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Hadith
38
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever fasts Ramadan, out of faith and in the hope of reward, his previous sins will be forgiven.”.

Commentary : This hadith brings great glad tidings from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to the one who is helped to fast the entire month of Ramadan when he is able to do that. Fasting means refraining, with the intention of worship, from eating, drinking, sexual activity and all other things that break the fast, from the break of dawn until the sun sets. Whoever fasts this month “out of faith and in the hope of reward”, believing in the divine command to do it, knowing that it is obligatory, out of fear of punishment for failing to do it, and seeking great reward for his fast – and this is a description of the believer – it is hoped that Allah will forgive him his previous sins, except those that involved transgressions against other people affecting their wealth, honour or physical well-being. Such sins cannot be waived except with their consent, so the person who transgressed against them must seek pardon from those to whom he owes something, or restore their dues.
The reward (forgiveness) is mentioned in the past tense [in the original Arabic], even though the forgiveness will come in the future, in order to give the sense that it will certainly happen and will definitely take place, by the grace of Allah (may He be exalted) to His slaves.
This hadith urges us to fast the month of Ramadan, and highlights the great reward for doing that..

39
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Religion is easy, and no one commits himself to religious practices more than he can bear, but he will be overwhelmed (and unable to continue). So do your best and do not go to extremes, be of good cheer, and seek help in the morning and in the afternoon, and during part of the night.”.

Commentary : The religion of Islam is a religion of ease. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) urged us to persist in a moderate approach to doing righteous deeds and acts of worship, and limiting that to what one is able to do and is able to persist in doing regularly. Whoever commits himself to religious practices more than he can bear, and goes to extremes, will not be able to carry on, and this over-commitment will overwhelm him and defeat him.
In the beginning of the hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) sets out this important principle. He says “Religion is easy”, meaning that it is easy and straightforward in its beliefs, in the manners and attitudes that it promotes, in the righteous deeds that it enjoins and in the things that it prohibits and forbids. Then he advises us to be moderate and to do our best, encouraging us with words of glad tidings and urging us not to despair.
Being moderate is mentioned with regard to doing righteous deeds and in doing acts of worship, so that the individual does not fall short with regard to what he is enjoined to do, and he does not take on of such deeds more than he can bear, and thus he avoids going to extremes or becoming negligent. “Do your best” means: even if you cannot do it perfectly, then try your best to do what is close to that level. “Be of good cheer” means: have hope of reward, because you will be rewarded for your good deeds even if they are few.
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) tells us about that which could help us to be moderate and do our best, as he said: “and seek help in the morning and in the afternoon, and during part of the night.” These are three times that are good for doing righteous deeds and acts of worship which help a person in his journey towards Allah. The morning is the beginning of the day, and the afternoon is the end of the day. The word translated here as night refers to travelling at the end of the night, which is something praiseworthy in the case of physical, worldly journeys and in one’s spiritual journey towards Allah through doing acts of worship and righteous deeds. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said “and during part of the night”; he did not say “at night”, so as to make it easier, because it is difficult to do deeds at night. The beginning of these words sound as if the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was speaking to a traveller who is trying to cover the distance to reach his destination. So he drew his attention to the times when he has the most energy, when his acts of worship and righteous deeds will produce the best results. Thus he likened man in this world to a traveller, and this is indeed how he is, because this world is a realm of travel and movement that leads to the hereafter, so the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) pointed out to his ummah that they should strive to make the most of these times of opportunity and any periods of free time that they have.
This hadith motivates people who aspire to do righteous deeds and acts of worship, and gives them glad tidings of the reward that will result from their good deeds..

40
It was narrated from al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib that when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) first came to Madinah, he stayed with his paternal relatives – or his maternal uncles among the Ansar. He prayed facing towards Bayt al-Maqdis for sixteen months, or seventeen months, but he was always hoping that his qiblah would be changed to the Kaaba. The first prayer he prayed [facing towards the Kaaba] was ‘Asr prayer, and a number of people prayed with him. One of the men who had prayed with him went out, and passed by some people in a mosque who were bowing [in the posture of ruku‘], so he said: I bear witness by Allah that I have just prayed with the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) facing towards Makkah. So they turned as they were [still in the posture of ruku‘] to face towards the Kaaba. The Jews and other People of the Book had liked it when he prayed facing towards Bayt al-Maqdis, so when he turned his face towards the Kaaba, they did not like that..

Commentary : Religious laws are based on revelation and what Allah (may He be glorified) has enjoined, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) followed that. If he found himself inclined towards something, he would not do it unless he was instructed to do it. In this hadith, al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came to Madinah, he stayed with Banu al-Najjar, because they were his maternal uncles, or his forefathers on the side of his father’s grandfather, Hashim ibn ‘Abd Manaf. In the beginning, when prayer was made obligatory, his qiblah [direction faced in the prayer] was Bayt al-Maqdis [Jerusalem], and he continued to face in that direction for sixteen or seventeen months, but he was hoping that his qiblah would be changed to the Kaaba. Allah (may He be glorified) mentions this feeling of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in the verse in which He says: {We have certainly seen the turning of your face, [O Muhammad], toward the heaven, and We will surely turn you to a qiblah with which you will be pleased. So turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram} [al-Baqarah 2:144]. Thus He promised that He would turn his face towards the qiblah with which he would be pleased. The first prayer that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed whilst facing towards the Kaaba was ‘Asr prayer; there is no difference of scholarly opinion concerning the fact that that happened in 2 AH. Some of his companions prayed with him, then one of the men who had prayed with him went out and passed by the people of another mosque. He found them praying, and they were bowing [in the posture of ruku‘], so he said to them: I swear by Allah that I have just prayed with the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) facing towards the Kaaba in prayer. When they heard him, they believed him and they turned to face towards al-Masjid al-Haram without interrupting their prayer; rather they completed their prayer facing towards the Kaaba. Thus they offered one prayer in two directions: facing towards al-Masjid al-Aqsa [in Jerusalem] and facing towards al-Masjid al-Haram [in Makkah].
The Jews liked the fact that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to face towards Bayt al-Maqdis, because that was their qiblah. When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) turned to face towards the Sacred House, they did not like that. Then Allah (may He be exalted) revealed concerning that the words: {The foolish among the people will say, ‘What has turned them away from their qiblah, which they used to face?’ Say, ‘To Allah belongs the east and the west. He guides whom He wills to a straight path’} [al-Baqarah 2:142], as is clearly stated in other reports.
Some of the Sahabah who had only prayed facing towards Bayt al-Maqdis had died or been killed before the qiblah was changed to the Sacred House. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was asked about them, then Allah revealed the words: {Allah would never let your faith go to waste} [al-Baqarah 2:143], referring to their prayers.
In this hadith, we see how quickly the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) responded to the commands of Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) and His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
It also indicates that it is prescribed to swear to something in order to confirm it, and that one should respond positively to the one who calls people to Allah and His Messenger..

41
It was narrated from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri that he heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) saying: “If a person enters Islam and becomes a good Muslim, Allah will absolve every bad deed that he committed, then after that he will be treated fairly: a good deed will bring a tenfold reward, up to seven hundredfold, and a bad deed will be recorded as one, unless Allah pardons it.”.

Commentary : Entering Islam will save a person in this world and the hereafter, for Islam is the religion which affirms the oneness of Allah (may He be glorified) and does not associate anything with Him. It is the message that was brought by all the Messengers and Prophets.
In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) states that if a disbeliever enters Islam and becomes a good Muslim, and becomes a Muslim in the true sense of the word, with no trace of doubt, believing outwardly and inwardly, then Allah will absolve the bad deeds that he committed, meaning the sins, both minor and major, that he committed before he became Muslim, by His grace. Then after becoming Muslim he will be treated fairly and equitably, meaning that Allah will requite him appropriately for everything that he does, whether it is good or bad. So he will be requited for good deeds with reward, and for bad deeds with punishment. He will be rewarded tenfold for every good deed, and that reward may be multiplied up to seven hundredfold. As for bad deeds, each bad deed will be recorded as just one deed, and he will be requited accordingly. Or Allah may pardon him, by His grace, kindness and mercy, so He will not punish him for doing it.
This hadith indicates that Islam erases whatever sins came before it. .

43
It was narrated from ‘A’ishah that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) entered her apartment, when there was a woman with her. He said: “Who is this?” She said: So-and-so, and she spoke about how much she prayed. He said: “Stop! You should only do as much as you are able to, for by Allah, Allah does not grow weary until you grow weary.” The dearest of religious practice to him was that which a person does regularly and persists in it.

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Commentary : Religion is easy and not difficult. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) taught his ummah the proper way to adhere to religion and to practice it. He explained that the believer should do what he is able to do of worship, whilst encouraging people to be moderate in what they commit themselves to do, so that they will not grow weary or lose energy and momentum. In this hadith, the Mother of the Believers ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), narrates that the Prophet entered her apartment one day, when another woman was with her. When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) asked who she was, ‘A’ishah told him that this was So-and-so, mentioning her by name, then she said how much she prayed and did other acts of worship, praising her a great deal. But the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) rebuked her and said “Stop!” meaning: Stop praising her, for what she is doing is not deserving of praise, because it is contrary to the Sunnah. Proper adherence to religion means following the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and adhering to his Sunnah, not being harsh with oneself and exhausting oneself in doing a lot of acts of worship. Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) taught us the right way and said: “You should only do as much as you are able to do”, so commit yourself to deeds that you are able to do regularly and persist in, and do as much as you are able to of fasting and praying at night; do not make it hard for yourselves.
With regard to the words “for by Allah, Allah does not grow weary until you grow weary”, some of the scholars said that this ascribes the attribute of weariness to Allah (may He be exalted) but the weariness of Allah is not like the weariness of people, because when a person grows weary it is an attribute of imperfection, as it indicates that he has become bored and tired of this thing. The weariness of Allah, on the other hand, is an attribute of perfection with no element of shortcoming in it, which is like all the other divine attributes that we affirm for Allah in a manner that is most perfect, even if in the case of people it is an attribute of imperfection. However, some of the scholars say that the phrase “Allah does not grow weary until you grow weary” serves to highlight the fact that no matter how much you do of righteous deeds, Allah will reward you for it, so do as much as you like, for Allah will never tire of rewarding you until you grow weary of striving in doing righteous deeds. Based on that, what is meant by weariness [in the case of Allah (may He be exalted)] is the outcome of that weariness [which is the cessation of reward when the person grows weary and stops doing the good deed he was doing]. And some of the scholars said that this hadith does not indicate that Allah becomes weary at all, because if someone says “I will not get up until you get up,” that does not imply that the other person will get up. By the same token, “He does not grow weary until you grow weary” does not imply that Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) will grow weary.
‘A’ishah also said that the dearest of religious practice to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) – and according to another report in as-Sahihayn, it says “to Allah” – is that which one persists in and does regularly, even if it is small, as mentioned in the report of Muslim, because persisting in a small action is persisting in worship, dhikr, mindfulness of Allah, intention, sincerity and turning to the Creator (may He be glorified and exalted) and a small action that is done persistently will yield a much greater result than a great deed that is done and then stops.
This hadith highlights the Prophet’s compassion and kindness towards his ummah.
It also indicates that a small action that is done consistently is better than a greater action that is inconsistent..

