Islam: Questions And Answers - The Hadeeth and Its Sciences

ISLAM: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

The Hadeeth and Its Sciences Volume 4 of a Series of Islamic Books by Muhammad Saed Abdul-Rahman

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Islam: Questions And Answers Volume 4 The Hadeeth and its Sciences

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Islam: Questions And Answers Volume 4 The Hadeeth and its Sciences

Muhammad Saed Abdul-Rahman BSc, DipHE

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© Muhammad Saed Abdul-Rahman, 2003 ISBN for all volumes 1 86179 080 5 ISBN for volume 4 paperback 1 86179 271 9 ISBN for volume 4 hardback 1 86179 272 7 ISBN for volume 4 pdf eBook 1 86179 273 5 ISBN for volume 4 Microsoft eBook 1 86179 274 3 ISBN for volume 4 Palm eBook 1 86179 275 1

All Rights reserved

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A Catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Designed, Typeset and produced by: MSA Publication Limited, 4 Bello Close, Herne Hill, London SE24 9BW United Kingdom

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Contents Introduction .............................................................................. 1 General ...................................................................................... 3 48963: A weak hadeeth concerning the prohibition on helping to kill a Muslim ....................................................... 3 11443: Is it possible to trust all ahaadeeth? ......................... 6 34890: The hadeeth “There is no Mahdi except ‘Eesa” is not saheeh ............................................................. 7 45855: Islam began as something strange............................ 8 34578: How can we recognize false ahaadeeth?................ 11 30765: A fabricated hadeeth about the advice given to ‘Ali ....................................................................... 13 20897: How sound is the hadeeth, “Whoever neglects prayer, Allaah will send fifteen punishments upon him”? ................................................... 15 34692: The hadeeth, “I ask You by the glory from Your Throne” ............................................................. 19 40296: A fabricated hadeeth about the virtue of praying qiyaam al-layl on Saturday night ...................... 21 34715: Falseness of the hadeeth about Adam praying by virtue of Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon them both) ........................................... 22 25824: How sound is the hadeeth “Praise be to Allaah who has fed me and granted me provision”? ................................................................... 25 34752: A da’eef hadeeth concerning the virtue of praying for forty days in the Prophet’s Mosque .............................................................. 27 23290: Falseness of the hadeeth, “Were it not for you, I would not have created the universe” ............................................................................ 29 20801: The hadeeth “Seek help in having your needs met by being discreet” ..................................... 32 14011: Soundness of the hadeeth, “Learn witchcraft (sihr)” ................................................................ 34 v

13921: This hadeeth is a lie against the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ..................... 36 9067: Should he forsake his family who reject the Sunnah? ........................................................................ 39 6544: The hadeeth about saying “Allaahumma ajirni min al-naar” seven times .......................................... 45 6899: The hadeeth about one who memorizes forty ahaadeeth is a weak hadeeth...................................... 47 12107: The hadeeth, “If you see poverty coming to you then say, ‘Welcome, O sign of the righteous’” ............................................................... 49 21883: What is the status of the hadeeth “Of the things of this world, women and perfume have been made dear to me?” ............................................ 51 22087: Is the hadeeth “The happiness of the son of Adam depends on his being content with what Allaah decrees” saheeh? ............................................ 51 21276: The hadeeth “Whoever is afflicted with poverty and refers it to the people, his poverty will not be brought to an end…” ....................................... 52 13816: What is the status of the hadeeth, “Do not please anyone by angering Allaah?” ............................ 53 13246: Soundness of the hadeeth “Sincerity is one of My secret blessings” ............................................... 54 13206: Hadeeth .................................................................. 55 Commentary on Hadeeth ........................................................ 61 2534: How sound is the hadeeth “Whoever visits my grave after I die, it is as if he visited me when I was still alive”? ................................................ 61 32690: What is the status of the hadeeth, “No man is scratched by a thorn…”? ........................................ 65 21711: al-Namrood and the people of the ditch ................. 67 43147: Reconciling the ahaadeeth about how many times better praying in congregation is than praying alone .............................................................. 71 22836: The ratio of people of Paradise to people of Hell ................................................................................ 73 vi

20612: He is amazed by the height of Adam (peace be upon him) ........................................................... 76 34750: Woman taking off her clothes in a house other than her husband’s house .......................................... 79 9262: What is the ability to marry that is mentioned in the hadeeth which encourages marrying? ...................... 80 12403: Advice to one who wants to get married but is not able for it ............................................................ 82 20653: The soundness and meaning of the hadeeth about performing Hajj every five years.............................. 84 14627: Meaning of maa’ilaat mumeelaat .......................... 87 6652: What does it mean when we say that Allaah loves beauty? ...................................................................... 90 13260: Meaning of good treatment in the hadeeth “… and treats them well…”............................................... 95 10299: Names of Commentaries on Saheeh Muslim......... 96 14397: What is the meaning of the words “I am his hearing with which he hears…” etc? ........................... 97 13731: The meaning of the hadeeth, “Whoever taunts his brother with a sin” and how sound it is ............. 98 2665: Meaning of the hadeeth, “Treat women kindly”.............................................................................. 102 22394: The soundness of the hadeeth “Do not write anything from me…” and explanation of what it means ................................................................... 104 13930: Meaning of the hadeeth “No haamah and no Safar and no naw’ and no ghoul” ......................... 107 12817: except ruqam (marks or stripes) on clothes ......... 111 9571: What is the meaning of the hadeeth “Do not inveigh against time (waqt) for Allaah is time waqt)”? ..................................................................... 122 4236: The Hadith of the Seven is Not in Reference to Men Only .................................................... 126 Science of Hadeeth ............................................................... 128 34651: Mutawaatir hadeeth ............................................. 128 27224: Overnight stay of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and Abu vii

Bakr in the cave of Thawr ................................................ 130 32638: Is it true that there are no da’eef reports? ............ 135 20153: Refutation of one who casts aspersions upon Saheeh al-Bukhaari ................................................. 136 21523: The authors of the Six Books ............................... 139 26794: The status of the hadeeth, “If I am someone’s mawla then ‘Ali is his mawla too” and its meaning ................................................................ 145 21364: Weakness of a hadeeth about the virtues of Ramadaan .................................................................... 148 21635: Is this hadeeth saheeh: “My Lord taught me good manners and He taught me well”? .................... 151 21728: Ruling on sleeping after ‘Asr ............................... 151 14017: Weak and fabricated ahaadeeth narrated by the Sufis ...................................................................... 152 12692: How sound is the hadeeth, “Seek to draw closer to Allaah by virtue of my status”? ......................... 158 13623: Is the hadeeth “Differences of opinion among my ummah is a mercy” saheeh? ........................... 159 14003: What is the status of the hadeeth “Whoever performs Hajj to the House (the Ka’bah) but does not visit me has shunned me”? ............ 159 21942: The hadeeth which says “there is no siyaahah in Islam” is not saheeh ...................................... 160 9786: Soundness of the hadeeth, “Whoever recites Aayat al-Kursiy after every prayer ........................ 161 10163: Three fabricated ahaadeeth .................................. 163 12949: How sound is the hadeeth, “Every time the Qur’aan is completed there is a du’aa’ that is answered”? ............................................................ 165 11802: Who compiled saheeh ahaadeeth apart from al-Bukhaari and Muslim? ........................................ 167 4135: “Satanic verses” ..................................................... 167 6981: How can we tell the saheeh ahaadeeth from the fabricated ones? ................................................. 169 2988: The report which says one should say “ Wa ana ‘ala dhaalika min al-shaahideen viii

(And I am one of those who testify to that)” after reciting Soorat al-Teen is da’eef (weak) .................. 172

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Introduction Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon His last Messenger, Prophet Muhammad, and on his family and his companions. This book, Hadeeth and its Sciences, is the fourth volume of a series of authoritative Islamic books entitled Islam: Questions And Answers. The overall series discusses issues relevant to Islam, and present accurate and reliable information based on the true beliefs and practices of the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) and his companions. The objectives of the various books include: to teach and familiarize Muslims with various aspects of their religion to be a source for guiding people to Islam to assist in solving the social and personal problems of the Muslims in an Islamic context The books are directed towards Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Subject areas include, but are not limited to, Islamic fiqh and jurisprudence, Islamic history, Islamic social laws (including marriage, divorce, contracts, and inheritance), Islamic finance, basic tenets and aqeedah of the Islamic faith and tawheed, and Arabic grammar as it relates to the Qur'an and Islamic texts. The books are compilations of questions and responses about Islam, from both Muslims and Non-Muslims. The responses are handled mainly by internationally re-nowned Islamic shaykhs and scholars, including Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, Ibn Katheer, al-Albaani, Shaykh Ibn Baaz, Ibn al-Jawzi, Ibn al-Qayyim, Al‘Izz ibn ‘Abd al-Salaam, al-Nawawi, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Kareem, al Khudayr, Al-Dhahabi, al-Qurtubi, Al-Sindi, al-Shawkaani and al-Bastawi using only authentic, scholarly sources based on the Qur'an and sunnah. References, which include Haashiyat Ibn Maajah, Sharh Saheeh Muslim, Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 1

Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Da’eefah, Al-Mawsoo’ah fi Ahaadeeth al-Mahdi al-Da’eefah wa’l-Mawdoo’ah, Al-Manaar al-Muneef and Fataawa Islamiyyah, are provided where appropriate in the responses. The book provides the reader with cross references of other pertinent responses not necessarily in the same volume, but also in other volumes of the series. However, each volume is complete in itself. The book records accurately the answers the contributing Sheikhs and scholars gave to the questions put to them. These are not necessarily the answers which other sheikhs and scholars would have given. Depending on circumstances, for example, Islam permits different solutions to some questions The book also provides the reader with cross-references to other pertinent responses not necessarily in the same volume, but also in other volumes of the series. However, each volume is complete in itself. The abreviation (P.B.U.H) which appears in the book means "peace be upon him". It is intended that this present series of Books will cover the following subject areas (insha-Allah): Aqeedah (Basic Tenets of Faith); Usool ul-Fiqh (Science of evidence that serve a basis for Fiqh), Fiqh (Jurisprudence and Islamic Rulings), Da'wah (Inviting others to Islam), Aadaab (Manners), Akhlaaq (Character and Morals), Tareekh wa ul Seerah (Islamic history and biography), Tarbiyyah (Pedagogy, education, and upbringing) and Mashakil Nafsiyah wa Ijtimaa'yah (Psychological & Social Problems). May Allah reward the owners and maintainers of www.islamqa.com for granting me full, exclusive, assignable and transferable rights to use and display all the questions and answers needed for the compilation of these books. May Allah grant everyone involved in the promotion of this project good in this world and the Hereafter and protection from the fire of hell.

