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..

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..

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..

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. .

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..

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..

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..

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..

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..

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)..

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. .

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..

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..

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. .

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..

1405

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh reported: We used to engage in Mut'ah in return for a handful of dates and flour during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr until 'Umar forbade it in the case of 'Amr ibn Hurayth..

Commentary : The Shar'i marriage is a system that establishes a united family, preserves each party's rights, and highlights human dignity. Mut'ah marriage, on the other hand, damages society and causes loss for women. A man may like a woman and marry her for a specific period in return for a certain compensation. This is no more than fulfilling lust, and it leads to many evils; that's why it was more appropriate to forbid it.
In this Hadīth, Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) informs that they used to marry women for enjoyment and fulfilling lust, and this was permissible and then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) declared it unlawful. This kind of relationship was so lowly that they would agree to "a handful of dates and flour" as a dowry or gift from the man to the woman, which is a small amount, equivalent to a meal. Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) informed that they continued to do so while the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was living among them. Then, when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, they engaged in Mut'ah marriage during the caliphate of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) until 'Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) forbade it during his caliphate, in the case of the Companion' Amr ibn Hurayth. 'Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) married a woman by Mut'ah marriage during the reign of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and she got pregnant from him. The statement of Jābir and the action of 'Amr (may Allah be pleased with both of them) are taken to indicate that the Prophet's prohibition of such marriage did not reach them.
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) permitted the Mut'ah marriage in the beginning and then forbade it later during the battle of Khyber until the Day of Judgment, and he declared it unlawful during the Farewell Hajj, as narrated by Al-Bukhāri, Muslim, and others.
The Hadīth indicates that Mut‘ah marriage is forbidden.
It warns against doing anything forbidden by the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
It also points out that the ruler can force specific rulings on the people to serve the interests of society..

1406

Sabrah al-Juhani reported: I married a woman from Banu' Āmir by Mut'ah marriage during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) for two red Burds (cloaks). Then, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade us from Mut'ah..

Commentary : Islam has established the Shar‘i marriage system on the most just standard to preserve progeny and honor, and it has forbidden all means of enjoying women that were widespread in Jāhiliyyah and which do not protect their rights. It began to legislate that gradually so that people could adopt it rightly.
In this Hadīth, Sabrah ibn Ma‘bad al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that he married women by Mut‘ah marriage during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Mut‘ah is one of the kinds of marriage in which a man enjoys a woman in return for compensation agreed by them and for a specified period, and the marriage ends with the elapse of that period. Sabrah (may Allah be pleased with him) informed that he married a woman from Banu ‘Āmir by Mut‘ah marriage and gave her two red Burds, a reference to her dowry. Burd: a striped garment opened from the front and placed on the shoulders like a cloak, yet it is smaller than it. A person can wrap it around himself or let it hang down. Then, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade Muslims from Mut‘ah marriage. Another version by Muslim points out that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade it in the year of the Conquest of Makkah.
The Mut'ah marriage was known during the early stages of Islam, and the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not forbid them from it during their travels, given their need for it. However, he forbade them from it during their stay and residence in their countries. The ruling of the Mut'ah marriage passed through various phases, as the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade them from it more than once. Then, he ordered them to engage in it at various times until he made it permanently forbidden. Forbidding the Mut'ah marriage was reported in many narrations, which point out that the prohibition was during the Conquest of Makkah, and this is the most famous opinion, or during the battle of Awtās, or the battle of Khaybar, or during the Prophet's last days in the Farewell Hajj. It was a permanent prohibition, not a temporary one, thus leaving no room for any difference of opinion among the jurists and the leading scholars of the Ummah. Only some of the Shiites hold a different opinion, and their opinion does not count..

1406

Ar-Rabī‘ ibn Sabrah reported that his father joined battle along with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) during the Conquest of Makkah. He said: We stayed in it for fifteen; thirty including days and nights. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) permitted us to engage in Mut‘ah marriage to women. A man from my people and I went out. I surpassed him in beauty, and he was close to ugliness. Each of us had a Burd (cloak). My Burd was old, while the Burd of my cousin was new and fresh. When we reached the south of Makkah - or its north - we came across a girl like a young smart long-necked she-camel. We said: "Would you agree that one of us engage in Mut‘ah marriage with you?" She said: "What would you give?" Each of us spread out his Burd, and she began to look at the two men and my companion saw her looking on her side. He said: "The Burd of this is old, and my Burd is new and fresh." She said: "The Burd of this is not bad," three times or twice. Then, I engaged in Mut‘ah marriage with her, and I did not come out of it until the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) declared it unlawful. [In a version]: He added: She said: Is this valid? And he said: The Burd of this is old and worn-out..

