It was narrated that ‘Ali said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not tell lies about me; whoever tells lies about me, let him enter the Fire.”.

Commentary : In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) warns against telling lies about him, or attributing to him any words that he did not utter, or saying about him anything other than what really happened. So it should not be said that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said or did anything that he did not say or do, regardless of whether that is done with a bad intention or a good intention. This prohibition is general and applies to anyone who tells lies, because telling lies about him leads to introducing changes to Islamic teachings, and altering Islamic rulings. The punishment for the one who tells lies about him deliberately is admittance to Hell. Once a divine decree has been issued concerning something, it will inevitably happen and will definitely come to pass. This is a stern warning to anyone who tells lies about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
It was said that there is no difference between telling lies against him or telling lies for him, because what is meant by telling lies about him is attributing something to him that is not true, whether it is done with the intention of undermining his message or of supporting his message. Telling lies against Allah comes under the same heading and is telling lies about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), because the aim of telling lies against Him is to tell lies with regard to the rulings of religion.
This hadith is indicative of the emphatic prohibition on telling lies about the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
It indicates that whoever narrates a hadith knowing or thinking that it is fabricated is included in this warning, unless he explains the status of the narrators and how weak they are. Similar to that is one who rejects a sahih (sound) hadith that was narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) without having any knowledge of the science of hadith, or his reason for rejecting the hadith is stubbornness towards the teachings and rulings of Islam..

111

It was narrated that Abu Juhayfah said: I said to ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib: Do you have anything in writing? He said: No, except the Book of Allah, or understanding that may be granted to any Muslim man, or what is in this sheet. I said: What is in this sheet? He said: [Information about] blood money, the ransom of prisoners, and that no Muslim should be killed in retaliation for a disbeliever..

Commentary : Some of the people thought that before he died, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) left a will containing secret knowledge to his cousin ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him). In this report, ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) clearly tells us that all of that is contrary to reality, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not leave anything behind except the Qur’an and his Sunnah, and the ability to understand the Qur’an that Allah may grant to an intelligent and knowledgeable Muslim. Thus intelligence and ability to understand is regarded as another level, after learning and memorizing the Book of Allah, because by understanding it, meanings and rulings become clear. Alongside the Qur’an, we may include understanding of the Sunnah and deriving rulings from it. The phrase “understanding that may be granted to any Muslim man” highlights the fact that this understanding is not something exclusive or a monopoly for any one person; rather this understanding is something that any Muslim may have, and it is something that is granted by Allah (may He be glorified and exalted), as He says: {And We gave understanding of the case to Solomon} [al-Anbiya’ 21:79]. Understanding is a blessing that Allah may bestow upon any of His slaves.
Then ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) mentions some issues that were written on a sheet; the word refers to something on which words are written, no matter what it is made of, such as leather, palm leaves and the like. This document contained Islamic rulings that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had not given exclusively to him; rather others also knew about them. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would not have concealed anything of the religion of Allah from people and given it exclusively to some of his family. The issues mentioned on this sheet include ‘aql and diyah; these terms refer to blood money, which is a set amount of wealth, as stipulated in Islamic teachings, which is to be given by the relatives of the killer to the family of the one who was killed. It is called ‘aql because they used to hobble (ya‘qilun) the camels in the courtyard of the family who were entitled to the blood money [which was given in the form of camels]. What is meant is that the rulings on blood money, and the number, types and ages of camels to be given [were written in that document].
The document also contained information on the ransom of prisoners. What is referred to is Muslim prisoners, as it is obligatory to strive to ransom them and secure their release by all permissible means, whether by paying money or otherwise.
And the document stated that “no Muslim should be killed in retaliation for a disbeliever.” What is meant is that if a believer kills a disbeliever who is in a state of war against the Muslims, then there is no retaliatory punishment (qisas) in this case; this is different from the case of a disbeliever who has a covenant with the Muslims and is under Muslim protection. And in some reports, other issues and instructions are also mentioned.
This hadith demonstrates the falseness of the claims invented by the Rafidis and Shia who said that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) bequeathed to ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) the secrets and foundations of knowledge, and knowledge of the unseen, that he did not tell to anyone else.
It indicates that the Book of Allah is the source of knowledge, and that understanding of knowledge should only be based on the Qur’an and on the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) which explain it.
It indicates that the knowledgeable person may derive from the Qur’an, on the basis of his own understanding, something that was not referred to in the books of tafsir. But that is on condition that it is in accordance with the basic principles of Islam..

112

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that [the tribe of] Khuza‘ah killed a man from [the tribe of] Banu Layth – during the year of the conquest of Makkah – in revenge for one of their own whom Banu Layth had killed. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was told about that, so he sat on his camel and addressed the people, saying: “Allah held back killing or the elephant from Makkah – Abu ‘Abdillah [one of the narrators] said it like that; Abu Nu‘aym said: you may take it as being either the elephant or killing; others said that the word is the elephant – and He sent against them the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and the believers. O people, it was not permissible for anyone [to fight in Makkah] before me, and it will not be permissible for anyone after me. O people, it was only permitted to me for part of the day, and undoubtedly at this very moment it is sacred; its thorny shrubs are not to be uprooted and its trees are not to be cut down; lost property that has been dropped in it is not to be picked up except by one who will announce it. If someone is killed, there are two options: either to give blood money or the family of the victim may be given the power to kill him. A Yemeni man came and said: Write it down for me, O Messenger of Allah. So he said: Write it down for Abu Fulan (Father of So-and-so). A man of Quraysh said: Except idhkhir, O Messenger of Allah, for we use it in our houses and our graves. So the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Except idhkhir, except idhkhir.”.

Commentary : During the Jahiliyyah, the people lived lives that were based on misguidance, and they prescribed different types of injustice and bloodshed. Then Islam came and forbade all types of injustice and wrongdoing, and emphatically forbade unlawful bloodshed.
In this hadith, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the tribe of Khuza‘ah killed a man from the tribe of Banu Layth in revenge for one of their own whom Banu Layth had killed during the Jahiliyyah. That happened during the year of the conquest of Makkah, 8 AH. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came to know of that, so he addressed the people from atop his mount – his she-camel – and explained to them that Allah (may He be glorified in exalted) had held back killing or the elephant from Makkah on the day when Abrahah the Ethiopian had tried to destroy the Kaaba, forty years before the mission of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) began. This event is mentioned in the verse in which Allah (may He be exalted) says: {Have you not considered, [O Muhammad], how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant} [al-Fil 105:1]. Allah (may He be exalted) sent against the companions of the elephant flocks of birds which struck them with stones of hard clay when they reached the bottom of the valley near Makkah, and destroyed them.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) only reminded his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) of the incident of the elephant in his speech to them in order to highlight the prohibition on killing in Makkah, because even though the people of Makkah were disbelievers at that time, Allah still defended the city, so the sanctity of its people after the advent of Islam is even greater.
But Allah sent against the people of Makkah the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and his companions (may Allah be pleased with them), and fighting was only permitted in Makkah at the time when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) entered the city as a conqueror, along with his companions. Then the prohibition on fighting was restored as it had been before. Fighting in Makkah was not permitted to anyone before him and will never be permitted to anyone after him, because the sanctity of Makkah is something ancient, something that was decreed in the distant past and is still ongoing; it is not something that was introduced by the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or that is unique to his law. It sanctity was restored after the conquest.
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade cutting its vegetation, including large trees, small trees and shrubs, and small plants such as grasses, except the type of grass called idhkir, because the people needed it. It is a type of grass with broad leaves and a pleasant lemony fragrance, the flowers of which may be steeped like tea. It is a beneficial plant that may be burned instead of wood; they used to use it in the roofs of their houses and to cover their graves, so the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) exempted it from the prohibition on cutting vegetation.
The man from Quraysh who requested the exemption of idhkhir was al-‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), as is mentioned in as-Sahihayn. His request was a plea, and the Prophet’s granting of that concession was by way of conveying from Allah (may He be exalted) something that came either by way of inspiration or by way of revelation.
The phrase “its thorny shrubs are not to be uprooted” means that they are not to be taken or cut. The mention of thorns indicates that it is more appropriate that other shrubs or trees that are not harmful should be protected, but thorny bushes may be excluded from the prohibition because they are harmful, so it may be permissible to cut them down, by analogy with the permissibility of killing the five vermin in the Haram zone, because what they all have in common is the fact that they are harmful.
It is forbidden to pick up any lost property except by one who will announce it, so nothing that has been dropped by someone in Makkah should be picked up; rather it should be left where it is until its owner comes back and finds it. It should not be picked up except by someone who intends to announce it and keep it until its owner comes.
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) gave the choice to the heirs of the one who has been killed between accepting the blood money (‘aql or diyah) and killing the killer in retaliation (qisas); this applies in the case of deliberate killing. In the case of accidental killing, however, there is no option except the blood money. The blood money (‘aql) is an amount of wealth to be given by the offender to the one who was harmed, commensurate with the degree of the offence. It is called ‘aql because they used to hobble (ya‘qilun) the camels in the courtyard of the family who were entitled to the blood money.
According to the report narrated by Ahmad from Shurayh (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) gave the diyah for the man of Banu Layth whom the tribe of Khuza‘ah had killed.
Whilst the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was saying that, a Yemeni man – whose name was Abu Shah, as narrated in as-Sahihayn – came and asked the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to write for him some advice that would benefit him. So the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Write for Abu Fulan.” This was a clear instruction to write, even though previously the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had forbidden writing down the Sunnah. Most of the scholars said that the hadiths which enjoin writing down the Sunnah abrogated the hadiths which forbid that. The prohibition was for a reason, which was that perhaps the hadiths of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would be mixed with the Qur’an. Once that reason was no longer applicable, permission was given to write hadiths, because the reason for this reservation was no longer applicable. This is supported by the fact that the instruction to write was general in wording and meaning, and it came at a later time. It was also said that the prohibition was on writing hadiths with Qur’an on the same sheet, because they used to listen to the explanation of verses, and perhaps they wrote the explanation with the verses. So they were forbidden to do that, lest they get confused, but they were given permission to write the Sunnah on separate sheets, or perhaps that was allowed for certain individuals in a few instances, such as one who needed it to be written for him, and so on. Once the revelation was completed, that reason was no longer applicable, and that was after the Sahabah’s knowledge of the Qur’an had become well-entrenched and there was no fear that they might mix it with the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). And it was said that the prohibition was for those who had reliable memories, for fear that they might begin to rely on writing. As for permission to write the hadith, it was given to those whose memories were not reliable. Some of the Sahabah continued to refrain from writing down hadith by way of being extra cautious and prudent, and because of individual concern lest they incur sin or mix Qur’an with Sunnah, or lest they be distracted from writing down the Qur’an.
In this hadith, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) reminds the people of the blessing of Allah in holding back the elephant from Makkah, which was a sign that was attested to by everyone, good and evil alike.
It indicates that if someone hears beneficial words that he will not be able to memorize properly, he should request that they be written down, as Abu Shah did.
It indicates that it is permissible to ask questions and discuss religious issues with a knowledgeable person or scholar, and to do that in gatherings.
We also see in this hadith the command to write down the hadith and Sunnah of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). .

113

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that he said: There is no one among the companions of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) who narrated more hadiths from him than me, except ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, for he used to write down hadiths and I did not..

Commentary : The Sahabah used to preserve the Sunnah of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in various ways. Some of them committed it to memory, and others wrote it down on sheets and in books. Some of them did a great deal of that and some of them did a little.
In this hadith, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that there was no one among the Sahabah who narrated more hadiths than him, except ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him); he had a unique advantage over Abu Hurayrah in that he used to write down the hadith; he would write down whatever he heard.
The words of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) imply that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As (may Allah be pleased with him) collected more hadiths than he did, even though what is narrated from him is less in number. That is for several reasons, the first of which is that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) lived in Egypt, and he used to travel between Egypt and al-Ta’if to reside for some time in each place. Seekers of knowledge did not travel to those two places as they would travel to Madinah, where Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) lived. Abu Hurayrah was also in a position to issue fatwas and teach hadith until he died, as can be seen from the large number of people who narrated from Abu Hurayrah. It was said that eight hundred of the Tabi‘in narrated from him, which did not happen in the case of anyone else. The second reason is that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) was more focused on worship than teaching, so fewer reports were narrated from him. The third reason is something that was unique to Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), which was that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed that he would not forget what he heard from him. The fourth reason was that in Syria, ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) had acquired a camel-load of books of the People of the Book, which he used to read and narrate from them, so many of the leading scholars among the Tabi‘in avoided learning from him.
The words of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) clearly state that they used to write down the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), even though he had previously forbidden them to write down the Sunnah and hadith, as Muslim narrated from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not write down anything from me. Whoever has written down anything from me other than the Qur’an, let him erase it.” That was for fear that the Qur’an might become mixed with other things. But after the Qur’an had been memorized and become well entrenched in the hearts of the Sahabah, and there was no longer any fear of them mixing it with anything else, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) gave permission to some of the Sahabah to write down hadiths.
This hadith highlights the virtue of Abu Hurayrah and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As (may Allah be pleased with them both).
It also indicates that those of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) who were literate both memorized the hadiths and wrote them down as an extra precaution. If a narrator heard a hadith but did not write it down, he relied only on what he had memorized, so his accuracy was based on only one thing, whereas the accuracy of the literate person who also wrote it down was based on two things..