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General 48963: A weak hadeeth concerning the prohibition on helping to kill a Muslim Question: There is a saheeh hadeeth in which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever helps to kill a Muslim, even with half a word, will meet Allaah with (the words) written between his eyes, ‘He has no hope of the mercy of Allaah.’”– i.e., the mercy of Allaah will not descend upon one who helps a kaafir to kill a Muslim. This is what I understand from the hadeeth. Please explain further. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: This hadeeth was narrated by Ibn Maajah (2620) and al‘Aqeeli in al-Du’afa’ (457) and al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan (8/22). It is a da’eef (weak) hadeeth which is not soundly narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Imam Ahmad said: This hadeeth is not saheeh. Indeed, Abu Haatim ruled it to be mawdoo’ (fabricated), and al-Dhahabi agreed with him. Ibn al-Jawzi narrated it in al-Mawdoo’aat (2/104). Ibn Hibbaan said: This is a mawdoo’ (fabricated) hadeeth which has no basis. Ibn Hajar and al-Mundhiri said: (This is) a very weak hadeeth. Al-Zayla’i said: it is a weak (da’eef) hadeeth. 3

Al-Albaani mentioned it in Da’eef Sunan Ibn Maajah and said: (it is) very weak. Secondly: Even though this hadeeth is weak, there is no doubt that helping to kill a Muslim unlawfully is a major sin. Al-‘Izz ibn ‘Abd al-Salaam (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his book al-Qawaa’id: If you want to know the difference between a minor sin and a major sin, then compare the consequences of the sin with the consequences of a major sin as stated in the texts. If it is less than the least consequences of a major sin, then it is a minor sin. If it is equal to or greater than the least consequences of a major sin, then it is also a major sin. Whoever insults the Lord, may He be glorified, or His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or mocks the Messengers, or disbelieves in one of them, or throws filth at the Ka’bah, or throws the Mushaf into the garbage – these are major sins, even though sharee’ah does not state clearly that they are major sins. Similarly, if a person holds down a chaste woman for another to commit zina with her, or holds down a Muslim for him to kill him, the evil consequences of that are undoubtedly greater than the consequences of consuming the wealth of an orphan, even though that is also a major sin. Similarly if a person guides the kuffaar to the weak points of the Muslims, even though he knows that they will destroy the Muslims as a result of his help and will take their women and children captive, and plunder their wealth, then this is more serious than his running away from the battle field with no excuse, even though that is a major sin. Similarly if he tells a lie about a person for which he knows that person will be killed, then it is a major sin, but telling a lie which will result in a date being taken away from him, is not a major sin.” 4

Helping a kaafir to kill a Muslim may constitute kufr in some cases. The scholars mentioned things that nullify a person’s Islam, one of which is supporting the mushrikeen and helping them against the Muslims. See question no. 33691. Thirdly: It is not permissible for anyone to take the matter of attributing hadeeth to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) lightly. He Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever tells lies about me, it is not like telling lies about anyone else. Whoever tells lies about me deliberately, let him take his place in Hell. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1291; Muslim, 4. And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever narrates a hadeeth from me which is known to be false, he is one of the liars.” Narrated by Muslim in the introduction to his Saheeh. And al-Nawawi said: [This hadeeth has been narrated in two versions, one of which says al-kaadhibayn (the two liars – dual form) and the more well-known version which says al-kaadhibeen (the liars – plural).] Al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad said: The version which we have says al-kaadhibeen (plural) and Abu Na’eem al-Asbahaani narrated it in his book alMustakhraj ‘ala Saheeh Muslim from the hadeeth of Samurah, where it says al-kaadhibayn, in the dual form. Some of the imams said that the word yura [translated above as “known to be” as yara [meaning “knowing (himself).” Or it could mean “thinking [that it is false].” In this case the hadeeth means that the person becomes a sinner only when he himself knows or thinks that what he is narrating from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is a lie. But if he did not know or 5

think that it was a lie, then there is no sin on him if he narrated it, even if others think that it is false, or know that to be the case. But what we may conclude from this hadeeth is that lying is stronly condemned, and that whoever thinks that what he is narrating is most likely false, but still narrates it, is a liar. How can he not be a liar when he is narrating something that did not happen? If a person does not have sufficient knowledge to be able to distinguish between a saheeh hadeeth and a da’eef one, then he should ask the scholars who are specialized in this field, and refer to the comments of the imams and scholars that are compiled in books, in accordance with the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): “So ask of those who know the Scripture, if you know not” [al-Nahl 16:43]. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 11443: Is it possible to trust all ahaadeeth? Question: Is it possible to trust all ahaadeeth? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Among the ahaadeeth which are attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), there are some which are saheeh (sound), concerning which there is no doubt that they are the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). There are others 6

which are da’eef (weak) and there are doubts that they can be attributed to him. Both saheeh and da’eef are well known to the scholars. Books of saheeh have been compiled which include saheeh ahaadeeth such as Saheeh al-Bukhaari and Saheeh Muslim; there are other books which include saheeh ahaadeeth and others, like the other books of hadeeth, The scholars have gone to great lengths to distinguish the saheeh from others, as is well known to young students let alone those who have specialized in the study of the Sunnah. Shaykh ‘Abd al-Kareem al-Khudayr (www.islam-qa.com) 34890: The hadeeth “There is no Mahdi except ‘Eesa” is not saheeh Question: Is the hadeeth “There is no Mahdi except ‘Eesa” saheeh?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth was narrated by Ibn Maajah in his Sunan (4039). Almost all the muhadditheen (hadeeth scholars) are agreed that this hadeeth is da’eef (weak)” It was classed as da’eef by al-Bayhaqi, al-Haakim, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah in Manhaaj al-Sunnah (8/256), and Ibn al-Qayyim in al-Manaar al-Muneef (p. 148). Al-Dhahabi said in Meezaan al-I’tidal (3/535): it is a munkar report. 7

Al-Qaari said in Mirqaat al-Mafaateeh (10/183): it is da’eef according to the consensus of the muhadditheen. It was mentioned by al-Shawkaani in al-Qawaa’id alMajmoo’ah, 127. He said: al-San’aani said: (it is) mawdoo’ (fabricated). Al-Albaani said in Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Da’eefah (77): It is munkar. Even if this hadeeth were saheeh – but it is not saheeh – the meaning would be that there is no one who perfectly guided (mahdi) or protected from sin and error except ‘Eesa ibn Maryam. This was stated by al-Qurtubi, Ibn alQayyim and Ibn Katheer. This does not contradict the fact that the Mahdi will emerge at the end of time and that he will join forces with ‘Eesa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him), and ‘Eesa will pray behind him in congregation. We have already stated in the answer to question no. 1252 the evidence showing that the Mahdi will emerge at the end of time with the attributes that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) described. These saheeh ahaadeeth cannot be contradicted by a da’eef hadeeth like this one. See al-Ahaadeeth al-Da’eefah, 1/89 by al-Albaani. AlMawsoo’ah fi Ahaadeeth al-Mahdi al-Da’eefah wa’lMawdoo’ah by al-Bastawi, p. 94-104. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 45855: Islam began as something strange Question: What is the meaning of this hadeeth: “Islam began as 8

something strange and will revert to being strange as it began.”?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth was narrated by Muslim (145) from Abu Hurayrah who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Islam began as something strange and will revert to being strange as it began, so give glad tidings to the strangers.” Al-Sindi said in Haashiyat Ibn Maajah: “Strange” refers to the small number of its adherents. The basic meaning of ghareeb (a stranger) is being far from one’s homeland. “And will revert to being strange” refers to the small number of those who will adhere to its teachings even though its followers are many. “So give glad tidings to the strangers” means those who follow its commands. “Tooba (glad tidings)” has been interpreted as meaning Paradise or a great tree in Paradise. This shows that supporting Islam and following its commands may require leaving one’s homeland and being patient in bearing the difficulties of being a stranger, as was the case in the beginning. In Sharh Saheeh Muslim, Al-Nawawi quoted al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad as saying concerning the meaning of this hadeeth: “Islam began among a few individuals, then it spread and prevailed, then it will reduce in numbers until there are only a few left, as it was in the beginning.” It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 2/170: The meaning of this hadeeth is that Islam began as something strange, when the Messenger of Allaah (peace 9

and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called people to Islam, but no one responded except a few here and there. At that time it was something strange because its people were like strangers amongst others and they were few in number and weak, in contrast to the great numbers and strength of their enemies who persecuted the Muslims. Then some of them migrated to Abyssinia, fleeing for the sake of their religion from tribulation and to save themselves from persecution and oppression, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) migrated at Allaah’s command to Madeenah, after suffering intense persecution and in the hope that Allaah would give him people to support him in his call and support Islam. Allaah fulfilled his hopes, granted victory to his troops and supported His slave. The Islamic state was established and Islam spread, with the help of Allaah, throughout the land; Allaah made the word of kufr lowest and the word of Allaah is (always) uppermost, for Allaah is Almighty, All-Wise, and honour, power and glory belong to Allaah, and to His Messenger, and to the believers [cf al-Munaafiqoon 63:8]. This continued for a long time, then division and dissent spread among the Muslims and weakness and failure increased gradually, until Islam once again became something strange as it was in the beginning. But this is not because of their small numbers, because at that time they will be many, rather it is because they do not adhere to their religion or cling to the Book of their Lord and the teachings of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), apart from those whom Allaah wills. So they become distracted and turn to competing in worldly matters, like those who came before them, and they fight amongst themselves for leadership. So the enemies of Islam found a way in and they colonized their lands, humiliated their people and treated them badly. This is the way in which Islam returned to being strange as it was in the beginning. 10

