Learn the ahadith to better understand Islam

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 5

On the authority of Aishah, who said : The messenger of Allah said:

"He who innovates something in this matter of ours that is not of it will have it rejected."

Bukhari and Muslim

And in another version by Muslim, it reads :

"He who does an act which our matter is not [in agreement] with will have it rejected."​

The above hadith is one which strictly prohibits the believer from "innovating" in his religion i.e. to introduce new practices in the way that he worships Allah which the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself did not do.

An example of this would be the manner how a Muslim should pray either his obligatory salat or the optional supplications and the times, quantity and ways that are specified for these salat prayers especially.

Muslims are not permitted to invent new ways and methods by which to worship the Lord because besides being sinful, these innovative new ways of worshipping the Lord will simply not be accepted by the One who is being worshipped.

 

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 6

On the authority of Al-Numan bin Basheer, who said : I heard the messenger of Allah say :

"That which is lawful is plain and that which is unlawful is plain and between the two of them are doubtful matters about which not many people know. Thus he who avoids doubtful matters clears himself in regard to his religion and his honor, but he who falls into doubtful matters falls into that which is unlawful, like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein. Truly every king has a sanctuary, and truly Allah's sanctuary is His prohibitions. Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh which, if it be whole, all the body is whole and which, if it be diseased, all of it is diseased. Truly it is the heart."

Bukhari and Muslim​

This hadith is advising Muslims that when it comes to matters which they have doubts and are not clear on their permissibility, it is better for them to avoid these matters as this will help them purify their hearts.

There are many matters that are clearly unlawful. No one can doubt the unlawfulness of murder, fornication, adultery, incest, drinking, gambling, dealing in usury, and eating pork.

Then there are doubtful matters that a Muslim should avoid. There are basically two reasons for doubt to exist about something. The first is where there is evidence indicating that something is unlawful, but that evidence is uncertain. The second is where there is a clear ruling in Islamic law that something is unlawful, but it is unclear if that ruling applies to a certain matter.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentions the heart after discussing the principle of avoiding doubtful matters. The reason for this is that the avoidance of doubtful matters is a very good way to protect the heart from moral disease. When a Muslim avoids what is unlawful, abstains from doubtful matters, and busies himself with what is clearly permissible and wholesome, his heart becomes strong. By contrast, if he engages in activities of doubtful legitimacy, his heart grows weak and he becomes more likely to fall into sin.

When a person’s heart is pure, his actions show it. A person with a pure heart will naturally avoid things that are doubtful just like he will avoid things that are unlawful. When a person has a sickness in his heart, he begins to crave unlawful things. He may at first involve himself in doubtful matters that will only increase the sickness in his heart and ultimately bring him to engage in what is openly sinful. This is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Verily, in the body is small piece of flesh that if it is healthy, the whole body is healthy and if it is sick, the whole body is sick. This small piece of flesh is the heart.”

A pure heart is one that is full of the love of Allah. It is a heart that naturally fears and loathes falling into sin and even the possibility of falling into sin.

 

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 7

On the authority of Tamim Al-Dari that the Prophet (pbuh) said:

"Religion is nasihah." We said: "To whom?" The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "To Allah and His Book, and His messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk."

[Muslim]​

The word "nasihah" cannot be accurately translated to English because it is a broad concept which cannot be traced in the English language. Some use the term "sincerity" but this is only part of the concept - to negate deception/cheating. According to Imam Ibnu al-Salah, nasihah is "truly seeking the best, in terms of intention and action, for the one whom he is making nasihah to".

When it comes to our interaction with one another, nasihah can therefore be loosely translated to mean to give advice or assistance with the best and most sincere of intentions

This hadith is profound because by this one brief statement, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), described the essence of Islam. Nasihah hence forms the bulk and the most important pillar of Islam since it encompasses Islam, Iman and Ihsan.

Iman -- "It is that you believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers and in the Last Day, and in fate (qadar), both in its good and in its evil aspects."

Ihsan -- "It is that you should serve Allah as though you could see Him, for though you cannot see Him yet He sees you."

 

[Jefell]

ISLAM is the doctrine of the devil. Get Saved. Christ Jesus is the only begotten Son of GOD born to die for your Salvation.


