It was narrated from ‘A’ishah the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her) that al-Harith ibn Hisham (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): O Messenger of Allah, how does the revelation come to you? The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Sometimes it comes to me like the ringing of a bell, which is the hardest of all, then before it passes I have grasped what is said. And sometimes the angel comes to me in the form of a man and speaks to me, and I grasp what he says.”.

Commentary : The Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) used to ask the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about the revelation, and they would watch out for its coming. One example of that is what is mentioned in this hadith, in which al-Harith ibn Hisham (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): How does the revelation come down to you from heaven? What is meant by the revelation is that which Jibril (peace be upon him) brought down to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) by the command of Allah (may He be glorified). The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) told him that on some occasions it came to him like the ringing of a bell, which is the sound that is made by metal when it is struck repeatedly. A bell is a metal object that makes a sound when it is shaken, and this type was the hardest type of revelation for the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to bear when it came upon him, because it was weighty, but the hardship he endured ended when the revelation ended, at which moment he had already grasped and memorized the words of Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) that had been brought to him by the angel. On other occasions, the angel appeared to him in the form of a man and spoke to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), so he learned from him the words of Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) that were brought to him.
This hadith highlights the weightiness of the revelation, as Allah (may He be exalted), says:
“Indeed, We will cast upon you a heavy word”
[al-Muzzammil 73:5].
That is due to inherent human weakness and inability to bear the receiving of such momentous communication from the divine, and fear of falling short with regard to what he was commanded to do or say..

It was narrated from Sa‘id ibn Jubayr that Ibn ‘Abbas said, regarding the verse, {Move not your tongue with it, [O Muhammad], to hasten with recitation of the Qur’an} [al-Qiyamah 75:16]:
The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to suffer great hardship when the revelation came down, and he would move his lips [with the words of revelation]. – Ibn ‘Abbas said: I will move my lips to demonstrate for you how the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would move his lips; and Sa‘id said: I will move my lips to demonstrate for you how Ibn ‘Abbas moved his lips, and he moved his lips. – Then Allah, may He be exalted, revealed the words:
{Move not your tongue with it, [O Muhammad], to hasten with recitation of the Qur’an.
Indeed, upon Us is its collection [in your heart] and [to make possible] its recitation}
[al-Qiyamah 75:16-17].
He said: We will collect it for you in your heart, then you will recite it.
{So when We have recited it [through Gabriel], then follow its recitation}
[al-Qiyamah 75:18].
He said: So listen to it and pay attention.
{Then upon Us is its clarification [to you]}
[al-Qiyamah 19:19].
Then We guarantee that you will be able to recite it. So after that, when Jibril came to him, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would listen, then when Jibril left, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would recite it as he [Jibril] had recited it.
.

Commentary : The descent of the revelation to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and his receiving thereof was something very difficult for him, and his sweat would pour from him, because of the hardship that he endured when receiving the revelation.
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) mentions the reason for revelation of the verse: {Move not your tongue with it, [O Muhammad], to hasten with recitation of the Qur’an} [al-Qiyamah 75:16]. He tells us that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would suffer hardship when receiving the revelation, because he was overwhelmed with awe of the angel and of what he received from him, and because of the weightiness of the revelation. Because he was afraid that he would lose the Qur’an and that it would escape his mind before he was able to grasp it, he would move his lips as the revelation of the Qur’an was coming down to him, lest Jibril (peace be upon him) depart from him before he had fully memorized what had been brought down to him. Hence Allah, may He be exalted, sent down the words:
{Move not your tongue with it, [O Muhammad], to hasten with recitation of the Qur'an.
Indeed, upon Us is its collection [in your heart] and [to make possible] its recitation}: that is, We will collect it in your heart so that you will not forget it.
{So when We have recited it [through Gabriel], then follow its recitation}: that is, so listen to it and pay attention.
{Then upon Us is its clarification [to you]}: that is, then We will ensure that you will recite it. Thus Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, guaranteed to instill the Qur’an firmly in the Prophet’s heart, so that he would be able to recite it whenever he wanted after the revelation had ended. So after that, when Jibril brought revelation to him, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would listen without hastening when receiving it, in compliance with the command of Allah (may He be glorified and exalted). Then when Jibril (peace be upon him) left him, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would recite it exactly as Jibril (peace be upon him) had recited it.
The narrator said: Ibn ‘Abbas said: I will move my lips to demonstrate for you how the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would move his lips; and Sa‘id said: I will move my lips to demonstrate for you how Ibn ‘Abbas moved his lips, and he moved his lips – this movement of the lips was in addition to the comment. According to the terminology of hadith scholarship, this hadith is called al-musalsal bi tahrik al-shafah (meaning that the series of narrators demonstrated the same movement of the lips), but there was an interruption in this series of narrators (meaning that not every narrator demonstrated the movement of the lips)..

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas that Abu Sufyan ibn Harb told him that Heraclius sent for him and a group of Quraysh, who were doing trade in Syria during the period in which the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had made a truce with Abu Sufyan and the disbelievers of Quraysh. They came to meet him in Aelia [Jerusalem], and he summoned them to his court, where he was surrounded by the prominent figures of Byzantium. Then he called them and called his interpreter, and said: Which of you is most closely related to this man who claims that he is a prophet? Abu Sufyan said: I said: I am the most closely related to him. [Heraclius] said: Bring him closer to me, and bring his companions and make them stand behind him. Then he said to his interpreter: Tell them that I am going to ask this one about this man, and if he lies to me, then tell me that he is lying. [Abu Sufyan said:] By Allah, were it not for the shame that would ensue if they caught me lying, I would have lied about him. Then the first thing that he asked me about him was when he said: What is his lineage among you? I said: Among us, he is of good lineage. He said: Did anyone among you ever say what he is saying before him? I said: No. He said: Were any of his forefathers kings? I said: No. He said: Do the nobles among the people follow him, or the weak and lowly? I said: Rather the weak and lowly. He said: Are they increasing in number or decreasing? I said: Rather they are increasing. He said: Do any of them recant out of displeasure with his religion after entering it? I said: No. He said: Did you ever accuse him of lying before he said what he said? I said: No. He said: Does he act treacherously? I said: No, but at present we have a truce with him, and we do not know how he will behave. [Abu Sufyan said:] I was not able to say any word [against the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)] except this word. He said: Have you fought him? I said: Yes. He said: And how was your fight with him? I said: The war between us and him alternates; sometimes we lose and sometimes he loses. He said: What does he tell you to do? I said: He says: Worship Allah alone and do not associate anything else with Him; give up what your forefathers said. And he enjoins us to pray, to give zakah, to be honest and practise self-restraint, and to uphold ties of kinship. [Heraclius] said to the interpreter: Tell him: I asked you about his lineage, and you said that among you he is of a good lineage. Such are the Messengers; they are always sent from the best lineage among the people. I asked you whether anyone among you had said such things before, and you said no. I say: If anyone had said this before him, I would have thought that he was a man who was repeating the words of someone who came before him. I asked you whether any of his forefathers had been kings, and you said no. I say: If any of his forefathers had been kings, I would have thought that he was a man who was seeking the kingdom of his father. I asked you whether you had ever accused him of lying before he said what he said, and you said no. I am sure that he would not have refrained from telling lies about people then told lies about Allah. I asked you whether the nobles of the people follow him or the weak and lowly, and you said that the weak and lowly follow him. They are always the followers of the messengers. I asked you whether they are increasing in number or decreasing, and you said that they are increasing. This is how it is with faith, until it is completed. I asked you whether anyone had recanted out of displeasure with his religion after having entered it, and you said no. Such is faith, when its sweetness enters the heart. I asked you whether he acts treacherously, and you said no. Such are the messengers; they do not act treacherously. I asked you what he enjoins upon you, and you said that he enjoins you to worship Allah and not associate anything with Him, and he forbids you to worship idols. He enjoins you to pray, and to be honest and practise self-restraint. If what you say is true, then he will gain control over the place where these two feet of mine are standing. I knew that he would appear, but I did not think that he would be from among you. If I knew that I could reach him, I would have taken the trouble to meet him, and if I were with him, I would have washed his feet. Then he called for the letter of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) with which he had sent Dihyah to the governor of Busra, and gave it to Heraclius, who read it. [The letter said:] “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the slave of Allah and His Messenger, to Heraclius, the ruler of Byzantium. Peace be upon those who follow true guidance. To proceed: I call you with the call of Islam: become Muslim; you will be safe and Allah will give you a twofold reward. But if you turn away, then the sin of the subjects will be upon you. {Say, ‘O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you - that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of Allah.’ But if they turn away, then say, ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims [submitting to Him]’} [Aal ‘Imraan 3:64].”
Abu Sufyan said: When he said what he said and finished reading the letter, there was a great hubbub around him and voices were raised. We were asked to leave, and I said to my companions when we were asked to leave: This matter of Ibn Abi Kabshah is becoming significant; even the king of Banu al-Asfar is afraid of him. I remained certain that he would prevail until Allah caused me to become Muslim. Ibn al-Natur, the governor of Aelia, was a friend of Heraclius; he was the bishop of the Christians of Syria. He narrated that when Heraclius came to Aelia, he woke up one morning in a state of distress, and one of his advisors said: You do not look well. Ibn al-Natur said: Heraclius was an astrologer who used to watch the stars, and when they asked him about that, he said: Last night, when I looked at the stars, I saw that the king of the circumcised had appeared. Who practices circumcision in this nation? They said: No one practices circumcision except the Jews; do not worry about them. Write to the cities of your kingdom, instructing them to kill the Jews among them. Whilst they were not sure what to do, a man was brought to Heraclius who had been sent by the king of Ghassan to tell him about the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). When Heraclius heard the news he had brought, he said: Go and look, is he [the envoy from Ghassan] circumcised or not? They went and looked at him, then they told [Heraclius] that he was indeed circumcised. He asked him about the Arabs, and he said: They practice circumcision. Heraclius said: The king of this nation has emerged. Then Heraclius wrote to a friend of his in Rome, who was as knowledgeable as he was, and Heraclius set out for Homs. No sooner had he arrived in Homs but he received a letter from his friend, agreeing with Heraclius that this was the time when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would appear, and that he was indeed a prophet. Heraclius called for a meeting with the prominent figures among the Byzantines in a palace of his in Homs. He issued orders that the doors be locked, then he came out to them and said: O Byzantines, do you not want to follow the path of prosperity and guidance, so that your dominion may continue? Then give allegiance to this Prophet. They raced to the doors like wild donkeys, but found them locked. When Heraclius saw how averse they were [to following the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)], and despaired of them ever believing, he said: Bring them back to me. And he said: I said what I said just now as a test, to see how firm your adherence to your religion is, and I have seen it. So they bowed down to him and were pleased with him, and that was the end of the story of Heraclius..