Commentary : Islam has established the Shar‘i marriage system on the best methods for preserving progeny and honor, and it has forbidden the ways of enjoying women, which were prevalent during Jāhiliyyah and did not protect their rights. It was legislated gradually so people could adopt it rightly and not turn away all at once.
In this Hadīth, Sabrah ibn Ma‘bad (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that he joined the battle along with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in the Conquest of Makkah, in 8 A.H., and they stayed there for fifteen nights along with fifteen days. Thus, the total of nights and days was thirty. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave them permission to engage in Mut'ah marriage with women in return for compensation they would agree for a specific period, and it would come to an end with the elapse of this time. So, Sabrah (may Allah be pleased with him) went out along with a man from his people, who was his cousin, as will be mentioned in this narration. Sabrah (may Allah be pleased with him) was more good-looking than him, and the other man was close to ugliness, i.e., unpleasant look and bad appearance. Each of them had a Burd he wanted to give to the woman he would marry by Mut‘ah. Burd: a striped garment opened from the front and placed on the shoulders like a cloak, yet it is smaller than it. A person can wrap it around himself or let it hang down. The garment of Sabrah (may Allah be pleased with him) was old and worn out, whereas the Burd of his cousin was new. They kept searching until they reached the south of Makkah or its north. There, they came across a girl like "a young smart long-necked she-camel", i.e., she had a long, straight neck and shapely figure. They presented themselves to her so that she could choose one of them to marry her by Mut'ah. In another version, she asked them: "Is this valid?" She meant the validity of this kind of marriage as to whether it is lawful and permissible to enjoy a woman for a certain period of time! He replied to her in the affirmative, as narrated in the Mustakhraj of Abu ‘Awānah. She asked them: What would you offer in return for this marriage? Thereupon, each of them spread out his Burd. She began to look at the two men and compare between them. Sabrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: And my companion was looking at her while she was looking on her side. When he saw her in this state, he said: The Burd of this is old, and my Burd is new and fresh, seeking to attract her to himself and keep her away from Sabrah. And in a version, he said: "The Burd of this is old and worn-out." She said: The Burd of this young man is not bad - three times or twice - as if she was reconsidering the matter and thinking of choosing the more youthful of the two men, regardless of how good the Burd was. She chose Sabrah (may Allah be pleased with him), and he married her by Mut‘ah. Sabrah (may Allah be pleased with him) informed that he did not leave her until the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) declared the Mut‘ah marriage unlawful. In another version by Muslim: "I stayed with her for three. Then, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever has any of these women with whom he engaged in Mut‘ah marriage should let her go."
The Hadīth points out that Mut‘ah marriage was permanently prohibited after it had been permissible.
It affirms the existence of abrogation in the Sunnah..

1406

‘Urwah ibn az-Zubayr reported: 'Abdullāh ibn az-Zubayr stood up in Makkah and said: "Allah has made blind the hearts of some people as He has deprived them of eyesight that they give a Fatwa in favor of Mut'ah", alluding to a certain man. He called him and said: "You are uncouth and coarse. By my life, Mut'ah was practiced during the lifetime of the leader of the pious", referring to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Thereupon, Ibn Az-Zubayr said to him: "Do it yourself, and by Allah, if you do that, I will stone you with your stones.".