With Love,
- Jefell

www.GETSHOOK.com

 

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 8

Abdullah bin Omar narrated that the messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

"I have been ordered to fight against people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah and until they perform the prayers and pay the zakat, and if they do so they will have gained protection from me for their lives and property, unless [they do acts that are punishable] in accordance with Islam, and their reckoning will be with Allah the Almighty."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]​

Islam is the only true religion. It is the truth; it is the path of Allah. One of the divine Laws since the earth was created: evil has always been fighting against truth. Jihad is to establish and maintain justice and truth.

Jihad is not confined to only fighting. It has many other unpracticed or weakly practiced forms: da'wah, disseminating knowledge and educating others, maximizing the good and minimizing the evil, reconciling clashes and conflicts between Muslims, striving for the betterment of community are all forms of jihad.

 

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 9

Abu Hurairah 'Abd al-Rahman bin Sakhr, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say:

“Avoid that which I forbid you to do and do that which I command you to do to the best of your capacity. Verily the people before you were destroyed only because of their excessive questioning and their disagreement with their Prophets.”


[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]​

Asking too many questions about one's religious obligation may lead to complications and confusions in one's faith.

The very act of questioning God's commands and asking why and how He does the things that He does is a sign of weakness of faith.

The same would also be true when someone questions or challenges the reasons behind the prohibitions and the commands of the Prophets (peace be upon them all).

 

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 10

Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

“Verily Allah the Exalted is pure. He does not accept but that which is pure. Allah commands the believers with what He commanded the Messengers. Allah the Almighty has said: "O you Messengers! Eat of the good things and act righteously" [23:51-53]. And Allah the Almighty also said: "O you who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided you with" [2:167-172].
Then he (the Prophet) mentioned (the case of) the man who, having journeyed far, is dishevelled and dusty and who stretches out his hands to the sky (saying): "O Lord! O Lord!" (while) his food was unlawful, his drink was unlawful, his clothing was unlawful, and he is nourished with unlawful things, so how can he be answered?”

[Muslim]​

The word "at-tayyib" is used in the Qur'an and Sunnah to describe actions, good deeds, people, things, speech, etc. This term is used as adjectives. Literally it means something good. Ibn Rajab interpreted the word as "at-tahir", or pure.

The term "Verily Allah the Exalted is pure" means Allah has all the attributes of perfection and completeness, free from any kind of shortcomings, weaknesses or needs.

As for "He does not accept but that which is pure", the hadith refers to all good deeds. Allah does not accept any deeds that are spoilt by any aspects that may ruin it. For example, the deed must be free from showing-off to others and in the case that involves wealth then the wealth must come from legal sources.

Allah commanded the Believers (Mu'minin) in the same manner as He commanded the Messengers:

"O Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibat" [Surah Al-Mu'minun (23): ayat 51]

"O you who believe! Eat of the Tayyibat that We have provided you with, .." [Surah Al-Baqarah (2): ayat 172]

The verses above and this hadith imply the following beneficial and useful rulings:

The money that the Muslims earn must be pure and legal.
The food that is consumed must be lawful (halal).
The money with which a person buys food must be lawful, coming from lawful sources.
These are the keys for acceptance of our deeds by Allah.
Whether something is permissible or prohibited is by the will of Allah. He explains, guides and tells us what are permissible and what are not. It is mentioned in the Qur’an that some people have wrongfully made something unlawful when actually Allah has made it lawful, and vice versa. It is actually Allah’s right to make things lawful and unlawful.
Earning and consuming lawful things are important conditions for acceptance of a Muslim's supplications (du’a) by Allah.

 

[Luzeiro]

Islam is beautiful.. unfortunately many Muslims are not at all beautiful in their character and behaviour.

And so, just like a fair evaluation of a motorcar's performance can only be done by examining it's specifications and handling in the hands of an expert driver, it would not be fair at all that Islam be evaluated by observing the behaviour of bad and errant Muslims.

If one wishes to fairly judge Islam, then one needs to look at how the really "expert drivers" i.e. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his companions (may Allah be pleased with them all), behaved and conducted themselves during the early years of Islam.

Another "expert driver" of Islam would be Imam An-Nawawi and his selection of 42 ahadith provides a very good basis for understanding Islam as it is fairly comprehesive and encompasses just about every aspect of the faith.

