on a journey) our provisions diminished and the people were reduced to poverty. They went to the Prophet ﷺ and asked his permission to slaughter their camels, and he agreed. ‘Umar met them and they told him about it, and he said, "How would you survive after slaughtering your camels?" Then he went to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "O Allah's Messenger ﷺ!How would they survive after slaughtering their camels?" Allah's Messengerﷺ ordered ‘Umar, "Call upon the people to bring what has remained of their food." A leather sheet was spread and all the food was collected and heaped over it. Allah's Messenger ﷺstood up and invoked Allah, Exalted is He, to bless it, and then directed all the people to come with their utensils, and they started taking from it till all of them got what was sufficient for them. Allah's Messengerﷺ then said, "I testify that none is worthy of worship but Allah, Exalted is He, and I am His Messenger ﷺ."
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Commentary :
Allah, Exalted is He, supported His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ with extraordinary miracles that indicated his prophethood, and one such miracle was the miracle of abundance, blessing small quantities of food to turn into large quantities.
In this hadeeth, Salamah ibn Al-Akwa‘ (may Allah be pleased with him) said that they were once on a journey or at one of the battles, probably Tabook; it was narrated on the authority of Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), as recorded in Saheeh Muslim, “On the day of the battle of Tabook, the Muslims were hard pressed by hunger and they asked Messenger of Allah ﷺ: ‘O Messenger of Allah, grant us permission to slaughter our camels to eat and use their fat.’”
Salamah (may Allah be pleased with him) added: “… our provisions diminished and the people were reduced to poverty,” meaning that their food supplies were exhausted and they almost ran out of food. They went to the Prophet ﷺ, seeking permission to slaughter the camels that they were riding to eat their meat, and he ﷺ gave them permission. Upon knowing of it, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “How would you survive if you slaughtered your camels?” Meaning that they would not be able to survive without their riding mounts. He (may Allah be pleased with him) went to the Prophet ﷺ and said: "O Messenger of Allah, if it is done, we shall suffer from lack of transportation. I suggest you pool together whatever has been left of the food and supplicate Allah, Exalted is He, to bless it.” He ﷺ agreed, called for leather mat and had it spread out.He ﷺcommanded ‘Umar to call upon the people to bring the leftovers of their provisions. Some provisions were collected on the mat and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ invoked blessings on the small quantity of food, and then called upon people to bring their vessels. They came and started taking handfuls of the blessed food, and everyone filled his vessel with food, with the blessing of the Prophet ﷺ! Thereafter, he ﷺ said: “I bear witness that none is worthy of worship except Allah, Exalted is He, and that I am His Messenger ﷺ,” indicating that this miracle performed by him proved that he was a Messenger of Allah, Exalted is He.
The hadeeth highlights a miracle performed by the Prophet ﷺ and the clear effects of his blessings, as abundantas they are.
It is deduced from the hadeeth that people may offer their advice and give their opinions to the ruler regarding what serves the best interests of Muslims, even if they were not consulted.
It is also inferred therefrom that Muslims are urged to foster solidarity regarding food and share the small quantities of food together..

2485

Raafi‘ ibn Khadeej (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
We used to offer the ‘Asr prayer with the Prophet ﷺ and slaughter a camel, the meat of which would be divided in ten parts. We would eat the cooked meat before sunset.
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Commentary :
Allah, Exalted is He, set specific times for the daily prayers that must be observed. Performing the prayers at the beginning of their specified times is one of the best good deeds.
In this hadeeth, Raafi‘ ibn Khadeej (may Allah be pleased with him) stated that they would perform ‘Asr prayer with the Prophet ﷺ, and then go to slaughter a camel. The slaughtered camels were divided into ten parts, and afterward they cooked some of the meat until it was ready before sunset. This indicates that they used to perform ‘Asr prayer at the beginning of its prescribed time. It was also said that this may have been the case during summer, when the days are long..

2486

Aboo Moosaa (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
The Prophet ﷺ said, “When the people of the Ash‘aree tribe ran short of food during the battles, or the food of their families in Al-Madeenah ran short, they would graciously collect all their remaining food in one sheet and then distribute it among themselves equally by measuring it with a bowl. So, these people are from me, and I am from them.”
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Commentary :
Sympathy and solidarity among people at times of hardship are among the moral values embodied by the Prophets of Allah, and the people of the Ash’aree tribe, from Yemen, to whom belonged Aboo Moosaa Al-Ash‘aree (may Allah be pleased with him), were the epitome of such moral values. The Prophet ﷺ praised them for that quality. He ﷺ said: “When the people of the Ash‘aree tribe ran short,” meaning when their food supplies were exhausted and they almost ran out of food, during the battles, or the food of their families in Al-Madeenah ran short, they would graciously collect all their remaining food in one sheet, “and then distribute it among themselves equally by measuring it with a bowl.” This means than each person received an equal share of the remaining food, and this reflected their exemplary altruism and solidarity, because some of them had no food left to begin with and others had small quantities, yet all took equal shares. Afterward, the Prophet ﷺ said: “So, these people are from me, and I am from them,” meaning that their moral character mirrors mine as reflected in their solidarity, as if he ﷺ was saying that this act conformed with his Sunnah and guidance and they followed his example. This highlights their noble moral character, and urges Muslims to follow their example and do the same.
The hadeeth underlines the great merits of the people of the Ash‘aree tribe, lauding their altruism and solidarity, and the greatest honor that could have been bestowed upon them was the fact that the Prophet attributed them to himself, “these people are from me, and I am from them.”
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2491

Naafi‘ narrated:
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Allah's Messengerﷺsaid, 'If one manumits his share of a jointly possessed slave, and can afford the price of the other shares according to the adequate price of the slave, the slave will be completely manumitted, otherwise he will be partially manumitted.'” (Ayyoob, a sub-narrator is not sure whether the saying, “otherwise he will be partially manumitted” was said by Naafi‘ or the Prophet ﷺ.)
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Commentary :
Allah, Exalted is He, created all people free, and hated that some should be enslaved to others. Islam was revealed while the system of slavery was in place (and deeply entrenched into people’s financial and social systems), so the Islamic Laws of Islam keenly assigned special care to the emancipation of slaves, and facilitated its means (to free people from their condition of slavery).
In this hadeeth, the Prophet ﷺ stated that whoever wanted to manumit his share of a jointly possessed slave, be it a male or female slave, he should completely manumit him or her if can afford the price of the other shares according to the adequate price of the slave. This means that if the price of the slave is twenty Dirhams, for instance, and he is jointly owned by two masters and one of them manumits his share, he should graciously pay his co-owner the other ten Dirhams, if he can afford it, tomanumit the slave completely to become a free person. Being able to afford it here means having excess wealth beyond his needs and those of his dependents, including their basic needs such as accommodation, clothes, and the like. If he cannot afford it, then the slave will be partially manumitted.
In the same vein, it was narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever manumits his share of a jointly possessed slave, it is imperative for him to get that slave manumitted completely by paying the remaining price, and if he cannot afford it, then the price of the slave should be estimated justly, and he is to be allowed to work and earn the amount that will manumit him (without overburdening him).” [Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim]. This means that the partially manumitted slave may work and earn money to pay the rest of the price to free himself completely, provided that he must not be overburdened by work if he is unable to do so.