Commentary : Islam came to preserve honor, as the preservation of honor is one of the five necessities that all divine legislations came to preserve, and these are: religion, life, honor, mind, and wealth.
This Hadīth points out that the issue of Mut‘ah marriage was subject to disagreement among some of the Companions. During the days of his caliphate in the Hejaz, ‘Abdullāh ibn az-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up to deliver a speech in Makkah, and he said: "Allah has made the hearts of some people blind", i.e., to the truth "as He has deprived them of eyesight", making them unable to see that they give a Fatwa to the people permitting Mut'ah marriage, which is a contract entailing enjoyment of a woman for a specific period in return for a certain dowry. By this statement of his, Ibn az-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) was "alluding to a certain man", namely 'Abdullāh ibn' Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him), who lost his eyesight in the latter part of his life. Thereupon, Ibn' Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) - who was attending the sermon - called him and said: "You are uncouth and coarse", i.e., you are simple-minded, rude, and harsh. Then, he said: "By my life, Mut‘ah was practiced during the lifetime of the leader of the pious", referring to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). This is an oath he took over this matter. Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) had his personal interpretation of the texts that prohibit Mut‘ah marriage, as he maintained that it is permissible in case of necessity or the like. So, Ibn az-Zubayr said to him: "Do it yourselves, and by Allah, if you do that, I will stone you with your stones" i.e., Mut‘ah marriage is unlawful. So, if you do it after that, you will become an adulterer and you will be punished by stoning to death.
Indeed, Ibn' Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke the truth when he said that it was practiced during the lifetime of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). But Ibn Az-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) was in the right, for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) passed away while the prohibition of Mut'ah was the latter of the two relevant rulings.
The Hadīth shows that Mut‘ah marriage is prohibited.
It also indicates that the ruler can talk to the scholars regarding their Fatwas and choose for the people what serves the best interests of society..

1406

Sabrah al-Juhani reported: that he was with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), he said: "O people, I had permitted you to engage in Mut‘ah with women, and indeed Allah has forbidden that until the Day of Judgment. So, he who has any of these women should let her go, and do not take back anything you have given them.".

Commentary : The Mut‘ah marriage is a fixed-term marriage, with the word 'tamattu‘' (enjoyment) verbally stated, in return for an amount of money. In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) says: "O people, I had permitted you to engage in Mut‘ah with women" i.e., in the beginning, but the matter has finally been decided now. He clarified to the people that Allah, Exalted be He, forbade the Mut‘ah marriage altogether till the Day of Judgment.
The Mut'ah marriage was known during the early stages of Islam, and the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not forbid them from it during their travels, given their need for it. However, he forbade them from it during their stay and residence in their countries. The ruling of the Mut‘ah marriage passed through various phases; the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade them from it more than once; then, he ordered them to engage in it at various times until he made it permanently forbidden. Forbidding the Mut'ah marriage was reported in many narrations, which point out that the prohibition was during the Conquest of Makkah in the eighth Hijri year, and this is the most famous opinion, or during the battle of Awtās, also in the eighth Hijri year, or during the battle of Khaybar in the seventh Hijri year, or the Prophet's last days in the Farewell Hajj. It was a permanent prohibition, not a temporary one. So, the right thing is that Mut‘ah marriage was abrogated more than once. It was permitted during the battle of Khaybar and then forbidden therein, and then it was permitted in the year of the Conquest of Makkah, which is the year of the battle of Awtās, and then it was permanently forbidden. No difference of opinion remains among the jurists and the scholars of the Ummah over this issue, and none disagrees with that except some Shiites, whose view does not count.
Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded those engaged in Mut'ah marriage to separate from the women married to them, for they were not lawful to them. He also commanded that the man should not take anything of what he gave to the woman in return for enjoying her, even if the separation took place before the appointed period, as she deserved that by copulation with her..

1406

Khālid ibn al-Muhājir ibn Sayfullāh reported: that while he was sitting in the company of a man, a man came to him and asked for a Fatwa on Mut‘ah. He enjoined him to engage in it. Thereupon, Ibn Abi ‘Amrah al-Ansāri said to him: 'Wait.' He said: "What is it?! By Allah, it was practiced during the lifetime of the leader of the pious." Ibn Abi ‘Amrah said: "It was a dispensation in the early days of Islam for one who was driven to it by necessity, just like carrion, blood, and pork. Then Allah finally established the religion and prohibited it altogether.".