114

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said: When the ailment of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) grew intense, he said: “Bring me something on which to write for you some words after which you will not go astray.” ‘Umar said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is gravely ill, and we have the Book of Allah; it is sufficient for us. But they disagreed, and a great clamour broke out, so the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Go away and leave me alone; no one should quarrel in my presence.” Ibn ‘Abbas went out, saying: What a great calamity it was that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was prevented from writing what he wanted to write..

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was keen for his ummah to remain united and not differ both during his lifetime and after his death. Hence in his Sunnah he clarified all religious matters, highlighted which were most important, and explained in detail many issues concerning which disputes could potentially arise.
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Prophet’s pain grew intense during his final illness – and in Sahih al-Bukhari it says that that happened on a Thursday, four days before the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) died – he asked the Sahabah to let him write for them something after which they would not go astray, and that would be a guide for them to the straight path, after which they would never drift away from the path of truth or deviate from the correct way. But ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke up and said that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was overwhelmed with pain, so it was too difficult for him to dictate what he wanted to write, or to write it himself.
‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) feared for the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and was worried that his concern about writing something might exacerbate his pain and sickness, especially as he was prone to fainting during this sickness, and so on. He thought that the Prophet’s command, “Bring me something on which to write,” was by way of guiding them to what would be better and more appropriate, and he said: The Book of Allah is sufficient for us, meaning: we have the Qur’an, and that is enough for us, for Allah (may He be exalted) says, {We have neglected nothing in the Book} [al-An‘am 6:38], and He says: {This day I have perfected for you your religion} [al-Ma’idah 5:3]. There is nothing that will happen until the Day of Resurrection except that there is a clear text concerning it in the Qur’an and Sunnah, or there is a reference to it. This is indicative of ‘Umar’s deep insight; it does not mean that the Qur’an is sufficient with no need for the explanation of the Sunnah. ‘Umar’s main concern was that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) should rest, because he was so ill and overwhelmed by pain, and it would be difficult for him to dictate what he wanted to write or to write it himself, until he recovered, at which time he would be able to dictate whatever he wanted. However, it is as if some of those present insisted on him writing these things. Hence the Sahabah began to argue and there were too many people speaking at once, which prompted the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to order them to go out and leave him alone, explaining that it was not appropriate for them to argue in his presence.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to warn them against dissent and disagreement, because that could lead to the loss of something good, as happened with regard to the definition of Laylat al-Qadr and other matters. The dispute and clamour that occurred in this instance were the reason why this writing did not occur; it was not what ‘Umar or anyone else said (may Allah be pleased with them all). At this point, Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, when narrating this hadith: What a great calamity it was that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was prevented from writing what he wanted to write. The dispute is the reason why he did not write what he wanted to write.
There is a difference of scholarly opinion as to what he wanted to write. It was said that he wanted to write a document in which he stated some rulings, so as to leave no room for dispute. It was said that he wanted to write the names of the caliphs to come after him, so that there would be no dispute among them. This is supported by a report narrated by Muslim, which says that when his sickness began, when he was in ‘A’ishah’s house, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Call for me your father and your brother, so that I may write something down, for I fear that someone may raise his hopes (of becoming caliph), or someone may suggest (that So-and-so should be the caliph), when Allah and the believers will not accept anyone except Abu Bakr.” A similar report was narrated by al-Bukhari.
This hadith indicates that dispute and argument may be the cause of being deprived of some blessings and goodness.
It indicates that the Sahabah expressed their views on the basis of their individual understanding (ijtihad) in the presence of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) with regard to a matter concerning which there was no revelation.
It indicates that proper etiquette when visiting the sick is not to stay with the sick person so long that it causes him annoyance, and not to speak in his presence of things that could upset him.
It indicates that if sickness and pain become too intense, it is permissible for the sick person to tell his visitors to leave.
It is indicative of the virtue of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and his understanding of religion.
It tells us that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not clearly state that any particular individual should be the caliph after he was gone..

115

It was narrated that Umm Salamah said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) woke up one night and said: “Subhan-Allah! How many fitnahs (tribulations and punishments) have been sent down this night, and how many stores have been opened! Wake up the ladies of the apartments, for she who is clothed in this world may be naked in the hereafter.”.

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was kind and compassionate towards the believers. This hadith highlights one aspect of his compassion towards his ummah. The Mother of the Believers Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) woke up one night, when he was in her house, amazed at what Allah had sent down on that night of tribulations and punishments, and what He had opened of the stores of mercy and so on. He referred to punishment by using the word fitnah, because fitnah is a cause of punishment. He referred to mercy as stores, because Allah (may He be exalted) says: {Or do they have the depositories of the mercy of your Lord?} [Sad 38:9].
This was a dream that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) saw. What is meant is that that after he was gone, there would be fitnahs and troubles, and that the stores of divine mercy would be opened for his ummah. Fitnahs and troubles indeed happened, as is well known, and the stores were opened as the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) prevailed over the Persians, Byzantines and others.
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) issued instructions to wake his wives to pray and seek refuge with Allah from what had come down, so that they would be the first to seek refuge from the fitnahs and tribulations of this world, for it was not appropriate for them to neglect worship and rely on their being wives of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). It is said that this was addressed exclusively to them because they were the ones who were present at that time.
With regard to the phrase “for she who is clothed in this world may be naked in the hereafter”, the word translated as “may” here is sometimes used to indicate that the number referred to is small, or it may be used to indicate that it is great, as is the case here. What is meant is: she who is showered with the blessings of Allah but fails to give thanks, or she who is covered with clothes in this world because she is wealthy, may be naked in the hereafter because she is deprived of reward as she did not strive in the first world; or it may refer to one whose clothing covers part of her body, and exposes part of it, showing off her beauty. It was also said that it refers to one who wears a thin garment that shows the shape of her body, so even if she is covered with clothing, she is naked in reality; or she may be covered with clothing and jewellery, but she is devoid of the garment of piety; or she may be clothed because of the blessing of marriage to a righteous man, but she will be naked in the hereafter because she had no righteous deeds of her own to her credit and the righteousness of her husband will not benefit her.
This hadith indicates that a man may wake his family at night to pray and remember Allah (dhikr), especially when a sign [or natural phenomenon] appears, or following an alarming dream.
It indicates that it is prescribed to say “Subhan-Allah” when one is amazed.
This hadith is one of the signs of the Prophet’s prophethood.
It indicates that prayer protects against fitnahs and troubles, and also protects against calamities.
It also contains a warning against forgetting to give thanks to the Bestower of blessings, and that a woman should not rely on the noble status of her husband..

116

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar that he said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led us in praying ‘Isha’ at the end of his life. When he said the salaam and stood up, he said: “Do you see this night of yours? One hundred years from now, there will be left no one who is alive on the face of the earth tonight.”.

Commentary : In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) spoke of a matter of the unseen of which Allah had informed him, as ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led them in praying ‘Isha’ one day at the end of his life. According to a report narrated by Muslim from Jabir ibn ‘Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with him), that happened one month before he died. When he said the salaam and finished his prayer, he turned to them and exhorted them, and he told them that after one hundred years had passed, there would be no one left on the face of the earth who was alive on that night. And this is what happened. Even though some of those people lived to a great age, none of them were left alive one hundred years after that night on which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) told them of that. That was a reminder to them that life is short. Thus he informed them that they would not live as long as the nations who came before them, so that they would strive hard.
This hadith is one of the signs of the prophethood of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)..

117

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said: I stayed overnight in the house of my maternal aunt Maymunah bint al-Harith, the wife of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when he was at her house, as it was her night. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed ‘Isha’ [in the mosque], then he came to his house and prayed four rak‘ahs, then he went to sleep. Then he got up, then he said: “Has the young lad gone to sleep?” or words to that effect. Then he got up, and I went and stood on his left. He made me stand on his right, then he prayed five rak‘ahs, then he prayed two rak‘ahs, then he went to sleep, until I heard his deep, rhythmic breathing. Then he went out to pray..

Commentary : Our Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was the best of people in worshipping his Lord and standing before Him. The Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) were keen to learn from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and to learn his Sunnah, act in accordance with it and convey it to those who came after them. From an early age, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) was very keen to do that.
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he stayed one night with his maternal aunt Maymunah bint al-Harith, the wife of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), when it was her night with him. When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had prayed ‘Isha’, he came to her house, then he prayed four rak‘ahs, then he went to sleep. Then he woke up and asked: Has the boy gone to sleep? – referring to Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him). He called him al-ghulayyim (translated here as “the young lad”), which is a diminutive form, by way of showing compassion to the young child, and out of concern that he should get enough sleep .
Then when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) got up, Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) got up with him and stood on his left-hand side to pray with him, but the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) took hold of him and made him stand on his right. Then he prayed five rak‘ahs, then he prayed two rak‘ahs, then he went to sleep. The word thumma (translated here as “then”) suggests that some time passed in between, to indicate that his going to sleep did not come immediately after he had prayed; rather he stayed awake for some time after praying, then he went to sleep, until Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) could hear the deep, rhythmic breathing of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), which indicates that the sleeper is sleeping deeply. He slept until he got up and went out for Fajr prayer without doing wudu’, as is mentioned in as-Sahihayn. This is something that was unique to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), as falling asleep whilst lying down did not invalidate his wudu’, because although his eyes slept, his heart did not sleep.
The total number of rak‘ahs that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed in this report was 11: four, then five, then two. According to a report narrated by al-Bukhari, he prayed thirteen rak‘ahs. This is the most that is mentioned in any report. The two reports can be reconciled by noting that those who mentioned eleven did not count the first two rak‘ahs of Fajr; those who did mention the first two gave the total as thirteen.
This hadith highlights the virtue of Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) and his intelligence from an early age, and tells us that he was watching what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did all night.
It also highlights how the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed at night (qiyam al-layl) and strove hard in worship.
It also indicates that a small movement does not invalidate the prayer. .

118

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The people say that Abu Hurayrah narrates too much. Were it not for two verses in the Book of Allah, I would not have narrated any hadith. Then he recited: {Indeed, those who conceal what We sent down of clear proofs and guidance after We made it clear for the people in the Scripture - those are cursed by Allah and cursed by those who curse, Except for those who repent and correct themselves and make evident [what they concealed]. Those - I will accept their repentance, and I am the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful} [al-Baqarah 2:159-160]. Our brothers among the Muhajirin were preoccupied with going to do business in the marketplaces, and our brothers among the Ansar were preoccupied with tending to their properties. But Abu Hurayrah used to stay with the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and was content with just enough to eat. He was present when they were not present and he memorized what they did not memorize..

Commentary : The Sahabah narrated the Sunnah of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to others; some of them narrated a great deal and some of them narrated only a few reports. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) was one of the Sahabah who narrated the most, even though he was late in coming to Islam. Therefore some people said that Abu Hurayrah narrated the most hadith of all the Sahabah, but he was afraid that they might develop doubts about the soundness of his hadiths. Therefore he said: Were it not for these two verses – {Indeed, those who conceal what We sent down of clear proofs and guidance after We made it clear for the people in the Scripture - those are cursed by Allah and cursed by those who curse, Except for those who repent and correct themselves and make evident [what they concealed]. Those - I will accept their repentance, and I am the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful} [al-Baqarah 2:159-160] – in which Allah (may He be exalted) warns the one who withholds knowledge of a curse, he would not have narrated a single hadith to them. But he was afraid that this curse might befall him if he withheld the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Then he explained the reason that helped him to memorize this great number of hadiths which no one else memorized. It was his staying close to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) more than anyone else among the Sahabah. That was because the Muhajirin were preoccupied with buying and selling in the marketplaces, which kept them from staying with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and regularly attending his gatherings. The Ansar were preoccupied with working for a living in their gardens and fields. As for Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), he stayed close to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and was content with a little simple food every day. He attended most of the gatherings of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and he memorized from him what the others did not memorize, because he was always with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
This hadith highlights the virtue of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him).
It also points to the importance of preserving knowledge and persisting in seeking it.
And it highlights the virtue of being content with little in this world, and giving precedence to seeking knowledge over seeking wealth..

119

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, I hear many hadiths from you that I forget. He said: “Spread out your cloak.” So I spread it out. Then he scooped with his hands, then he said: “Gather it up.” So I gathered it up, and I never forgot anything after that. .

