| Hadiths

Bukhari Hadiths 1356
Muslim Hadiths 558

Hadith

3137

Narrated Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him):Allah's Messengerﷺsaid (to me), "If the property of Bahrain had come to us, I would have given you so much and so much." But the Bahrain property did not come till the Prophetﷺhad died. When the Bahrain property came. Aboo Bakr(may Allah be pleased with him)ordered somebody to announce, "Any person who has money claim on Allah's Messengerﷺor whom Allah's Messengerﷺhad promised something, should come to us." So, I went to him and said, "Allah's Messengerﷺhad promised to give me so much and so much." Aboo Bakr scooped up money with both hands thrice for me." (The sub-narrator Sufyaan illustrated this action by scooping up with both hands and said, "Ibn al-Munkadir, another sub-narrator, used to illustrate it in this way.") Narrated Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him): Once I went to Aboo Bakr and asked for the money but he did not give me, and I went to him again, but he did not give me, so I went to him for the third time and said, "I asked you, but you did not give me; then I asked you (for the second time) and you did not give me; then I asked you (for the third time) but you did not give me. You should either give me or allow yourself to be considered a miser regarding my case." Aboo Bakr said, "You tell me that I am a miser with regard to you. But really, whenever I rejected your request, I had the inclination to give you." (In another narration Jaabir added:) So, Aboo Bakr scooped up money with both hands for me and asked me to count it. I found out that it was five hundred. Aboo Bakr told me to take twice that amount. In another narration, it reads: “He said: No sickness is more harmful than miserliness.”
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Commentary : The Prophet ﷺ liked to always keep his promises, which is from the manners of the believers.He ﷺwould often promise his Companions - especially those with needs and debts - to give them from the wealth that came from the booty which he receivedfrom the cities that entered Islam.
In this hadeeth, Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet ﷺ had promised him that if the wealth of Jizyah came to him from Bahrain, he would give him “such-and-such, such-and-such, and such-and-such [an amount];” showing two handfuls three times. Bahrain, at that time,referred to what is known today as Bahrain, as well as Al-Ahsaa and Al-Qateef(which are located in eastern Saudi Arabia).Other accounts have shown, according to al-Bukhaaree and others, that the Prophet ﷺ sent al-‘Alaa ibn al-Hadramee to al-Munthir ibn Saawa, the governor of the Persians in Bahrain, calling him to Islam, so he became Muslim.The Magi of those territories made a peace pact with the Muslims on the condition of paying the Jizyah.When the Prophet ﷺ promised Jaabir to give him a share from the Jizyah of Bahrain, the wealth did not reach al-Madeenah until after the Prophet ﷺ and his soul was taken away.Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) took over the Caliphate after him ﷺ andthen,when the money of Jizyah arrived from Bahrain, Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered a man to proclaim - it was stated that that proclaimer was Bilaal (may Allah be pleased with him) - who called out loudly, “Whoever has given a loan to the Messenger of Allahﷺ or there is a promise of money from him, then let him come to us so that we can fulfil his rights.” Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) did this based on his knowledge of what the Prophetﷺ would do in terms of promises and taking loans to fulfil the needs of the people until the wealth of Jizyah or booty came to him.
So, Jaabir came to Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them) and told him that the Messenger of Allah ﷺhad told him: “So-and-so,” and this is a metaphor for what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had promised him. Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) scooped for him three times.It was said that it was like a handful and that it was what fills both palms. The narrator of this hadeeth, Sufyaan ibn ‘Uyaynah, demonstrated it when he explained what it meant, and he scooped using both palms.
In a different narration, it mentions that he came to Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked him to give him three times, and each time he did not give him. Thereupon, Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him, “Either you will give me, or you will be stingy to me.” Miserliness is that a person withholds what is obligatory upon him and does not pay it. Hence, Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)remarked to him disapprovingly, “Did you really say, ‘or be stingy to me?!’” I have not held back from giving you at any time, but I really intended to give you.”Aboo Bakr only delayed in giving either due to being busy with something more important than that, or from the fear that it could lead to many others starting to demand for similar things.Aboo Bakr filled his both palms with money and asked him to count it.He counted it and found it to be equivalent to five hundred in number, so Aboo Bakr told him, “Take a similar amount twice again,” just as what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ promised him.
In one narration, it is mentioned that Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)asked him, “And which disease is more severe than miserliness?!” That is, which defect is worse than a person being described as miserly?
This hadeeth demonstrates the goodness of Aboo Bakr as a successor to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, his effortstoward the establishment of his Sunnah ﷺ and his implementation of his promises ﷺ.
It shows that the ruler has the right to allocate a portion of the booty orFay’ to his deputies and the deputies of the Muslims, and it highlights the importance of paying off the debts of the deceased after his death..

3139

Narrated Jubayr ibn Mut`im(may Allah be pleased with him)The Prophetﷺtalked about war prisoners of Badr saying, "Had Al-Mut`im ibn ‘Adi been alive and interceded with me for these mean people, I would have freed them for his sake."
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Commentary : One who fails to thank people, then he has not been thankful to Allah.The Prophetﷺ was the keenest on preserving the rights of people, and he treated them with kindness, and interacted and addressed the people according to their status and appropriate positions, giving them the due value and respect which they deserved.

Al-Mut’im ibn ‘Adiyy was the one who endeavoured to overturn the scroll that Quraysh had suspended on the Ka’bah, which entailed boycotting Banee Haashim and Banee al-Muttalib.Hence, the Prophet ﷺ noted this noble deed of his.

In this hadeeth, Jubayribn Mut’im reports that the Prophet ﷺ said after the Battle of Badr that took place in the second year of the Hijrah, that if al-Mut’im ibn ‘Adiyy was alive and appealed tohim to forgive those dirtypolytheist prisoners, he would have approved his request and would have set them free without ransom. The Prophet ﷺ wanted to express his gratitude to him not only due to his noble endeavours to end the boycott of Banee Haashim that Quraysh had previously initiated,as written on their scroll that was hung on the Ka’bah.It was also becausewhen he ﷺ returned from Taaif to Makkah, he returned under his protection. However, the death of al-Mut’im happened in the month of Safar during the second year of the Hijrah, about seven months before the Battle of Badr.
It is possible that by this statement, the Prophet ﷺ wanted to comfort the heart of his son Jubayribn Mut’im and incline his heart further towards Islam. The statement of the Prophet ﷺcontains anindication of the lofty status of the Prophet ﷺ and belittlement of the condition of those disbelievers, as his words showed that he did not care about them such that he would not mind entrusting their affairs to a polytheist who had some status in his eyes.
The reasons the Prophet ﷺcalled the disbelieving prisoners‘ dirty and stinkingindividuals’ is either due to their ritual impurity due to their disbelief or because those to whom he referred were those whose bodies had turned to stinking corpses thrown into the well of Badr. However, if al-Mut’im interceded with the Prophet ﷺto hand their bodies over, then the Prophet ﷺ would have turned their bodies over to him.
This hadeeth shows that it is permissible to show compassion to prisoners and effectuate their release without ransom, and that it is allowed to accept the intercession of a noble person on behalf of sinners in order to attract his heart to Islam.
Itshows that one should give the best rewardto someone who did a favour or a kind act for him. .

3140

Narrated Jubayr ibn Mut`im:I and `Uthmaan ibn `Affaan went to Allah's Messengerﷺand said, "O Allah's Messenger! You have given to Banee Al-Muttalib and left us although they and we are of the same kinship to you." Allah's Messengerﷺsaid, "Baneeal-Muttalib and Banee Haashim are one and the same." The Prophetﷺdid not give a share to Banee `Abd Shams and Banee Nawfal.
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Commentary : Allah bestowed His grace on the Muslims by helping them conquer the fort of Khaybar in the seventh year of the Hijrah.The Messenger ﷺ acquired therefrom many spoils, and he gave Banee Haashim and Banee ‘Abdul Muttalib of the fifth share which he ﷺ took of the spoils, while he did not give anything to Banee ‘Abd Shams and Banee Nawfal.
Jubayribn Mut’im – who happened to be from Banee Nawfal – reports that he and ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan – who was from Banee ‘Abd Shams - went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺand said, “O Messenger of Allah!You gave Banee ‘Abdul Muttalib from the spoils, and you did not give us anything although they and we have the same status with you,i.e. we are all brothers as we are all the sons of ‘Abd Manaaf.
This is because ‘Abd Shams, Haashim, and al-Muttalib were allmaternal half-brothers whose mother was ‘Aatikah bint Murrah. As for Nawfal, he was their paternal half-brother whose mother was Waaqidah bint ‘Amr al-Maaziniyyah.These four became the masters and leaders of their people after the demise of their father, and so they took the mantle of leadership. Haashim took the responsibility of supplying water to the pilgrims and feeding the needy pilgrims after his father’s demise. It is to him and to his brother al-Muttalib the attribution of the lineage of the close relatives is referred to, and they were one and the same. This is why the Prophet ﷺ stated, “Banoo al-Muttalib and Banoo Haashim are one and the same.” In other words, the same ruling applies to the two of them in terms of the rights that they deserve because there was an oath of alliance between them in the pre-Islamic era.For this reason, when Quraysh besieged Banoo Haashim in the valley and prevented the people from marrying them and trading with them, in that instance, Banoo al-Muttalib tethered alongside Banoo Haashim in the valley, as a protest on behalf of the Messenger of Allahﷺ and for his protection.As a result,the Muslims among the tribe entered the valley as a form of obedience to Allah and His Messengerﷺ, while the disbelievers among them entered the valley as a form of loyalty for the clan, self-esteem and obediencefor Aboo Taalib, the uncle of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.On the other hand, Banoo Nawfal and Banoo ‘Abd Shams did not enter the valley, though they were first cousins. They even fought against them, resisted them, and turned the clans of Quraysh to fight the Messenger ﷺand the Muslims who were with him.
This hadeeth shows that the fifth of the spoils was reserved for the Prophet ﷺ to dispose of it as he wanted, and to give it to his relatives, and withhold from whomever he wanted.
It also shows that one should take care of family members when giving, and shows that close kin should have a sharefrom gifts, because ‘Uthmaan and Jubayr only asked for the gift due to their kinship..

3141

Narrated Saalih ibn Ibraaheem ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf from his father from his grandfather:While I was standing in the row on the Day (of the Battle) of Badr, I looked to my right and my left and found that two young boys from the Ansaar are on my both sides. At that moment, I wished that I stood between two strong and fierce men instead. One of them called my attention saying, "O Uncle! Do you know Aboo Jahl?" I said, " O my nephew! Yes,what do you want from him?" He said, "I have been informed that he abuses Allah's Messengerﷺ. By Him in Whose Hands my life is, if I should see him, then my body will not leave his body till either of us meet his fate." I was astonished at that talk. Then the other boy called my attention saying the same as the other had said. After a while I saw Aboo Jahl walking amongst the people. I said (to the boys), "Look! This is the man you asked me about." So, both of them attacked him with their swords and struck him to death and returned to Allah's Messenger to inform him of that. Allah's Messengerﷺasked, "Which of you has killed him?" Each of them said, "I Have killed him." Allah's Messengerﷺasked, "Have you cleaned your swords?" They said, "No. " He then looked at their swords and said, "No doubt, you both have killed him, and the spoils of the deceased will be given to Mu’aath ibn `Amr ibn al-Jamooh." The two boys were Mu’aath ibn 'Afra and Mu’aath ibn `Amr ibn al-Jamooh.
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Commentary : The children of the Emigrants and the Ansaar grew upon on the pristine nature of Islam.The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) brought them up righteously as they are the best of the people after the prophets and witnessed the Prophet ﷺ walking amidst them.These children grew up loving him, and they learnt to sacrifice themselves for him since their childhood. This hadeeth presents to us one of the aspects that manifested their unconditional love for the Prophet ﷺ.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf(may Allah be pleased with him)reports that he was lining up with the other Muslim fighters for the Battle of Badr that happened between the Muslims and the polytheists of Makkah during the second year of the Hijrah.He looked to his right and left, and he found two young boys of a young age from the Ansaar.He wished that he was standing between two strong and fierce men, instead, because an older person would more entrenched in war and more rightful to be beside him than these young fighters.One of these two boys was Mu’aathibn ‘Amr ibn al-Jamooh(may Allah be pleased with him), and the other boy was Mu’aathibn ‘Afraa (may Allah be pleased with him).One of them gestured,such that he looked with his eye towards him or touched him with his hand and asked him, “Uncle, do you know Aboo Jahl?”‘Abd al-Rahmaan answered him, “Of course, and why are you asking about him, o nephew!”The boy replied, “I heard that he abuses the Messenger of Allahﷺ,” and then he swore that if he saw him, he would not let him go, until the one closer to the death between died. ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf was astonished by the statement of this boy, as it was indicative of his perfect chivalry.Then, the second one gestured to him and made exactly the same statement as the first one.It wasn’t long until ‘Abd al-Rahmaan spotted Aboo Jahl, who happened to be roaming amongst the people, moving around and not remaining still at one place.He showed them where their target was and informed them that this particular man was Aboo Jahl, concerning whom they had asked him earlier.Both of them hastened towards him with their swords, meaning they sprinted with their swords to hit him until they killed him.Then they returned to the Prophet ﷺ and informed him of their killing of Aboo Jahl.The Prophetﷺ asked them, “Who amongst you killed him?”Both answered, “I killed him.”The Prophet ﷺ inquired, “Have you both cleaned your swords?”Meaning, from the blood that is on it.They both answered, “No.” The Prophet ﷺ looked at their swords to see the extent of their penetration into the body of the killed (by looking at the blood stains on them), to judge who was more effective in extracting his soul, and to decide on giving the killed person’s booty to the one who was more effective in killing him.If they had rubbed their swords clean, then the indication of this reality would not be clear.Thereafter, the Prophet ﷺ informed them that each one of them participated with his brother in killing him. Heﷺ gave his acquired booty and armaments to Mu’aathibn ‘Amr ibn al-Jamooh, as he learned that it was his sword that was instrumental in killing him.The reason he said to them, “Both of you killed him,” was to grant comfort to the heart of the other in the sense that he participated in killing him and in acquiring the great rewards that are based on this noble act, though there is a difference between them both in precedence and causation. It is reported on the authority of ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ood that he found Aboo Jahal still had his last trace of life, thus, he gave him the last stroke and removed his head from his body [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim].
This hadeeth shows that the armament of the killed disbeliever in war is not always subject to the one fifth portion (khums), and it can be given to his killer instead.
It confirms the legality of the establishment of financial rights through circumstantial evidence because the Prophet ﷺproved who killed Aboo Jahl by examining the blood on the sword, and judged for him to receive his armaments.
It shows that one should be angry and hasten to fight for the sake of Allah and His Messengerﷺ.
The hadeeth shows that a person should conceal his intention to do good from others, lest they supersede him, and that it is important to avoid belittling anyone, as sometimes one who is belittled with regard to carrying out a task could be greater than what he is perceived as in the hearts, and be more rightful to carry out that task.
Lastly, it shows that it is important for the ruler and the judge to study circumstantial evidence in order to give preference to the statement of one claimants over the statement of another..

