Narrated ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her): “We set out with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (to Makkah) in the year of the Farewell Hajj. Some of us had assumed Ihraam for `Umrah only, some for both Hajj and `Umrah, and others for Hajj only. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) assumed Ihraam for Hajj. Those who had assumed Ihraam for Hajj or for both Hajj and `Umrah did not finish the Ihraam till the Day of Sacrifice..

1563

Narrated Marwahn ibn al-Hakam: I witnessed ‘Uthmaan and ‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib (may Allah be pleased with them); ‘Uthmaan was forbidding people to perform Tamattu’, but he saw ‘Alee (may Allah be pleased with him) entering Ihraam with the intention of performing ‘Umrah and Hajj together. He (may Allah be pleased with him) remarked: “I will not leave the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ)for the opinion of others.”.

Commentary : There are three ways for performing Hajj: (1) Tamattu’: It is when the pilgrim enters the state of Ihraam with the intention to perform ‘Umrah during the months of Hajj, namely Shawwaal, Thoo al-Qa’dah, and Thoo al-Hijjah. And after completing the ‘Umrah, he exits his Ihraam and then enters the Ihraam again in the same year to perform Hajj. (2) Al-Qiraan: It is when the pilgrim enters the Ihraam with the intention to perform both ‘Umrah and Hajj together. (3) Al-Ifraad: It is when the pilgrim enters the Ihraam with the intention to perform Hajj only.
In this hadeeth, Marwahn ibn al-Hakam reports that he witnessed ‘Uthman and ‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib (may Allah be pleased with them) in ‘Asfaan, a village that is located about 128 km from the north of Makkah. ‘Uthmaan (may Allah be pleased with him) used to order people not to perform Tamattu’ i.e., he was against the practice of exiting Ihraam after completing ‘Umrah and then entering Ihraam for Hajj, because he (may Allah be pleased with him) believed that this was exclusive to the year of the Prophet’s last Hajj. He (may Allah be pleased with him) also discouraged people to perform Qiraan (i.e., entering Ihraam with the intention of performing ‘Umrah and Hajj together) as he wanted to encourage people to perform Ifraad. His orders against it were not intended to state it is forbidden in religion but only to show it is less favorable.
However, when ‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him) saw that ‘Uthmaan was against the options of Tamattu’ and Qiraan, he entered his Ihraam with the intention of Qiraan (i.e., performing ‘Umrah and Hajj together) and then remarked that he would not leave the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺfor the opinion of someone else. He (may Allah be pleased with him) did that because he wanted to commit to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺand because he feared that people may misunderstand the orders of ‘Uthmaan (may Allah be pleased with him) and assume it is forbidden.
Obviously, ‘Uthmaan (may Allah be pleased with him) was aware that Qiraan and Tamattu are permissible but he ﷺwanted to encourage people to opt for the more recommended option, from his own point of view, just like what happened to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him). Nevertheless, they are rewarded for their efforts in deducing the correct opinion.
Al-Nasaa’iee recorded that Abu Musa inquired from ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) about it, whereupon 'Umar said: “I know that Allah's Messenger ﷺdid that (observed Tamattu'), but I disliked that people should lay with their wives in the shade of the Arak trees, and then go out for Hajj with their heads dripping.” i.e., ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) disliked people to do Tamattu’ because it allows people to have intercourse with their wives until it is the time of Hajj.
It is proven authentic, as reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, when the Prophet ﷺordered his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) to perform Tamattu’, Jaabir ibn ‘Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with him) related that Suraaqah ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up when he met the Prophet ﷺat al-‘Aqabah throwing the pebbles, and said: “O Messenger of Allah! Is this exclusive to you? The Messenger of Allah ﷺsaid: “No, this forever and forever.”
From the benefits that can be concluded from this hadeeth is learning that scholars and learned people should disseminate their knowledge and clarify and debate rulers and others whenever it is possible with the intention to seek the best interest of Muslims.
This hadeeth shows that it is permissible to enter Ihraam with the intention of performing ‘Umrah and Hajj together, and that it is better to clarify words through action.
It shows the forbearance of ‘Uthmaan (may Allah be pleased with him) and how he did not blame those who held a different opinion than his.
It shows that the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did not turn a blind eye to a view they believed is weak and always shared the view they found to be stronger.
This hadeeth shows that obedience of rulers and people of authority is only with regard to that which is right and proper.
.