Commentary : In this important hadith, Abu Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that whilst he was on a trade journey in Syria, with others of Quraysh – which took place before he became Muslim, at which time Abu Sufyan was the leader of the trade caravans that were sent out by Quraysh – Heraclius, the ruler of Byzantium, sent for him, asking to meet him. That occurred during the truce that had been drawn up between the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and the disbelievers of Quraysh, after the treaty of al-Hudaybiyyah, in 6 AH. Al-Hudaybiyyah was the name of a well near Makkah, approximately 20 km away along the old Jeddah road. The Muslims and polytheists had agreed not to fight for ten years.
Abu Sufyan and his companions met Heraclius in the city of Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), which was called Aelia. He summoned them to meet him in his court, where he was surrounded by Christian scholars and senior statesmen. Then he called them to come closer to him, and he sent for his interpreter, who translated words from one language to another. The interpreter said: Which of you is most closely related to this man who claims that he is a prophet? Here he was referring to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). From the questions of Heraclius, it seems that he wanted to be certain of what he had heard about him [the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)] and to find out more about him, as is usually the case with kings and rulers. Abu Sufyan replied: I am the most closely related to him. This was true, because Banu Haashim and Banu Umayyah were cousins, descended from a common ancestor. Heraclius ordered the Byzantines to bring Abu Sufyan closer to where he was sitting, so that he could ask him about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and he brought his companions close and made them stand behind Abu Sufyan, and he said to his interpreter: Tell them that I am going to ask this man about Muhammad, and if he lies to me, they should tell me that he is lying. What he meant was: Do not feel so shy that you keep quiet if he tells lies. This was to ensure that what he would hear from him would be true, and so that he would only testify to the truth. Abu Sufyan later swore by Allah that were it not that he would be ashamed if they told people in his homeland that he had told lies, which would result in him being shamed by his people, he would have told lies about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and he would have described him in ways that were not true. This is the impact of shirk and disbelief on those who follow that path; it makes them far removed from being truthful and fair-minded with one who follows a religion and faith other than theirs. If there is one among them who is fair-minded, that is only because he still has some element of honesty and innocence and thus speaks the truth, or he is afraid of being shamed among his people and described as a liar. This is one of the sound characteristics that the Arabs still adhered to, as was the case with Abu Sufyan in this hadith.
The first question he asked him was: What is Muhammad’s lineage among you? Abu Sufyan replied that he was from a prominent lineage. Then he asked him whether anyone among the Arabs had claimed to be a prophet before he appeared, and he said no, it never happened that anyone claimed to be a prophet before him. Then he asked him whether any of his forefathers were kings, and he replied: No. Then he asked him whether the prominent figures and leaders were the ones who followed him, or the lowly, young and poor? He replied: Rather most of his followers are the weak and lowly. Then he asked him whether they were increasing in number or decreasing? He replied: Rather they are increasing and their numbers are rising. Then he asked him whether any of them had recanted out of displeasure with his religion; in other words, out of resentment, hatred and aversion towards Islam. He replied: No. Then he asked him whether they had ever accused him of lying before he claimed to be a prophet, and he replied: No. Then he asked him whether he acted treacherously and broke covenants, and he replied: No, but we have a truce – meaning a temporary cessation of fighting for ten years; this was the treaty of al-Hudaybiyyah – and we do not know how he will behave, whether he will uphold the treaty or act treacherously and break it. Abu Sufyan’s intention in saying that was to try to give the impression to Heraclius that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) might act treacherously and break this treaty. Hence he said: “I was not able to say any word [against the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)] except this word,” meaning that his aim in giving this answer was to cast aspersions on the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Then Heraclius asked him: Have you fought him? And he replied: Yes. Then he asked him: And how was your fight with him? He said: The war between us and him alternates – meaning that victory goes by turns; sometimes he prevails over us and sometimes we prevail over him. Then he asked him: What does he enjoin you to do? He replied: He says: Worship Allah alone and do not associate anything with Him; give up what your forefathers said. And he enjoins us to pray, be honest and practice self-restraint – which means refraining from doing unlawful things and everything that is contrary to decency. And he enjoins us to uphold ties of kinship, and show kindness to relatives in particular and to people in general, which includes all acts of kindness.
After Heraclius had questioned Abu Sufyan, he explained to him the reason for every question and what he wanted to learn, that could highlight the true nature of this Prophet. So Heraclius told him that he asked him about the lineage of Muhammad, and he told him that he was of a good lineage; such are the Messengers, for Allah chooses them from among the noblest and best in lineage of the people, for one who is of noble lineage will be furthest removed from false claims, and the people will be more likely to believe him and follow him. He asked him whether anyone among [the Arabs] had said such things before him, and Abu Sufyan said that that had not happened, so Heraclius said: I say: If anyone had said this before him, I would have thought that he was a man who was imitating someone else who had claimed to be a prophet. Heraclius asked Abu Sufyan whether any of his forefathers had been kings, and he said no. So Heraclius said: If any of his forefathers had been kings, I would have thought that he was a man who was trying to regain the kingdom of his father for himself, but he is not descended from kings so that one might think that of him. Heraclius asked Abu Sufyan whether they had accused him of lying before he said what he said, and Abu Sufyan said that they had not done that. So Heraclius said: I am sure that he would not have refrained from telling lies about people then told lies about Allah, because telling lies about Allah is worse and a greater offence. He asked him whether the nobles of the people followed him, or the weak and lowly, and Abu Sufyan said that the weak and lowly followed him. They are usually the followers of the Messengers, as is known from their life stories. That is because the nobles do not like anyone to be given precedence over them, whereas the weak and lowly do not refrain; rather they hasten to accept and follow the truth. This is what is mostly the case, although among the earliest followers of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) were some prominent figures who became some of the foremost followers of his religion, such as Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, Hamzah and others. Heraclius asked him whether they were increasing in number or decreasing, and Abu Sufyan told him that they were increasing. This is how it is with faith, until it is completed. The fact that they were increasing in numbers indicated that he was indeed a Prophet, because they saw further evidence for the truth every day, and so more people became Muslim every day. He asked him whether any of them had recanted out of displeasure with his religion after having entered it, and he said no. Heraclius told him that this is how faith is when its sweetness enters the heart: once that sweetness has entered the heart and settled in it, it never leaves it. Heraclius asked him whether he acted treacherously, and he said no. Such are the Messengers; they never acted treacherously because treachery is a shortcoming, and people of virtue and noble character would not stoop to that level, let alone the Prophets. He asked him what he enjoined upon them, and he said that he enjoined them to worship Allah alone and not to associate anything with Him, and he forbade them to worship idols, which are three-dimensional images made of materials such as stone and wood, in the form of a human image. And he enjoined them to pray, be honest and exercise self-restraint.
Then Heraclius told Abu Sufyan that if what he had told him was true, then this man was indeed a Prophet and he would take control of the land of Bayt al-Maqdis, which refers to Greater Syria or the domain of Heraclius. Then he said: I knew that he would appear, but I did not think that he would be from among you. If I knew that I could reach him, I would have taken the trouble to meet him – meaning that he would have endured the hardships of travel – and if I were with him, I would have washed his feet – by way of honouring him, showing respect to him and serving him. This is to be understood as it appears to be, or it may be understood as indicating how serious he would be in obeying him and following his commands, to the extent that he would be willing to do such a thing himself.
Then Heraclius called for the letter of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) with which he had sent Dihyah al-Kalbi to the ruler of Busra, who was the governor of that city, namely al-Harith ibn Abi Shamr al-Ghassani. The ruler of Busra had sent the letter to Heraclius, who read it. In the letter it said: “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the slave of Allah and His Messenger, to Heraclius, the ruler of Byzantium” – who is held in high esteem by his people. “Peace be upon those who follow true guidance” – this is the greeting to be used when addressing disbelievers. “To proceed: I call you with the call of Islam” – that is, with the call that Allah has enjoined. “Become Muslim; you will be safe” – by being spared in this world from war and the jizyah, and in the hereafter by being saved from the Fire. This phrase, “Become Muslim; you will be safe”, is very brief, very eloquent and very concise. “And Allah will give you a twofold reward” – one reward for believing in your Prophet ‘Isa (Jesus), and another reward for becoming Muslim. “But if you turn away, then the sin of the subjects will be upon you.” What is meant is: the sins of the peasants, farmers, your followers and your subjects among the ordinary people will be upon you. That is because he was a barrier that stood between them and the religion of Allah (may He be glorified and exalted).
{Say, ‘O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you - that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of Allah.’ But if they turn away, then say, ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims [submitting to Him]’} [Al ‘Imran 3:64]. In other words, evidence has been established and it has become binding upon you to follow it, so acknowledge that we, in exclusion to you, are Muslims who submit to Allah, and you are disbelievers in Allah (may He be exalted).
“Abu Sufyan said: When Heraclius said what he said, and finished reading the letter, there was a great hubbub in his court” – meaning that there was a great deal of clamour and dispute – and voices were raised, and we were asked to leave his court. Abu Sufyan said to his companions: “This matter of Ibn Abi Kabshah is becoming significant” – meaning: the matter of Muhammad, whom we used to call by this name by way of mockery when he spoke to us, and we would say, Here is Ibn Abi Kabshah, conveying a message from heaven! Abu Kabshah was the Prophet’s foster-father; his name was al-Harith ibn ‘Abd al-‘Uzza. “Even the king of Banu al-Asfar is afraid of him” – as he has become so important that the ruler of the Byzantines fears him, and acknowledges his virtue and that he is a prophet. Then Abu Sufyan stated that he became certain that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would prevail and his religion would spread widely in the near future, then Allah caused him to become Muslim and guided him to Islam.
Ibn al-Natur, who was the governor of Jerusalem and a friend of Heraclius, was a Christian religious leader in Syria. He narrated that when Heraclius came to Aelia, he was in an ill temper, meaning that he was anxious and worried. One of his advisors – who were his generals and inner circle – said to him: “You do not look well,” and we have noticed a change in your colour, which indicates that you are suffering from some worries and distress. Ibn al-Natur said: “Heraclius was an astrologer who used to watch the stars” – as he claimed that he could learn from them what would happen in the future or was happening at the present moment. When they asked him, he told them: “Last night, when I looked at the stars, I saw that the king of the circumcised had appeared” – meaning, I learned from the stars that the king of the nation that practices circumcision has appeared. “Who practices circumcision in this nation? They said: No one practices circumcision except the Jews; do not worry about them” – because they have no state and no power. “Write to the cities of your kingdom, instructing them to kill the Jews among them.” In other words, if you are afraid of them, then eradicate them. “Whilst they were not sure what to do, a man” – who was ‘Adiy ibn Hatim – “was brought to Heraclius who had been sent by the king of Ghassan to tell him about the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).” He said: There has emerged among us a man who claims to be a prophet; some people followed him and others opposed him. When Heraclius heard this news, he said: “Go and look, is he [the envoy from Ghassan] circumcised or not?” What is meant is that when Heraclius summoned this man and asked him about the story of that man who claimed to be a prophet, he instructed them to examine him and see whether he was circumcised or not. They told him that they had found him to be circumcised, so he asked him about the Arabs, and the envoy told him that they practised circumcision. Thus he realized that what he had seen [in the stars] referred to the Arabs, so Heraclius said: “The king of this nation has emerged.” In other words, this is the one whom I saw in the stars; what it meant is that the king of the nation that practices circumcision, namely the Arabs, has appeared in this land, and their state will prevail over all of this land. Then Heraclius wrote to a friend of his in Rome, which is the capital of Italy today, who was his equal in knowledge. Heraclius travelled to Homs, and as soon as he arrived there, a letter came to him from his friend in Rome – who was the bishop of Rome – agreeing with his interpretation about the appearance of the Prophet, and that he was indeed the Prophet whom ‘Isa (Jesus) had foretold. Heraclius called for a meeting with the prominent figures among the Byzantines in a great palace in Homs, so that he could tell them something important. Then he issued orders that the doors be locked. In other words, he entered a private section of the palace and locked the doors, then he looked out from his balcony, which was the highest part of the structure, and said: O Byzantines, do you want to be prosperous; do you want to be successful and guided, which means adhering to the truth in belief, words and deeds; do you want your dominion to continue and last? If you want that, then give allegiance to Muhammad, pledging to follow Islam. But they raced to the doors like wild donkeys – meaning that they leapt up like wild donkeys and rushed to the doors, wanting to get to Heraclius and kill him, but they found the doors locked. When Heraclius saw how averse they were to Islam and how violently they revolted against him, and he despaired of them ever believing and realized that they would never obey him, and that he would lose his power and dominion, he recanted and said: Bring them back to me. The Arabic wording may indicate either that he told his troops to keep them away from him, or that he told them to bring them back to him and not let them leave. Then he said to them: “I said what I said just now as a test, to see how firm your adherence to your religion is,” how committed you are to it and how strongly you will defend it. “So they bowed down to him,” in accordance with the custom of the non-Arabs, and that was the end of the story of Heraclius. That was his ultimate decision with regard to his response to the letter of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), or with regard to whether to believe or not. However, after that other things happened, such as his preparing an army to go to Mu’tah and Tabuk, and his fighting the Muslims, and he remained a disbeliever.
This hadith highlights several of the major principles of Islam and of its message.
It refers to several of the characteristics of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and states that they were mentioned in the Torah and Gospel. What Heraclius said (about the Prophets) was something that he had learned from the previous Books. The Torah mentions this description of the Prophet or something similar about the signs of his Prophethood.
In this hadith we also see that one may write to the disbelievers to call them to Islam; one may show kindness to the one to whom the letter is written, and show due respect as is appropriate to his position, in ways that do not overstep the limits according to Islamic teachings.
If one of the People of the Book becomes Muslim, he will have a twofold reward.
The People of the Book had definitive knowledge of the truthfulness of our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him); those of them who did not believe in him only refrained from believing in him out of stubbornness or envy, or for fear of losing worldly status and the like.
Lying is regarded as reprehensible by all nations and peoples, and an enemy cannot be trusted not to tell lies about his enemies, so it is essential to be cautious and prudent.
One who is a leader with influence will bear the sin of his own disbelief and the sin of those who act upon his decision and follow him [in deciding not to believe]. The same applies to one who is a cause of someone going astray or who prevents him from being guided. .

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Islam is built on five [pillars]: the testimony that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; establishing prayer; giving zakah; Hajj (pilgrimage); and fasting Ramadan.”.

Commentary : In this important hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) likened Islam to a well-built structure, and he likened its five pillars to firm foundations that bear the weight of that structure, for the structure cannot stand firmly without them, and other features of Islam are like a completion of that structure. The first of these pillars is the twin testimony of faith (shahadatayn), the testimony that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. These two testimonies form a single pillar, because they are interconnected and one of them cannot be separated from the other. What is meant by the twin testimony of faith is that the individual utters these words, acknowledging and affirming the oneness of Allah and that He alone is deserving of worship, to the exclusion of all others, and acknowledging and affirming that Muhammad ibn ‘Abdillah is the Messenger of Allah, believing that in his heart, and acting in accordance with the meanings thereof. This is the testimony that will benefit a person in the hereafter, so that he will attain Paradise and be saved from Hell.
The second pillar is establishing the prayer, which means regularly performing the five obligatory prayers every day and night – namely Fajr, Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib and ‘Isha’ – performing the prayers on time, with all their conditions, essential parts and obligatory actions.
The third pillar is giving zakah, which is an obligatory, financial act of worship, to be given on every type of wealth that meets the minimum threshold, as defined in Islamic teachings, when one full lunar (or Hijri) year has passed since acquiring that wealth, giving one quarter of one tenth. One should also give zakah on an‘am animals [camels, cattle and sheep] and other livestock; zakah on crops, fruits, and trade goods; and zakah on rikaz, which is buried treasure that is brought out of the earth and, it was said, minerals and metals, on the basis of their minimum threshold (nisab), to be given at the time at which their zakah becomes due. Giving zakah in the proper manner to those who are entitled to it brings increased blessing (barakah) to wealth, and brings great reward in the hereafter, whereas being stingy and withholding it from those who are entitled to it brings bad consequences in this world and the hereafter, as has been explained in many texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah. Zakah is to be given to those who are entitled to it, who are mentioned in the verse: {Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise} [al-Tawbah 9:60].
The fourth pillar is Hajj, which means going to the holy places to perform the rituals as an act of worship to Allah (may He be glorified and exalted), once in a lifetime. In order for hajj to be obligatory, one must be physically and financially able to do it.
The fifth and last pillar is fasting Ramadan, which is a physical act of worship. The word siyam (fasting) means refraining, with the intention of worship, from food, drink, sexual activity and other things that break the fast, from the break of dawn until the sun sets.
This hadith indicates that the pillars of Islam may be divided into four categories: that which is verbal and in the heart, namely the twin declaration of faith, which must be uttered on the tongue and believed in the heart; that which involves a physical action, namely prayer and fasting; that which is purely financial, namely zakah; and that which is both physical and financial, namely Hajj..