3142

Narrated Aboo Qaatadah (may Allah be pleased with him): We set out in the company of Allah's Messengerﷺon the day (of the battle) of Hunayn. When we faced the enemy, the Muslims retreated, and I saw a pagan throwing himself over a Muslim. I turned around and came upon him from behind and hit him on the shoulder with the sword. He (i.e. the pagan) came towards me and seized me so violently that I felt as if it were death itself, but death overtook him, and he released me. I followed `Umar ibn Al Khattab and asked him, "What is wrong with the people (fleeing)?" He replied, "This is the Will of Allah," After the people returned, the Prophetﷺsat and said, "Anyone who has killed an enemy and has a proof of that, will possess his spoils." I got up and said, "Who will be a witness for me?" and then sat down. The Prophetﷺagain said, "Anyone who has killed an enemy and has proof of that, will possess his spoils." I (again) got up and said, "Who will be a witness for me?" and sat down. Then the Prophetﷺsaid the same for the third time. I again got up, and Allah's Messengerﷺsaid, "O Aboo Qataadah! What is your story?" Then I narrated the whole story to him. A man (got up and) said, "O Allah's Messenger! He is speaking the truth, and the spoils of the killed man are with me. So please compensate him on my behalf." On that Aboo Bakr As-Siddeeq(may Allah be pleased with him) said, "No, by Allah, he ﷺwill not agree to give you the spoils gained by one of Allah's Lions who fights on the behalf of Allah and His Messenger." The Prophetﷺsaid, "Aboo Bakr has spoken the truth." So, Allah's Messengerﷺgave the spoils to me. I sold that armour (i.e. the spoils) and with its price I bought a garden at Banee Salimah, and this was my first property which I gained after my conversion to Islam..

Commentary : The Prophet ﷺ explained the rulings on jihad, spoils, and additionally rewarded booty; he also made it clear what every fighter deserves, and when a Muslim deserves receiving the belongings of a slain polytheist.
In this hadeeth, Aboo Qataadah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that he came out with the Messenger of Allah ﷺin the year when the Battle of Hunayn took place.Hunayn is a valley, the distance between which and Makkah is three miles.The battle took place in the eighth year of the Hijrahandwas between the Muslims and the people of Taaif, namely the tribes of Hawaazin and Thaqeef.When the Muslims met with the enemy, the Muslims resorted to some sort of manoeuvre, meaning that it entailed moving back and forth and some sort of disarray.He used this word to describe the scenario to avoid using a negative word denoting defeat.This military manoeuvre happened in some sections of the army,but not involving the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and those around him.Aboo Qataadah (may Allah be pleased with him) saw a man of the idolators who had gone on top of a man from the Muslims, meaning he had overpowered him and was ready to kill him, or had toppled him and was sitting on him to kill him. He(may Allah be pleased with him) turned to him from behind until he struck him with a sword on the vein of his neck; the Arabic word Habl al-‘Aatik signifies a nerve, or a muscle string located at a place where the robe fits on the neck, or the place between the shoulder blade and neck where one’s robe sits, or between the neck and the shoulder.However,this polytheist was so strong that he stood up after the strike, turned to Aboo Qataadah (may Allah be pleased with him) and hugged him until Aboo Qataadah(may Allah be pleased with him) found the severity like the severity of death, but soon death overtook this polytheist, so he let Aboo Qataadah go.Thereafter, Aboo Qataadah (may Allah be pleased with him) went to join ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab, and asked him, “What is the matter with the people who seemed defeated? And why are they fleeing?” So, ‘Umar told him that the command of Allah is overpowering. That means, whoever trusts in Him and does not admire himself [in terms of his strength and number], the He will help him, and not as what the Muslims did at the beginning, when they were impressed by their multitude, it did not avail them anything, and they were defeated in the early moments of the battle; however, the praiseworthy outcome is for the righteous who place the commands of Allah before their eyes and entrust their affairs to Allah.
Then the Muslims returned to the battle after retreating.That occurred after the Prophet ﷺ called out to them, “I am the Prophet, not a liar. I am the son of [the brave] ‘Abdul Muttalib.”He ordered his uncle al-‘Abbaas(may Allah be pleased with him) to call out to the people to return, as the narrations of Bukhaaree and Muslim explain.Allah, the Glorified, has mentioned what happened then in His Mighty Book; He Almighty states:{Indeed, Allah has given you [believers] victory on many battlefields, even at the Battle of Ḥunain when you took pride in your great numbers, but they proved of no advantage to you. The earth, despite its vastness, seemed to close in on you, then you turned back in retreat.Then Allah sent down His reassurance upon His Messenger and the believers, and sent down forces you could not see, and punished those who disbelieved. Such was the reward of the disbelievers.}(Quran 9:25-26).
After the end of the battle, the Muslims took the spoils of Hawaazin and Thaqeef, and the Prophet ﷺ sat and said, “Whoever killed a person, he must provide a proof,”i.e. he must have a sign or witnesses, “then he will receive the killed person’s armaments,” that is the arms and other personal belongings the killed person was carrying at that time.
Aboo Qataadah(may Allah be pleased with him) said, “I got up and said,‘Who will testify in my favour that this man was killed by me?’” Then he sat down.Thereafter, he repeated this statement twice - as if he was talking to himself - and in the last instance, the Messenger of Allah asked him, “What is wrong with you, Aboo Qataadah?” So he began narrating to him what had happened.A man exclaimed, “He has spoken the truth, O Messenger of Allah, his booty is with me, accept to give it to me instead.” He meant that he wanted to keep the booty and he was asking the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to give Aboo Qataadah something instead of it. Thereupon, Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied to him immediately, “No way, by Allah!” I.e. it is not yours, by Allah, “then he ﷺ shall not turn to a lion among the lions of Allah [to take away his right],” meaning Aboo Qataadah (may Allah be pleased with him).The comprehensive meaning of this is that if Aboo Qataadah s truthful about the fact that he is the owner of the booty, then it is plausible that the Prophet ﷺ shall not turn to a person who in his bravery is like a lion, who fights in defence of Allah and His Messenger, thereafter, taking away his right from him and handing it over to you without the approval of the former.It is important to satisfy the heart of the fighter who killed a polytheist first.However, if agrees to leave his acquired arms to the other person, he is free to do so, otherwise, his right shall be returned to him in terms of the acquired armaments.The Prophet ﷺ said, “He is right,” meaning, Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).Thus, the Prophet ﷺ gave Aboo Qataadah the killed soldier’s armaments after becoming aware of the proof that he was the one who killed the enemy fighter.
Thereafter, Aboo Qataadah narrated that he sold his spoils and bought an orchard in Banee Salamah instead. Banee Salamah is a clan of the Ansaar, and thereafter, Aboo Qataadah stated that this orchard was the first wealth that he acquired or bought in Islam.
From the benefits of this hadeeth is that it expounds the virtue of Aboo Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) where he issued a fatwa in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ, and the Prophet ﷺ approved his ruling and was satisfied with it.
The hadeeth highlights the merit of Aboo Qataadah (may Allah be pleased with him), whom Aboo Bakr(may Allah be pleased with him) called a lion from the lions of Allah, who fights for Allah and His Messenger, which the Prophet ﷺ affirmed.
This hadeeth shows that the killer is more deserving of the special booty of the one whom he killed, that the special booty will not be divided into the one-fifth share (al-Khums), and that it is given to the fighter who killed the enemy fighter before the booty is divided..

3144

Narrated Naafi’:`Umar ibn Al-Khattab said, "O Allah's Messengerﷺ! I vowed to observe I`tikaaf for one day before Islam." The Prophetﷺordered him to fulfil his vow.
Naafi’ added: `Umar gained two female captives from the war prisoners of Hunayn and he left them in some of the houses at Makkah. When Allah's Messengerﷺfreed the captives of Hunayn without ransom, they came out walking in the streets. `Umar said (to his son), "O `Abdullah! See what the matter is." `Abdullah replied, "Allah's Messengerﷺhas freed the captives without ransom." He said (to him), "Go and set free those two slave girls."
Naafi` added: Allah's Messenger did not perform the `Umrah from Al-Ji’raanah, and if he had performed the `Umrah, it would not have been hidden from `Abdullah.
In one version of the hadeeth, regarding the vow, it does not say “ a day”.
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Commentary : There are three versions of this hadeeth, all of which represent the complete compliance of the Companions(may Allah be pleased with them) to the orders of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, and how they never tookaction until they hadclarified the truth as stated by Allah and His Messengerﷺ.
In this hadeeth, Naafi’, the freed slave of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him),reports that after Allah granted the Muslims the conquest of Makkah, and it became part of the lands of Islam, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab(may Allah be pleased with him) remembered a matter which he had vowed in the time of ignorance, before Islam.He asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about it, recalling that he had vowed to perform i'tikaaf (seclusion) for a day in the Sacred Mosque (al-Masjid al-Haraam).In the narration of Muslim, it appears that his question occurred at al-Ji’raanah after his return from Taa'if.The Prophet ﷺ ordered him to fulfil his vow by performing i'tikaaf in the Sacred Mosque.
Part of the share of the booty of ‘Umar was receiving two slave girls among the captives of Hunayn. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ showed compassion on the captives of Hunayn and set them free without any ransom. That is when the Prophet ﷺ married the mother of believers Juwairiyyah bint al-Haarith (may Allah be pleased with her) and made her release her dowry. The Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ exclaimed, “[These captives] are now the relatives-in-law of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ,” as recorded in the hadeeth in Sunan Aboo Dawood. Hence, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) set the captives free from their ownership, and they began running on the roads.‘Umar asked his son, ‘Abdullah, to find out what was happening! He looked and asked why they were walking on the roads, thus, he learnt that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had set the captives free. Thereupon, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered his son to set free the slave girls whom the Messenger ﷺhad given him from the one-fifth share.This was an excellent example to follow what the Prophet ﷺ had done.After all, they were the most eager of people to follow him and pursue his guidance.
The words of the freed slave of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)are that the Messenger of Allahﷺ did not perform ‘Umrah starting from al-Ji’raanah, and had he performed ‘Umrah from there, Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) would have known about it.Al-Ji’raanah is a place between al-Taaif and Makkah.It is closer to Makkah, being about 20 km north-east of it.It is narrated in the authentic hadeeth that the Prophet ﷺ performed ‘Umrah from there when had finished conquering Hunayn and al-Taaif [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim].That was in the eighth year of the Hijrah.Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and a sizeable number of companions did not know about this because the Prophet ﷺassumed the Ihraam for ‘Umrah and only a few companions accompanied him.Heﷺ left al-Ji’raanah at night, performed ‘Umrah at night, and then returned;hence, his ‘Umrah was unnoticed by a large number of people, as narrated by an-Nasaa’ee, Ahmad and others.
This hadeeth encourages us to fulfil a permissible vow, even if a long time has passed, and that whoever makes a vow free from polytheism before he embraces Islam; then after he embraces Islam, he should fulfil his vow.
It shows that it is permissible to make a vow regarding performing seclusion in the Masjid (‘itikaaf).
It also highlights the prompt response of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) to obey the commands of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
It teaches us to accept the good news that becomes widespread, even if a reliable person never heard of it..