A number of scholars – including Shaykh Muhammad Rasheed Rida – thought that this hadeeth gives glad tidings of a second victory of Islam after it becomes something strange again. They base this on the metaphor used by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he said, “… will revert to being strange as it began.” So just as following the initial strangeness and alienation the Muslims were victorious and Islam spread, this will happen again after the second period of strangeness and alienation. This view is more likely to be correct, and is supported by what is proven in the ahaadeeth about the Mahdi and the descent of ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) at the end of time, when Islam will spread and the Muslims will be victorious, and kufr and the kaafirs will be defeated. And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah send blessing and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and companions. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 34578: How can we recognize false ahaadeeth? Question: How can we tell if a hadeeth is fabricated (mawdoo’) or not?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. We can tell if a hadeeth is fabricated firstly by looking as its isnaad (chain of narrators) and text. If there is someone 11

in the isnaad who is a liar, then it is a fabricated hadeeth. With regard to the text, this can also indicate that a hadeeth is fabricated but in most cases the person studying the hadeeth needs to have experience and knowledge of the saheeh (sound) hadeeths of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: I was asked: is it possible to recognize a fabricated hadeeth by following guidelines without looking at its isnaad? This is a very serious question. That may be known to one who has deep knowledge of the saheeh Sunnahs, for whom it has become second nature and who is extremely specialized in the knowledge of the Sunnah, and reports, and has knowledge of the Seerah (biography) of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his teachings, commands and prohibitions, what he told of, what he called people to, what he liked and what he disliked, and what he prescribed for his ummah, so that it is as if he mixed with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) like one of his companions. Such a person will have knowledge of the life, teachings and words of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and what he could have said and could not have said, in a way that others will not know. This is the way of every follower and the one whom he follows, because the one who becomes close to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and is very keen to find out about what he said and did, becomes more able to distinguish what may correctly be attributed to him from what is not correct, in a way that those who do not have such knowledge cannot do. This is the way of followers with their imams: they know their words, texts and points of view. 12

And Allaah knows best. Al-Manaar al-Muneef, p. 43, 44. Following these words, and until the end of the book mentioned, Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) gives many examples of fabricated ahaadeeth on various topics, with numerous comments. Reference may be made to this book as it is very valuable. See also the answer to question no. 6981. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 30765: A fabricated hadeeth about the advice given to ‘Ali Question: I have received via e-mail a hadeeth attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and I have seen it in more than one discussion board. The one who wrote it says that he received it via e-mail. This is the text of the hadeeth: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O ‘Ali, do not sleep until you have done five things, which are: reading the entire Qur’aan, giving four thousand dirhams in charity, preserving your place in Paradise and placating your opponent.” ‘Ali said: “And how could I do that, O Messenger of Allaah?” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do you not know, O ‘Ali, that if you recite Qul huwa Allaahu ahad (i.e., Soorat al-Ikhlaas) three times, it is as if you have recited the entire Qur’aan? And 13

that if you recite Soorat al-Faatihah four times it is as if you have given f our thousand dirhams in charity? And that if you say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd yuhyi wa yameet wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god but Allaah alone with no partner or associate. His is the Dominion and to Him be praise, He gives life and death and He is able to do all things) ten times, you will preserve your place in Paradise? And if you say Astaghfir-Allaah alladhi laa ilaaha illa huwa al-hayy alqayyoom wa atoobu ilayh (I seek the forgiveness of Allaah beside Whom there is no other god, the Ever-Living, the Eternal, and I repent to Him) ten times you will have placated your opponent.” Then they concluded by saying: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) indeed has spoken the truth. Is this hadeeth saheeh?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah This hadeeth is false and fabricated (mawdoo’). The scholars of the Standing Committee said concerning this hadeeth: This hadeeth has no basis, rather it is one of the fabricated reports and lies made up by some of the Shi’ah, as has been pointed out by the imams of hadeeth. Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 4/462, 463. Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about this and he said: 14

This hadeeth which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave this advice to ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) is a lie that was fabricated against the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It is not correct to attribute it to the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because “whoever narrates a hadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which he thinks is false is himself one of the liars,” and “whoever tells lies about the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) deliberately, let him take his place in Hell.” But if it is mentioned in order to explain that it is fabricated and to warn people against it, this is something which will be rewarded. The point is that this hadeeth is a lie against the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and against ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib. Fataawa Islamiyyah, 4/111 And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 20897: How sound is the hadeeth, “Whoever neglects prayer, Allaah will send fifteen punishments upon him”? Question: My question is regarding these hadiths i was given in an email. I just want to know if they are authentic before i pass them on. Jazakallah. HADITH OF PROPHET (P.B.U.H) The one who disdains the prayers will receive fifteen punishments from Allah. Six punishments in this lifetime 15

Three while dying , Three in the grave & Three on the Day of Judgement. THE SIX PUNISHMENTS OF LIFE: 1. Allah takes away blessings from his age(makes his life misfortunate) 2.Allah does not accept his plea(Du’aa) 3.Allah erases the features of good people from his face. 4.He will be detested by all creatures on earth. 5.Allah does not award him for his good deeds.(No thawab) 6.He will not be included in the Du’aa of good people. THE THREE PUNISHMENTS WHILE DYING: 1. He dies humiliated. 2. He dies hungry. 3. He dies thirsty. Even if he drinks the water of all seas he will still be thirsty. THE THREE PUNISHMENTS IN THE GRAVE: 1. Allah tightens his grave until his chest ribs come over each other. 2. Allah pours on him fire with embers. 3. Allah sets on him a snake called “the brave”,”the bold” which hits Him from morning until afternoon for leaving Fajr prayer,from the afternoon until Asr for leaving Dhuhr prayer and so on.With each strike he sinks 70 yards under the ground.

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THE THREE PUNISHMENTS ON THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT: 1. Allah sends who would accompany him to hell pulling him on the face. 2. Allah gives him an angry look that makes the flesh of his face fall down. 3. Allah judges him strictly and orders him to be thrown in hell. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: The hadeeth, “Whoever neglects prayer, Allaah will send fifteen punishments upon him, six in this world, three when he is dying, three in the grave and three when he emerges form the grave…” is a fabricated (mawdoo’) hadeeth which is falsely attributed to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Concerning this hadeeth Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, in the magazine al-Buhooth al-Islamiyyah (22/329): With regard to the hadeeth which the author of this pamphlet attributes to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) concerning the punishment of the one who does not pray, and which says that fifteen punishment will be sent upon him etc., this is one of the fabricated ahaadeeth that are falsely attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as was stated by the scholars (may Allaah have mercy on him) such as al-Haafiz al-Dhahabi in Lisaan al-Meezaan, and al-Haafiz ibn Hajar and others.

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Similarly the Standing Committee issued a fatwa, no. 8689, declaring this hadeeth to be false, as it says in Fataawa al-Lajnah, 4/468. Among the things mentioned in this fatwa which it is worth quoting here is: What has been narrated from Allaah and from His Messenger concerning the punishment of the one who does not pray is sufficient. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, AsSalaah (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours” [al-Nisa’ 4:103] And Allaah says of the people of Hell (interpretation of the meaning): “ ‘What has caused you to enter Hell?’ They will say: ‘We were not of those who used to offer the Salaah (prayers)’” [al-Muddaththir 74:42-43] and He mentioned among their attributes the fact that they did not pray. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The covenant that stands between us and them is prayer; whoever gives up prayer is a kaafir.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2621; al-Nasaa’i, 431; Ibn Maajah, 1079. classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2113. And there are other verses and ahaadeeth which speak of giving up prayer, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) described it as kufr. See also question no. 2182. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) 18

said: This hadeeth is mawdoo’ (fabricated) and falsely attributed to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It is not permissible to propagate it unless it is accompanied by a statement that it is fabricated, so that the people will have a clear understanding about it. Fataawa al-Shaykh published by the Daw’ah center in ‘Anayzah, 1/6 We ask Allaah to make you steadfast in your keenness to call your brothers and advise them, but you have to make it clear to everyone who is keen to do good for the people and to warn them against evil that it must be done in accordance with that which is proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and that there is sufficient material in the saheeh reports that we have no need for the da’eef (weak) material. We ask Allaah to grant you success and to guide those whom you call and all the Muslims to follow the straight path. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 34692: The hadeeth, “I ask You by the glory from Your Throne” Question: I read a hadeeth narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him), according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Twelve rak’ahs that you pray by night or by day, and recite the tashahhud between each two rak’ahs. When 19

you say the tashahhud in the last prayer, then praise Allaah and send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then prostrate and recite the Opening of the Book (Soorat al-Faatihah) seven times whilst prostrating, and say, ‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate; to Him belongs all sovereignty and to Him be praise, and He is Able to do all things),’ ten times. Then say, ‘O Allaah, I ask you by the glory of Your Throne, and by virtue of the mercy of Your Book, and by Your greatest name and Your glory and Your perfect words,’ then ask Him for whatever you need. Then raise your head and say the tasleem to your right and your left. And do not teach it to the foolish for they may ask (for foolish things) and have their prayer answered.” Is this hadeeth saheeh?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The hadeeth mentioned was narrated by al-Haakim and was quoted by al-Haafiz and alMundhiri in al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb. He said, It was narrated only by ‘Aamir ibn Khadaash al-Nisapuri. He said: our shaykh, al-Haafiz Abu’l-Hasan said: he was a narrator of munkar (rejected) reports. He was the only one who narrated it from ‘Umar ibn Haroon al-Balkhi, who is matrook and mutahham (i.e., his ahaadeeth are rejected), and only Ibn Mahdi praised him. Hence it is known that this hadeeth is da’eef (weak) from the point of view of its isnaad (chain of narrators). Moreover, the saheeh ahaadeeth indicate that it is not allowed to recite Qur’aan when prostrating, so the hadeeth is also weak from the point of view of its text. It is not 20

