| Hadiths

Bukhari Hadiths 1356
Muslim Hadiths 558

Hadith

1352

Narrated Jaabir(may Allah be pleased with him): “A man was buried along with my father in the same grave. However, I did not feel content till I took him (i.e., my father) out and buried him in a separate grave.”.

Commentary : The martyrs who die for the sake of Allah [in the battlefield] are highly honoured in the sight of Allah, the Almighty. The Prophet ﷺ and the Muslims viewed the martyrs of the battle of Uhud, in particular, with special reverence. Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn Haraam, the father of Jaabir ibn ‘Abdillah(may Allah be pleased be with them) was one of those killed in the Battle of Uhud.
In this hadeeth, Jaabiribn Abdullah(may Allah be pleased with them) reports that his father was buried in the same grave as another man. It has been said that this man was ‘Amr ibn al-Jamooh ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him). However, Jaabir felt uneasy about his father sharing a grave, and so, he removed his father’s body from that grave and buried him in a separate one. All of this occurredwith the knowledge and permission of the Prophetﷺ.
It is reported inSaheehal-Bukhaaree that Jaabirremoved his father from the shared gravesix months after his burial, and he found his body in the same condition as on the day of his burial, except a slight change near his ear.This shows the merit and virtue of the father of Jaabir(may Allah be pleased with them).
From this hadeeth, we can conclude thatthat it is permissible to bury two men in the same grave, and also that it is allowed to remove the deceased from his grave after his burial, if there was a valid reason to do so..

1356

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:A young Jewish boy who was in the service of the Prophet ﷺ fell ill. The Prophet ﷺ went to visit him. He sat down by his head and said to him, "Embrace Islam." The little boy looked at his father who was sitting beside him. He said: "Obey Aboo al-Qaasim (i.e., the Messenger of Allah ﷺ)." Upon which, the boy embraced Islam. The Prophet ﷺ stepped out, saying, "Praise be to Allah, Who has saved him from Hellfire.".

Commentary : The kind treatment and mercy that the Prophet ﷺ showed to his servants, even those who were from the People of the Book, was exemplary. He ﷺ was always keen to guide them to Islam.

In this hadeeth, Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that there was a Jewish boy (Ghulaam) who was in the service of the Prophet ﷺ. [The Arabic word Ghulaam is used in reference to boys whose agesrange from birth to prepubescent.]
One day, this young boy became sick, and the news reached the Prophet ﷺ,so he visited him to check on his health. He ﷺ sat next to his head and asked him to embrace Islam. The boy looked at his father [for approval], and it is thought this was either due to reluctancetoaccept Islam or purely out of fear of his father. However, his father responded by telling the boy obey Aboo al-Qaasim- This was the Kunya (a teknonym in Arabic names, which is the name of an adult derived from their eldest child) of the Prophet ﷺ. Thus, the boy accepted the invitation of the Prophet ﷺ to Islam.
Accepting Islam requires the utterance of the two Testimonies of Faith, which are“I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah”, and “that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”, as reported in the hadeeth found in Sunan al-Nisaa’iee al-Kubra.
After this, the Prophet ﷺ left the house while praising Allah for saving this boy from the Hellfire.

From this hadeeth, we can perceive that it is permissible for Muslims to hire disbelievers to workfor them, so long as they are certain they will not be subjects to their plots and deceit.

This hadeeth also teaches us that we should be kind to others, regardless of religion, and propose Islam to young boys too.
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1357

Narrated Ibn `Abbaas(may Allah be pleased with them): My mother and I were among the helpless and the oppressed. I from among the children, and my mother from among the women..

Commentary : The Muslims, during the early days of Islam, were helpless and oppressedin Makkah, and many of them were tortured at the hands of the disbelievers. For that reason, the Prophet ﷺ first ordered them to immigrate to Abyssinia, and later, he ﷺ ordered them to immigrate to al-Madinah to spread the truth and the message of Islam. However, many of them were unable to leave Makkah, either due to lack of finances or poor health.

In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas(may Allah be pleased with him) reports that he and his mother, Lubaabah bint al-Harith, alias Umm al-Fadl(may Allah be pleased with her) were among the helpless and weak Muslims who could not immigrate from Makkah to al-Madinah; he was a young boy, and his mother was among the women. They were among those who Allah, the Exalted, referred to in His Statement: {Except helpless men, women, and children who cannot afford a way out— it is right to hope that Allah will pardon them. For Allah is Ever-Pardoning, All-Forgiving.} [Quran 4:98-99]

There were those who accepted Islam in Makkah, and the disbelievers prevented them from immigrating; thus, they remained in Makkah, helpless and weak, suffering severe harm and torture. Those helpless and weak Muslims were excused for their inability to comply with the order to immigrate from Makkah to al-Madinah.

This report indicates that Ibn ‘Abbaas(may Allah be pleased with them) was not of the faith of his father, then a non-Muslim, at that time. Rather, he chose to become a Muslim with his mother. This is all based on the assumption that al-‘Abbaas embraced Islam after the battle of Badr; otherwise, the famous view is that He embraced Islam before the conquest of Khaybar.

This hadeeth shows that a young boy can embrace Islam once he has the ability to discern [right from wrong].
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1358

Narrated Ibn Shihaab: The funeral prayer should be offered for every child that dies, even if he were the son of a prostitute, as he was born upon the true faith of Islam (i.e., to worship none but Allah alone); If his parents are Muslims, particularly the father, even if his mother were a non-Muslim; If he, after the delivery, cries (even once) before his death (i.e., born alive), then the funeral prayer must be offered. And if the child does not cry after his delivery (i.e., born dead), then his funeral prayer should not be offered, and he will be considered as a miscarriage.
And AbooHurayrah(may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, "Every child is born with a true faith (i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone) but his parents convert him to Judaism or to Christianity or to Zoroastrianism, as an animal delivers a perfect baby animal; do you find it mutilated?" Then AbooHurayrah(may Allah be pleased with him recited: {The true innate nature with which Allah has created human beings.} (Quran 30.30).”
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Commentary : Allah, the Exalted, created man in perfect form, upon a pure innate nature that is free from the filth of polytheism, sins, and dispraised customs and traditions.

In this hadeeth, the Tabi’ee, Muhammad ibn Shihaab al-Zuhree, reports that the funeral prayer should be offered for each child that dies after his birth, even if the child is born out of wedlock or to a mother who is a disbelieving woman. Neither should prevent the funeral prayer be offered over the deceased child, because he is deemed Muslim at birth.If the mother or father of the child is Muslim, then the child is deemed Muslim on the grounds of the relevant parent’s religion, and the child is born upon the true faith of Islam.
This ruling is only applicable to children who are born alive, meaning after birth, they cried,which is a sign that the child was born alive. This means that if the child is stillborn, then no funeral prayer should be offered on him because he is considered a miscarriage.

Later, al-Zuhree quoted the narration of AbooHurayrah(may Allah be pleased with him) wherein the Prophet ﷺ mentioned that each child is born with the Islamic innate nature within them. It has been said that the innate nature mentioned in this hadeeth means pure nature and readiness to accept the good and the bad; therefore, if a child is left to embrace his innate nature with which he was born, he would remain pure, and instinctively choose Islam as his religion. Every child is born prepared to accept Islam, but subsequent influence from their parents and environment will influence their nature and decision thereafter. If parents were Jews, they would make him a Jew, and if parents were Christians, they would make him a Christina, and if parents were Zoroastrians, they would make him a Zoroastrian who worships fire. Or, he follows the religion of his parents accordingly, and thus, takes the same ruling as that of his parents in this life. However, if he later embraces Islam, then he will attain success, otherwise, he will die as a disbeliever.