Commentary : When Islam came, it was keen to preserve the five necessities that all divine legislations came to preserve, and these are: religion, life, honor, mind, and wealth. It began to be legislated for society gradually so that people could adopt it rightly and not forsake it all at once.
In this Hadīth, the noble Tābi‘i Khālid ibn al-Muhājir ibn Sayfullāh informs that while he was sitting with a man - who was ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him), according to the Mustakhraj of Abu ‘Awānah - a man came to him and sought a Fatwa from him about the ruling on marrying women by Mut‘ah marriage for a specific period in return for compensation agreed between them; Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him), permitted him to marry women by Mut‘ah marriage. Thereupon, the Tābi‘i Ibn Abi ‘Amrah al-Ansāri - Muhammad ibn ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Hārithah - said to Ibn ‘Abbās: 'Wait!' i.e., stop and do not rush. Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "What is it?!" i.e., what is the matter that could prevent me from giving this Fatwa?! It seems he was criticizing him. By this, Ibn' Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to reject Ibn Abi' Amrah's disapproval of his Fatwa. Then, he swore by Allah that it was practiced during the lifetime of the leader of the pious, referring to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). The meaning: How could you criticize me while the people practiced it during the lifetime of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), at his command?! In reply, Ibn Abi ‘Amrah said that Mut‘ah was a dispensation for Muslims in the early days of Islam for those driven to it by necessity, just like a person driven by necessity to eat carrion, blood, and pork, if he is on the verge of death due to severe hunger. Then Allah completed the religion, perfected His commands and prohibitions, and permanently forbade marrying women by Mut‘ah marriage. Indeed, Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke the truth when he swore that it was practiced during the lifetime of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). But Ibn Abi ‘Amrah was right, for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) passed away while the prohibition of Mut‘ah was the latter of the two relevant rulings.
The Hadīth demonstrates that some of the Shar‘i rulings were superseded (abrogated).
It indicates that taking an oath for emphasis is legitimate.
It also shows that a great scholar may be unaware of some Shar‘i issues..

1409

‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The Muhrim (one in the state of Ihrām) must neither marry, nor give someone in marriage, nor get engaged.".

Commentary : Performing Hajj to Allah's Sacred House - for whoever finds a way thereto - is one of the pillars of Islam and one of its great rituals. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) taught us its pillars and how to make Ihrām (ritual state of consecration) for it. He clarified what the Muhrim is allowed to do and what he is not allowed to do.
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) says: "The Muhrim must neither marry," i.e., the Muhrim - who intends by his Ihrām Hajj, ‘Umrah, or both - must not contract marriage for himself and must not marry a woman. "Nor give someone in marriage," i.e., or give someone in marriage through guardianship or proxy. Since he himself is forbidden from getting married during the period of Ihrām; therefore, he is not to give someone in marriage during this period. Also, he should not "get engaged," as this involves hinting at a proposal of marriage. The secret behind such a prohibition is the fact that the Muhrim has engaged in an act of worship that takes up most of his time, so he must not be occupied with anything else that is not consistent with the state of such an act of worship. Allah has forbidden Rafath - which is sexual intercourse with women and what leads to it - while performing Hajj and its relevant acts, for marriage during the state of Ihrām calls one to commit Rafath. The purpose of this journey is to be devoted to Allah and to be occupied only with remembering Him, calling upon Allah loudly, declaring Allah's oneness, and making Dhikr and nothing else..

1409

Nubayh ibn Wahb reported: that ‘Umar ibn ‘Ubaydullāh ibn Ma‘mar intended to marry his son Talhah to the daughter of Shayba ibn Jubayr during Hajj. Abān ibn ‘Uthmān was the leader of pilgrims at that time. He sent someone to Abān saying: "I intend to marry Talhah ibn ‘Umar, and I like that you attend that." In reply, Abān said to him: "I find you to be a thickheaded Iraqi. I heard ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān say: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'A Muhrim should not marry.'".