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2492

Narrated Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him)
The Prophet ﷺ said, "Whoever manumits his share of a jointly possessed slave, it is imperative for him to get that slave manumitted completely by paying the remaining price, and if he does not have sufficient money to manumit him, then the price of the slave should be estimated justly, and he is to be allowed to work and earn the amount that will manumit him (without overburdening him)".
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Commentary :
Allah, Exalted is He, created all people free, and hated that some should be enslaved to others. Islam was revealed while the system of slavery was in place (and deeply entrenched into people’s financial and social systems), so the Islamic Laws of Islam keenly assigned special care on the emancipation of slaves, and facilitated its means (to free people from their condition of slavery).
In this hadeeth, the Prophet ﷺ stated that whoever wanted to manumit his share of a jointly possessed slave, he should completely manumit him or her if he can afford the price of the other shares,based on the adequate price of the slave. Such a master is required to pay his co-owner the monetary value of his share, if he can afford it, tomanumit the slave completely to become a free person. Being able to afford it here means having excess wealth beyond his needs and those of his dependents, including their basic needs such as accommodation, clothes, and the like. If he cannot afford it, then the slave will be partially manumitted.
However, if he cannot afford it, then the price of the slave should be estimated justly, and he (the partially manumitted) is to be allowed to work and earn the amount that will manumit him (without overburdening him). This means that the partially manumitted slave may work and earn money to pay the rest of the price to free himself completely, provided that he must not be overburdened by work if he is unable to do so.

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2493

An-Nu‘maan ibn Basheer (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
The Prophet ﷺ said, "The example of the person abiding by Allah's order and restrictions in comparison to those who violate them is like the example of those people who drew lots for their seats in a boat. Some of them got seats in the upper part, and the others in the lower. When the latter needed water, they had to go up to bring water (and that troubled the others), so they said, 'Let us make a hole in our share of the ship (and get water) saving those who are above us from troubling them. So, if the people in the upper part left the others do what they had suggested, all the people of the ship would be destroyed, but if they prevented them, both parties would be safe."
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Commentary :
Enjoining good and forbidding evil is one of the best acts of worship that puts in order the affairs of the Muslims, and rectifies the situation of their nation, and without it, the whole Muslim community would collapse and perish.
In this hadeeth, the Prophet ﷺ gives an example of the importance of observing the obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil. He ﷺ stated that the example of those who comply with the commands of Allah, Exalted is He, by enjoining good and forbidding evil, and those who violate them, i.e., by neglecting that obligation, is like the example of passengers who drew lots for their seats in a boat. Some of them got seats in the upper part, and the others in the lower. When the latter needed water, they had to go up to bring water (and that troubled the others), so they said, 'Let us make a hole in our share of the ship (and get water), saving those who are above us from trouble. A version of the hadeeth recorded in Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree reads: “One of them (i.e., the people in the lower part) took an ax and started making a hole in the bottom of the boat.” If the people in the upper part let the others do what they had suggested, the ship would sink and they all would be destroyed, but if they prevented them, both parties would be safe.
Similarly, if those who uphold the obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil give it up, the whole nation would be destroyed, but if they keenly enjoin good and forbid evil, they would all be delivered, and the situation of all the people would be rectified.
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2494

‘Urwah ibn Al-Zubayr narrated that he had asked ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) about the meaning of the ayah that reads (what means): {And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry those that please you of [other] women, two or three or four.} [Quran 4: 3] She (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “O my nephew! This is about an orphan girl who lives with her guardian and shares his property. Her wealth and beauty may tempt him to marry her without giving her an adequate Mahr (i.e., dower) which might have been given by another suitor. So, such guardians were forbidden to marry such orphan girls unless they treated them justly and gave them the most suitable Mahr, otherwise they were ordered to marry any other women.” ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) further said, "After that ayah was revealed, people again asked the Prophet ﷺ (about the marriage with orphan girls), so Allah, Exalted is He, revealed the following ayah. Allah, Exalted is He Says (what means): {And they request from you, [O Muhammad], a [legal] ruling concerning women. Say, " Allah gives you a ruling about them and [about] what has been recited to you in the Book concerning the orphan girls to whom you do not give what is decreed for them - and [yet] you desire to marry them.} [Quran 4:127] What is meant by Allah's Saying in this ayah {what has been recited to you in the Book}, is the other ayah that reads (what means): {And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry those that please you of [other] women, two or three or four.} [Quran 4: 3] She (may Allah be pleased with her) added: “His Saying {and [yet] you desire to marry them} [Quran 4:127] in the other ayah, means the desire of the guardian to marry an orphan girl under his guardianship when she has not much property or beauty (in which case he should treat her justly). The guardians were forbidden to marry their orphan girls possessing property and beauty without being just to them, as they generally refrain from marrying them (when they are neither beautiful nor wealthy).
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Commentary :
The wise Laws of Islam enjoins care for the orphans and preservation of their wealth, and regulates the affairs of guardianship over orphans’ wealth to best serve their interests.
In this hadeeth, the Taabi’ee (a Muslim who saw at least one of the Companions)‘Urwah ibn Al-Zubayr asked his maternal aunt ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), the Mother of the Believers, about the meaning of the ayah that reads (what means): {And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry those that please you of [other] women, two or three or four.} [Quran 4: 3]. She (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “O my nephew,” since his mother was Asmaa’ bint Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them). “This is about an orphan girl who lives with her guardian,” meaning under his care. An orphan is a minor whose father passes away before he or she reaches puberty.
She added: “and shares his property,” meaning invests her wealth in trade, “Her wealth and beauty may tempt him to marry her without giving her an adequate Mahr (i.e., dower) which might have been given by another suitor. So, such guardians were forbidden to marry such orphan girls unless they treated them justly and gave them the most suitable Mahr,” meaning the highest that may be paid to women of their same social standing.
Otherwise, they were ordered to take one, two, three, or four wives from any other women.
Thereafter, ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) further stated that after that ayah was revealed, people again asked the Prophet ﷺ (about marriage with orphan girls). Therefore, Allah, Exalted is He, revealed the following ayah. He Says (what means): {And they request from you, [O Muhammad], a [legal] ruling concerning women. Say, " Allah gives you a ruling about them and [about] what has been recited to you in the Book concerning the orphan girls to whom you do not give what is decreed for them - and [yet] you desire to marry them.} [Quran 4:127]. She (may Allah be pleased with her) underlined that what was meant by Allah's Saying in this ayah {what has been recited to you in the Book}, was the other ayah that reads (what means): {And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry those that please you of [other] women, two or three or four.} [Quran 4: 3]. His Saying {and [yet] you desire to marry them,} [Quran 4:127] in the other ayah, means the desire of the guardian to marry an orphan girl under his guardianship and care when she has not much property or beauty (in which case he should treat her justly). This means that a guardian may marry off the orphan girl under his care, and he may want to marry her himself. Allah, Exalted is He, commanded him to pay her the due Mahr that is paid to other women or else marry another. Allah, Exalted is He, laid no restrictions on him to marry other women; He Says (what means): {And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry those that please you of [other] women, two or three or four.} [Quran 4: 3]. Moreover, some guardians were not inclined to marry the orphan girls under their care because they possessed no beauty or adequate property in their views. Allah, Exalted is He, forbade them from refraining from marrying off such orphan girls to suitable suitors fearing that they would have a share in the joint property owned by the guardian and orphan girl.
In the pre-Islamic era, a guardian used to throw his robe over orphan girls under his care and this meant that no one would be ever allowed to marry such an orphan girl. If she was beautiful, he would marry her and devour her wealth, and if she was not beautiful, he would deny her marriage until she died and he would inherit her! This unjust practice was deemed prohibited in Islam. It goes without saying that marriage - especially to an orphan girl - must be based on justice and what is permissible as per the laws of Islam.
The hadeeth warns against the oppression and injustice committed against orphans, and urges guardians to fulfill their rights.
It is also inferred therefrom that the guardians are entrusted with those placed under their care and guardianship, and that wronging them constitutes a breach of trust..

739

Abu Is'hāq reported: I asked Al-Aswad ibn Yazīd about what ‘Ā’ishah narrated to him regarding the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). She said: He would sleep in the earlier part of the night and stay awake in the latter part. Then, when he needed intercourse with his wife, he would fulfill his need and then sleep. When the first call was pronounced, she said: He jumped - and no by Allah, she did not say: He stood up - and poured water over himself - and no by Allah, she did not say: He took a bath, and I know what she meant - and if he was not sexually impure, he would perform ablution like a man's ablution for prayer and then offer two Rak‘ahs..