Then, the Prophet ﷺ explained the significance through a parable- he ﷺ gave the example of a healthy animal with no defects or faults, which then experiences the removalof some of its body partsat the hands of man. Likewise, humans, too, are born healthy and intact with the true innate nature, but may then change to follow Judaism, or Christianity, or any other faith, due to the influence of his parents and surrounding environment. Thereafter, AbooHurayrah(may Allah be pleased with him) -the narrator of this hadeeth – ended by reciting the ayah: {The true innate nature with which Allah has created human beings}, which is the nature that makes them accept the truth and enables them to realise it. The innate nature here can also refer to Islam, because if children were left without being subjected to any external factors, they would have intuitively chosen Islam, because the innate nature of people will always recognise the beauty of this religion. However, people deviate from it because of a condemned reason such as dispraised blind following.

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1365

Narrated AbooHurayrah(may Allah be pleased with him): The Prophet ﷺ said “He who strangles himself will do so in hell, and he who thrusts a spear into himself will do so in hell.”.

Commentary : Islam endeavours to protect the life of humanity and therefore, has criminalised the killing of a person without a legitimate right, and has considered it a forbidden act. Thus, whoever commits suicide or kills another person [without legitimate right] is promised a severe punishment.

In this hadeeth, AbooHurayrah(may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Prophet ﷺ warned that he who strangles himself will enter Hell, and there, he will strangle himself, and he who stabs himself will enter Hellfire, and stab himself there too. Hence, the punishment will be in kind with the deed,and whoever kills himself is leading himself to Hellfire where he will be punished for this [major] sin. The statement of the Prophet ﷺ is intended as a form of extreme warning and admonishment,however, the belief of [all righteous] predecessors is that polytheists will never enter Paradise, and monotheists will never stay in Hellfire forever. The people of Sunnah believe that committing suicide is a [major] sin, but it does not take the person outside the fold of Islam, therefore, the funeral prayer can be offered over him, and he should still be buried in the graveyards of Muslims.

Conversely, in one version of this hadeeth, recorded in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim, it reads: “He will be in Hellfire permanently.” However, this is understood to refer to he who commits it, considering it lawful despite his knowledge of its prohibition. Another possible interpretation is that it means his stay in Hellfire will be perceived as so long as he is being punished for it, butnot that he will actually reside in Hellfire eternally.

The other benefit of this hadeeth is learning that we are warned against harming ourselves. .

1367

Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: There passed a bier (being carried by people), and it was lauded in good terms. Upon this, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: It has become certain, it has become certain, it has become certain. And there passed a bier, and it was condemned in bad words. Upon this, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: It has become certain, it has become certain, it has become certain. 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab(may Allah be pleased with him) said: what is that has become certain? Upon this the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: He whom you praised in good terms, Paradise has become certain for him, and he whom you condemned in bad words, Hell has become certain for him. You are Allah's witnesses in the earth.”.

1368

Aboo al-Aswad reported: I came to al- Madinah at a time when the disease was widespread in the Madinah, and while I was sitting beside 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab(may Allah be pleased with him), a funeral procession passed by. The people praised the deceased, and 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab said: "He will certainly enter it." Then another funeral procession passed by, and the people praised the deceased. 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab(may Allah be pleased with him) said: "He will certainly enter it." A third funeral procession passed by, and the people spoke ill of the deceased. He said: "He will certainly enter it." I (Abool-Aswad) asked: "O Chief of the Believers! What do you mean by “He will certainly enter it'?" He replied: "I said the same as was said by the Prophet ﷺ. He ﷺ said, “If four persons testify the righteousness of a Muslim, Allah will grant him Paradise.” We asked: “If three persons testify his righteousness?” He ﷺ replied, “Even three”. Then we asked: “If two?” He ﷺ replied, “Even two.” We did not ask him (regarding the testimony) of one."
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Commentary : Allah has favoured this nation by sending the seal of all Prophets and Messengers, the Master of all Prophets, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and made his noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with him), His witnesses on this earth just as He made them on the Day of Judgment witnesses on people; thus, they will testify for the Prophets when their nations claim that they did not convey the message of their Lord to them.

In this hadeeth, the Tab’iee, Aboo al-Aswad al-Doo’alee, reports that he visited al-Madinahat a time whendisease was widespread throughout the Madinah – that is to say, the death toll was large, as will be explained in another hadeeth. While he was sitting with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab(may Allah be pleased with him), the funeral of a person that was heading to the graveyard passed by them - Arabs use the term funeral or bier to refer to the deceased in his coffin – thus, the people praised the good character of the deceased, as they knew him. Upon hearing this, ‘Umar(may Allah be pleased with him) stated “it has become certain”. Another funeral passed by them, and the people praised the character of the deceased, and he responded similarly. Thereafter, a third funeral passed, but the people dispraised the deceased and mentioned his evil, and the bad character that he was known for during his life. Upon hearing this, ‘Umar(may Allah be pleased with him) said: “it has become certain”. This made Aboo al-Aswad inquire about the meaning of his statement, as his response was the same to all of them, although one of them was dispraised. ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) informed him that he had asked the Prophet ﷺ the same question, and hisﷺ answer was that if four persons testify to the righteousness of a Muslim, Allah will grant him Paradise. Thus, if a person dies upon Islam and then four Muslims from the people of virtue and piety testified to his righteousness, based on the good deeds and character they have witnessed from him, then it is hoped that he will be from the people of Paradise. After hearing this, ‘Umar and the other Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) inquired whether the same is applicable if their number was three, which the Prophet ﷺ affirmed. They then inquiredabout if they were two in number, and he ﷺonce again confirmed it. They did not ask about the case where only one person testifies to the righteousness of the deceased, because the issue is of great importance, and requires at least the minimum number of witnesses to render the witness accepted and valid – that is two witnesses.

In this hadeeth, the Prophet ﷺ made the testimony of his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them),of whether the deceased is from the people of Paradise or the dwellers of Hellfire, evidence that confirms the reward or punishment awaiting the deceased. The meaning of “it has become certain” is that the reward or punishment is confirmed, and not that it is obligation upon Allah, the Exalted, because there is nothing that is obligatory upon Allah; His reward manifests in His favours upon us, and His punishment manifests in His justice; and He cannot be questioned about what He does.

The outcome of praise and condemnation, as mentioned in this hadeeth, is only when it reflects the reality of the deceased and his deeds during his life; otherwise, it is inapplicable. It has been said that the testimony of people that is mentioned in the hadeeth is limited to the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and their ilk, who are pious and credible, because this kind of people only utter wisdom.

We learn from this hadeeth that when true Muslims vouch for a deceased person that he was good, then they have testified that he is from the people of Paradise.

It also highlights the importance of being kind to people and treating others in a good manner, and to never manifest evil and bad deeds.
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1373

Narrated ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr:
I heard Asmaa’ bint Abee Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her) say: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ arose to deliver a sermon in which he mentioned the trial a man will endure in the grave. On his mentioning that, the Muslims gave a shout of dismay." Ghundar added: “The punishment of grave is true.”.

Commentary : The Prophet ﷺhad [many] miracles that testify to the truthfulness of his message and his prophethood, one of which is his description of some of the events of the unseen, which Allah revealed to him. The unseen could be about matters pertaining to Allah’s reward or punishment; and he ﷺ mentions these to warn his nation, and to encourage them perform more good deeds and refrain from evil and bad deeds.

In this hadeeth, Asmaa’ bint Abee Bakr(may Allah be pleased with her) reports that the Prophet ﷺ delivered a sermon one day, in which he preached to them and reminded them of the Hereafter. He ﷺ then spoke of the grave and its related events, including the trial of the grave.
The trial of the grave is a test where the two angels, Munkar and Nakeer, ask the deceased about his lord, prophet, and religion. In Arabic, it is known as the fitnah of grave, this Arabic word was assigned to it because it is a great trial that tests the person’s faith and certainty. Whomever Allah gives support to, to pass this test is a winner, and whoever fails is ruined, and at a great loss.