Commentary : In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Nubayh ibn Wahb relates that the Tābi‘i ‘Umar ibn ‘Ubaydullāh wanted to marry his son Talhah to the daughter of Shaybah ibn Jubayr while they were in a state of Ihrām during Hajj. So, they wanted the Tābi‘i Abān ibn ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān to attend the contract. Abān, who was the leader of the Hajj convoy at the time, said to him: "I find you to be a thickheaded Iraqi" i.e., ignorant of the Sunnah. In some versions: 'a Bedouin', and a Bedouin is someone who lives in the desert. It is said: 'Iraqi' here is erroneous, unless he knew that the doctrine of the people of Kufa at the time permitted a Muhrim to marry, in which case 'Iraqi' would be correct, and it would mean: You are adopting their doctrine. Thickheaded denotes roughness along with ignorance.
Then, ‘Abān told them that he heard ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān (may Allah be pleased with him) say: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A Muhrim should not marry" i.e., a Muhrim should not get married. In a version in the Sahīh Muslim Collection: "And he should not marry others off," i.e., a man should not give a woman in marriage either as her guardian or representative. This is because a Muhrim is too busy to engage in marriage contracts, as this would necessarily distract his mind and make him unable to perform worship perfectly, for it involves proposing, asking, inviting, and meeting..

1411

Maymūnah bint al-Hārith reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) married her when he was Halāl (outside the state of Ihrām). He said: She was my maternal aunt and the maternal aunt of Ibn ‘Abbās..

Commentary : Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified the rituals of Hajj in his words and deeds, which were reported by the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) just as they had learned them from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). During Hajj, some of what is permissible becomes forbidden for the one who assumes Ihrām.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Yazīd ibn al-Asamm reports that his maternal aunt, Maymūnah bint al-Hārith (may Allah be pleased with her), wife of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) married her when he was Halāl, i.e., was not a Muhrim (one in the state of Ihrām). In Abu Dāwūd's narration, Maymūnah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) married me when we were both Halāl (outside the state of Ihrām) at Sarif." The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) contracted marriage with her on his way to Makkah to make ‘Umrah al-Qadā’ (deferred ‘Umrah) in 7 AH, before assuming Ihrām. Their marriage became known after he had assumed Ihrām. Then, he consummated marriage with her when he was outside the state of Ihrām on the way back to Madīnah in an area called Sarif, which is almost 10 kilometers away from Makkah, and it was said: 16 kilometers away, and there are other opinions as well.
Then, Yazīd reported that Maymūnah (may Allah be pleased with her) was his maternal aunt and the maternal aunt of Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) in reference to Ibn ‘Abbas's mistake in what he reported about the Prophet's marrying Maymūnah while being a Muhrim. However, Maymūnah (may Allah be pleased with her) certainly knew herself better than Ibn ‘Abbās. Moreover, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The Muhrim (one in the state of Ihrām) must neither marry, nor give someone in marriage, nor get engaged." [Narrated by Muslim].

1424

Abu Hurayrah reported: As I was in the company of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), a man came to him and told him that he married a woman from the Ansār. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "Did you look at her?" He said: 'No.' He said: "Go and look at her, for indeed, there is something in the eyes of the Ansār.".

Commentary : Islam established the Shar‘i marriage system to preserve progeny and honor and it is keen on the continuity of cordiality and love between the two spouses and legislated means to this end from the beginning of engagement so that it would be more likely for them to continue their life together.
In this Hadīth, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) informs that he was present with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) when a man came and informed him that he proposed marriage to a woman from the Ansār - the people of Madīnah - and wanted to marry her. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) asked him: "Did you look at her?" This is an instruction urging the man to look at the woman before proposing marriage, as this would encourage him to marry her or cause him to refrain from her. The man replied that he did not look at her. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered him to go and look at her. In a Hadīth narrated by Abu Dāwūd and reported by Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him): "When one of you asks a woman in marriage; if he is able to look at what will induce him to marry her, let him do so." This points out that a man should look at the woman by himself if he can, so as to see what encourages him to like and marry her.
Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified the reason behind his instruction to look at her, saying: "for indeed there is something in the eyes of the Ansār, " i.e., some disliked blueness, smallness, or the like. This signals that a man should usually look at the face and hands, as her beauty can be recognized from the face, and the tenderness of her body can be known through her hands. The looking should happen before betrothal, lest it will be hard for her if he decides to retract his proposal, in case he does not like her.
The Prophet's instruction serves a great interest. There may be something in the woman that would badly affect the continuity of their relationship after marriage, and he can identify it by looking at her, so he will leave her before the consummation of marriage; this would be lighter, simpler, and easier than consummating the marriage and divorcing her after that.
The Hadīth indicates that a man should look at his fiancée before marrying her.
It points out the excellence of the pure Shariah and its perfect guidelines, as it takes into consideration the interests of people by which their livelihood can be set in order in this world and the Hereafter without undergoing regret and sorrow over what was missed..