3147

Narrated Anas ibn Maalik:When Allah favoured His Messengerﷺ with the properties of Hawaazin tribe as booty, he started giving to some men from Quraysh even up to one-hundred camels each, whereupon some men from the Ansaar said about Allah's Messenger “May Allah forgive His Messenger! He is giving to (men of) Quraysh and leaves us while it is our swords that are still dropping blood (of the disbelievers)" When Allah's Messengerﷺwas informed of what they had said, heﷺ called the Ansaar and gathered them in a leather tent and did not call anybody else along, with them. When they gathered, Allah's Messengerﷺcame to them and said, "What is the statement which, I have been informed, and that which you have said?" The learned ones among them replied," O Allah's Messenger!The wise ones amongst us did not say anything, but the youngsters amongst us said, 'May Allah forgive His Messenger; he gives the people of Quraysh and leaves the Ansaar, in spite of the fact that our swords are still dribbling (wet) with the blood of the infidels.' " Allah's Messengerﷺreplied, I give to such people as are still close to the period of infidelity (i.e. they have recently embraced Islam and Faith is still weak in their hearts). Won't you be pleased to see people go with fortune, while you return with Allah's Messengerﷺto your houses? By Allah, what you will return with, is better than what they are returning with." The Ansaar replied, "Yes, O Allah's Messenger! We are satisfied' Then the Prophetﷺsaid to them." You will find after me, others being preferred to you. Then be patient till you meet Allah and meet His Messenger at Al-Kawthar (i.e. a fount in Paradise)." (Anas added:) But we did not remain patient.
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Commentary : The Prophet ﷺ was keen to have all people enter Islam, the religion of Allah.He ﷺused to treat people as he saw in their best interests,i.e.if wealth was suitable for someone, he would give him wealth, and if his closeness would suit someone, he would bring him closer to him, and so on.
In this hadeeth, Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him)reports that a group of people from the Ansaar said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when Allah bestowed upon him the booty from Hawaazin– which is an Arab tribe - in the 8th year of Hijrah,he ﷺ embarked on giving some men of Quraysh a hundred camels in order to create a stronger bondintheir hearts towards Islam, as they happened to be the leaders of their people.When the Ansaar - who are the people of al-Madeenah - saw what the Prophet ﷺ had done, they felt uneasy about it or they became jealous; they perceived in themselves that they were more entitled to this wealth.So they said, “May Allah forgive the Messenger of Allah ﷺ,” as if they saw it as a mistake for which he ought to be forgiven by Allah, or they said this in a way to show the intensity of their love for him, so that they could avoid frankly saying,‘He made a mistake.’Their justification was that the swords of the Ansaar were the ones that fought with him, and the blood of Quraysh was still on their swordsfrom the wars that took place between them for them to enter Islam. It is as if they wanted him to give them the booty also as he gave it to those men from Quraysh, and as if those who said this grieved and sensed that the Prophet ﷺhad begun leaning toward his family and his tribe of Quraysh, and favouring them by giving gifts.The Messenger of Allah ﷺ learned about what they said.It is said that Sa’d ibn ‘Ubaadah (may Allah be pleased with him) informed him of what these men said.The Prophet ﷺ sent a messenger to Ansaar to call them over, assembled them under a tent made of skin, and did not allow anyone else in apart from them, because the invitation was to the Ansaar only.When they had congregated, the Prophet ﷺcame to them asking, “What is the news that has reached me?”He was inquiring from them about what they had said. The understanding men – those who were sensible and wise – said, “Those who are the most opinionated people amongst us – these are the intellectuals and those possessing comprehension – O Messenger of Allah, have not uttered a single word about this.As for those young ones who possess the minimal intellectual ability, they said, ‘May Allah forgive the Messenger of Allah; he gives booty to Quraysh and leaves the Ansaar, while our swords are still dropping droplets of their blood!’” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied to them, “I do give the booty to some men who are very close to the time of their disbelief,” meaning he wanted to harmonize them and strengthen Islam in their hearts; thus, he gave them the wealth; and not because they were from Quraysh, or because of other reasons.
Thereafter, heﷺ told them – thereby giving them glad tidings and expounding his love and his preference of them to others among the Muslims, “Are you not happy that people take the wealth with them.”They take it to their houses and family members, “and you return to your tents and houses with the Messenger of Allah?”That is better than wealth.Then he took an oath saying, “By Allah!What you are returning with,” what you are returning with to your houses and city, “is better than what they are returning with,” these other people who are returning with the wealth.At this point, the Ansaar came to know their high status with the Prophet ﷺ.Their status was far greater than everyone who took the wealth, and this comforted their hearts.They replied, “Of course, O Messenger of Allah!We are pleased.”The Prophet ﷺ then told them, “You will definitely see extreme favouritism after me,” meaning they would witness tyranny inflicted against them and depeivation of the wealth and rights due to them i.e.the leades would end up giving others undue wealth and power.Thereafter, heﷺ said, “Remain patient until you meet Allah, and you meet His Messenger on the Pond.”It means to remain patient over what you will encounter after me in the world until you meet me at the Pond on the Day of Judgment, safely from any competition and mutual hatred in the debris of the world, when you will be given your rewards in full from Allah Almighty.You will then succeed with great rewards for the patience exercised in the world.The Pond of the Prophet ﷺ is a big pond of water to where the believers will go to drink therefrom in the plains of the Day of Judgement.In a narration of Muslim, they replied, “We will remain patient” on the harms.
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) remarked, “We did remain patient on the favouritism and tyranny as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us to do”.
From the benefits of this hadeeth, we can conclude that it is permissible to give the booty to new Muslims and also give them whatever is of the same meaning from the state funds, in order to win their hearts and grant them steadfastness on Islam.
The hadeeth highlights the virtue of the Ansaar, and the special relationship of the Prophet ﷺ with the Anssar, and their special relationship with the Prophetﷺ.
It encourages people toendure the tyranny of leaders and their preference for unworthy people.
The hadeeth affirms the water basin for the Prophet ﷺ on the Day of Judgement.

3150

Narrated `Abdullah:On the day (of the battle) of Hunayn, Allah's Messengerﷺfavoured some people in the distribution of the booty (to the exclusion of others); he gave Al-Aqra' ibn Haabis one-hundred camels and he gave 'Uyaynah the same amount, and also gave to some of the eminent Arabs, giving them preference in this regard. A man n came and said, "By Allah, justice has not been observed in this distribution, nor has Allah's Pleasure been aimed at." I said (to him), "By Allah, I will inform the Prophet (of what you have said), "I went and informed him, and he said, "If Allah and His Messenger did not act justly, who else would act justly. May Allah be merciful to Moses, for he was harmed with more than this, yet he kept patient."
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Commentary : The Prophetﷺ was keen to see all people enter Islam, the religion of Allah.Heﷺ would invite the leaders and those who held influential positions in their communities and would win their hearts, in the hope of their entrance into Islam and that their people would follow suit and enter Islam and remain steadfast on it.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him)reports that the Prophet ﷺspecified some people and granted them preference in the distribution of the spoils.He gave them extraat the Battle of Hunayn, which occurred in the eighth year of the Hijrah.Hunayn is a valley that is three miles away from Makkah.This battle occurred against the people of Taaif, namely the tribes of Hawaazin and Thaqeef.He gave al-Aqra’ ibn Haabis – one whose heart it was desirable to win – a hundred camels.He gave ‘Uyaynah ibn Hisn al-Fazaaree the same amount, and he gave some other people among the notables of the Arabs.He gave them precedence and preference over others among those who had stronger faith, were veterans in companionship, and were enduring in trials due to their faith.A man said when he witnessed this, “By Allah, verily, this distribution contains no fairness and nor has the happiness of Allah has been intended thereby.”The statement of this man levelled an accusation at the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ood(may Allah be pleased with him) heard him saying this; thus,he swore that he would inform the Messenger of Allah about it. That was because the person spoke whilst backbiting the Prophet ﷺ, which is indicative of the corruption found in the heart of this man.That was because he did not head to the Prophet ﷺ with his opinion for the Prophet ﷺ to explain to him the wisdom behind it or to reassess himself if he had really made a mistake.When the Prophet ﷺ learnt about it, he became unhappy – as it has been mentioned in Saheeh Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim.Thereupon, the Prophet ﷺ said, “Who will be fair if Allah and His Messenger are not fair?”This statement shows that what the Messenger of Allah did was from the command of Allah and that he was only applying the orders of his Lord.Thereafter, the Prophet ﷺ said, “May Allah have mercy on Moses(peace be upon him).He was harmed by people with more than this,” meaning, more than what I have been annoyed and harmed with.“He remained patient.” We have an excellent example in him, as he was taken out of Egypt and exiled,andthereafter, Allah granted him victory over his enemy and brought forth for him signs before his people.Despite this, they opposed him in many issues, andhe remained patient over them.Some of the prophets (peace be upon them) are consoled by others.The Prophet ﷺ consoled himself by Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) in his perseverance over his people.He remained patient over this person.
Thishadeeth reveals the Prophet’s ﷺforbearance, and it teaches us to ignore the ignorant person.
It highlights the virtue of Prophet Moses(peace be upon him) and indicates consolation by those who have passed away among the righteous counterparts.
It shows that it is permitted to narrate a statement that is not good when it is stated if itis transmitted out of one’s fervour for the truth, so its utterer is known and is warned against..

3153

Narrated `Abdullah ibn Mughaffal(may Allah be pleased with him): While we were besieging the fort of Khaybar, a person threw a leather container containing fat, and I ran to take it, but when I turned, I saw the Prophet (standing behind), so I felt embarrassed in front of him.
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Commentary : The fortress of Khaybar was a fortress of the Jews.The Prophet ﷺ left to fight them in the seventh year of the Hijrah.In this war, many injunctions were revealed concerning the issues pertaining to the spoils and special booty, cultivation on lands and so on.The Prophet ﷺ clarified what is allowed and what is disallowed during these events.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn Mughaffal (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that during the encirclement of the fortress of Khaybar, someone threw a bag containing fat. The Arabic word Jiraab signifies a container made of leather. ‘Fat’ means fat grease. ‘Abdullah says, “I ran quickly to take it,” meaning, I jumped quickly to grab it and take it for myself.‘Abdullah turned and saw the Prophet ﷺ looking at him. So,he (may llah be pleased of him) felt shy of him,andrealisedthat he # wanted it.
The narration in Saheeh Muslim indicates the Prophet’s approval and affirmation of his taking it as it contains that he ﷺ smiled when he saw him.
This amount of food is allowed for the soldiers to take according to their needs without wasting it and hoarding it. If one has enough to sustain him, then he should not take anything extra above that. This allowance is fine, despite there being prohibition from embezzlement in other things of the spoils such as clothing and animals, so that they are not used up or kept from the one who is entitled tohis share.
This hadeethserves as evidence that consuming the fats of the animals slaughtered by the people of the Book are permessible;even if its consumption isprohibited for them, it is allowed for us.Had it been prohibited, the Prophet ﷺ would have reprimanded him from taking it and notified him of its prohibition..

3154

Narrated Ibn `Umar:In our battles, we used to acquire honey and grapes, as war booty which we would eat and would not store.
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Commentary : Fighting in the path of Allah is the top part of the hump [the pinnacle] of Islam.Allah permitted the spoils of war and fighting for hisProphet ﷺ.Conversely, He has prohibited embezzlement of the spoils, apart from the fact that the fighter is allowed to take what food from the spoils he may urgently require.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)reports that they used to acquire honey and grapes in their wars from the wealth of those they used to fight with and from their items of benefit.The one who acquired it would take it and eat it due to their necessity for food and drink, and they did not report that to the Prophet ﷺas being among the wealth set aside for distribution.
This allowance concerns the food and drinksthat the warriors need, without wasting it or hoarding it. One who has a sufficient amount with him, then he should avoid taking anything more above the required amount.But there is a prohibition in place of embezzlement of items of spoils such as clothes and animals;this also ensures that they are not used up and wasted for the ones who ought to receive them.
This hadeeth expounds the facilitation of Islam concerning some items of war, by taking into account the circumstances of the fighters in the way of Allah..