44
It was narrated from Anas, that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There will be brought forth from the Fire everyone who says La ilaha illa Allah (none has the right to be worshipped except Allah) in whose heart there is goodness the weight of a grain of barley; and there will be brought forth from the Fire everyone who says La ilaha illa Allah (none has the right to be worshipped except Allah) in whose heart there is goodness the weight of a grain of wheat; and there will be brought forth from the Fire everyone who says La ilaha illa Allah (none has the right to be worshipped except Allah) in whose heart there is goodness the weight of an atom.” He [the narrator] said: Aban said: Qatadah told us: Anas told us, from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) “of faith,” instead of “goodness.”.

Commentary : Allah’s mercy towards His slaves is immense and without limit, and it cannot be fully described. On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will show great generosity to many of His slaves, and he will bring forth from the Fire anyone in whose heart is the smallest amount of goodness and faith.
In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) tells us that no one will remain forever in Hell who has in his heart an atom’s weight of faith. If the Muslim who sinned dies without having repented from his sin, it is up to Allah: if He wills, He will pardon him for it, and if He wills, He will punish him, but he will not remain forever in the Fire under any circumstances. Allah will bring forth from the Fire anyone who said La ilaha illa Allah and has in his heart as much as a grain of barley, or a grain of wheat, or even an atom’s weight of goodness, which means faith, as is explained in other reports. That is because goodness, in reality, is that which brings a person closer to Allah (may He be exalted), and that can be nothing other than faith. The word dharrah (translated here as atom) may refer to a small ant, or a speck of dust that may be seen floating in rays of sunlight, like the heads of needles. Barley is mentioned before wheat, because its grains are bigger in size, although they are very similar to one another, and the dharrah is mentioned last because it is so small. This is by way of explaining the issue by using the analogy of increasingly smaller likenesses.
This hadith indicates that merely saying La ilaha illa Allah, without there being any faith in the heart, will not benefit a person or bring him forth from the Fire.
It also clearly indicates how people may have different levels of faith, and that some of those believers who commit major sins may enter the Fire, but they will not abide therein forever..

45
It was narrated from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab that a Jewish man said to him: O Amir al-Mu’minin, there is a verse in your Book that you recite; if it had been revealed to us Jews, we would have taken that day as a festival. He said: Which verse is it? He said: {This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion} [al-Ma’idah 5:3]. ‘Umar said: We know that day, and the place in which it was revealed to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). [It was] when he was standing in ‘Arafah, on a Friday. .

Commentary : The Holy Qur’an is held sacred by all Muslims. The noble Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) were keen to learn everything having to do with it, such as the reasons for revelation, the story behind the revelation of verses, and when they were revealed, as well as learning all the rulings and meanings of the verses.
In this report, the Tabi‘i Tariq ibn Shihab narrates that a Jewish man – namely Ka‘b al-Ahbar, before he became Muslim, as is narrated in Tafsir al-Tabari and al-Awsat by al-Tabarani – came to the caliph ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and said to ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): There is a verse in your Book that you recite; if it had been revealed to us Jews, we would have taken that day as a festival – that is, we would have made it a festival to celebrate, out of respect and honour for that day, and highlighting its virtue. ‘Umar said: Which verse is it? He said: {This day I have perfected for you your religion} [al-Ma’idah 5:3], that is, by causing it to be victorious and prevail over all other religions, {and completed My favor upon you} that is, by guiding you, helping you and perfecting the religion, and with the conquest of Makkah and the destruction of the beacons of jahiliyyah. This is a great verse, and the day when it was revealed is deserving of celebration.
‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We know that day, and the place in which this verse was revealed, so you are not telling us of something of which we are unaware. It was revealed to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when he was standing in ‘Arafah on a Friday, so it was a day on which two “festivals” were combined: the day of ‘Arafah, and Friday.
The words of Ka‘b al-Ahbar, “we would have taken that day as a festival” imply: and you have not taken it as a festival, as if he was trying to suggest that the verse was not true, because the Muslims had neglected the day on which it was revealed. So ‘Umar explained to him that they did indeed celebrate it on two counts, and they regarded it as a twofold festival.
This hadith indicates that festivals and days to be commemorated cannot be based on personal opinion and ideas, as the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) did before us. Rather they are to be based on religious texts and following the practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
It also indicates that faith may increase and decrease, as religious commitment may be perfected by perfecting and completing the deeds that it prescribes..

46
It was narrated that Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydillah said: A man from Najd came to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) with dishevelled hair. The rise and fall of his voice could be heard, but his words could not be understood until he came close, and it turned out that he was asking about Islam. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Five prayers every day and night.” The man said: Is anything else required of me? He said: “No, unless you do it voluntarily.” The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “And fasting Ramadan.” He said: Is anything else required of me? He said: “No, unless you do it voluntarily.” Then the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) mentioned zakah, and the man said: If anything else required of me? He said: “No, unless you do it voluntarily.” Then the man turned away, saying: By Allah, I shall do no more than that and no less. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “He will succeed if he is telling the truth.”.

Commentary : Being assiduous in doing everything prescribed in Islam and carrying out its pillars in the proper manner, with sincerity, is the path to success and prosperity, and a means of salvation from the terrors of the Day of Resurrection.
In this hadith, Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that a man from Najd – which is a region of Arabia between the Hejaz and Iraq – came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). That man was Dimam ibn Tha‘labah; his hair was unkempt because of the rigours of travel, and he had a loud voice, but nothing he said could be understood until he drew close to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). It turned out that he was asking about the teachings of Islam, so the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) responded by explaining that the first duty of Islam that was required of him was the five prayers, which are to be offered every day and night. He said: Do I have to offer any prayers other than these five prayers? The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) replied: You do not have to offer any other prayers, unless you voluntarily do some of the regular Sunnah and other Sunnah prayers, which are encouraged (mustahabb) and you will be rewarded for doing them, but you will not be punished for not doing them.
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) told him that he had to fast Ramadan. Fasting means refraining, with the intention of worship, from food, drink, sexual activity and other things that break the fast, from the break of dawn until the sun sets. He said: Do I have to do anything else? He said: You do not have to do anything else, unless you do it voluntarily, fasting some days other than Ramadan, for they are encouraged and you will be rewarded for doing that. Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) told him about zakah, which is an obligatory, financial act of worship, to be given on every type of wealth that meets the minimum threshold, as defined in Islamic teachings, when one full lunar (or Hijri) year has passed since acquiring that wealth, giving one quarter of one tenth. One should also give zakah on an‘am animals [camels, cattle and sheep] and other livestock; zakah on crops, fruits, and trade goods; and zakah on rikaz, which is buried treasure that is brought out of the earth and, it was said, minerals and metals, on the basis of their nisab (minimum threshold), to be given at the time at which their zakah becomes due. Giving zakah in the proper manner to those who are entitled to it brings increased blessing (barakah) to wealth, and brings great reward in the hereafter, whereas being stingy and withholding it from those who are entitled to it brings bad consequences in this world and the hereafter, as has been explained in many texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah. Zakah is to be given to those who are entitled to it, who are mentioned in the verse: {Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise} [al-Tawbah 9:60].
The man asked: Do I have to do anything other than that? He said: No, unless you give something else in charity voluntarily, and you will be rewarded for that, but it is not obligatory and you will not be sinning if you do not do it. Then the man turned and left, swearing by Allah that he would not do any supererogatory (nafil) deeds in addition to these obligatory duties, and he would not omit any of them. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “He will succeed if he is speaking the truth.” In other words, if he means what he says, and he does these pillars [of Islam] sincerely for the sake of Allah (may He be exalted), then he will attain Paradise and be saved from the Fire, even if he does not do any supererogatory actions.
This hadith indicates that if a person limits himself to the obligatory religious duties, as prescribed in the religious texts, then he will succeed, but this does not mean that it is not prescribed for him to do some voluntary acts of worship, because the voluntary actions will complete the obligatory actions (and make up for any shortcomings in them) on the Day of Resurrection..

47
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever follows the bier of a Muslim, out of faith and in the hope of reward, and remains with it until the funeral prayer is offered and the burial is complete, will go back with two qirats of reward, each qirat like Uhud. Whoever offers the funeral prayer then goes back before the burial is done will go back with one qirat.”.

Commentary : Part of honouring a fellow Muslim and showing kindness to him is attending his funeral when he dies, following the bier and offering the funeral prayer for him. This brings an immense reward for the one who does that out of faith and seeking reward.
In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) mentions the immense reward to be attained by following the bier, and tells us that the one who follows the bier of a Muslim, out of faith and in the hope of reward – that is, believing in the promise of Allah and seeking reward from Him, doing that sincerely for the sake of Allah (may He be exalted) alone, and not seeking to be seen by people or doing it for any other purpose that is contrary to sincerity – and offers the funeral prayer for the deceased, and follows the bier until the burial is completed, will attain two qirats of reward, each qirat like Mount Uhud, which is the well-known mountain on the northern outskirts of Madinah, 4 or 5 km from the Prophet’s Mosque. It is 7 km long, 2 to 3 km wide, and 350 metres high. Attaining these two qirats is subject to three conditions: firstly, following the bier; secondly, offering the funeral prayer; thirdly, attending the burial. As for the one who only offers the funeral prayer and then goes back before the burial is done, he will attain only one qirat of reward.
This hadith encourages us to offer the funeral prayer for the deceased, follow his bier and attend his burial. It also highlights the immense grace and generosity of Allah, and how great is the reward that He grants for small deeds..

48
It was narrated that Zubayd said: I asked Abu Wa’il about the Murji’ah, and he said: ‘Abdullah told me that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Insulting a Muslim is an evil action and fighting him is disbelief (kufr).”.

Commentary : Islam urges us to respect people’s honour and lives, and it calls the Muslims to be brothers and have compassion for one another, and not to transgress against one another.
In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbids the Muslim to insult and revile his fellow Muslim, and explains that impugning his honour and shaming him is regarded as evildoing, and it is going against the command of Allah and His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) by doing what they have forbidden; according to Islamic teachings, it is worse than merely committing a sin. “And fighting him is disbelief (kufr)” – what is meant here is not disbelief in the sense that it puts one beyond the bounds of faith. Rather it is called disbelief (kufr) in order to emphasize the warning and deter the listener from doing that. Or it may be that it is likened to disbelief because this is the action of one who disbelieves. It may be understood as meaning disbelief in a real sense if the doer believes that it is permissible to do that.
In the original report narrated by al-Bukhari, the Tabi‘i Abu Wa’il Shaqiq ibn Salamah asked ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) about the Murji’ah – who were a group who said that if a person believed, it did not matter if he sinned, and they claimed that the one who committed major sin was not an evil doer. So Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated this hadith, which affirms that sin is indeed harmful and affects the faith of the one who does it.
This hadith also indicates that some deeds may be described as disbelief (kufr), which implies that other deeds may be called faith (iman)..