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Faith is 60-odd branches, and decency (haya’) is a branch of faith.”.

Commentary : Faith consists of both words and deeds. It includes what one says in one’s heart, words uttered on the tongue, deeds of the heart, physical deeds and deeds of the tongue. It has many parts and branches, by means of which people may vary in virtue. In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained that the branches and characteristics of faith are 60-odd in number. The word translated here as “-odd” refers to a number between 3 and 10. What is meant is that faith has many characteristics and is composed of many deeds, including: deeds of the heart, such as affirming the oneness of Allah (Tawhid), putting one’s trust in Him, hope and fear; deeds of the tongue, such as uttering the twin declaration of faith, remembering Allah (dhikr), supplication (du‘a’) and reading and reciting Qur’an, and so on; and physical deeds, such as prayer, fasting, helping the desperate and standing up for one who has been wronged. The report narrated by Muslim explains the highest and lowest characteristics of faith: “The highest is saying La ilaha illa Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah) and the lowest is removing a harmful thing from the road.”
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained how important the characteristic of decency (haya’) is, and said that it is one of the characteristics of faith. Decency is a characteristic that motivates one to avoid what is reprehensible and prevents one from falling short in giving others their due rights. It is of two types: innate and religiously prescribed. What is referred to in this hadith is the type of decency that is prescribed in Islamic teachings, which makes one feel too shy before Allah (may He be exalted), lest He sees you where He has forbidden you to be, or He does not see you where He has commanded you to be. In this sense, decency is the strongest motive to do good and the greatest deterrent against doing evil. Hence it is part of faith; in fact it is a sign of perfect faith.
Decency is singled out for mention here because it is something natural [to many people], and many may not realize that it is a part of faith. This indicates that good manners and attitudes are also connected to faith and to the various levels of faith. The branches of faith are referred to briefly in this hadith, but they are explained and discussed in detail in other hadith texts. The mention of a particular number does not mean that they are limited to 60-odd or 70-odd; rather it indicates that there are many deeds of faith.
This hadith clearly states that deeds are part of faith..

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe, and the [true] muhajir is the one who shuns (hajara) that which Allah has forbidden.”.

Commentary : This hadith is an example of the concise speech of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). In it, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) teaches us to acquire Islamic manners and attitudes, which increase love and harmony among the Muslims. What it means is that the perfect Muslim who attains all the good characteristics that Islam promotes is the one who does not harm any other Muslim in word or deed. The tongue and hand are mentioned in particular, because of the many mistakes they commit and the great deal of harm that they cause, because most ills result from these two things. The tongue tells lies, backbites, reviles and bears false witness, and the hand strikes, kills, steals and so on. The tongue is mentioned first, because causing harm and offence with the tongue is more frequent and easier, and it is more hurtful; it affects both the living and the dead. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained that the one who may be called a muhajir (lit. migrant) in a perfect sense is the one who shuns (hajara) that which Allah has forbidden. So the muhajir who is truly deserving of praise is the one who combines leaving his homeland and people with shunning that which Allah (may He be exalted) has forbidden. Simply migrating from the land of shirk whilst persisting in sin is not hijrah (migration) in a complete and perfect sense. The muhajir in the true sense is the one who does not stop at physical migration, leaving a land of war for a land of safety; rather he is the one who shuns (hajara) everything that Allah has forbidden.
This hadith urges us to refrain from harming any Muslims in any way.
It also teaches us that what a person appears outwardly to be is not something that Allah cares about, unless it is supported by righteous deeds that confirm the soundness of the outward appearance..

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man asked the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): What aspect of Islam is best? He said: “Offering food to people, and saying salaam to those whom you know and those whom you do not know.”.

Commentary : In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explains which deeds of Islam are better than others, after believing and doing the pillars of Islam. That was in response to a question that someone asked. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) mentioned two things: the first was frequently offering food to people, by which he meant more than what is required in zakah. That includes charity, gifts, hosting people, giving feasts and feeding the poor, seeking the pleasure of Allah (may He be exalted), because food is necessary for the maintenance of physical well-being, and the virtue of offering food to people increases at times when the need for it is greater, which is at times of famine and when prices are high.
The second thing is saying salaam to every Muslim, seeking the pleasure of Allah, without differentiating between one person and another. That is because the greeting of Islam is for all Muslims, and the greeting of salaam is the first means of creating harmony and bringing about a sense of love among Muslims. Spreading the greeting of salaam enhances harmony and love among the Muslims and makes their slogan apparent and widespread, in contrast to other religious communities. In addition to that, it teaches self-discipline and humility, and shows respect to other Muslims.
Offering food and spreading the greeting of salaam are mentioned together in this hadith because by means of both, one will show kindness in word and deed, which is the most perfect kindness. This is described as being the best of Islam after fulfilling the obligatory duties of Islam, because any Muslim who would offer food and spread the greeting of salaam would surely affirm his strong belief in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day..

It was narrated from Anas that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “No one of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”.

Commentary : In this hadith – of which it was said that it is a quarter of Islam and is one of the four hadiths from which good manners and characteristics stem – the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained that no Muslim can attain perfect faith – and the negation here does not mean that he is no longer a Muslim at all; rather it means that he has not attained perfect faith – until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself of good deeds and all types of goodness in both religious and worldly terms, and he dislikes for him what he dislikes for himself. So if he sees some shortcoming in the religious commitment of his Muslim brother, he strives to point it out and help him rectify it, and if he sees him doing good, he supports him and helps him to be steadfast in that and to do more. So the believer is not truly a believer until he likes for people what he likes for himself. That can only come from having a heart that is free of any rancour, ill feelings and envy, because envy leads to the envier hating to see anyone surpass him in anything good or even to see him equalling him in that, because he wants to be superior to people by means of what he has of virtues and achievements, and he wants to be the only one to stand out in that regard. But faith requires the opposite of that, which is to wish for all the believers to share with him in the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon him..

It was narrated that Anas said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “No one of you [truly] believes until I am dearer to him than his father, his child and all the people.”.

Commentary : Love of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is one of the basic principles of faith, and it is accompanied by love of Allah (may He be glorified and exalted). Allah has issued a warning to the one who gives precedence over that to any of the things to which one may have a natural inclination to love, such as family, wealth, homeland and the like, as He says: {Say, [O Muhammad], ‘If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command} [at-Tawbah 9:24]. The believer is not a believer in the perfect sense until he gives precedence to love of the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) over love of anyone else. Love of the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stems from love of the One Who sent him.
Sound love dictates following the beloved and loving what he loves, and hating what he hates. Love means going along with the beloved in all situations. If this love is sincere, it must inevitably make one follow the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and adhere to his Sunnah. The sign of loving the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is that if obeying the commands of the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) conflicts with any other inclination or person that would prompt one to do otherwise, one gives precedence to obeying the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and complying with his commands over the other thing. This is an indication that one’s love for the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is sound. But if one gives precedence to going along with any of these other things that one has a natural inclination to love over obeying the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and complying with his commands, this indicates that he has not attained the perfect faith that is required of him. Part of loving the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is supporting his Sunnah and defending his message, and wishing that one had lived during his lifetime so that he could have offered his life and his wealth to protect him. This love is not sound until one holds the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in high esteem and gives him precedence over any parent, child, person who did one a favour or person whom one likes.
This hadith is very concise, because these few words carry a great deal of meaning. That is because there are three types of love: love based on respect and veneration, such as love of a parent; love based on compassion and mercy, such as love of a child; and love that results from liking someone and finding that one has much in common with him, such as love of any other person. This hadith refers to all the reasons why one person may love another..

It was narrated from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There are three characteristics, whoever attains them will find the sweetness of faith: when Allah and His Messenger are dearer to him than all others; when he loves someone and only loves him for the sake of Allah; and when he would hate to go back to disbelief as he would hate to be thrown into the fire.”.

Commentary : This important hadith represents one of the basic principles of Islam. In it, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) speaks of three characteristics that are among the most sublime characteristics of faith. Whoever perfects these characteristics will find the sweetness of faith, for faith has a sweetness and a flavour that may be tasted in the heart just as the sweetness of food and drink may be tasted in the mouth. Just as one cannot enjoy the sweetness of food and drink except when one is in good health, by the same token, if the heart is sound and free of the disease of misleading whims and desires and forbidden pleasures, it will taste the sweetness of faith, but if it is sick and unhealthy, it will not taste the sweetness of faith; rather it may find sweetness in that which could lead to loss and doom, namely desires and sins. Whoever tastes the sweetness of faith will find pleasure in doing acts of worship and obedience, and will give them precedence over worldly pursuits, putting up with hardship for the sake of Allah (may He be exalted).
The first characteristic is when Allah and His Messenger are dearer to him than all others. Love of Allah stems from knowing His names and attributes, contemplating His creation and what is in it of wisdom, purpose and wondrous things. Love of Allah also stems from reflecting on the blessing that He has bestowed upon people, for all of that is indicative of His perfect might, wisdom, knowledge and mercy. A person’s love for His Creator (may He be glorified and exalted) will lead him to adhere to His laws and obey Him, and refrain from what He has forbidden. Love of the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stems from love of Allah, and what results from that love is following the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in what he enjoins and forbids, such as obeying Allah (may He be glorified and exalted). The Muslim should love the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) more than he loves himself and more than he loves his father, his mother, his son, his daughter, his wife, his friend, his relatives, and all people.
The second characteristic is when one loves someone and only loves him for the sake of Allah. This encourages us to love one another for the sake of Allah, which is one of the strongest bonds of faith, for it is not love for the sake of exchanging benefits or attaining worldly gains; rather what brings them together is love for the sake of Allah. As a result of that love, the Muslim will try to help and benefit his Muslim brother and will refrain from harming him, as it says in the hadith narrated in as-Sahihayn: “The Muslim is the brother of his fellow Muslim; he does not wrong him or let him down. Whoever meets his brother’s needs, Allah will meet his needs, and whoever relieves a Muslim of some worldly distress, Allah will relieve him of some of the distress of the Day of Resurrection. Whoever covers a Muslim (conceals his sin), Allah will cover him (conceal his sin) on the Day of Resurrection.”
The third characteristic is when the Muslim would hate to go back to disbelief as he would hate to be thrown into the fire. For when faith takes root in the heart and the individual adheres sincerely to it and tastes its sweetness and flavour, he will love it and will love to be steadfast in adhering to it and to learn more about it, and he would hate to leave it. In his case, his hating to leave it will be greater than his hatred of being thrown into the fire. When a person tastes the sweetness of faith in his heart, he realizes the bitterness of disbelief, evildoing and sin. It was said that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said this as a warning to the Sahabah, for they had been disbelievers then had become Muslim, but some individuals still had some inclination in their hearts to what they had known in the past. Hence the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained to them that going back to disbelief would be like a man throwing himself into the fire, because the ultimate fate of the disbelievers is to be thrown into the fire of hell; recanting one’s repentance and going back to sin is also like throwing oneself into the fire of hell, because of the seriousness of the sin of disbelief and going back to it. .

It was narrated from Anas that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The sign of faith is loving the Ansar and the sign of hypocrisy is hating the Ansar.”.

Commentary : The Ansar possessed many virtues and attained great honour. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) highlighted the virtue of the Ansar in more than one hadith.
This hadith highlights some of their virtues. In it, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) urged the Muslims to love the Ansar. They were the people of Madinah who lived there before the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) migrated to the city. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated that the sign of a person having perfect faith is that he loves the Ansar because of their having been true to what they promised Allah (may He be glorified and exalted), which was that they would give shelter to His Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), support him against his enemies at the time of weakness and hardship, be good neighbours to him, show great friendship to him and love him sincerely. Thus the Ansar supported the cause of Allah and supported His Messenger, so loving them is part of having perfect love for Allah and His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). The Muslim’s love for the Ansar is one of the signs of his having sound faith and being sincere in his Islam. If someone hates them, his hatred of them is a sign of his hypocrisy and of evil that he is harbouring in his heart.
This hadith indicates that it is encouraged to love the close friends of the Most Gracious and acknowledge their virtue, and it is a warning against hating them and showing enmity towards them. Loving the close friends and beloved ones of Allah is part of faith..