Commentary : The Sahabah were keen to learn and memorize the Sunnah of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and convey it to the ummah who came after them. Abu Hurayrah was one of the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) who narrated the most reports, even though he was late in coming to Islam. In this hadith, he narrates that he complained to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that he forgot too many hadiths that he had heard from him, so the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed him to spread out his garment, after which he made a scooping gesture with his hands. No mention is made of what was scooped, or of what he scooped, because that was simply a gesture. Then he instructed him to gather it up to his chest, so Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) did that, then he never forgot anything that he heard from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). This was one of the miracles of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and that was the reason why Abu Hurayrah narrated so many reports, as he was in a position to issue fatwas and teach hadiths until he died. Hence many people narrated from him; it was said that eight hundred of the Tabi‘in narrated from him, which did not happen in the case of anyone else. Allah blessed him, and the number of his reports was greater than five thousand.
This hadith highlights one of the miracles of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and shows how the blessing (barakah) of his dua was manifested, as forgetfulness was taken away from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him).
It also highlights the virtue of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him).
It points to the importance of preserving knowledge and persisting in seeking it..

120

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: I memorized two types of knowledge from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). As for the first type, I spread it; as for the second type, if I were to spread it, this throat would be cut..

Commentary : In this hadith, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he learned two different types of knowledge from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). The first type was Islamic knowledge having to do with beliefs and rulings, which he spread and conveyed. As for the other type, if he had conveyed it and narrated it to the people, he would have been slaughtered like a sheep, with his throat cut. The word used in the original Arabic refers to cutting the oesophagus. Perhaps this knowledge had to do with bad rulers or tribulations, such as the murder of ‘Uthman and al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them both).
Someone may say: how could he regard it as permissible to withhold a hadith of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when he said, “Convey from me”? And how could the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) have said something that, if it was mentioned, the one who narrated it would be killed? How could the Muslims, namely the Sahabah and Tabi‘in, regard it as permissible to kill someone who narrated from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)? The answer is that what he withheld did not have to do with Islamic teachings, which it is not permissible to withhold or conceal. Abu Hurayrah himself said – as was narrated from him by al-Bukhari –: Were it not for a verse in the Book of Allah, I would not have narrated to you. That verse is: {Indeed, those who conceal what We sent down of clear proofs and guidance after We made it clear for the people in the Scripture - those are cursed by Allah and cursed by those who curse, Except for those who repent and correct themselves and make evident [what they concealed]. Those - I will accept their repentance, and I am the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful} [al-Baqarah 2:159-160].
So how can anyone think that he withheld anything having to do with the teachings of Islam after this verse, and after the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) issued instructions to convey from him, and he used to say to them: “Let those of you who are present convey to those who are absent”? Rather what was concealed was words such as: So-and-so is a hypocrite; or, You will kill ‘Uthman; or, “My ummah will be doomed at the hands of some young men of Quraysh,” the clan of So-and-so. If he had stated their names openly, they would have declared him to be a liar and killed him.
This hadith highlights the virtue of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him).
It also indicates that the one who seeks to enjoin what is right and proper may speak in ambiguous terms if he fears for his life were he to speak clearly. .

121

It was narrated from Jarir that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said to him during the Farewell Pilgrimage: “Tell the people to listen attentively.” Then he said: “Do not go back to being disbelievers after I am gone, striking one another’s necks.”.

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to advise his ummah and guide them to that which was in their best interests, and he would forbid them to do that which would harm them in their religious and worldly affairs, in this world and the hereafter.
In this hadith, Jarir ibn ‘Abdillah al-Bajali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed him, during the Farewell Pilgrimage, to tell the people to be quiet and pay heed to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and to listen attentively to what he was going to say to them. When they fell silent, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) addressed them and warned them not to go back to being disbelievers after he was gone, striking one another’s necks. That would be the case if they let enmity and hatred amongst themselves prompt them to regard it as permissible to shed one another’s blood. It was said: it may be that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) knew that this would not happen during his lifetime, so he forbade them to do that after he died. In other words, he was saying: when I depart this world, remain steadfast after I am gone in the faith and piety that you are currently adhering to; do not wage war against the Muslims, and do not take their wealth unlawfully. It was also said that what was meant was: Do not let your actions be like the actions of the disbelievers by striking the necks of the Muslims.
This hadith indicates that a person should listen attentively to his companion, so long as he is not speaking of anything haram.
This hadith is also one of the signs of the prophethood of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
It also indicates that it is emphatically forbidden for the Muslims to fight one another and shed one another’s blood..

122

It was narrated that Sa‘id ibn Jubayr said: I said to Ibn ‘Abbas: Nawf al-Bakali is claiming that Musa is not the Musa of the Children of Israel; rather he is some other Musa. He said: The enemy of Allah is lying. Ubayy ibn Ka‘b told us, narrating from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): “Musa the Prophet stood up and addressed the Children of Israel. He was asked: ‘Which of the people is most knowledgeable?’ He said: ‘I am the most knowledgeable.’ Then Allah rebuked him for not referring the matter of knowledge to Him, and Allah revealed to him: ‘One of My slaves, at the junction of the two seas, is more knowledgeable than you.’ He said: ‘O Lord, how can I reach him?’ It was said to him: ‘Carry a fish in a basket, and when you lose it, he will be there.’ So he set out with his servant, Yusha‘ ibn Nun, and they carried a fish in a basket, until they reached the rock, where they lay down their heads and slept. The fish snuck out of the basket and took its course into the sea, slipping away, and Musa and his servant were amazed. They continued on their way for the rest of that night, and the following day, in the morning, Musa said to his servant: ‘Bring us our morning meal. We have certainly suffered in this, our journey, [much] fatigue.’ Musa did not feel any fatigue until he went beyond the place he had been instructed to seek. His servant said to him: ‘Did you see when we retired to the rock? Indeed, I forgot [there] the fish. And none made me forget it except Satan.’ Musa said: ‘That is what we were seeking.’ So they returned, following their footprints. When they reached the rock, they saw a man covered with a garment, or covering himself with his own garment. Musa greeted him with salaam, and Khadir said: ‘Do people in your land greet one another with salaam?’ He said: ‘I am Musa.’ Khadir said: ‘The Musa of the Children of Israel?’ Musa said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘May I follow you so that you might teach me some of that knowledge which you have been taught?’ Khadir said: ‘You will never be able to remain patient with me, O Musa. I have some knowledge that Allah has taught me, which you do not know, and you have some knowledge that He taught you which I do not know.’ Musa said: ‘You will find me, if Allah wills, patient, and I will not disobey you in anything.’ So they set out, walking along the seashore, as they did not have a boat. Then a boat passed by them, so they asked the crew of the boat to take them on board. The crew recognized al-Khadir, so they took them on board without any fare. Then a sparrow came and alighted on the edge of the boat, and dipped its beak in the sea once or twice. Al-Khadir said: ‘O Musa, my knowledge and your knowledge has not detracted anything from the knowledge of Allah except as much as the beak of this sparrow has detracted from the water of the sea.’
Then al-Khadir went to one of the planks of the boat and pulled it out. Musa said: ‘These people took us on board without any fare, but you have scuttled their boat so as to drown its crew!’ Al-Khadir said: ‘Did I not tell you that you would never be able to remain patient with me?’ Musa said: ‘Do not blame me for what I forgot and do not make it too difficult for me to follow you.’ So in the first instance, Musa’s excuse was that he forgot.
Then they continued on their way, and saw a boy playing with other boys. Al-Khadir took hold of the top of the boy’s head and pulled it off with his hands. Musa said: ‘Have you killed an innocent soul who killed no one?’ Al-Khadir said: ‘Did I not tell you that you would never be able to remain patient with me?’ – Ibn ‘Uyaynah said: Here it became more certain [that Musa would not be able to remain patient with him] –
Then they continued on their way until they came to the people of a town, and asked its people for food, but they refused to show them any hospitality. In the town, they found a wall that was about to collapse, so al-Khadir gestured with his hands and repaired it. Musa said: ‘If you wish, you could have taken payment for it.’ Khadir said: ‘This is the parting of the ways between me and you.’”
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “May Allah have mercy on Musa. We wish that he had been patient so that we could have known more about his story with Khadir.”.

Commentary : In this hadith, Sa‘id ibn Jubayr narrates that he asked ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) about Musa, the one who met al-Khadir, because Nawf al-Bakali – who was a Tabi‘i from Damascus, a man of virtue and knowledge, especially with regard to the reports from Jewish sources (Isra’iliyyat), and he was the son of the wife of Ka‘b al-Ahbar – had claimed that he was not Musa, the Messenger who was sent to the Children of Israel. Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that he was lying, and Sa‘id responded that he was indeed Musa, the Prophet who was sent to the Children of Israel. Then he told him of a hadith narrated from Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him), that he heard from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about the story of Musa (peace be upon him) and al-Khadir. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said that whilst Allah’s Prophet Musa was among a group of Israelites, a man came to him and asked him: Do you know of anyone more knowledgeable than you on earth? Musa (peace be upon him) said no, because he thought that there could not be anyone who was more knowledgeable than him, for he was a prophet who received revelation. But Allah rebuked him for not referring the matter of knowledge to Him. It was said that this was by way of alerting Musa (peace be upon him) and to serve as a lesson for those who came after him, lest anyone else follow his example in self-praise and self-admiration, and thus become doomed. So Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) revealed to him: there is indeed someone who is more knowledgeable than you, to whom Allah has granted knowledge from Himself other than what He has revealed to you. He is a slave of Allah whose name is Khadir, and he is at the junction of the two seas; the two seas were the sea of Persia which is in the east, and the sea of the Byzantines which is in the west. And it was said that the junction of the two seas was at Tangiers, in the furthest reaches of the Maghreb [modern-day Morocco].
So Musa asked: How can I reach him? Allah (may He be exalted) said: Look for him on the seashore, by the rock. He said: O Lord, how will I find the place? Allah said: Take a fish in a basket, and when you lose the fish, then go back to the place where you lost it, and you will meet him there. It was said that he took a salted fish and said to his servant: When you lose the fish, tell me. When they reached the rock by the sea, they lay down their heads and slept, and the fish came out of the basket when they were not looking, went into the sea and swam away. That was something amazing for Musa and his servant, as the fish came back to life, slipped out of the basket and went into the sea. Then the water was held in place with the fish, whilst they proceeded for the rest of that night and the following day. In the morning, Musa said to his servant Yusha‘ ibn Nun: Bring us our morning meal so we can eat. We have certainly suffered in this, our journey, [much] fatigue. Musa did not experience any fatigue until he went beyond the place he had been instructed to go to in order to meet al-Khadir. The servant said to Musa: {Did you see when we retired to the rock? Indeed, I forgot [there] the fish. And none made me forget it except Satan} [al-Kahf 18:62]. That was because, after resting by the sea, the servant forgot the fish, then they travelled on for a while. When the servant remembered that, he told Musa (peace be upon him) about that, so he said to him: {“That is what we were seeking.” So they returned, following their footprints} [al-Kahf 18:64]. So they went back, tracing their footsteps, until they reached the place where they had lost the fish. There they found al-Khadir, covered with his garment. Musa greeted him with salaam, and al-Khadir said: Do people in your land greet one another with salaam? This appeared in the form of a question, but what was meant was that it was thought unlikely, which indicates that the people of that land were not Muslims at that time. According to a report narrated by Muslim: Musa said to al-Khadir: Al-salaamu ‘alaykum (peace be upon you), so he uncovered his face and said: Wa ‘alaykum al-salaam. The two reports may be reconciled by noting that he asked this question after returning the greeting.
Musa asked him to allow him to follow him, so that he could learn from his knowledge, but al-Khadir explained to him that he would never be able to bear with patience what he would see, because of the difference in the types of knowledge that each of them had learned, even though all of that came from Allah. Musa (peace be upon him) promised him that he would show patience and would never comment on anything that al-Khadir did. So they travelled along the seashore, then a boat passed by them, so they asked the crew to let them on board. They recognized al-Khadir, so they took them on board without any fare, by way of honouring him.
Then a sparrow came and sat on the edge of the boat, and dipped its beak in the sea once or twice, picking up some of the seawater. This was a kind of parable which al-Khadir explained to Musa as meaning that the knowledge of each of them, in comparison to the knowledge of Allah, was like the drop of water that the bird took from the sea.
Then al-Khadir removed a plank from the boat, with the aim of making it appear defective. Musa (peace be upon him) was astounded at his action, especially after the crew of the boat had honoured them, and he asked al-Khadir why he had done that. Al-Khadir said to him: {Did I not say that with me you would never be able to have patience?} [al-Kahf 18:72], so Musa (peace be upon him) apologized. So in the first instance, Musa’s excuse was that he forgot.
Then they disembarked from the boat, and they found a small boy playing with other children. Al-Khadir grabbed the top of his head and separated his head from his body for no obvious reason, or for any offence on the child’s part. Once again, Musa was shocked, and he broke the condition of patience, and asked in amazement: Have you killed an innocent soul for no sin and for not having killed another? This was the second time that he did not show patience.
Then they continued on their way, and entered a town, where they asked its people for food and hospitality, but they refused. Despite that, when al-Khadir found a tumbledown wall that was about to collapse, he built it up and repaired it so that it would not collapse. Musa said to him: If you wish, you could charge a fee for rebuilding it. This was the third time that Musa (peace be upon him) did not show patience, and this was the parting of the ways between them, so they separated after al-Khadir explained to him the wisdom behind all of these things, as is mentioned in the verses in which Allah (may He be exalted) says:
{As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working at sea. So I intended to cause defect in it as there was after them a king who seized every [good] ship by force.
And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared that he would overburden them by transgression and disbelief,
So we intended that their Lord should substitute for them one better than him in purity and nearer to mercy.
And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was beneath it a treasure for them, and their father had been righteous. So your Lord intended that they reach maturity and extract their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord. And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of that about which you could not have patience}
[al-Kahf 18:79-82].
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “May Allah have mercy on Musa. We wish that he had been patient.” This was an expression of his wish that Musa (peace be upon him) had adhered to the condition of showing patience with al-Khadir, so that he could have told us of the wondrous and amazing things that would have occurred on their journey together.
After that, the extent of al-Khadir’s knowledge became clear to Musa (peace be upon him), which was based on what Allah had taught him of unseen matters and events that demonstrate the power of Allah, of which the Prophets had no knowledge except what they were told by the Creator (may He be glorified in exalted).
This hadith encourages people to put up with hardship for the sake of seeking knowledge.
It indicates that one should strive to increase in knowledge and seek more of it, and show due respect to one who has more knowledge. It also highlights the virtue of seeking knowledge and of showing the proper etiquette towards scholars and knowledgeable people.
It indicates that one should remain humble when seeking knowledge, and the seeker of knowledge should serve his teacher if he is younger than him.
It highlights an important basic principle of Islam, which is that one should not object on the basis of reason to what one may not understand of the teachings and rulings of Islam, and that nothing may be regarded as good or bad except on the basis of Islamic teachings and religious texts.
It indicates that a person should apologize if he goes against the rules to which he committed himself.
It also indicates that one should judge matters on the basis of what they appear to be, unless one learns otherwise.
It indicates that lying is saying something other than what in fact is the case, either deliberately or by mistake.
It indicates that when there are two evils, it is permissible to ward off the greater evil by committing the lesser evil..