1564

Narrated Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him): The people (of the Pre-Islamic Period) used to think that to perform `Umrah during the months of Hajj was one of the most heinous sins on earth, and considered the month of Safar as a forbidden (i.e. sacred) month, and they used to say, "When the wounds of the camel's back heal up (after they return from Hajj) and their traces vanish and the month of Safar passes away then (at that time) `Umrah is permissible for the one who wishes to perform it." In the morning of the 4th of Thoo al-Hijjah, the Prophet (ﷺ) and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) reached Makkah, assuming Ihraam for Hajj, and he ordered his Companions to make their intentions of the Ihraam for `Umrah only (instead of Hajj), so they considered his order as something great and were puzzled, and said, "O Allah's Messenger! What kind (of finishing) of Ihraam is allowed?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "Finish the Ihraam completely.".

Commentary : Tamattu’ in Hajj means entering into ihraam for `Umrah during the months of Hajj, completing it and then exiting the state of ihram before subsequently entering ihraam for Hajj during the same year. After arriving at Makkah during the months of Hajj and completing ‘Umrah, pilgrims may exit their Ihraam and enjoy all that which is lawful until the commencement of the Hajj rites.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that Arabs before Islam used to consider performing ‘Umrah during the months of Hajj one of the most heinous sins and forbade performing ‘Umrah until the end of the month of Muharram, and that they would consider the month of Safar one of the forbidden (sacred) months, and reallocate the sanctity of months, whenever they liked, and postponed the sacred months to the end of Safar, which is the condemned practice that Allah mentions in the Quran: {Indeed, the postponing [of restriction within sacred months] is an increase in disbelief} [Quran 9:37]. They used to believe that only after the wounds that appear on the camel's back because of carrying the luggage in their long trips heal up, the traces of their footprints vanish, and the month of Safar expires, which is one of the sacred months because of their reallocation, performing `Umrah becomes permissible for the one who wishes to perform it.
However, when the Prophet ﷺand his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) arrived at Makkah in the morning of the 4th of Thoo al-Hijjah to perform Hajj, he ﷺordered his Companions to perform ‘Umrah and then exit their Ihraam, so they can enjoy all that which is lawful until the time of Hajj begins. As this was against the customary practice that people were used to, they inquired from him whether they are allowed to enjoy all that which is lawful or just part of it. The Prophet ﷺinformed them that exiting their Ihraam would allow them to enjoy all that which is not allowed for them during their Ihraam for ‘Umrah, including intercourse. By this, he ﷺput an end to the customary practices of the people of pre-Islam, namely the reallocation of sacred months and forbidding performing ‘Umrah during the months of Hajj, and established the law of Islam..

1565

Narrated Abu Moosa (may Allah be pleased with him): I met the Prophet (ﷺ)and he ordered him to exit his Ihraam..

Commentary : The Prophet ﷺsent Abu Moosa (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yemen to serve as a judge and teach them religion. When the Prophet ﷺtravelled to perform his farewell Hajj in the 10th year of Hijrah, Abu Moosa (may Allah be pleased with him) left Yemen to Makkah and assumed his Ihraam with an intention like that of the Prophet ﷺ.
In this hadeeth, Abu Moosa (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that he travelled to Makkah from Yemen to join the Prophet ﷺin his Hajj, and that he (may Allah be pleased with him) met the Prophet ﷺin al-Bat-haa’ of Makkah, which is a place that has small pebbles, and it was originally a water stream in the valley of Makkah. The Prophet ﷺordered him and those who do not have Hady with them to exit their Ihraam after completing their ‘Umrah and wait until the Day of Tarwiyah (i.e., the eighth day of Thoo al-Hijjah) to assume a new Ihraam for Hajj. It is reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim that the Prophet ﷺasked him if he had Hady, which refers to the sacrificial animals that pilgrims slaughter in the Haram, which includes camels, cows, goats and sheep. He replied that he did not have any Hady with him so he ﷺordered him to perform the rite of Tawaaf round the Ka’bah and the rite of brisk walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah, and then cut or shave his head to exit his Ihraam. As for the Prophet ﷺ, he had Hady with him, thus he performed Qiraan (i.e., entering Ihraam for both `Umrah and Hajj together as a single rite.)..

1566

Narrated Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet (ﷺ): I said: O Messenger of Allah! Why is it that everyone has finished Ihraam and you still have not finished ihram from your ‘Umrah?" He (ﷺ) replied, "I have matted my hair and garlanded my sacrificial animal and will not exit my Ihraam until I have sacrificed the animal.".