It was narrated from ‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) – who was present at Badr and was one of the leaders on the night of al-‘Aqabah – that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, when he had a group of his companions around him: “Swear allegiance to me, pledging that you will not associate anything with Allah; you will not steal; you will not commit zina (unlawful sexual relations); you will not kill your children; you will not commit any fabrication between your hands and feet; and you will not disobey [me] in anything that is right and proper. Whoever among you fulfils that, his reward will be due from Allah. Whoever commits any of those [infractions] and is punished in this world, it will be an expiation for him, and whoever commits any of those [infractions] then Allah conceals [his sin], then it is up to Allah: if He wills, He will pardon him, and if He wills, He will punish him.”
And we swore allegiance to him on that basis..

Commentary : ‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) was present at the Battle of Badr, and he was one of the leaders who stepped forward to swear allegiance, pledging to support the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) on the night of al-‘Aqabah in Mina - when the Prophet was in Makkah, before he migrated to Madinah. Jamrat al-‘Aqabah is named after that place. They were twelve men, and they are the group referred to here. In this hadith, ‘Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) tells of what happened on that night, when those leaders swore allegiance to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Swearing allegiance is like making a covenant and a promise. The Arabic term comes from a root meaning to buy, because it is like a transaction, as if each party gives what it has in return for what the other party has. On the part of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) there was the promise of reward, and on the part of the others, there was the commitment to obey.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) accepted their oath of allegiance and made a deal with them that they should not associate anything with Allah, and that they should affirm Allah’s oneness with belief in Tawhid that was pure and free from shirk, worshipping Him alone. In return for that, paradise would be theirs. They also pledged that they would not steal, because Islam came to protect people’s wealth. They pledged that they would not commit zina, because Islam protects people’s honour and lineage. He also accepted their pledge that they would not kill their children; children are mentioned in particular, because killing them is both murder and severing ties of kinship, and in most cases they killed their children because of poverty or for fear of poverty. He accepted their pledge that they would not commit any fabrication between their hands and feet; fabrication means making things up and telling lies. Fabrication is connected to hands and feet here because most actions are done by means of them, even though other faculties may also be involved. He accepted their pledge that they would not disobey his command in anything that was right and proper, and disobedience is the opposite of obedience. The word ma‘ruf (translated here as anything that is right and proper) is a comprehensive term which includes everything that is known to be part of obeying Allah (may He be exalted) and showing kindness to people. Whoever held fast to what he had pledged to do and did not commit any of these sins that are forbidden, his reward was assured and he would find it on the Day of Resurrection with his Lord, because he did not break his promise.
If someone commits any of the sins that incur a hadd punishment according to Islamic teachings, such as zina and stealing, and incurs the penalty, being subjected to the hadd punishment in this world, that hadd punishment will erase that sin and the punishment thereof will be waived from him in the hereafter, because Allah is too generous and too merciful to punish His slave twice. If someone commits one of these sins and Allah conceals his sin in this world, and he is not punished for that sin, then he is subject to the will of Allah (may He be glorified and exalted): if He wills, He will forgive him and admit him to Paradise along with the first to enter it, and if He wills, He will punish him in Hell commensurate with his offence, then admit him to Paradise..

It was narrated from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Soon the best wealth that a Muslim will have will be sheep that he follows to the mountaintops and places where rain falls, fleeing from tribulations for the sake of his faith.”.

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to warn his ummah about tribulations (fitnahs), especially those that will occur at the end of time.
In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained to the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) that soon circumstances would change, and tribulations would come, affecting all people and reaching everywhere. When that happened, the best wealth a Muslim could have at that time would be sheep. They are singled out for mention because their nature is quiet and tranquil, and there is blessing (barakah) in them, because the one who keeps away from people and tends sheep can eat their meat and the meat of their offspring, drink their milk, and make use of their wool for clothing and other things, and the sheep can graze on plants and vegetation in the mountains and drink from springs. These benefits and the option of going to mountainous locations are not found with anything other than sheep. By the same token, their increase in weight and number is furthest removed from earnings that could be contaminated with any unlawful elements, such as riba, and earnings that could be contaminated with dubious elements. They are amenable and do not require much care, but they bring many benefits. He can graze them and follow them to the mountaintops, which offer protection to the one who seeks refuge in them from his enemy. The “places where rain falls” are the bottoms of valleys and oases in the desert, because in such places one can find vegetation and water, so he can drink and give water to his sheep and let them graze on that vegetation. Thus he may flee for the sake of his faith, to avoid falling prey to those tribulations and seeking to save himself, for if he exposes himself to tribulations, he may not be able to save himself from falling into sin.
What is meant by tribulations in this hadith is those in which truth is mixed with falsehood, and one cannot tell them apart. As for tribulations in which truth can be distinguished from falsehood, the individual is required to side with the truth and strive to oppose falsehood. Or it may be that what is meant by tribulations is when corruption overwhelms the people of a particular era and the people of falsehood become strong whilst the people of faith become weak. In that case, the one who remains there [where the tribulation is] will not be safe, so he should flee for the sake of his faith, because loss of faith cannot be compensated by anything.
This hadith also highlights the virtue of raising sheep, and shows that they are the most beneficial kind of wealth at times of tribulation. It also warns against exposing oneself to tribulations and falling into them..

It was narrated that ‘A’ishah said: When the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) enjoined them to do something, he would enjoin them to do deeds that they were able to do. They said: We are not like you, O Messenger of Allah, for Allah has forgiven your previous and future sins. He got so angry that that could be seen in his face, then he said: “The one who fears Allah the most among you and has the most knowledge of Him is me.”.

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was keen to make things easy for people, and he did not burden them with good deeds and acts of worship that were beyond them and that they would not be able to do. He warned them against taking on too much and going to extremes.
In this hadith, the Mother of the Believers ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to enjoin his companions to do that which they were able to do and could persist in, because he was keen that they should be consistent in doing good deeds, not that they should do a great number of such deeds. But because they were so keen to do acts of obedience and worship, they wanted to strive hard, so they asked for permission to do more acts of worship, seeking to do good and earn increased reward. They said to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): Your previous and future sins have been forgiven; you do not need to strive, yet despite that you continue to do good deeds. So how about us, when our sins are many?
The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) got angry at that, and told them that he was the one who feared Allah the most among them and had the most knowledge of Him. In other words, the matter is not as you think. If going to extremes in worship and overburdening oneself with more than one could bear constituted obedience to Allah, I would be the first among you to do that, because I have the most knowledge of what is pleasing to Allah, and the more knowledge a person has, the more he will strive in obedience and worship, and the more he will fear Allah. This indicates that it is part of the Sunnah to be moderate in doing supererogatory (nafil) acts of worship, and to commit only to that which one is able to do regularly, because exhausting oneself in worship leads to resenting it and giving it up.
This hadith is also indicative of the Prophet’s kindness towards his ummah, and indicates that religion is easy..

It was narrated from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There are three characteristics, whoever has them will taste the sweetness of faith: the one for whom Allah and His Messenger are dearer than all others; the one who loves a person and only loves him for the sake of Allah (may He be glorified and exalted); and the one who would hate to go back to disbelief, after Allah has saved him from it, as he would hate to be thrown into the fire.”.

Commentary : 114371.

805

An-Nawwās ibn Sam‘ān al-Kilābi reported: I heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "The Qur'an and its people who used to act upon it will be brought forth on the Day of Judgment, preceded by Surat al-Baqarah and Surat Āl ‘Imrān. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) likened them to three things, which I did not forget afterward. He said: "As if they were two clouds, or two black canopies with 'sharq' (light) between them, or as if they were two flocks of birds in ranks pleading for their companion.".

Commentary : Recitation of the Qur'an brings goodness and blessing for those who recite it and act upon it, for it is the extended rope of Allah, and it leads to salvation on the Day of Judgment, particularly Surat al-Baqarah and Surat Āl ‘Imrān, given their great status.
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs us that "The Qur'an and its people who used to act upon it will be brought forth," i.e., those who recite the Qur'an, have faith in its information and believe it, and act upon its rulings. The Qur'an will be an argument for those people on the Day of Judgment. Excluded from this are those who do not believe in its information or establish its limits; the Qur'an will be an argument against them. This is because the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said in a Hadīth narrated by Muslim: "The Qur'an is an argument for you or against you." This is supported by the verse that reads: {This is a blessed Book that We have sent down to you [O Prophet] so that they may reflect upon its verses, and so that people of understanding may take heed.} [Surat Sād: 29]
And by the Prophet's words: "preceded by Surat al-Baqarah and Surat Āl ‘Imrān," i.e., they come ahead of the Qur'an. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) likened Surat al-Baqarah and Surat Āl ‘Imrān to three things, saying: "As if they were two clouds"; in Arabic "Ghamamatān", which means two clouds or two white clouds. A cloud is called such because it clouds the sky and conceals it. "or two canopies," i.e., two clouds that shade their companion from the heat of this situation of standing. He described these two clouds as 'black' because they are thick and piled upon each other. "with 'sharq' between them," i.e., light. The light of 'sharq' is the sun. This indicates that they, albeit thick, do not conceal light. It was said: Sharq means rift, i.e., a gap and break between them. This is like separating every two Surahs in the Mus'haf (copy of the Qur'an) with Basmalah (mentioning Allah's name). "or as if they were two flocks," i.e., two herds or two groups. "of birds in ranks," i.e., extending their wings and being linked to one another. The intended meaning is that they will protect their reciter from the heat of this situation of standing and the distress of the Day of Judgment. 'pleading' i.e., pushing against Hellfire and its keepers or pleading for him in intercession or when he is questioned, when his tongue keeps silent, his lips are distraught, and his arguments are lost. Their companion means: He who acts upon them and what they contain, of rulings and legislations, whether he is a memorizer or a reciter of them.
In the Hadīth: Urging the recitation of the Qur'an and acting upon it; and the merit of Surat al-Baqarah and Surat Āl ‘Imrān..

806

Ibn ‘Abbās reported: As Gabriel (Jibrīl) was sitting in the presence of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), he heard a creak from above. So, he raised his head and said: "That is a gate in the heavens that was opened today; it had never been opened before today." An angel descended from it. He said: "That is an angel that descended to earth; he had never descended before this day." He gave the greeting of peace and said: "Have glad tidings with two lights that have been given to you, which none of the prophets were given before you: Surat al-Fātihah and the concluding verses of Surat al-Baqarah. You will not read one letter of them except that you will be given it.".

Commentary : What a great religion Islam is! And how great its numerous glad tidings which Allah Almighty gave to His Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his Ummah are. He, Exalted be He, revealed to him the Reminder, the Qur'an, and made its recitation greatly rewardable; each letter is credited with one good deed, and the virtuous deeds are multiplied. And He, Exalted be He, endowed some Surahs and verses with an additional merit for those who recite them, to urge and encourage their recitation.
In this Hadīth a divine gift is mentioned for those who recite Surat al-Fātihah and the concluding verses of Surat al-Baqarah. ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that Gabriel (peace be upon him), the angel in charge of the revelation, was sitting in the presence of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). In the version by An-Nasā’i: "As the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting and Gabriel (peace be upon him) was with him." This means that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), including Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him), about Gabriel (peace be upon him) sitting with him. "he heard" refers to Gabriel (peace be upon him), and it is also probable the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was the one who "heard a creak from above," i.e., in heaven. A creak is a sound released because of the movement of something. Gabriel (peace be upon him) - or the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) - raised his head to look at the source of this sound. Gabriel (peace be upon him) said that this is a gate in the heaven of the world, which was opened today and had never been opened except today; and an angel descended from it to the earth, and he had never descended before today. This is all to prepare for something great. Indeed, the opening of one of the gates of the heaven for the first time and the descent of an angel other than Gabriel to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) for the first time points to the significance of the matter for which he was sent. When the angel descended, he greeted the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said to him: "Have glad tidings" - glad tidings are only given about good things - "with two lights that have been given to you, which none of the prophets were given before you: Surat al-Fātihah and the concluding verses of Surat al-Baqarah," i.e., their special reward of their recitation was not given beforehand; otherwise, the entire Qur'an was not given to any prophet before him. Surat al-Fātihah was endowed with this particular merit because it summarizes all the meanings of Imān (faith), Islam, and Ihsān (excellence). It comprises the fundamentals of the Fiqhi rules and knowledge principles. And the concluding verses of Surat al-Baqarah, beginning from {The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, as do the believers...} to the end of the Surah, are endowed with this particular merit because they contain praise for the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). This is because they comply with their content and submit to their meanings and for their supplication to Allah Almighty and return to Him in all their affairs; and also, because those verses contain the response to their supplications after they were taught to them and they said them, and so He made things easier for them and forgave and supported them.
Then, the angel said: "You will not read one letter of them except that you will be given it." This stems from the great bounty of Allah towards His Prophet and his Ummah. He called them two lights because the recitation of each verse in them brings light to the reciter that illuminates his way and leads him to the right path and the true course, given the sublime meanings contained therein, which include acknowledgment of the Lordship and absolute resort to Allah with the great supplication using their words.
In the Hadīth: Demonstrating the great status of Surat al-Fātihah and the concluding verses of Surat al-Baqarah and urging their recitation.
And in it: Pointing out that there are angel messengers to the prophets other than Gabriel
And in it: Showing the honorable status of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) with his Lord, as He honored him with such things that He did not honor the previous prophets with, giving him these two lights
And in it: Affirming the existence of the gates of heaven, that they are opened and closed, and that some angels do not descend to earth except for such glad tidings.