3155

Narrated Ibn Abi `Awfaa (may Allah be pleased with him): We were afflicted with famine during the besiege of Khaybar, and when it was the day of (the battle of) Khaybar, we slaughtered the domestic donkeys and when the pots got boiling (with their meat), Allah's Messenger made an announcement that all the pots should be upset and that nobody should eat anything of the meat of the donkeys. We thought that the Prophetﷺprohibited that because the one fifth share had not been taken out of the booty (i.e. donkeys); other people said, "He prohibited eating them for ever." The sub-narrator added, "I asked Sa’eed ibn Jubayr who said, 'He has made the eating of donkeys' meat illegal definitely and indefinitely [always].”
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Commentary : Allah has legislated, for His servants, laws that take their interests into account and has legislated what is good for them in their religion and worldly affairs.Henceforth, Allah, the Sublime, has permitted for them the good and pure things to eat and prohibited them from those things that contain harm to them.Many events occurred during the battle of Khaybar wherein provisions relating to that which is lawful and that which is forbiddenfrom food, drink, spoils and so on were revealed.
In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Awfaa (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Muslims were hit by famine, that is, situations of extreme hunger - due to lack of food, and that was during the Khaybar invasion, in the seventh year of the Hijrah.Khyber was a town inhabited by the Jews, 153 km away from al-Madeenah, toward the north on the road to the Levant.The Jews had gathered there, so the Prophet ﷺ wanted to secure al-Madeenah from their evil.
When it was the day of the Battle of Khaybar and the forts were conquered,and the Muslim army entered the town, they confiscated the domesticated donkeys used by humans for their needs.They slaughtered them with knives at their slaughterhouse and cooked them, without the permission of the Prophet ﷺ.When the pots started boiling with meat inside, a crier for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, was Aboo Talhah (may Allah be pleased with him), proclaimed, “Overturn the pots,” meaning that the Prophetﷺ had commanded them to empty the pots with their contents and that they should not taste anything of the meat of the domestic donkeys.
‘Abdullah ibn Abee Awfaa relates that some of the Companions said,“The Prophet ﷺ forbade it because the fifth share was not taken from it.”Some others said thatthe Prophetﷺ forbade it “definitely and indefinitely [always].”This is the position which the Follower Sa’eed ibn Jubayr settled on, and he stated, “The Prophet ﷺ prohibited it forever.”
This hadeeth shows that it is forbidden to eat the meat of domesticated donkeys, and it demonstrates hastening to change the evil and to remove it when it appears..

3156

Narrated `Amr ibn Dinaar:I was sitting with Jaabir ibn Zayd and `Amr ibn Aws;so Bajaalahnarrated to them while they were sitting at the steps of Zamzamthat in the year 70 after Hijrah, Mus`ab ibn Al-Zubayr was the leader of the pilgrims of Basrah. He added: I was the clerk of Jaz’ ibn Mu’aawiyyah, the paternal uncle of al-Ahnaf. A letter came from `Umar ibn Al-Khattab(may Allah be pleased with him) one year before his death, which contained the following: " Separate between each relative among the Magians " `Umar did not take the Jizyah from the Magian infidels till `Abd al-Rahmaan ibn `Awf testified that Allah's Messengerﷺhad taken the Jizyah from the Magians of Hajar.
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Commentary : The Prophet ﷺ and those after him from the Rightly Guided Caliphs would send out missions, companies, and armies, in order to spread Islam, especially after the Treaty of Al-Hudaybiyah, and after the conquest of Makkah. Whoever made a treaty with them and entered Islam, his blood and wealth were protected.However, whoever opposed and did not enter it, they were given a choice between paying the Jizyah or fighting.
In this hadeeth, the Taabi’ee ‘Amr ibn Dinaar reports that he was sitting with Jaabir ibn Zayd and ‘Amr ibn Aws. Bajaalah ibn ‘Abdah– who was among the senior Tab’een – mentioned a narration that happened in the year seventy of the Hijrah.That was the year in which Mus’ab ibn al-Zubayr, the governor of Iraq, performed the Hajj on behalf of his brother, ‘Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, who had taken over the caliphate then and was ruling most of the Islamic Lands.Mus’ab performed Hajj with the people of Basrah.Bajaalah ibn ‘Abdah mentioned the narration at the steps of Zamzam.These were special steps then situated at the well of Zamzam down which it was descended to the bottom of the well to draw out the water.He said, “I used to be the scribe of Jiz’ ibn Mu’aawiyah, the paternal uncle of al-Ahnaf ibn Qays.He was the governor of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) over al-Ahwaaz in the eastern region of Iraq.The letter of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him) came to us a year before his death,” in other words, in the year twenty-two of the Hijrah, that is because ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred in the year twenty-three of the Hijrah.The order was: “Separate between each relative among the Magi (who were fire worshipers).” This could carry the meaning ofcancelling the marriages conducted between the close relatives among them(marriages that are regarded as illegal in Islam: a relative of this sort being called Mahram.So, aman would be separated from his mother or a brother away from his sister so as to prevent them from making apparent this aspect of their religion.This is similar to his stipulation for the Christians to stop displaying their cross and creed so that the weak Muslims were not tempted thereby and so that the symbols of disbelief did not enjoy emergence or superiority under Islam.
Then he reported that ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) did not take the Jizyah from the Magians. Jizyah is a specific small amount that was taken from non-Muslims under the protection of the Muslim state and others.It was named thus as a recompense for protecting their blood.‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was of the opinion that it should only be taken from the People of the Book, the Jews and Christians, until ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Awf witnessed that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to collect it from the Magi of Hajar; these were a people of Bahrain.In those days the term Bahrain was used to geographically encompass Bahrain, as well as al-Ahsaa and al-Qateef in the eastern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.These areas were conquered in the time of the Prophet ﷺ, in the eighth or the tenth year of the Hijrah at the hands of al-‘Alaa ibn al-Hadramee.
This hadeeth shows that the honour of Islam and its symbols should be manifested, and the display of the rituals and customs of the infidels in the lands of Islam should be prevented.
It shows that the Jizyah is taken from the People of the Book and from the Magi as well.
It teaches us to only resort to the rulings that Allah and His Messenger ﷺhave dictated and never go beyond them. .

3158

Narrated `Amr ibn `Awf Al-Ansaaree: Allah's Messengerﷺsent Aboo 'Ubaydah ibn Al-Jarraah to Bahrain to collect the Jizyah. Allah's Messengerﷺhad established peace with the people of Bahrain and appointed Al-`Alaa' ibn Al-Hadramee as their governor. When Aboo 'Ubaydah came from Bahrain with the money, the Ansaar heard of Aboo 'Ubaydah's arrival which coincided with the time of the Fajr prayer with the Prophetﷺ. When Allah's Messengerﷺled them in the Fajr prayer and finished, the Ansaar approached him, and he looked at them and smiled on seeing them and said, "I feel that you have heard that Aboo. 'Ubaydah has brought something?" They said, "Yes, O Allah's Messenger! He said, "Rejoice and hope for what will please you! By Allah, I am not afraid of your poverty, but I am afraid that you will lead a life of luxury as past nations did, whereupon you will compete with each other for it, as they competed for it, and it will destroy you as it destroyed them."
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Commentary : Poverty and prosperity are both trials from Allah; Exalted is He, and tribulations with which Allah tests His chosen servants so that the forbearance of those who are patient and the gratitude of the grateful are revealed.The Prophet ﷺ used to seek Allah’s protection from poverty and used to warn about the temptations of richness and wealth.
In this hadeeth, ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf al-Muzanee reports that the Messenger of Allahﷺ sent Aboo ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarraah (may Allah be pleased with him) to Bahrain to bring its Jizyah.This is the tax that was imposed on the Magi, who were among its residents in lieu of leaving them to live peacefully and granting them protection after he had made a pact with them on that.Bahrain in those days was a term used for a vast land that covers present-day Bahrain, as well as al-Ahsaa and al-Qateef, situated in the eastern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.This area was conquered in the eighth year of the Hijrah.The Prophet ﷺ appointed al-Munthiribn Saawa as the governor of the region.Then, when he passed away, the Prophet ﷺ appointed al-‘Alaa ibn al-Hadramee as the governor.
When Aboo ‘Ubaydah brought this wealth, it happened to coincide with the time of Fajr, when the people attended the prayers.After the Prophet ﷺ completed the prayer and turned away from it and turned to the people, the Ansaar presented themselves in front of him.It was as if they requested something through this gesture due to their being well aware of the Prophet’s noble character.They wanted to distribute the wealth brought by Aboo ‘Ubaydah between them.They did that at that time because they were overburdened by the dire need and hunger which they endured, and not because of their greediness for worldly pleasures or for their interest in it.The Prophet ﷺ understood what they wanted, and he smiled, and then he said, “I think you have heard that Aboo ‘Ubaydah has brought something?”They replied, “Of course, O Messenger of Allah.”Thereupon, the Prophet ﷺ said, “Receive good news and be anticipating”i.e. be hopeful of what will please you.This is a kind of calming them down from the hardship which they were in, and good news for them by hastening the prosperity upon them.
Then heﷺswore by Allah that he did not worry about poverty afflicting them; however, he feared that the world wouldbe offered to them, meaning prosperity and excessive wealth, as it was offered to those nations before them.Thereafter they may engage in acquiring it, which could lead to their downfall, due to conflicts concerning it, inclination towards it and engagement with it by turning away from the hereafter, as happened to the nations before them.
In this statement, there is a warning about what would happen in the future, and allthat the Prophet ﷺ informed of really happened.Their economy prospered and they became affluent afterwards; hence, mutual jealousy and in-fighting occurred. All thattestifies to the truthfulness of the information that the Prophetﷺ foretold.
This hadeeth shows that there is no aberration in seeking gifts from the leader, and that the ruler should give good news to his followers and should expand their hopes.
It highlights that competition in worldly matters may drag one to the destruction of one’s religion..