Commentary : The Prophet ﷺperformed his farewell Hajj in the 10th year of Hijrah and explained its rites verbally and in action and ordered them to learn the rites directly from him.
In this hadeeth, Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her), the Mother of the Believers, reports that when the Prophet ﷺarrived at Makkah, he ﷺordered those who did not have Hady to make their Ihraam for ‘Umrah instead of Hajj, and to exit their Ihraam after completing the rites of ‘Umrah. They followed the order and on the 8th day of Thoo al-Hijjah (the Day of Tarwiyah), they assumed a new Ihraam for Hajj.
As for the Prophet ﷺand those who had Hady, they maintained their Ihraam. Thereupon, Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) inquired from the Prophet ﷺabout the reason that made him not to exit his Ihraam too although he ﷺordered them to exit their Ihraam. The Prophet ﷺexplained to her that he ﷺbreaded and matted his hair, which is a practice done to keep the hair neat and not dusty, which is something that pilgrims need during Ihraam. Matting the hair takes place after taking the bath and before wearing the clothes of Ihraam.
The Hady refers to the sacrificial animals that pilgrims slaughter in the Haram, which includes camels, cows, goats and sheep, and garlanding the Hady means to put a chain around their neck to serve as a mark that these animals are Hady. With that said, he ﷺclarifies that having the Hady is the reason he ﷺdid not exit Ihraam and that he can only exit it after slaughtering the Hady on the 10th of Thoo Al-Hijjah and during the days of Tashreeq (i.e., the three days after Eid al-Adha).
This hadeeth shows that women used to ask the Prophet ﷺabout what they do not understand in religion..

1567

Narrated Aboo Jamrah, Nasr ibn ‘Imraan ad-Duba’ee: "I intended to perform Hajj-at-Tamattu`, but some people advised me not to do so. I asked Ibn `Abbaas about it and he ordered me to perform Hajj-at- Tammatu'. Later I saw in a dream someone saying to me, 'Hajj-Mabroor and an accepted `Umrah.' I related that dream to Ibn `Abbaas. Thereupon, he (may Allah be pleased with him) said, 'This is the tradition of the Prophet ﷺ.' Then he said to me, 'Stay with me and I shall give you a portion of my property.' " Shu`bah asked Aboo Jamrah, "Why did he do so?" He (Abu Jamrah) said, "Because of the dream which I had seen.".

Commentary : Tamattu’ in Hajj means entering into ihraam for `Umrah during the months of Hajj, completing it and then exiting the state of ihraam before subsequently entering ihraam for Hajj during the same year. After arriving at Makkah during the months of Hajj and completing ‘Umrah, pilgrims may exit their Ihraam and enjoy all that which is lawful until the commencement of the Hajj rites.
In this hadeeth, the Taabi’ee, Nasr ibn ‘Imraan al-Dub’ee reports that he entered Ihraam with the intention of performing Tamattu’ i.e., he entered Ihraam for `Umrah during the months of Hajj. However, some people informed him he should not do it. This happened during the time of ‘Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them) who used to forbid people from performing Tamattu’ because both ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab and ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan (may Allah be pleased with them) used to discourage people to perform Tamattu’ and to enter Ihraam with the intention of performing Hajj alone or ‘Umrah alone i.e., each one to perform in a separate journey.
After hearing the objection of people, Nasr ibn ‘Imraan asked Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) about it. He advised him to disregard the objection of people and maintain his intention of Tamattu’, because the Prophet ﷺ ordered his Companions to do Tamattu’ in his farewell Hajj. Afterwards, Nasr related to Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) a dream wherein he saw a man say to him, “This is a Hajj-Mabroor and an accepted `Umrah,” and according to a different version of the hadeeth in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, it reads: “'Hajj-Mabroor and an accepted `Tamattu’” i.e., the man invoked Allah so that He accepts his Hajj and ‘Umrah. The meaning of Hajj Mabroor is the Hajj that is performed sincerely to Allah alone without being debased with ostentation and flaunting and is not performed using money from unlawful sources. The dream he was a glad tiding to inform him that his action is correct. The Prophet ﷺsaid: "Nothing is left of the prophetism except Al-Mubashshirat." They asked, "What are Al-Mubashshirat?" He replied, "The true good dreams that conveys glad tidings.” [agreed upon].
After he informed Ibn ‘Abbass (may Allah be pleased with him) of his dream, Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: You have done the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ (i.e., performing Tamattu’) then he asked him to stay over with him and offered him a share of his money because of the true dream he saw that corresponded with the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, which Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) upheld and advocated.
This hadeeth highlights the cooperation and collaboration of the righteous predecessors on pious and good deeds, and that they acknowledged and praised whoever does good deeds.
It shows that it is permissible to perform Tamattu’ of ‘Umrah with Hajj.
From the other benefits we can conclude from this hadeeth is that we should honour the one who delivers good needs to us, and it shows that the scholar rejoices when he knows that his verdict matches the truth..