809

Abu ad-Dardā’ (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever memorizes ten verses from the beginning of Surat al-Kahf will be guarded against the Dajjāl (Anti-Christ).".

Commentary : Recitation of the Qur’an brings goodness and blessing for those who recite it, as it is the extended rope of Allah, causing tranquility of the soul and an abundance of rewards, and it protects a servant from the distresses and trials of worldly life and the horrors and hardships on the Day of Judgment.
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) says that whoever memorizes ten verses from the beginning of Surat al-Kahf, Allah will guard, protect, and preserve him from the trial of the Dajjāl, who will emerge at the end of time and claim to be God. The Dajjāl originally refers to someone who often engages in lying and deception. His emergence is one of the major signs of the Day of Judgment, and his trial is the gravest on earth from the creation of Adam to the coming of the Hour, as Allah Almighty will enable him to perform some miracles whereby he will mislead his followers. Verily, the memorization of these verses is a cause of protection against the Dajjāl. It was said: This is due to the wonders and miracles existing in these verses. So, whoever knows them will not wonder at the matter of the Dajjāl or be misled by him; and he will patiently endure the trials of the Dajjāl and his apparent bliss and punishment; or that the protection from the Dajjāl is granted by Allah to those who memorize these verses.
Also, there are means of protection against the trial of the Dajjāl, which are not mentioned in this Hadīth, but are authentically reported from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in other Hadīths: Knowing the names and attributes of Allah, which makes one know that the Dajjāl is a human being who eats and drinks, and Allah is far Exalted above that; the Dajjāl is one-eyed, whereas Allah is not one-eyed; and no one sees his Lord until he dies, whereas the people, including the believers and disbelievers, will see the Dajjāl when he emerges. It also includes the pursuit of Allah's refuge from the trial of the Dajjāl, particularly in prayer, as reported in a Hadīth by ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) in the Two Sahīh Collections that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to supplicate in prayer: "O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the punishment of the grave, and I seek refuge with You from the trial of the Dajjāl." And it also includes fleeing and turning away from the Dajjāl, for those who will be present at his time, given the suspicions and amazing supernatural incidents that appear with him and by which a person might be tempted.
In the Hadīth: The merit of the ten verses at the beginning of Surat al-Kahf.
And in it: Clarifying that the trial of the Dajjāl is so severe that protection against him is needed.

810

’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Abu al-Mundhir, do you know which verse of Allah's Book that you have is the greatest?" I said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "O Abu al-Mundhir, do you know which verse of Allah's Book that you have is the greatest?" I said: {Allah: none has the right to be worshiped except Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining} [Surat al-Baqarah: 255]. Thereupon, he struck me on the chest and said: "May knowledge be pleasant for you, O Abu al-Mundhir!".

Commentary : The glorious Qur'an is the strong rope of Allah and His straight path. Its recitation brings goodness and blessing and affords tranquility of the soul and abundance of reward. Allah endowed some of its Surahs and verses with a special merit.
In this Hadīth, ’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) one day asked him: "O Abu al-Mundhir", a surname for ’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him). "Do you know which verse of Allah's Book that you have is the greatest?" i.e., in terms of the reward and benefit for its reciter in this world and the Hereafter. ’Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I said: Allah and His Messenger know best." This stems from the Companions' politeness towards the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). It was said: ’Ubayy knew which verse was the greatest when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) asked him about it, but he did not reply out of respect, modesty, and politeness towards him (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). If he had answered him the first time he asked him, he would have thus displayed his knowledge. He also probably did not give the answer because he expected that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would probably tell him that another verse is greater than that or inform him of some other benefit. When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) repeated the question, he knew that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) wanted him to answer and wanted to test his memorization and information. Thereupon, he answered him that the greatest verse - as far as he knew - is the one that reads: {Allah: none has the right to be worshiped except Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. Who is there that can intercede with Him except with His permission? He knows what was before them and what will be after them, while they encompass nothing of His knowledge, except what He wills. His Kursī [footstool] extends over the heavens and earth, and safeguarding of both does not weary Him, for He is the Most High, the Most Great.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 255] It is called the verse of Kursī. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) approved his answer and accepted it as correct, and he struck with his honorable hand on the chest of ’Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with him). This behavior on the Prophet's part was done by way of gentleness, given his approval and acceptance of this answer and his admiration of the answerer. He said to him: "May knowledge be pleasant for you, O Abu al-Mundhir," i.e., may knowledge be blissful for you. This is meant as a supplication for him to find knowledge easily and be versed therein.
The verse of Kursī is the greatest verse in the Qur'an because it combines such fundamental divine names and attributes that are not combined in any other verse. In it, Allah Almighty describes Himself as the worshiped God other than Whom none is truly worthy of worship. He alone is worthy of worship, out of love and exaltation for Him, given the perfection of His attributes. To Him belongs the complete life, which was not preceded by non-existence, will not be followed by an end, and entails all attributes of perfection. He is Self-Sustaining and does not need anyone, and He undertakes the affairs of His creation, including sustenance and other things. All creatures stand in need of Him and cannot exist without Him. His support of their existence entails all actions of perfection. Part of the perfection of His life and sustainability is that He does not suffer drowsiness or get overcome by sleep, and He is the sole Possessor of all that is in the universe. No one dares to intercede with Him unless He gives him permission. He is the One Who knows all the affairs of His creation; past, present, and future, and all else do not possess anything of Allah's knowledge whatsoever except what He taught them, by His will. His Kursī - the place of His feet - encompassed the heavens and the earth, despite their vastness and greatness, and their preservation is not heavy or hard for Him; rather, this is something easy and simple for Him, Exalted be He. He is the Possessor of absolute exaltedness above all His creation. He is Exalted by His Essence above His Throne and High above His creation by His absolute power and perfect attributes. He is the Possessor of absolute greatness in His Essence, attributes, and authority, and all other than Him are humble before Him and so little next to Him. Nothing is greater than Him, Exalted, Glorified, and Blessed be He.
In the Hadīth: A great merit for ’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him).
And in it: Praising a person to his face, if it serves a good purpose and if self-admiration is not feared, and so on
And in it: The knowledgeable person's great respect for his virtuous companions.

811

Abu ad-Dardā’ reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Is any of you incapable of reciting a third of the Qur'an in a night?" They said: "How does one recite a third of the Qur'an? He said: "{Say: 'He is Allah, the One} equals a third of the Qur'an.".

Commentary : Recitation of the Qur'an brings goodness and blessing, as it is the strong rope of Allah, and it affords tranquility of the soul and abundant reward. Allah Almighty has particularly endowed Surat al-Ikhlās with great merit.
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) asks his Companions, by way of teaching them: "Is any of you incapable of reciting a third of the Qur'an in a night?" Since this is hard to do, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) wondered and asked him (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): How does one recite one-third of the Qur'an in a night?! In response to them, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said that the recitation of Surat al-Ikhlās {Say: 'He is Allah, the One} equals the recitation of one-third of the Qur'an. So, its reciter obtains the reward for reciting a third of the Qur'an. And it is equal to one-third of the Qur'an based on the consideration of its meanings, as the Qur'an contains rulings, information, and Tawhīd (monotheism), and knowing the names and attributes of Allah Almighty falls under Tawhīd. And this Surah comprises the third category (Tawhīd); so, it equals one-third based on this consideration. In a version of the Sahīh Muslim Collection, it reads: "Indeed, Allah divided the Qur'an into three parts, and He made {Say: 'He is Allah, the One'} one of the parts of the Qur'an." This is because it contains two of Allah's names, which comprise all the attributes of perfection, and they do not exist in any other Surah of the Qur'an. These two names are: "Al-Ahad" (the One) and "As-Samad" (the Eternal Refuge). They point to the Essence of Allah that possesses all the attributes of perfection. To explain that: "The One" gives a feeling about His particular existence, which none shares with Him, and "the Eternal Refuge" gives a feeling about all the attributes of perfection, for He is the One Whose sovereignty reached the pinnacle of sublimity and perfection, and all creatures need Him, whereas He, Exalted be He, does not need anyone.
In the Hadīth: Demonstrating the merit of Surat al-Ikhlās
And in it: The vast bounty of Allah Almighty towards His servants, as He made the recitation of a short Surah equivalent to one-third of the Qur'an.

811

Abu ad-Dardā’ reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah divided the Qur'an into three parts, and He made Surat {Say: 'He is Allah, the One'} as one of the parts of the Qur'an.".

812

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Gather together, for I will recite to you one-third of the Qur'an." So, there gathered those who gathered. Then, the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came out and recited {Say: "He is Allah, the One"}. Then, he went back in. We said to one another: "I think this is a revelation that came to him from heaven. That is why he went in." Then, the Prophet of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came out and said: "Indeed, I said to you that I would recite to you one-third of the Qur'an, and it is indeed equal to one-third of the Qur'an.".

Commentary : Surat al-Ikhlās is a great surah despite its few words, as it contains great and sublime meanings. In it, the meaning of Tawhīd (monotheism) for Allah is refined, worship is solely devoted to Him, and refuge is sought with Him alone, and the son and father are negated from Him, Exalted be He. This is one of the fundamental topics to which the Qur'an refers.
In this Hadīth, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to his Companions: 'Gather together' i.e., come together. This command indicates that he will inform them about something important, namely that he will really recite to them one-third of the Qur'an, or what equals its third in terms of the meaning and reward. So, there gathered those who gathered from among the people. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came out and recited to them Surat al-Ikhlās only: {Say: "He is Allah, the One"}. Then, he entered his room. When they saw that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) recited nothing but this Surah and did not recite one-third of the Qur'an in terms of the amount and the number of verses, they thought that he entered because the revelation was coming down to him and that he would thereafter come out and recite to them the rest of the third of the Qur'an. Then, when the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came out, it was as if the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) knew what they were thinking about and that they were waiting to hear from him the rest of the third of the Qur'an. So, he informed them that Surat al-Ikhlās equals one-third of the Qur'an in terms of the reward. Thus, its reciter obtains the reward for reciting a third of the Qur'an. And it is equal to one-third of the Qur'an based on the consideration of its meanings, as the Qur'an contains rulings, information, and Tawhīd, and knowing the names and attributes of Allah Almighty falls under Tawhīd. And this Surah comprises the third category (Tawhīd); so, it equals one third based on this consideration. In a version in the Sahīh Muslim Collection, it reads: "Indeed, Allah divided the Qur'an into three parts, and He made {Say: 'He is Allah, the One'} one of the parts of the Qur'an." This is because it contains two of Allah's names, which comprise all the attributes of perfection, and they do not exist in any other Surah of the Qur'an. These two names are: "Al-Ahad" (the One) and "As-Samad" (the Eternal Refuge). They point to the Essence of Allah that possesses all the attributes of perfection. To explain that: "The One" gives a feeling about His particular existence, which none shares with Him, and "the Eternal Refuge" gives a feeling about all the attributes of perfection, for He is the One Whose sovereignty reached the pinnacle of sublimity and perfection, and all creatures need Him, whereas He, Exalted be He, does not need anyone.
In the Hadīth: The good way in which the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) taught his Companions, and the Companions' politeness towards him
And in it: Demonstrating the merit of Surat al-Ikhlās and that it equals one-third of the Qur'an in terms of the reward and recompense.

814

‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Have you not seen that some verses were revealed tonight the like of which has never been seen before?! They are: {Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak} and {Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind.}".