3159

Narrated Jubayr ibn Haiyyah: `Umar sent the Muslims to theoutskirts ofbig cities to fight the disbelievers. When Al-Hurmuzaan embraced Islam, `Umar said to him. "I would like to consult you regarding these cities which I intend to invade." Al-Hurmuzaan said, "Yes, the example of these cities and their inhabitants who are the enemies of the Muslims, is like a bird with a head, two wings and two legs; if one of its wings got broken, it would get up over its two legs, with one wing and the head; and if the other wing got broken, it would get up with two legs and a head, but if its head got destroyed, then the two legs, two wings and the head would become useless. The head stands for Khosrau, and one wing stands for Caesar and the other wing stands for Persia. So, order the Muslims to go towards Khosrau." So, `Umar sent us (to Khosrau) appointing Al-Nu`maan ibn Muqrin as our commander. When we reached the land of the enemy, the representative of Khosrau came out with forty-thousand warriors, and an interpreter got up saying, "Let one of you talk to me!" Al-Mugheerah replied, "Ask whatever you wish." The other asked, "Who are you?" Al-Mugheerah replied, "We are some people from the Arabs; we led a hard, miserable, disastrous life: we used to suck the hides and the date stones from hunger; we used to wear clothes made up of fur of camels and hair of goats, and to worship trees and stones. While we were in this state, the Lord of the Heavens and the Earths, Elevated is His Remembrance and Majestic is His Highness, sent to us from among ourselves a Prophet whose father and mother are known to us. Our Prophet, the Messenger of our Lord, has ordered us to fight you till you worship Allah alone or give Jizyah (i.e. tribute); and our Prophet has informed us that our Lord says:-- “Whoever amongst us is killed (i.e. martyred), shall go to Paradise to lead such a luxurious life as he has never seen, and whoever amongst us remain alive, shall become your master." Al-Nu' maan said to Al-Mugheerah, "If you had participated in a similar battle, in the company of Allah's Messengerﷺhe would not have blamed you for waiting, nor would he have disgraced you. But I accompanied Allah's Messenger in many battles, and it was his custom that if he did not fight early by daytime, he would wait till the wind had started blowing and the time for the prayer was due (i.e. after midday).
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Commentary : In this hadeeth, the Taabi’ee Jubayr ibn Hayyah reports that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him) – during his caliphate – sent fighters to the outskirts of big cities.It means that he sent them to different cities and towns to fight the polytheists. However,Hurmuzaan, one of the leaders of the Persians, whose real name was Rustum, entered Islam willingly.He embraced Islam after the Battle of al-Qaadisiyyah, which happened in the year fourteen of the Hijrah.‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) drew him closer to him and would consult him [concerning the state of affairs of the Persians].This occurred after the defeat of the Persians and after the Muslims occupied the Metropolises of Persia.‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) told him that he would consult him about these battles,i.e.the battles of Persia, Isfahan, and Azerbaijan.This was because he was more aware of their affairs than anyone else.Hurmuzaanagreed to give advice to ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and he gave an example about this land, meaning, about its campaign.He explained that its example in terms of the people residing in it among the enemies of the Muslims is as the example of a bird having a head, two wings, and legs.If one of the wings is clipped, the two legs with a wing and head will still stand up to move.If the other wing is clipped, then the two legs and the head will still stand up to move forward. However, if it is slaughtered (meaning beheaded), then the two legs, the wings, and the head become immobile, the whole body will become useless.If the head is removed, everything else will fall apart.The head here was Kosrae;one wing was Caesar (Qaysar), the emperor of the Romans, and the other wing was the Persians.Then, he gave advice to ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) to command the Muslims to set out to fight and to start the fight withKosrae, as he was the head, and his beheading would entail clipping the two wings.
When it was the twentieth year of the Hijrah, ‘Umar took the warriors out to battle and appointed al-Nu’maan ibn Muqarrin (may Allah be pleased with him) as their commander.The army set out at night until they had entered the land of the enemy, Nahawand. Now it is an Iranian city which is situated in the highlands toward the south of the Zagros Mountains.The governor of Kosrae came out to attack them – he was known as Bundaar – in an army of forty thousand strong men from the people of the Persian mountains and Kerman (which is now an Iranian city which is situated in the central region of the country), and with the people of other regions too, such as Nahawand and Isfahan (Isfahan is now an Iranian city and the provincial capital of the province of Isfahan, 340 km away from Tehran).A hundred and ten thousand enemy soldiers set out to counterattack the Muslim army.A translator stood up and said, “A spokesperson should speak to me.”Al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah replied, “Ask whatever you wish to ask.”He asked him, “Who are you, people?” He asked purposefully in the context of a person who somehow does not know them with the intention of belittling them. Al-Mugheerah answered, “We are a people from the Arabs who were once in anunfortunate state and in severe calamity.We would suck the skins (meaning the skins of the animals [to survive]).”This is a metaphor for having very little food and he meant thereby hunger.“We would wear wool.”That is a metaphor for having very little clothing.“We used to worship trees and stones.”This is an expression for their severe ignorance.They remained in that state until the Exalted and Mightily Majestic Lord of the earths and heavens, “sent a Prophet amongst us, whose father and mother were known to us.”This means they were fully aware of the family tree of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.He meant thereby to venerate the Messenger of Allahﷺ and to exalt him and purify him from the belief that he came to create bloodbath.“Our Prophet and the Messenger of Our Lord ﷺ commanded us to fight you until you worship Allah Alone or that you pay us the Jizyah.”The Persians used to be Magi, worshipping fire.
He continued, “Our Prophet ﷺ has transmitted to us the message from Our Lord that anyone amongst us killed in fighting for the cause of Allah, then he goes to the bliss in Paradise, and no Paradise of that sort has ever been seen before. As for the one who stays alive amongst us and has not been martyred, then he attains victory and owns your necks (you) by imprisoning you.”In this statement, there is an indication that a Muslim fights until he attains either victory or martyrdom.
Al-Nu’maan (may Allah be pleased with him) delayed the fighting, while al-Mugheerah wanted to fight straight after his statement with theinterpreter.Al-Nu’maan told al-Mugheerah, “Perhaps Allah has made you witness,”i.e. made you present in a similar situation, in other words, in such a tense situation with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. However,he ﷺdid not make you regret regarding the prudence and forbearance exercised during the hardship you encountered with him.He did not humiliate and degrade you. I witnessed fighting with the Messenger of Allahﷺ in many battles which he set out for.If he did not fight in the beginning of the day at sunrise, then he would wait until winds would start to blow, until the prayers would come after the inclination of the sun at noonday,” that is the disappearance of the intensity of the heat.That was part of the Prophetic kindness towards the army and soldiers, so that they were able to fight better in more temperate weather conditions.According to Aboo Dawood, “… thereafter, the divine help of victory would descend.”That manoeuvre would be part of the causes of the victory (divine help) which Allah has promised His servants.
This hadeeth shows that it is allowed to take the Jizyah from the Magi.
It highlights the merits of al-Numaan ibn al-Muqarrin(may Allah be pleased with him) and reveals the military expertise of al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah, and his strength, magnanimity, eloquence, and articulation.
It expounds the virtue of consultation, and that there is no wrong for someone who is of a higher status to consult someone who is below him in status.
It also contains exemplification in order to clarify the intent of speech.
It shows the necessity to take the causes of the victory during war and facing the enemy..

3163

Narrated Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him):Once the Prophetﷺcalled the Ansaar to grant them part of the land of Bahrain. On that they said, "No! By Allah, we will not accept it unless you grant a similar thing to our brothers from Quraysh as well." He said, "That will be theirs if Allah wishes." But when the Ansaar persisted in their request, he said, "After me, you will see others given preference over you in this respect (in which case) you should be patient till you meet me at the Pond (of Al-Kawthar).
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Commentary : The Prophet ﷺappreciated and recognized the value and worth of everyone among the Emigrantsand the Ansaar.Heﷺ would advise them tolook after each other so as to maintain the brotherhood and bondsand help each otherto remain on the truth.
In this hadeeth, Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him)reports that the Prophet ﷺcalled the Ansaar in order to appoint for each one of them a portion feudally from the Jizyah and the land tax in Bahrain.It does not mean making them owners of the lands because the land conquered through a peace treaty cannot be distributed and feudally divided.The Prophet ﷺ had made a peace treaty with the people of Bahrain and imposed on them Jizyah.The area of Bahrain was considered to include what is now known as Bahrain, as well as al-Ahsaa and al-Qateef, situated in the eastern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.The Ansaar replied, “No, by Allah.We will not accept until it is also written for our Emigrant brothers from the Quraish whatever is going to be allocated for us.”This was not in opposition to the command of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; rather they had understood that the Prophetﷺ intended to repay their kindness, and their statement was due to selflessness and their love for the Emigrants. The Prophet ﷺ replied, “That will be theirs if Allah wills it.”In a narration in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, it says, “That was not with the Prophet ﷺ”i.e.the Prophet ﷺ did not haveat that time enough to give the Emigrants like what he wanted to allocate for the Ansaar.It was also said that the meaning is that the Prophet ﷺ did not want to do [what the Ansaar were kindly proposing for the Emigrants], because he had already divided the lands of banoo al-Nadeer for the Emigrants earlier.However, the Ansaar were insistent that the Prophet ﷺ prescribe that for the Emigrants first, to the extent that the Prophet ﷺ had to say to them, “You will see [favouritism] after me,”from the rulers who will favor themselves over the Ansaar with the worldly things, will favour others over them, and will not give them a large portion in state affairs,“hence, remain patient until you meet me at the Pond” wherein they will receive great rewards and abundant recompense, which will be inlieu of this favouritism. The Pond of the Prophet ﷺ is a huge collection of water where the believers will go to get water on the plains of the Day of Judgement.In the narration of Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim, Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) states, “However, we could not forbear” the favouritism and tyranny as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had commanded us to do.
This hadeeth highlights the selflessness of the Ansaar,how they gave preference to others over themselves and kindly exceeded the bounds in generosity.
It encourages us to remain forbearing during calamities, and it affirms the Pond (Pond) for the Prophet ﷺ on the Day of Judgement..

1050

Abu al-Aswad reported: Abu Mūsa al-Ash'ari sent for the reciters of the people of Basra. Three hundred men who had recited the Qur'an came to him. He said: "You are the best among the people of Basra and their reciters. So, recite it. And let not hope of a long life delude you, and thus your hearts would harden as the hearts of those before you had hardened. We used to recite a Surah, which we would liken to Barā‘ah in terms of length and toughness, and I was made to forget it. However, I memorized from it: "If the son of Adam had two valleys of wealth, he would seek a third valley, and nothing would fill the inside of the son of Adam except dust". We used to recite a Surah, which we would liken to one of the Musabbihāt, and I was made to forget it. However, I memorized from it: "O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do?" This will be written as a testimony on your necks, and you will be asked about it on the Day of Judgment..

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to direct his Companions and advise them to refrain from keenness on worldly life and hope for an extended stay in it. And the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did the same with the Tābi'is.
In this tradition, Abu al-Aswad ad-Dīli informs that Abu Mūsa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) sent for the reciters among the people of Basra to come to him and gather there. Basra is a city located in the south of Iraq. "Three hundred men, who had recited the Qur'an" and memorized it "came to him." He advised and directed them, saying: You are the best among the people of Basra and you are the people of the Qur’an among them. Then, he instructed them to read the Qur’an and recite it in the most proper manner, which entails understanding its meanings, reflecting upon its verses, and acting upon its rulings. And he said to them: "And let not hope of a long life delude you and thus your hearts would harden," i.e., do not have high hopes for worldly life and do not wish to stay therein for long, as this corrupts the hearts by dragging them to greed and hardness, and thus they will not soften to Dhikr or derive benefit from admonition or rebuke. As a result, you will have such hardness and aversion within your hearts that had befallen the nations before you due to their hopes for an extended stay in the life of this world. This includes a reference to the verse that reads: {Has the time not yet come for those who believe that their hearts should be humbled at the remembrance of Allah and the truth that has been revealed? They should not be like those who were given the Scriptures before, whose hearts grew hard after the passage after a long period of time, and many of them were evildoers.} [Surat al-Hadīd: 16]
Then, he informed that they used to recite a long Surah of the Qur’an, whose recitation was abrogated, and they would liken it to Surat Barā’ah, which is Surat at-Tawbah, in terms of length and toughness. He further said that he was made to forget it. Then, Abu Mūsa (may Allah be pleased with him) made an exception and informed that he memorized from the meanings of this Surah such words that contain dispraise of attention on worldly life and the love and desire for having a lot of it. He said: "If the son of Adam had two valleys of wealth, he would seek a third valley." A valley is any gap between mountains or hills. "and nothing would fill the inside of the son of Adam except dust", i.e., he continues to be keen on worldly life till he dies, and his inside gets filled with the dust of his grave. The inside may also be intended to refer to the heart, and the meaning is that he does not get bored of the love for wealth. This is because man is naturally inclined to love wealth and has an unquenchable greed for it, and he has no limit to stop except a matter like his own, namely dust.
Then, Abu Mūsa (may Allah be pleased with him) informed that they used to recite a Surah which they would liken to one of the Musabbihāt, which are the Surahs that begin with "subhān, sabbaha, yusabbihu, sabbih ism rabbika" (glory be to, glorified, glorifies, glorify the name of your Lord), and that he was made to forget it; and he memorized from it: "O you who believe, why do you say what you do not do?" This is a question that signifies disapproval and rebuke for those who attribute to themselves good things that they do not do, either in relation to the past, in which case they would be liars, or concerning the future, and this would be a contradiction; both are dispraised. "This will be written as a testimony on your necks and you will be asked about this on the Day of Judgment" i.e., these false statements will be recorded against you, for what you said and did not do is a testimony from you, and you are liable for it, and you will be held accountable, and it will entail an evil recompense on the Day of Judgment.
This abrogation, which Abu Mūsa (may Allah be pleased with him) told about in this Hadīth, is one of the abrogation types: the abrogation of words and recitation. Abrogation is of three types: First: Abrogation of rulings, while words and recitation endure. Second: Its opposite; and that is the abrogation of words and recitation, while the ruling endures. Third: Abrogation of the ruling along with the words and recitation. This is the abrogation which Allah Almighty mentions in the verse that reads: {We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 106] And also in the verses that read: {We will teach you [the Qur’an], so you will not forget*, except what Allah wills.} [Surat al-A‘la: 6-7] These two Surahs are among the Surahs Allah Almighty willed to be forgotten after He revealed them. This is because Allah Almighty does whatever He wills and is Able to do all things He wishes. Indeed, this is all possible. Let not one wrongly assume, because of this and the like of it, that any part of the Qur’an was lost. In fact, this is untrue, as established by the verse that reads: {It is We Who have sent down the Reminder, and it is We Who will preserve it.} [Surat al-Hijr: 9] This is also established by the consensus among the Companions and those after them that the Qur’an, which we are required to recite and act upon its rulings as a form of worship, is the text contained between the two covers of the Mus'haf, without addition or omission.
The Hadīth shows keenness to present advice to the Muslim reciters.
It contains dispraise of the keenness on worldly life and the hope for a long stay therein.
It includes dispraise of lying and bragging about something one did not do.
The Hadīth also mentions that a person's speech is recorded and he will be asked about it on the Day of Judgment.
And it indicates that a believer should be chiefly concerned about working for the Hereafter and he should not be deceived by worldly life and its desires..

1054

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās reported that: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Successful is the one who accepts Islam and is provided with mere subsistence and Allah makes him content with what He has given him.".

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to admonish his Companions, advise them, and encourage them to aim at sublime matters, so that the worldly life would be in their hands, not in their hearts, and what they gained thereof would help them in acts of worship.
This Hadīth contains guidance from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to his Ummah that a person should not tire himself in seeking more than mere subsistence, for what is commendable in sustenance is the amount that enables a person to perform worship and for which he should work as much as needed. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that success is attained and gained by a person who embraces Islam rightly, for he gets rid of Kufr (disbelief) and Shirk (polytheism), which is the sin that Allah does not forgive, and he is provided with mere subsistence, no more or less, and what makes him self-sufficient and saves him from necessities and wants. This means lawful sustenance, for no success comes with unlawful sustenance. And his words: "and Allah makes him content with what He has given him," i.e., Allah grants him contentment with the mere subsistence he has; so, he does not aspire to pursue more than that.
The Hadīth shows that success and triumph are attained by embracing Islam for the sake of Allah and being pleased with what Allah gives him.
It demonstrates the merit of contentment, and that it is one of the means of success..