1426

Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abdur-Rahmān reported: I asked ‘Ā’ishah: "How much was the Sadāq (dowry) paid by the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)?" She said: "His dowry for his wives was twelve ’Uqiyyahs and one Nashsh. Do you know what the Nashsh is?" I said: "No." She said: "It is a half ’Uqiyyah, so this equals five hundred dirhams, and it was the dowry that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) paid to his wives.".

Commentary : Sadāq is the dowry and the money paid to the woman when getting married. Allah Almighty has made it a right that is due to the woman. Allah Almighty says: {Give women their marriage dowries graciously.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 4]
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abdur-Rahmān reports that he asked the Mother of the Believers, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her): How much was the dowry paid by the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to his wives? She told him that it was twelve ’Uqiyyahs and one Nashsh. The ’Uqiyyah is forty dirhams, and the dirham refers to a coin made of pure silver, and one ’Uqiyyah is equal to 28.35 grams. The Nashsh is half a Uqiyyah. So, the dowry paid by the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to his wives was five hundred dirhams. It means that this is what the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) mostly paid to his wives, simply because Al-Bukhāri narrated that the dowry of Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) was emancipating her, and likewise the dowry of Juwayriyah bint al-Hārith was emancipating her. Moreover, An-Najāshi paid four thousand dirhams to Umm Habībah (may Allah be pleased with her) when he gave her in marriage to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). And no mention was made about the dowry of Zaynab bint Jahsh. So, the dowry does not have to be something specific; rather, it depends on everybody's ability and capability..

1428

Anas reported: When the waiting period of Zaynab was over, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to Zayd: "Make mention of me to her." He said: "Zayd went off until he came to her while she was fermenting her flour." He said: When I saw her, I felt her greatness in my chest, so much that I could not look at her; that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) made mention of her. So, I turned my back toward her and turned upon my heels. I said: "O Zaynab, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) has sent a message making mention of you." She said: "I will not do anything until I consult my Lord." So, she stood at her place of worship, and the Qur’an was revealed. Then the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came and entered her place without permission. He said: I recall when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) served us bread and meat at midday. Then, the people went out, and some men remained talking in the house after the meal. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went out, and I followed him. He began to go to his wives' rooms and greet them, and they would say: "O Messenger of Allah, how did you find your wife?" He said: I do not know whether I told him that the people had come out or he told me. He said: He moved on until he entered the house, and I went to enter with him. Thereupon, he placed the curtain between me and him, and the Hijab was sent down. He said: The people were preached by the preaching they received. He added in another version: {O you who believe, do not enter the houses of the Prophet unless you are given permission for a meal; not so early as to wait for the meal to be prepared... but Allah is not shy of [telling] the truth.} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 53].