1568

Narrated Aboo Shihaab: I left for Makkah for Hajj Tamattu` assuming Ihraam for `Umrah. I reached Makkah three days before the day of Tarwiyah (8th of Thoo al-Hijjah). Some people of Makkah said to me, "Your Hajj will be like the Hajj performed by the people of Makkah (i.e., you will lose the superiority of assuming Ihraam from the Miqaat). I went to `Ataa' asking him his view about it. He said, "Jaabir bin `Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated to me, 'I performed Hajj with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) on the day when he drove camels with him. The people had assumed Ihraam for Hajj al-Ifraad (i.e., Hajj only). However, the Prophet (ﷺ) ordered them to finish their Ihraam after completing the Tawaaf round the Ka`bah, and the brisk walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah and to cut short their hair and then to stay there (in Makkah) till the day of Tarwiyah (i.e., 8th of Thoo al-Hijjah) and then to assume Ihraam for Hajj, and they were ordered to make the Ihraam with which they had come as for `Umrah only. They asked, 'How can we make it `Umrah (Tamattu`) as we have intended to perform Hajj?' The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Do what I have ordered you. Had I not brought the Hady with me, I would have done the same, but I cannot finish my Ihraam till the Hady reaches its destination (i.e., is slaughtered).' So, they did (what he ordered them to do).".

Commentary : Tamattu’ in Hajj means entering into ihraam for `Umrah during the months of Hajj, completing it and then exiting the state of ihraam before subsequently entering ihraam for Hajj during the same year. After arriving at Makkah during the months of Hajj and completing ‘Umrah, pilgrims may exit their Ihraam and enjoy all that which is lawful until the commencement of the Hajj rites.
In this hadeeth, the Taab’iee, Aboo Shihaab, ‘Abd Rabbih ibn Naafi’ reports that he arrived at Makkah with the intention of performing ‘Umrah and Hajj in two separate Ihraam (i.e., to perform ‘Umrah first then exit Ihraam, so he later enters Ihraam to perform Hajj). He arrived at Makkah 3 days before the day of Tarwiyah, which takes place in the 8th of Thoo al-Hijjah. The word Tarwiyah in Arabic is derived from a word which means drinking, and the reason this day is called the Day of al-Tarwiyah is that pilgrims on this day prepare their water supply and allow their camels to drink enough water before heading towards the Arafah.
However, some of the residents of Makkah informed him that he is considered as one of the residents of Makkah who do not need to enter Ihraam from a particular Miqaat and enter Ihraam from where they are in Makkah i.e., he loses the virtue of entering Ihraam from the Miqaat. Upon hearing this, he consulted ‘Ataa’ ibn Abee Rabaah, the known Taabi’ee, to know whether this is true or not. ‘Ataa informed him that Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) informed him that he performed Hajj with the Prophet ﷺin the farewell Hajj in the 10th year of Hijrah, when he ﷺdrive the camels with him from al-Madeenah to Makkah. The camels mentioned here refer to the Hady, which is the term used to refer to the camels, cows, goats, and sheep that pilgrims bring along with them to slaughter in the Haram. He (may Allah be pleased with him) added that they entered Ihraam with the intention of performing Hajj only. However, after they arrived at Makkah, the Prophet ﷺordered them to complete the rites of ‘Umarh then exit their Ihraam, so they can enjoy all that a person who is in a state of Ihram cannot enjoy, including intercourse with wives, and to remain in this state until the Day of Tarwiyah on 8th of Thoo al-Hijjah. On that day, he ﷺordered them to enter Ihraam for Hajj and to head towards ‘Arafah.
The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) asked the Prophet ﷺ 'How could they make it `Umrah while they intended to perform Hajj!’ He ﷺordered them to comply with his order and mentioned to him that he would have performed ‘Umrah and finished his Ihraam and waited till the Hajj time like them, but that would not be allowed, and he cannot perform any of the things that a Mahram cannot do until the Hady are slaughtered in Minaa on the 10th of Thoo al-Hijjah. Thereupon, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) complied immediately and acted upon his order.
By this, the Prophet ﷺdenounced and ended the practices of pre-Islam that did not allow ‘Umrah in the months of Hajj and established the law of Islam that gives people room in the matters of ‘Umrah and Hajj.
This hadeeth shows that it is permissible to perform ‘Umrah in the months of Hajj and highlights the obedience of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) to the Prophet ﷺ. .

1570

Narrated Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him): We travelled with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ [to perform Hajj. We recited the Talbiyah upon putting on the Ihraam, saying: “O Allah! Here I am [at your service]; O Allah! Here I am. Here I am [at your service], intending Hajj.” Afterwards, the Prophet ﷺordered us to make it ‘Umrah..