123

It was narrated that Abu Musa said: A man came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah, what is fighting in Allah’s cause? For one of us may fight out of anger, or he may fight on the basis of tribal feelings. He lifted his head to him, and he only lifted his head to him because the man was standing, and said: “Whoever fights so that the word of Allah may be supreme is fighting in the cause of Allah.”.

Commentary : Having a good intention is a condition of deeds being acceptable to Allah (may He be exalted). Any deed in which this condition is not met will be as worthless as scattered dust, and will not bring any benefit to the doer, whether it is fighting in Allah’s cause or any other deed.
In this hadith, Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that a man asked the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about the true definition of fighting in Allah’s cause, and told him that a man may fight out of anger, meaning that he is seeking revenge and retaliating against an enemy, or he may fight out of tribal feeling, which is based on pride, in defence of his own people. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) responded by stating that the one who fights so that the word of Allah may be supreme, and his aim and intention in fighting is that the word of Tawhid should be the word that prevails in this land, the word that has power and authority that cannot be pushed back, and its dominion has no limits, is truly striving in Allah’s cause. This is the true mujahid who, if he is killed, will attain martyrdom, and if he returns, he will return with reward and booty.
In this hadith, we see that having a sound intention is a condition of deeds being acceptable to Allah (may He be glorified and exalted).
This hadith highlights what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was given of eloquence and concise speech.
It also mentions that the virtue that is ascribed to the mujahidin is only for those who fight so that the word of Allah (may He be exalted) may be supreme..

125

It was narrated that ‘Abdullah said: Whilst I was walking with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in a remote part of Madinah, and he was leaning on a stick made of palm leaves that he had with him, he passed by a group of Jews. They said to one another: Ask him about the soul. One of them said: Do not ask him, lest he say something about it that you dislike. Another of them said: No, let us ask him. One of them stood up and said: O Abul Qasim, what is the soul? He remained silent, so I thought: Revelation is coming to him. So I stood up. When the revelation had finished, he said: {And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the soul. Say, “The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little”} [al-Isra’ 17:85]. Al-A‘mash [one of the narrators] said: This is how it is in our recitation..

Commentary : In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he was walking with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in a remote part of Madinah, which was a sparsely populated area, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was leaning on a stick made of palm leaves. He passed by a group of Jews, some of whom wanted to ask the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about the soul, thinking that by doing so, they would be asking him something that he could not answer, and thus they would stir up doubts about him. Some of them supported the idea, but others thought that they should not ask him this question, for fear that he might say something about it that they would dislike. Then they decided to go ahead and ask him. The kunyah of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was Abul Qasim so they called out to him by this kunyah and asked him about the soul. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) remained silent, and the revelation came down to him, and he recited the verse: {And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the soul. Say, “The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little”} [al-Isra’ 17:85]. In other words, knowledge of the soul is a divine matter that Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) has kept to Himself, to the exclusion of all others, and the knowledge that you have is only a small part of knowledge, because no matter how great human knowledge may grow, it is still limited, and human reason is also limited; the secrets of this universe are too great to be comprehended by finite human reason.
In this hadith, we see that the soul is a matter of the unseen, and one of the secrets of divine knowledge.
It also indicates how very small human knowledge is, and that human reason cannot comprehend everything..

1471

Ibn ‘Umar reported that he divorced his wife during her menstruation in the Prophet's lifetime. So, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about that and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Order him to take her back and keep her until she attains purity, then menstruates, then attains purity. Then, if he wishes he may keep her, and if he wishes he may divorce her before having intercourse with her. This is the ‘Iddah (waiting period) that Allah Almighty has ordered for the divorce of women." [Another version reads]: That he divorced his wife during her menstruation, once. So, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded him to take her back and keep her until she attains purity, then menstruates again, while still being with him, then to give her time until she attains purity from her menstruation. After that, if he wanted to divorce her, he could do so when she becomes pure before having sexual intercourse with her, as this is the ‘iddah that Allah commanded for the divorce of women. [Another version reads]: On being asked about this, ‘Abdullah said to someone: "If you divorced your wife once or twice, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded me to do this. However, if you have divorced her thrice, she became forbidden to you until she is married to another man, and you have disobeyed Allah regarding what He commanded you in divorcing your wife.".

Commentary : The legislated divorce is that one divorces his wife one time while being pure (of her menses) without having sexual intercourse with her during this period of purity. It is called Talāq Sunni (Sunnah-compliant divorce). As for the forbidden divorce, it is to divorce one's wife more than once in one utterance, or to divorce her during her menstruation, or during a period of purity in which he had sexual intercourse with her. This is called Talāq Bid‘i (Heretic divorce).
In this Hadīth, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) narrates that he divorced his wife - her name was Āminah bint Ghifār, and it was said: Āminah bint ‘Ammār, and there are other opinions as well - during her menstruation before attaining purity, and that was in the Prophet's lifetime. His father, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb, went to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him about the ruling on this divorce that occurred during menstruation, whether it is permissible or not, and whether it counts or not. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded him to order his son, ‘Abdullah, to take her back in marriage and keep her with him "until she attains purity" from the menstruation in which he divorced her, "then menstruates" again, "then attains purity" from the second menstruation. After attaining purity from the second menstruation, he could keep her as his wife if he wished or he could divorce her in the second period of purity before having intercourse with her. This state, namely the state of purity, is the time for starting "the ‘Iddah that Allah Almighty has commanded for the divorce," i.e., during which, "women", as Allah Almighty says: {O Prophet, when you [believers] divorce women, divorce them with concern to their waiting period.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1] That is to say, divorce them while receiving their ‘Iddah, i.e., at the time they could start the ‘Iddah, and the period of menstruation is not counted in the ‘Iddah. So, if one divorces during this time, his divorce does not occur in the state commanded by Allah, which is starting and entering the ‘Iddah, when the divorce occurs during the period of her purity not during the period of her menstruation. This is because, during the purity period, she can keep an accurate count of her ‘Iddah, which is three Qurū’ (menstrual cycles), and "qur’" is purity, and it was said: menstruation.
In another version, Muhammad ibn Rumh - one of the Hadīth narrators - added: Whenever ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar was asked about divorcing a woman during menstruation, he would say to the questioner: If you divorced your wife once or twice then take her back, as the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded me to do so. However, if you divorced her thrice then this is an irrevocable divorce and you cannot take her back and she becomes forbidden for you "until she is married to another man," and he has sexual intercourse with her and then divorces her. After her ‘Iddah is over, she becomes lawful for you again to marry.
And by doing this, you disobeyed Allah and went against Him "regarding what He commanded you in divorcing your wife" during the purity state in which you had intercourse with her, as Allah Almighty says: {O Prophet, when you [believers] divorce women, divorce them with concern to their waiting period.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1]
This clarifies that the divorce counts, whether it is Sunni or Bid‘i. The fact that the Bid‘i divorce is forbidden does not entail that it does not occur. It only means that whoever does this deliberately is considered sinful, yet the divorce still counts.
In a version of Muslim, Anas ibn Sīrīn said to Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father): "Was that divorce that you gave her when she was menstruating counted as such?" and you considered it one of the three divorces. "‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar said: Why would I not count it? (It must be counted) even if I failed and acted foolishly," i.e, failed to fulfill an obligation or acted foolishly and did not fulfill it, or failed to take her back and acted foolishly. Would that be an excuse for him, or would his foolishness make it not count, or would his failure invalidate it?! It is a question of disapproval whose answer is supposed to be: Yes, it is counted, and his failure and foolishness do not prevent it from being counted.
The Hadīth indicates the keenness of Islam to restrict the circumference of divorce as much as possible, and if it happens, it does not cause harm to any of the spouses.
It also indicates that the husband alone has the right to Raj‘ah (taking the wife back) without the guardian..

1472

Ibn ‘Abbās reported: The triple divorce during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and that of Abu Bakr and two years of the caliphate of ‘Umar was counted as one. Then ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb said: "Indeed, people have hastened to a matter regarding which they used to act with deliberation. So, if we would make them count (as three divorces)," and he did that..

Commentary : Allah Almighty has made divorce a kind of respite between the spouses when life between them becomes impossible. In Islam, divorce has certain criteria and results in a number of rights.
In this Hadīth, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: During the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and that of Abu Bakr and two years of ‘Umar's caliphate, whoever triply divorced his wife in one session or in one time, would count as a single divorce. An example of this is saying: "You are divorced thrice," or saying: "You are divorced. You are divorced. You are divorced." Then the husband can take his wife back during the period of ‘Iddah (waiting period) without a new contract. If the ‘Iddah is over, he can take her back with a new contract. It is not counted as three divorces that would make his wife unlawful for him until she is married to another man. It is deemed to refer to what was most likely meant, which was the intent of confirmation, not for continuing the count. During the lifetime of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), people used this form frequently while most likely intending to continue the count not by way of confirmation. Hence, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) made it count as three divorces. He said: "Indeed, people have hastened to a matter regarding which they used to act with deliberation," i.e., they were entitled to three divorces to give themselves a chance to reconsider their affairs, as it might seem better for them to take their wives back. His saying: "So if we made them count," i.e., He consulted those who were with him from the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) regarding the one who gave three divorces all at once to make such a divorce an irrevocable triple divorce as he uttered, to deter them from rushing into divorce. Thus, he enforced it on people after consulting the senior Companions and their agreement with him.
This is interpreted from him (may Allah be pleased with him) as a form of Ijtihād and laying down rules that would bring benefit to his subjects within the boundaries of Shariah, without making things too difficult or too easy..

1476

‘Ā’ishah reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to seek our permission on the day he had to stay with one of his wives (by turns) after the following verse was revealed: {You [O Prophet] may postpone [the turn of] whoever you wish [of your wives], and you may share your time with whoever of them you wish.} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 51] Mu‘ādhah said to her: What did you use to say to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) when he asked your permission? She said: I used to say: Were it up to me, I would not give anyone preference over myself..

Commentary : The Prophet's wives loved him dearly to the extent that they used to compete to please him and show their love to him.
In this Hadīth, the Mother of the Believers ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reports that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to ask permission from his wife, whose turn was due, to go to another one of his wives. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had nine wives, and he used to allocate a day for each to stay with her overnight. This act of his seeking permission was after the revelation of the following verse: {You [O Prophet] may postpone [the turn of] whoever you wish [of your wives], and you may share your time with whoever of them you wish, and there is no blame on you if you call back any of those whose turn you have set aside. That is more likely that they will be content and not distressed, and that they will be satisfied with what you give them all. Allah knows what is in your hearts, and Allah is All-Knowing, Most Forbearing.} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 51] This verse means: O Messenger, you have the right to delay the turn of whoever you wish of your wives and not stay overnight with her, and you have the right to share your time with whoever you wish of them and stay overnight with her; and there is no blame on you if you call back any of those whom you have delayed. Giving you the choice and making things flexible for you are more likely to make your wives content and satisfied with what you give them all for knowing that you have not neglected duty and have not withheld a right, and Allah knows what is in your hearts - O men - of inclination to some women apart from others, as Allah is All-Knowing of His slaves' actions and nothing thereof is hidden from Him, and He is Most Forbearing and does not hasten to punish them hoping that they may return to Him in repentance.
The female Tābi‘i Mu‘ādhah al-‘Adawiyyah asked ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her): "What did you use to say to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) when he asked for your permission?" ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) replied that she used to say to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): "Were it up to me," i.e., if this act of seeking permission is in my hands, "I would not give anyone preference over myself," i.e., I would not give my day to another wife. This was due to her love to be close to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to serve him, enjoy intimacy with him, and benefit from him.
Such a competition between his wives was not for mere pleasure, intimacy, personal desires, and enjoyment, as is the case with some people. Instead, it was a competition for matters related to the Hereafter and for being close to the master of the first and the last, for expecting the descent of mercy and revelation upon him while being with her and so on.
The Hadīth clarifies one of the Prophet's exclusive rights, namely choosing whomever he wished from his wives whenever he wished.
It also points out some of the etiquettes between spouses and teaches them how a man should seek his wives' permission when sharing his time with them and how the woman should show him love and affection..