permissible to act upon it because it is not saheeh (sound) and because it contradicts the saheeh ahaadeeth. And Allaah is the Source of strength. Al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’lIfta’, 6/439. (www.islam-qa.com) 40296: A fabricated hadeeth about the virtue of praying qiyaam al-layl on Saturday night Question: There is a hadeeth which says, “Whoever prays four rak’ahs on Saturday night, reciting in each rak’ah the Opening of the Book [al-Faatihah] once, and Qul Huwwa Allaahu Ahad [Soorat al-Ikhlaas] twenty-five times, Allaah will forbid his body to the Fire.” Is this hadeeth saheeh or not?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth is fabricated. It was quoted by al-Shawkaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) in al-Fawaa’id al-Majmoo’ah fi’l-Ahaadeeth alMawdoo’ah (p. 44), as quoted in the question. He said: It was narrated by al-Jawzaqaani from Anas in a marfoo’ report (i.e. attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)). But it is mawdoo’ (fabricated), and the men of its isnaad are either majhool (unknown) or matrook (rejected). Prayer at night is mustahabb on all days, and is not restricted to what is mentioned in this fabricated hadeeth. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in 21

fear and hope, and they spend (in charity in Allaah’s Cause) out of what We have bestowed on them. No person knows what is kept hidden for them of joy as a reward for what they used to do” [al-Sajdah 32:16-17] “Verily, the Muttaqoon (the pious) will be in the midst of Gardens and Springs (in the Paradise), Taking joy in the things which their Lord has given them. Verily, they were before this Muhsinoon (gooddoers). They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their Lord (Allaah) and praying, with fear and hope]. And in the hours before dawn, they were (found) asking (Allaah) for forgiveness” [al-Dhaariyaat 51:15-18] Al-Tirmidhi (3549) narrated from Abu Umaamah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I urge you to pray qiyaam al-layl, because that was the habit of the righteous who came before you; it will bring you closer to your Lord, expiate for bad deeds and keep you away from sin.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel, 452. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 34715: Falseness of the hadeeth about Adam praying by virtue of Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon them both) Question: I read this hadeeth and I would like to know whether it is saheeh or not. 22

“When Adam committed his sin, he said, ‘O Lord, I ask You by virtue of Muhammad to forgive me.’ Allaah said, ‘O Adam, how do you know of Muhammad when I have not yet created him?’ He said, ‘O Lord, when You created me with Your own hand, and breathed into me the soul that You created, I raised my head and saw written on the pillars of the Throne, Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah Muhammad Rasool Allaah [There is no god but Allaah, Muhammadi s the messenger of Allaah]. Then I knew that You would not mention in conjunction with Your name any but the most beloved of Your creation to You.’ Allaah said, ‘You have spoken the truth, O Adam. He is indeed the most beloved of My creation to Me. Pray to me by virtue of Him, for I have forgiven you. Were it not for Muhammad, I would not have created you.’”. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth is mawdoo’ (fabricated). It was narrated by al-Haakim via ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Muslim al-Fahri (who said), Ismaa’eel ibn Muslimah narrated to us, ‘Abd alRahmaan ibn Zayd ibn Aslam told us, from his father, from his grandfather, from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him), that he said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “When Adam committed his sin…” Then he quoted the hadeeth as the questioner quoted it. Al-Haakim said: The isnaad of this hadeeth is saheeh. This is what al-Haakim said! But a number of scholars rebuked him and denounced him for classing this hadeeth as saheeh. They ruled that this hadeeth is false and fabricated, and they pointed out that al-Haakim contradicted himself when commenting on this hadeeth. 23

There follow some of their comments: Al-Dhahabi said, criticizing the words of al-Haakim quoted above: Rather it is mawdoo’ (fabricated), and ‘Abd al-Rahmaan is not reliable, and I do not know who ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Muslim al-Fahri is. Al-Dhahabi also said in Meezaan al-I’tidaal: It is a false report. Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar agreed with him in Lisaan alMeezaan. Al-Bayhaqi said: ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Zayd ibn Aslam is the only one who narrated it with this isnaad, and he is da’eef (weak). Ibn Katheer agreed with him in al-Bidaayah wa’lNihayyah, 2/323. Al-Albaani said in al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah, 25: (it is) mawdoo’. Al-Haakim himself (may Allaah forgive him) accused ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Zayd of being a fabricator of hadeeth, so how could his hadeeth be saheeh? Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in al-Qaa’idah alJaleelah fi’l-Tawassul wa’l-Waseelah (p. 69): Al-Haakim’s narration of this hadeeth is something for which he was denounced, and he himself said in his book al-Madkhil ila Ma’rifat al-Saheeh ‘an al-Saqeem: ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Zayd ibn Aslam narrated fabricated ahaadeeth from his father, and it is obvious to any competent hadeeth scholar that he is the one to blame for fabricating ahaadeeth. I say: ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Zayd 24

ibn Aslam is da’eef (weak) because he made a lot of mistakes. See Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Da’eefah by al-Albaani, 1/ 38-47. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 25824: How sound is the hadeeth “Praise be to Allaah who has fed me and granted me provision”? Question: The dua reading after eating, “Alhamdulillah hillazi atamani wa razaqanihe wa ja alani minal muslimeen” is from weak hadeth but I have not the proof of it. some one is asking for proof. can please you explain it. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The wording of the hadeeth is: It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ate or drank something, he would say, ‘Al-hamdu Lillaah illadhi at’amana wa saqaana wa ja’alana Muslimeen (Praise be to Allaah Who has given us food and drink and made us Muslims).” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3850; al-Tirmidhi, 3457. Shaykh al-‘Albaani said in his commentary on al-Kalim al-Tayyib (189) by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah: Its isnaad is da’eef, because the narrators were confused about it, as explained by al-Haafiz in al-Tahdheeb; and 25

by al-Haafiz al-Mazzi before him in Tuhfat al-Ashraaf, 3/353-354; and by Imam al-Bukhaari before them in alTaareekh al-Kabeer, 1/1/353-354; and by al-Nasaa’i in al-Yawm wa’l-Laylah, 288-290. And al-Tirmidhi, despite his well known lenience, did not class it as hasan, There are similar ahaadeeth which are proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) concerning this matter, such as the following: - It was narrated from Abu Umaamah that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had finished eating – and one time he said, When the table was cleared – he would say, “Al-hamdu Lillaah illadhi kafaana wa arwaana ghayra makfiyyin wa laa makfoor (Praise be to Allaah Who has satisfied our needs and quenched our thirst. Your favour cannot be compensated or denied).” And on one occasion he said, “Al-hamdu Lillaahi rabbina ghayr mukfiyyin wa laa muwadda’in wa la mustaghna rabbana (Praise be to Allaah our Lord. Your favour cannot be compensated, nor can be left, nor can be dispensed with, O our Lord).” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5459. - It was narrated that Abu Ayyoob al-Ansaari said: When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ate or drank something, he would say, “Alhamdu Lillaah illadhi at’ama wa saqaa wa sawwaghahu wa ja’ala lahu makhrajan (Praise be to Allaah Who has given food and drink, dame it easy to swallow and has made a way out for it). Narrated by Abu Dawood (3851) and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Saheehah (2061). And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 26

34752: A da’eef hadeeth concerning the virtue of praying for forty days in the Prophet’s Mosque Question: I heard that whoever prays forty prayers in the Prophet’s Mosque, it will be recorded that he is free of hypocrisy. Is this hadeeth saheeh?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth was narrated by Ahmad (12173) from Anas ibn Maalik from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who is reported to have said, “Whoever prays forty prayers in my Mosque, missing no prayer, it will be recorded that he is safe from the Fire, is saved from punishment and is free of hypocrisy.” This is a da’eef (weak) hadeeth. This was mentioned by Shaykh al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah (364), who said: It is da’eef. He also mentioned it in Da’eef al-Targheeb (755) and said, it is munkar (a kind of weak hadeeth). Al-Albaani said in his book Hujjat al-Nabi (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) (p. 185) that it is an innovation (bid’ah) to visit Madeenah and tell the visitors to Madeenah to stay there for a week so that they will be able to offer forty prayers in the Prophet’s Mosque so that they will be free from hypocrisy and saved from the Fire.” Shaykh Ibn Baaz said: With regard to the widespread idea that the visitor should 27

stay for eight days so that he can offer forty prayers in the Mosque is wrong. Although it says in some ahaadeeth “Whoever offers forty prayers therein Allaah will decree that he is safe from the Fire and free from hypocrisy,” this hadeeth is da’eef according to the scholars and cannot be taken as proof or relied upon. There is no set limit for visiting the Prophet’s Mosque. If a person visits for an hour or two, or a day or two, or for more than that, there is nothing wrong with that. Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 17/406 Instead of this hadeeth we should look at the hasan hadeeth narrated by al-Tirmidhi (241) concerning the virtue of always being present for the opening takbeer of prayer in congregation. It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Whoever prays for forty days with the congregation, always being present for the first takbeer, it will be written that he will be safe from two things: he will be safe from the Fire and safe from hypocrisy.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh alTirmidhi, 200. The virtue mentioned in this hadeeth is general and applies to any mosque where prayers are offered in congregation, in any land; it does not apply only to al-Masjid al-Haraam [in Makkah] or al-Masjid al-Nabawi [in Madeenah]. Based on this, whoever consistently prays forty Days in congregation in which he is present for the first takbeer, it will be recorded that he will be safe from two things: safe from the Fire and safe from hypocrisy, whether the mosque is in Madeenah, Makkah or anywhere else. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 28