49
It was narrated from ‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit  that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came out to tell the people when Laylat al-Qadr would be, but two of the Muslim men suddenly started arguing, so he said: “I came out to tell you when Laylat al-Qadr would be, but So-and-so and So-and-so started arguing, so it [knowledge of when Laylat al-Qadr would be] was taken away from me, and perhaps that is better for you, so seek it in seven and nine and five.”.

Commentary : Laylat al-Qadr in the month of Ramadan is of great significance and immense virtue, and we have been commanded to seek it and spend the night in prayer, out of faith and seeking reward with Allah (may He be glorified and exalted).
In this hadith, ‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came out one day to tell the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) about Laylat al-Qadr and precisely when it would occur, but he saw two men arguing and disputing, so he said: I came out to tell you about Laylat al-Qadr and which night it would be, but I saw two men arguing, so knowledge of its time was taken away. Thus they were deprived of the blessing of (the knowledge of) Laylat al-Qadr; otherwise Laylat al-Qadr will still remain until the Day of Resurrection. Then he said: Perhaps taking away the knowledge of when it will be and leaving its time ambiguous is better for you, so that you will strive hard in seeking it, and thus increase your reward. If it was known exactly when it would be, you might limit your hard work to that time, so you would make less effort and receive less reward. Then he said: So seek it – that is, look for it and strive hard – on the twenty ninth, the twenty seventh, and the twenty fifth of Ramadan. And it was said that what is meant is: look for it on the odd-numbered nights of Ramadan, when only nine days are left, or seven, or five, so Laylat al-Qadr may be on the twenty-first night, or the twenty-third, or the twenty-fifth, and so on. That is assuming that the month is complete (with thirty days), so if you take away nine, you get twenty-one. And it was said that what is meant by nine in the hadith is the night before the twenty-second, what is meant by seven is the night before the twenty-fourth, and so on. This is assuming that the month is complete (with thirty days). And it was said that it varies from one year to another.
This hadith also condemns arguing and disputing, because they are a cause of punishment for everyone for the sin of a few.
The hadith also indicates that sins may be a cause of some issues of religion that one needs to know being hidden from him, so the more people commit sins, the more likely it is that this will lead to some issues of religion becoming unknown to them. .

50
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came out to the people one day, then Jibril came to him and said: What is faith (iman)? He said: “Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, the meeting with Him, and His Messengers, and to believe in the resurrection.” Jibril said: What is Islam? He said: “Islam is to worship Allah, not associating anything with Him; to establish prayer; to give the obligatory zakah; and to fast Ramadan.” He said: What is ihsan? He said: “It is to worship Allah as if you see Him, for although you do not see Him, He sees you.” He said: When will the Hour be? He said: “The one who is asked about it does not know more than the one who is asking, but I shall tell you about its portents: when the slave woman gives birth to her mistress, and when the insignificant camel herders compete in building lofty structures. It is one of the five things that no one knows except Allah.” Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) recited the words: {Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour…} Luqman 31:34]. Then the man turned and left. [The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)] said: “Bring him back,” but they did not see anything. Then he said: “That was Jibril, who came to teach the people their religion.”.

Commentary : This hadith discusses different religious duties and acts of worship, both outward and inward, including the tenets of faith, physical actions, sincerity in the heart, and caution regarding everything that could undermine righteous deeds. It covers the basic principles, important issues and foundations of faith, as Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained the meaning of faith, Islam and ihsan when Jibril (peace be upon him) came to him in the form of a man and asked him questions, when the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had come out among the people and was sitting with them. The bringer of the revelation, Jibril (peace be upon him), came to him and asked him about faith, in order to teach the people their religion. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: It means to believe in Allah, which means believing in and affirming His existence, and that He possesses all attributes of majesty and perfection, far above any shortcomings; and that He is One, true, the Eternal Refuge, unique, the Creator of all creation, Who does whatever He wills in His dominion, and decrees whatever He wills concerning His creation; that He alone is deserving of all kinds of worship, to the exclusion of all others.
Believing in His angels means believing in all the angels of Allah (may He be exalted): both those who have been mentioned by name – such as Jibril, Mika’il and Israfil – in whom we must believe in detail, and those who have not been mentioned by name, in whom we must believe in general terms.
Believing in His Books means affirming that all the Books that were sent down to the Prophets and Messengers, such as the Torah, Gospel and Qur’an, are the words of Allah and came from Him, and that what they contain – of that which has not been distorted – is true; that Allah sent down the Qur’an to determine what is true in those [previous] Books and to confirm them, and that it is protected from distortion.
Believing in the meeting with Allah means believing and affirming that people will stand before Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) for the reckoning and the requital of their deeds.
Believing in the Messengers of Allah means believing in and affirming all the Messengers of Allah, and believing that they spoke the truth in what they conveyed from Allah (may He be exalted), and that Allah supported them with miracles which proved that they spoke the truth; that they conveyed Allah’s message from Him and explained to people what He commanded them to explain; that we must respect them and not differentiate between them; and that we must believe that the last of them is our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and that all of mankind are obliged to believe in him and follow him.
Believing in the resurrection means believing that Allah will resurrect those who are in their graves and will give life to the dead.
Then Jibril (peace be upon him) asked the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about Islam, and he replied: It means to worship Allah, not associating anything with Him, and obeying Him with submission, humility and love.
You should establish prayer, and establishing prayer is done by regularly offering the five daily prayers on time, with all their conditions, essential parts and obligatory actions.
You should give zakah, which is obligatory, and give it to those who are entitled to it. It is an obligatory, financial act of worship, to be given on every type of wealth that meets the minimum threshold, as defined in Islamic teachings, when one full lunar (or Hijri) year has passed since acquiring that wealth, giving one quarter of one tenth. One should also give zakah on an‘am animals [camels, cattle and sheep] and other livestock; zakah on crops, fruits, and trade goods; and zakah on rikaz, which is buried treasure that is brought out of the earth and, it was said, minerals and metals, on the basis of their nisab (minimum threshold), to be given at the time at which their zakah becomes due. Giving zakah in the proper manner to those who are entitled to it brings increased blessing (barakah) to wealth, and brings great reward in the hereafter, whereas being stingy and withholding it from those who are entitled to it brings bad consequences in this world and the hereafter.
And you should fast Ramadan. Fasting means refraining, with the intention of worship, from food, drink, sexual activity and other things that break the fast, from the break of dawn until the sun sets.
Then he asked him about ihsan, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) responded by saying: It means that you worship Allah like one who sees Allah (may He be exalted), and Allah sees him, so you do not omit any aspects of humility, submission, sincerity, and utmost alertness in controlling your thoughts and physical movements, paying attention to proper etiquette both outward and inward, so long as you are in a state of worship. The ultimate level of ihsan is for the believer to worship his Lord as if he sees Him in his heart, so he will constantly bear in mind the fact that he is in that state (as if seeing Allah in his heart). If he is not able to do that and it is too difficult for him, then he moves to a different level of ihsan, which is to worship Allah with the awareness that Allah sees him and knows what he conceals in his heart and what he does openly, for nothing he does is hidden from Him.
Then Jibril (peace be upon him) said: Tell me about the Hour, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: The one who is asked about it does not know more than the one who is asking. In other words, all of creation is the same with regard to knowledge of when the Hour will begin, for none of them have any knowledge of that in reality. This indicates that Allah (may He be exalted) alone has kept the knowledge of it to Himself, hence he said: It is one of the five things that no one knows except Allah, then he recited the verse: {Indeed, Allah [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs. And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die} [Luqmaan 31:34]. These are the keys of the unseen, which no one knows except Allah.
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: But I shall tell you about its portents. As it is not possible to know the time of the Hour, which he was asked about, he moved on to describing its portents, which are the signs that the Hour is close at hand. The first of its signs is that the slave woman will give birth to her mistress. What is meant is that there would be many conquests in the lands of the disbelievers, which would lead to the acquisition of slaves, so that a woman would be brought from the land of disbelief when she was young, and she would be freed in the Muslim lands, then her mother would be brought as a slave after her, then the daughter would buy her and employ her as a servant, not knowing that she was her mother. This indeed happened in the history of Islam. Or it may be that slave women would give birth to kings, so the king’s mother would be one of his subjects when he was her master and the master of others among his subjects, and in charge of their affairs. Or it may be that what is meant is that defiant disobedience towards parents would become widespread, to the extent that children would treat their mothers like slaves, by insulting them and humiliating them.
The second sign is that the insignificant camel herders will compete in building lofty structures. What is meant by insignificant is unknown herders and shepherds, or those who have nothing and are destitute. Competing in the building of lofty structures means that they will become rich and kings, ruling people.
What is mentioned in this hadith is only two of the minor portents of the Hour; there are many portents, many of which have already appeared.
After the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had answered these questions, the questioner went away. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed his companions to bring him back to him, but they could not see anything, either the man or his tracks. It was said that perhaps he said “bring him back to me” in order to alert the Sahabah and make them realize that this was an angel, not a human being. Hence he said to them, “That was Jibril, who came to teach the people their religion”, that is, the principles of their religion. He attributed the act of teaching to him, even though he just asked questions, because he was the cause of this teaching, so he attributed it to him, or because teaching was the aim behind his asking these questions, or because he wanted them to learn, as they did not ask. Or it may be that through Jibril’s questions to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in the presence of the Sahabah, he wanted to show them that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had a great deal of knowledge, and that his knowledge came through the revelation, so that they would become more eager to acquire knowledge and be more interested in it.
This hadith indicates that when the words Islam and faith (iman) are mentioned together, each of them has its own meaning, and when one of them is mentioned on its own, it includes the meaning of the other.
It also indicates that the angels may appear in human form, as referred to in the verse: {Then We sent to her Our Angel, and he represented himself to her as a well-proportioned man} [Maryam 19:17].
It also highlights the importance of sincerity and remembering that Allah is always watching.
And it indicates that if a knowledgeable person is asked about something he does not know, he should say, “I do not know”, and that does not detract from his status; rather it is indicative of his prudence, piety and abundant knowledge..