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would offer Qiyām al-Layl in his house as much as Allah willed him to pray. The Companions - and the Tābi‘is after them - were keen on knowing the details of his worship and would inquire about the acts of worship that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would perform at home which they could not see.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Abu Is'hāq as-Sabī‘i informs that he asked the Tābi‘i Al-Aswad ibn Yazīd about what ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) had told him with regard to the voluntary prayer of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) during the night. He told him that she had said: "He would sleep at the earlier part of the night" after the ‘Ishā’ prayer, in order to give his body its share of rest. And he would get up at the latter part of the night to fill it with prayer, Tahajjud, and Witr. This is the time in which Allah Almighty descends to the worldly heaven, as related in a Hadīth by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim, in which Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Our Lord, Glorified and Exalted, descends every night to the worldly heaven when the last third of the night remains and says: ‘Who supplicates Me so that I may answer him? Who asks Me so that I may give him? Who seeks forgiveness from Me so that I may forgive him?'"
Then, when he finished his prayer in the night, he would fulfill his need for his wives, in case he had a need for them. In the version by An-Nasā’i: "he would go to his wife", which indirectly refers to copulation; and then he would then sleep. Thereafter, when the time of Fajr came and he heard the Adhān - the first call - he would 'jump' i.e., he would get up in a quick and active manner, and he would pour water over himself, taking a ritual bath if he was sexually impure from the copulation with his wives. In case he was not sexually impure, he would only make ablution and then offer two Rak‘ahs as the Sunnah of Fajr.
By his words: "No by Allah, she did not say: He stood up" and "No by Allah, she did not say: He took a bath, and I know what she meant", the narrator means that he conveyed the very words said by ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), which are: "and he poured water over himself"; and she did not say: "He took a bath". And he knows that by "he poured water", she meant: He took a bath. This shows his care and meticulousness in conveying what he heard as he heard it, not by its meaning.
The Hadīth indicates that a sexually impure person may sleep without performing ablution.
It shows the interest in worship and the active engagement in it, as denoted by the words "he jumped"..

740

‘Ā’ishah reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray at night until his last prayer would be the Witr..

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to offer Qiyām al-Layl in his house as much as Allah willed him to pray. The Companions were keen on knowing the details of his worship and would inquire about the acts of worship that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would perform at home which they could not see.
In this Hadīth, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) informs that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to offer Qiyām al-Layl for part of the night and would pray two Rak‘ahs at a time, and the last prayer he would perform was the Witr, whose time ends with the rise of dawn. When the dawn rose, there would be no Witr, even between the Adhān of Fajr and its Iqāmah.
There are various forms and ways of the Prophet's performance of Witr, as well as the number of its Rak‘ahs. Based on all of them, it becomes apparent that Witr can be three, five, seven, nine, or eleven Rak‘ahs. If he observed Witr as three Rak‘ahs, this would have two legitimate ways: First: He would offer the three Rak‘ahs consecutively with one Tashahhud. Second: He would make Taslīm after two Rak‘ahs and then offer one Rak‘ah as Witr. But when he observed Witr as five or seven Rak‘ahs, he would offer them all together, with only one Tashahhud and Taslīm at the end. And when he observed Witr as nine Rak‘ahs, he would offer them all together and sit for Tashahhud at the eighth Rak‘ah and then stand up without Taslīm, and he would say Tashahhud in the ninth Rak‘ah and make Taslīm. When he observed Witr as eleven Rak‘ahs, he would make Taslīm after every two Rak‘ahs and then conclude them with one Rak‘ah. The minimum of what is valid and sufficient in terms of Witr is to perform two Rak‘ahs and make Taslīm and then perform one Rak‘ah and make Taslīm; and it is permissible to make one Taslīm, but with one Tashahhud, not two.
The Hadīth indicates that the last prayer at night should be Witr..

746

Zurārah reported: Sa‘d ibn Hishām ibn ‘Āmir wanted to fight for the sake of Allah. So, he came to Madīnah and wanted to sell some real estate that belonged to him there, allocate it for arms and horses, and conduct Jihad against the Romans until he dies. When he came to Madīnah, he met a group of people from Madīnah, who forbade him from doing so. They informed him that a group of six people wanted to do that during the lifetime of the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), yet the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade them. He said: Is there not a role model for you in me?! When they narrated that to him, he took back his wife, whom he had divorced, and he brought witnesses to her return. He came to Ibn ‘Abbās and asked him about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Ibn ‘Abbās said: Shall I direct you to the most knowledgeable one among the people of the world about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Who? He said: ‘Ā’ishah. Go to her and ask her and then come to me and tell me about her response to you. So, I headed to her. I met Hakīm ibn Aflah and asked him to take me to her. He said: I would not come close to her, for I forbade her from saying anything about these two groups, but she refused and decided to engage in that. He said: I adjured him by Allah. As a result, he came, and we headed to ‘Ā’ishah. We asked her for permission to enter. She gave us permission, and we entered her place. She said: Are you Hakīm? She recognized him. He said: Yes. She said: Who is with you? He said: Sa‘d ibn Hishām. She said: Who is Hishām? He said: Ibn ‘Āmir. She invoked Allah's mercy upon him and spoke well of him. Qatādah said: He was wounded during the battle of ’Uhud. I said: O Mother of the Believers, tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). She said: Do you not recite the Qur’an? I said: Yes. She said: Indeed, the character of the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was the Qur’an. He said: I resolved to get up and not ask anyone about anything till I die; then a thought came to me, and I said: Tell me about the Qiyām (late-night prayer) of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). She said: Do you not recite: {O you the enwrapped one}? I said: Yes. She said: Indeed, Allah Almighty prescribed Qiyām al-Layl at the start of this Surah. So, the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions performed Qiyām for one year. And Allah held back its concluding portion for twelve months in heaven, till Allah sent down alleviation at the concluding verses of this Surah. Consequently, Qiyām al-Layl became optional after being obligatory. He said: I said: O Mother of the Believers, tell me about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). She said: We used to prepare for him his tooth stick and water for his ablution, and Allah would resurrect him to the extent He wished during the night. He would use the tooth stick, perform ablution, and offer nine Rak‘ahs, without sitting in them except in the eighth one; he would remember Allah, praise Him, and supplicate Him, and then get up without making Taslīm and offer the ninth Rak‘ah. Then, he would sit, remember Allah, praise Him, supplicate Him, and then make Taslīm loud enough for us to hear. Then, he would offer two Rak‘ahs after Taslīm while he was sitting. These are eleven Rak‘ahs, O young son. When the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) grew old and put on weight, he would observe Witr with seven and do in the two Rak‘ahs as he had done formerly. These are nine, O young son. When the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) offered a prayer, he liked to offer it on a persistent basis. But if he missed Qiyām al-Layl due to sleep or illness, he would perform twelve Rak‘ahs during the daytime. I am not aware that the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) recited the whole Qur’an in a night, prayed for a night till the morning, or fasted a whole month other than Ramadan. He said: Then I headed to Ibn ‘Abbās and told him her Hadīth. He said: She spoke the truth. If I could come close to her or visit her, I would certainly go to her so that she would verbally narrate it to me. He said: I said: If I had known you would not enter her place, I would not have narrated her Hadīth to you. [And in a version]: He divorced his wife and then headed to Madīnah to sell his real estate, and he related a similar Hadīth..