1056

‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) distributed some wealth, and I said: "By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, there are other than those more deserving of it than them?" He said: "They gave me the choice that they either ask of me importunately or regard me as a miser, and I am not a miser.".

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was the most generous and bountiful among the people. He would give like one who fears no poverty. This was to teach his Ummah and serve certain Shar‘i purposes that were probably not known or grasped at the time by anyone other than him (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
In this Hadīth, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) says The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) distributed some wealth among the people, and he gave some people, whereas ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) held that others were more deserving of being given than them. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified to him why he gave to them and not those who were more deserving to be given than them. This is because those he gave were people of ignorance and lying. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said that they begged in an importunate manner due to their weak faith and drove him, by their very importunate attitude, to either give them what they asked for or they would describe him as a miser and defame him, while in fact, he is not a miser. Hence, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave to them and protected his honor by his giving, lest they might lie about him. Miserliness is not part of his character (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and he gave to them to appease them and win their friendliness. Similarly, he said in a Hadīth of the Two Sahīh Collections: "Indeed, the worst people in rank in the sight of Allah is the one whom people leave or abandon for fear of his discourteousness." Thus, he endured their rudeness and treated them forbearingly to win their friendliness and protect himself from being described as a miser, a trait that does not befit him (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
The Hadīth indicates that we can appease the people of ignorance and harshness and win their friendliness, if this achieves a good interest.
It also shows that patience and forbearance were part of the Prophet's character.
The Hadīth demonstrates and directs a person to spend out of his money to protect his honor and himself from the people of ignorance..

1060

Rāfi‘ ibn Khadīj reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave to Abu Sufyān ibn Harb, Safwān ibn Umayyah, ‘Uyaynah ibn Hisn, and Al-Aqra‘ ibn Hābis, to every one of them, one hundred camels, and gave to ‘Abbās ibn Mirdās less than that. Thereupon, ‘Abbās ibn Mirdās said: You allot the share of my booty and that of Al-‘Ubayd between ‘Uyaynah and Al-Aqra‘ Both Badr and Hābis in no way surpassed Mirdās in the assembly I am in no way inferior to any one of these two. And he whom you lower today will not be elevated He said: So, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) completed one hundred camels for him. [And in a version]: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) divided the spoils of the battle of Hunayn and gave Abu Sufyān ibn Harb one hundred camels... And he narrated the same Hadīth, with the addition: And he gave ‘Alqamah ibn ‘Ulāthah one hundred. [And in a version]: He did not mention poetry..

Commentary : This Hadīth reveals a part of how the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to win people's hearts to Islam by giving them money, each according to the strength of Īmān in his heart or his tenderness, and how he was considerate of the circumstances of each one of them.
The circumstances surrounding this Hadīth: After the battle of Hunayn, which took place in the eighth Hijri year between the Muslims and the two tribes of Hawāzin and Thaqīf, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) divided the spoils he seized from this battle between the Muslims, preferring some of them over others. He gave some of them a hundred camels and others less than that. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave a hundred camels to Abu Sufyān ibn Harb, the Quraysh leader, Safwān ibn' Umayyah, who had embraced Islam after the Conquest of Makkah and was one of the Quraysh notables during Jāhiliyyah and Islam, 'Uyaynah ibn Hisn al-Fazāri, who had embraced Islam before the Conquest of Makkah and was marked by the typical roughness of desert dwellers, and Al-Aqra' ibn Hābis at-Tamīmi, who had come to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and partook in the Conquest of Makkah, and he was an arbitrator during Jāhiliyyah; he gave each one of these persons a hundred camels. On the other hand, he gave ‘Abbās ibn Mirdās less than a hundred. So, ‘Abbās ibn Mirdās became angry and said these poetic verses: "You allot the share of my booty and that of Al-‘Ubayd between ‘Uyaynah and Al-Aqra‘" Booty: the spoils. Al-‘Ubayd: the name of the horse of ‘Abbās ibn Mirdās. The meaning: Do you give the booty which I took part in seizing from Hunayn with my weapon and horse to ‘Uyaynah ibn Hisn and Al-Aqra‘ ibn Hābis and the like of them, by giving them more than me?! By his words "Both Badr and Hābis", he meant the grandfather of ‘Uyaynah and the father of Al-Aqra‘. ‘Uyaynah is the son of Hisn ibn Hudhayfah ibn Badr, and Al-Aqra‘ is the son of Hābis. And his words: "in no way surpassed Mirdās in the assembly". Surpass means: is higher than. Assembly: the meeting place of the clans and tribes. "I am in no way inferior to any one of these two" The meaning: My father was not inferior to theirs, neither am I inferior to them. He seemed to have been gripped with fear that his status might be lowered. Therefore, he said: "And he whom you lower today" by decreasing his share of the booty "will not be elevated", i.e., the people will not elevate him after this day.
So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave him a hundred camels like the others who were given a hundred, so as to win his heart and dispel the thought of inferiority or that he might be lower in rank than others.
The Hadīth shows how the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would win the hearts of some people with money for an apparent interest.
The ruler may prefer some over others if he sees a certain benefit in doing so.
It is permissible to recite poetry and is permissible to listen to it..

1064

Abu Sa‘īd reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned a people who would be among his Ummah, who would emerge out of the dissension of people. Their distinctive mark would be shaven heads. He said: "They would be the worst creatures - or among the worst creatures. The nearer of the two groups, the truth would kill them." The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave an example of them, or he said: "A man throws an arrow at the prey - Or he said: at the target - and looks at the arrowhead and finds no trace, and he looks at the body and finds no trace. Then, he looks at the grip and finds no trace." He said: Abu Sa‘īd said: "And you killed them, O people of Iraq.".

1066

Zayd ibn Wahb al-Juhani reported that he was in the army led by ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that set out to fight the Kharijites. ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O people, I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'There would arise within my Ummah a people who would recite the Qur’an, and your recitation would be nothing compared to their recitation, your prayer would be nothing compared to their prayer, and your fast would be nothing compared to their fast. They would recite the Qur’an thinking that it supports them, whereas it is against them. Their prayer does not get beyond their collarbones. They would pass through Islam as an arrow passes through the prey. If the army that is to encounter them were to know what had been decreed for them by the tongue of their Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), they would completely rely upon that and cease to work. The sign of this is that there would be among them a man with an upper arm and without an arm, and the head of his upper arm would be like the nipple of the breast on which there would be some white hairs.' So, will you go to Mu‘āwiyah and the people of the Levant and leave them behind among your children and your property?! By Allah, I hope they are those people, for they have shed inviolable blood and raided the animals of the people. So, go forth in the name of Allah." Salamah ibn Kuhayl said: Zayd ibn Wahb made me alight at a place, till we crossed a bridge. When we encountered them - and ‘Abdullāh ibn Wahb ar-Rāsibi was the leader of the Kharijites on that day - he said to them: "Throw the spears and draw out your swords from their sheaths, for I fear that they would appeal to you as they appealed to you on the day of Harūrā'." They went back and threw their spears and drew out their swords, and people fought against them with their spears and they were killed on top of one another. Only two men were killed from among the people on that day. Then, ‘Ali (Allah be pleased with him) said: "Search for the Mukhdaj (the maimed one) among them." They searched but did not find him. So, ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) himself stood up till he came upon people who had been killed on top of one another. He said: "Move them away from one another." So, they found him near the ground. Thereupon, he proclaimed Takbīr and then said: "Allah told the truth, and His Messenger conveyed it." He said: Then, ‘Abīdah as-Salmāni stood before him and said: "O Commander of the Believers, by Allah, other than Whom there is no god, did you hear this Hadīth from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)?" He said: "Yes, by Allah, other than Whom there is no god." He repeated the request for an oath from him three times, and he swore each time..

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warned us against religious innovations and extremism, for it leads to the corruption of societies. Extremism, along with the lack of proper understanding of the religion, may result in considering the Muslim communities as people of religious innovations and Kufr (disbelief) and lead to revolt against the rulers unjustly.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Zayd ibn Wahb al-Juhani relates that he was with ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) in the army that marched toward the Kharijites. This happened in 38 A.H., in the battle of Nahrawān, located nearly 35km southeast of Baghdad, Iraq. They were those who criticized ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) for the arbitration over his fighting against Mu‘āwiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), and they fought him and declared the Muslims as disbelievers and regarded the shedding of their blood as lawful. ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) addressed his army to make them firm and urge them to fight and display patience in doing so. He informed that he heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) point out some traits of the Kharijites, mentioning that they would be a people within the Muslim Ummah, and they would "recite the Qur'an," i.e., recite it a lot. They would also perform prayer and observe fast often, to the extent that if people compared their condition to the condition of others, they would regard the worship of others as nothing next to them. "They would recite the Qur'an thinking that it supports them", i.e., it provides an argument for them in proving their claims, whereas this is not the case in reality; instead, it serves as an argument against them with Allah Almighty. In the Two Sahīh Collections, in a Hadīth reported by Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him): "It does not get beyond their collarbones." Likewise, their prayer does not get beyond their collarbones. Prayer here probably refers to the recitation in prayer. The collarbone is the bone that extends from the neck cavity to the shoulder. They do not understand the Qur’an, draw benefit from its recitation, ponder its verses, or reflect upon its meanings. So, they do not reach their hearts through reflection and Khushū‘ (humility and focus) and do not ascend to heaven. Therefore, they obtain no reward for them. "They would pass through" i.e., they would depart from Islam quickly and not get attached to anything in it, just as an arrow passes through prey, i.e., like a powerful and fast arrow that penetrates the target and passes through prey, due to its power and speed, entering from one side and coming out from the opposite one; and it leaves no trace of blood or flesh. Then, they would not go back to the religion, as the arrow does not go back to its place in the bow.
Then, ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) states that if the army that would kill and defeat them were to know the reward and recompense that their Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed them about and determined for them, they would abandon work and solely rely upon this glad tiding which was given to them for killing the Kharijites.
The distinctive mark of those Kharijites is "that there would be among them a man with an upper arm", which extends from the shoulder to the elbow, "and without an arm", which extends from the elbow to the hand. And the head of his upper arm would be like "the nipple of the breast", and there would also be some white hairs on the top of his upper arm.
Then, ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) expressed criticism of the army in the form of questioning: Do you want to go to Mu‘āwiyah and the people of the Levant and fight them and leave those Kharijites behind to stay among your women and children and loot your property?! The meaning: This is not proper and should not happen. By this, he intended to urge them to fight the Kharijites first before marching toward Mu‘āwiyah and the people of the Levant.
Then, ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) swore, saying: "By Allah, I hope they are those people" who are amongst us, revolted against us, and departed from obedience to us, "the people" whom the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) described to us. Indeed, they went to extremes in shedding the blood of Muslims, and it is blood whose shedding is forbidden. They killed 'Abdullāh ibn Khabbāb and the mother of his child. "and they raided the animals of the people", i.e., they raided people's property and stole their grazing livestock. Then, ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "So, go forth in the name of Allah", i.e., with the blessing of the name of Allah, seek help from Him and put your trust in Him. This indicates that actions should begin with the mention of Allah.
Salamah ibn Kuhayl al-Hadrami al-Kūfi - one of the Hadīth narrators - informs that the Tābi‘i Zayd ibn Wahb mentioned to him the locations of their travel to fight the Kharijites, one by one, until they reached the bridge at which the fighting took place - the bridge of Dizjān. This is also mentioned in As-Sunan Al-Kubra Collection of An-Nasā’i. A bridge is a structure built over water for crossing on it. This is the bridge of Nahrawān, where the Kharijites gathered.
Zayd ibn Wahb related that when the two armies encountered each other for fighting, the leader of the Kharijites on that day was ‘Abdullāh ibn Wahb ar-Rāsibi, who said to the Kharijites: Throw the spears and draw out your swords from their sheaths. He wanted the two armies to start fighting. Thus, there would be no possible alternative to fighting, such as a truce or appeal, which means that they would ask and adjure them by Allah, and this might cause some of his companions to leave him, and, as a result, his army would become weaker. Confrontation with spears puts the two armies at a distance from each other, and this carries the possibility that some of them may feel pity upon seeing the blood and call for the cessation of fighting. On the other hand, fighting with the swords breaks out quickly and ends with defeating one of the two armies. Ibn Wahb hoped that he would be victorious in this battle. "as they appealed to you on the day of Harūrā’." This is a village near Kufa, after which a sect of the Khrijites was named, as their first gathering took place there, "the day" here refers to the day in which the Kharijites gathered, numbering eight thousand - and a different number was also mentioned - and they alighted at Harūrā’. Their leaders were ‘Abdullāh ibn al-Kawwā’ al-Yashkuri and Shabath at-Tamīmi. ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) sent his cousin ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) to them. He debated with them, and as a result, many of them came back with him. Then, ‘Ali went out to them, appealed to them, and engaged in a discussion with them. Consequently, they obeyed him and entered Kufa along with him.
When the Kharijites listened to ‘Abdullāh ibn Wahb, they obeyed him and "threw their spears" i.e. they threw them away and engaged in fighting against the army of ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) with swords. So, this opinion led to victory for the Muslims and ‘Ali's army, the preservation of their blood, and their empowerment. "and people fought against them with their spears" i.e., the companions of ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) stabbed them with their spears like trees. The Arabic text uses a verb derived from 'shajar', which means trees. So, the companions of ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) threw the spears at them before they could reach them. Then, they engaged in battle with them and killed so many of them; only two men were killed on the side of ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). His words "they were killed on top of one another" mean that they were piled upon one another due to the large number of them who were killed, forming heaps.
Then, after the end of the battle, ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered them to search for "the Mukhdaj" man, i.e., his body is incomplete. This is the man described at the beginning of the Hadīth. They searched for him but could not find him. So, 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) himself rose and moved to a heap of dead bodies from the Kharijites. He ordered that they be separated from one another, and they found underneath them the man he was looking for dead. Thereupon, 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) proclaimed Takbīr in wonder at seeing the Mukhdaj man with the description given by the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Then, he said after the Takbīr: "Allah", Exalted be He, "told the truth" in what He revealed to His Prophet; "and His Messenger conveyed" His message to us and to the people, in truth.
Then, Zayd ibn Wahb al-Juhani informed that the Tābi‘i ‘Abīdah as-Salmāni called out to ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): "O Commander of the Believers", and he adjured him by Allah, other than Whom there is no god, to tell him whether he heard this Hadīth from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). In response, ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) swore, saying: "Yes, by Allah, other than Whom there is no god" i.e., yes, I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). "He repeated the request for an oath from him three times". He asked him to swear to let this be heard by the people present and affirm that to them, and in order to reveal to them the miracle informed by the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and show them that ‘Ali and his Companions are the worthier among the two groups in claiming the truth, and that they are rightful in fighting them.
The Hadīth points to the danger of ignorance in religion and dogmatic thinking.
It mentions the great reward of killing the Kharijites.
It warns against extremism in religion and affectation in worship.
Those who revolt against the just rulers should be fought against.
The Hadīth mentions some traits of the Kharijites.
It shows the merit of ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him).
An oath may be requested for verifying something unfamiliar, so as to affirm it to those who hear about it..