52
It was narrated that an-Nu‘man ibn Bashir said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) saying: “That which is halal is clear and that which is haram is clear, and between them are doubtful matters which many people do not know. Whoever avoids the doubtful matters will have protected his faith and his honour, but whoever falls into the doubtful matters is like a shepherd who grazes his flock around a sanctuary: soon he will transgress upon it. Indeed, every king has a sanctuary and, indeed, the sanctuary of Allah on His earth is His sacred limits. Indeed, in the body there is a piece of flesh, which if it is sound, the entire body will be sound, and if it is corrupt, the entire body will be corrupt; indeed, it is the heart.”.

Commentary : This hadith is one of the hadiths which describes the central tenets of Islam. It is a very important hadith, and one of the principal foundations of Islamic teaching. It is an example of the concise speech of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), as in it he urges the Muslims to err on the side of caution and avoid doubtful matters concerning which there is no clear reference in the religious texts. He explained that what is halal is clear and evident; it is everything for which there is no evidence that it is prohibited in the Qur’an, Sunnah, scholarly consensus (ijma‘) or analogy (qiyas), because the basic principle is that things are permissible [unless there is evidence to the contrary]. Similarly, what is haram is also clear and evident; it is everything for which there is evidence that it is prohibited, whether that evidence is from the Qur’an, the Sunnah or scholarly consensus. He stated that between what is halal and what is haram, there is a third category, which is doubtful matters. These are matters concerning which there is no clear ruling as to whether it is halal or haram, so many people are not able to know the ruling on these matters. This includes all doubtful and ambiguous matters, such as wealth from dubious sources, or wealth that is mixed with riba, or other kinds of unlawful wealth. As for cases when one is certain that this wealth has definitely been acquired through riba, then it is one hundred percent haram, beyond any shadow of a doubt, and it cannot be regarded as doubtful or dubious. Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained that whoever avoids doubtful matters is erring on the side of caution, so his faith will be protected from falling short, and his honour will be protected from any aspersions, criticism or bad reputation. As for the one who falls into doubtful matters and has the audacity to accept them, he is exposing himself to danger, for he will soon fall into that which is haram, like a shepherd who grazes his flock around a sanctuary, which is the land that the king sets aside for his own flocks, and warns anyone who grazes his flocks there without his permission that he will face a severe punishment. If a shepherd grazes his sheep around the land that the king has set aside for himself and designated for his personal use, his flock may enter the sanctuary, in which case he will deserve the punishment of the ruler. By the same token, the one who is careless about doubtful matters is in danger, because those matters may be haram, and he may fall into them, or he may become careless about doubtful matters, and that leads to him becoming negligent and careless in general, so he begins to fall into haram matters deliberately. Falling into dubious matters may lead to falling into minor sins, and falling into minor sins may lead to falling into major sins. We ask Allah to keep us safe and sound.
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Indeed, every king has a sanctuary and, indeed, the sanctuary of Allah on His earth is His sacred limits.” In other words, the sanctuary of Allah is the sins that He has prohibited to His slaves; whoever enters His sanctuary by committing any of those sins is doomed, and whoever comes close to it by doing doubtful things is in danger.
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) spoke a comprehensive word which explains what causes the sons of Adam to behave in a righteous or corrupt manner, which is that the basis of physical wellbeing has to do with the soundness or otherwise of the heart. If the heart is (spiritually) sound, then the person’s intentions will only seek what is right and proper, and all his physical faculties will be sound, and he will not be prompted to do anything except obey Allah and avoid His wrath. Thus he will be content with what is halal and have no need of what is haram. But if the heart is (spiritually) corrupt, then the person’s intentions will be corrupt, and all his physical faculties will be corrupt, and he will be prompted to disobey Allah (may He be glorified in exalted) and to do that which incurs His wrath. He will not be content with what is halal; rather he will hasten to seek that which is haram, in accordance with what his heart desires and the extent to which it drifts away from the truth..

53
It was narrated that Abu Jamrah said: I used to sit with Ibn ‘Abbas, who would invite me to sit next to him. He said: Stay with me so I can give you a share of my wealth. So I stayed with him for two months. Then he said: When the delegation of ‘Abdul Qays came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), he said: “Who are the people – or who are the delegation?” They said: [The tribe of] Rabi‘ah. He said: “Welcome to the people – or the delegation. You have nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to regret.” They said: O Messenger of Allah, we cannot come to you except in the sacred month, for between us and you there is this tribe of the disbelievers of Mudar. Tell us something clear that we can tell to those whom we left behind, by means of which we may enter Paradise. And they asked him about four kinds of drinks. He commanded them to do four things, and forbade to them four things. He commanded them to believe in Allah alone. He said: “Do you know what believing in Allah alone means?” They said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: “Testifying that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” [And he commanded them] to establish prayer, give zakâh and fast Ramadan, and to give one fifth of the war booty. And he forbade them to use four things: glazed pitchers, gourds, hollowed-out stumps, and varnished jars. And he said: “Memorize them [these rulings] and tell them to those you left behind.”.

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to teach the people all matters that would benefit them in their religious affairs, and in this world and the hereafter, so that they would be fully aware of them. In this hadith, the Tabi‘i Abu Jamrah says: I used to sit with Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), i.e., at the time when he was the governor of Basra during the caliphate of ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) used to honour him and make him sit next to him. Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Stay with me so that you can help me to understand those who come to ask questions. That was because he used to translate for him and tell him what non-Arab petitioners wanted, and he would tell the petitioner what Ibn ‘Abbas said. So he stayed with him for two months, and he heard this hadith from Ibn ‘Abbas, in which he told the story of the arrival of the delegation of ‘Abdul Qays who came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). ‘Abdul Qays was the name of a tribe. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) asked them about their lineage, and they said: Rabi‘ah, referring to their ancestor. Rabi‘ah was the son of Nizar ibn Ma‘add ibn ‘Adnan. They mentioned Rabi‘ah because ‘Abdul Qays was one of his sons. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) welcomed them and said: Welcome to the people who have come with nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to regret. What is meant is that none of them delayed becoming Muslim out of stubbornness, so neither they nor their families were taken captive, or anything else of that nature, that could be a cause of shame or regret. This serves to highlight their honourable position, as they entered Islam willingly, without being subjected to any kind of humiliation.
They said to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): We can only come to you during the sacred month. They mentioned the word in the singular, but what is meant is all four sacred months, namely Rajab, Dhul Qa‘dah, Dhul Hijjah and Muharram. They were only able to come during these months, and not others, because the Arabs used to refrain from fighting during these months; the disbelievers of the tribes of Mudar lived between Rabi‘ah and Madinah, and the tribe of Rabi‘ah could not reach Madinah except by travelling through their land; they were afraid of them, except during the sacred months, because they refrained from fighting at that time. They asked the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to enjoin upon them something clear, by means of which they could distinguish what was true and what was false, so that they could tell their people in their homeland about it. So the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) enjoined them to do four things: he enjoined them to believe in Allah, and explained that that meant bearing witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. This twin declaration of faith (shahadatayn) must be uttered verbally, whilst acknowledging and believing it in the heart, acting in accordance with what these words imply, believing, affirming and testifying to the oneness of Allah (may He be exalted), and that none is rightfully worshipped except Allah; and acknowledging the message of Muhammad ibn ‘Abdillah and affirming that he is the last of the prophets and messengers, and that it is obligatory upon all people to follow him and believe in him.
Then he enjoined them to establish prayer, which means regularly offering the five daily prayers on time, with all their conditions, essential parts and obligatory actions.
Then he enjoined them to give zakah, which is an obligatory, financial act of worship, to be given on every type of wealth that meets the minimum threshold, as defined in Islamic teachings, when one full lunar (or Hijri) year has passed since acquiring that wealth, giving one quarter of one tenth. One should also give zakah on an‘am animals [camels, cattle and sheep] and other livestock; zakah on crops, fruits, and trade goods; and zakah on rikaz, which is buried treasure that is brought out of the earth and, it was said, minerals and metals, on the basis of their nisab (minimum threshold), to be given at the time at which their zakah becomes due. Giving zakah in the proper manner to those who are entitled to it brings increased blessing (barakah) to wealth, and brings great reward in the hereafter, whereas being stingy and withholding it from those who are entitled to it brings bad consequences in this world and the hereafter, as has been explained in many texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah. Zakah is to be given to those who are entitled to it, who are mentioned in the verse: {Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise} [al-Tawbah 9:60].
Then he enjoined them to fast Ramadan, which means refraining, with the intention of worship, from food, drink, sexual activity and other things that break the fast, from the break of dawn until the sun sets.
Then he added: You should give one-fifth of the war booty, because they were neighbours of the disbelievers of Mudar, and they were people who fought in jihad and captured booty. Booty refers to anything that the Muslims seized of the wealth and property of the disbelievers by means of prevailing over them and defeating them. They were to give one fifth (khums) to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), as Allah explained in the verse: {Know that one-fifth of the booty (spoils of war) is for Allah, His Messenger, close relatives of the Messenger…} [al-Anfal 8:41], to be spent in the ways prescribed in the religious texts.
Some may be confused by the fact that the report says that he enjoined four things, but mentioned five. The response to that is that the first of the four things that are enjoined is the establishing of prayer. The twin declaration of faith was mentioned only for blessing (barakah). Or, it was suggested, that prayer and zakah were counted as one thing, because they are always mentioned together in the Book of Allah (may He be exalted), or because giving the one fifth is included in the general meaning of giving zakah, and what they have in common is that a specific amount of wealth is to be given in some cases but not in others.
Then he said: And he forbade four things. What is meant is that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade them to use four types of vessels for their food and drink. The first type was glazed pitchers, which were earthenware jars that were painted green or red, or glazed with vitreous material that was used to coat the earthenware jar to block all tiny holes. The second type was gourds, which are a type of squash. What was prohibited was using them as vessels after emptying them out and making them hollow. The third type was hollowed-out stumps, which refers to hollowing out the base of a palm tree so that it could be used as a vessel. The fourth type was varnished jars, which are jars that were coated with tar or pitch, which is made from a plant that is burned after it has dried out; similar substances were used for caulking ships and the like.
The prohibition on using these vessels in particular was because food and drink that were kept in them would soon start to change, and perhaps people might drink from them without realizing that a change had occurred. Then after that, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) granted a concession allowing people to use all kinds of vessels, whilst prohibiting drinking anything that caused intoxication, as was narrated in Sahih Muslim: “I used to forbid you to soak [dried dates and the like] in water skins, but now soak [such things] in all kinds of vessels, but do not drink anything that causes intoxication.”
Then at the end of the hadith the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) advised the members of the delegation to memorize these words of his, and convey them to those whom the delegation of ‘Abdul Qays had left behind.
This hadith tells us that people of virtue and prominent figures may be sent to meet leaders when there are important matters to be discussed.
It shows that an apology or explanation may be given before raising an issue.
It highlights the main issues and pillars of Islam, apart from Hajj.
It indicates that righteous actions may be called faith.
It indicates that a knowledgeable person may honour a prominent figure.
It shows that a knowledgeable person may seek help from his companions in explaining something to those who are present, and to understand their questions.
It indicates that the knowledgeable person should urge the people to convey knowledge and spread awareness of Islamic rulings.
It indicates that there is no shame in the seeker of knowledge or the one who is requesting a fatwa asking the knowledgeable person to explain his answer further. .