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to offer Qiyām al-Layl in his house as much as Allah willed him to pray. The Companions - and the Tābi‘is after them - were keen on knowing the details of his worship and would inquire about the acts of worship that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would perform at home which they could not see.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Zurārah ibn Awfa al-Harashi al-Basri relates that the Tābi‘i Sa‘d ibn Hishām ibn ’Umayyah al-Ansāri wanted to completely devote himself to the campaign and Jihad in the cause of Allah. So, he divorced his wife and came to Madīnah, and he was then in Basrah, residing there along with his father, the Companion Hishām ibn ‘Āmir (may Allah be pleased with him). He wanted to sell some real estate - and real estate is an immovable object, like a piece of land or a house. It may also refer to possessions - and purshase with their proceeds weapons, like a sword, spear, and bow, and horses, to engage in Jihad against the Romans till he would die in that state. Apparently, he sought celibacy and asceticism from worldly life.
When he came to Madīnah, he met a group from among the people of Madīnah. Having known what he intended to do, they forbade him from it, and told him that a group of six people had wanted to do the same as he intended - to divorce their wives and sell their possessions to engage in the campaign during the Prophet's lifetime - yet the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade them and said: "Is there not a role model for you in me?!" i.e., a good example for you to follow?! Sa‘d ibn Hishām acted upon the advice given to him by those people. So, he took back his wife. A man can take back his wife if he divorced her for the first or second time and her waiting period is yet to end. He brought witnesses to her return as a wife to him, which he did in compliance with the verse that reads: {Then when they have approached the end of their waiting period, either retain them honorably or part with them honorably. Call two just men from among yourselves as witnesses.} [Surat at-Talāq: 2]
Thereafter, Sa‘d went to ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked him about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Witr is the last prayer a Muslim observes after performing the supererogatory Qiyām al-Layl, the best voluntary act of worship to be performed by a Muslim. Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "Shall I direct you to the most knowledgeable one among the people of the world about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)?" Meaning, that the best one to tell you about it from among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and who is more knowledgeable about it than others, though Witr is a famous act that is known to the knowledgeable and others. However, since Sa‘d particularly linked his question to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), it was more appropriate that specialists should provide the answer, as long as they were present. So, Sa‘d asked him about that person. Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: ‘Ā’ishah, the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her). And he instructed him to go and pose his question to her and then return and tell him about her response and answer. Indeed, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was more knowledgeable about that because Witr is a night prayer that is performed at home. So, the Mothers of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with them) had more knowledge about it, and the foremost among them was ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), given her great keenness to memorize the traditions of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
So, Sa‘d dashed off and went to her, as he was ordered by Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him). On his way, he passed by the Tābi‘i Hakīm ibn Aflah. He asked him to accompany him and go with him to ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). Ibn Aflah said: "I would not come close to her" i.e., I do not want to be near her and will not go with you to her. "for I forbade her from saying anything about these two groups" i.e., the two factions, which refers to the group of ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and the group of Az-Zubayr ibn al-‘ِAwwām and Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydullāh (may Allah be pleased with both of them). The meaning: I forbade her from getting in this occurring war; but she refused and did not comply, and she insisted on going ahead with what she wanted. She sided with the opponents of ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) in the battle of the Camel.
Sa‘d informed that he adjured him by Allah and appealed to him to go to ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). Hakīm agreed, and they went together to ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). They asked her for permission to enter. ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) gave them permission to enter. She asked the one who entered: Are you Hakīm? She recognized him, probably by his voice when he greeted her. In response, Hakīm said: Yes. She asked him about the one accompanying him. Hakīm told her that he was Sa‘d ibn Hishām. She asked about who Hishām was. Hakīm informed her that he was Hishām ibn ‘Āmir ibn ’Umayyah (may Allah be pleased with him). Thereupon, she invoked Allah's mercy upon ‘Āmir and spoke well of him. In another version in the Sahīh Muslim Collection: "What an excellent man ‘Āmir was." ‘Āmir (may Allah be pleased with him) was one of those who were martyred and killed in the battle of ’Uhud, in the third Hijri year.
Sa‘d asked her: O Mother of the Believers, tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). She said to Sa‘d: "Do you not recite the Qur’an?" This is an affirmative question, for she knew he was one of those who recited the Qu’an. He replied: Yes. i.e., he was one of those who recited the Qur’an. So, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said to him: "She said: Indeed, the character of the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was the Qur’an," i.e., he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) assumed all the noble manners enjoined in the Qur’an and abided by them, and he avoided all that is prohibited therein. So, his character was to act upon it, stop at its limits, adopt its ethics, and take lessons from its examples and stories.
Then, Sa‘d informed that he thought to himself that he would leave her place and depart and never ask anyone about anything of the Prophet's character till he died, for she comprehensively described to him the Prophet's noble manners and good morals. She referred him to the noble Qur’an which comprises all excellent attributes. So, he could explore the Prophet's character from it, generally and specifically. Thus, nothing of his manners would remain for him to need to ask about.
After he resolved to leave the place of ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), he entertained the idea of asking her about the Qiyām al-Layl of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his supererogatory worship during the night. As he asked her to tell him about that, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked him: "Do you not recite: {O you the enwrapped one}?" i.e., the whole Surah. He replied that he recited it. She said: "Indeed, Allah Almighty prescribed" i.e., He ordained the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions to perform "Qiyām al-Layl in the start of this Surah." This occurs in the verse that reads: {Stand up in prayer at night except a little.} [Surat al-Muzzammil: 2] As a result, the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions prayed during the night for a whole year. In the version by Abu Dāwūd: "till their feet became swollen." And Allah Almighty held back with Him the concluding portion of this Surah - which contains alleviation and facilitation by prescribing the recitation of as much of the Qur’an as is easy - for twelve months in the heaven, till Allah sent down alleviation at the end of this Surah, in the verse that reads: {Indeed, your Lord knows that you [O Prophet] stand up in prayer for nearly two-thirds of the night, or half of it, or one-third of it, as do others among your companions. Allah determines the night and the day; He knows that you [Muslims] cannot keep an accurate count of it, so He pardoned you. Recite then as much of the Qur’an as is easy for you [in the night prayers]. He knows that there are some among you who will be ill, and others traveling in the land, seeking the grace of Allah, and others fighting in Allah’s way. So recite as much of it as is easy for you; establish prayer and give Zakah; and lend to Allah a goodly loan. Whatever good you send forth for yourselves, you will find it with Allah, much better in condition and much greater in reward. And seek forgiveness of Allah, for indeed Allah is All-Forgiving, Most-Merciful.} [Surat al-Muzzammil: 20] Consequently, Qiyām al-Layl became optional after being obligatory.
She (may Allah be pleased with her) was disputed over the period between the revelation of the beginning of the verse and the revelation of its end. It is said: After ten years, which is apparently correct view, for the Surah is a Makkan one, and it was one of the first verses of the Qur’an to be revealed, except for the two concluding verses of it, which were revealed in Madīnah.
Then, Sa‘d ibn Hishām asked her about the Witr of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), the manner of its performance, and the number of its Rak‘ahs. She (may Allah be pleased with her) told him that they used to prepare for him (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) his tooth stick and the water for his ablution, so that he would perform ablution after getting up from sleep. This is because he used to sleep after the ‘Ishā’ prayer and then "Allah would resurrect him". She used the word 'resurrect' because sleep is similar to death. In other words, He would awaken him from sleep. So, he would use the tooth stick, make ablution, and offer nine connected Rak‘ahs without sitting or making Taslīm therein except in the eighth Rak‘ah, after which he would sit for Tashahhud, and "he would remember Allah" i.e., he would say Tashahhud, and praise Allah, ascribing to Him the attributes of perfection that befit Him, and supplicate Him and ask Him for the fulfillment of his needs. Then, he would rise from the eighth Rak‘ah, without making Taslīm thereafter, and offer the ninth Rak‘ah. Then, he would sit for Tashahhud and remember Allah and praise and supplicate Him in his Tashahhud. Then, he would make Taslīm after the ninth Rak‘ah in a way loud enough for them to hear. Then, he would offer two Rak‘ahs while sitting, before dawn. In Hadīths in the Two Sahīh Collections and numerous other well-known Hadīths, it is enjoined to make Witr the last prayer at night. An example is a Hadīth in which ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Make the last of your prayer at night the Witr." As for these two Rak‘ahs which the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) offered after the Witr and before dawn, this was to demonstrate the permissibility of praying after the Witr, and they were not offered on a constant basis. Indeed, what he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did persistently was to observe the Witr.
Then, she (may Allah be pleased with her) informed Sa‘d that these mentioned Rak‘ahs, the nine and the two, amount to a total of eleven Rak‘ahs. She addressed him by "O young son" by way of compassion and gentleness. She also told him that when the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) grew old and put on weight more than he had in most of his life, he would observe Witr with seven Rak‘ahs and would do in the two Rak‘ahs as he had formerly done, i.e., he would offer them after making Taslīm from the seven Rak‘ahs while sitting. These seven Rak‘ahs along with the two Rak‘ahs are nine.
Then, she informed him that when the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) offered a prayer, he would like to offer it on a persistent basis. And if he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was prevented by sleep or illness from Qiyām al-Layl, he would perform twelve Rak‘ahs during the daytime, in return for the Qiyām al-Layl he missed during the night. This points out that he used to perform it on a regular and persistent basis. The Hadīth does not explicitly indicate that he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) missed the Witr; rather, he apparently did not miss it. He missed Qiyām al-Layl only, apart from the Witr. It also apparently indicates that he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to observe the Witr by way of precaution if he thought that he would be unable to get up for the supererogatory prayer.
Thereafter, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) informed that she was not aware that the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) recited the whole Qur’an in a night, prayed for a night till the morning, or fasted a whole month other than Ramadan. This all shows the Prophet's approach of facilitation and that he used to perform worship in accordance with his capacity and ability, by way of teaching his Ummah.
Sa‘d ibn Hishām said that he returned to Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) and narrated to him the Hadīth of ‘Ā’ishah. Thereupon, Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) "spoke the truth" in what she narrated to you. He also informed him that if he could visit her and talk to her, he would certainly go to her so that she would narrate this Hadīth to him, directly. Sa‘d said to Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him): "If I had known that you would not visit her, I would not have narrated her Hadīth to you." He said that to rebuke him for refraining from visiting her and to recompense him for that by depriving him of the benefit, which would force him to visit her. The abandonment of talk with her was probably because of the dispute that took place between both of them over ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with them), or because of something else.
The Hadīth indicates that it was part of the Prophet's guidance to use the tooth stick upon getting up from sleep.
It points out the merit of ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) and her knowledge of the Prophet's conditions.
It includes doing justice and acknowledging the merit of those who are meritorious, as well as modesty.
A Muslim may be honored by mentioning the merits of his father and invoking Allah's mercy upon him.
A person should be gentle with himself and engage in worship moderately and refrain from deep engrossment in it.
The Hadīth shows the Prophet's care about the Witr prayer.
When a knowledgeable person is asked about something and he knows that someone else has more knowledge about it, he is recommended to direct the questioner to him, for indeed religion is sincere advice..