Commentary : What a great religion Islam is! And how great its numerous glad tidings which Allah Almighty gave to His Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his Ummah are. He, Exalted be He, revealed to him the Reminder, the Qur'an, and made its recitation greatly rewardable; each letter is credited with one good deed, and the virtuous deeds are multiplied. And He, Exalted be He, endowed some Surahs and verses with an additional merit for those who recite them, to urge and encourage their recitation.
In this Hadīth, ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Have you not seen that some verses were revealed tonight the like of which has never been seen before?!" This is an exclamatory question, as the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) wondered at the great merit of these verses, the like of whose meanings and blessings were not revealed in other Surahs to him before. Then, he identified those verses, saying that they are the two Surahs: "{Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak} and {Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind.}" They are the two refuge-seeking Surahs. They mention the pursuit of refuge, resorting, and asking for protection from Allah, the Lord of creation and the Lord of mankind. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used these two Surahs in seeking refuge with Allah Almighty and performing Ruqyah (faith healing) for himself.
Surat al-Falaq contains the verses that read: {Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak, from the harm of all what He has created; from the harm of the darkening night when it spreads around, from the harm of the sorceresses who blow on knots, and from the harm of the envier when he envies."} The meaning is: Say, O you, the Messenger—I resort to the Lord of the Morning. The Surah begins by describing the One with whom refuge is sought as the Lord of the Daybreak, for this is the time for the outpouring of lights and the descent of goodness and blessings. I seek refuge in this Lord, Who possesses this description, from what is harmful among the creatures. He solely attributes to the One with Whom refuge is sought what He created. He begins with the general words: {from the harm of all what He has created}, i.e., from the evil of His creation, the evil committed by the accountable servants in the form of sins and mutual harm among themselves, and what is done by unaccountable creatures of animals, such as the predatory beasts and insects, by eating, nipping, stinging, and biting, and the different kinds of harm Allah caused to exist in other than animals, like burning in the fire and killing by poison.
Then, He follows it with that whose harm is more hidden in terms of time, and it is the opposite of the break of the day, namely the coming of darkness, with His words: {from the harm of darkening [night] when it spreads around.} This is because harm spreads more easily at this time and getting rid of it becomes more difficult.
He particularly mentions the time in which wickedness is hidden, like the sorceresses who blow on knots and the enviers, and He links the envier with the conditional {when he envies}, because when an envier displays his envy, his evil and harm becomes more effective. Allah combines the evils in this Surah and concludes them with envy, so that it should be known that it is the meanest trait.
And Surat an-Nis is the verses that reads: {Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind, the Sovereign of mankind, the God of mankind, from the harm of the lurking whisperer, who whispers into the hearts of mankind, from among jinn and mankind."} [Surat an-Nās: 1-6] The meaning: Say - O you the Messenger -: I resort to the Lord of mankind and seek refuge in Him. He is the Sovereign of mankind and does whatever He wills to them. There is no other sovereign for them but Him and no true deity for them but Him. I seek refuge in Him from the evil of the devil who throws his whisperings to man if he fails to remember Allah and he goes backwards if he remembers Him. He throws his whisperings into the hearts of people. Such a whisperer could be among humankind and jinns alike.
In the Hadīth: Demonstrating the great significance of the two refuge-seeking Surahs
And in it: Pointing out that there is nothing in the Qur’an like the two refuge-seeking Surahs in terms of the meanings, blessings, and pursuit of Allah's refuge through them.

817

‘Āmir ibn Wāthila reported: Nāfi‘ ibn ‘Abdul-Hārith met ‘Umar at ‘Usfān, and ‘Umar had employed him as a governor of Makkah. He said: "Whom have you appointed as a governor over the people of the valley?" He said: "Ibn Abza." He said: "Who is Ibn Abza?" He said: "He is one of our freed slaves." He said: "Have you appointed a freed slave as a governor over them?!" He said: "He is a reciter of the Book of Allah Almighty and he is knowledgeable about the laws of inheritance." ‘Umar said: "Indeed, your Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Indeed, Allah elevates by this Book some people and degrades others.'".

Commentary : The Commander of the Faithful ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) was keen that the rulings of Islam should be applied in all corners of the state. Therefore, he used to ask the governors about their conditions and how they acted in different situations, correcting their errors and holding them accountable for them. He would put in a high status the knowledgeable people of the Qur'an, the Sunnah, and the Shar‘i rulings, in compliance with the principles of the honorable Shariah.
In this Hadīth, ‘Āmir ibn Wāthila (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Companion Nāfi‘ ibn ‘Abd al-Hārith (may Allah be pleased with him), was one of those who embraced Islam at the time of the Conquest of Makkah and was approved by ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) during his caliphate as a ruler and governor of Makkah, and stayed there until he died. Nāfi‘ met ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him), who stopped at ‘Usfān on the way to Hajj. He called him for a meeting, and he met him in ‘Usfān, a village 80km north of Makkah on the way to Madīnah. When they met, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him: Whom have you appointed as a governor over the people of Makkah in your place for the period of your absence as you meet the Commander of the Faithful? The valley here refers to the valley of Makkah and Tā’if. He informed him that he had appointed Abdur-Rahmān ibn Abza (may Allah be pleased with him), as a governor over them, a freed slave of Nāfi‘ ibn al-Hārith. He embraced Islam during the Prophet's lifetime and lived in Kufa. ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) appointed him as a governor of Khorasan.
‘Umar said to him, disapprovingly: "Have you appointed a freed slave as a governor over them?!" i.e., have you appointed a freed slave as a governor over the people of Makkah, the people of the Sacred City, and the people of nobility and high status?! It was said: ‘Umar's disapproval of his appointment as a governor over them was not because he belittled or disdained him, but because of the non-fulfillment of the purpose behind such an appointment, namely to set people's affairs in order and manage them, which requires the governor appointed over them to be a man of awe, greatness, and noble status in the hearts of the general public. To this end, he should be free and of noble descent and high standing; otherwise, people would disrespect and disobey him. Thus, the objective of such a post would fail.
Clarifying the reason behind appointing him over them, Nafi‘(may Allah be pleased with him) said: "He is a reciter of the Book of Allah Almighty," i.e., he is a memorizer of it and knowledgeable about its rulings. "And he is knowledgeable about the laws of inheritance," i.e., about the division of inheritance according to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). In other words, Allah Almighty elevated this governor over them by virtue of these things, and they know him to be like that, so they would respect and revere him and obey his command; thus, their affairs would be set aright, and their conditions would become stable. Hence, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), liked what he heard about the traits of Ibn Abza and approved the action of Nafi‘ ibn al-Hārith (may Allah be pleased with him), and thereupon said: "Indeed, your Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Indeed, Allah elevates by this Book" the noble Qur'an "some people." Allah elevates those who believe in it, recite it, and sincerely act according to it. He elevates them in this world, by making them lead a good life, and in the Hereafter, by making them among the people of high ranks along with those upon whom Allah bestowed His favor. "and degrades others,", lowering their status; those are the people who do not believe in it, or believe in it yet neglect it and abandon its application. So, He causes them to live in misery and straits in this world and makes them the lowest of the low in the Hereafter.
In the Hadīth: Putting a freed slave in authority over free people if he is knowledgeable about the laws of inheritance
And in it: Knowledge and the Qur'an redress the deficiency in one's lineage
And in it: The merit of knowledge
And in it: The approach of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) as he used to follow up on his governors and observe how they ruled their subjects, lest they might neglect their rights, and thus, he would be the one to blame, for he was the chief caretaker.
And in it: The merit and honor of the knowledge of inheritance, for it is the knowledge to which Allah Almighty gave high status, as He Himself undertook the division of inheritance in His glorious Book and did not leave it to anyone..

820

’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b reported: As I was in the mosque, a man entered, prayed, and recited in a manner that I found to be strange. Afterward, a man entered and recited in a manner different from the other. When we finished the prayer, we all went to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and I said: "This man recited in a manner that I found to be strange, and another man entered and recited in a manner different from his recitation." The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded them to recite, and when they did so, he expressed approval of both. This made me inclined to disbelieve in him, even to an extent I had never reached in Jāhiliyyah (the pre-Islamic period of ignorance). When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) noticed how I was affected, he gave me a pat on the chest. Thereupon, I broke into a sweat and was filled with fear as though I were looking at Allah Almighty. He said to me: "O ’Ubayy, a message was sent to me: Recite the Qur'an in one mode, but I replied to Him: Make matters easy for my Ummah. So, He sent me the second message: Recite it in two modes. I replied to Him: Make matters easy for my Ummah. So, He sent me the third message: Recite it in seven modes. And you may ask Me for something in return for each reply I sent to you. I said: O Allah, forgive my Ummah; O Allah, forgive my Ummah. And I delayed the third request until the Day when all humankind, even including Abraham (Ibrāhīm) (peace be upon him), will seek my intercession. [In a version]: ’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b told me that he was sitting in the mosque when a man entered, prayed, and recited in a manner... and he related a similar Hadīth..

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to teach his Companions the Qur'an to perfection, and he would recite it to them in modes and manners that suited various dialects, all of which belong to Arabic, to make things easy and simple for the Muslims.
In this Hadīth, ’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that he was sitting in the Prophet's Mosque, and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was not present at the time - and ’Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with him) was one of the memorizers of the Book of Allah Almighty - as a man entered and prayed. ’Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with him) heard him recite the Qur'an in a way he found to be strange, i.e., ’Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with him) did not know this way of recitation and did not hear it from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Then, another man entered and recited in a way different from the recitation of the earlier man. When they all finished the prayer, they went to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in one of his rooms. ’Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with him) said to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): This man recited in a way I found to be strange, as his recitation differed from that of mine. And another man entered and recited in a way different from the recitation of the earlier one. So, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered both men to recite so that he could hear their recitation and make sure whether it was correct or wrong. The two men recited, and he expressed approval of the recitation of both and said that both were good, or he said to each of them: You have done well. When ’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) express approval of their recitation, he thought about denying the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and felt confused and surprised in a way he could not describe and the like of which he had not experienced during Jāhiliyyah, when he was in misguidance and disbelief, which are worthier of this kind of denial. Jāhiliyyah: It is the period during which people were polytheists before the Prophet's mission, and it was called as such because of the prevalence of their ignorance.
When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) perceived that ’Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with him) experienced the whisperings and promptings of Satan, he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) struck him with his noble hand on his chest, to reassure him. As a result, sweat flowed from all over the body of ’Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with him), as if he were looking at Allah out of fear and embarrassment about the devil's whispering that influenced him. This indicates that it was a prompting from the devil, which disappeared immediately after the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) struck with his hand on ’Ubayy's chest, and the sweat overflowed from him.
At this point, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed ’Ubayy - by way of reassuring him and making things clear to him - that Allah Almighty revealed to him that he should recite the Qur'an in one mode, i.e., in one way. "but I replied to Him," i.e., to Allah Almighty through Gabriel (Jibrīl) (peace be upon him), the angel in charge of the revelation. "Make matters easy," i.e., he asked Him, Exalted be He, to make the recitation of the Qur'an simple and easy for the Muslim Ummah. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was going back to his Almighty Lord to ask Him to facilitate things for his Ummah, as he is reported to have done regarding prayer. Allah Almighty replied to His Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) on the second time: "Recite it in two modes," and on the third time Allah facilitated the matter for the Ummah by its recitation in seven modes. In other words, the Qur'an was revealed in seven ways or seven dialects, intended to make the matter simple and easy. It was said: The Qur'an was first revealed in the language of the Quraysh tribe and the surrounding eloquent Arabs. Then, it was made permissible for the Arabs to recite it in their own languages which they habitually used, along with their different words and rules of parsing. He did not oblige any of them to shift from their language to another because it involved difficulty. This was also for their tribalism and their need for facilitation, so that they could understand the intended meanings. This mentioned permissibility was not granted based on personal inclinations such that everyone could change any word to its equivalent in his language. Rather, the criterion in this regard was to hear it from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
Then, the Almighty Lord said to His Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): "In return for each reply I sent to you," i.e., in return for each time you came back to Me to ask for facilitation and ease for your Ummah and I replied to you, "you may ask Me for something," i.e., an answered supplication, which you should make, and you will not be disappointed or rejected regarding it. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Allah, forgive my Ummah; O Allah, forgive my Ummah" twice. And the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) delayed the third request until the Day of Judgment. It is the Grand Intercession. All humankind will need his intercession, when everyone will say "myself, myself," even Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him).
In the Hadīth: Allah's facilitation of things for the Ummah and His mercy towards them
And in it: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) is the best among the prophets and all humankind.
And in it: The superiority of Abraham (peace be upon him) over all the other prophets, except for our Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)
And in it: The Prophet's compassion towards his Ummah
And in it: It shows how much the Companions cared about the Qur'an, defended it, and preserved it and its words as they had heard it, without deviation from it.
And in it: Pointing out that the Qur'an was revealed in seven modes
And in it: Pardoning people for the devil's promptings and not holding them accountable for them
And in it: Showing the noble status of Ubayy (may Allah be pleased with him), for the devil did not gain control over him and so he could not allure him as he allured many others who were predestined by Allah to suffer misery by persisting in denial. Rather, Allah Almighty inspired him to repent through the Prophet's striking on his chest and his supplication for him.
And in it: Establishing the intercession for the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).

821

’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was by a pond belonging to Banu Ghifār when Jibrīl (Gabriel) (peace be upon him) came to him and said: "Allah Commands you to make your Ummah recite the Qur'an in one letter." He said: "I ask Allah for His protection and forgiveness, verily, my Ummah cannot bear that." He then came to him for the second time and said: "Allah commands you to make your Ummah recite the Qur'an in two letters." He (the Prophet) said: "I ask Allah for His protection and forgiveness, verily, my Ummah cannot bear that." Then, he came to him for the third time and said: "Allah commands you to make your Ummah recite the Qur'an in three letters." He (the Prophet) said: "I ask Allah for His protection and forgiveness, verily, my Ummah cannot bear that." Then, he came to him for the fourth time and said: "Allah commands you to make your Ummah recite the Qur'an in seven letters, and in whichever letter they recite, they will be right.".