1571

Narrated ‘Imraan (may Allah be pleased with him): We performed Hajj al-Tamattu’ during the time of the Prophet ﷺand the Quran revealed [that it is valid and legitimate], and whatever a person said regarding it was his personal opinion..

1572

Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) received a question regarding Hajj al-Tamattu' to which he responded: "The Emigrants, the Ansaar, and the wives of the Prophet(ﷺ) and all those who joined them in the farewell Hajj, assumed our Ihraam with the intention of performing Hajj only. However, when we reached Makkah, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Give up your intention of doing the Hajj (at this moment) and perform 'Umrah, except those who had garlanded the Hady." So, we performed Tawaaf round the Ka'bah and [brisk walking] between As-safaa and Al-Marwah, slept with our wives and wore ordinary (stitched) clothes. The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "Whoever has garlanded his Hady is not allowed to finish the Ihraam till the Hady has reached its destination (has been sacrificed)." Then on the night of Tarwiyah (8th Thoo al-Hijjah, in the afternoon) he ﷺordered us to assume Ihraam for Hajj and when we have performed all the rites of Hajj, we came and performed Tawaaf round the Ka'bah and (brisk walking) between al-Safaa and al-Marwah, and then our Hajj was complete, and we had to sacrifice a Hady according to the statement of Allah: {He must slaughter a Hady such as he can afford, but if he cannot afford it, he should observe fasts three days during the Hajj and seven days after his return} (Quran 2:196] and that is after returning to their homelands. And the sacrifice of the sheep is sufficient. So, the Prophet (ﷺ) and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) offered the two rites, (i.e., Hajj and 'Umrah) in one year. Indeed, Allah revealed (the permissibility) of such practice in His Book and it is in the Sunnah of His Prophet (ﷺ) and he ﷺrendered it permissible for all the people except those living in Makkah. Allah says: {This is for him whose family is not present at the Al-Masjid-Al-Haram, (i.e., non-resident of Makkah).}
The months of Hajj which Allah mentioned in His book are: Shawwaal, Thoo al-Qa'dah and Thoo al-Hijjah. Whoever performed Hajj-al-Tamattu' in those months, then slaughtering [a sacrificial animal] or fasting is compulsory for him.
The words: Rafath means intercourse, Fusooq means all kinds of sin, and Jidaal means to argue and dispute..