Asmaa’ (may Allah be pleased with her) mentioned that after hearing about the trial of the grave, the companions shouted out loud, out of fear of what they had heard. In another version of the narration, it has the addition: “the punishment of the grave is true”, meaning that it is without a doubt confirmed that it must be believed in.

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1375

Narrated AbooAyyoob(may Allah be pleased with him): Once, the Prophet ﷺ went out after sunset and heard a dreadful sound. So, he ﷺ said, "The Jews are being punished in their graves.".

Commentary : The Prophet ﷺ had [many] miracles that testify to the truthfulness of his message and his prophethood, one of which is his description of some of the events of the unseen, which Allah revealed to him.

In this hadeeth, AbooAyyoob al-Ansaari(may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet ﷺ went outside the Madinah after sunset and heard a sound. This could have been the voices of the Angels of Punishment, or the sound of the punishment, or the voices of those who were being punished. He ﷺ explained that the Jews were being punished in their graves. If it is established that the Jews are punished in their graves, then naturally, it proves that all disbelievers and polytheists must be punished in their graves too, because their disbelief and polytheism are worse than the disbelief of the Jews. Allah does not reveal such an unseen event to anyone except Prophets and Messengers of His choice. Allah, Most High, said: {˹He is the˺ Knower of the unseen, disclosing none of it to anyone, except messengers of His choice. Then He appoints angel-guards before and behind them} [Quran 72:26-27] .

1377

Narrated AbooHurayrah(may Allah be pleased with him: Allah's Messenger ﷺ used to invoke (Allah): "O Allah! I seek refuge with you from the punishment in the grave, and from the punishment in the Hell fire, and from the afflictions of life and death, and the afflictions of Al-Maseeh Ad-Dajjaal."
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Commentary : The Prophet ﷺ was keen to teach his Companions and nation what to invoke from Allah, and to take refuge in Him from certain evils that may inflict the Muslims, to be protected from them.

In this hadeeth, AbooHurayrah(may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet ﷺ used to invoke Allah in the prayer, after the last tashahhud and before the tasleem, as mentioned in a narration in Saheeh Muslim. He used to say, “O Allah! I seek refuge with you” i.e., I turn to You, holdfast to You, and take refuge in you, to protect me from the punishment and tribulations of the grave. This is because this is the first stage of the Hereafter, and for those who are saved from the tribulations and punishment in the grave, all following events will be easier, as the punishment of the grave purifies the Muslim from his sins.
The punishment in Hellfire is the second thing from which the Prophet ﷺ sought refuge in Allah. Hellfire is the punishment that Allah hasreserved in the Hereafter for those who disobeyed His orders and commands – we ask His refuge from it out of His Mercy and Favour.
It is one of the characteristics of believers, who enjoy sound intellect and intact hearts, to always seek refuge in Allah from Hellfire, because whoever is spared from the Fire and is admitted into Paradise will indeed triumph.
He ﷺthen sought refuge in Allah from the afflictions of life and death, which refer to the tests and trials that people are subject to in this life and the Hereafter. The trials of life include all the temptations and tests that people experience in life such as disbelief, innovations, desires, and vice,while the trials of death include a bad end and the trials of the grave, such as the questioning of the two angels, etc.

His statement: “from the afflictions of the Maseeh al-Dajjaal” means to take refuge in Allah from believing his lies or falling for his traps and temptations. All of Allah’s Prophets warned against the evil and temptations of the false Messiah because he is indeed the greatest and most serious of all trials in this life. The Prophet ﷺ used to seek refuge with Allah from his fitnah in every prayer and explained that his fitnah is the greatest of all trials, tests, and tribulations that existed and will existed on earth, from the creation of Adam (peace be upon him) until the Last Hour. He was named al-Maseeh, which is an Arabic word derived from the root word that means omitted, because he is one-eyed; and al-Dajjaal, which means false, to distinguish him from Jesus, the son of Mary (peace be upon them), the true Messiah. The word Dajjaalsignifies falsifying the truth, and deception, to indicate that he is a liar, who will conceal the truth with his lies and introduce that which is false. He is from the children of Adam, and his appearance is one of the major signs of the approach of the Day of Judgment. Allah sends him as a trial to test His servants, and He, Exalted be He, enables him to do miraculous actions that are from the actions of Allah, such as killing people and then bringing them back to life, controlling and bringing out the treasures of earth, ordering the sky to rain and it accedes, ordering the land to produce and it grows, creating a Fire and Paradise, and two rivers, etc. All these powers are granted to him to test the creation, and all these events take place by the Will and Permission of Allah.

This hadeeth is confirming the punishment in the grave, and serves as evidence to refute those who deny it.
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1379

‘Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) reported Allah's Messenger ﷺ as saying: “When any one of you dies, he is shown his seat (in the Hereafter),morning and evening; if he is amongst the dwellers of Paradise (he is shown the seat) from amongst the dwellers of Paradise, and if he is one from amongst the denizens of Hell (he is shown the seat) from amongst the denizens of Hell. It would be said to him: That is your seat until Allah resurrects you on the Day of Judgment.”.

Commentary : The grave is the first stage of the Hereafter. If the servant was pious and obedient to Allah during his lifetime, then his grave will be his first step towards his final abode in Paradise, and if he was otherwise, then it will be his first step towards his final abode in Hellfire. The grave will be either a garden from the gardens of Paradise or a hole from the holes of Hellfire. We ask Allah to protect us from the latter.

In this hadeeth, the Prophet ﷺ informs us that when a person dies, his seat in the Hereafter will be shown to him, every morning and every evening. If he is one of the dwellers of Paradise, he will see his place there, and if he is one of the dwellers of Hellfire, then he will see his place that awaits him there. The angels will confirm all this to him, andwill explain to him that this will be his place until Allah resurrects him, to hold him accountable for his deeds, on the Judgment Day. Knowing this will be a glad tiding for the believer, as well as the bounties and blessings that he will enjoy in his grave;And what a worrisome burden and sorrow the disbeliever and sinner will experience, as well as part of their punishment. This hadeeth proves that there is grace and punishment in the grave.

It has been said that the purposeof this is to show the deceased the punishment or reward that awaits them in the Hereafter; and that the mention of morning and evening is to remind them of this. It has been said that it is possible that all this will be shown to the soul only, but it is also possible that it will be shown to the body and soul together.
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1380

Narrated AbooSa'eed Al-Khudree(may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “When the funeral is placed (on the bier) and the men lift it onto their shoulders, if it was a righteous person it would say: Take me (to my grave) quickly, take me quickly. However, if it was not a righteous person it would say: Woe to it! Where are you taking it! Everything hears it except humans, and if man heard it, he would die."
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Commentary : The Prophet ﷺ would often mention death, andemphasise its torments, naming it the destroyer of pleasures. This was to highlight the enormity of this moment,and to prepare the believers for death.

In this hadeeth, the Prophet ﷺ explains that when the deceased is placed into his coffin and lifted on the shoulders of men [to progress to the grave], the funeral speaks- if the deceased was a righteous person, it would say ”Take me quickly, take me quickly,” due to its joy of the glad tidings that it witnessed. However, if the deceased was not a righteous person, it would express its sorrow by saying, “woe to me, where are you taking me!”which was a plea to leave it and to not bury it.Itsays thisbecause itsaw the torment and punishments that awaited the deceased in his grave, due to his bad deeds during his lifetime. The reason it uses the third person pronoun (i.e., it) although it means “woe to me!”is because the deceased disliked attributing woefulness to himself, or because he wants to disassociate himself from his self after realising its status.