23290: Falseness of the hadeeth, “Were it not for you, I would not have created the universe” Question: I have got a question regarding a hadiith. How sound is the hadiith, that states, that it were not for Muhammad (saw) Allaah (swt) would not have created this world??? To be honest I am a bit suspicious about this hadiith, could you shatter some light in the matter?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Many false and fabricated ahaadeeth have been narrated that say similar things. For example: “Were it not for you, I would not have created the universe.” This was quoted by al-Shawkaani in al-Fawaa’id alMajmoo’ah fi’l-Ahaadeeth al-Mawdoo’ah (p. 326). He said: Al-San’aani said: (it is) mawdoo’ (fabricated). Al-Albaani said in al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah (282): (it is) mawdoo’. Another example is the hadeeth narrated by al-Haakim according to which Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “Allaah revealed to ‘Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him): ‘O ‘Eesa, believe in Muhammad, and tell whoever you meet of your ummah to believe in him. For were it not for Muhammad, I would not have created Adam, and were it not for Muhammad, I would not have created Paradise 29

and Hell. I created the Throne over the water and it would not settle until I wrote on it, Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah Muhammad Rasool Allaah (There is no god but Allaah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah).” Al-Haakim said: its isnaad is saheeh! But al-Dhahabi commented on that and said: I believe it is fabricated and falsely attributed to Sa’eed. Meaning, Sa’eed ibn Abu ‘Aroobah (one of the narrators of this hadeeth). This hadeeth was narrated from him by ‘Amr ibn Aws al-Ansaari, who is the one who is accused of fabricating it. Al-Dhahabi mentioned him in alMeezaan where he said: “He produced a munkar report,” then he quoted this hadeeth, and said, “I believe that it is mawdoo’ (fabricated).” Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar agreed with him, as it says in al-Lisaan. Al-Albaani said in al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah (280): There is no basis for it. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: Is the hadeeth which some people quote – “Were it not for you, Allaah would not have created the Throne or the Kursiy or the earth or the heavens or the sun or the moon or anything else” saheeh or nor? He replied: Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the leader of the sons of Adam, and the best and noblest of creation, hence some people say that Allaah created the universe because of him, or that were it not for him, Allaah would not have created the Throne or the Kursiy or the earth or the heavens or the sun or the moon. But this hadeeth that is narrated from the Prophet (peace 30

and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is neither saheeh (sound) nor da’eef (weak), and it was not narrated by any scholar in a hadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Neither was it known from the Sahaabah. Rather it is the words of one who is unknown. Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 11/86-96. The Standing Committee was asked: Can it be said that Allaah created the heavens and the earth for the purpose of creating the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? What is the meaning of the hadeeth, “Were it not for you the universe would not have been created,” and does this hadeeth have any basis? They replied: The heavens and the earth were not created for the sake of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), rather they were created for the purpose which Allaah mentions (interpretation of the meaning): “It is Allaah Who has created seven heavens and of the earth the like thereof (i.e. seven). His Command descends between them (heavens and earth), that you may know that Allaah has power over all things, and that Allaah surrounds all things in (His) Knowledge” [al-Talaaq 65:12] As for the hadeeth mentioned, it is falsely attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and has no sound basis. Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 1/312 Shaykh Ibn Baaz was asked about this hadeeth and said:

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The answer is that this was transmitted from the words of some of the common people who have no understanding. Some people say that the world was created for the sake of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and were it not for Muhammad the world would not have been created and mankind would not have been created. This is false and has no basis, and these are corrupt words. Allaah created the world so that He would be known and worshipped. He created the world and He created mankind so that His names and attributes, His power and knowledge, would be known and so that He alone would be worshipped with no partner or associate, and so that He would be obeyed – not for the sake of Muhammad or for the sake of Nooh or Moosa or ‘Eesa or any other Prophet. Rather Allaah created the universe so that He alone would be worshipped, with no partner or associate. Fataawa Noor ‘ala al-Darb, 46. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 20801: The hadeeth “Seek help in having your needs met by being discreet” Question: Please give the status, if any, of this narration : Seek the help for the success or victory of your needs by being quiet. For verily, everything that has a ni’mah in it is envied. Is this a hadith of the Messenger of Allah and where can it be found, if so?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. 32

This hadeeth was narrated by al-Tabaraani in his three Mu’jams, by al-Bayhaqi in Shu’ab al-Eemaan, by Abu Na’eem in al-Hilyah; by Ibn ‘Adiyy in al-Kaamil, and by al-‘Aqeeli in al-Du’afa’. The hadeeth says: “Seek help in having your needs met by being discreet, for everyone who is blessed with something is envied.” This was narrated from the hadeeth of Mu’aadh ibn Jabal, ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, Ibn ‘Abbaas, Abu Hurayrah and Abu Bardah. Ibn Abi Haatim said that this hadeeth was munkar (rejected). Ibn al-Jawzi ruled that it is mawdoo’ (fabricated). It was classed as da’eef (weak) by al-‘Iraaqi, al-Suyooti in al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer, and al-‘Ajlooni in Kashf alKhifa’. Al-Haythami said in Majma’ al-Zawaa’id (8/195): It was narrated that Mu’aadh ibn Jabal said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Seek help in having your needs met by being discreet, for everyone who is blessed with something is envied.” This was narrated by al-Tabaraani in his three (Mu’jams), but its isnaad includes Sa’eed ibn Salaam al-‘Attaar. Al‘Ajali said there is nothing wrong with him, but Ahmad and others described him as a liar. The rest of its men are thiqaat (trustworthy) except that Khaalid ibn Mi’daan did not hear it from Mu’aadh. ‘Ilal Ibn Abi Haatim, 2/255; Fayd al-Qadeer by alMannaawi, 1/630; Kashf al-Khifa’ by al-‘Ajlooni, 1/135 This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in alSilsilah al-Saheehah, 3/436, hadeeth no. 1453; and in Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 943. He narrated what the scholars said about the faults of this hadeeth, but he classed it as saheeh via the marfoo’ 33

narration of Sahl ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Jarjaani from Muhammad ibn Mutarrif from Muhammad ibn alMunkadir from ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr from Abu Hurayrah. He said: The hadeeth with this isnaad is jayyid in my view. Al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 3/439 And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 14011: Soundness of the hadeeth, “Learn witchcraft (sihr)” Question: How sound is the hadeeth which I heard, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Learn witchcraft (sihr), but do not use it”?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth is false and has no basis. It is not permissible to learn witchcraft or to use it. It is an evil action and is kufr and misguidance. Allaah clearly stated that witchcraft is forbidden in His Book, where He says (interpretation of the meaning): “They followed what the Shayaateen (devils) gave out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of Sulaymaan (Solomon). Sulaymaan did not disbelieve, but the Shayaateen (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels, Haaroot and Maaroot, but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had said, ‘We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic from us).’ 34

And from these (angels) people learn that by which they cause separation between man and his wife, but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allaah’s Leave. And they learn that which harms them and profits them not. And indeed they knew that the buyers of it (magic) would have no share in the Hereafter. And how bad indeed was that for which they sold their ownselves, if they but knew. And if they had believed and guarded themselves from evil and kept their duty to Allaah, far better would have been the reward from their Lord, if they but knew!” [al-Baqarah 2:102-103] In these verses, Allaah clearly states that witchcraft is kufr and that it is from the teachings of the devils. Allaah has condemned them for that, and they are our enemies. And He has stated that teaching witchcraft is kufr and that it is harmful and not beneficial, so we must beware of it. Learning witchcraft is all kufr, hence He stated that the two angels did not teach it to people until they had told them, “We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic from us).” Then He says, “but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allaah’s Leave” so it is known that it is kufr and misguidance, and that the practitioners of witchcraft cannot harm anyone except by Allaah’s Leave. What is meant is His universal qadari will (i.e., things that He decrees should happen even though He may dislike them), not His religious shar’i will (i.e., that which He prescribes and which pleases Him) – because Allaah has not prescribed this and has not given permission for it in His sharee’ah; rather He has forbidden it and stated that it is kufr and is from the teachings of the devils. And He has stated that whoever buys it – i.e., learns it – will have no share in the Hereafter. This is a serious warning. Then Allaah says: “And how bad indeed was that for which they sold their ownselves, if they but knew” 35

– what is meant is that they have sold themselves to the devils for this witchcraft. Then Allaah says, “And if they had believed and guarded themselves from evil and kept their duty to Allaah, far better would have been the reward from their Lord, if they but knew!” – this indicates that learning witchcraft and using it is the opposite of faith and piety. There is no power and no strength except with Allaah. Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li’lShaykh Ibn Baaz, 6/371 (www.islam-qa.com) 13921: This hadeeth is a lie against the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) Question: One day in our mosque, a person who claims to have knowledge gave a speech after leading us in Zuhr prayer. He told us that when Khadeejah, the wife of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), died, he slaughtered a camel for her and mourned for her for three days. He said that this was narrated in the hadeeth of Qutaadah. Then he quoted another hadeeth but refused to say who narrated it. He said that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I am a tree, ‘Ali is its trunk, Faatimah is its branches and al-Hasan and al-Husayn are its fruits.” Then he narrated a third hadeeth in which he said that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) encountered a Jewish man one day on one of the mountains of Makkah. He said to him, “Will you not believe in me?” The Jew said: “No I do not believe in you.” He said to him, ‘Call this tree.” He said to it, “Muhammad is calling you.” So the tree came and lowered its branches towards him, dragging its roots. He said to 36

it, “Who am I?” It said, “You are Muhammad, the Messenger of Allaah.” The Jew uttered the Shahaadatayn after that, then the tree ascended to heaven and circumambulated the Throne, the Kursiy (Footstool), alLawh al-Mahfooz and the Pen, and it asked Allaah for permission to send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he said, “O Jew, kiss the hands and feet of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).” Then he told another story, in which he said that ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) saw a man circumambulating the Ka’bah and said to him, “You are an adulterer.” He said, “How do you know that?” He said, “I knew it from your eyes.” The man said: “I did not commit adultery but I looked at a Jewish woman.” The man said to ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan, “Did you know that through revelation (wahy)?” He said, “No, but it is the insight of the believer.” When (this preacher) was asked for evidence, his supporters were about to attack us. We hope you can give us a shar’i opinion on this. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The stories which this preacher told are all false and are lies against the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that have no basis. He did not mourn [?] after the death of Khadeejah (may Allaah be pleased with her), or slaughter a camel, or invite the people to mourn, as some people do nowadays. He used to make a lot of du’aa’ for Khadeejah (may Allaah be pleased with her), and sometimes he would slaughter a sheep and distribute the meat among her friends as a gift and act of kindness, and he would pray for her and be kind to her by means of this du’aa’. 37