Commentary : There are three ways for performing Hajj: (1) Tamattu’: It is when the pilgrim enters the state of Ihraam with the intention to perform ‘Umrah during the months of Hajj, namely Shawwaal, Thoo al-Qa’dah, and Thoo al-Hijjah. And after completing the ‘Umrah, he exits his Ihraam and then enters the Ihraam again in the same year to perform Hajj. (2) Al-Qiraan: It is when the pilgrim enters the Ihraam with the intention to perform both ‘Umrah and Hajj together. (3) Al-Ifraad: It is when the pilgrim enters the Ihraam with the intention to perform Hajj only.
In this hadeeth, Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) answers a question that was posed to him about Tamattu’ in Hajj. He (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned to the questioner that the Emigrants, the Ansaar, the wives of the Prophet ﷺ, and all the people who accompanied them in the farewell Hajj recited the Talbiyah aloud intending Hajj only. The reason it was called the farewell Hajj is because the Prophet ﷺaddressed the people in his sermons in this journey, which occurred in the 10th year of Hijrah, as if he is about to depart this life. However, when they arrived at Makkah, the Prophet ﷺordered those who did not drive Hady with them to change their intention to ‘Umrah instead of Hajj – to oppose the practices of people before Islam who used to prohibit people to perform ‘Umrah in the months of Hajj. As for those who had garlanded their Hady, they were ordered to maintain their Ihraam for Hajj and never exit Ihraam except after they complete all the rites of Hajj.
The Hady refers to the camels, cows, sheep, and goats that are offered as a sacrifice and slaughtered in the Haram, and the garlanding is done by putting a necklace or chain around the neck of the Hady to distinguish them and mark them as the Hady. Those who were ordered to change their Ihraam, performed the rites of Tawaaf round the Ka’bah, brisk walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah, cut or shaved their hair and exited their Ihraam; thus, were able to have intercourse with their wives and wear ordinary clothes that people who are in state of Ihraam are not allowed to wear. As for those who garlanded their Hady and maintained their Ihraam for Hajj, they were not allowed to do anything from that which is not allowed for people who are in the state of Ihraam until the Hady is slaughtered in Minaa in the 10th day of Thoo al-Hijjah and during the days of Tashreeq (i.e., the 3 days of Eid al-Adhah).
On the 8th of Thoo al-Hijjah, in the evening of the Day of Tarwiyah, the Prophet ﷺthen ordered those who completed ‘Umrah and exited their Ihraam to assume Ihraam for Hajj from Makkah, and after completing the rites of Hajj, namely standing on ‘Arafah, passing the night in Muzdalifah, throwing the stones, shaving or cutting hair, to perform Tawaaf round the Ka’bah (i.e., Tawaaf al-Ifaadah) and do the brisk walking between al-Safaa and al-Marwah to conclude their Hajj. Due to their Tamattu’, the Prophet ﷺobliged them to slaughter a sacrificial animal because Allah, Most High, says: {whoever performs ʿUmrah [during the Hajj months] followed by Hajj [offers] what can be obtained with ease of sacrificial animals.} [Quran 2:196]. The pilgrim has the option to slaughter a camel, cow, goat, or sheep. This is considered a compensatory sacrifice that the pilgrim who offered it is not permitted to eat from it. If he could not afford it, then he is obliged to fast 10 days, the first 3 days during Hajj time and the other 7 days after completing Hajj and returning to their homelands and place of residence, which is the interpretation of Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) to the part in the ayah that says: “{…and seven days after his return} (Quran 2:196]. it is better to fast the 3 days before the day in which pilgrims stand on ‘Arafah, because it is recommended for pilgrims not to fast on that day.
After, he (may Allah be pleased with him) mentions that slaughtering a sheep or a goat suffices as a compensation animal, thereby, the pilgrims who performed Tamattu’ performed both ‘Umrah and Hajj in the same year. This practice is mentioned in the Quran as Allah, Most High, says: {then whoever performs ʿUmrah during the Hajj months followed by Hajj} [Quran 2:196] and is prescribed by the Prophet ﷺwhen he ﷺordered his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) to do it. The Prophet ﷺallowed people to perform Tamattu’ (i.e., perform ‘Umrah in the months of Hajj) because at that time people believed it to be prohibited and a heinous sin. As such, those who performed Tamattu’ are obliged to offer a compensation sacrifice (i.e., Hady) unless they were from the residents of Makkah. This is because the residents of Makkah are not obliged to offer a compensation sacrifice; Allah, Most High, says: {These offerings are for those who do not live near the Sacred House} [Quran 2:196] i.e., those who live from the Sacred House at a distance that allows one to shorten the prayer. The months of Hajj which Allah mentioned in the Quran are: Shawwaal, Thoo al-Qa’dah, and Thoo al-Hijjah, thus, whoever performed Tamattu’ in these months is obliged to slaughter an animal as a compensation sacrifice, and if the pilgrim could not afford it, then he needs to fast 3 days during Hajj time and 7 days after returning to his place of residence and homeland.
Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) then offered his interpretation of the Statement of Allah: {Whoever commits to ˹performing˺ pilgrimage, let them stay away from Rafath, fusooq, and Jidaal during pilgrimage.} [Quran 2:197] He said: Rafath is intercourse, fusooq is sins, and Jidaal arguing and disputing with others. This is to say, he who enters Ihraam for Hajj in the months of Hajj, he must not engage in intimate relationships and intercourse, and it is more emphasised that he should avoid sins due to the special virtue of the place and time (Haram of Makkah and months of Hajj), and refrain from arguments that lead to dispute and enmity..

1573

Narrated Naafi’: On reaching the sanctuary of Makkah, Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to stop reciting the Talbiyah and then he would pass the night at Dhee Tiwaa and then offer the Fajr prayer and take a bath. He (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to do the same..