1478

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah reported: Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came and sought permission to see the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). He found people sitting at his door and none amongst them had been granted permission, but it was granted to Abu Bakr and he went in. Then came ‘Umar and he sought permission and it was granted to him. He found the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sitting sad and silent with his wives around him, and said: He said: I would say something that would make the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) laugh. So, he said: "O Messenger of Allah, I wish you had seen the daughter of Khārijah when she asked me for extra money, and I got up and slapped her on the neck. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) laughed and said: "They are around me as you see, asking for extra money." So, Abu Bakr got up and slapped ‘Ā’ishah on the neck, and ‘Umar got up and slapped Hafsah on the neck. Both of them did this saying: "Are you asking the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) what he does not have?!" They said: "By Allah, we would never ask the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) for something that he does not have." Then he retreated from them for a month or for twenty-nine days. Then, the following verse was revealed to him: {O Prophet, tell your wives} until the part that reads {for those who do good among you a great reward.} [Surat al-Azāb: 28-29] He said: So, he started with ‘Ā’ishah, saying: "O ‘Ā’ishah, I want to propound something to you but I wish you not to be hasty concerning it until you consult your parents." She said: "What is that, O Messenger of Allah?" So he recited the verse to her. She said: "Is it concerning you, O Messenger of Allah, that I should consult my parents?! Nay, I choose Allah, His Messenger, and the Final Abode; but I ask you not to tell any of your wives what I have said." He said: "None of them asks me except that I will inform her. Allah did not send me to be harsh, or cause harm, but He sent me to teach and make things easy.".

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was generous with his wives and provided for them from what Allah granted him. However, he used to spend often on the cause of Allah and on what would benefit people, leaving only a little for himself and his family. This led to some harm felt by his wives; however, Allah Almighty gave them the choice to either endure life patiently or get a divorce and be separated from him kindly.
In this Hadīth, Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) narrates: Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) once came and sought permission to see the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and found people sitting at his door and none among them was granted permission to see the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) granted Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) permission and he entered. Then, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet's house and sought permission to enter and he permitted him. On entering, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) found the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sitting with his wives around him and he was intensely sad, so much so that he stopped talking. So, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to himself - and it was said: The speaker was Abu Bakr - (may Allah be pleased with him): "I should say something that would make the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) laugh." So, he said: "O Messenger of Allah, I wish you had seen," i.e., if you knew that my wife, the daughter of Khārijah, asked and requested from me an extra amount of money, more than the usual or more than needed, so I got up and "slapped her on the neck," i.e., hit her neck with my hand. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) laughed out of the resemblance between his condition and that of ‘Umar. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "They", referring to his wives, are sitting "around me as you see, asking for extra money" and requesting more money than the usual amount. When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said this, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) got up and went to ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) to slap her on the neck by way of discipline. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) also got up to slap his daughter Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) on the neck by way of discipline, and each of them was saying to his daughter: "Are you asking the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) for what he does not have?!" It was an expression of rebuke and reprimand for them because of their asking for an extra amount of money while the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not have it. "They said: By Allah, we would never ask the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)," after this "something that he does not have." The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) got angry because of this and he retreated from his wives for thirty or twenty-nine days without entering their houses or approaching them. Then, the following verses were revealed: {O Prophet, tell your wives, “If you seek the life of this world and its embellishments, then come, I will give you provision and release you graciously. But if you seek Allah and His Messenger and the Final Abode, then Allah has prepared for those who do good among you a great reward.”} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 28-29] The two verses mean: O Prophet, tell your wives when they ask you for an increase in sustenance and you have nothing to give them as an extra amount: If you seek the life of this world and its embellishments, then come I will give you provision that is given to the divorced women and release you in a way that involves no harm or damage. However, if you seek Allah's pleasure and the pleasure of His Messenger, and you seek Paradise in the Final Abode, then endure your conditions patiently, as Allah has prepared for those who do good among you, through patience and good treatment, a great reward.
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) started with ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) in giving her the choice. He called her and informed her that he had something to propound to her and that he wished she would not hasten to give him a reply without consulting her parents. Perhaps this was out of fear for her because of her young age which entailed the desire for worldly embellishments and her not choosing the Hereafter. She asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about that matter and he recited the verse to her, so she hastened to accept being with the Messenger of Allah, and she said: "Is it concerning you," i.e., being separated from you, or staying with you, or regarding your right, "O Messenger of Allah, that I should consult my parents?!" And she told him that she chose Allah, His Messenger, and the Final Abode. She also asked him (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) not to tell any of his wives about her reply out of her jealousy and keenness to have the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) all for herself and enjoy a great deal of his company. In response, he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "None of them asks me except that I will inform her," to help her make her choice. He justified this by saying that Allah did not send him to be harsh, i.e., causing someone to be in a difficult situation and "‘anat", meaning difficulty and sin as well, "or cause harm," i.e., seek others' mistakes. "But He sent me to teach" people goodness and make things easy. Facilitation here lies in the fact that if he informed them, his other wives would follow the example of ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) and it would be easy for them to choose Allah Almighty, His Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and the Final Abode.
This Hadīth points out that asking permission is from the Prophet's guidance.
It also indicates that one can discipline one's child, even if he grew up.
It shows the ascetic life of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his abstention from worldly life.
It also demonstrates how the Companions used to console the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in his sadness.
It denotes the merit of Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with them)..

1479

‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb reported: When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) secluded himself from his wives, he ('Umar) said: I entered the mosque and found the people pelting the ground with pebbles and saying: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) divorced his wives, and that was before they were commanded with Hijāb. ‘Umar said: I said: I must find this out today. He said: I entered upon ‘Ā’ishah and said: O daughter of Abu Bakr, have you gone to the extent of giving trouble to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)?! She said: O Ibn al-Khattāb, stay out of my affairs and mind your receptacle. He said: So, I entered upon Hafsah bint ‘Umar and said to her: O Hafsah, have you gone to the extent of giving trouble to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)?! By Allah, you know that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) does not love you, and had it not been for me, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would have divorced you. So, she wept bitterly. I said to her: Where is the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)? She said: He is in his cabinet in the attic room. I went there and found Rabāh, the servant of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), sitting on the attic's doorstep with his legs dangling on carved wood, which is a trunk used by the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to ascend and descend. I called out: O Rabāh, seek permission for me from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Rabāh looked at the room then looked at me and said nothing. Then, I said: O Rabāh, seek permission for me from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Rabāh looked at the room then looked at me and said nothing. Then, I raised my voice and said: O Rabāh, seek permission for me from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). I think the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) thought I had come for Hafsah's sake. By Allah, if the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commands me to strike her neck, I will undoubtedly strike her neck. I raised my voice, and he signaled to me to ascend. I entered upon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) while he was lying on a straw mat. I sat down and he drew up his lower garment over him and he had nothing else on him, and the mat had left marks on his side. I looked around in the cabinet of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and found only a handful of barley around one Sā‘ and an equal quantity of the leaves of mimosa flava placed in one side of the room, and a semi-tanned leather bag hanging. He said: Tears started falling from my eyes. He said: O Ibn al-Khattāb, what makes you weep? I said: O Prophet of Allah, how could I not weep when this straw mat has left marks on your side and I see nothing in your cabinet except what I have seen, while Caesar and Khosrau are enjoying fruits and rivers, whereas you are the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and His chosen one and this is your cabinet?! He said: O Ibn al-Khattāb, does it not please you that the Hereafter is for us and the worldly life is for them? I said: Yes. He said: When I entered upon him, I saw signs of anger on his face, so I said: O Messenger of Allah, what trouble have the women caused you? If you had divorced them, verily, Allah is with you, His angels, Jibrīl (Gabriel), Mikā’īl (Michael), I, Abu Bakr, and the believers are with you. I rarely spoke - thanks to Allah - any words except that I hoped Allah would confirm the words I uttered, and this verse, Āyat at-Takhyīr (the Verse of Choice), was revealed: {Perhaps, if he were to divorce you all, his Lord would replace you with better wives.} [Surat at-Tahrīm: 5] {But if you insist on conspiring against him, then indeed Allah is his Protector, as well as Gabriel and the righteous believers, and moreover, the angels are his supporters.} [Surat at-Tahrīm: 4] ‘Ā’ishah bint Abi Bakr and Hafsah were cooperating against the rest of the Prophet's wives. I said: O Messenger of Allah, did you divorce them? He said: No. I said: O Messenger of Allah, when I entered the mosque, I found the Muslims pelting the ground with pebbles and saying: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) divorced his wives. Should I go down and tell them that you did not divorce them? He said: Yes, if you wish. I kept talking to him until there were no more signs of anger on his face and until he laughed and his teeth showed, and he had the most charming front teeth of all people. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) descended and I descended while catching hold of the trunk, but the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went down as if he was walking on the ground without touching it with his hand. I said: O Messenger of Allah, you remained in your room for twenty-nine days. He said: The month consists of twenty-nine days. I, thus, stood at the door of the mosque and called out at the top of my voice: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not divorce his wives, and this verse was revealed: {Whenever they hear any news of security or fear, they spread it. If they referred it to the Messenger or to those in authority among them, those with sound judgment among them could know it.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 83] And it was I who drew correct conclusions and Allah Almighty revealed the Verse of Choice..