Thereafter, the Prophet ﷺ mentions that all the creation can hear it except humans, and that they would die if they heard it. This refers to the dismaying sound of crying and screaming that comes from the deceased, when perceiving his punishment. The Prophet ﷺelucidatedthat no person can hear this appalling sound, due to Allah’s Mercy, andbecause He wants to keep them alive in this worldly life, where they experience tests and trials. It has been said that the dismaying sound only comes from the deceased who are not righteous. As for those who were righteous, their speech will be gentle, kind, and moderate, and thus, it would not occur that his voice would shock anyone who hears it.
It has been said that this speech occurs after the soul departs the body, and that Allah then enables the body to speak. However, the correct view is that [this happens] while the body and the soul are together.

We understand, from this hadeeth, that the righteous deceased sees glad tidings before he is buried, and vice versa, and this hadeeth serves as a sign of the truthfulness of the prophethood of the Prophet ﷺ..

1381

Narrated Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him): Allah's Messenger ﷺ said, "Any Muslim whose three children died before reaching puberty will be granted Paradise by Allah out of His Mercy to them.".

Commentary : Losing relatives and loved ones to death are among the most drastic trials and tests in life; and losing one’s own children to death is perhaps the most drastic of all. For this reason, Allah, Exalted be He, amplified the reward of those who lose three children to death, as mentioned in this hadeeth.

The Prophet ﷺ explains thatAllah will grant Paradise to any Muslim whose three children die before reaching puberty – that is the age upon which people are held accountable for their deeds - out of His Mercy to them, as they died free of sins, and are therefore more deserving of Allah’s Mercy. In a narration recorded in Sunan al-Nisaai’ee, it has the addition: “It will be said to them: Enter Paradise. However, they refuse to enter without their parents. Upon which, it will be said: Enter paradise along with your parents.” Their refusal to enter Paradise without their parents, and their insistence that their request be fulfilled, is the reason that Allah bestows His mercy upon their parents.

In Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, it is reported on the authority of AbooHurayrah(may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: “No Muslim will suffer the death of three sons and go to hell, except to expiate the oath.” According to this report, this is applicable to both fathers and mothers, and infers that they will just pass over Hell so quickly to fulfill Allah’s oath mentioned in the ayah: {And there is none of you who except he will pass over it.} [Quran 19:71], meaning that every person will pass over Hellfire when they walk on the bridge placed above it.

It is established that reward requires a sound intention, as known in Islamic law. Therefore, attaining this promised great reward requires the grieving parents to be patient,while hoping forreward from Allah. This was explicitly mentioned in the authentic hadeeth in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim, when the Prophet ﷺ said to some women, “In case anyone amongst you sees the sad demise of three children of hers and she resigns herself to the will of Allah, hoping to get His reward, she would be admitted to Paradise.” The meaning of the part “resigns herself to the will of Allah, hoping to get His reward,” is being patient and content with Allah’s decree, particularly upon initial awareness of the calamity. This is based on the narration that Anas ibn Maalik reported wherein the Prophet ﷺ said: “The real patience is at the first stroke of a calamity.”

This hadeeth shows the great reward that will be granted to who suffered the demise of their children, and that Muslim children who die before reaching puberty will be in Paradise. .

1382

Narrated al-Baraa’ (may Allah be pleased with him): When Ibraheem (the son of the Prophet ﷺ) passed away, Allah's Messenger ﷺ said, "There is a wet-nurse for him in Paradise.".

Commentary : Ibraheem is the son of the Prophet ﷺ from his wife, Maaryyah the Coptic (may Allah be pleased with her). He was born in DhulHijjah of the 8th year after Hijrah and died during his infancy at the age of 18 months – that is, in the 10th year of Hijrah. When he died, the Prophet ﷺ grieved over him and cried, and he ﷺstated that he will have a wet-nurse in Paradise i.e., Allah will provide him with one who will complete his period of nursing in Paradise, since he died before completing his nursing.

It is due to Allah’s mercy and favours upon Ibraheem, the son of the Prophet ﷺ,that he lives in Paradise the life of al-barzakh just like the Prophets, truthful, martyrs and righteous people. He receives his provision just like them, and his provision in that life is the milk that one who nurses him in Paradise will give to him.

This narration indicates that the children of Muslims who die [before reaching puberty] are from the people of Paradise. In a narration recorded in SaheehMuslim, ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, when a little boy died,“glad tiding for him! He is a bird amongst the birds of Paradise.” However, the Prophet ﷺ said to her: “Don't you know that Allah created Paradise and He created Hellfire, and He created the dwellers for this (Paradise) and the denizens for this (Hell)?” There is no contradiction between both narrations because it is possible that the Prophet ﷺ intended with his statement to discourage ‘Aishah from hastening to assert that a person is from the people of Paradise or the people of Hell, without having definite evidence. This is because her statement entails that she knows the unseen and affirms the faith of the father of this child, since her statement was concerning a specific person. To say that a specific person is from the people of Paradise is not permissible without having textual evidence, since it is part of the knowledge of the unseen.
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1383

Ibn ‘Abbaas(may Allah be pleased with them) reported that Allah's Messenger ﷺ was asked about the children of the polytheists. He ﷺ answered: “It is Allah alone Who knows what they would have done.”.

Commentary : Allah, Exalted be He, created everything, set a due measure for everything, and wrote everything in His preserved Tablet. He, Exalted be He, created Hellfire and Paradise, and predestined the people of each. Whenever the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) would not know the ruling of a matter, they would consult the Prophet ﷺregarding it.

In this hadeeth, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas(may Allah be pleased with them) reports that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ was asked whether the children of polytheists who died before reaching puberty and becoming accountable would enter Paradise, or not. He ﷺ replied that Allah knows [from before they are created] what they would have done, and whether they would have become Muslims or adopted the faith of their parents, if they were to live. Thus, they will be judged accordingly. It has been said that this means they are left to Allah’s knowledge,Who will judge each one according to what they would have done, if they lived.

The part stating “Allah knows what they would have done” does not conflict with the view that the children of polytheists will be tested on the Day of Judgment. In fact, it can be used as evidence on their test, because Allah knows what they would have done. Hence, if they pass the test on the Judgment Day and believe, Allah will admit them into Paradise. Otherwise, He will admit them into Hellfire. However, some scholars hold the view that all children who die before reaching puberty, including the children of polytheists, will be in Paradise, based on the undisputed hadeeth: “Each child is born with a sound innate nature”. All the while, other scholars hold the view that it should not be discussed [due to lack of explicit evidence]. The dispute of scholars over this issue is well known, and only Allah knows the truth.
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1552

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) entered an orchard upon ’Umm Ma‘bad and said: O ’Umm Ma‘bad, who planted these palm trees, a Muslim or a disbeliever? She said: Rather, a Muslim. He said: No Muslim plants a plant wherefrom a man, an animal, or a bird eats except that it will be counted for him as a charity until the Day of Judgment..

Commentary : Islam has encouraged all types of righteous and good acts and has made them worthy of reward and recompense. One of these righteous acts promoted by Islam is doing whatever entails goodness and benefit for human beings and animals.
In this Hadīth, Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) narrates that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) entered "an orchard," i.e., a garden of palm trees, and ’Umm Ma‘bad was in that orchard. It is said: She is the wife of Zayd ibn Hārithah. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) asked her about the one who planted the palm trees in that orchard, whether he was a Muslim or a disbeliever. She informed him that the one who planted it was a Muslim. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No Muslim plants a plant," i.e., cultivates plants, "wherefrom a man, an animal, or a bird eats" he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned them in general to include all living beings in the sea and on land, "except that it will be counted for him as a charity until the Day of Judgment" because of eating from what he has planted, as long as the benefit of such plants remains even if it remains until the Day of Judgment. The Muslim was mentioned in particular because he mostly plants with the intention that Muslims would gain strength from the fruits of such a plant to worship Allah Almighty and because the Muslim is the one who gets a reward. In contrast, the disbeliever does not get a reward for his good deeds, which might only alleviate his punishment, or he might be provided with food and thus be repaid in this world.
The Hadīth indicates that rewards in the Hereafter for good deeds are exclusive to Muslims and not for the disbelievers.
It also points out the merit of agriculture and cultivation given their effect in populating the earth and benefitting all creatures.
It encourages the construction of earth so that man himself can live or those who come after him on account of whom he gets rewarded..