Commentary : Zaynab bint Jahsh, the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her), was the daughter of Umaymah bint 'Abdul-Muttalib, the paternal aunt of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had married Zaynab off to his freed slave Zayd ibn Hārithah (may Allah be pleased with him), whom the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had adopted before Allah prohibited adoption. However, Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her) saw herself as superior to Zayd, and they used to have such disputes between spouses until Zayd divorced her.
In this Hadīth, Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) informs that when the divorce waiting period of Zaynab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her) came to an end, after Zayd ibn Hārithah (may Allah be pleased with him) divorced her; and the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) advised Zayd regarding his wife before he divorced her, as revealed in the verse that reads: {And [remember, O Prophet] when you were saying to the one who was favored by Allah and favored by you: "Keep your wife and fear Allah."} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 37] And in the other part of the verse, Allah Almighty said to His Prophet: {and you were fearing people, while it was more fitting that you should fear Allah. When Zayd no longer desired her, We gave her to you in marriage.} Allah Almighty informed His Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) that Zayd would divorce Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with both of them) and that she would be his wife after Zayd divorced her. He, however, concealed that within himself, fearing that the hypocrites might defame him and spread rumors to the effect that he forbade that a man should marry the wife of his son, and he married the wife of Zayd, who used to be called Zayd ibn Muhammad before that was forbidden and adoption was abolished.
Then Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) informed that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him): "make mention of me to her" i.e., go and propose marriage to her on my behalf and mention me in her presence and say that I want to propose to her. Zayd left and reached her and saw her "fermenting her flour" i.e., preparing her dough for baking. Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) informed that when his sight fell on her, he found it hard to look at her, as the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) wanted to propose to her. He treated her like the mothers of the believers and averted his gaze from her and turned his back toward her. He stepped backward and stood some distance away from her. This happened before Hijab was prescribed in the Qur’an.
Then Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) told her that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sent him to propose marriage to her on his behalf. Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her) told him that she would not give any response until she consulted her Lord and waited to see what Allah would do regarding her matter. So, she stood at her praying place in the house to offer the Istikhārah (consultation) prayer and "the Qur’an was revealed" i.e., the verses in Surat al-Ahzāb were revealed. Then the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came to Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her) and entered her place without seeking permission, as she became his wife after Allah Almighty married her off to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) from above seven heavens.
Then Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that he remembered when the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had served them bread and meat in the wedding banquet for his marriage to Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her). All this happened when it was midday and the heat of the sun became intense. Those who ate from the banquet went out and there remained some people who engaged in talking within the house of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came out and left them in the house, talking. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) came out after him because he was his servant and would always accompany him. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went to the houses of his wives to check on them and learn about their conditions, and the Prophet's wives would ask him: "O Messenger of Allah, how did you find your wife?" In a version narrated by Al-Bukhāri, it was ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) who asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), saying: "How did you find your wife? May Allah bless you." It is said: She said that by way of jesting. But it is more likely that she intended supplication for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to be blessed in his family and to be rest assured about them. In a version narrated by Muslim, the reply of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was: 'Fine.'
Then Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) informed that he could not remember: Was he the one who told the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) that the people, who had lingered and engaged in talking after the banquet, did leave, or it was the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) who told him about that? When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) became sure that they had come out of the house, he quickly went and entered the house of Zaynab. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) intended to enter with him, as usual, but the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) put a curtain between the two of them; this was because the verses on Hijab in Surat al-Ahzāb were revealed: {O you who believe, do not enter the houses of the Prophet unless you are given permission for a meal; not so early as to wait for the meal to be prepared. But if you are invited, then enter, and when you have eaten, then disperse, without lingering for conversation. Such [behavior] causes annoyance to the Prophet; he is too shy to express it to you, but Allah is not shy of [telling] the truth.} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 53]
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The people were preached by the preaching they received", i.e., they complied with the command of Allah, the Glorified and Exalted, and the statement of His Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and they came to know the error they committed as they stayed for long in the house of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and engaged in conversation.
The Hadīth points out the merit of Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her).
It indicates that a person should entrust his affairs to Allah Almighty in all his conditions.
It demonstrates the modesty of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
It urges performance of the Istikhārah prayer before undertaking any matter.
It also urges checking on one's family to rest assured about them..

1431

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If any of you is invited, let him accept the invitation. If he is fasting, let him pray (for the inviter); if he is not fasting, let him eat.".

Commentary : A manifestation of tolerance of Islam is taking into consideration solidarity and affection between people. Hence, it encourages responding to the inviter and deems it one of the rights that the Muslim owes to his brother, all for the sake of having a society where the spirit of love, brotherhood, solidarity, and coherence prevails.
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs us that if one is invited for food - whether a banquet or something else - by his Muslim brother, he must accept the invitation and go. If one who received the food invitation happens to be fasting, whether it be a voluntary fast, a missed fast, or a vow; since the inviter would not have invited him if it had been an obligatory fast during Ramadān, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) guides the fasting person to clarify his status in another version of Muslim, saying: "Let him say: I am fasting" as an apology to the inviter and a way of informing him that he is fasting and cannot eat his food. "Let him pray," i.e., let him pray for the house dwellers to be granted goodness and blessings and let him engage in supplicating for them. Let him also inform his Muslim brother, who invited him, that his abstention is only because of fasting and not because he does not want to eat his food. It was the Arabs' habit to abstain from eating the food of the one towards whom they held evil intentions. If the person invited is not fasting, then let him eat from the food.
The Hadīth signifies a command to accept the invitation for food.
It also encourages supplicating for the food providers (the host)..