Similarly, what he said about the tree is also false and has no basis, and what he said about the Jew is all lies, like the lies made up by the evil fabricators. The same applies to what he narrated about ‘Uthmaan and that man. Moreover Qutaadah was not a Sahaabi, rather he was a Taabi’i. The point is that these four reports are all false and are not sound at all, But it was narrated in other, saheeh, ahaadeeth that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called some trees and they came to him– and that was one of the signs of Prophethood. This story was proven in Saheeh Muslim, where it says that on one of his journeys he wanted to relieve himself, so he called two trees and they came together, and he sat between them to relieve himself, then each tree went back to its place. This was a sign from Allaah that was evidence of His almighty power, and that he says to a thing “Be!” and it is. This was also a sign of the truth of the Messenger of Allaah and that he was indeed the Messenger of Allaah. This is something other than the story that this liar told. We must beware of these liars, and the preacher must fear Allaah when he preaches to people; he should remind them of things that will benefit them in their spiritual and worldly affairs of verses of the Qur’aan and saheeh ahaadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). That is sufficient. It was narrated in a saheeh hadeeth that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever narrates a hadeeth from me knowing that it is false, he is one of the liars.” (Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh). And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever narrated from me something that I did not say, let him take his place in Hell.” (Saheeh, agreed upon). And there are many similar ahaadeeth. Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat li’l-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 6/357. (www.islam-qa.com) 38

9067: Should he forsake his family who reject the Sunnah? Question:

If a person’s family rejects the necessity of following anything that’s in hadeeth at all, and says you can follow only the Qur’an, can you give them salaams and say “Eid Mubarak” to them to reduce fitnah and not make them upset?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: Every Muslim has to believe in all the ahaadeeth of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – if they are saheeh – and not reject any of them, because his ahaadeeth and his Sunnah are revelation (wahy) from Allaah. Whoever rejects the hadeeth of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has rejected revelation from Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “By the star when it goes down (or vanishes). Your companion (Muhammad) has neither gone astray nor has erred. Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only a Revelation revealed. He has been taught (this Qur’aan) by one mighty in power [Jibreel (Gabriel)]. 39

One free from any defect in body and mind then he (Jibreel — Gabriel in his real shape as created by Allaah) rose and became stable” [al-Najm 53:1-6] Allaah has commanded the people to obey His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He has enjoined this in many verses of the Qur’aan, of which we will quote some. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Say (O Muhammad): “Obey Allaah and the Messenger (Muhammad).” But if they turn away, then Allaah does not like the disbelievers” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:32] “He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad), has indeed obeyed Allaah, but he who turns away, then we have not sent you (O Muhammad) as a watcher over them” [al-Nisa’ 4:80] “O you who believe! Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger, if you believe in Allaah and in the Last Day. That is better and more suitable for final determination” [al-Nisa’ 4:59] “And perform AsSalaah (Iqaamatas-Salaah), and give Zakaah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad) that you may receive mercy (from Allaah)” [al-Noor 24:56] And there are many similar verses. The one who rejects the Sunnah is a kaafir and an apostate. 40

Al-Suyooti (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his essay Miftaah al-Jannah fi Ihtijaaj bi’l-Sunnah: Note that whoever denies that the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), whether it describes his words or deeds, so long as it meets the conditions outlined by the scholars, may be quoted as evidence, is a kaafir and has gone beyond the pale of Islam; he will be gathered with the Jews and the Christians or whomever Allaah wills among the kaafir sects [i.e., on the Day of Resurrection]. Those who want to restrict themselves to the Qur’aan only are called al-Qur’aaniyyoon. This view of theirs is an old view which the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned against in more than one hadeeth, as we shall see below. Among the soundest evidence that this view is false is the fact that those who say this do not really follow what they say. How do these people pray? How many times do they pray each day and night? What are the conditions and details of zakaah? What is the nisaab (threshold of wealth) for paying zakaah? What is the amount that must be paid? How do they do Hajj and ‘Umrah? How many times do they circumambulate the Ka’bah? How many times do they go back and forth between al-Safa and al-Marwah? There are many other issues the details of which are not narrated in the Qur’aan, rather they are mentioned in the Qur’aan in general terms, and the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained them in detail in his Sunnah. Would these people refrain from acting upon these rulings because they are not narrated in the Qur’aan? If their answer is yes, then they have passed judgement against themselves that they are kaafirs, because they have 41

denied a basic principle of Islam that no Muslim has any excuse for not knowing and on which there is unanimous consensus among the Muslims. If they reply that they do not refrain from following these rulings, then they have demonstrated that their view is false. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said – after quoting the verses that enjoin following the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – These texts enjoin following the Messenger even if we do not find what he said specifically referred to in the texts of the Qur’aan. These verses also enjoin following the Qur’aan even if we do not find what is said in the Qur’aan specifically mentioned in the hadeeth of the Messenger. So we must follow the Qur’aan and we must follow the Messenger. Following the one implies following the other, for the Messenger conveyed the Book, and the Book commands us to follow the Messenger. The Book and the Messenger do not contradict one another at all, just as the Book does not contradict itself. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Had it been from other than Allaah, they would surely, have found therein many a contradiction” [al-Nisa’ 4:82] And there are many ahaadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which state that it is obligatory to follow the Qur’aan and that it is obligatory to follow his Sunnah, for example, the hadeeth in which he said: “I do not want to find any one of you reclining on his pillow, and when he hears of something that I have commanded or forbidden, he says, ‘Between us and you 42

there stands this Qur’aan, whatever we find is permissible in it we will take as permissible, and whatever we find is forbidden in it we will take as forbidden.’ For I have been given the Book and something like it with it; it is like the Qur’aan or more.” This hadeeth is narrated in the books of Sunan and Musnad from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with a number of isnads from Abu Tha’labah, Abu Raafi’, Abu Hurayrah and others. In Saheeh Muslim is it narrated from Jaabir that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said in his Farewell Sermon: “I am leaving behind among you something which, if you adhere to it, you will not go astray after that. It is the Book of Allaah.” The version narrated by al-Haakim says “The Book of Allaah and my Sunnah.” (Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2937). In al-Saheeh it is narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Awfa that it was said to him: Did the Messenger of Allaah leave a will? He said, No. It was said, How then is it prescribed for people to make wills when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not make a will? He said, He made a will in which he enjoined (adherence to) the Book of Allaah. (Narrated by Muslim, 1634) The Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah explains the Qur’aan, as it explains the number of prayers, how much should be recited in them, which should be recited out loud and which quietly. It also explains the amounts of zakaah to be paid and the threshold at which zakaah becomes due; the rituals of Hajj and ‘Umrah; how many times one should circumambulate the Ka’bah, go between al-Safa and al-Marwah and stone the Jamaraat, etc. When any Sunnah is proven to be saheeh, the Muslims are agreed that it is obligatory to follow it. There may be 43

something in the Sunnah which a person thinks appears to go against the apparent meaning of the Qur’aan and add to it, such as the Sunnah which explains the threshold of stealing at which the hadd punishment becomes due, and the Sunnah which stipulates that the married adulterer is to be stoned. This Sunnah must also be followed, according to the view of the Sahaabah and those who followed them in truth, and all the groups of Muslims. Adapted from Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 19/84-86 That which was brought by the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is true just as the Qur’aan is true. Secondly: You should not forsake your family; rather you should treat them kindly and strive to call them to follow and accept the Sunnah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Invite (mankind, O Muhammad) to the way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Revelation and the Qur’aan) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided” [al-Nahl 16:125] “And We have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship, and his weaning is in two years give thanks to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination. But if they (both) strive with you to make you join in worship with Me others that of which you have no 44

knowledge, then obey them not; but behave with them in the world kindly, and follow the path of him who turns to Me in repentance and in obedience. Then to Me will be your return, and I shall tell you what you used to do” [Luqmaan 31:14-15] And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 6544: The hadeeth about saying “Allaahumma ajirni min al-naar” seven times Question: Has it beem authentically narrated that one should say ‘allahumma ajirni min annar’, seven times after fajr and maghrib prayers?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth was narrated by Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 17362, and by Abu Dawood, 5079. The hadeeth is as follows: It was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When you pray Fajr, then say before speaking to any of the people, ‘Allaahumma ajirni min al-naar (O Allaah, protect me from the Fire)’ seven times. Then if you die on that day, Allaah will grant you protection from the Fire. And when you pray Maghrib, then say before speaking to any of the people, ‘Allaahumma inni as’aluka al-jannah, Allaahumma ajirni min al-naar (O Allaah, I ask You for Paradise, O Allaah, 45

protect me from the Fire)’ seven times. Then if you die that night, Allaah will grant you protection from the Fire.” Two things may be noted about the hadeeth. 1. It does not say that this du’aa’ is to be said after ‘Isha’, as mentioned in the question. 2. The hadeeth is not saheeh in its narration from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). See al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah by Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him), 1624. Based on this, it is not mustahabb to recite this du’aa’ after Fajr and Maghrib prayers. 3. It was narrated that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever asks Allaah for Paradise three times, Paradise will say, ‘O Allaah, admit him to Paradise.’ Whoever seeks protection from the Fire three times, Hell will say, ‘O Allaah, protect him from the Fire.’” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2572; Ibn Maajah, 4340. This is a saheeh hadeeth; it was classed as saheeh by Shaykh alAlbaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) in Saheeh alJaami’, 6275). But there is nothing to state that this should be recited in conjunction with any particular prayer, or at any particular time. It is mustahabb for the believer to ask Allaah for Paradise a great deal, and to seek protection from Hell a great deal, without saying such words in conjunction with any particular prayer, or at any particular time. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 46