1553

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: When - [another version reads]: if - you sell your brother some fruit and it is stricken by a calamity, it is unlawful for you to take anything from him. How can you take your brother's money unjustly?!.

Commentary : Islam is keen on protecting and maintaining rights, and such keenness is manifest in its warning against taking people's rights unjustly and its severe threat against whoever transgresses or violates such a prohibition.
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarifies that if someone buys fruits from his Muslim brother, the form of this sale is to buy the fruits while still on the trees or while still in the seller's possession and not yet delivered to the buyer, then, the fruits are stricken by a calamity, which is a disaster or blight that overruns the fruits, causing their destruction and ruin. In this case, it will not be lawful for the seller, who is the owner of the fruits, to take anything from the buyer. How could he take his brother's money when the fruits are damaged and stricken by blight and calamity that prevented benefiting from them?! No one should take his brother's money wrongfully because when the fruits are spoilt, there is nothing left for the buyer in return for what he has paid. Hence, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade selling fruits before they seem in good condition and ripen - as mentioned in the two Sahīh Collections - since rulings are based on what is predominant.
In the version mentioned in the two Sahīh Collections, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: "What is its good condition? He said: Till there is no danger of blight," and it turns out as desired as when it appears to be ripe, for only then, it is safe from disease, which is the blight..

1554

Jābir reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded that calamities should be remitted..

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) established the pillars of society upon mercy and solidarity, knowing that if financial transactions are not based on justice, they will lead to the spread of oppression and the transgressing of rights among people.
In this Hadīth, Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reports that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded that Jawā’ih (calamities), plural of 'jā’ihah', which is the blight that affects fruits and leads to their eradication, should be remitted. This refers to every prevalent spoiler like rain, snow, locusts, wind, or fire. This means: If fruits are sold after seeming to be in good condition and were then hit by some calamity, the loss is to be suffered by the owner, not the buyer. In a version by Muslim: "If you sell your brother some fruit and it is stricken by a calamity, it is unlawful for you to take anything from him. How can you take your brother's money unjustly?!" This means: None of you should take his brother's money wrongfully because something predominant has overwhelmed the fruits without any negligence on the buyer's part. Therefore, the seller should not require him to pay for what Allah has damaged before he took possession of it in the usual manner, and because when the fruits are spoilt, there is nothing left for the buyer in return for what he has paid..

1556

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri reported: At the time of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) a man suffered a loss in fruits he had purchased, and his debts increased. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Give him charity." So, the people gave him charity, but that was not enough to repay his debt in full. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to his creditors: "Take what you find, and that is all you may have.".

Commentary : The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) established the pillars of society upon mercy and solidarity. He used to urge creditors to reduce the debt for the debtor who was afflicted by some calamity that ruined his property, be it fruits, cash, assets, or anything else. Therefore, it became part of the Muslim's attitude to constantly seek to fulfill his Muslim brother's need, especially in times of calamities and misfortunes.
In this Hadīth, Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that at the time of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), a man's fruits, which he purchased but had not paid for yet, suffered blight that caused them damage, thereby his debts increased. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded people to give him charity so he can repay his debt. In obedience to the Prophet's command, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) gave the man charity; however, what he took from people was not enough to settle his debt because it was huge, and there still remained an unsettled part thereof. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), thus, ordered the creditors - those to whom the debt was owed - to take what they found with him from the remaining fruits that could still be useful in addition to what he got from charity. His saying: "and that is all you may have," i.e., you should not ask for what is left of the debt and what he is not able to repay. It was said: That is all you may have because he is currently bankrupt and should be given respite until it is easy for him to pay it back, as Allah Almighty says: {If the debtor is in hardship, give him respite until it is easy for him to pay [the debt] back.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 280]
The Hadīth denotes that whatever the bankrupt still has, should be taken according to its assessed price. He should not be imprisoned or rebuked; rather, he should be given respite until it is easy for him to pay back, then he could settle his debts.
It also shows the merit of consoling the needy and the indebted, and it encourages the act of giving them charity..

1563

‘Abdullah ibn Abi Qatādah reported: Abu Qatādah went looking for his debtor, who hid from him. Then, when he found him, he (the debtor) said: "I am insolvent." Thereupon he said: "By Allah?" He said: "By Allah." So, he said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Whoever is pleased to be saved by Allah from the anguish of the Day of Judgment, let him give an insolvent respite or grant him remission.'".

Commentary : Islam is keen on providing treatment for evil human tendencies in transactions, as it is keen on solving disputes between people through tolerance and facilitation in fulfilling financial rights.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Qatādah reports that his father, Abu Qatādah al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him), "went looking for his debtor," and the debtor is the person who owes money to someone else. The debtor hid from Abu Qatādah when he was searching for him, and when Abu Qatādah (may Allah be pleased with him) found him, the debtor said to him: "I am insolvent," and I have no money to repay your debt. So, Abu Qatādah (may Allah be pleased with him) asked him by Allah if he really did not have money, and the debtor swore by Allah that he was telling the truth.
Thereupon, Abu Qatādah (may Allah be pleased with him) informed him that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "'Whoever is pleased," i.e., glad "to be saved by Allah from the anguish of the Day of Judgment," "Karb" (anguish) means distress and poverty, and "the Karb of the Day of Judgment" means: its hardships and horrors. "Let him give the insolvent respite," i.e., postpone or delay the demand for payment for one who failed to repay it on time. "Or grant him remission," i.e., reduce the debt or cancel it, as Allah Almighty says: {If the debtor is in hardship, give him respite until it is easy for him to pay [the debt] back. But if you waive it as charity, that is better for you.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 280]
The Hadīth encourages the act of giving the insolvent person respite or canceling his debt..

1565

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the selling of a camel's copulation, selling water and land for cultivation. This is what the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade..