Commentary : Perhaps the Prophet's wives caused him trouble like women usually cause their husbands trouble, resulting from jealousy, vexation, and the like.
In this Hadīth, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) secluded himself from his wives and swore not to enter upon them, for he was angry with them, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) entered the Prophet's mosque "and found the people pelting the ground with pebbles," i.e., moving them around and throwing them on the ground, which is something normally done by someone concerned and absorbed in thought. "And saying: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) divorced his wives," i.e. when they saw how the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) kept himself away from his wives, they thought that he had divorced them, so they said this. "And that was before they were commanded with Hijāb," i.e., women conceal themselves from men. This remark is questionable; rather, it is a clear mistake since Hijāb was enjoined at the time of the Prophet's marriage to Zaynab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her) in the fourth or fifth year, and Zaynab (may Allah be pleased with her) was among his wives who were given the choice; and the story of his seclusion from his wives and giving them the choice took place in the ninth year of Hijrah. The best thing said with this regard to: "that it was before they were commanded with Hijāb" is from the words of the narrator who, when seeing that 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said he had entered upon 'Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), thought that this was before Hijāb, so he affirmed it. This could be responded by saying: Entering does not entail removing Hijāb (screen), for he could enter from the door, and she could still talk to him from behind the screen.
Then, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he said to himself: "I must find this out today," i.e., I must find out the truth about this, did the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) divorce them or not? So, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) entered upon ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), the Prophet's wife and Abu Bakr's daughter, and said to her: "O daughter of Abu Bakr, have you gone to the extent of giving trouble to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)?!" blaming her for daring to infuriate the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "O Ibn al-Khattāb, stay out of my affairs," i.e., you are not entitled to admonish me "and mind your receptacle," i.e., rather, you should admonish the one who matters to you, referring to Hafsah bint ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with her). "‘Aybah" (receptacle): the container used for keeping clothes and precious belongings. A man's "‘aybah": his family and those close to him. Then, ‘Umar entered upon his daughter Hafsah and said to her what he had said to ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with them) and added reprovingly: "By Allah, you know that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) does not love you, and had it not been for me, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would have divorced you," deterring and frightening her with divorce and the fact that if it had not been for ‘Umar's special status with the Prophet, this would have occurred. Thereupon, Hafsah cried bitterly because of her sadness about being separated from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and expecting her father to be severely mad at her. Then, ‘Umar asked his daughter (may Allah be pleased with both of them) where the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was. Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "He is in his cabinet in the attic room." "Mashrubah" (attic room): is an elevated room for storing food and drink. On entering, 'Umar found Rabāh (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet's servant, "sitting on the attic's doorstep," i.e., on the doorsill "with his legs dangling," i.e., stretching and hanging them "on carved wood", which is a trunk that had stairs used by the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to ascend to the room and descend from that place using it as a stair. ‘Umar, then, called out to Rabāh (may Allah be pleased with both of them) to seek permission for him to enter upon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). So, Rabāh looked inside the room, then, looked at ‘Umar and said nothing. This indirectly indicates that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had heard ‘Umar's voice; however, he expressed no approval or disapproval of permitting him. So, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) again sought permission from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and Rabāh again looked at the room then looked at ‘Umar and said nothing. On the third time, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) raised his voice so the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would hear him and he called out: "O Rabāh, seek permission for me from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). I think that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) thought I had come for Hafsah's sake," i.e., to apologize for what she did and defend her. "By Allah, if the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commands me to strike her neck, I will certainly strike her neck." This clarified why he sought permission, namely to console the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and bring him out of his sadness and not for anything related to his daughter Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her). Rabāh, thus, signaled with his head to ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) after the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had permitted him to ascend to him in his attic.
On entering upon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), ‘Umar saw him "lying on a straw mat," i.e., lying on his side on the straw mat. Another version in the two "Sahīh Collections" reads: "And he was on a straw mat with nothing between him and the mat," i.e., he was lying thereon without any bedding. "Hasīr" (straw mat): a mat made of palm leaf stalks or others things. 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sat down, so the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) drew up his lower garment over his body to cover it more. "Izār" (lower garment): it is the garment used to cover the lower part of the body. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was not wearing anything except this lower garment. "and the mat had left marks on his side," i.e., it left marks on his side as a result of sleeping on it. 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) looked around, exploring the room where the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was staying and found nothing but a handful - i.e., a pile - of barley equal to one Sā '. Sā‘: it is four Mudds, and one Mudd is equal to an amount that could fill both hands. He found an equal amount of "the leaves of mimosa flava placed in one side of the room," i.e., in one of its sides and at a distance from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). It is said that "Qarazh" (mimosa flava) means: a kind of tree used in tanning leather. "And a semi-tanned leather bag hanging," which is leather that is not yet tanned. All this indirectly indicates the threadbareness of the place where the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was staying and the straitened circumstances he was living in.
‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Tears started falling from my eyes," i.e., tears started flowing by way of sympathy for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) asked him about the reason for his weeping, so ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "O Prophet of Allah, how could I not weep when this straw mat has left marks on your side and I see nothing in your cabinet except what I see, while Caesar and Khosrau are enjoying fruits and rivers, whereas you are the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and His chosen one and this is your cabinet?!" All this serves as an indirect reference to the bliss that the disbelievers enjoy compared to the conditions of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). What ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) meant is that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and the Muslims are more entitled to this bliss than the disbelievers. Khosrau: it is the title of the Persians' king. Caesar: it is the title of the Romans' king. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Ibn al-Khattāb, does it not please you that the Hereafter is for us and the worldly life is for them?" In this way, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) explained to him the logic of the worldly pleasures and that of the Hereafter, as part of Allah's immutable rule regarding His slaves is to make the disbelievers enjoy the worldly pleasures. In contrast, His believing slaves will enjoy the enjoyments of the Hereafter, taking into consideration the contradiction between these two types of pleasures and the believers' eternal abidance in the bliss of Paradise and, on the contrary, the disbelievers' eternal abidance in Hellfire. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Yes" it pleases me, O Messenger of Allah. There were signs of anger on the Prophet's face that ‘Umar noticed the moment he entered, so, ‘Umar said to him: "O Messenger of Allah, what trouble have the women caused you?" He was trying to alleviate the Prophet's sadness and anger. In other words, no trouble will befall you, and you should not care about any of their affairs. "If you had divorced them, verily, Allah is with you, His angels, Jibrīl (Gabriel):" the angel entrusted with the revelation, "Mikā’īl (Michael):" the angel entrusted with the rain and plants, "I, Abu Bakr, and the believers are with you" also with our support and assistance in Da‘wah (call to Allah) and the divine message. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he rarely spoke - thanks be to Allah for this - words except that he hoped Allah would confirm the words he uttered, i.e., he was secretly asking Allah to confirm the soundness of his advice to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) with Qur’an. 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was then informed that the Verse of Choice was revealed to confirm his speech with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). It is the verse where the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave his wives the choice either to remain as his wives or to be divorced and released, as Allah Almighty says: {But if you insist on conspiring against him, then indeed Allah is his Protector, as well as Gabriel and the righteous believers, and moreover, the angels are his supporters. Perhaps, if he were to divorce you all, his Lord would replace you with better wives.} [Surat at-Tahrīm: 4-5] It is said: There is no choice in these verses and mentioning it here is a delusion. In Al-Bukhāri's version, it was reported that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: "The Prophet's wives backed each other against him out of jealousy, so, I said to them: Perhaps, if he were to divorce you all, his Lord would replace you with better wives; and so this verse was revealed." The sound opinion here is what was proven in the two Sahīh Collections and others, namely that the Verse of Choice is the verse where Allah Almighty says: {O Prophet, tell your wives, “If you seek the life of this world and its embellishments, then come, I will give you provision and release you graciously. But if you seek Allah and His Messenger and the Final Abode, then Allah has prepared for those who do good among you a great reward.”} [Surat al-Ahzāb: 28-29] It is said: There is a missing "and" probably in his saying: "The Verse of Choice", and the correct view is: "This verse and the Verse of Choice were revealed".
He reported that 'Ā’ishah and Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with both of them) used to cooperate against the rest of the Prophet's wives, forming a team together. The cause behind their excessive jealousy was divulging his secret, which made him upset and angry. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), then, asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) if he had divorced his wives, trying to find out the truth about what people were saying in the mosque. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) negated divorcing his wives, and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) informed him of how the people felt sad for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) because of what was circulated about him divorcing his wives. 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), then asked for the Prophet's permission to go down to the people, inform them of the correct news, and clarify the truth for them to rejoice. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) agreed and said to him: "If you wish," i.e. if you like and want to do so.
‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he kept talking to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) until there were no more signs of anger on his face and his teeth showed from laughing. "And he had the most charming front teeth of all people." "Thaghr" (front teeth): the mouth and front teeth. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) descended from the attic where he had been staying in seclusion, and ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) descended while catching hold of the trunk and resting on it. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went down "as if he was walking on the ground without touching it with his hand," i.e., he did not need to rest on the trunk when coming down due to his strength. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, you remained in your room for twenty-nine," i.e., there is one day left to complete a month, as the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) swore not to have intercourse with his wives for a month. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The month consists of twenty-nine," i.e., this month was twenty-nine days. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) stood at the door of the mosque and called out at the top of his voice: "The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not divorce his wives", telling and informing the Prophet's Companions that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not divorce his wives contrary to what they had been saying, and this verse was revealed: {Whenever they hear any news of security or fear, they spread it. If they referred it to the Messenger or those in authority among them, those with sound judgment could know it.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 83] When the people said that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had divorced his wives based on no information from anyone and without verifying or checking this out, Allah Almighty blamed them because if they had referred this to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), he would have informed them of the truth about it, or they could have referred it to someone who could ask and find out the truth about it from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "And it was I who drew correct conclusions," i.e., verified this matter and checked it out.
"And Allah Almighty revealed the Verse of Choice," as previously mentioned. In the two Sahīh Collections, it was mentioned that ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: He started with me as the first woman. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I will mention something, but you should only hasten if you consult your parents. She said: Indeed, I know my parents would not order me to leave you." Al-Bukhāri's version reads: "Then, he gave all of his wives the choice, and they said the same as what ‘Ā’ishah had said."
In some narrations in the two Sahīh Collections, the following was reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) kept himself secluded from his wives because of the honey he used to drink in the house of Zaynab bint Jahsh. 'Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "I agreed with Hafsah that the one upon whom the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would enter should say: I can detect the smell of Maghāfīr in you, did you eat Maghāfīr - Maghāfīr: sweet gum that has a foul odor. When he entered upon one of them, she said that to him, and he said: No, but I drank honey in the house of Zaynab bint Jahsh, and I will not drink it again. Thereupon, this verse was revealed: {O Prophet, why do you prohibit [yourself from] what Allah has made lawful to you} to: {You both had better turn to Allah in repentance.} [Surat at-Tahrīm: 1-4] to ‘Ā’ishah and Hafsah, {And [remember] when the Prophet told one of his wives something in secret} [Surat at-Tahrīm: 3], as he said: No, but I drank honey." It is said: The reason is that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had sexual intercourse with his bondmaid Māriyah in the house of Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) and Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) learned about it. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered her not to inform ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). However, Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her) revealed the Prophet's secret to ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her). It is also said: The reason is the things they did as a whole that enraged the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and not a specific incident.
The Hadīth shows the Prophet's good morals and how he would honor whoever smiled at him by smiling back at him.
It also indicates the manifest merit of ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).
It points out how a man should advise his daughter and fix her manners towards her husband.
It also signifies that putting a lot of pressure on women is something dispraised.
It encourages favoring the Hereafter by performing acts of obedience, avoiding sins, and refraining from being preoccupied with the pursuit of worldly pleasures..

1480

Abu Is-hāq reported: I was with Al-Aswad ibn Yazīd sitting in the grand mosque, and Ash-Sha‘bi was with us, and he narrated the Hadīth of Fātimah bint Qays: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) entitled her to no housing or financial maintenance. Then, Al-Aswad took a handful of pebbles and threw it at him and said: Woe to you! How could you narrate this?! ‘Umar said: We must not abandon the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of our Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) on account of a woman's statement. We do not know whether she memorized or forgot. She is entitled to housing and financial maintenance. Allah Almighty says: {Do not force them out of their houses, nor should they leave unless they commit a clear shameful act.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1].

Commentary : Allah has prescribed divorce after sparing no effort in reconciliation between the spouses. He has clarified its rulings and consequences, and He has made it three incidents of divorce so that each of the spouses would reconsider his stance; otherwise, they should be separated after the third incident of divorce, and the woman becomes unlawful for him after that until she is married to another man.
This Hadīth is related to a story mentioned in the two Sahīh Collections and others about the female Companion Fātimah bint Qays (may Allah be pleased with her) who was triply divorced by her husband. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded her to move to the house of Ibn' Umm Maktūm - who was her cousin and was blind - and spend her 'Iddah (waiting period) there. He made her not entitled to financial maintenance for her particular case, as she used to offend her husband's family verbally or because she was in a desolate area and it was feared that someone might assault her; hence, he moved her to the house of Ibn' Umm Maktūm, as he was blind and would not see her. Fātimah bint Qays kept on narrating this Hadīth of hers after the Prophet's death; however, a group of the Companions disapproved of it. The Tābi‘i Abu Is-hāq as-Sabī‘i narrates that he was with Al-Aswad ibn Yazīd an-Nakha‘i - one of the Tābi‘is - in the great mosque, i.e., the grand mosque, which refers to the mosque of Kūfah, while Ash-Sha‘bi - ‘Āmir ibn Sharāhīl one of the Tābi‘is - was narrating the Hadīth of Fātimah bint Qays in this mosque, i.e., giving a legal fatwa based on this Hadīth. In this Hadīth, it is stated that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not make Fātimah entitled to housing or financial maintenance after being triply divorced. So, Al-Aswad took a handful of pebbles and threw them at him and said: "Woe to you!", i.e., may Allah afflict you with ruin and destruction. It was a common saying among the Arabs that was not intended as a supplication. "How could you narrate this?!" All this was meant to express Al-Aswad's disapproval of Ash-Sha‘bi's narration of this Hadīth. Then, he informed him that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "We must not abandon the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of our Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) on account of a woman's statement," i.e., we do not rely on issuing a Fatwa (legal opinion) like this on the Hadīth of Fātimah, given the importance of such a Fatwa, because she might have memorized it in the wrong way or she might have forgotten. Perhaps what ‘Umar meant by the Prophet's Sunnah was what his rulings indicated of adhering to the Book of Allah not a specific Sunnah in this regard. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), then, supported his saying that the triply divorced woman is entitled to housing and financial maintenance in her ‘Iddah by the verse in which Allah Almighty says: {O Prophet, when you [believers] divorce women, divorce them with consideration to their waiting period and keep a precise count of the waiting period, and fear Allah, your Lord. Do not force them out of their houses, nor should they leave unless they commit a clear shameful act.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1] In other words: O people, fear Allah your Lord and beware of disobeying Him by transgressing His limit; do not force your divorced wives out of their houses, where you made them live before divorce, until their ‘Iddah is over. "Shameful act" here refers to recalcitrance and bad morals. It is said: It means indecency towards her husband's family. It is also said that it means: Unless they commit adultery.
The Hadīth of Fātimah bint Qays was refuted by a group of the Companions, including ‘Umar, ‘Ā’ishah, and others who knew the Sunnah better than Fātimah bint Qays. Some considered the apparent meaning of the Hadīth and, thus, made the triply divorced woman entitled to spend her 'Iddah wherever she chooses without being obliged to spend the night at her ex-husband's house.
The Hadīth shows how a scholar should be corrected, even in his gatherings of knowledge, if he is mistaken.
It also highlights the Companions' keenness on adhering to the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah..