746

‘Ā’ishah reported: When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did some act, he would do it persistently, and when he slept at night or fell sick, he would offer twelve Rak‘ahs during the daytime. She said: I did not see the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) pray a whole night till the morning, nor did he observe fast for a whole month consecutively except that of Ramadan..

Commentary : The Mother of the Believers ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) used to observe the Prophet's conditions day and night, as an observer and questioner. So, she became well aware of his guidance and Sunnah and taught it to those who came after her and those who asked her about his conditions (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
In this Hadīth, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) informs that when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) "did some act, he would do it persistently" i.e., he would perfect it and do it regularly. "and when he slept at night or fell sick", and there was a reason preventing him from performing Qiyām al-Layl, "he would offer twelve Rak‘ahs during the daytime", i.e., he would make up for Qiyām al-Layl during the daytime, in return for the prayer he missed during the night. This points out that he used to perform it on a regular and persistent basis. She did not mention the Witr because he did not make up for it; it seems that he did not miss it. Perhaps if something arose and would prompt him to miss Qiyām al-Layl, he would hasten to observe Witr, performing it at the earlier part of the night, and delay the other prayer and make up for it during the daytime.
Then, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) informed that it was not part of the Prophet's guidance to perform Qiyām al-Layl for the whole night; rather, he would sleep for part of the night and pray for some part of it; and that he did not fast a whole month other than the month of Ramadan, and this is because it is the month of obligatory fasting. Mentioning it is intended to negate other months, meaning that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would not fast a whole month on a voluntary basis; rather, he used to fast some days every month of the year and would not fast a whole month except for Ramadan; lest such a fast might be thought to be obligatory. This all shows the Prophet's approach of facilitation and that he used to perform worship in accordance with his capacity and ability, by way of teaching his Ummah.
The Hadīth indicates that one may make up for Qiyām al-Layl during the daytime.
It also mentions that Qiyām al-Layl performed during the daytime is Shaf‘ (even-numbered)..

747

‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever sleeps and fails to recite his hizb (usual portion of the Qur'an, dhikr, or prayer), or part of it, and then recites it between the Fajr prayer and the Zhuhr prayer, it will be recorded for him as if he recited it during the night.".

Commentary : Out of Allah's grace towards His believing servants, He prescribed for them dispensations with which they can make up for the missed acts of worship - obligatory and voluntary.
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) points out that "Whoever sleeps and fails to recite his hizb or part of it" at night, as established in another version narrated by An-Nasā’i: "Whoever sleeps and fails to recite his hizb at night" i.e., he is overcome by sleep or gets prevented from it by a valid reason, yet he had the intention to do it. Hizb: The portion to which a person commits himself as a habit that he engages in voluntarily, like recitation of the Qur'an, dhikr, and prayer. Allah, out of His grace, gives him plenty of time. So, if he "recites it between the Fajr prayer and the Zhuhr prayer" i.e., he makes up for it during this time, because this is a good length of time during which a person can compensate for what he has missed in the night. Also, this is probably intended to encourage him to do it, for this is a time connected to the latter part of the night without separation between them save for the Fajr prayer. As recompense, the full reward will be added to his record of deeds as if he has done it at its usual time. Here is a slight manifestation of Allah's gentleness towards His servant, who perpetuates a certain condition of goodness. If anything arises from him that changes this condition, Allah bestows His favor upon him and does not detract from his reward, as if he has done it by virtue of his good and sincere intention.
In the Hadīth: Urging people to make up for the missed supererogatory worship, lest they may get used to abandoning any of the act of worship altogether if they miss it
And in it: The legitimacy of adopting a regular portion of worship at night
And in it: The legitimacy of making up for the regular portion of worship at night if it is missed due to sleep or some other excuse.

748

Al-Qāsim ash-Shaybāni related that Zayd ibn Arqam reported that he saw some people pray in the forenoon and he said: "They definitely knew that praying at other than this hour is better, for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: The prayer of the oft-returning to Allah is when weaned camels are bitten by excessive heat.'".

Commentary : The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and the Tābi‘is (may Allah have mercy upon them) were the keenest among people seeking the Prophet's guidance. This was for them to learn his guidance and Sunnah and then teach it to those who came after them and to those who asked them about the Prophet's circumstances concerning his prayer, Qiyām al-Layl, voluntary worship, and so on.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Al-Qāsim ibn ‘Awf ash-Shaybāni relates that the Companion Zayd ibn Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) saw some people praying in the forenoon. - And in a version by Ahmad: "He saw some people praying in the Qubā’ Mosque in the forenoon" [Duha prayer] - and they were praying it at the time of sunrise, as related in another version by Ahmad. So, Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "They definitely knew that praying at an hour other than this one is better." In other words, their performance of the Duha prayer at this time is not preferred, for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The prayer of the oft-returning to Allah," i.e., those who obey Allah, glorify Him, and often turn to Him in repentance and sincerity in worship. Their prayer "is when weaned camels are bitten by excessive heat" i.e., when the hooves of weaned camels burn due to the extreme heat of sand caused by exposure to the sun. Weaned camels are young camels, and he singled them out because their hooves burn before the end of extreme heat, given the tenderness of the skin of their hooves. They separate from their mothers at the beginning of extreme heat, and they let them go. This happens at the latter time. So, prayer at this time is better, for people's souls are inclined to rest and comfort during this time, and this is one of the prayers whose performance is recommended to be delayed.
In the Hadīth: The merit of performing the Duha prayer at the latter time.
And in it: Indicating to seize the opportunity to perform worship and engage in acts of obedience to Allah during the times of comfort, calm, and rest..