Commentary : There are some natural resources that man cannot dispense with and that are beneficial for all people. If such resources are unavailable, man will perish. Hence, they have been made common among Muslims. Moreover, one may possess what others cannot dispense with, and he may possess something without exerting effort, something that Allah has bestowed upon him, and it could exceed his need, and giving out this surplus is a manifestation of noble morals.
In this Hadīth, Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reports that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the selling of a camel's copulation. In a version by Al-Bukhāri, Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: "The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the stud fees of a stallion," which is the fee taken for the copulation of a male animal, whether a horse, camel, ram, etc. Its form: When someone gives his stud to someone else who owns females and keeps it with him until the stud mates with the females for a fee in return, or when the owner of the females brings them to the owner of the stud and leaves them with him. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade this. It is said that because it is ambiguous and uncertain whether it will be of benefit or not and whether the female will or will not be inseminated, it is presumable and involves uncertainty. Or the prohibition could be interpreted as a way of encouraging noble morals and recommending lending it without a return so animals would reproduce abundantly. This is something that Muslims should be willing to grant each other because it is one type of simple assistance that leads to the dominance of the spirit of cooperation and solidarity among people. In the Hadīth of Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) in At-Tirmidhi Collection, he reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) granted a concession in the honorarium, i.e., the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) permitted the acceptance of a gift given by the female owner as an honorarium, not as a compensation.
He also forbade selling water. It is said: The prohibition is general, as water should not be sold to Muslims given the fact that it is from their life necessities. In another version by Muslim, the prohibition has to do with "selling excess water," which is the water exceeding the need of the well owner, his children, cattle, and crops. In the two Sahīh Collections, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not withhold excess water to prevent thereby excess herbage," which is the grass. This means: When a man owns a well in the desert and it has water that exceeds his needs and there is grass that has no other source of water except this water, the cattle owner cannot graze it unless they are watered from this well, in this case, it is unlawful for him to withhold this excess water from the cattle and he has to give it out without compensation.
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade land for cultivation, i.e., leasing it for cultivation. This is when a man gives his land to someone to cultivate in return for taking a share of his produce. This has many forms, as the Companions used to cultivate the land in return for one-third, one-fourth, or half its fruits during the lifetime of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). In the two Sahīh Collections and Musnad of Ahmad Collection - and this is the wording of Ahmad - Hanzhalah ibn Qays reported that Rāfi‘ ibn Khadīj said: "The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade leasing farms. He said: I said: Even if it is in return for gold and silver? He said: No, but he forbade it in return for part of its produce, but in return for gold and silver, there is no harm in it." In a version by Muslim: "As for something known and guaranteed, there is nothing wrong with it." This Hadīth indicates that what the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) has forbidden was something clearly evil, namely the unfair and unjust Muzāra‘ah (sharecropping). This is why he prohibited it; however, there is nothing wrong with something known and guaranteed in dinar and dirham, as mentioned in the Hadīths and narrations.
The Hadīth encourages the act of giving excess water for free without demanding compensation..

1568

Rāfi‘ ibn Kahdīj reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The price of a sold dog is evil, the earning of a prostitute is evil, and the earning of a cupper is evil.".

Commentary : Allah has made what is good lawful for His slaves and has made unlawful for them whatever is evil from among food, drink, gains, trade, etc. Shariah has also urged Muslims to have self-esteem and to look down on lowly things.
In this Hadīth, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The price of a sold dog is evil," i.e., unlawful. This means that the price of selling or buying it or what is earned from that is ill-gotten money because it is prohibited to own or raise dogs except for dogs that are used in guarding livestock or farming. It is said: This is a general ruling, whether it is trained to hunt or untrained, and whether it is permissible to keep it or not. It is also said: The dog used in guarding and hunting is an exception because it is useful, as mentioned in the Sunan At-Tirmidhi Collection from the Hadīth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): "Except for the hunting dog." The version of Ad-Dāraqutni reads: "Except for the dog trained to hunt," which is the one accustomed to hunting. It is as if the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the price of the dog except for the dog that is permitted to be kept for a certain benefit, or perhaps the prohibition of the dog's price was at the beginning of Islam. Then it was abrogated later, and it became permissible to use it in hunting and, thus became like all the birds of prey in terms of the permissibility of selling it.
Likewise, the money the adulteress takes in return for adultery and for giving herself to a foreign man is unlawful because adultery is unlawful, and the money gained therefrom is unlawful. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) called it "dowry" because it takes the form of a dowry, as it is paid in return for being allowed by the woman to have intercourse with her. In the pre-Islamic era of ignorance, they used to force their slave girls to commit adultery and take it as a means of earning money. But Islam criticized this, as Allah Almighty says: {Do not compel your slave girls into prostitution – if they wish to keep chaste – seeking the worldly gains of this life. But if anyone compels them, then Allah, after such a compulsion, is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.} [Surat an-Nūr: 33]
"And the earnings of a cupper are evil." "Hajjām" (cupper) is the one making Hijāmah (cupping), which means drawing blood from veins and removing the bad blood from the body. Being an evil earning does not mean it is unlawful because the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had Hijāmah made for him and he paid the cupper a fee, as mentioned in the Two Sahīh Collections from the Hadīth of Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father). Had it been unlawful, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would not have given him. So, the Hadīths that forbid the cupper's earnings and clearly state that they are evil are interpreted in the sense of encouraging the act of keeping away from and rising above this means of earning and promoting good morals and noble things. Or perhaps the prohibition was at the beginning of Islam, then it was abrogated. So, when he gave the cupper his fee, this abrogated the previous ruling..

1572

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us to kill dogs; even when a woman brought her dog along with her from the desert, we used to kill it. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade killing them and said: Restrict yourselves to the pitch-black one that has two spots, for it is a devil..

Commentary : The pure Shariah has regulated the rulings of everything even animals, which include dogs. The Shariah has determined the way of benefiting from them and has clarified the rulings of what is lawful and unlawful regarding them.
In this Hadīth, Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reports that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded them to kill all dogs without any exception, to the extent that even when a woman came from the Bādiyah, which is the desert, bringing along her dog that would guard her and accompany her, we used to kill it in response to the Prophet's command. Afterwards, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade killing dogs except for the pitch-black dog, the one that is totally black, "that has two spots," i.e., the two white spots above his eyes, as this dog is to be killed. His saying: "For it is a devil", means either in the true sense of the word for being pure harm that is void of any benefit or it is far from being beneficial and close to being harmful and detrimental, which is the case with the devil. So, this is a simile where the black dog is likened to the devil given its malice and because the black dog is the worst of dogs, the least in benefit, the most harmful, and the most mordacious.
It was authentically reported in other Hadīths that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade killing dogs except for the mordacious dog that hurts people, which should be killed, as mentioned in the Hadīth of ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) in the two Sahīh Collections: "Five animals are all vicious and harmful and are to be killed inside the Sacred Precincts: the crow, the kite, the scorpion, the mouse, and the mordacious dog."
In this Hadīth and similar ones, there is a prohibition of killing dogs, apart from those excluded, which are kept for benefiting from them in guarding, hunting, etc. It is said: Rather, he commanded killing them at first because people were so accustomed to having them, and dogs used to share with them their utensils. So, he wanted to wean them off that and, thus, gave the command of killing. However, when the idea of their filthiness and keeping them away became firmly established in themselves, he forbade this. Such a prohibition abrogated that command. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade killing all dogs, even jet-black dogs, except for the harmful and aggressive ones..

1578

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) delivering a sermon in Madīnah saying: "O People, Allah Almighty is alluding to intoxicants, and perhaps Allah will send down a ruling regarding it. So, whoever has some of it, let him sell it and benefit from it." He said: Only a short while after that, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Verily, Allah Almighty has forbidden intoxicants. Whoever knew this verse and had some of it, let him neither drink it nor sell it." He said: The people received this (prohibition) and came out into the street of Madīnah with what they had and poured it all out..

Commentary : Advising common people regarding their religious and worldly affairs is necessary, and the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was the keenest on offering his Ummah advice on their religious and worldly affairs.
In this Hadīth, Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reports: When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) felt that intoxicants would be prohibited - as it was lawful at first - he advised them to hasten to benefit from it. He addressed his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) in a sermon that he delivered in Madīnah saying: "O People, Allah Almighty is alluding to intoxicants," i.e., He is mentioning it without prohibiting it or making it unlawful, in reference to the verse in which Allah Almighty says: {They ask you about intoxicants and gambling. Say, “In both, there is a great sin, and some benefits for people, but their sin is far greater than their benefit.”} [Surat al-Baqarah: 219] And His saying: {O you who believe, do not approach the prayer while you are intoxicated until you know what you are saying.} [Surat an-Nisā’: 43] The two verses include a reference and a hint that intoxicants will be inevitably prohibited. Hence, as a word of advice, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered his Companions that whoever had something of such intoxicants should either sell it or benefit from it before it is completely prohibited in such a way that would make it impermissible to either sell it or benefit from it. This is because some of them used to work and trade in intoxicants and others used to keep and store them. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) wanted to protect their properties, and only a short while after the Prophet's advice, Allah revealed the prohibition of intoxicants in His Book saying: {O you who believe, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters, and divining arrows are of Satan’s evil work; therefore, avoid such [evil], so that you may be successful.} [Surat al-Mā’idah: 90] When it was revealed, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed them that whoever learned about this verse must "neither drink it nor sell it." So, all those who had something of the intoxicants poured it all out in the streets of Madīnah.
The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) understood from the Prophet's prohibition of its drinking and selling that it must not also be used in any aspect. Hence, they hastened to pour it out and ruin it. Had it contained any permissible benefit, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would have called attention to it.
The Hadīth indicates how the ruler should take care of his Ummah's interests, prepare people, and gradually issue rulings, especially concerning matters that are deeply rooted in the society.
It also shows how a true believer hastens to respond to Allah's command..