6899: The hadeeth about one who memorizes forty ahaadeeth is a weak hadeeth Question: Could you tell me if the ahadith about memorizing 40 of the Prophet (SAAS) sunnah and being admitted to paradise or raised with the scholars are authentic. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. 1 – This hadeeth is da’eef (weak). Despite its large number of isnaads they do not support one another, and there are many different versions with different wordings, such as, “…Allaah will resurrect him on the Day of Resurrection among the fuqaha’ and scholars,” and “… Allaah will resurrect him a scholar and a faqeeh,” and “I will be an intercessor and a witness for him on the Day of Resurrection,” etc. (a) al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said: It was narrated by al-Hasan ibn Sufyaan in his Musnad and in his Arba’een, from the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas, and he narrated it from thirteen of the Sahaabah. It was narrated by Ibn al-Jawzi in al-‘Ilal al-Mutanaahiyah, and he explained that all of these ahaadeeth are da’eef. Ibn al-Mundhir discussed it in a separate volume, and I discussed it in the sixteenth chapter of al-Imla’. I mentioned all of its isnaads in one volume but there is not one isnaad that is free of faults. Al-Talkhees al-Habeer, 3/93, 94. (b) Ibn al-Mulaqqin said: 47

The hadeeth “Whoever preserves forty hadeeth for my ummah will be recorded as a faqeeh” was narrated via approximately twenty isnaads, all of which are da’eef (weak). Al-Daaraqutni said: All its isnaads are da’eef and none of them are proven. Al-Bayhaqi said: Its isnaads are weak. Khalaasat al-Badr al-Muneer, 2/145 Al-Bayhaqi said: This text is well known among the people but it has no saheeh isnaad. Shu’ab al-Eemaan, 2/270 Al-Nawawi said: The scholars of hadeeth are agreed that it is a weak hadeeth, although it has many narrations. Muqaddimat al-Arba’een al-Nawawiyyah. 2 – We should note here that there are reports in the Sunnah which mention the virtue of listening to the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and conveying it, even if it is just one hadeeth. It was narrated that Zayd ibn Thaabit said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say, “May Allaah bless a man who hears a hadeeth from us and memorizes it so that he can convey it to others, for perhaps he is conveying it to one who will understand it better than him, and perhaps the one who conveys knowledge does not understand it himself.” (Narrated and classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi, 2656; also narrated by Abu Dawood. 3660; Ibn Maajah, 230). Al-Mubaarakfoori said: 48

What is meant is that Allaah has singled him out for happiness and joy because of the knowledge with which He has blessed him and the status among people in this world and blessings in the Hereafter that he attains thereby, so that the joy and blessings are seen on his face. And it was suggested that the hadeeth indicates what happens to the person of joy and blessing that appears on his face. Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi, 7/347, 348 And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 12107: The hadeeth, “If you see poverty coming to you then say, ‘Welcome, O sign of the righteous’” Question: How sound is the hadeeth, “Allaah revealed to one of His Prophets, ‘If you see poverty coming to you then say, Welcome, O sign of the righteous, and if you see richness coming to you, then say, A sin whose punishment has been hastened’”? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth was narrated by al-Daylami in Musnad alFirdaws – as al-Haafiz al-‘Iraaqi said – from the report of Makhool from Abu’l-Dardaa’. It is a da’eef (weak) hadeeth, for Makhool did not hear anything from Abu’lDardaa’. See Takhreej Ihyaa ‘Uloom al-Deen, 4/191. 49

It was also narrated by Abu Na’eem in al-Hilyah (6/5) from the report of Mujaahid from Ka’b al-Ahbaar. And he narrated it in 6/37 from the report of Qutaadah from Ka’b al-Ahbaar. Both isnaads include Ishaaq ibn Bishr al-Kaahili, who is matrook [i.e., his hadeeth is not accepted]. Abu Zar’ah said: he used to tell lies. Al-Daaraqutni said he is kadhdhaab matrook (i.e., a liar whose hadeeth is not to be accepted). Al-Azdi said: his hadeeth is to be rejected and is not valid, and he was accused of lying. Ibn Hibbaan said: he used to fabricate hadeeth and attribute them to trustworthy narrators (thiqaat); his hadeeth should not be written down except by way of amusing oneself with something weird. See al-Jarh wa’l-Ta’deel, 2/214; al-Du’afaa wa’lMatrookeen by Ibn al-Jawzi, 1/100. He is one of the storytellers and time-wasters. Al-Dhahabi said in his biography of him: the shaykh, the scholar, the storyteller, the weak narrator (da’eef), the time-waster, Abu Hudhayfah Ishaaq ibn Bishr ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Saalim al-Haashimi, whose teacher was al-Bukhaari the author of al-Mubtada’, which is a well known book in two volumes. Ibn Jareer and others narrated from him, and in it he spoke of weird and disastrous things. Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’, 9/477, 478. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)

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21883: What is the status of the hadeeth “Of the things of this world, women and perfume have been made dear to me?” Question: What is the status of the hadeeth, “Of the things of this world, women and perfume have been made dear to me, and my comfort is in prayer”? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The hadeeth is saheeh. It was narrated by al-Nasaa’i, 3939 from the hadeeth of Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him). It was classed as saheeh by al-Haakim (2/174), and alDhahabi agreed with him. It was also classed as saheeh by al-Haafiz ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari, 15/3 and 11/345. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 22087: Is the hadeeth “The happiness of the son of Adam depends on his being content with what Allaah decrees” saheeh? Question: What is the status of the hadeeth “The happiness of the son of Adam depends on his being content with what Allah 51

has decreed for him, and the misery of the son of Adam results from his failure to pray istikhaarah, and the misery of the son of Adam results from in his discontent with what Allah has decreed for him”? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth was narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2151 It was classed as saheeh by al-Haakim, 1/699, and alDhahabi agreed with him. It was classed as hasan by alHaafiz ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari, 11/184. Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 21276: The hadeeth “Whoever is afflicted with poverty and refers it to the people, his poverty will not be brought to an end…” Question: What is the status of the hadeeth, “Whoever is afflicted with poverty and refers it to the people, his poverty will not be brought to an end, but whoever refers it to Allaah, Allaah will grant him provision, sooner or later.” Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The hadeeth was narrated by alTirmidhi (2326) and Abu Dawood (1645). It was classed as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi and al-Haakim (1/566), and al-Dhahabi agreed with him. 52

Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 13816: What is the status of the hadeeth, “Do not please anyone by angering Allaah?” Question: What is the status of the hadeeth, “Do not please anyone by angering Allaah, do not thank anyone for the blessings of Allaah, and do not condemn anyone for that which Allaah did not give you. For the provision of Allaah does not come to you because of anyone’s efforts and it is not diverted from you because of anyone’s hatred. By His fairness and justice, Allaah has connected peace and joy to contentment and certain faith, and He has connected worry and distress to discontentment.” Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth was narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 10/215. Al-Haythami said: It was narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, and its isnaad includes Khaalid ibn Yazeed al-‘Umari, who was accused of fabricating hadeeth. Majmaa’ al-Zawaa’id, 4/71. It was also narrated – via a different isnaad – by Abu Na’eem in al-Hilyah (5/106) and by al-Bayhaqi in Shu’ab al-Eemaan, 1/221. 53

Its isnaad includes ‘Atiyah al-‘Awfi, who is da’eef (weak), and the comments of the scholars concerning him have been quoted above (p. 78); and it includes Muhammad ibn Marwaan al-Saddi, who is matrook al-hadeeth (his hadeeth is not to be accepted). Yahyaa ibn Ma’een said: he is not thiqah (trustworthy), and on one occasion he said: he is nothing. Ibraaheem said: he is kadhdhaab (a liar). Al-Sa’di said, he is dhaahib (i.e., his hadeeth is not accepted). Al-Nasaa’i, Abu Haatim al-Raazi and al-Azdi said: he is matrook al hadeeth (his hadeeth is not to be accepted). Al-Bukhaari said: his hadeeth should not be written down. And on one occasion he said: they did not say anything concerning him. Ibn Hibbaan said: his hadeeth is not to be written down, and it is haraam to use his hadeeth as evidence. See Meezaan al-I’tidaal, 6/328; al-Du’afaa’ wa’lMatrookeen, 3/98 It was also narrated by Hannaad al-Sirri in al-Zuhd, 1/ 304; and by al-Bayhaqi in Shu’ab al-Eemaan, 1/221, with an isnaad which is mawqoof and stops at ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him). Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 13246: Soundness of the hadeeth “Sincerity is one of My secret blessings” Question: What is the soundness of the hadeeth qudsi, “Sincerity is one of My secret blessings, which I have instilled in the heart of those whom I love among My slaves?” 54

Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth is da’eef jiddan (very weak) or mawdoo’ (fabricated). It was narrated by al-Qazweeni in his Musalsalaat, as alIraaqi said in Takhreej Ihyaa’ ‘Uloom al-Deen, 4/365, from the hadeeth of Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him). But its isnaad includes Ahmad ibn ‘Ataa’ al-Hujaymi and ‘Abd al-Wahid ibn Zayd, both of whom are matrook (i.e., their hadeeth is not accepted). It was also narrated by al-Daylami in Musnad al-Firdaws, 3/187, from ‘Ali and Ibn ‘Abbaas. Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Baari, 4/109, (it is) a waahin jiddan hadeeth (i.e., very flimsy). Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 13206: Hadeeth Question: Why are the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) counted as proof? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Hadeeth means the words, actions, approval or attributes 55

that have been narrated from the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). A hadeeth may either confirm things that are mentioned in the Qur’aan, such as prayer, zakaah, etc., or it may give details of things that are mentioned in the Qur’aan in general terms, such as the numbers of rak’ahs in each prayer, the thresholds for paying zakaah, the details of Hajj, etc. It may also explain rulings which are not mentioned in the Qur’aan, such as the prohibition on being married to a woman and her (paternal or maternal) aunt at the same time. Allaah revealed the Qur’aan to His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and commanded him to explain it to the people, as He said (interpretation of the meaning): “And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad) the Dhikr [reminder and the advice (i.e. the Qur’aan)], that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them, and that they may give thought” [al-Nahl 16:44] The hadeeth of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is a revelation (wahy) from his Lord. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Your companion (Muhammad) has neither gone astray nor has erred. Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only a Revelation revealed” [al-Najm 53:2-4] Allaah sent His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to call mankind to worship Allaah alone, and to disbelieve in any (god) apart 56

from Him, and (He sent him) to bring the glad tidings of Paradise and warnings of Hell: “O Prophet (Muhammad)! Verily, We have sent you as witness, and a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner, And as one who invites to Allaah [Islamic Monotheism, i.e. to worship none but Allaah (Alone)] by His Leave, and as a lamp spreading light (through your instructions from the Qur’aan and the Sunnah the legal ways of the Prophet) [al-Ahzaab 33:45-46 – interpretation of the meaning] The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was anxious over this ummah; he did not know of anything good but he told them of it, and he did not know of anything evil but he warned them against it: “Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He (Muhammad) is anxious over you; for the believers (he is) full of pity, kind, and merciful” [al-Tawbah 9:128 – interpretation of the meaning] Every Prophet was sent only to his own people, but Allaah sent His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to all of mankind: “And We have sent you (O Muhammad) not but as a mercy for the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists)” [al-Anbiyaa’ 21:101 – interpretation of the meaning] Because the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) conveyed the revelation that was sent down to him from His Lord, it is obligatory to obey him. Indeed, obedience to him is obedience to Allaah: 57