753

Abu Mijlaz reported: I asked Ibn ‘Abbās about Witr, and he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "One Rak‘ah at the end of the night.".

Commentary : The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and the Tābi‘is (may Allah have mercy upon them) were the keenest among people on seeking the Prophet's guidance. This was for them to learn his guidance and Sunnah and then teach it to those who came after them and to those who asked them about the Prophet's circumstances concerning his prayer, Qiyām al-Layl, voluntary worship, and so on.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Abu Mijlaz Lāhiq ibn Humayd informs that he asked Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) about the Witr prayer, the number of its Rak‘ahs, and the best time for performing it. In response to him, Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "One Rak‘ah at the end of the night", i.e., its minimum is one Rak‘ah at the end of the night. This one Rak‘ah which a person offers at the end turns all the prayers he has performed during the night into Witr (odd-numbered), after they were Shaf‘ (even-numbered). The last part of the night is the last time to pray Witr, which is shortly before dawn. It is related in another version by Muslim: "Indeed, prayer at the end of the night is witnessed (by the angels)"; as the angels of mercy witness it. This prayer occurs at the time of Sahar (shortly before dawn), when Allah descends to the worldly heaven in a way that befits His majesty; and that is better.
There are various forms and ways of the Prophet's performance of Witr, as well as the number of its Rak‘ahs. Based on all of them, it becomes apparent that Witr can be one, three, five, seven, nine, or eleven Rak‘ahs.
The Hadīth mentions that the minimum of Witr is one Rak‘ah.
It indicates that the last time for praying Witr is the latter part of the night.
It also demonstrates the facilitation with regard to this prayer, as it is sufficient to observe it as one Rak‘ah..

754

Abu Sa‘īd reported: They asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about the Witr (odd) prayer, and he said: "Perform the Witr prayer before the morning.".

Commentary : The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were the most keen among people to seek the Prophet's guidance and observe his circumstances, by watching and asking, so as to learn his guidance and Sunnah, including his prayer, Qiyām al-Layl, voluntary worship, and so on. And the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to teach them the obligatory and supererogatory prayers and their etiquettes and the best times for performing them. Also, he would guide them to the highest level of worship and the minimum amount of what is sufficient in it.
In this Hadīth, Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said that some of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about the Witr prayer and its time, so he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Perform the Witr prayer before the morning." In other words, perform the Witr prayer before the coming of the time of the obligatory prayer of the morning. Morning here refers to the true dawn. This indicates that the Witr prayer is to be performed at the end of the night prayer, and its time extends until the rise of dawn. When the dawn rises, no Witr can be performed, even between the Adhān and iqāmah of the Fajr prayer.
In the Hadīth: The time for the Witr prayer ends before the Fajr prayer.
And in it: Indication that delaying the Witr prayer is better..

755

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If anyone fears that he will not wake up at the end of the night, let him offer the Witr prayer at its beginning, and if anyone expects to wake up at its end, let him offer the Witr prayer at the end of the night. Indeed, prayer at the end of the night is witnessed, and that is better." Abu Mu‘āwiyah said: "In a version: attended.".

Commentary : In this Hadīth, Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reports: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If anyone fears that he will not wake up at the end of the night, let him offer the Witr prayer at its beginning," i.e., whoever fears that he may not wake up at the latter part of the night to perform the Witr prayer should perform it before he sleeps." And if anyone expects to wake up at its end, let him offer the Witr prayer at the end of the night," i.e., whoever knows from his condition that he will be able to get up at the latter part of the night should perform the Witr at the end of the night. "Indeed, prayer at the end of the night is witnessed," i.e., prayer at the end of the night is witnessed by the angels of mercy, as this prayer is offered at the latter part of the night before dawn at the time when Allah descends in a way that befits His majesty and that is better," i.e., the time at the end of the night is better for him than its beginning. Abu Mu‘āwiyah - one of the narrators - said: 'attended' i.e., attended by the angels of the night and the day.
In the Hadīth: The preferability of Witr at the end of the night
And in it: Some times are more meritorious than others.
And in it: Prayer at the end of the night is attended and witnessed by the angels of mercy.

756

Jābir reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best prayer is the prolonged qunūt (standing in prayer).".

Commentary : Prayer is the mainstay of religion, and it is the main pillar of Islam that every Muslim must fulfill without any excuse. The Prophet's comfort was provided through prayer. Therefore, he used to perform a lot of supererogatory prayers, to the extent that he would offer Qiyām al-Layl until his feet would swell due to his prolonged standing before Allah Almighty, reciting, supplicating, showing humility, and imploring Allah.
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs us that the best thing regarding prayer, in general, is the long qunūt, which refers to the prolonged standing in prayer for recitation. It is explicitly mentioned in a Hadīth narrated by Abu Dāwūd, in which ‘Abdullāh ibn Habashi al-Khath‘ami (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: "Which deed is the best?" He said: "The prolonged standing." Qunūt may also refer to supplication, humility, and subservience before Allah Almighty. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to do that, especially during supererogatory prayers and Qiyām al-Layl. He would pause at every verse and would not go past any verse containing a supplication without supplication with it, or a punishment without seeking the refuge of Allah Almighty from it, and so on.
An obligatory prayer - even if it does not include prolonged standing, recitation, and supplication - is better than a supererogatory prayer that contains such prolongation. This is because Allah Almighty ordained the obligatory prayer and fixed a certain time and a number of Rak‘ahs for it, and He punishes those who abandon it. It is also because it was commanded that the obligatory prayer be offered in congregation and in a brief manner, in consideration of those who are sick, those who are in need, and so on. As for the supererogatory and voluntary prayer, a person can prolong it as much as he is able to. Thus, every prayer retains its advantage and merit.
In the Hadīth: The merit of prolonged qunūt and standing for recitation in prayer, along with humility and supplication.

757

Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "There is an hour at night during which no Muslim man happens to be asking Allah for the goodness of this world or the Hereafter except that He will give it to him, and this occurs every night.".

Commentary : There are times in the night during which people's souls become peaceful, worship becomes more pleasant, and supplications are answered. Allah Almighty distinguished these times by bestowing greater bounty upon His servants during them and giving abundant goodness to those who ask for it.
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) says that "there is an hour at night", which is a specific time. The use of the indefinite article before it denotes its significance, that it should be looked out for, and that the opportunity should be seized to catch it. It is an obscure hour like the hour on Friday. It was said: It is most likely to occur at the last third of the night, in which Allah Almighty descends to the heaven of the world, in a way that befits His majesty and does not resemble the descent of the created beings, and says, as narrated in the Two Sahīh Collections: "Who supplicates to Me so that I may respond to him?" And it was said: The wisdom behind concealing it is to urge people to strive exceedingly to fulfill the objective all night long, not to limit the worship to a certain time to the exclusion of others, and not to lose hope for missing the advantage.
During this hour, no Muslim man happens to be - and the word 'man' includes males and females - supplicating to Allah and asking for the goodness of this world and the Hereafter except that He will respond to him and grant his request. Goodness refers to all that is beneficial, on a prompt or delayed basis and in terms of religious or worldly affairs, and for which a person will not be blamed in the Hereafter.
The existence of this hour is constant every night, all the time. This does not particularly apply to some nights. Rather, it exists in all of them—out of Allah's great bounty and abundant giving.
In the Hadīth: Urging supplication during the night, the pursuit of this hour therein, and working diligently in it.
And in it: Establishing the existence of the hour of answered supplications every night..