I forget how many wars those beautiful people fought during the first one hundred years of islam. But, I do know what the beautiful mahomet did while he was alive. When I switch my sense of humor to 'strange', I can easily agree that mahomet was a beaut.

 

[Luzeiro]

is that applicable for christians also
can we know christianity from what christians do

If the Christian behaves contrary to the requirements of Christ, we must firstly stop calling him Christian. After that, no, you cannot know Christianity or Christ from misbehaving Christians.

But the muslim, worldwide, does behave according to mahomet. Do you understand that?

 

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 11

On the authority of Abu Muhammad al-Hasan bin Ali bin Abi Taib, the grandson of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and who is dearest to him, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: ìI committed to memory from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, (the following words):

"Leave that about which you are in doubt for that about which you are in no doubt."

[Al-Tirmidhi and al-Nasaíi related it, and al-Tirmidhi said: It is a good and genuine Hadith]​

This hadith goes in line with Hadith # 6. In this hadith the Prophet, peace be upon him, has set a criterion by which Muslims can decide whether something is permissible or not. There is another version of this hadith where the Prophet, peace be upon him, elaborated further by saying: “Verily, truth is tranquillity and falsehood is doubt”. This means that the truth will lead to tranquillity and falsehood will lead to doubt.

Thus the criterion set by the Prophet, peace be upon him, allows us to judge what is false or wrong (i.e. something which causes us to be doubtful) and what is the truth (i.e. something which we are sure of and confident that it is correct because we feel happy and at peace with it). This hadith lays down a principle that can be applied in all aspects of one’s life. It also shows the way to truth and righteousness. Thus, this hadith is very important.

 

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 12

On the authority of Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said : The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said :

"Part of the perfection of someone's Islam is his leaving alone that which does not concern him."

[Hadith hasan - Recorded by Tirmidhi]​

This hadith states that a believer should avoid things that are of no concern to him. They are of no benefit to this life nor to the hereafter, in terms of belief, speech or actions. If a person is not able to take care of all the necessary matters, why then should he get involved in the unnecessary matters that are of no real concern?

Islam protects society as a whole from any kind of harm and much of the harm inflicted on the society are due to people indulging in the unnecessary matters like meddling into the affairs of others when one has no right or responsibility over the particular issue. These types of practices normally lead to great evil in the society. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, recommended a way to avoid societal problems.

A believer should train him/herself to concentrate to be involved in the beneficial matters so that this in itself will be the person's attitude. One should not waste time, money and effort in things that are of no benefit in this life and the hereafter.

 

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 13

Abu Hamzah Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who was the servant of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, reported that the Prophet said:

"None of you truly believes (in Allah and in His religion) until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself"

[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

===================​

In the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

"The servant does not reach the reality of faith until he loves for others what he loves for himself."

In Sahih Muslim from Abdullah ibn Amr Al-***, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:

"…..Whoever wishes to be delivered from the fire and enter the garden should die with faith in Allah and the Last Day and should treat the people as he wishes to be treated by them…"
[Sahih Muslim; Book 020, Number 4546]

These three hadiths carry similar meanings that is to love for other Muslims what one loves for oneself. They lay down a very significant principle of behaviour of Muslims with each other. A true Islamic community is when it is built upon love and compassion for its members. Every member should care for and help one another. They should treat others in ways they want to be treated.

Loving goodness for others is part of loving them. We love good things for them as much as we love those things for ourselves.

 

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 14

On the authority of Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

"The blood of a man who is a Muslim is not lawful (i.e. cannot be lawfully shed), save if he belongs to one of three (classes): a married man who is an adulterer; life for a life (i.e. for murder); one who is a deserter of his religion, abandoning the community.”

[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]​

Before the arrival of Islam, human life had no value. A person can easily be killed for many different reasons, e.g. revenge, to show the superiority of a tribe, killing a newborn baby girl because it was considered a shame, etc.

When Islam arrived, it stressed on the value and importance of human life. A life must not be threatened unless it is lawful, i.e. where a serious violation of the shariah had occurred. Islam also made it clear that the taking of a human life is the responsibility of the highest authority, i.e. the judge. This is to prevent this practice from being abused for personal interests.