Commentary : ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was known of being so keen on following the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺin all his actions and conditions. He (may Allah be pleased with him) used to stop reciting the Talbiyah upon arriving at the beginning of the sanctuary of Makkah (Haram). The words of Talbiyah are: “Labbayka Allahumma Labayk, Labbayaka Laa Shareeka Laka Labbayk, Inna al-Hamda wal Ni’mata Laka wal Mulk, Laa Shareeka Lak”. It is possible that he would stop reciting it completely or resume it later and then stop reciting it on the day of ‘Eid when starting the rite of throwing stones since at that point of time he would start the process of finishing Ihraam. It is said that the reason Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) stopped reciting the Talbiyah upon arriving at the beginning of the Haram is because he believed pilgrims at the Haram should be glorified and exalted because the Talbiyah is no longer needed upon arriving at the intended place mentioned in it. The way he stopped reciting the Talbiyah was by engaging in other acts of worship and rites like Tawaaf and so on.
After, he would pass the night at Dhee Tiwaa, which is a valley near Makkah located at the borders of Makkah and is known today in the name of al-Zaahir. The well of Dhoo Tiwaa is situated in this valley next to al-Baydaa’, the house of Muhammad ibn Sayf. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to spend the night there and pray Fajr there before taking a bath to prepare himself for entering Makkah during daytime.
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to relate that the Prophet ﷺused to do the same i.e., stops reciting the Talbiyah, spends the night, prays Fajr, and takes a bath at Dhee Tiwaa. It is possible that he (may Allah be pleased with him) intended to refer to bathing there only. According to this narration, the Prophet ﷺspent the night at Dhee Tiwaa and entered Makkah during the daytime. However, this is not considered obligatory because it has been proven authentic that the Prophet ﷺentered Makkah during nighttime and entered Ihraam for ‘Umrah from al-Ji’raanah. While these are not from the rites of Hajj, but it clarifies the places at which he ﷺused to stay.
This hadeeth shows that the Sunnah is to take a bath before entering Makkah and to enter it during daytime..

1575

Narrated Naafi’ that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to enter Makkah from the high Thaniyya and used to leave Makkah from the low Thaniyyah..

Commentary : The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) loved the Prophet ﷺwholeheartedly and followed his example in all their actions; thus, they ensured to describe and relate all his actions in every place he travelled to.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah ﷺwould enter Makkah from the high Thaniyyah, which is the area from which people descend to the cemetery of the people of Makkah, alias al-Ma’laah. It is situated next to al-Muhassab in the area of Kadaa, which is also known as al-Hajoon. It used to be an area that it is too difficult to climb and walk on, but then it was paved. And when he ﷺwanted to depart Makkah, he ﷺwould leave from the low Thaniyyah. The name of this area today is Kudaa and it has been paved, and the main road of the area leads to Jarwal.
The word Thaniyyah in Arabic means an obstacle that is in a mountain or a high road. The reason he ﷺliked to enter from the high Thaniyyah and leave from the low Thaniyyah as each one is the best route to his intended destination. It was said that the Prophet ﷺdid that was because he ﷺliked not to use the same road for entering and leaving, out of optimism and hope that conditions will change to better just like it was his guidance in going to Eid prayer (i.e., he would go from one road and return from another) so both roads testify to his deed and the people on these roads enjoy his blessings..

1579

.

Commentary : The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) loved the Prophet ﷺwholeheartedly and followed his example in all their actions; thus, they ensured to describe and relate all his actions in every place he travelled to.
In this hadeeth, ‘Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reports that the Prophet # entered Makkah on the day it was conquered from the high thaniyyah, which is situated near Kadaa’ where people ascend from it to the cemetery of the people of Makkah, alias al-Ma’laah, near al-Muhassab – also known as al-Hajoon. It was a bumpy and rough path that was difficult to climb, but now it is made accessible and paved. The wisdom behind choosing to enter Makkah from the high place is to show his glorification to the place and to leave Makkah from the lower place is to show detest for leaving it. It is said that as the Prophet ﷺleft Makkah in disguise, he wanted to enter it from a notable visible place. It is also said that the wisdom behind entering from the high place is that through it, he enters Makkah facing the House.
Hishaam ibn ‘Urwah mentioned that his father ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr used to enter Makkah from two different places, from the area of Kadaa’ which the Prophet ﷺused to enter Makkah, and from Kudaa which is down the road of Makkah, a.k.a. the lower Thaniyyah, which has been paved and it has been paved and is on the main road leading to Jarwal..

1582

Narrated Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullah (ra): “When the Ka`bah was built, the Prophet (ﷺ) and al-`Abbaas (ra) went to bring stones (for its construction). Al- `Abbaas said to the Prophet (ﷺ), "Take off your waist sheet and put it on your neck." (When the Prophet (ﷺ) took it off) he fell on the ground with his eyes open towards the sky and said, "Give me my waist sheet." And then he (ﷺ) tied his waist sheet round his waist.”.