759

Abu Hurayrah reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to encourage the performance of Qiyām in Ramadan, without vehemently enjoining them to do so. He would say: "Whoever performs Qiyām during Ramadan, out of faith and in pursuit of reward from Allah, will have his past sins forgiven." The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) passed away while this was the case, and then it remained like that during the caliphate of Abu Bakr and the earlier part of the caliphate of ‘Umar..

Commentary : Ramadan is the best month, and performing Qiyām during its nights is a sublime act. So, whoever performs Qiyām during the entire Ramadan and stays awake in its nights for worship, out of desire for reward from Allah Almighty, without regarding it as burdensome or boring, will have his sins forgiven.
In this Hadīth, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) informs that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to urge his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) to perform Qiyām during the nights of Ramadan. Yet, he did not enjoin them to do so by way of obliging, and he did not impose it upon them. Vehemently: denotes resolve to make something happen. He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say: "Whoever performs Qiyām during Ramadan, out of faith and in pursuit of reward from Allah" i.e., out of belief in the merit of these nights and the virtue of the good deeds performed therein, and in pursuit of Allah's pleasure and out of desire for being rewarded by Him, Exalted be He. Whoever does that, it is hoped that Allah will forgive his past sins. The recompense is expressed in the past tense in Arabic, even though the forgiveness will happen in the future, to denote certainty and assurance about its occurrence, as a favor from Allah Almighty upon His servants. Thus, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged his Ummah to do good and righteous deeds, which lead to the expiation of sins and the increase of their rewards.
Then, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) informed that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) passed away "while this was the case" i.e., the people refrained from praying behind one Imām in the Tarāwīh prayer. Rather, they would pray individually and separately; some would pray in the early part of the night, while others would pray in the latter part; and some would pray at home, while others would pray in the mosque, either because they were observing i‘tikāf (retirement in the mosque) or they belonged to the people of As-Suffah, or due to some other reason. This continued to be the case throughout the caliphate of Abu Bakr and during the early phase of the caliphate of ‘Umar. Then, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) gathered them behind one Imām and appointed ’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) as their Imām, and he led them in congregational prayer. It continued to be performed congregationally.
‘Umar's action follows the Prophet's action when he led people in this prayer once; yet he did not repeat that for fear that it might be made obligatory for them. Then, when this reason ceased to exist with the death of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and the revelation stopped, ‘Umar held that it was more appropriate for them to offer it in a congregation as they had done during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
This falls under the legitimate Ijtihād (independent reasoning), for it has a basis in the religion upon which it relies and from which it stems. As for the illegitimate Bid‘ah (religious innovation), it has no basis in the religion or proof upon which it relies.
The Hadīth urges the performance of Qiyām during Ramadan and demonstrates its merit.
It shows the good understanding and judgment of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the religious interests of Muslims, as he also displayed good judgment regarding their worldly interests..

762

Zirr ibn Hubaysh reported: I asked ’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, saying: "Your brother ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd says: 'Whoever performs Qiyām all the year long will reach Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree).' He said: "May Allah have mercy upon him. He wanted the people not to be passively reliant. Indeed, he knew that it occurs in Ramadan, that it occurs in the last ten days, and that it is the twenty-seventh night." Then, he swore - without exception - that it is the twenty-seventh night. I said: "Based on what do you say that, O Abu al-Mundhir?" He said: "On the sign - or the mark - which the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed us about that it (the sun) rises on that day with no rays.".

Commentary : Laylat al-Qadr occupies great status and significance. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) held it in high regard and commanded us to seek it and perform Qiyām al-Layl therein out of faith and in pursuit of reward from Allah. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) determined that it occurs on the odd-numbered nights within the last ten days of Ramadan and mentioned certain signs that point to it.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Zirr ibn Hubaysh relates that he asked ’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) about the statement by ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) to the effect that whoever performs Qiyām all year long will certainly reach Laylat al-Qadr on one of its nights. He did not specify this night for them. It is understood from this statement that he thought it to be an obscure night that moves throughout the year and is not limited to Ramadan.
When 'Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) heard that, he supplicated so that Allah shows mercy to Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him), and that was the supplication of someone who knew the intent of the statement made by Ibn Mas‘ūd, and by way of presenting an excuse for him. Then, he explained that Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him), by his statement, intended to deter people from abandoning Qiyām al-Layl and instead waiting for Laylat al-Qadr; so, they would perform Qiyām al-Layl only on this night or neglect to perform Qiyām on the other nights of the year; and thus the wisdom behind obscurity, for which the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was made to forget it, would be missed. So, he wanted to prompt the people to diligently seek this night by performing Qiyām al-Layl a lot.
Then, 'Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) informed that Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) was aware that it occurs in Ramadan, that it occurs within the last ten days, and that it is the twenty-seventh night. Then, ’Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with him) took a solemn oath, without saying thereafter: if Allah wills, "that it is the twenty-seventh night". ’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) assured that Laylat al-Qadr is the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan and swore emphatically about that.
Thereupon, Zirr ibn Hubaysh: What is your proof for that, O Abu al-Mundhir? This is the surname of ’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him). ’Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: The sign - or the mark - which the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed us about, namely that the sun rises in the next morning of this night with no rays. Rather, it is pure and no extended rays are seen for it. So, its light spreads without rays, as the moon gives light without rays. The rays of the sun are what you see in sunlight that resembles ropes and rods coming towards you, when you look at it.
There is a difference of opinion over specifying Laylat al-Qadr. According to the opinion more likely to be correct, it occurs on the odd-numbered nights during the last ten days, as demonstrated by the pure Sunnah. Out of His wisdom, Allah Almighty kept it hidden from the people so that they diligently seek it within these nights, and engage in a lot of worship that brings them benefit.
The Hadīth points out that some of the Companions would adopt the approach of resolve to reach their objectives.
It informs that one of the signs of Laylat al-Qadr is that the sun rises in the next morning of this night with no rays..

763

Ibn ‘Abbās reported: I spent one night in the house of my maternal aunt Maymūnah bint al-Hārith. I said to her: "Awaken me when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) stands up." The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) stood up, and I stood on his left side. He took hold of my hand and made me stand on his right side, and whenever I dozed off, he would take hold of my earlobe. He said: He offered eleven Rak‘ahs. Then, he sat with his legs drawn and wrapped in his garment and slept so that I could hear his breathing while asleep. And when the dawn became apparent to him, he offered two short Rak‘ahs..