Commentary : The Noble Qur’an is the speech of Allah Almighty revealed to His Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Allah has made its recitation easy for people so that they reflect upon its verses. A form of this facilitation and flexibility is that Allah has permitted its recitation in seven letters and in Qirā’āt (modes of recitation) that He taught to His Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), who taught them to his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), who reported these Qirā’at to those who succeeded them.
In this Hadīth, ’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was by "Adā’ah (pond) belonging to Banu Ghifār." Adā’ah: still water. It is said that it is a place in Makkah, as Ghifār was a tribe from Kinānah, and their location was near Makkah. It is also said that it is a place in Madīnah attributed to Banu Ghifār because they settled therein.
Gabriel (peace be upon him) - the angel entrusted with the revelation - came to him and said: "Allah Almighty commands you to recite the Qur'an to your Ummah," referring to the Ummah that responded to his call, "in one letter," i.e. in one manner. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I ask Allah for His protection and forgiveness," i.e. I ask Allah Almighty for His ease, facilitation, and forgiveness for them. The Prophet's request for forgiveness was out of fear of negligence committed on their side regarding how they must recite. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Verily, my Ummah cannot bear that," i.e., they cannot stand to agree on one letter given their different dialects. So, uniting them into one dialect is hard for them and challenging for their tongues. Then, Gabriel (peace be upon him) came to him for the second time and informed him that Allah Almighty commands him to make his Ummah recite the Qur’an in two letters. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said the same thing he said the first time. Then, Gabriel came to him for the third time and informed him that Allah commands him to make his Ummah recite in three letters. And the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said what he had said in the two previous times. Then for the fourth time, Gabriel (peace be upon him) came to him and said: "Allah commands you to make your Ummah recite the Qur’an in seven letters," thus, each one could recite in the manner that suits him, and that is easy for him, "and in whichever letter they recite, they will be right" and correct and their recitation will be sufficient and valid. His saying: "seven letters", means It was revealed in seven manners or seven dialects, which refers to facilitation and ease. It is said that the Qur'an was first revealed in the language of Quraysh and those who lived next to them from among the eloquent Arabs. Then, the Arabs were allowed to recite it in their usual languages despite the difference between them in words and grammatical rules. None of them was asked to leave his language for another one, given the difficulty involved and the pride they had and to make it easy for them to understand the intended meaning. This mentioned permissibility was not granted based on personal inclinations in such a way that everyone would change any word to its equivalent in his language; instead, the criterion here was to hear it from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
The Hadīth reflects the Prophet's keenness in facilitating and making things easy for his Ummah.
It also sheds light on the mercy of Allah Almighty towards His slaves by lightening their burden and revealing the Qur’an in seven letters..

822

Abu Wā’il reported: A man called Nahīk ibn Sinān came to ‘Abdullah and said: "O Abu ‘Abdur-Rahmān, how do you recite this letter? Do you recite it as 'alif' (first letter of the Arabic alphabet) or as 'yā’' (last letter of the Arabic alphabet) {min mā’in ghayri āsin (of fresh water)} [Surat Muhammad: 15] or: min mā’in ghayri yāsin?" He said: 'Abdullah replied, "And have you memorized the whole Qur'an except for this?!" He said: "Indeed, I do recite the Mufassal (from Surat Qāf till the end of the Qur'an) in one Rak'ah (unit of prayer)." 'Abdullah said: "Like the hasty recitation of poetry! Verily, there are people who recite the Qur'an, but it does not go beyond their collarbones. But if it were to reach the heart and settle therein, then it would be of benefit. The best (acts) of prayer are Rukū' (bowing) and Sujūd (prostration). I am well-acquainted with the Nazhā’ir (pairs of similar Surahs) which the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to combine two Surahs in every Rak'ah." Then, 'Abdullah stood up and 'Alqamah followed him; he came out and said: "He informed me about them." [Another version reads]: A man from Banu Bajīlah came to ‘Abdullah, and he did not say: Nahīk ibn Sinān. [Another version reads]: 'Alqamah came to enter upon him, so we said: "Ask him about the Nazhā’ir that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite in one Rak'ah." So, he entered upon him and asked him, then, he came out and said: "Twenty Surahs of the Mufassal according to the order (of the Surahs) set by 'Abdullah.".

Commentary : Allah Almighty commanded reflection upon the Qur’an, as He says: {This is a blessed Book that We have sent down to you [O Prophet] so that they may reflect upon its verses, and so that people of understanding may take heed.} [Surat Sād: 29] Allah Almighty also says: {Do they not then ponder on the Qur’an?} [Surat an-Nisā’: 82] This is the purpose of its recitation, not just the mere recitation of its letters without understanding or reflection.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi'i Abu Wā’il, brother of Ibn Salamah, reports that a man - and in another version: "from Banu Bajīlah" - called Nahīk ibn Sinān came to 'Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "O Abu' Abdur-Rahmān, how do you recite this letter?" i.e., how do you recite this verse in the Qur'an? "Do you recite it as 'alif' or 'yā"? {{min mā’in ghayri āsin} or (min mā’in ghayri yāsin)?" This means: Does the word start with an alif or a yā'? "Āsin" water is water that has a changed taste and color, whereas "Yāsin" water is smelly and stinking water that affects whoever goes in it with its steam. Thereupon, ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him: "And have you memorized the whole Qur'an except for this?!" i.e. Have you memorized the whole Qur'an and perfected its words except for this verse and the word you are asking about?! As if he was shocked and rebuking him. Nahīk ibn Sinān gave him an answer denoting how he believed that he had perfected the recitation of the whole Qur’an, as he informed him that he used to recite the Mufassal (short Surahs) in one single Rak‘ah, which indicates the great extent of his memorization and perfection. It is said: The Mufassal starts from Surat Muhammad, and it is said: Surat Qāf, until the end of the Noble Qur’an. It was called so because of the frequent separation between its Surahs with the line "Bismillāh ar-Rahmān ar-Rahīm" (In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful). ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) did not answer his question because he got the impression that he was not seeking guidance; rather, he said to him: "Like the hasty recitation of poetry?!" "Hadhdh" (hasty recitation) means excessive hastiness and extreme speed, i.e., do you recite the Qur’an hastily without reflecting upon it as if you are reciting poetry?! As if Ibn Mas‘ūd was criticizing him for reciting the Mufassal in one single Rak‘ah without reflecting upon and contemplating the verses.
Then, Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Verily, there are people who recite the Qur'an, but it does not go beyond their collarbones," which is an indirect reference to incomprehension, i.e., there are people who recite the Qur'an without reflecting upon its verses or contemplating its meanings. Hence, it does not reach their hearts through contemplation and humility, and it does not ascend to heaven, and they do not, thus, receive a reward for it. "Turquwah" (collarbone): It is the protruding upper chest bone from the beginning of the shoulder to the bottom of the neck.
Then, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) informed him that when the Qur’an is recited in a reflective and contemplative manner, and the heart consequently grasps its meanings and understands its lessons, it becomes of benefit to its reciter, and this is what is required of a Muslim and is the objective of reciting the Qur’an. Then, he clarified to him that the acts of prayer that have a better and bigger reward are more Rukū‘ and Sujūd, not the lengthy recitation in which the reciter does not reflect upon the meanings of the verses.
Then, he taught him, saying: I am well-acquainted with the Surahs, which are called "Nazhā’ir" and which are the Surahs that have similar meanings or have a similar length, that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to combine in his Rak'ahs during prayer reciting two of them in every Rak'ah.
Ibn Mas‘ūd then stood up and entered his house, followed by the Tābi'i' Alqamah ibn Qays, who wanted to ask him about these Surahs which the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to combine. Then, ‘Alqamah came out and said to the people: Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) informed me about them.
Another version reads: 'Alqamah informed them that the Nazhā’ir are "twenty Surahs from the Mufassal," i.e., twenty of the small Surahs according to the order of the Mus-haf that was arranged by 'Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd whose order varied from that of Zayd ibn Thābit. These Surahs were mentioned by Abu Dāwūd on the authority of Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) and they are: Ar-Rahmān and An-Najm in a Rak‘ah, Al-Qamar and Al-Hāqqah in a Rak‘ah, At-Tūr and Adh-Dhāriyāt in a Rak‘ah, Al-Wāqi‘ah and Al-Qalam in a Rak‘ah, Al-Ma‘ārij and An-Nāzi‘āt in a Rak‘ah, Al-Mutaffifīn and ‘Abasa in a Rak‘ah, Al-Muddaththir and Al-Muzzammil in a Rak‘ah, Al-Insān and Al-Qiyāmah in a Rak‘ah, An-Naba’ and Al-Mursalāt in a Rak‘ah, and Ad-Dhukhān and At-Takwīr in a Rak‘ah. If it is said Ad-Dukhān is not from the Mufassal, how did he count it from the Mufassal? The answer: It is a metaphor, as it was mentioned in a version in the Two Sahīh Collections: Eighteen Surahs from the Mufassal and two Surahs from the {Hā Mīm} family.
The Hadīth encourages reflection upon the Qur’an and abstention from reciting it hastily.
It also emphasizes the status and knowledge of Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him)..

830

Abu Basrah al-Ghifāri reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) led us in the ‘Asr (afternoon) prayer at Al-Mukhammas and said: "This prayer was presented to those before you, but they wasted it. So, whoever observes it will have his reward doubled, and there is no prayer after it until the Shāhid appears." Shāhid: the star..

Commentary : Prayer is the second pillar of Islam. The 'Asr prayer has a great merit. Hence, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) urges Muslims to observe it.
In this Hadīth, Abu Basrah al-Ghifāri (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) led some of his Companions in the ‘Asr prayer at Al-Mukhammas, which is the name of a path in Mount ‘Ayr on the way to Makkah. Then, he informed them that the 'Asr prayer was enjoined upon the preceding nations, but they did not observe it properly, not performing it in its due time, taking it lightly, and abandoning it. Then, Allah gave it to the Ummah of Islam, "so, whoever observes it will have his reward doubled"; the first reward is for observing it, unlike those who neglected it, and the second is a recompense for his deed like the rest of prayers. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) then forbade them from offering any supererogatory prayer until the sun sets and the "Shāhid", which is the star, appears. It was called "Shāhid" (witness) because it appears and is present at night and because a star does not appear and is not seen except after sunset. This does not contradict the confirmed texts that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) prayed Maghrib by sunset, as mentioned in the Two Sahīh Collections and others.
This is a prohibition of prayer at sunset because it was when those who worshipped the sun used to pray. The word "after" here is not meant in a general sense; rather, it is meant to refer to the time of sunset and what is close to it. It is said that the prohibition of prayer during this time is only meant to prohibit delaying the obligatory prayer without a valid excuse until it is performed close to sunset. This prohibition does not include performing obligatory prayers or making up for missed prayers; it is exclusive to the supererogatory prayer.
The Hadīth encourages the observance of prayer.
It also encourages the observance of prayers in their due time.
It clarifies the merit of this Ummah as it carefully maintains a prayer that was not maintained by the preceding nations.
It also points out that the reward of whoever observes the ‘Asr prayer is doubled..

831

‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir al-Juhani reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to forbid us from praying or burying our deceased ones at three times: when the sun begins to rise until it is fully risen; when the sun is at its highest point in the sky at noon until it passes its zenith; and when the sun starts setting until it fully sets..

Commentary : Allah Almighty sent His Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to all humankind as a guide, bringer of good news, and a warner. There is no goodness for them concerning their life or death except that he guided them to it and urged them to do it. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was keen to preserve for the Muslims their creed. For example, he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade them from praying or burying their dead at three times, which are: "When the sun begins to rise;" this is at the beginning of its rise and appearance. In modern estimation, this is nearly 15 minutes after sunrise. He forbade this because it is a time in which the sun-worshipers used to pray and prostrate to it, as it is a time in which the the sun rises between the two horns the devil. The second time: "When the sun is at its highest point in the sky at noon;" this is at midday, when the sun is in the middle of the sky. This is a time when any standing object at noon no longer has a shadow towards the east or the west, and it is the time of extreme heat. He forbade this timing because Hellfire is flared up during it. The forbidden time continues until the sun passes its zenith for a little towards the west, and there comes the noon at which the time of the Zhuhr prayer comes. The third timing: "and when the sun starts setting," i.e., it moves towards setting until it completely sets, and the disc of the sun disappears. This is a time in which the sun sets between the two horns of the devil. This prohibition does not apply to the obligatory prayers that are performed within their appointed times or as missed prayers; rather,, it applies to supererogatory prayers.
In the Hadīth: The prohibition of praying at these times
And in it: The prohibition of burying the dead at these times.