Commentary : Allah, Exalted be He, has protected the Prophet ﷺand looked after him since he was born and from before he ﷺwas entrusted to the revelation. Allah made him free from every defect and shortcoming, and this hadeeth gives an example of how Allah protected and looked after the Prophet ﷺ.
In this hadeeth, Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullah (ra) reports that the Prophet ﷺ a helped Quraysh in rebuilding the Ka’bah as he participated in carrying the stones. This event took place long time before he became a Prophet i.e., he was 15 years old at that time.
At that time, he was wearing a waist sheet (Izaar) that covered the lower half of his body from waist to down while he ﷺwas carrying the stones. His uncle, al-‘Abbaas (ra), suggested that he should take off his waist sheet and put it on his neck to protect his body from the stones he carried. He ﷺfollowed his advice but once he did that, he ﷺfell down on the ground as he could not stand the showing of his private parts and falling off was more covering to his body. This is because Allah adorned in him with perfect shyness and implanted in his nature all best qualities.
This incident manifests the protection that Allah bestowed upon the Prophet ﷺand how He enabled him to uphold the best character. After falling down, he ﷺasked his uncle to hand him his waist sheet and so he did. Thereupon, the Prophet ﷺtied his waist sheet round his waist.
From the benefits that we can conclude from this hadeeth is learning the virtue of partaking in the building of the Ka’bah.
This hadeeth shows that we should always be keen on covering the body parts that we are not allowed to show in the presence of others..

1583

Narrated ‘Aaishah (raa): Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Don't you see that when your people built the Ka’bah, they shortened from Ibraaheem’s foundations?" I said, "O Allah's Messenger! Why don't you restore it to Ibraaheem’s foundations?" He (ﷺ) said, "Were your people not so close to infidelity, then I would do so." The sub-narrator, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (ra) said, “If ‘Aaishah (raa) has heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying that, I do not think that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) left touching the two corners of the Ka’bah, facing Al-Hijr except because it was not built on all the foundations of Ibraaheem.”
.

Commentary : The honourable Ka’bah is the House of Allah on earth, and the direction (Qiblah) of the Muslims in their prayers, which Allah, Exalted be He, has glorified its status by making it a destination for pilgrimage and the place to which hearts [of all believers] incline.
In this hadeeth ‘Aaishah raa relates that the Prophet ﷺexplained to her that Quraysh did not build the Ka’bah on all of the foundations that Prophet Ibraheem (peace be upon him) constructed, for they excluded the Hijr! This was due to the lack of lawful funds that they managed to collect, since they stipulated that the money used to build the Ka’bah must be from the most lawful money, and that no money earned from unlawful resources to be used. In response, ‘Aaishah raa asked the Prophet ﷺ: “Would you not restore it to the foundations of Prophet Ibraaheem (peace be upon him)?” She intended thereby that he ﷺdemolishes the current building upon which the foundations are built and then re-builds it in a structure that accommodates all the foundations. However, the Prophet ﷺtold her that had it not been for the closest time of Quraysh to disbelief (i.e., had not the people of Quraysh been new to Islam), he ﷺwould have restored it to the foundations of Prophet Ibraaheem (peace be upon him), and he ﷺwould have built it anew on all its foundations.
The description of the construction of Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) of the House was that it was curved around the two corners of al-Rukn ash-Shaamee and al-Rukn al-‘Iraaqee; thus, the Hijr of Ismaa’eel was a part of it, and it had two corners, which are the two Yamaanee corners. But when Quraysh built it in the pre-Islamic era, they made four corners for it, and placed the Hijr of Ismaa’eel behind it, as they wanted to perfectly complete the circumambulation of the Ka’bah, and it is in the form of a semi-circle adjoining the two corners, al-Rukn al-Shaamee and al-Rukn al-‘Iraaqee. Hence, al-Hijr is part of the Ka’bah.
‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar ra commented on this hadeeth by saying: “If ‘Aaishah (raa) heard this from the Prophet ﷺ.” This is neither intended to doubt her statement nor to weaken her report, for she is after all a mastered memoriser. However, doubt-based statements have normally occurred within the speech of the Arabs for the purpose of confirmation i.e., he (ra) wanted to acknowledge her statement. Then, he (ra) goes on to say that this explains the reason the Messenger of Allah ﷺrefrained from kissing or touching the two corners to derive blessing from them, which are adjacent to the Hijr, and are called al-Rukn al-Shaamee and al-Rukn al-‘Iraaqee. He ﷺonly did it with the other two corners i.e., al-Rukn al-Yamaanee and al-Rukn al-Shaamee.
From the benefits that we can conclude from this hadeeth is that it serves as evidence for perpetrating the lesser of two evils to repel the greater of them. This is because the harm done from making no changes to the construction of the Ka’bah is lesser than the dissension that may be caused by this and having some Muslims turning away from Islam.
This hadeeth shows that it is permissible to deal tactfully with people in matters of religion - other than the obligatory acts - by leaving and removing from the people that which they deny (i.e., things they view as the norm and not aware of its opposite).
It defines that which can be touched and kissed from the Ka’bah, namely the Black Stone and the Yamaanee Corner, and not others..

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

| Hadiths