1067

Abu Dharr reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Verily, there is from my Ummah after me - or there would be from my Ummah after me - a people who would recite the Qur’an, but it would not go beyond their throats, and they would pass through the religion as an arrow passes through the prey, and then they would not come back to it; they are the worst among the creation and the creatures.".

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed the Companions about many of the trials that took place during their generation and that would take place after their generation. One of the trials they witnessed during their time was the trial of the Kharijites.
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) made reference to that. He mentioned people who would be in his Ummah after him; among their characteristics is that they "would recite the Qur'an, but it would not go beyond their throats." They recite the Qur'an but do not get affected by it, understand it, or act upon its verses. So, they will not be recompensed for that by rewards, and their recitation does not go beyond their tongues, so no good deed is accepted from them. This is not something required; instead, it is required to ponder and reflect upon the Qur'an as it influences the heart. This all means that Imān (faith) did not settle firmly in their hearts. "they would pass through the religion as an arrow passes through the prey, and then they would not come back to it", i.e., they come out of the religion like the coming out of a fast arrow, which hits the prey and enters and comes out of it with a high speed, without any trace of the prey sticking to it; this is due to its quick coming out of the target. The "ramiyyah" (prey) is the animal that is hunted and hit with an arrow after getting chased. This is a description of the Kharijites, who do not obey the rulers and revolt against them and declare people as disbelievers on account of major sins that are below Shirk (polytheism) and Kufr (disbelief). They kill the people of Islam and leave the people of idols (disbelievers). After all that, they do not return to the religion again, as they do not repent or reconsider their matter. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) remarked: "They are the worst among the creation and the creatures." It is said: "Khalq" (creation) refers to humankind, and "khaliqah" (creatures) refers to animals. It is also said: They both have the same meaning. So, this refers to all creation. They are the worst among all creation because they fight the best people, thus corrupting the land after it was in good condition.
The Hadīth includes one of the Prophet's prophecies, as he told about something that would happen after his death, and it did happen as he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed.
It warns against misunderstanding the Qur’an and not pondering its verses, goals, and objectives; and it points out that this causes corruption on earth.
It also indicates that one of the consequences of poor reflection upon the verses of Allah is to depart from the religion..

1068

Sahl ibn Hanīf reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A people will go astray toward the east, with shaven heads.".

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was keen on teaching his Ummah and warning them against trials. A true Muslim ponders the Prophet's statements and teachings and tries his best to save himself and his Muslim community from falling into misleading trials.
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs that there will emerge a group of people who will deviate from the true and correct path and go astray in the darkness of religious innovations and misguidance. They will never be guided to the truth; they will be lost and follow the wrong paths. They will emerge from the east, which refers to the direction of the sunrise. Those people who go astray from the true path are described as having shaven heads, which indicates their abandonment and renouncement of worldly life. The intended meaning is that shaving their heads was a habit that they persistently engaged in and for which they were known. This trait was mentioned with regard to the Kharijites, that they are marked by shaving their heads, until it became a slogan for them, by which they were identified.
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warns his Ummah in this Hadīth against the trial of going astray in misguidance and tells us about the signs of deviation.
One of the signs of deviation and misguidance is leading a life of false asceticism..

1072

‘Abdul-Muttalib ibn Rabī‘ah ibn al-Hārith reported: Rabī‘ah ibn al-Hārith and Al-‘Abbās ibn ‘Abdul-Muttalib got together and said: "By Allah, if we sent these two young men - I and Al-Fadl ibn al-‘Abbās - to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and they spoke to him, he would put them in charge of these Zakah funds, and they would pay as the people pay and get a share as the people get." He said: As they were talking about that, 'Ali ibn Abi Tālib came and stood before them, and they mentioned it to him. Thereupon, ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib said: "Do not do this, for, by Allah, he would not do that." Rabī‘ah ibn al-Hārith turned to him and said: "By Allah, you are only doing this out of jealousy toward us. By Allah, you became the son-in-law of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), but we felt no jealousy toward you." 'Ali said: "Send them." So, they set out, and 'Ali lay on the bed. He said: When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) offered the Zhuhr prayer, we went ahead of him to his room and stood near it till he came, took hold of our ears, and then said: "Take out what you keep within yourselves." Then, he entered, and we entered his place. He was on that day in the house of Zaynab bint Jahsh. He said: We urged each of us to speak. Then, one of us spoke, saying: "O Messenger of Allah, you are the most righteous and the best of people in upholding kinship ties. We have reached the marriageable age. We have come so that you may put us in charge of some of these Zakah funds, and we would submit them to you as the people submit and get a share as they get." He said: He kept silent for a long time until we wished to speak with him. He said: Zaynab pointed to us from behind the curtain, telling us not to talk to him. He said: Then, he said: "Zakah does not befit the family of Muhammad, for it is the impurities of people. Call Mahmiyah to me - and he was in charge of the Khums funds - and Nawfal ibn al-Hārith ibn' Abdul-Muttalib." They both came to him, and he said to Mahmiyah: "Marry your daughter to this young man", i.e., Al-Fadl ibn' Abbās. He married her to him. And he said to Nawfal ibn al-Hārith: "Marry your daughter to this young man", i.e., me. He married her to me. And he said to Mahmiyah: "Pay such and such from the Khums funds as a dowry on behalf of both of them.".

Commentary : Allah Almighty honored His Prophet and the believing members of his household and purified them of all filth and impurities. An example is that Zakah is forbidden for the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his household. They may not take from it or accept it.
In this Hadīth, ‘Abdul-Muttalib ibn Rabī‘ah ibn al-Hārith (may Allah be pleased with him) informs that Rabī‘ah ibn al-Hārith, the Prophet's cousin, met with his uncle Al-‘Abbās ibn ‘Abdul-Muttalib, the Prophet's uncle, and they said: By Allah, if we sent these two young men - meaning: 'Abdul-Muttalib ibn Rabī‘ah and Al-Fadl ibn' Abbās (may Allah be pleased with them) - to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and they talked to him, and he appointed them as Zakah collectors, and they would submit as the people submit and get a share like the people, as a wage for the Zakah work. They wanted this money to help them get married, as they reached the marriageable age and could not afford marriage, as narrated in the version by Abu Dāwūd. As Al-‘Abbās and Rabī‘ah (may Allah be pleased with both of them) were talking and discussing this matter, ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him), also a cousin of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), came and stood before them. They mentioned to him what they were discussing and told him about what they intended to do. So, ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) forbade them from doing that and swore that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would not agree to their request in this regard. Thereupon, Rabī‘ah turned to ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said to him tough words and swore that he did not forbid them from sending the two young men and asking the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to put them in charge of Zakah funds except because of jealousy toward them and his desire to be the only one among them with closeness to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Then, he swore by Allah to ‘Ali that he won the relationship with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) by marriage - meaning his marriage to his daughter Fātimah (may Allah be pleased with her) - and they felt no jealousy toward him because of that. When ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) heard that from him, he asked them to send them so that they could be certain about his advice to them. "and ‘Ali lay on the bed." In another version by Muslim: "'Ali threw his cloak and lay on it, and he said: I am the father of Hasan, and I am the Qarm (chief). By Allah, I would not move from my place till your sons return to you with the reply to that for which you sent them to the Messenger of Allah the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)." Qarm: the stud among animals. It refers to a master and chief who possesses knowledge and wise judgment. He (may Allah be pleased with him) meant: I spoke what I said to you from knowledge, and I would not move from my place, and I would wait for the reply they would come with from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). He knew that the reply would be as he told them.
So, ‘Abdul-Muttalib and Al-Fadl (may Allah be pleased with both of them) left and headed to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). 'Abdul-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him) informs that when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) performed the Zhuhr prayer, they went ahead of him to the room he would enter after the prayer, and that was the room of the Mother of the Believers Zaynab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her). They waited for him at the door till the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came, took hold of their ears by way of jesting, and then said: "Take out what you keep within yourselves" i.e., the talk you harbor within your chests. Then, he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) entered his room, and they entered after him so as to proceed with their talk and let him hear them. Each of them wanted the other to start the talk with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in awe of him. Then, one of them talked. He said to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): "O Messenger of Allah, you are the most benevolent of all people", i.e., the best among people in benevolence and doing good to others. "and the best of people in upholding kinship ties" i.e., you are most keen on maintaining the ties of kinship. "We have reached the marriageable age." Thus, they presented the reason for their following requests. "We have come so that you may put us in charge of" collecting "some of these Zakah funds", which are to be calculated and taken from money owners and kept and given to you and distributed to the due recipients. "and we would submit to you as the people submit" i.e., we would transfer the Zakah funds and hand them over to you like others. "and get a share as they get" as a wage for the Zakah work. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent for so long that they wanted to repeat their speech and request. Meanwhile, Zaynab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her) began to point to them with her garment or hand from behind the curtain to not talk to him. After his long silence, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) made clear to them that Zakah may not be given to the household of Muhammad, i.e., it is forbidden for him and his family, whether it is given for work or because of poverty, destitution, or some other reason. "for it is the impurities of people", i.e., it purifies their wealth from the sin of hoarding and their souls from the sin of stinginess. Or it is the impurities of people because it expiates for sins, removes afflictions, and acts as a ransom for the person in this regard. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered them to call Mahmiyah ibn Jaz’ ibn ‘Abd Yaghūt az-Zubaydi (may Allah be pleased with him) to him. He was a man from Banu Asad, and the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had put him in charge of the Khums (one-fifth of the spoils), and to call Nawfal ibn al-Hārith ibn ‘Abdul-Muttalib, the brother of Rabī‘ah ibn al-Hārith. Mahmiyah and Nawfal came and appeared before the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered Mahmiyah ibn Jaz' to marry his daughter to Al-Fadl ibn' Abbās, which Mahmiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) did. And he ordered Nawfal ibn al-Hārith to marry his daughter to Rabī‘ah ibn al-Hārith. Both of them (may Allah be pleased with both of them) complied. Mahmiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) was in charge of the Prophet's expenses from the Khums. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered him to pay an amount which he specified for him as a dowry on behalf of each of them to his wife. The Khums refers to the share of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in the spoils, as revealed in the verse that reads: {Know that whatever spoils you obtain, one-fifth belongs to Allah and the Messenger, his close relatives, the orphans, the needy and the [stranded] travelers.} [Surat al-Anfāl: 41]
The Hadīth indicates that Zakah funds are to be paid to the ruler and the authority holder.
It shows the Prophet's modesty and cheerfulness and how he would jest with and show compassion toward the young.
Words of praise may be said before asking for something.
The Hadīth mentions that it is forbidden to give Zakah to the household of Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
It indicates that the Prophet's household were not employed for the collection of charity and Zakah.
It also shows that a person should seek to obtain the wherewithal for marriage.
It demonstrates a father's interest in helping his son get married to maintain his chastity.
The Hadīth also points out the merit of ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), as he was more knowledgeable about this matter than those Companions (may Allah be pleased with them).
And it shows the extreme politeness of Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her) as she pointed to the two young men not to repeat the speech to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)..