54
It was narrated from ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Actions are but by intentions, and each person will have what he intended. So whoever migrated for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, his migration was for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, and whoever migrated to achieve some worldly gain or to marry a woman, then his migration was for the purpose for which he migrated.”.

Commentary : This important hadith represents one of the main principles and foundations of Islamic teaching, to the extent that it was said concerning it that it constitutes one third of knowledge. In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Actions are but by intentions,” so no prescribed act of worship is valid without being preceded by the intention. “And each person will have what he intended,” so all the Muslim will get from his actions is what he intended thereby. This ruling is general in meaning and applies to all actions, whether they are acts of worship, interactions with others or ordinary actions. Whoever intends by his actions to attain some worldly benefit will gain nothing but that worldly benefit, even if it was an act of worship, and thus he will not attain any reward thereby. Whoever intended by his action to draw closer to Allah (may He be exalted) and to seek His pleasure will attain reward through his deed, even if it was an ordinary action, such as eating or drinking. Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) gave some practical examples to explain the impact of intentions on actions. Hence he stated that whoever intended by migrating to obey the command of his Lord, seek His pleasure, and flee for the sake of his faith from persecution, his migration was a kind of hijrah that is prescribed in Islamic teachings and will be accepted by Allah (may He be exalted), and he will be rewarded for it because of his sincere intention. However, the one who migrated in pursuit of some worldly gain or personal objective, such as wealth, trade, or marriage to a beautiful woman, “then his migration was for the purpose for which he migrated,” and he will not attain anything from his migration except that worldly benefit that he intended, and he will not attain any reward for that..

93
Gaber said, "A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, what are the two things quite unavoidable?' He replied, 'He who dies without associating anything with Allah will enter Paradise and he who dies associating anything with Allah will enter Hell.'".

Commentary : The Prophet's companions used to ask him about matters of religion. They were the most afraid people of Allah although they hoped for his mercy. In this hadith, Jaber ibn Abdullah narrated that a man came and asked the Prophet ﷺ about a desirable attribute that definitely leads us to enter Paradise and an evil attribute that definitely leads us to enter Hell. The Prophet ﷺ said that dying while believing in Allah is the first attribute. In this case, even if one committed sins, Allah would either forgive him without reckoning or hold him accountable for his sins then he would enter Paradise. In Bukhari and Muslim, Abu Dharr narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, "If anyone says, 'There is no god but Allah' then dies, he will enter paradise.' I asked, 'Even if he committed fornication or stealing?' The Prophet ﷺ replied, 'Even if he committed fornication or stealing.' I repeated, 'Even if he committed fornication or stealing?' The Prophet ﷺ replied, 'Even if he committed fornication or stealing' thrice. Then the Prophet ﷺ answered in the fourth time, 'Even if he committed fornication or stealing in spite of Abu Dharr’s will.'" By the way, this reward does not include the hypocrites. On the other hand, the Prophet showed that dying while associating partners with Allah is the second attribute, for it is a major polytheism. As a result, Hell will be his eternal abode. Polytheism is to associate others with Allah's divinity or worship. Finally, this hadith includes the following benefits: (1) It shows the virtue of believing and worshipping Allah alone and (2) It warns against polytheism and clarifies its terrible danger..

97
Safwan ibn Muhriz narrated that Jundab ibn Abdullah Al-Bajaly sent a message to 'As'as ibn Salama during the stormy days of Ibn Az-Zubair saying, "Gather some men from your family so I can talk to them." 'As'as sent a messenger to them. When they assembled, Jundab came wearing a yellow hooded cloak and said, "Complete the talks you had." When they fell into conversation then it was his turn to speak, he took the hood off his head and said, "I came to you to narrate a hadith of your Prophet ﷺ. He sent a squad of the Muslims to a tribe of the polytheists. When they confronted one another, there was a man among the army of polytheists whenever he intended to kill a man from among the Muslims, he killed him. There was a man among the Muslims who looked forward to (an opportunity of) his (the polytheist's) inattention. We talked that he was Osama ibn Zaid. When he raised his sword (to kill the polytheist), he uttered, “There is no god but Allah,” but he (Osama) killed him. When the messenger of the glad tidings came to the Prophet ﷺ, he asked him (about the events of the battle) so he informed him about that. He also told him about the man (Osama) and what he had done. The Prophet ﷺ called and asked the man, “Why did you kill him?” He (Osama) answered, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he forcibly struck the Muslims and killed such and such.” He named some of them and added, “I attacked him, but when he saw the sword, he said, ‘There is no god but Allah.’” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Did you kill him?” Osama said, “Yes.” The Prophet ﷺ added, “What would you do with ‘There is no god but Allah’ when it came on the Day of Judgment?” Osama said, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, seek forgiveness for me (from Allah).” The Prophet ﷺ answered, “What would you do with ‘There is no god but Allah’ when it came on the Day of Judgment?” He still repeated to him, “What would you do with ‘There is no god but Allah’ when it came on the Day of Judgment?”.

Commentary : Islam is keen to protect people's lives and blood and prevent them from attacking one another, so the testimony of monotheism means embracing Islam and preserving one’s blood, property, and honor. In this hadith, Safwan ibn Muhriz narrated that the Prophet’s companion Jundab ibn Abdullah Al-Bajaly sent a message to ‘As’as ibn Salama during the stormy days of Ibn Az-Zubair who fought the Umayyad caliph in 64th AH. Safwan asked ‘As‘as to gather some of his tribe. When they came, they started talking to each other until Jundab entered. Upon entering, he said to them, “Complete the talks you had.” They talked one by one. It was said that he guided them to speak lest they felt lonely or shameful about his presence. When it was his turn to speak, he took the hood off his head and said, “I came to you to narrate a hadith of your Prophet ﷺ.” He told them that the Prophet ﷺ sent a squad to a polytheist tribe called “Al-Huraqah” as Osama in Zaid narrated in the Two Sahihs. When the two armies confronted one another, there was a skilful polytheist that he killed any Muslim he was fighting. As a result, the companions mentioned that Osama ibn Zaid was waiting for the polytheist's inattention. When Osama surrounded and raised the sword before the polytheist, the latter declared the testimony of monotheism, but Osama killed him, thinking he said that out of fear. One of the Muslims informed the Prophet ﷺ about the Muslims’ victory and Osama’s behavior. The Prophet ﷺ called and asked Osama about the reason of his killing that man. Osama confirmed that the polytheist strongly fought Muslims and killed some of them. He mentioned some companions the polytheists killed. Once Osama raised his sword before him, the polytheist was certain of being killed, so he declared the testimony of monotheism to protect himself. Osama said in another narration of Imam Muslim, “He only said it out of fear of the weapon,” but the Prophet ﷺ said to him, “Did you split his heart to know whether he said it or not?” The Prophet ﷺ refused killing him after uttering the testimony of monotheism and repeated scolding Osama, “What would you do with ‘There is no god but Allah’ when it came on the Day of Judgment?” He meant who would intercede and defend you when facing the word of monotheism on that day or how you killed him after his being protected by Islam. Osama asked the Prophet ﷺ to ask Allah’s forgiveness for him, but he did nothing more than saying, “What would you do with ‘There is no god but Allah’ when it came on the Day of Judgment?” Although it was well known that Osama was one of the most beloved ones to the Prophet ﷺ, but he refused to ask Allah’s forgiveness for him. He may have done so out of scolding him and intimidating others. In Bukhari’s narration, Osama said, “The Prophet ﷺ kept on repeating so till I wished I had not been a Muslim before that day,” for Islam erased all sins committed before one’s embracing it. Osama looked down upon all righteous deeds he did before in comparison to this deed due to the Prophet’s strong refusal. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) The role of leaders, scholars, and celebrities that they try their best to guide, preach, and comfort people during stormy times, (2) A Muslim deals with people based on their apparent behaviors while entrusting their hidden matters to Allah, (3) People of monotheism’s blood is sacred, (4) The legitimacy of blaming, rebuking, and exaggerating in preaching about important matters, and (5) The leader scolds the wrongdoer, regardless of his position..

102
Abu Huraira narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ once passed by a pile of food. When he put his hand into it, his fingers felt some dampness so he asked, “What is this, O owner of the food?" He answered, “It was the rain, O Messenger of Allah.” He said, “Why did you not put it on the top so that people can see it? He who deceives is not from us.".

Commentary : Honesty is one of the supreme morals that transactions require to avoid disputes in societies. On the contrary, cheating and deception lead to hatred and quarrels among people. This hadith clarifies that cheating is not from Islam and the cheater is in great danger. Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet ﷺ passed by a man who is selling a pile of food such as wheat or barley. When he entered his hand into it, he felt some dampness underneath. In the narration of Abu Dawud, Abu Huraira reported, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed a man who was selling food. He asked him, 'What are you selling?' He informed him. It was revealed to him, 'Put your hand into it.' Thus, he put his hand into it and felt that it was damp." When the Prophet asked, "What is this, O owner of the food?" The merchant answered that it was due to the rain. This meant that he put the dry and clean food on the top while putting the wet and bad one at the bottom. The Prophet ﷺ accepted his excuse, alerted him to do the right act and said, “Why did you not put it on the top so that people can see it?" Thus, they could easily know the case of the food, especially they used to sell piles without examining them. The Prophet considered this act as deceitful and said, "He who deceives is not from us." He means he is away from the Prophet's method and teachings. This is a severe rebuke and threat from the Prophet ﷺ to those persisting in deception. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It prohibits deception in all matters, especially in transactions, (2) It stresses the necessity of clarifying products' defects to buyers, (3) It confirms that a ruler has to check people's cases and advise those needing it, and (4) It shows how the Islamic law is keen to keep Muslims away from anything that may harm them..

106
Abu Dharr narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, “There are three (types) with whom Allah will not speak on the Day of Resurrection: The bestower who does not give anything to anyone but he reminds him of it, the one who sells his product by taking a false oath, and the one who lets down his lower garment (below his ankles).” In another narration, “There are three (types) that Allah will neither speak, look, nor purify them and they will have a painful torment.”.