1437

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Verily, one of the most important trusts in the sight of Allah on the Day of Judgment is a man who is intimate with his wife, and she is intimate with him, and then he divulges her secret." Ibn Numayr said: [Another version reads]: Verily, the most important..

Commentary : Having a healthy marital relationship and seeking love and mercy are among the means of protecting this bond and this pledge that Allah has made solemn and has described as being solemn given its strength and significance.
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) says that the most serious breach, betrayal, and violation of trust, and the gravest in terms of punishment in the sight of Allah on the Day of Judgment, the day of recompense, is the man's betrayal to his wife. "a man who is intimate with his wife, and she is intimate with him" is an indirect reference to sexual intercourse and physical contact between the spouses, i.e., everything related to marital secrets and what each spouse entrusts to the other. Then after this, the man divulges her secret, i.e., the hidden physical defects. It could also mean describing what occurs between the spouses regarding the enjoyment and what the woman says or does during the intercourse. In fact, this is a severe threat and a warning for one who reveals his spouse's secret. The advice is addressed to both spouses along with the warning against divulging each other's secrets. Thus, the man must not reveal her secret and vice versa. However, he mentioned one of them - the husband - to refer to the other, or he made no mention of the wife divulging her husband's secret because the woman, in principle, tends to conceal and hide whatever is indecent and she rarely does this because of her bashfulness, unlike the man who is expected to do this..

1439

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh reported: A man asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), saying: "I have a slave-girl and I practice coitus interruptus with her." The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, this would not prevent something willed by Allah." He said: The man came and said: "O Messenger of Allah, the slave-girl I mentioned to you has become pregnant." Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I am the servant and Messenger of Allah.".

Commentary : All the destinies of created beings lie in the Hand of Allah alone. He is the Knower of the unseen things. A Muslim should rely upon Allah, pursue the proper means, and then entrust his affairs to Allah Almighty.
In this Hadīth, Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that a man came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him about coitus interruptus and informed that he had a slave-girl with whom he practiced coitus interruptus lest she would get pregnant; so, is it permissible for him to practice coitus interruptus with her or not? Coitus interruptus is practiced by removing the male sex organ out of the woman's vulva before ejaculation, and the man ejaculates outside the vulva, to prevent pregnancy. Replying to him, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, this would not prevent something willed by Allah." The meaning: Indeed, if Allah Almighty predestined the creation of a soul, it would surely be created; and that the fluid and semen may outrun you, and you cannot stop it, and your keenness in this regard would not avail you. The semen could quickly come out without the man practicing coitus interruptus feeling it to execute what Allah predestined. There is no soul determined in the knowledge of Allah Almighty that it will be born except that it will exist in reality, whether coitus interruptus is practiced or not. Likewise, ejaculation may happen inside, and no pregnancy takes place. So, coitus interruptus and ejaculation inside are alike in terms of the fact that pregnancy can only happen by Allah's predestination.
Then, after some time, that man came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and spoke to him about this slave-girl with whom he had practiced coitus interruptus and told him that she got pregnant. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I am the servant and Messenger of Allah" i.e., what I say to you is true; so, adopt it and be certain of it, for indeed it will surely come to pass.
The Hadīth shows the keenness of the Companions in learning the matters of their religion from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)..

Book of Hadith

| Hadiths

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.”.

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).”.

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh reported: We used to engage in Mut'ah in return for a handful of dates and flour during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr until 'Umar forbade it in the case of 'Amr ibn Hurayth..

Sabrah al-Juhani reported: I married a woman from Banu' Āmir by Mut'ah marriage during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) for two red Burds (cloaks). Then, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade us from Mut'ah..

‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The Muhrim (one in the state of Ihrām) must neither marry, nor give someone in marriage, nor get engaged.".

Maymūnah bint al-Hārith reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) married her when he was Halāl (outside the state of Ihrām). He said: She was my maternal aunt and the maternal aunt of Ibn ‘Abbās..

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If any of you is invited, let him accept the invitation. If he is fasting, let him pray (for the inviter); if he is not fasting, let him eat.".