832

‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah as-Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: In Jāhiliyyah (the pre-Islamic period of ignorance), I used to think that people were misguided and that they were not on the right path, as they worshipped idols. Then, I heard of a man in Makkah who was telling new things. So, I mounted my camel and went to him. I found that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was hiding, for his people were aggressive toward him. So, I acted gently until I entered his place. I said to him: "Who are you?" He said: "I am a Prophet." I said: "What is a Prophet?" He said: "Allah sent me.'' I said: "What did He send you with?" He said: "He sent me with [a message] of maintaining kinship ties, breaking the idols, and upholding the oneness of Allah without associating anything with him." I said: "Who is with you on that?" He said: "A free man and a slave man.'' He said: At that time only Abu Bakr and Bilāl were with him. I said: "I shall follow you.'' He said: "You cannot do that today. Do you not see my situation and that of the people? However, return to your people, and when you hear that I have succeeded in my mission, come to me.'' So, I went to my people. Later, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went to Madīnah. It was until some of my people went to Madīnah that I said: "What happened to this man who came to Madīnah?" They said: "People are hastening to him. His own people wanted to kill him, but they could not." So, I went to Madīnah and entered his place and said: "O Messenger of Allah, do you recognize me?" He said: "Yes, you are the one who met me in Makkah." I said: "O Messenger of Allah, tell me of what Allah has taught you, which I am ignorant of. Tell me about prayer." He said: "Perform the morning prayer. Then, do not pray until the sun has risen up to the height of a lance, for when it rises, it rises between two horns of a devil. It is when the disbelievers prostrate themselves to it. Then, pray, for the prayer is witnessed and attended, until the shadow of the lance shrinks. Then, do not pray, for at that time Hell is fired up. Then, pray when the shadow becomes longer, for the prayer is witnessed and attended, until you perform ‘Asr. Then, do not pray until the sun sets, for it sets between two horns of a devil. It is when the disbelievers prostrate themselves to it." I further said: "O Prophet, tell me about ablution.'' He said: "When any of you approaches his ablution water and rinses his mouth and nose, the sins of his face, his mouth, and nose will ‘fall’. Then, when he washes his face as Allah commanded him, the sins of his face fall with water from the edges of his beard. Then, when he washes his hands up to the elbows, the sins of his hands fall with water from his fingertips. Then, when he wipes over his head, the sins of his head fall with water from the ends of his hair. Then, when he washes his feet up to the ankles, the sins of his feet fall with water from his toes. Then, when he stands up for prayer, praises Allah Almighty, extols Him, glorifies Him as He deserves, and empties his heart for Allah, he becomes free from his sins as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him.'' ‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah narrated this Hadīth to Abu ’Umāmah, a Companion of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Thereupon, Abu Umāmah said to him: "O ‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah, think about what you are saying. Will a man be getting all of this on one occasion?" ‘Amr said: "O Abu ’Umāmah, I am old in age, weak in bones, and close to death. I do not need to tell lies about Allah or the Messenger of Allah. Had I not heard this from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) only once, twice, thrice - and he counted up to seven times - I would not have narrated it. However, I heard it more than that.".

Commentary : Islam emerged in a world filled with oppression, Shirk (polytheism), and ignorance. The brightness of its teachings was strange to those who lived in complete darkness. Its earlier followers suffered severe tribulations, as they were very few and their enemies regarded them as weak and humiliated, and they would subject them to subjugation and harm, for they did not possess the means of protection either by being large in number or by strength. This was before Allah Almighty endowed them with Hijrah (emigration) to Madīnah, where He provided them with refuge, empowered them, helped them, and made them victorious over their enemies. In this Hadīth, the Companion ‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah as-Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him)—who was the half-brother of Abu Dharr from the mother's side; their mother was Ramlah, from Banu al-Waqī‘ah ibn Harām ibn Ghifār, and he was from Banu Sulaym—says that in Jāhiliyyah, people were polytheists. It was called as such due to the prevalence of their ignorance. He used to think that people were misguided and did not follow anything of the truth or the religion that would benefit them with Allah Almighty. "as they worshipped idols." An idol is anything worshiped apart from Allah, be it made of stone, wood, or trees, and whether it takes the form of a human being or not. Later, he heard about the emergence of a man - meaning the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) - in Makkah who was telling new things concerning Allah Almighty, i.e., the new things related to the prophethood, the message, and the revelation of Allah to him, and the command He sent to him about Tawhīd (monotheism) and the falsity of associating partners with Allah Almighty. So, he mounted his riding animal and traveled to Makkah to learn about the affair of this Prophet. He found the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) hiding from the disbelievers because they were aggressive to him. So, he searched for him in Makkah in a gentle and kind manner so that the Quraysh disbelievers would not repel him, until he found the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): "What are you?" i.e., what about your condition and your affair? He did not say, "Who are you?" because he did not want to ask about himself but about his traits. In response, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "I am a Prophet," one of the prophets of Allah, as Allah sent revelation to me. He asked him about the reality that distinguishes a prophet from others, and the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) replied to him that Allah sent him to all humankind. He further asked him: "What did He send you with?" In reply, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told him that He sent him with a message of upholding the ties of kinship, who are a person's relatives and all those who are related to him by blood, whether he is an inheritor of them or not. The tie becomes more affirmed if they have a closer blood relationship. The Prophet's response here was appropriate for the questioner or considering the time and condition. The upholding of kinship ties is probably singled out in consideration of the condition of the Arabs, or because other obligations had not yet been prescribed. And he informed him that Allah Almighty sent him with a message of breaking and destroying the idols, prohibiting the devotion of worship to them, and that oneness must be attributed to Allah alone and worship be devoted to Him alone, not associating any of the creation as partners with Him. ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): "Who is with you on that" Tawhīd and religion? The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A free man and a slave man." ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) at the time had with him Abu Bakr as-Siddīq (may Allah be pleased with him), by whom he meant the free man, and Bilāl ibn Rabāh (may Allah be pleased with him), by whom he meant the slave man, among those who believed in him (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), believed his message, and followed his religion. ‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah as-Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) said to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): "I shall follow you" and this religion, referring to his conversion to Islam. Hence, I shall accompany you and be with you in this position you are in. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "You cannot do that on this day of yours," i.e., at the present time. This is due to the weakness of the Muslims. It is feared that you will be harmed by the Qurayshi disbelievers. He did not reject his conversion to Islam, but rejected the idea that he would remain with him, citing as the reason for that the few supporters of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and the strength of the disbelievers and the severe animosity they displayed. So, he ordered him to go back to his people, remain among them, and continue to be Muslim, and when he hears about the dominance of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his victory over the polytheists and the spread of his call across the land, he should come to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). This is an example of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) talking about future and unseen things, and it falls under the signs of his prophethood (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). ‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him) returned to his people Banu Sulaym. Then, after a while, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) emigrated to Madīnah after staying in Makkah as a prophet for thirteen years, calling people to Tawhīd and the abandonment of Shirk. Meanwhile, ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) was living among his people. So, he began to look out for news about the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) while he was in Madīnah, asking travelers who would pass him by. This continued until there came a group, between three and nine persons, from the people of Yathrib, which was the old name for Madīnah, before the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) changed it to Taybah and Tābah. He asked them: "What happened to this man who came to Madīnah?" He posed the question in this way so as to conceal his condition from whom he asked, lest they might be enemies of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and so they would not tell him the truth, if they knew he was following his religion. This reflects the good understanding, wisdom, and intelligence of ‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him). They answered him: People are hastening to him to follow his religion and enter Islam. "His people wanted to," i.e., the Quraysh disbelievers wanted to "kill him" by various methods of cunning and deception, "but they could not." Rather, Allah turned their plots back on their necks and protected His Prophet from that. It was said: This is intended to refer to what the Quraysh tribe plotted against the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) after his Hijrah, including the battles of Badr, ’Uhud, and Al-Ahzāb, and others. But they could not eliminate him, as Allah Almighty granted him victory over them. Also, the intended meaning is probably what Allah Almighty mentions in the verse that reads: {And [remember] when the disbelievers plotted against you to take you as captive, kill you, or expel you. They plan, and Allah also plans, but Allah is the Best of those who plan.} [Surat al-Anfāl: 30] This is when they plotted against him in these ways. So, Allah permitted him to immigrate, and after he went to Madīnah, Allah Almighty revealed to him "Surat al-Anfāl" wherein He mentions His favors upon him and the affliction he had suffered.
Then, ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) said that he came to Madīnah - after the battles of Badr, ’Uhud, the Trench, and Khaybar - and entered the Prophet's place and said: "O Messenger of Allah, do you recognize me?" He replied: Yes, you are the one who met me in Makkah. So, ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked to tell him about what Allah taught the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) of which ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) was ignorant. He also asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to tell him about the prayer and its time. In response, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) instructed him to offer the morning prayer - and its time begins with the appearance of the true dawn - and then desist from prayer until the sun appears and rises to the height with which prayer is no longer disliked; that's 15 minutes after sunrise, according to modern estimation. This demonstrates the times in which prayer was prohibited, and he explained to him the reason behind this prohibition, saying that the sun rises between two horns of a devil, and at that time the disbelievers who worship the sun prostrate themselves to it. The meaning: The devil adorned to some people the worship of the sun at this time, and he used to take sunrise between the two horns in his head and approach it, and so it would rise between his two horns. And the same happens at the time of sunset. It is as if those who prostrate to the sun do prostrate to him. So, this is meant to keep away from imitation of the disbelievers at their time of prayer. This prohibition pertains to supererogatory prayers whose performance is not associated with a specific reason. A Muslim should not offer them at these two times. As for the missed obligatory prayers, they may be performed at all times of prohibition.
Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed him that after that time he could offer as many supererogatory prayers as he wished, as related in the version by Abu Dāwūd, "for the prayer is witnessed and attended," i.e., the angels attend it to write down its reward and bear witness for those who perform it. So, it is closer to acceptance and the attainment of mercy. So, he prays "until the shadow of the lance shrinks," i.e., the shadow rises with the lance or in the lance, and nothing of it remains on the ground. This refers to the Arab martial lance, which is nine mediocre spans long. The lance was particularly mentioned because when the Arabs wanted to know the time, they would erect their lances on the ground and then look at their shadows.
When things no longer have a shadow, one should refrain from offering supererogatory prayers that are not associated with a specific reason, for this time is one in which "Hell is fired up," i.e., it is intensely kindled. "when the shadow becomes longer" towards the east, "then pray" any prayer you want to offer. "for the prayer is witnessed and attended." Continue to pray as much as you wish "until you perform ‘Asr." Then, stop offering supererogatory prayers after ‘Asr, until the sun sets, for it sets between two horns of a devil, and this is a time at which the disbelievers prostrate themselves to it, as previously mentioned.
Then, ‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about ablution and how to perform it. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When any of you approaches his ablution water," i.e., brings water to perform ablution therewith. "and rinses his mouth" by moving water inside the mouth and then discharging it out. "and nose" by inserting water into the nose and then blowing it out to remove any filth inside. the sins of his face, his mouth, and nose "fall." "Then, when he washes his face as Allah commanded him," i.e., in the verse that reads: {when you rise up for prayer, wash your faces.} [Surat al-Mā’idah: 6] "the sins of his face will fall with water from the edges of his beard." He mentioned the beard in light of what is more common; yet, it also applies to those who have no beard, such as the beardless men or women. "Then, when he washes his hands up to the elbows," which are the joints in the middle of the arm, "the sins of his hands fall with water from his fingertips. Then, when he wipes over his head, the sins of his head fall with water from the ends of his hair." He mentioned hair in light of what is more common, yet it also applies to those who have no hair. "Then, when he washes his feet up to the ankles" - the two protruding bones at the joint connecting the foot and leg - "the sins of his feet fall with water from his toes." If a person performs ablution in this way and enters the prayer, praises Allah, lauds Him by the well-established attributes, lauds Him by exalting Him above what does not befit Him, and extols Him by ascribing to Him the attributes of glory, might, and honor of which He is worthy; "and empties his heart for Allah," Almighty, i.e., he empties his heart from the impurity of attachment to and reliance upon other than Allah, "he becomes free from his sins" and misdeeds and gets purified from them as he was pure from all sins "on the day his mother gave birth to him."
‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated this Hadīth before Abu ’Umāmah, the Companion of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). So, Abu ’Umāmah said to him: "O ‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah, think about," i.e., consider, ponder, "what you are saying" about this abundant reward in return for this little act in one situation and one place; a man is given this great reward! The wording by An-Nasā’i: "Is all of this given in one situation?!" This does not denote suspicion by Abu ’Umāmah of ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with both of them). It is only wonder at the immensity of Allah's bounty. ‘Amr replied: "O Abu Umāmah, I am old in age," "weak in bones," i.e., my bones have become thin and lean - a reference to his weakness. "and close to death." "I do not need" or am prompted "to tell lies about Allah" Almighty" or the Messenger of Allah" (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). The meaning: The usual causes of lying are non-existent in me. I am not a liar. So, "Had I not heard this from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) only once, twice, thrice - and he counted up to seven times," i.e., he said: four times, until he said: seven times. "I would not have narrated it. However, I heard it more than that." In the version by An-Nasā’i: "My ears heard it, and my heart understood it from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)." This means he was scrupulous in narrating these words about the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Besides, his heart kept it for himself, and he did not undergo forgetfulness. This is all due to keenness to ascertain the validity of the narration.
In the Hadīth: Urging the upholding of kinship ties, as Allah Almighty couples it with Tawhīd
And in it: Supererogatory prayers may be offered at any time, except for the prohibited times.
And in it: Demonstrating the time of the morning prayer
And in it: Demonstrating the times in which it is prohibited to offer non-obligatory prayers
And in it: The merit of performing ablution perfectly
And in it: The merit of Khushū‘ (humility and focus) in prayer
And in it: It is prohibited to imitate the disbelievers in their worship
And in it: Showing the merit of Abu Bakr and Bilāl (may Allah be pleased with both of them), as they embraced Islam ahead of others
And in it: Showing the merit of ‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him) and his wisdom, for he realized during Jāhiliyyah that people were misguided, as they worshiped idols apart from Allah Almighty, and he embraced Islam early on.
And in it: It points out that a Muslim should ask about the best times and places in which he should seek closeness to his Lord and perform a lot of worship to Him.
And in it: News should be verified, even if the reporter is truthful, for he may undergo forgetfulness or the like..

Book of Hadith

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