1579

‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Wa‘lah as-Saba’i (from the people of Egypt) reported: That he asked ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbās about what is squeezed from grapes. Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said: A man gave the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) a waterskin of wine as a gift. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: Did you know that Allah has forbidden it? He said: No. He, then, whispered to another man, so the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: What did you whisper to him? He said: I ordered him to sell it. He said: The One Who has forbidden drinking it has forbidden selling it. He said: So, he opened the waterskin and poured out what was in it..

Commentary : Khamr (intoxicants) is the mother of all evils and its harm is far greater than its benefit. A Muslim must by no means drink it. The Shariah has forbidden all forms of Khamr and all forms of benefiting from it.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Wa‘lah narrates that he asked ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) about the ruling on the drink extracted from grapes; he was apparently asking about the Khamr derived from grapes. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) informed him that a man gave the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) "a waterskin of wine" as a gift. "Rāwiyah" (waterskin): a container made of skin. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) asked him: Did you know that Allah Almighty has forbidden it? Perhaps the question was intended to find out about his stance, for if he knew about its prohibition, he would object upon him for giving it as a gift, holding and carrying it, and he would be subject to discretionary punishment. However, when he informed him that he did not know about it, he excused him. It is possible that the man was among those outside Madīnah before the ruling of its prohibition spread. So, the man negated having any knowledge about its prohibition and its unlawfulness. This man whispered secretly to another man beside him without letting the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) hear him. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), thus, asked him: "What did you whisper to him?" The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) asked him about what he whispered only because he probably thought that his words to the other man had to do with this wine, so he wanted to clarify to him the comprehensiveness of the ruling of Khamr and how the prohibition is not just about drinking it as will be clarified later. The man answered the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "I ordered him to sell it." In a version by Ahmad: "The man went to his servant and said: Go and sell it," whereupon, he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The One Who has forbidden drinking it has forbidden selling it," so selling it is just as prohibited as drinking it. His saying: "The One," is an indirect reference to the name of Allah Almighty, as if he said: Allah has forbidden drinking it and has forbidden selling it. It could also mean: What required the prohibition of drinking it required the prohibition of selling it, since it could only be wanted for drinking, so, if drinking is forbidden, then the sale is impermissible as it is deemed to be consumption of property wrongfully. So, the man opened the Mazādah - which is the waterskin - and poured out what was in it and got rid of it.
What is apparent from the reporting of Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) is that this Hadīth is an answer to the question of ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Wa‘lah is to make it clear that the prohibition is relevant to whatever is considered Khamr, is intoxicating, and causes one to lose control of his mental faculties, whether it is made from grapes or other things.
The Hadīth highlights the Prophet's good approach of teaching.
It points out the prohibition of selling intoxicants.
It indicates that whoever presents something unlawful as a gift, his gift must not be accepted.
It signifies that whoever commits a sin without knowing about its prohibition incurs no sin and must not be subject to discretionary punishment..

1585

‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Do not sell a dinar for two dinars or a dirham for two dirhams..

Commentary : Riba (usury) is one of the types of exploitation in transactions. It entails great harm and involves unlawful earnings and taking extra money wrongfully. Therefore, it has been prohibited in all the laws that have been revealed. Riba has various types, all of which are prohibited. Riba al-Fadl (usury of surplus) is one type and it means selling an item that is subject to Riba rulings for another of the same type with excess in one of the two, like selling a gold dinar for two dinars and a silver dirham for two dirhams, which have been prohibited by the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in this Hadīth.
An example of this is selling new gold or silver coins for those that weigh more, thus, taking in return for every one coin two old gold or silver coins. The Shariah states that such a sale is not to be concluded unless they are both alike and equal in weight, regardless of the quality or the inferiority, and on condition that the two currencies are present during the sale transaction and are exchanged hand to hand. So, equality and exchange during the contract session are conditions when selling an item for another item of the same type. However, if the type varies and the cause remains - like selling gold for silver - equality is no longer required, but exchange during the contract session is still a condition, as the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said in Sahīh Muslim Collection: "If these classes differ, sell as you wish as long as payment is made hand to hand."
The Hadīth indicates the prohibition of Riba al-Fadl (usury of surplus)..

1586

Mālik ibn Aws ibn al-Hadathān reported: I came saying: "Who will exchange the dirhams?" Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydullah, who was with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb, said: "Show us your gold, then come to us when our servant comes to give you your silver." Thereupon, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb said: "No, by Allah, you must either give him his silver (now) or give him back his gold, for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Silver for gold is Riba (usury) unless they are exchanged on the spot; wheat for wheat is Riba unless they are exchanged on the spot; barley for barley is Riba unless they are exchanged on the spot; and dried dates for dried dates is Riba unless they are exchanged on the spot.'".

Commentary : Riba (usury) is one of the types of exploitation in transactions. It entails great harm and involves unlawful earnings and taking extra money wrongfully. Therefore, it has been prohibited in all the revealed laws.
In this Hadīth, Mālik ibn Aws ibn al-Hadathān (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that he came to a gathering and ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) was among them. Mālik was saying: "Who will exchange the dirhams?" i.e., Who will buy the golden dinars that I have with silver dirhams, as Mālik ibn Aws ibn al-Hadathān had one hundred dinars - as mentioned in the version of Al-Bukhāri - which he wanted to exchange for dirhams. Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydullah - who was in this gathering with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) - said: "Show us your gold," i.e., give us your dinars to see them, "then come to us" later on "when our servant comes, we will give you your silver," i.e., the silver dirhams. On hearing this, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "No," which indicates his refusal of this kind of transaction. Then, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) swore that he should give him the silver he wanted to buy on the spot, or he should give him back the gold that he took from him. He explained that by quoting the statement of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): "Silver for gold is Riba," i.e., selling silver for gold is Riba (usury) in all cases "unless they are exchanged on the spot," i.e., except in the case of physical presence and the immediate exchange of items hand to hand. Likewise, selling "Burr" - which is wheat - for Burr, selling barley for barley, and selling dried dates for dried dates all constitute Riba in all cases except in the case of physical presence and the immediate exchange of items hand to hand.
The Hadīth denotes the prohibition of the Nasī’ah Riba (usury of deferred payment).
It also encourages the act of forbidding evil for whoever has the ability to do so.
It points out that the evidence should be mentioned when forbidding evil.
It also shows that some knowledge may not be known to an old man until someone else reminds him of it..

1587

Abu Qilābah reported: I was in the Levant in a circle and Muslim ibn Yasār was there. There came Abu al-Ash‘ath. He said: They said: Abu al-Ash‘ath, Abu al-Ash‘ath. So, he sat down. I said to him: Narrate to our brother the Hadīth of ‘Ubādah ibn as-Sāmit. He said: Yes. We set out on an expedition while Mu‘āwiyah was the leader of the people, and we gained a lot of spoils. There were silver utensils among such spoils, so Mu‘āwiyah ordered a man to sell them for the people's payments. The people hastened to that. On hearing about it, 'Ubādah ibn as-Sāmit stood up and said: Verily, I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbidding the sale of gold for gold, silver for silver, wheat for wheat, barley for barley, dry dates for dry dates, and salt for salt except equal for equal and like for like. So, whoever made or accepted an addition has committed Riba (usury). Thereupon, the people returned what they had taken. On hearing about it, Mu‘āwiyah stood up and delivered a sermon saying: What is the matter with some men narrating from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) Hadīths that we had not heard from him although we saw and accompanied him?! Thereupon, ‘Ubādah ibn as-Sāmit stood up and repeated the story, then said: We will surely narrate what he heard from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) even if Mu‘āwiyah disliked this, or he said, Even if it is against his will. I do not mind if I do not accompany him in his troops on a black night..