1087

Kurayb reported: that ’Umm al-Fadl sent him to Mu‘āwiyah in the Levant. He said: I came to the Levant and fulfilled her errand. Then, the crescent of Ramadan was sighted while I was in the Levant. I saw the crescent on the night of Friday. Then, I came to Madīnah at the end of the month. ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) asked me about the sighting of the moon and said: "When did you see the crescent?" I said: "We saw it on the night of Friday." He said: "Did you see it yourself?" I said: "Yes, and the people saw it and fasted and so did Mu‘āwiyah." He said: "But we saw it on the night of Saturday; so, we will continue fasting until we have completed thirty days, or we see it." I said: "Will you not be content with the sighting of Mu‘āwiyah and his fasting?" He said: "No, this is what the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) enjoined upon us." Yahya ibn Yahya was doubtful about whether it is "Will we not be content?" or "Will you not be content?".

Commentary : Allah made crescents a means for counting months and years. By sighting the crescent, one month begins and another ends. Based on this sighting, many obligations are determined, like fasting and Hajj.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Kurayb ibn Abi Muslim says that ’Umm al-Fadl Lubābah bint al-Hārith, the wife of Al-‘Abbās ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib and the mother of ‘Abdullāh ibn al-‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with them), sent him to Mu‘āwiyah ibn Abi Sufyān (may Allah be pleased with him), who was then the caliph of Muslims. Kurayb went to the Levant and finished her errand. Then, the crescent of the month of Ramadan appeared while he was in the Levant. The crescent was sighted on the night of Friday. There are over 1,120km between the Levant and Madīnah, the center of the caliphate during the era of Mu‘āwiyah ibn Abi Sufyān, from which the state was run, and which was followed by all the Muslim provinces.
Then, Kurayb said that he went back to Madīnah once again at the end of the month of Ramadan. ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him about the journey and the fulfillment of his mother's errand. Then, Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned the crescent and asked him: When did you see the crescent in the Levant? Kurayb told him that they saw it on the night of Friday. Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) further asked: "Did you see it" with your own eyes? In response, Kurayb said: Yes, and the people also saw it, and they fasted and so did Mu‘āwiyah (may Allah be pleased with him). Thereupon, Ibn ‘Abbās said: "But we saw it on the night of Saturday," i.e., one night after it was sighted in the Levant. Therefore, we will continue to fast until we complete the thirty days of the month or see the crescent before that with the month being 29 days. This results from the different sightings of crescents from different places. So, Kurayb asked Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him): Will you - or he said: will we - not be content with the sighting by the people of the Levant of the crescent of Ramadan at its beginning, and with them is Caliph Mu‘āwiyah ibn Abi Sufyān (may Allah be pleased with him)? Thus, you fast with their fasting at the start of the month and break your fast with their break of the fast. In reply, Ibn ‘Abbās said: 'No' i.e., we are not content with their sighting. Rather, we observe the fast or complete the month according to our sighting. He probably said that given the great distance between Hejaz and the Levant which allows for different crescent sightings. Also, news could not reach Madīnah from the Levant on the same night. Hence, they comply with the Prophet's command to observe the fast and break the fast based on sighting the crescent. In a Hadīth narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Fast when you see it and break your fast when you see it, and if the weather is cloudy, complete it as thirty." This does not exclusively pertain to the people of a certain region; rather, it is addressed to all Muslims.
The Hadīth indicates that we must rely on sighting the crescents to know the beginnings and ends of the lunar months.
It also points out that the people of each region should fast based on their sighting of the crescent..

1088

Abu al-Bakhtari reported: We saw the crescent of Ramadan while we were at Dhāt ‘Irq. So, we sent a man to Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) to ask him about that. In response, Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah has deferred it till it is seen, but if the weather is cloudy, then complete the period.".

Commentary : Allah made crescents a means for counting months and years. By sighting the crescent, one month begins and another ends. Based on this sighting, many obligations are determined, like fasting and Hajj.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Abu al-Bakhtari Sa‘īd ibn Fayrūz at-Tā’i informs that they saw the crescent of Ramadan one day while they were at a place called Dhāt ‘Irq. This is the locational Miqāt of the pilgrims of the people of Iraq. It lies 42 miles (100km) to the northeast of Makkah. They sent a man to ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) to ask him about the crescent of Ramadan and the related rulings, especially if the weather is too cloudy for the people to see it. Thereupon, Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah has deferred it till it is seen," i.e., indeed, Allah extended the period of sighting the crescent till the people could see it. If it is not possible to see it until the end of the twenty-ninth day of the month, and you cannot see it for one reason or another, like the clouds being in the way, you should observe the complete period of the month of Sha'bān as thirty days. This also applies to all Hijri lunar months. This does not exclusively pertain to the people of a certain region; rather, it is addressed to all Muslims.
The Hadīth indicates that we should ask the people of knowledge about obscure and confusing matters.
It also points out that we should leave doubt to certainty when the crescent is hidden by completing the month as thirty days..

1094

Samurah ibn Jundub reported: I heard Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Do not be misled with regard to your Suhūr by the Adhān of Bilāl or the whiteness of the horizon that grows long in this way until it spreads this way.".

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) defined the time in which a fasting person should refrain from eating during the month of Ramadan; that is the time of "al-Fajr as-Sādiq" (the true dawn). He pointed out that a Muslim may eat and drink till the Adhān of the real dawn.
In its meaning, this Hadīth is linked to other versions which demonstrate that there were two Adhāns for Fajr during the Prophet's lifetime: The first Adhān was proclaimed by Bilāl ibn Rabāh (may Allah be pleased with him). This is the one about which the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not be misled with regard to your Suhūr by the Adhān of Bilāl or the whiteness of the horizon that grows long in this way." This teaches the Muslims that they may eat and drink when they hear the Adhān of Bilāl, for it was only intended to give notice that the time of Fajr was approaching. The Adhān of Bilāl was proclaimed at the time when the whiteness of the horizon grows long in the sky. And it was meant to make the sleeping person wake up and alert the one standing in prayer. It was followed by the second Adhān, which was proclaimed by Ibn ’Umm Maktūm. Upon hearing it, the people would abstain from food and drink and start fasting.
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) directed the people to the sign of the true dawn. He commanded them to eat and drink till "it spreads this way" i.e., until dawn appears extended on the horizon..

1096

‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The difference between our fasting and the fasting of the People of the Book is the Suhūr (pre-dawn) meal.".

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to urge and enjoin the Muslims to have the Suhūr meal, given the blessing it contains for the fasting person.
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) says: "The difference between our fasting and the fasting of the People of the Book is the Suhūr (pre-dawn) meal," i.e., the Suhūr meal - for he who wants to observe fasting, obligatory, or supererogatory - differentiates between the nature of our fasting and the fasting of the People of the Book - the Jews and the Christians. This is because Allah made permissible for us some of what He has prohibited for them. So, our difference from them in this regard represents gratitude for this favor. They do not have a Suhūr meal, while we are enjoined to have it. The best time for this meal is the time of Sahar, which comes shortly before the rise of the true dawn.
This meal is stressed because at this time most people will probably be sleeping, and sleep and its enjoyment may overcome and distract them from the significance of this meal. Then, as a result of abandoning this meal, they will be weakened in undertaking their activities during the daytime.
The Hadīth urges us to have the Suhūr meal.
It shows the Prophet's keenness on being distinguished and different from the People of the Book in the acts of worship common between us and them..

1099

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: Sometimes I missed some fasts of Ramadan and I would not be able to make up for them except in Sha‘bān; due to being busy with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), or because of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). [And in a version]: That is because of the status of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). [And in a version]: Being busy with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) is not mentioned in the Hadīth..

Commentary : The Shariah urges and encourages us to use the dispensations, particularly if they entail something that may lead to a certain harm or hardship.
In this Hadīth, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) says: "Sometimes I missed some fasts of Ramadan," i.e., days of fasting in Ramadan were due upon me, for I did not fast them due to things that happen to women, like menstruation, illness, etc. "and I would not be able to make up for them except in Sha‘bān," i.e., she could not make up for these days throughout the year except in Sha‘bān. "due to being busy with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), or because of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)." She used to keep herself prepared and ready for his affairs (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and for pleasing him (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) at all times. This shows her extreme politeness and love for him (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and it indicates the great rights of the husband upon one's wife.
The Hadīth indicates the legitimacy of delaying the fast of Ramadan until the next Sha‘bān.
It also demonstrates the flexibility provided in the acts of worship and religious obligations.
The Hadīth also shows the significance of the rights of the husband and being busy with obeying him and tending to his affairs..

1104

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: As the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was performing prayer during Ramadan, I came and stood by his side. Then, another man came and stood likewise till we became a group. When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) perceived that we were behind him, he lightened the prayer. Then, he went to his abode and performed such a prayer that he would not perform with us. In the morning, we asked him, "Did you perceive us during the night?" He said: "Yes, it was this that prompted me to do what I did." He said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) began to observe Wisāl (continuous Qiyām and fasting) at the end of the month, and some men among his Companions began to observe Wisāl. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What about those men who observe Wisāl?! You are not like me. By Allah, if the month were lengthened for me, I would observe Wisāl in a way that would make those who act with exaggeration abandon their exaggeration!".

Commentary : Acts of worship must be performed exactly as the Shariah prescribed them. We were commanded to fear Allah as much as we can, without overburdening ourselves or adopting a strict approach in religion, for people differ in terms of their abilities and capacities, and lest people become bored of worship and the religious injunctions.
In this Hadīth, Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) informs the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) once performed a supererogatory prayer in Ramadan during a night in the mosque. Meanwhile, he came and stood on his right side, praying with him. Then, another man came and also stood to pray with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Then, people continued to come and pray behind the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) till they became "Raht" (a group), which is less than ten persons or more, up to forty men. When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) perceived they were praying behind him, he began to lighten the prayer to facilitate the matter and make it easy for them. This contrasts with his usual performance of Qiyām al-Layl when he prayed alone. After he made Taslīm ending the prayer, he entered "his abode" i.e., his house, where he performed a long prayer the like of which he did not perform with him. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) informed that in the morning after that night, they said to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): "Did you perceive us?" i.e., did you feel our presence during that night when we prayed behind you? He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Yes' i.e., I perceived you praying behind me. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: "it was this that prompted me to do what I did", i.e., it was what you did as you prayed behind me that drove me to lighten the prayer, go to my house and pray there, and refrain from coming out to you, lest it may be made obligatory for you. Indeed, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) is the most lenient and merciful among people toward his Ummah.
Then, Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) told that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) began to observe Wisāl, performing Qiyām all night long and observing fast day and night without breaking it. This Wisāl was at the end of the month of Ramadan. So, some men among his Companions began to observe Wisāl and act like him, thinking that the Prophet's prohibition was meant for discouraging, not unlawfulness. As a result, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) got angry and disapproved of them, as Wisāl was not prescribed for the Ummah. Rather, it is one of his peculiar traits (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: "What about those men who observe Wisāl" of fasting?! "You are not like me", i.e., in this matter, you are not like me. Rather, you are required to do what is easier for you. It is authentically reported in the Two Sahīh Collections that he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would spend the night with his Lord so Allah would provide him with food and drink. This stems from the Prophet's complete compassion and mercy toward his Ummah and his fear that they might get bored of worship and fall short of some tasks of the religion. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) swore to them: "By Allah, if the month were lengthened for me" i.e., if the days of the month of Ramadan increased, as they sighted the crescent one or two days after their observance of Wisāl, according to a Hadīth narrated in the Two Sahīh Collections and reported by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him). "I would observe Wisāl," i.e., he would continue this Wisāl of his, "in a way that would make those who act with exaggeration", those who overburden themselves, adopt a strict approach, and oblige themselves to do things that were not prescribed for them, "abandon their exaggeration." i.e., so that they would abandon it because of tiredness and hardship, and thus they would themselves be sure of the leniency of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) toward them when he prohibited them from Wisāl. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would indeed increase Wisāl for them to deter and punish them for their lack of compliance with his command (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
The Hadīth points out the Prophet's leniency toward his Ummah and that he would not burden them with things beyond their capacity.
It warns of exaggeration in the acts of worship.
And it warns against overburdening oneself with supererogatory acts of worship..

Book of Hadith