Islam has established rules and regulations for the community that minimise the need to carry out the execution of a man or woman as allowed by the three cases defined in the hadith. Islam is a peaceful religion and it has established rules where people respect each other and live together peacefully, without lives being threatened.

In the case of zina (extramarital sex), Islam has rules for the Muslim society that regulate relationships. Hence, it is very difficult for the cases mentioned to occur if these rules and regulations are observed.

As for ‘deserting the religion’, the Muslim community is based on knowledge where ilm and da’wah are continuously being disseminated and conveyed. Thus people are aware of their religious obligations and the minds of the society are well-protected from being manipulated. All these measures have been set up by Islam to minimise the occurrences of these exceptional cases where the taking of a human life is allowed.

These truly are exceptional cases because during the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, (and later during the era of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs) there were only a few cases where such violations or problems occurred.

This hadith places emphasis on the value of the human life and not on the punishments permissible for the three cases mentioned. Islam has put in place a system which leads to minimising the occurrences of the three cases. There are strategies, obligations, etc., which help the Muslims to avoid these acts.

Opponents of Islam look at the hadith in a negative way where they accuse Islam of being murderous and barbaric. But the truth of the matter is Islam values human life, just as it values chastity (iffah or taharah) - a virtue which has lost its value in these contemporary times because of the evil being promoted by the opponents via the media and negative side of technology. These negative influences have also caused some Muslims to interpret this hadith negatively.

 

[Luzeiro]

ISLAM is the doctrine of the devil. Get Saved. Christ Jesus is the only begotten Son of GOD born to die for your Salvation.


With Love,
- Jefell

www.GETSHOOK.com

Hi, Jef! Do you know if anyone is reading this stuff? I know I'm not. I've had too many hadith slammed back into my face with the message that they are worthless. Let's see .... today is Tuesday, maybe they are not worthless on Tuesdays. They shall forever be worthless to me.

 

[Philothei]

this thread is straight spam... Where is the discussion? Ah... typical muslim propaganda... pure monologue...

 

[Nooj]

this thread is straight spam... Where is the discussion? Ah... typical muslim propaganda... pure monologue...

Go inform a moderator if you think someone is spamming.

 

[hamba2han]

this thread is straight spam... Where is the discussion? Ah... typical muslim propaganda... pure monologue...

Am I preventing anyone from discussing the subject that this thread is all about i.e. the 42-ahadith selection of Imam Nawawi?

Feel free to ask questions or discuss.. so long as it is related to the subject matter.

 

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 15

Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

"Let whosoever believes in Allah and in the Last Day either speak good or be silent. Let whosoever believes in Allah and in the Last Day honour his neighbour. Let whosoever believes in Allah and in the Last Day honour his guest."

[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

=============================​

This hadith contains the rulings concerning the tongue and the behaviour of Muslims towards others. It also emphasises that we are responsible for what we say.

The responsibility of the Muslim regarding what he says is mentioned in the Qur'an:

"Not a word does he utter but there is a watcher by him ready to record it" .. [Surah Qaf (50): ayat 18].

There are also other hadiths which state that the Muslim should be careful about what he says. His words can either, if they are pleasing to Allah, raise him to a higher level; or if his words displease Allah, they may cause him to be thrown into the Hellfire - as stated in a hadith recorded by Imam al-Bukhari. This shows that what we say can have a direct effect on whether it will benefit us or not.

In short, what the first part of this hadith is essentially saying is that either we say something beneficial and good or else we should keep silent.

The second part of this hadith stresses on being courteous and generous to our neighbours and guests. This is stated in the Qur'an - Surah An-Nisa'(4): ayat 36: "…do good to parents, relatives, orphans, the poor, the neighbour who is near of kin, the neighbour who is a stranger, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (you meet), and those (slaves) whom your right hand possess."

In one hadith, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Jibril kept advising me concerning the neighbour to the point that I thought that he would inherit from his neighbour." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. In another hadith [also recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim], it is stated: "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should not harm his neighbour."

Another hadith records the Prophet, peace be upon him, as saying that the person who does not have complete faith (iman) is the one from whose affairs the neighbour is not safe. Al-Bukhari and Muslim also records another hadith which states that when you cook stew, you should add a little bit more water and give some to your neighbours. This sharing of food between neighbours can strengthen the relationships between them. We should be nice to our neighbours and share our food even if they are not Muslims.