1480

‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Utbah reported: Abu ‘Amr ibn Hafs ibn al-Mughīrah set out along with ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib to Yemen. He sent to his wife, Fātimah bint Qays, one pronouncement of divorce that was still left from her divorce. He commanded Al-Hārith ibn Hishām and ‘Ayyāsh ibn Abi Rabī‘ah to give her alimony. They said to her: By Allah, there is no alimony for you unless you are pregnant. Thereupon, she went to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him of what they had said. He said: There is no alimony for you. She, then, asked his permission to move, and he permitted her. She said: O Messenger of Allah, where? He said: To the house of Ibn ’Umm Maktūm, as he was blind and she could take off her clothes in his presence and he would not see her. When her ‘Iddah (waiting period) was over, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave her in marriage to Usāmah ibn Zayd. Marwān sent Qabīsah ibn Dhu’ayb to ask her about the Hadīth, and she narrated it to him, whereupon Marwān said: We have not heard this Hadīth except from a woman. We shall adopt a safe path that we have found people upon. On hearing what Marwān said, Fātimah said: The Qur’an is between me and you. Allah Almighty says: {Do not force them out of their houses.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1] She said: This is regarding revocable divorce. What happens after the three? Why do you say there is no alimony for her if she is not pregnant? Then, on what grounds do you restrain her?.

Commentary : Allah has prescribed divorce and clarified its rulings and consequences after sparing no effort in reconciliation between the spouses. He has made it three incidents of divorce so that each of the spouses would reconsider their stance; otherwise, they should be separated after the third incident of divorce, and the woman becomes unlawful for him after that until she is married to another man.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i ‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Utbah reports that the Companion Abu ‘Amr ibn Hafs ibn al-Mughīrah (may Allah be pleased with him) set out on a journey along with ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yemen when the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sent him there. Abu ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) sent to his wife Fātimah bint Qays a pronouncement of divorce while traveling. He had previously divorced her twice and had taken her back, and this was the third incident that made the divorce irrevocable. Abu ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) commanded Al-Hārith ibn Hishām and ‘Ayyāsh ibn Abi Rabī‘ah (may Allah be pleased with both of them) to give her alimony. Another version narrated by Muslim reads: "He sent his deputy to her with barley, " but Fātimah declined it because she found it inadequate and did not accept it. They said to her: "By Allah, there is no alimony for you" because you are irrevocably divorced, and alimony is not for someone in your case "unless you are pregnant". In the version of An-Nasā’i: "So, she sent to Al-Hārith and 'Ayyāsh asking them for the alimony that was appointed for her by her husband, and they said: By Allah, no alimony is due on us for her unless she is pregnant, and she is not entitled to live in our house except with our permission." Thereupon, Fātimah went to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him of what they had said, namely that she was not entitled to alimony unless she was pregnant. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) approved of what they had said and said to her: "There is no alimony for you." She then sought the Prophet's permission to move from her house, where she was divorced, as she was afraid for herself. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) permitted her to move to the house of her cousin Ibn' Umm Maktūm as he was blind and would not see her when taking off her clothes. His permission for her to go out is justified by the fact that he permitted her to move for an excuse, namely her indecency towards her husband's relatives or her fear that she might be assaulted, as mentioned in the narrations. However, if there is no need, then it is impermissible for her to go out or move, and it is forbidden to move her. Allah Almighty says: {Do not force them out of their houses, nor should they leave unless they commit a clear shameful act.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1] "Shameful act" here refers to recalcitrance and bad morals. It is said: It means indecency towards her husband's family. It is also said that it means: Unless they commit adultery.
When her 'Iddah was over, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave her in marriage to Usāmah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) for knowing that he was religious, virtuous, had good morals and noble traits.
At that time, Marwān ibn al-Hakam was the ruler of Madīnah. He sent Qabīsah ibn Dhu’ayb to Fātimah (may Allah be pleased with her) to ask about this Hadīth, and she narrated it to him. The reason why Marwān asked her was mentioned in the version of An-Nasā’i: "'Abdullah ibn' Amr ibn' Uthmān, being a young man in the emirate of Marwān, divorced the daughter of Sa‘īd ibn Zayd and her mother was Bint Qays al-Battah. So, her maternal aunt, Fātimah bint Qays, sent to her commanding her to move from the house of 'Abdullah ibn' Amr. When Marwān heard about that, he sent to the daughter of Sa‘īd, commanding her to return to her house and asking her why she moved from her house before completing her 'Iddah." She informed him of the Hadīth of Fātimah, thereupon, Marwān was sent to Fātimah to verify this Hadīth. After hearing her Hadīth, Marwān said: "We have not heard this Hadīth except from a woman," by way of disapproval, and before Marwān, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb and ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with both of them) expressed their disapproval of Fātimah's Hadīth. Marwān said: "We shall adopt a safe path that we found people upon," i.e., what is reliable, strong, and authentic and what people held fast upon and adhered to and acted upon. In other words, we shall adopt the opinion that a woman must not leave her house except after her ‘Iddah is over and that there is no alimony for her. On hearing what Marwān said and how he prevented the irrevocably divorced woman from leaving her house under all circumstances, Fātimah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Qur’an is between me and you, Allah Almighty says: {Do not force them out of their houses.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1] Taking this as supporting evidence, she said: This prohibition, which is understood from the first part of the verse, addresses the husband who can take back his wife, i.e., the housing is for the divorced woman whose divorce is revocable, which accords with what Allah Almighty says: {Then when they have approached the end of their waiting period, either retain them honorably or part with them honorably.} [Surat at-Talāq: 2] She said: So, what happens after the three incidents of divorce? How do you prevent her from going out, then, you say: There is no alimony for her unless she is pregnant? Then, on what grounds do you restrain her? She said this as an objection to Marwān, who made the irrevocably divorced woman entitled to housing and prevented her from going out without giving her financial maintenance. To sum up, her objection was: If you do not make the alimony obligatory, how could you prevent her from going out if the alimony is the recompense of being restrained?!.

1481

‘Ā’ishah reported: It is no good for Fātimah to mention this. He said: She was referring to her statement: No housing or financial maintenance..

Commentary : Allah has prescribed divorce for spouses who choose separation after exerting their utmost in reconciliation between them. He has made it three incidents of divorce so that each of the two spouses would reconsider their stance. Otherwise, they would be separated after the third incident of divorce, and she becomes unlawful for him after this until she gets married to another man. Islam has also regulated the rights and duties between spouses after divorce.
In this Hadīth, Muhammad ibn al-Qāsim narrates that when the Mother of the Believers ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was informed of what Fātimah bint Qays had said, namely that her husband had divorced her thrice and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not make her entitled to housing or financial maintenance during her ‘Iddah (waiting period), she said disapprovingly: "It is no good for Fātimah" bint Qays "to mention" and narrate "this" Hadīth to people because it contradicts the explicit texts of the Book of Allah Almighty and the Sunnah of His Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).
A group of the Companions, including ‘Umar, ‘Ā’ishah and others, rejected the Hadīth of Fātimah bint Qays because it contradicts, in their opinion, the verse in which Allah Almighty says: {O Prophet, when you [believers] divorce women, divorce them with concern to their waiting period and keep an accurate count of the waiting period, and fear Allah, your Lord. Do not force them out of their houses, nor should they leave unless they commit a clear shameful act. Such are the limits ordained by Allah.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1] It is said: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded her to leave her house and spend her 'Iddah in the house of Ibn' Umm Maktūm and did not make her entitled to financial maintenance only because of her special case, as she used to verbally offend her husband's family, or because she was in a desolate place and it was feared that her husband or anyone else might assault her. 'Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) censured her narration..

1482

Fātimah bint Qays reported that she said: "O Messenger of Allah, my husband divorced me thrice, and I am afraid that my house will be broken into." So, he commanded her, and she moved (to another house)..

Commentary : Allah has prescribed divorce for spouses who choose separation after exerting their utmost in attempting reconciliation between them. He has made it three divorces; so that each of the two spouses would reconsider their stance. Otherwise, they would be separated after the third divorce, and she becomes unlawful for him after this until she gets married to another man. Islam has also regulated the rights and duties between spouses after divorce. Allah Almighty has commanded the divorced woman - whether the divorce is revocable or irrevocable - to spend the ‘Iddah (waiting period) in her house. Allah Almighty says: {O Prophet, when you [believers] divorce women, divorce them with concern to their waiting period and keep an accurate count of the waiting period, and fear Allah, your Lord. Do not force them out of their houses, nor should they leave unless they commit a clear shameful act. Such are the limits ordained by Allah.} [Surat at-Talāq: 1]
In this Hadīth, Fātimah bint Qays (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that she came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, my husband divorced me thrice," so the divorce was irrevocable and final. "And I am afraid that my house will be broken into" during her stay in his house for her ‘Iddah. "Iqtihām" (breaking into): entering quickly. This means: She was afraid that someone would enter upon her and harm her because she was in a desolate place. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded her to leave that place and she went to the house of her paternal cousin, Ibn ’Umm Maktūm, because he was blind, and she could take off her clothes without him seeing her. Since she did not spend her ‘Iddah in her husband's house, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not make her entitled to habitation or financial sustenance during her ‘Iddah..

1483

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah reported: My maternal aunt was divorced, and she wanted to harvest her date palm trees. A man rebuked her for going out, so she went to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) who said: "Yes, go out and harvest your date palm trees, for you may give (some of it) in charity or do a good deed.".

Commentary : The Islamic Shariah has brought facilitation and goodness to people. It takes into consideration their conditions when carrying out the Shariah rulings to prevent them from falling into difficulty or distress.
In this Hadīth, Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) narrates that his maternal aunt - it was said: her name is Asmā’ - was irrevocably divorced, as mentioned in the version of Abu Dāwūd: "My maternal aunt was divorced thrice." She wanted to go out, during her ‘Iddah (waiting period), to collect the fruits from her date palm trees; however, a man rebuked her and forbade her from going out until her ‘Iddah was over. She went to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to ask him. She informed him of what had happened and of her condition and her need for harvesting her date palm trees and asked him if it was permissible for her to go out of her house during her ‘Iddah due to this necessity. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessing be upon him) replied saying: "Yes," and the version of Abu Dāwūd reads: "Go out," and collect your fruits, for perhaps after collecting the fruit of your date palm trees you may give part of it in charity to the poor and the needy "or do a good deed." "Ma‘rūf" (good deed): a comprehensive name including every known act of obeying Allah and doing good to people. This is an explanation of permitting the act of going out, even though it came in the form of notifying and urging her to do good. Moreover, he permitted her to go out due to her need to look after her interests, her date palm trees, and her properties as understood from the apparent indication of the beginning of the Hadīth.
Perhaps the difference between charity and a good deed is that the former refers to obligatory charity, while the latter refers to voluntary charity. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said this to her only because he knew that she was a charitable person, who used to do good deeds frequently, or he answered her with what would guide her to charity and voluntary charity, and this denotes obvious kindness and wisdom.
The Hadīth implies guiding the questioner to what is good for him in his religion and worldly matters and adding to the response what the questioner needs.
It also indicates the permissibility of going out for the divorced woman during her ‘Iddah for a necessity and for fulfilling her interests that she cannot dispense with.
It denotes the permissibility of being keen on preserving wealth and acquiring it to do good and use it in consoling others.
It also indicates that charity in dates is to be given at the time of their harvest, and gifting others therefrom.
It also includes giving an indirect reference to the dates' owner to give charity and reminding him of good deeds and beneficence..

1493

Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr reported: I was asked about the two who swore the oath of condemnation during the governance of Mus‘ab; should they be separated? I did not know what to say, so I went to Ibn ‘Umar's house in Makkah. I said to the servant: Seek permission for me. He said: He is taking a nap; but he heard my voice and said: Is this Ibn Jubayr? I said: Yes. He said: Come in. By Allah, you have not come at this time except for a need. I entered and found him lying on a saddlecloth and resting his head on a fibre-filled pillow. I said: O Abu ‘Abdur-Rahmān, should the two involved in a case of Li‘ān (oath of condemnation) be separated? He said: Glory be to Allah! Yes. The first one who asked about this was so-and-so, the son of so-and-so. He said: O Messenger of Allah, what if any of us found his wife committing adultery? What should he do? If he were to say anything, his statement would be a horrible matter, and if he were to remain silent, his silence about the matter would also be terrible. He said: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) kept silent and did not answer him. Later on, he came to him and said: I have been afflicted with what I asked you about. Thereupon, Allah Almighty revealed these verses of Surat an-Nūr: {As for those who accuse their wives [of adultery]} [Surat an-Nūr: 6] So, he recited them to him, admonished and reminded him, and informed him that the worldly punishment is less severe than the punishment of the Hereafter. He said: No, by the One Who sent you with the truth I did not lie about her. Then, he called her, admonished and reminded her and informed her that the worldly punishment is less severe than the punishment of the Hereafter. She said: No, by the One Who sent you with the truth, he is a liar. So, he started with the man who testified four times by Allah that he was truthful and the fifth time that the curse of Allah would be upon him if he were a liar. Then, the woman came next, and she testified four times by Allah that he was a liar and the fifth time that Allah's wrath would be upon her if he were truthful. Then, he separated the two of them..