Commentary : The Prophet ﷺ used to warn his companions against inferior qualities and unacceptable deeds. He was very keen to guide them to all that making them closer to Paradise. In this hadith, he told us about three types of people to whom Allah would not pleasingly speak on the Day of Resurrection to belittle and punish them. In another narration, he said that Allah would not look at them. This means He would neither mercifully look at them nor purify them from their sins and vileness. Above all, they would get a severe punishment. They are as follows: (1) The one who used to proudly remind the poor of the gifts he sent them whether in words or acts. He used to remind them of favors they owed him. Undoubtedly, all of these prohibited acts negate the charity he provided. These forbidden acts include arrogance, enslaving and humiliating the poor, and breaking their hearts. On the contrary, the spender should belong these favors to Allah, the real Giver, and be sure that He will grant him multiple rewards for what he provided. Thus, how does he harm or even remind the needy about his gifts?!, (2) The one who used to deceive and falsely swear to promote his goods. He committed four sins: (a) False swearing, deceiving Muslims, unlawfully taking people's properties, and belittling Allah's rights. Allah said, "Indeed, those who exchange the covenant of Allah and their [own] oaths for a small price will have no share in the Hereafter, and Allah will not speak to them or look at them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them; and they will have a painful punishment." (Aal-Imran: 77), (3) The one who used to lengthen and arrogantly trail his clothes on the ground. In the narration of the two Sahihs, Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, “On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will not look at him who trails his lower garment out of pride." It was said that the Prophet ﷺ combined these three types because all of them exalt themselves while despising and belittling people out of pride and arrogance. As a result, Allah would despise and ignore them. His mentioning these three types does not mean exclusiveness, for he mentioned some other types that will get that punishment such as the adulterous old man, the lying king, and the arrogant poor, as Abu Hurairah narrated in Sahih Muslim. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It warns us against reminding the poor of favors, falsely swearing, and trailing clothes. They all will get a severe punishment, (2) It proves Allah's attributes of speech and sight in the manner befitting Him, without any similarity to human attributes. If He neither spoke nor looked at the three mentioned types, whom he would speak and look at..

107
Abu Huraira narrated, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'There are three (types) with whom Allah will neither speak on the Day of Resurrection nor purify them - Other narration added, '... nor look at them...' - and they will have a painful torment: Aged adulterer, lying king, and arrogant destitute one.".

Commentary : The Prophet ﷺ used to warn his companions against inferior qualities and unacceptable deeds. He was very keen to guide them to all that making them closer to Paradise. In this hadith, he told us about three types of people to whom Allah would not pleasingly speak on the Day of Resurrection to belittle and punish them. He also would neither mercifully look at them nor purify them from their sins and vileness. Above all, they would get a severe punishment. They are as follows: (1) An old man who has committed adultery even though his maturity, reason, lack of lust, and absence of justification, the issues which prevent him from doing so, unlike the young man of strong lust and relative control of himself. The same applies to an old woman if she commits adultery. Generally, adultery is a great sin but it becomes greater if committed by the old ones, (2) A king who used to deceive and lie to his people for his personal benefits. This applies to everyone who is in charge of Muslim affairs. In the narration of An-Nasa'i, the Prophet ﷺ said, "And the unjust leader.", Lying is one of the hypocrites' attributes and generally forbidden for all people but it becomes greater if committed by a king because his word is supreme among people so he does not need to lie to them. He has to be frank and truthful when promising them, (3) A person who is used to be arrogant in spite of his poverty and disability to provide for his sons. He is supposed to be modest with Allah and people and avoid arrogance, for there is no reason making him behave like that. The hadith may refer to a poor who is unable to provide for his sons but he refuses to work or take charity out of arrogance. Thus, he is sinful for preventing food or clothes from reaching his sons. Generally, arrogance is a great sin but it becomes greater if committed by a poor one. This is why you find people surprised when seeing a rich modest person, for lots of rich people are arrogant. These three types of people are addressed by this punishment because of their weak reasons for committing the mentioned sins. They committed them out of arrogance more than needing them. The Prophet’s mentioning these three types does not mean exclusiveness, for he mentioned some other types that will get that punishment such as the one who used to lengthen and trail his clothes, the one who used to swear to promote his goods, and the one who used to remind the poor of his gifts, as narrated by Abu Dharr in Sahih Muslim. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It proves Allah's attributes of speech and sight in the manner befitting Him, without any similarity to human attributes. If He neither spoke nor looked at the three mentioned types, whom he would speak and look at and, (2) It warns us against adultery, lying, and arrogance..

110
Thabet ibn Ad-Dahhak narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, “A person is not obliged to fulfil a vow about something he does not possess. Cursing a believer is like murdering him. Whoever kills himself with something in this world will be punished with it on the day of resurrection. Whoever makes a false claim to gain much thereby Allah will give him less instead of more. Whoever falsely swears an oath which he is asked to take.”.

Commentary : Allah granted his Prophet ﷺ the most comprehensive words so he used to preach and teach people with the fewest words that carried many meanings to hearts. In this hadith, he clarifies that a person is not obliged to fulfill a vow about something he does not possess such as his saying, “If Allah cured my son, I would slaughter my neighbor’s cow.” A vow is to commit oneself to carry out a mandatory matter. The Prophet ﷺ adds, “Cursing a believer is like murdering him.” Cursing is to ask Allah to expel someone from His mercy while murdering him is to expel him from life. This is one of the greatest Prophetic warnings against cursing Muslims. The Prophet ﷺ adds that whoever kills himself by using something sharp, drinking something poisonous, or falling from a mountain, Allah will punish him in the same way he kills himself in the hereafter. Thus, the punishment will be of the same type as the crime. The Prophet ﷺ adds that if a person makes a false claim, regarding linage or rights, to obtain money or benefits, Allah will give him less instead of more. As a result, if he falsely claims to obtain lots of money, Allah will contrarily decrease his money. Instead of gaining more benefits, he will gain less bliss. The last sin the Prophet ﷺ adds is to falsely swear an oath before a judge or ruler to falsely take others’ rights or benefits. He mentions the punishment in another hadith narrated by Ibn Masoud in the Two Sahihs that the Prophet ﷺ said, “If anyone falsely swears an oath which he is asked to take (by a judge or so) to usurp a Muslim’s property, he will meet Allah Who will be angry with him.” Allah confirms this meaning in his saying, “Verily, those who purchase a small gain at the cost of Allah’s Covenant and their oaths, they shall have no portion in the Hereafter (Paradise). Neither will Allah speak to them, nor look at them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them, and they shall have a painful torment.” (Aal Imran: 77) They replace Allah’s covenant and sacred oaths with their temporary worldly whims of money, benefits, etc. Allah describes the price as low out of demeaning it, for they betray Allah’s covenant and dare to falsely swear by his name. Their gain is little whatever its amounts in comparison to Allah’s pleasing and fulfilling His covenants. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It is forbidden to take vows except for what one owns, and (2) It is forbidden to falsely swear by Allah..

114
Omar ibn Al-Khattab reported, “On the day (of the battle) of Khaibar, some Companions of the Prophet ﷺ came and said, ‘So-and-so is a martyr and so-and-so is a martyr.’ Until they came to a man and said, ‘So-and-so is a martyr.’ The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘No. I have seen him in Hell for a mantle - or cloak - which he has stolen.’ Then he said, ‘O Ibn Al-Khattab, go and announce among people that none will enter Paradise but believers.’ I went out and announced that none will enter Paradise but believers.”.

Commentary : The true belief in Allah and what it requires is a reason for entering Paradise. A heart’s belief is followed by a clear obedience in one's behavior and acts. In this hadith, Omar ibn Al-Khattab narrated a situation after Khaybar battle that occurred between Muslims and Jews in the 7th year AH. It was a village inhabited by Jews about 153 Km north of Medina. After the battle, some of the Prophet's Companions were counting this battle's martyrs until they mentioned a man and said, "So-and-so is a martyr." The Prophet ﷺ commented, "No. I have seen him in Hell for a mantle - or cloak - which he has stolen." A cloak is a black square garment. He took it from the spoils without the Prophet's knowledge and consent. He did not give it to the Prophet within the spoils to be divided later. The Prophet ﷺ commanded Omar to go and announce among people that none will enter Paradise but believers. None will initially enter it except those believing in Allah outwardly and inwardly. It was a stern warning to those violating Allah's and the Prophet's commands, for a believer may be punished in Hell for his sins. Afterward, Allah may save him if he wills. In Sahih Muslim, Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, "He is not a believer who defrauds and steals (from the spoils)." Both the Quran and Sunnah clearly mentioned that it is the one who steals war spoils before they are divided. He will come on the Day of Resurrection with the thing he gained. Allah said, "And whoever betrays, [taking unlawfully], will come with what he took on the Day of Resurrection." (Aal-Imran: 161) This hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It is permissible to praise the dead and mention their virtues, (2) It warns against stealing spoils or public funds, (3) It confirms that stealing spoils contradicts faith, for this person commits a hidden sin while openly betraying Allah only. If he had been a true believer, he would not have hidden from people while openly committing it before Allah, and (4) The quality of faith may be removed due to evil acts..

116
Jaber ibn Abdullah narrated that At-Tufail ibn Amr Ad-Dousy came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, do you need a strong fort and protection?” There was a fort that belonged to the tribe of Daos during the pre-Islamic period. The Prophet ﷺ declined that, for it was the role that Allah reserved for the Ansar. When the Prophet ﷺ immigrated to Medina, At-Tufail immigrated along with a man from his tribe. Medina’s climate did not suit them so his friend fell sick. He could not be patient so he took his arrowheads and cut his knuckles. His hands were bleeding till he died. At-Tufail saw him in a dream in a good state while wrapping his hands. He asked him, “What did your God do with you?” He replied, “He forgave me owing to my immigration to His Prophet ﷺ.” He asked, “What do I see you wrapping your hands?” He replied, “I was told, ‘We would not fix anything of yours which you damaged.’” At-Tufail related that to Allah’s Messenger ﷺ who said, “O Allah, for his hands grant forgiveness.”.

Commentary : The Prophet ﷺ called people for Islam amid an environment full of disbelief and polytheism, which made embracing Islam and immigration to Medina difficult decisions. Immigration to Medina meant leaving one’s homeland, property, and family, a decision that led to a great reward. This hadith relates some aspects of At-Tufail ibn Amr Ad-Dousy’s life, one of the Prophet’s companions. He was one of his people’s notables. Upon embracing Islam, he traveled from Yemen, his homeland, to Mecca to offer to the Prophet ﷺ, before the Prophet's immigration to Medina, to immigrate to Dous tribe in Yemen to live in its strong fort which belonged to them in the pre-Islamic period. The Prophet ﷺ declined, for it was the role that Allah reserved for the Ansar to honor them with the Prophet’s immigration to them. Allah did not open the Prophet’s heart to immigrate to a place other than Medina or allow him to do so. Years later, At-Tufail immigrated in the seventh year with Abu Hurairah or in the eighth year with a man from his tribe to Medina and settled in it. They hated Medina’s climate which did not suit their bodies. As a result, At-Tufail’s friend fell sick and was so disturbed and impatient that he took his arrowheads and cut his knuckles. His hands were bleeding till he died. At-Tufail saw him in a dream in a good state while wrapping his hands. He asked him about Allah’s act with him. He confirmed that Allah had honored and forgiven him due to his immigration to the Prophet ﷺ, which refers to Allah’s great reward for immigration to the Prophet ﷺ. To answer At-Tufail’s question about the reason for covering his hands, the man replied that he was told that Allah would not fix his hands that he cut out of impatience. When At-Tufail related that to the Prophet ﷺ, the Prophet ﷺ asked Allah to also include his hands within His forgiveness and mercy. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It shows Allah’s great reward for immigration to His Prophet ﷺ, (2) It clarifies that Allah forgives whomever He wills among the believers, (3) It indicates the Prophet’s perfect compassion towards the believers, for he asked Allah to forgive the man’s sin he committed by his hands, (4) It confirms At-Tufail’s great virtue of his concern for the Prophet’s safety and his desire to be honored with protecting him in his homeland, (5) It confirms Ansar’s merit and prestige, (6) Muslims cannot consider the one who kills himself a disbeliever unless he believes that this act is permissible, and (7) It proves the punishment of some sinners..