Commentary : The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to advise one another in all states. They used to convey the Shariah-related commands and prohibitions without showing favoritism to or fear of a ruler or a caliph, and they would all comply with the truth.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Abu Qilābah ‘Abdullah ibn Zayd reports that he was in the Levant - which is currently Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Lebanon - and was sitting in a circle that was attended by the Tābi‘i Muslim ibn Yasār. They were probably holding a gathering of knowledge. Then, Abu al-Ash‘ath Sharāhīl ibn Ādah came and sat with them. Abu Qilābah said to him: "Narrate to our brother" referring to Muslim ibn Yasār. Abu al-Ash‘ath responded to him and narrated to him the Hadīth of the Companion ‘Ubādah ibn as-Sāmit (may Allah be pleased with him) and reported that they fought a battle, led by Mu‘āwiyah ibn Abi Sufyān (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), and the Muslims gained a lot of spoils. "Ghanīmah" (spoils): it is everything Muslims take from the disbelievers' properties after overpowering and conquering them. There were silver utensils among the spoils, so Mu‘āwiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) commanded a man to sell them in dirhams as a deferred payment from the people's payments. "U'tiyāt" (payments) is the plural of "u'tiyah", and it refers here to what the country gives the soldiers as a regular payment monthly or annually. This means: He ordered these silver utensils to be sold in dirhams as a deferred payment until the buyers received their salaries. So, people from the army havetened to buy these utensils in return for deferred dirhams until it was time for them to receive their wages. ‘Ubādah ibn as-Sāmit (may Allah be pleased with him), who was present in the army, learned about this, so he stood up and delivered a sermon saying: Verily, I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbidding the sale of gold for gold, silver for silver, wheat for wheat, barley for barley, dry dates for dry dates, and salt for salt except equal for equal and like for like, i.e., The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade selling these similar types in all cases unless they are like for like, i.e., equal in weight, and are visible, and present not absent, as mentioned in the two Sahīh Collections: "Do not sell available money for something absent."
The one who gives excess and the one who asks for it each of them has committed the prohibited Riba (usury), and both are equally sinful.
On hearing this, the people returned the utensils they had taken to the man who had sold them to them. When Mu‘āwiyah (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) heard about the Hadīth that was narrated by ‘Ubādah, he stood up and delivered a sermon saying: "What is the matter with some men?" alluding to what 'Ubādah (may Allah be pleased with him) had said, "narrating from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) Hadīths that we had not heard from him although we saw" him, i.e., we used to be in his presence and accompany him in his journeys. It seems that Mu‘āwiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) neither heard nor knew about this Hadīth, as was the case with others who did not know about it initially. The fact that he (may Allah be pleased with him) did not hear it does not serve as proof. Thereupon, Ubādah ibn as-Sāmit (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up when Mu‘āwiyah criticized him, and repeated the Hadīth once again and said: "We will surely narrate," i.e., we will surely tell people "what he heard from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) even if Mu‘āwiyah disliked it," referring to Mu‘āwiyah ibn Abi Sufyān, the army leader, or he said: "Even if it is against his will," i.e., even if he is disgraced and stuck to dust. Then, he said: "I do not mind if I do not accompany him," i.e., I do not care about not accompanying him, and I do not want to be employed among his soldiers, and I want to part with him on a black night, i.e., dark and moonless.
The Hadīth signifies the keenness to convey the Sunnah acts and spread knowledge even if it is against the will of anyone.
It highlights the prohibition of Riba.
It stresses that the truth should be declared even if the one to whom it is declared is senior..

1588

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Gold for gold, weight for weight, like for like; and silver for silver, weight for weight, like for like. Whoever gives or takes more is engaged in Riba (usury)..

Commentary : Riba (usury) is one of the types of exploitation in transactions. It entails great harm and involves unlawful earnings and taking extra money wrongfully. Therefore, it has been prohibited in all the laws that have been revealed. Riba has various types, all of which are prohibited. Riba al-Fadl (usury of surplus) is one type of it; it means selling an item that is subject to Riba rulings for another of the same kind with excess in one of the two, like selling a gold dinar for two dinars and a silver dirham for two dirhams. Hence, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us in this Hadīth to sell gold for gold - whether in the form of gold dinars or others - weight for weight and like for like without addition or reduction, so, both should be similar in weight and equal. Likewise, silver is to be sold for silver - whether in the form of silver dirhams or others - weight for weight and like for like without addition or reduction, so both should be equal in weight. Whoever gives more or takes more has committed unlawful Riba.
Other versions have clarified that if the types vary, then selling with a surplus is permissible; however, the sale should not be for a deferred payment; rather, it should be immediate, as the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said in the two Sahīh Collections - and this is the wording of Al-Bukhāri -: "And sell gold for silver and silver for gold as you wish." In Sahīh Muslim Collection: "If these classes differ, sell as you wish as long as payment is made hand to hand."
The Hadīth highlights the prohibition of Riba al-Fadl (usury of surplus).
It stresses the prohibition of all transactions that entail harm to people in terms of their properties and relations..

1591

Hanash reported: We were along with Fadālah ibn' Ubayd on an expedition. A necklace made of gold, silver and jewels fell to my and my friends' lot. I wanted to buy it, so I asked Fadālah ibn' Ubayd, at which point he said: Separate its gold and place it in one pan and place your gold in the other pan and do not receive but like for like, as I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should not take but like for like..

Commentary : Riba (usury) is one of the types of exploitation in transactions. It entails great harm and involves unlawful earnings and taking extra money wrongfully. Therefore, it has been prohibited in all the laws that have been revealed. Riba al-Fadl (usury of surplus) is one of the types of Riba; it means selling an item that is subject to Riba rulings for another of the same type with excess in one of the two, like selling a gold dinar for two dinars and a silver dirham for two dirhams.
In this Hadīth, the Tābi‘i Hanash as-San‘āni narrates that they were with the Companion Fadālah ibn ‘Ubayd (may Allah be pleased with him) on an expedition. A necklace, a piece of women's jewelry worn around the neck, from the spoils fell to his lot along with a group of his companions and it had gold, silver, and jewels like pearls and the like. Hanash wanted to buy it all and take his companions' share, so he asked Fadālah ibn' Ubayd (may Allah be pleased with him) about the ruling and manner of buying it along with everything in it. Thereupon, Fadālah (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered him to remove and separate its gold and place it in a balance pan - where the weighed item is put - and to put his gold on the opposite pan so there would be equality between the two amounts of gold without any surplus, and this could not be known except by separating it from the jewels. Then, he should not take of its gold except for like of his own gold that he deemed a payment for it so that he would not give or take any extra and, thus, engage in unlawful Riba. Likewise, the silver in it should be sold for an equal weight, and other jewels should be sold at their price for cash. He then justified this by saying that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Whoever believes in Allah" Who created him and has full faith in Him "and the Last Day", which is the Day of Judgment to which he will return and on which he will receive recompense for his deeds, should not buy gold or silver except like for like in terms of weight without any addition or surplus.
The Hadīth emphasizes the prohibition of Riba, as it linked its prohibition to belief in Allah and the Last Day..

Book of Hadith