 

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 16

Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleases with him, reported that a man said to the Prophet, peace be upon him:

"Advise me! "The Prophet said, "Do not become angry and furious." The man asked (the same) again and again, and the Prophet said in each case, "Do not become angry and furious."

[Al-Bukhari; Vol. 8 No. 137]

============================​

This hadith is also related by other scholars of hadith. In another narration, it is related as:

A man came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and said, "Messenger of Allah, teach me some words which I can live by. Do not make them too much for me, lest I forget." The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, "Do not be angry." [Abu Daud]

Some scholars say that the Prophet, peace be upon him, knew that the man who asked him used to get angry often and that is why the Prophet, peace be upon him, gave him that particular advice. This view may lead to narrowing down and limiting the benefit of the hadith, whereas it is very comprehensive, far-reaching and applicable to all Muslims because everyone is subject to anger.

There are other Qur'anic verses and hadith that emphasize the need to avoid getting angry. Allah mentions the qualities of the muttaqin:

“Those who spend (in Allah’s cause) in prosperity and in adversity, who repress their anger, and who pardon men, verily, Allah loves the al-Muhsinun (the good-doers).” .. [Surah Al-Imran (3) : Ayah 133-134]

In another hadith, Abu Hurairah related that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

"A strong person is not the person who throws his adversaries to the ground. A strong person is the person who contains himself when he is angry." [Al-Bukhari; Book 47, No. 47.3.12]

And from the du'a (supplications) of the Prophet, peace be upon him:

"I ask you O Allah, for truthful speech during times of pleasure and anger" [Nasaai and Ahmad]

Socially, this hadith promotes better relationship among people. We need to restrain anger and be patient. We may dislike something in this life but it may have benefits that we do not know.

Our patience towards others who have been harsh on us may later lead them to think and change themselves to be better.

 

[hamba2han]

Hadith # 17

Abu Ya'la Shaddad ibn Aus, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:

"Verily, Allah has enjoined excellence (ihsan) with regard to everything. So, when you kill, kill in a good way; when you slaughter, slaughter in a good way; so everyone of you should sharpen his knife, and let the slaughtered animal die comfortably."

[Muslim]

=========================​

Ihsan is a comprehensive concept. It denotes doing things completely, nicely and in a tasteful manner. It comprises four components:
Sincerity (Ikhlas)
Completeness
Tastefulness (doing things in a nice manner), and
Correctness (doing things in the right way).

This concept is translated by commentators and interpreters as Excellence. Being a comprehensive concept, the term Ihsan cannot be translated word for word because there is no word in the English language that gives its exact meaning. Therefore, it is better to use it as it is.

Islam commands Muslims to practice and apply Ihsan in all that they do - hence it is an obligation (wajib).
It has been mentioned in the Qur’an as well. Allah the Almighty says:

"Verily, Allah enjoins Justice, and Ihsan and giving help to kith and kin,..." .. [Surah Al-Nahl (16 ): ayat 90]

In Surah Al-Mulk (67), ayat 2 this concept is mentioned as one of two main purposes of human creation, Allah the Almighty says: "The One Who created death and life so that He may test you which of you is best of conduct."

The hadith contains a principle and provides an example of applying that principle. This is a Prophetic method to enable Muslims to apply the same principle to other similar situations. It can also be said that providing the example is a way of explaining the principle so it is easily understood.

Most of the forty ahadith collected by Imam Nawawi are of this nature. Muslims have a tendency of taking the example and forgetting about the principle. This may explain why Muslims are reminded of this hadith once a year, during Eid ul-Adha i.e. the Feast of Sacrifice.

The concept of Ihsan means that a Muslim is a responsible person and a person of quality where he does things in a very good manner, in a complete sense, in a nice and tasteful way and is never satisfied with anything other than a quality job in all that he/she does, motivated by realizing that Allah prescribed Ihsan to everything and to all deeds.

By living according to the concept of Ihsan and by applying it to all that a Muslim does, he/she will be rewarded and showered with mercy and forgiveness from Allah the Almighty. Furthermore, by doing that, a Muslim will ensure that he/she will pass the test and be amongst those of the best conduct.