Commentary : The noble Shariah has clarified the rulings of marriage between the man and the woman and has explained the rulings of the husband's accusation of his wife for committing adultery without evidence and the consequent practice of Li‘ān, besides other rulings of separation, to protect lineages, repel shame from the spouses, and ward off the legally prescribed punishment of Qadhf (false accusation of adultery).
In this Hadīth, the great Tābi‘i Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr tells us that he was asked about the ruling of the two involved in Li‘ān - when a husband accuses his wife of adultery and denies the attribution of her child to himself and the woman negates this, they are required to practice Li‘ān (oath of condemnation) - should they be separated? He did not know what to say and was not aware of the ruling in this regard, and this was during the governance of Mus‘ab ibn az-Zubayr, who was the ruler of Iraq. Mus‘ab did not separate the spouses who practiced Li‘ān, as clarified in another version of Muslim.
Sa‘īd said: "So, I went to the house of Ibn ‘Umar in Makkah" showing that it was a different house than that in Madīnah. It seems that it was the house of Ibn ‘Umar where he stayed when going to Makkah for Hajj or ‘Umrah, and it seems also that Sa‘īd traveled from Kūfah to Makkah. On reaching the house of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), he asked the boy, Ibn ‘Umar's servant, to seek permission for him to enter. The servant informed him that Ibn ‘Umar was taking a nap, it was noontime and midday. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) heard the voice of Ibn Jubayr and recognized him and asked: Is this Ibn Jubayr who is asking for permission? Ibn Jubayr replied: Yes, I am Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr. So, he permitted him to enter and said: "By Allah, you have not come at this time except for a need." This signifies the understanding and modesty of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) and how he did not make things difficult for whoever needed him during his rest, knowing that the one who would come to him during his rest had only come for a necessity; hence, he should not be upset with him; rather, he should receive him with a cheerful face. Ibn Jubayr entered upon Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) and found him lying on a "saddlecloth," a cloth laid on an animal's back under the saddle, and he was resting his head on a pillow, which is a cushion, and it was filled with fiber, i.e., tree or palm cortex.
Then, Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr said: "O Abu ‘Abdur-Rahmān," which is the nickname of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, and he asked him: Should the two involved in a case of Li‘ān be separated? Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said: "Glory be to Allah! Yes." Ibn ‘Umar glorified Allah to express his surprise that Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr was unaware of this famous ruling. Ibn ‘Umar then said: "The first one who asked about this," i.e., the first one who asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about what you asked me about "was so-and-so the son of so-and-so," who was ‘Uwaymir al-‘Ajlāni as mentioned in another version in Sahīh Muslim Collection: "The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) separated between the two members of Banu al-‘Ajlān." He asked: O Messenger of Allah, tell me about the ruling of one who found his wife committing adultery; what should he do in such a situation? If he spoke about what he had seen, "his statement would be a horrible matter" that people would find disgusting. It would be Qadhf (false accusation of adultery) that entails flogging as a legally prescribed punishment in case he brought no evidence. "And if he were to remain silent" and did not speak about what he had seen, his silence about the matter would also be horrible and an unbearable feeling of anger. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent and did not answer the man's question, waiting for the revelation and considering this a serious issue. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would hate questions about things that did not occur. This man who asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came back after some time and said: O Messenger of Allah, "I have been afflicted by" the matter I had asked you about, i.e., I have been afflicted and tested in this regard, as I saw my wife committing adultery. Thereupon, Allah Almighty revealed verses of Surat an-Nūr: {As for those who accuse their wives [of adultery] but have no witnesses except themselves, then the evidence of one of them is to testify four times by Allah that he is telling the truth, and the fifth [oath] is that may Allah curse him if he is telling a lie. But she will be spared the punishment if she testifies four times by Allah that he is telling a lie, and the fifth [oath] is that may Allah’s wrath be upon her if he is telling the truth.} [Surat an-Nūr: 6-9] This means: That Men who accuse their wives without having witnesses besides their own selves to testify to the truthfulness of their accusation, each of them should testify four times by Allah: that he is telling the truth about accusing his wife of adultery, then, in the fifth testimony, he should add the supplication against himself of being worthy of curse if he was lying about his accusation, which makes her subject to the legal prescribed punishment of adultery. What spares her this punishment is to testify four times by Allah that he is lying about accusing her, then, in her fifth testimony, she should add the supplication against herself of being liable to Allah's wrath if he was telling the truth about what he accuses her of.
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) recited these verses to the man and admonished him in the hope that he might take back his accusation "and reminded him" to repent, telling him that the worldly punishment - which is the legally prescribed punishment of Qadhf - is less severe and much easier than the punishment of the Hereafter. However, the man said: "No" I shall not take back what I said because it is true, and he swore, saying: By the One Who sent you with the truth, I did not lie about her by accusing her of adultery and immorality. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) called the woman and admonished her to repent in case she had sinned. He reminded and informed her that the worldly punishment - which is the prescribed punishment of adultery, i.e., being stoned - is less severe and much easier than the punishment of the Hereafter. However, the woman swore that her husband was lying in his claim against her. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded both of them to swear the oath of condemnation. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) started with the man since Allah Almighty started with him in the verse. The man swore four times by Allah that he was telling the truth about what he accused her of, and in the fifth testimony, he invoked the curse upon himself if he was a liar. Then, it was the woman's turn. So, she swore four times by Allah that her husband was lying about his claim against her by accusing her of adultery and immorality, and in the fifth, she supplicated against herself invoking Allah's wrath upon her if her husband was truthful in what he said. So, none of them admitted the truthfulness of the other. Hence, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) separated between them. One of the rulings of Li‘ān is that if each of the spouses insists on what he said, then, they should not be united after Li‘ān and their marriage is invalidated.
The Hadīth clarifies the ruling of Li‘ān and its manner.
It points out how the sinner should be admonished and reminded of repentance..

1495

‘Abdullah reported: It was Friday night, and we were in the mosque when a man from the Ansār (supporters) came and said: If a man found another man with his wife and he speaks about it, you will flog him; or if he kills, you will kill him; and if he remains silent, he will remain silent in anger. By Allah, I will surely ask the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about it. On the next day, he came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him saying: If a man found another man with his wife and he speaks about it, you will flog him; or if he kills, you will kill him; or if he remains silent, he will remain silent in anger. He said: O Allah, judge; and he kept supplicating, so the verse of Li‘ān (oath of condemnation) was revealed: {As for those who accuse their wives [of adultery] but have no witnesses except themselves} [Surat an-Nūr: 6], these verses. This man, of all people, was afflicted with this. So, he came with his wife to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and swore the oath of condemnation. The man testified four times by Allah that he was from the truthful, then, the fifth time he invoked a curse that Allah's curse be upon him if he was from the liars. She went to invoke a curse, but the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to her: Stop. However, she refused and invoked a curse. After they had both left, he said: Perhaps she will give birth to a curly-haired black child, and she gave birth to a curly-haired black child..

Commentary : The Shariah has clarified the rulings of marriage between the man and the woman and has explained the rulings of the husband's accusation of his wife for committing adultery without evidence and the consequent practice of Li‘ān, besides other rulings of separation, to protect lineages, repel shame from the spouses, and ward off the legally prescribed punishment of Qadhf (false accusation of adultery).
In this Hadīth, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that they were in the Prophet's mosque on Friday night when a man from the Ansār - the people of Madīnah - came. It was Hilāl ibn ’Umayyah, and it is said: ‘Uwaymir al-‘Ajlāni. He said: "If a man found another man with his wife," i.e., he saw her committing adultery with him. If "he speaks" about it, "you will flog him" inflicting on him the legally prescribed punishment of Qadhf for having no witnesses, and if "he kills" the adulterer, "you will kill him" by way of legal retribution. "And if he remains silent" and does nothing, "he will remain silent in anger," i.e., anger and hatred for her. It seems that the man's speech was before the revelation of the verses of Li‘ān and it also seems that it was a mere question posed by that man at that time, not a real incident that had already occurred. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to hate such questions as mentioned in the Hadīth of Sahl ibn Sa‘d in the two Sahīh Collections.
Then, this man swore to ask the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about this matter. On the next day - the next morning - the man went to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) asking about what was previously mentioned. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated: "O Allah, judge," i.e., clarify to us the ruling in this regard, and he continued supplicating Allah Almighty to clarify this incident, so, the verses of Li‘ān were revealed. These are the verses in which Allah Almighty says: {As for those who accuse their wives [of adultery] but have no witnesses except themselves, then the evidence of one of them is to testify four times by Allah that he is telling the truth, and the fifth [oath] is that may Allah curse him if he is telling a lie. But she will be spared the punishment if she testifies four times by Allah that he is telling a lie, and the fifth [oath] is that may Allah’s wrath be upon her if he is telling the truth.} [Surat an-Nūr: 6-9] This means: Men who accuse their wives without having witnesses besides their own selves to testify to the truthfulness of their accusation, each of them should swear four times by Allah that he is telling the truth about accusing his wife of adultery. Then, in the fifth testimony, he should add the supplication against himself of being worthy of condemnation if he is lying about his accusation, which makes her subject to the legally prescribed punishment of adultery. What spares her of this punishment is to testify four times by Allah that he is lying about accusing her. Then, in her fifth testimony, she should add the supplication against herself of being liable for Allah's wrath if he is telling the truth about what he accuses her of.
Among all people, this man was afflicted by the occurrence of what he asked about to his wife. So, he accompanied his wife to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). They both swore the oath of condemnation, i.e., the man testified four times by Allah that he was telling the truth, and then, the fifth time, he invoked the curse of Allah upon himself if he was lying. This is because testimony in an adultery case is not complete except with four witnesses, but this case was witnessed by none except the husband; hence, he was assigned four testimonies so that each oath would replace a witness, as an oath could sometimes replace a witness like when someone is entitled to some right but has one witness only. In this case, the Shariah considers his oath in place of the witness. After completing the four testimonies that replace the four witnesses, nothing is left after the testimony of the four witnesses in adultery against the married person, as in this case, except stoning, which is death. There is nothing left after taking the oath of condemnation four times except the curse of Allah Almighty or His wrath, which also indicates death (ruin). The woman, then, went to swear the oath of condemnation, but the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to her: "Stop," a word meant here to deter her, i.e., refrain and take your time. However, she refused to stop or be dissuaded from completing Li‘ān. Hence, she took her part in Li‘ān. When the two parties swore the oath of condemnation and went away after finishing their testimonies, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Perhaps she will give birth to" the baby in her womb, and he will be "a curly-haired black child," i.e., not straight-haired, which was the description of the one she was accused of committing adultery with. It is as if the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) most likely believed that she was lying, and the child she gave birth to was just as the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had described.
The Hadīth clarifies that the ruling of Li‘ān, in principle, is to take place between the man and his wife if he accuses her of adultery and has no witness but himself.
It also points out that things must be judged according to what is apparent, whereas Allah Almighty is the One Who judges the intentions.
It explains how Li‘an must take place in the presence of the Imam or the judge and in the presence of an assembly of people.
It shows the condition that makes Li‘ān obligatory, which is the woman's denial of committing adultery because if she admits it, Li‘ān becomes impermissible and she becomes subject to the legally prescribed punishment.
It also signifies that it is Sunnah for the ruler to admonish the two persons involved in Li‘ān when intending to swear the oath of condemnation, which becomes confirmed after the fifth time..

1496

Muhammad ibn Sīrīn reported: I asked Anas ibn Mālik, knowing that he had knowledge of that, and he said: Hilāl ibn ’Umayyah accused his wife of committing adultery with Sharīk ibn Sahmā’, the brother of Al-Barā’ ibn Mālik from his mother's side. He was the first man who practiced Li‘ān (oath of condemnation) in Islam. He swore oaths of Li‘ān against his wife, so the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Watch her, if she gives birth to a white-complexioned child having straight hair and sore eyes, he is the son of Hilāl ibn ’Umayyah, but if she gives birth to a child with dark eyelids, curly hair, and thin shanks, then he is the son of Sharīk ibn Sahmā’." He (the narrator) said: I was informed that she gave birth to a child with dark eyelids, curly hair, and thin shanks..

1498

Abu Hurayrah reported: Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubādah al-Ansāri said: O Messenger of Allah, what if a man finds his wife with another man? Should he kill him? The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: No. Sa‘d said: Yes, by the One Who honored you with the truth. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Listen to what your master is saying!.

1502

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said about the slave whose ownership is shared between two men and one of them emancipates him, he said: He should guarantee..

Commentary : The Shariah has protected all rights including the partners' rights. It has forbidden any kind of offense practiced by one partner against the other. This Hadīth clarifies that when two people own a slave jointly and one of them emancipates his share of that slave, this entails emancipating the rest of the slave. When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He should guarantee," it meant that the emancipator should guarantee his partner's share of the slave whom he emancipated, i.e., he is financially responsible for securing the complete freedom of that slave. In the Two Sahīh Collections: "But if he has no money, the slave will be required to work to pay for his freedom, but must not be overburdened." So, it made it clear that if the emancipator is poor and has no money to free the rest of the slave, he remains in slavery and is required to work for his freedom and to pay for the share of the partner who did not emancipate him. However, he should not be assigned tasks that are hard for him or beyond his ability..

Book of Hadith

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