117
Abu Huraira narrated, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Verily, Allah will make wind more delicate than silk blowing from Yemen. It will spare none who has faith equal to the weight of grain (in another narration " ... the weight of a dust particle ...") but cause him to die.".

Commentary : Allah is merciful to his servants in all their circumstances. For example, He will take believers' souls near before the coming of the Last Day when disbelief increases. In this hadith, the Prophet ﷺ confirmed that Allah, near the Last Day, would blow a wind from Yemen which would be more delicate than silk out of kindness and honor for the believers. It would spare none who has faith equal to the weight of grain (in another narration "a dust particle") but causes him to die. Their souls would easily come out with their gentle breeze. They would be saved from this life of distress and mixing evil people to satisfyingly live in Paradise under Allah's pleasure away from those evil ones. At that time, the Last Day would begin. In another hadith in Sahih Muslim, Anas ibn Malek narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, "The Hour (Resurrection) will not occur until 'Allah, Allah' is not said on earth." It is a metaphor for the fact that it will come upon people who neither worship, supplicate, nor even mention Allah's name. This hadith does not contradict the hadith in the two Sahihs in which the Prophet said, "‘A section of my nation will not cease fighting for the truth and will prevail till the Day of Resurrection," for the former hadith means that they will continue to adhere to the truth until this delicate wind causes them to die near the Day of Resurrection. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It proves the Prophet's prophethood, (2) It clarifies that dying the righteous ones is one of the signs of the Hour, (3) It confirms that the Hour will only come upon the worst people, and (4) It explains that faith increases and decreases..

118
Abu Huraira narrated, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Be prompt in doing righteous deeds before (you are overtaken by) turbulence which would be like a portion of the dark night. A man would be a believer in the morning then turn to be a disbeliever in the evening or a believer in the evening then a disbeliever in the morning, in which he would sell his faith for worldly goods.’”.

Commentary : The Prophet ﷺ was keen on his nation, so he used to advise and guide it to righteous deeds. He also used to warn it against negligence and delaying today’s obedience till tomorrow, for one does not know what tomorrow will bring. In this hadith, he commanded his followers to hasten to do good deeds before the escalated trials of the last worldly life, which may make them busy with them or distract them from the virtuous deeds. The trials he talked about are those mixing truthfulness with falsehood so one cannot distinguish between them. These trials will be like undistinguished portions of the dark night. This is a metaphor for its severity, harm, and comprehensiveness of all those witnessing them. As a result, a man would be a believer in the morning then turn to be a disbeliever in the evening or a believer in the evening then a disbeliever in the morning. These trials may deprive him of the attribute of faith to the extent that he may turn and change his belief in the same day for pleasures with poor price. These worldly enjoyments will disappear one day whether we leave them or they leave us. Undoubtedly, promptness in doing righteous deeds protects from trials. As a result, the believers should beware and be prompt to do them before it is too late. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It is a sign of the Prophet's prophethood, (2) It encourages us to hasten to the virtuous deeds before we are diverted by trials, (3) It warns against trials and temptations, (4) It urges us to not be deceived by our righteous deeds and instead keep fearing Allah, for the rewards of deeds are decided by their ending, and (5) It confirms the importance of sticking to the religion and being cautious when enjoying the worldly pleasures..

121
Ibn Shemasa Al-Mary narrated, “We visited Amr ibn Al-'As when he was on his deathbed. He turned his face towards the wall while weeping for a long time. His son said to him twice, ‘O father, did not the Prophet ﷺ give you glad tidings of such and such?’ Amr turned his face to him and said, ‘The best thing we have (for hereafter) is the testimony of ‘There is no true god but Allah and that Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah.’ I have passed through three phases (during my life). I remember that I hated none more than the Prophet ﷺ and I did not have any other desire stronger than that of killing him. Had I died in that state, I would have definitely been one of Hell’s dwellers. When Allah instilled loving for Islam in my heart, I went to the Prophet ﷺ and said, ‘Extend your right hand, so that I pledge allegiance to you.’ He ﷺ stretched out his right hand, but I withdrew mine. He ﷺ said, ‘What is the matter, Amr?’ I said, ‘I wanted to lay down some conditions.’ He ﷺ asked, ‘What conditions do you want to set out?’ I replied, ‘To be granted forgiveness.’ He ﷺ said, ‘Did you not know that (embracing) Islam wipe out what (misdeeds) was before it, emigration wipe out what (misdeeds) was before it, and pilgrimage wipe out what (misdeeds) was before it?’ None was dearer to me than the Prophet ﷺ and none was more respectable than him in my eyes. I could not catch a full glimpse at his face due to my utmost respect. If I was asked to describe him, I would not be able to do so, for I could not catch a full glimpse at his face. Had I died in that state, I would have hoped to be one of Paradise’s dwellers. Thereafter, I was made responsible for many things which I did not know what it held in store for me. When I die, do not let a mourner or a fire accompany my bier. When you bury me, throw the earth gently over me and stand over my grave for the space of slaughtering and distributing a camel’s meat so that I enjoy your intimacy while answering my God’s Messengers.’”.

Commentary : The true believer combines fearing Allah’s punishment by avoiding prohibitions with hoping for His mercy by performing righteous acts. The Prophet’s Companions showed the best examples of this behavior. In this hadith, Abderrahman ibn Shemasa Al-Mahry narrated that they visited Amr ibn Al-‘As when he was on his deathbed. He was weeping for a long time out of fearing Allah and remembering the Day of Resurrection despite his honor of companying the Prophet ﷺ and outstanding courage in defending Islam. It was the ongoing state of the righteous people that they used to fear Allah and weep due to their ‘dereliction,’ no matter how great their obedience was. Amr turned his face to the wall lest the attendants may have distanced himself from communing with Allah and contemplating the Hereafter’s expected events. He also wanted to conceal his grief, sorrow, and tears. To relieve his sadness and calm him down, his son Abdullah repeatedly reminded him of the Prophet’s glad tidings to him. In the narration of Ahmad, “He was reminding him of his companionship of the Prophet ﷺ and conquering the Levant.” Then Amr turned his face and said to them that the best thing he had for the hereafter was the belief in Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. Afterward, he divided his lifetime into three phases: (1) It was the period of his disbelief. He deeply hated the Prophet ﷺ and his highest desire was to have a chance to kill him. He confirmed that if he had died in that state, he would have entered Hell forever, (2) It was his period of embracing Islam, accompanying the Prophet ﷺ, and doing righteous deeds. On that day, Allah instilled faith in his heart, he went to the Prophet ﷺ after Al-Hudaybeya Treaty to pledge allegiance to him and promise to follow him and support Islam. He extended his hand then withdrew it. When the Prophet ﷺ asked him about the reason, he confirmed that he had a condition before taking that important step. He wanted his misdeeds to be forgiven. To answer hi, the Prophet ﷺ mentioned three matters that erase one’s previous misdeeds and his disbelief, the most severe sin: (1) Islam, (2) Emigration: It was obligatory to preserve one’s religion by migrating from Mecca to Medina during the Prophet’s lifetime, and (3) The accepted pilgrimage. In the two Sahihs, the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever performs pilgrimage for Allah's sake and neither has sexual relations (with his wife) nor does evil, he will return as if he were a newborn (free from all sins).” At this stage, the Prophet ﷺ was his most beloved and respectable one to the extent that he was not able to catch a full glimpse at the Prophet’s face due to utmost respect. Additionally, he could not describe him for the same reason. He confirmed that if he had died in that great state, he would have hoped to be among the people of Paradise, (3) It was the stage of having political responsibilities after the Prophet ﷺ died. He described those events of that period that he did not know what they held in store for him. He did not know whether he would be rewarded or punished for that period. He conquered and then was appointed as a ruler of Egypt for ten years and three months throughout Omar’s, Othman’s, and Mu’aweya’s caliphates. He participated in Mu’aweya’s war against Ali ibn Abi Taleb. Finally, he advised the attendants and his family to neither let any female mourner nor fire accompany his funeral. A female mourner is a woman used to raise her voice and cry while counting the deceased’s virtues. As for accompanying the deceased with fire, it may mean one of the following possibilities: (1) It was a habit that some followed as an optimism that the deceased would be saved from Hell, (2) It was an act of the pre-Islamic times, or (3) It was a habit of reprehensible proudness. Afterward, he advised them to throw the earth gently over his grave and stand around it for the space of slaughtering and distributing a camel’s meat so that he enjoyed their intimacy while he was answering the grave’s angels. This hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It shows the high prestige of Islam, migration, and pilgrimage, for each can remove one’s previous misdeeds, (2) It is forbidden that a deceased is followed by a mourner or a fire, (3) It clarifies how deeply the companions respect and revere the Prophet, (4) To die having good thought of Allah, a dying person has to be reminded for his righteous deeds and Quranic verses and Prophetic hadith talking about virtues of hope and forgiveness. We have to give him glad tidings of what Allah has prepared for Muslims, (5) A true believer always fears Allah, regardless of his abundant righteous deeds, (6) It proves that there will be two angels in the grave to ask everyone certain questions about Islam, (7) It urges us to stay around the grave a little after burial to comfort the deceased and supplicate Allah for his steadfastness, and (8) It shows that we should throw the earth gently over the grave and avoid sitting on it..

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Abu Hurairah said, "When this verse was revealed to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ‘To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and whether you disclose what is in your ownselves or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it. Then He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. And Allah is Able to do all things.’ (Al-Baqarah: 284), the Messenger's Companions felt it hard, came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), sat down on their knees, and said, 'O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), we were assigned to do some duties which were within our power such as prayer, fasting, jihad, and charity. There was a verse revealed to you that was beyond our power.' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, 'Do you want to say what the people of two Books (Jews and Christians) said before you, 'We hear and disobey?' You should rather say, 'We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your Forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all).' Thereupon, they said, 'We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your Forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all).' When the people recited it and it smoothly flowed on their tongues, then Allah revealed immediately afterward, 'The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say), 'We make no distinction between any of His Messengers' — and they say, 'We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your Forgive ness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all).' When they did that, Allah abrogated it and revealed, 'Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has incurred. 'Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error,' The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Yes.' 'Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians).' The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Yes.' 'Our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear.' The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Yes.' 'Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Supporter and give us victory over the disbelieving people.' The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Yes.'".