Commentary : The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were keen to know the Prophet's worship in detail and used to ask about the acts of worship the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would perform at home which they could not see. Some of them would seek to learn about that by virtue of their bond and kinship with the noble Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him); one of those was ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās, the cousin of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and the nephew of his wife Maymūnah (may Allah be pleased with them).
In this Hadīth, ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that he spent one night in the house of his maternal aunt, the Mother of the Believers Maymūnah bint al-Hārith (may Allah be pleased with her). This night was her turn with the noble Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). He said to his maternal aunt (may Allah be pleased with her): "Awaken me when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) stands up" for prayer at night; out of his keenness to follow the Prophet's condition in Qiyām al-Layl. After a part of the night had passed, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) stood up for prayer. Thereupon, Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and performed ablution like that of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), as related in the Two Sahīh Collections. Then, he stood on the left side of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) took hold of his hands from behind his back and made him stand on his right side. This demonstrates how the Imām and the one led in prayer should stand in a congregational prayer offered by two persons. Whenever Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) dozed off during the prayer, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would rub his earlobe to alert and awaken him in the prayer.
Then, Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) informed that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) offered eleven Rak‘ahs that night, two Rak‘ahs at a time, and then observed the Witr. "Then, he sat with his legs drawn and wrapped in his garment." This is when a person sits on his buttocks and keeps his legs upright and drags his legs towards his abdomen with a garment and gathers them with his back, and he pulls the garment over it while in this state, or he pulls it over his legs with his hand. His words "so that I could hear his breathing while asleep" mean that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sat for a little while in that state and then lay down, according to the versions in the Two Sahīh Collections, till Ibn ‘Abbās could hear the sound of the Prophet's breathing, which indicates deep sleep. When the time of dawn came, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) stood up and offered two short Rak‘ahs as the Sunnah of the Fajr prayer, without performing ablution, for the Prophet's eyes sleep but his heart does not; hence, his ablution was not invalidated, given the attentiveness of his heart. Then, he went out to the mosque and led the people in prayer, as related in the Two Sahīh Collections.
This version narrated by Muslim is the version of Ad-Dahhāk ibn ‘Uthmān, and it contradicts the version by most prolific Hadīth narrators. He said: "Then, he offered eleven Rak‘ahs." And it is reported in the version by most Hadīth narrators that he offered thirteen Rak‘ahs, and their version is the memorized one, for he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would first offer two short Rak‘ahs, then two long Rak‘ahs, then six Rak‘ahs, and then three Rak‘ahs thereafter. These amount to a total of thirteen Rak‘ahs.
The Hadīth indicates the permissibility of alerting a heedless person during the prayer by pulling his ear and the like.
It also indicates that a supererogatory prayer may be offered in the congregation.
The Hadīth points out that a boy may pass the night in the house of one of his mahrams (non-marriageable female relatives) in the presence of her husband..

763

Ibn ‘Abbās reported: that he spent a night in the house of his maternal aunt Maymūnah. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) got up at night and performed a short ablution from a water-skin hanging there. He said: He described his ablution. He kept it short and quick. Ibn ‘Abbās said: I got up and did the same as the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had done. Then, I came and stood on his left side. He made me go around and stand on his right side. He offered prayer and then went to sleep till he began to snore. Thereafter, Bilāl came to him and notified him of the prayer. He went out and performed the Fajr prayer without performing ablution. Sufyān said: This is for the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in particular, as it has been conveyed to us that the eyes of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sleep, but his heart does not sleep..

Commentary : The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were keen to know the Prophet's worship in detail and used to ask about the acts of worship the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would perform at home and they could not see. Some of them would seek to learn about that by virtue of their bond and kinship with the noble Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him); one of them was ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās, the cousin of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and the nephew of his wife Maymūnah (may Allah be pleased with them).
In this Hadīth, ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that he spent one night in the house of his maternal aunt Maymūnah, the wife of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). This was her night in which the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would stay with her. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) got up after he had slept a part of the night. He performed ablution from a leather container that had water in it. The Prophet's ablution this time was a short one.
The words "He described his ablution. He kept it short and quick" were said by Sufyān ibn ‘Uyaynah, as narrated in Sahīh Al-Bukhāri Collection. He informs that his Shaykh ‘Amr ibn Dinār described the Prophet's ablution as short and quick. The meaning: By keeping it short, he refers to the complete washing of the body parts (without washing them more than once), which is the minimum valid ablution for prayer. In the Two Sahīh Collections: "Then, he performed a good ablution between the two ablutions" i.e., the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) performed ablution between the short ablution and the complete one. It is more likely that he reduced the use of water while doing the washing three times. This is because he described it as good, and thus it would not be less than three times.
‘Abdullāh got up and did the same as the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had done, performing a short ablution and getting prepared for prayer. Then, he came and joined the prayer with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and stood on his left side. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) held him by the hand from behind his back and made him stand on his right side in prayer. This demonstrates and affirms how the Imām and the one being led in prayer should stand in a congregational prayer offered by two persons, even if it is supererogatory.
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) prayed as much as Allah willed him to pray. It is narrated in the Two Sahīh Collections that he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) offered thirteen Rak‘ahs. "then he went to sleep till he began to snore" i.e., he plunged into sleep till the sound of his breathing could be heard, which indicates deep sleep. Thereafter, Bilāl ibn Rabāh (may Allah be pleased with him) - the Prophet's Muezzin - came and notified him that the time of Fajr was due. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) got up from sleep and went out for the Fajr prayer and performed it without renewing his ablution.
Clarifying the reason for this act by the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), Sufyān said: "This is for the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in particular, as it has been conveyed to us that the eyes of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sleep, but his heart does not sleep" i.e., this is a merit for the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) which none among his Ummah shares with him: that his ablution does not get invalidated when he sleeps, for his heart does not sleep.
The Hadīth mentions some of the Prophet's peculiar characteristics.
It indicates that a boy may pass the night in the house of one of his Mahrams (female relatives who he is not allowed to marry) in the presence of her husband.
It also mentions that the Muezzin may come to the Imām so that he may go out for the prayer.
The Hadīth points out a supererogatory prayer may be offered in the congregation..

Book of Hadith

| Hadiths

Narrated Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him)
The Prophet ﷺ judged that seven cubits should be left as a public way when there was a dispute about the land.
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‘Abdullah ibn Yazeed Al-Khatimee Al-Ansaaree (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet ﷺ forbade robbery (i.e., taking away what belongs to others without their permission), and also forbade mutilation (or maiming) of bodies.
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‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn Al-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with them) narrated:
I heard the Prophet ﷺ saying, "Whoever is killed while protecting his property is a martyr."
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Raafi‘ ibn Khadeej (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
We used to offer the ‘Asr prayer with the Prophet ﷺ and slaughter a camel, the meat of which would be divided in ten parts. We would eat the cooked meat before sunset.
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‘Ā’ishah reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray at night until his last prayer would be the Witr..

Abu Mijlaz reported: I asked Ibn ‘Abbās about Witr, and he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "One Rak‘ah at the end of the night.".

Abu Sa‘īd reported: They asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about the Witr (odd) prayer, and he said: "Perform the Witr prayer before the morning.".

Jābir reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best prayer is the prolonged qunūt (standing in prayer).".

Book of Hadith

| Hadiths

Narrated Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) The Prophet ﷺ judged that seven cubits should be left as a public way when there was a dispute about the land. .

‘Abdullah ibn Yazeed Al-Khatimee Al-Ansaaree (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet ﷺ forbade robbery (i.e., taking away what belongs to others without their permission), and also forbade mutilation (or maiming) of bodies. .

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn Al-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with them) narrated: I heard the Prophet ﷺ saying, "Whoever is killed while protecting his property is a martyr." .

Raafi‘ ibn Khadeej (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: We used to offer the ‘Asr prayer with the Prophet ﷺ and slaughter a camel, the meat of which would be divided in ten parts. We would eat the cooked meat before sunset. .

‘Ā’ishah reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray at night until his last prayer would be the Witr..

Abu Mijlaz reported: I asked Ibn ‘Abbās about Witr, and he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "One Rak‘ah at the end of the night.".

Abu Sa‘īd reported: They asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about the Witr (odd) prayer, and he said: "Perform the Witr prayer before the morning.".

Jābir reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best prayer is the prolonged qunūt (standing in prayer).".

Narrated Aboo Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him)
The Prophet ﷺ judged that seven cubits should be left as a public way when there was a dispute about the land.
.

‘Abdullah ibn Yazeed Al-Khatimee Al-Ansaaree (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet ﷺ forbade robbery (i.e., taking away what belongs to others without their permission), and also forbade mutilation (or maiming) of bodies.
.

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn Al-‘Aas (may Allah be pleased with them) narrated:
I heard the Prophet ﷺ saying, "Whoever is killed while protecting his property is a martyr."
.

Raafi‘ ibn Khadeej (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:
We used to offer the ‘Asr prayer with the Prophet ﷺ and slaughter a camel, the meat of which would be divided in ten parts. We would eat the cooked meat before sunset.
.