Commentary : The Prophet’s Companions were quick at responding to Allah’s and His Prophet’s orders. In this hadith, Abu Hurairah narrated a story about the following Quranic verse, “To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and whether you disclose what is in your ownselves or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it. Then He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. And Allah is Able to do all things.” (Al-Baqarah: 284) It means that all creation in this universe belongs to Allah only. He is the true Creator, Manager, and Owner unlike what people own in this life as temporary property. He is All-Knower to the extent that he knows whether people reveal or conceal. All people will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection to be rewarded out of his mercy, or punished out of his justice, for He has the real power over all things. Once revealed, it was difficult for the Prophet’s Companions to be held accountable for their thoughts and feelings. Some went to the Prophet (ﷺ), sat down on their knees out of fear, and confirmed that all obligatory Islamic acts were bearable but that verse was deeply unbearable. They were afraid of being held accountable for thoughts and feelings that none could control. The Prophet (ﷺ) was not satisfied with their way and was afraid that they were affected by the way of satisfying with some rules and dissatisfying with others. He confirmed to them that it was the way of the people of the Book to say, “We hear and we disobey.” (Al-Baqarah: 93 & Aal-Imran: 46) Instead, he commanded them to say, “We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your Forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all).” (Al-Baqarah: 285) When they said that out of submission and humbleness to Allah, He abrogated it with the following verse, “The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say), 'We make no distinction between any of His Messengers' — and they say, 'We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your Forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all). Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has incurred. 'Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians). Our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Supporter and give us victory over the disbelieving people.” (Al-Baqarah: 285, 286) It means that both the Prophet (ﷺ) and the faithful believe in the Quran then confirms that all believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. The faithful believe that Allah is the One and Self Sufficient, without any partner. They believe in all the angels, prophets, and books revealed to his messengers. They do not differentiate between any of them. They do not believe in others while disbelieving in others. Rather, they believe that they are all truthful, righteous, guided, and guiding people to the path of goodness even if some may abrogate the laws of others based on Allah’s will until all laws are abrogated by the Prophet Muhammad’s law, the Seal of all Prophets, on whose law the Hour will be established. On the other hand, when the believers hear Allah’s commands, they obey and act upon them. They always ask Allah’s forgiveness, for they deeply know that to Him is the return on the Day of reckoning. Moreover, Allah does not burden any person beyond his scope. He is rewarded for his righteous deeds and punished for his evil deeds. Allah does not punish his servants for their thoughts, feelings, or whispers. Then, Allah mentions some believers’ supplications with his answers. They ask Allah not to punish them if they forget or unintentionally make mistakes. They ask Allah not to burden them with unbearable matters as he did with those before them as the Children of Israel and others. They ask Allah not to put on them greater responsibilities that are beyond their strength. Then, they ask Him to forgive their sins and have mercy on them, for He is their Master. Finally, they ask Him to help them against the disbelieving people. The Prophet (ﷺ) confirmed that Allah said, “Yes” as a response to each supplication, out of His great favors upon those submitting to His command. As for those saying, “We hear and we disobey,” He burdened them with sin and guilt and then punished them for that in this world. On the contrary, Allah honored this nation, unlike any previous ones, provided the Prophet’s Companions with firm faith and blessings, and praised them by saying, “The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say), 'We make no distinction between any of His Messengers' — and they say, 'We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your Forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all).” (Al-Baqarah: 28) Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It clarifies the Companions’ deep respect for Allah’s and His Prophet’s command, (2) It confirms that Allah does not burden us with any unbearable matters such as whisperings or thoughts, as long as we do not act upon them, and (3) It proves the abrogation of some rules related to some Quranic verses although they are still recited in the Noble Quran..

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Ibn Abbas narrated, “When this verse was revealed, ‘Whether you show what is within yourselves or conceal it, Allah will ring you to account for it.’ (Al-Baqarah: 284), it made the Prophet’s companions more afraid than before of any other verse. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Say, ‘We have heard, obeyed, and submitted ourselves.’ Allah instilled faith in their hearts and revealed this Quranic verse, ‘Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. ‘Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred.’ (Al-Baqarah: 286) Allah said, ‘I indeed did it.’ He also revealed this Quranic verse, ‘Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us.’ Allah said, ‘I indeed did it.’ He also revealed, ‘… and forgive us and have mercy upon us. You are our protector.’ Allah said, ‘I indeed did it.’”.

Commentary : The Prophet's companions used to quickly respond to Allah's and His Prophet's commands. In this hadith, Abdullah ibn Abbas narrated a hadith about the following verse, ‘Whether you show what is within yourselves or conceal it, Allah will ring you to account for it.’ (Al-Baqarah: 284) It means whatever you commit or INTEND to do evil deeds, Allah will ring you to account for it. He confirmed that the Prophet's companions were deeply afraid when this verse was revealed. They were wondering about how they would be punished for something they did not say or do. Anyway, the Prophet guided them to listen and obey Allah's command. As a result, Allah helped and provided them with complete faith, goodness, and deep submission. Accordingly, Allah abrogated the meaning of the verse, "or conceal it." and revealed, "Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity." (Al-Baqarah: 286) The Prophet said in the two Sahihs, "Allah forgives my nation the evil promptings which arise within them as long as they do not act upon them or speak about them.” Allah clarified in this verse that all people would be rewarded for the righteous deeds they did and punished for the evil deeds they committed. Then He inspired us to supplicate, repent, and turn to Him as in his saying, "Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred." (Al-Baqarah: 286) It meant: O God, do not punish us for what we unwillingly forget or neglect. So Allah said, “I indeed did it.” They added, "Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us." (Al-Baqarah: 286) A burden is a sin. So Allah said, “I indeed did it.” They added, "And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us." (Al-Baqarah: 286) So Allah said, “I indeed did it.” This refers to His great bounty upon His submissive believers to His command. As for those saying, "We listened and disobeyed," God would burden them with sin and punish them with it in this life before the Hereafter. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) The Companions’ intense veneration for Allah's and His Prophet's commands, (2) Allah only commands us to do what we can bear, (3) The devilish whisperings to our hearts will not harm us as long as we neglect and stop thinking about them, (4) Allah forgave Muslims for what they spoke to their own selves as long as they do not speak or act upon, and (5) Allah abrogated some Quranic verses' meanings although they are still recited..

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Abu Hurairah narrated, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Allah said, 'If my servant speaks about doing a good deed, I will record it as one good deed to him although he did not do it. If he did it, I would record it ten good deeds. If he speaks about committing a bad deed, I will forgive him as long as he did not commit it. If he committed it, I would record it as one evil deed.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'The angels said, 'O God, Your servant wants to commit an evil act.' Allah, the best watcher, replied, 'Watch him, if he commits it, record it as one evil act. If he refrains from doing it, record it as one good deed, for he refrains from it for me.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Whoever among you has a good faith, all righteous acts he does are multiplied from ten to seven hundred times. All evil acts he commits are recorded as they are till he meets Allah.'".

Commentary : Allah, the Almighty, is full of mercy and generous in reward. He treats His servants with justice and grace. The following narrations confirm His great generosity in writing down people's righteous and evil acts. The Prophet (ﷺ) narrated that Allah confirmed in the Sacred Hadith that if a person intended to do a righteous act, but did not do it, Allah would record it as a complete righteous act. If he did it, Allah would multiply it tenfold. In the Two Sahihs, Ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah will multiply it tenfold up to seven hundred times up to many multiples." Allah said, "The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the Way of Allah, is as the likeness of a grain (of corn); it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He wills. And Allah is All‑Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All‑Knower." (Al-Baqarah: 261) This relative reward is based on one's sincerity, truthfulness, and reaching righteous acts to others. On the other hand, Allah confirmed that if a person intended to commit an evil act but did not commit it due to his shyness and fear of Allah, Allah would forgive him. In the Two Sahihs, Ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah will record it for him as a complete good deed.” If he committed it, Allah would record it as one evil act out of his mercy without increasing or doubling it as in recording the righteous acts. As for the angels' saying, "O God, Your servant wants to commit an evil act," He is Allah who informs his angels about his servant's intention. As for his saying, "... for he refrains from it for me," He means that the servant does not commit the evil act only because of his fear of Allah, struggling against his self that tends to commit evil acts, and disobeying his prohibited whims. As for the Prophet's saying, "Whoever among you has good faith," he means one's inward and outward sincerity and belief. Finally, this hadith shows Allah's great mercy and grace upon His servants, and (2) It confirms the angels' observation of human acts..

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Abu Huraira narrated, “Some of the Prophet’s companions ﷺ came and asked him, ‘We have thoughts which none of us dare to talk about.’ He asked, ‘Have you experienced that?’ They answered, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘That is the clear faith.’”.

Commentary : Having a false thought is one of the matters that may corrupt our hearts. It leads us to think about Allah's self, not his blessings. Regular sticking to this type of idea may lead to disbelief. If a false idea comes into one's head, he has to seek refuge in Allah from them. In this hadith, Abu Hurairah narrated that some Prophet's companions came and asked him, "We have thoughts which none of us dare to talk about." They were actually trying to stop and deny these ugly insinuations such as, "Who created Allah? How is He? What is he made of?" Because they believed that it was not appropriate for them to think in this manner about Allah. They were afraid that such insinuations would be considered sins. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) asked them, “Have you experienced it?” He confirmed that these thoughts may have come to a believer's head but his faith in Allah drove him to ask about a solution. Moreover, he confirmed the deep faith of his companions by three proofs: (1) Their denial of those terrible thoughts raised by Satan, (2) Their knowledge that they are corrupting insinuations, and (3) Their stopping from expressing them. On the other hand, the disbeliever insists on what is in his heart of likening Allah to His creatures, unlike the true believers who deny such insinuations and stop attributing these descriptions to Allah. As a result, he expels these doubts and seeks refuge in Allah from Satan. This hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It confirms that Satan used to whisper to humans until he takes them out of faith, so the believer has to be cautious, (2) When such devilish insinuations come to a believer's mind, he has to remain silent and stop speaking about it. Instead, he has to seek refuge in Allah from Satan, (3) It explains how the Prophet's companions took much care of their hearts and were cautious of what may invalidate their faith, and (4) A Muslim is allowed to ask a scholar about any issues or questions he has. He is not allowed to keep silent out of shame, for a Muslim should not be ashamed of asking about the truth..