“He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad), has indeed obeyed Allaah” [al-Nisaa’ 4:80 – interpretation of the meaning] Obedience to Allaah and His Messenger is the way to salvation and victory, and to happiness in this world and in the Hereafter: “And whosoever obeys Allaah and His Messenger, he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hellfire and will be admitted to Paradise)” [al-Ahzaab 33:71 – interpretation of the meaning] Hence it is obligatory for all people to obey Allaah and His Messenger, because therein lies their success and salvation: “And obey Allaah and the Messenger (Muhammad) that you may obtain mercy” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:132 – interpretation of the meaning] Whoever disobeys Allaah and His Messenger only harms himself, he does not harm Allaah in the slightest: “And whosoever disobeys Allaah and His Messenger (Muhammad), and transgresses His limits, He will cast him into the Fire, to abide therein; and he shall have a disgraceful torment” [al-Nisaa’ 4:14 – interpretation of the meaning] Once Allaah and His Messenger have decided a matter, no one has the right to choose concerning that or to object to it; rather it is obligatory to obey and to believe in the truth: “It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allaah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should 58

have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allaah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed into a plain error [al-Ahzaab 33:36 – interpretation of the meaning] A person’s faith is not complete until he loves Allaah and His Messenger, and love implies obedience. Whoever wants Allah to love him and forgive his sins must follow the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Say (O Muhammad to mankind): ‘If you (really) love Allaah, then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur’aan and the Sunnah), Allaah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful’” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:31 – interpretation of the meaning] Love of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is not simply the matter of words to be repeated, rather it is the matter of belief and conduct, i.e., obedience to what he commands, belief in what he tells us, avoidance of what he forbids, and avoidance of worshipping Allaah in any way except that which he prescribed. When Allaah had perfected this religion and the Messenger had conveyed the message of his Lord, Allaah took him to be with Him. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) left this ummah with clear proof in which there is no ambiguity. No one deviates from it but he is doomed: “This day, those who disbelieved have given up all hope of your religion; so fear them not, but fear Me. This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion” 59

[al-Maa’idah 5:3 – interpretation of the meaning] By the grace of Allaah, the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) preserved the ahaadeeth of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon them), then the righteous salaf who came after them compiled them in books which are known as the Sihaah (Saheehs), Sunan and Musnads. The most sound of them are Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Saheeh Muslim, the four Sunans, the Musnad of Imaam Ahmad and the Muwatta’ of Imaam Maalik, etc. Allaah has perfected this religion. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not know of anything good but he taught it to his ummah, and he did not know of anything evil but he warned them against it. So whoever introduces anything into the religion, of bid’ah (innovation) or myths, such as praying to the dead or circumambulating (tawaaf) their tombs, or praying to the jinn and awliya’ (“saints”), and other things that have not been prescribed by Allaah and His Messenger, all of that is to be rejected and not accepted, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours (Islam) that is not a part of it will have it rejected.” (Narrated by Muslim, 1718) From Usool al-Deen al-Islami, by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem al-Tuwayjri (www.islam-qa.com)

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Commentary on Hadeeth 2534: How sound is the hadeeth “Whoever visits my grave after I die, it is as if he visited me when I was still alive”? Question: I was once told that Rasulullah(saw) has said that visiting his grave after his death is the same as visiting him when he was alive and that, therefore, when we visit his grave in Madinah, there is no harm in speaking to him as if he were alive and requesting him to intercede on our behalf with Allah. But I’m worried that this might be ‘shirk’. Please answer soon; I hope to go for an Umrah in the near future and visit his grave too, insya Allah. Answer: Al-Daaraqutni reported in his Sunan (2/278) with an isnaad from Haatib that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever visits me after I die, it is as if he visited me when I was still alive…” This is a hadeeth which many of the scholars of hadeeth judged to be false and not to have been reported with a saheeh isnaad from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Among the scholars who voiced this opinion was al-Haafiz al-Dhahabi in Lisaan al-Meezaan (4/285), in his biography of one of the narrators, Haaroon ibn Abi Qaz’ah. Al-Dhahabi said: “…Haaroon ibn Abi Qaz’ah al-Madani [reported] from a man” – about visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Al-Bukhaari said: “This is not to be accepted or followed.” Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said in Lisaan al-Meezaan (6/217): 61

“Al-Azdi said: ‘Haaroon Abu Qaz’ah reports mursal ahaadeeth from a man of Aal Haatib.’ I [Ibn Hajar] say: from this we understand that what he is referring to is alAzdi. Ya’qoob ibn Shaybah also classed him as da’eef (weak).” Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar also mentioned him in al-Talkhees al-Habeer, in his comment on the ahaadeeth of al-Raafa’i al-Kabeer (2/266). He said, “In his isnaad is the unknown [majhool] man” – meaning a man from Aal Haatib. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said in al-Tawassul wa’lWaseelah (p. 134) about this hadeeth: “It is obviously a lie that goes against Islam. Anyone who visited him during his lifetime and believed in him, was one of his Companions, especially if he was among those who migrated to join him or fought alongside him. It is proven that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Do not slander my Companions, for by the One in Whose hand is my soul, if any one of you were to spend gold equal to the size of Uhud, it would not equal the deeds of one of them, not even half of it.’ [Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim]. Anyone who comes after the Sahaabah cannot be like the Sahaabah by doing obligatory duties such as Hajj, jihaad, the five daily prayers and sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so how can he become equal to them by doing something that is not obligatory according to the consensus of the Muslims? We are not even supposed to travel for this purpose, in fact it is forbidden to do so. However, travelling to the [Prophet’s] Mosque, and to al-Masjid al-Aqsaa [in Jerusalem], for the purpose of praying there, is mustahabb (encouraged), and travelling to the Ka’bah for Hajj is waajib (obligatory). If a person who undertakes a journey that is waajib or mustahabb still cannot be like one of the Sahaabah who travelled to visit the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon 62

him) during his lifetime, how can they achieve this by undertaking a journey that is not allowed?” He also said (p. 133): “All of the ahaadeeth about visiting his grave are da’eef, and are not to be relied upon in matters of religion. For this reason none of the authors of books of Saheeh and Sunan reported them at all; they were only narrated by those who reported da’eef ahaadeeth, such as al-Daaraqutni, al-Bazzaar and others. Shaykh al-Albaani said in al-Da’eefah (no. 1021) about this hadeeth: it is baatil (false). He mentioned what is wrong with the hadeeth, namely the man who is not named, and classed Haaroon Abu Qaz’ah as da’eef. There is a third fault with the hadeeth, which is that it causes confusion and contradiction. Then Shaykh al-Albaani said: “In general, the isnaad of this hadeeth is weak.” He also said in al-Da’eefah (no. 47): “many people think that Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and those who follow him among the Salafis forbid visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) altogether. This is a lie and a fabrication, and it is not the only lie told about Ibn Taymiyah, may Allaah have mercy on him, or about the Salafis. Everyone who reads the books of Ibn Taymiyah will see that he says it is permissible to visit his grave (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and that doing so is recommended (mustahabb), so long as it is not associated with any objectionable practices or innovations (bid’ah), such as travelling solely for that purpose, because of the hadeeth “No one should set out purposely except to visit three mosques.” The hadeeth does not describe a ban only on travelling to visit other mosques, as many people think; it also includes a ban on setting out to visit any place which people think will bring them closer to Allaah, whether it is a mosque, a grave or any other place. This is indicated by the hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurayrah who 63

said: ‘I met Basrah ibn Abi Basrah al-Ghifaari and he asked me, ‘Where are you coming from?’ I said, ‘From al-Toor [Sinai].’ He said, ‘If I had met you before you left, you would not have gone there! I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘Do not travel except to three mosques.’” (Reported by Ahmad and others with a saheeh isnaad). This clearly indicates that the Sahaabah understood the hadeeth to be general in application [i.e., it did not apply only to mosques]. This is supported by the fact that it is not reported that any of them ever set out with the intention of visiting a grave. They are the predecessors of Ibn Taymiyah in this regard, so whoever condemns Ibn Taymiyah is in effect condemning the salaf (the righteous predecessors), may Allaah be pleased with them. May Allaah have mercy on the one who said: “All goodness is in following those who went before (the salaf)" and all evil is in following the innovations of those who came later.” In conclusion, travelling with the intention of visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is bid’ah and is haraam, because of the hadeeth which forbids travelling to worship in any place except the three mosques. As for visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when one happens to be in Madeenah, this is perfectly acceptable, as is travelling with the intention of praying in the Prophet’s Mosque as an act of worship and seeking to draw close to Allaah. Those that are confused about this issue are those who do not understand the difference between what is permitted and what is forbidden. And Allaah knows best. Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 64

32690: What is the status of the hadeeth, “No man is scratched by a thorn…”? Question: What is the status of this hadeeth? It was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No man is scratched by a thorn, or stumbles, or has a twitching in a vein, except for a sin, and what Allaah forgives is greater.” Does this mean that everything that happens to a person is because of his sin? I read this in Tafseer al-Qurtubi, and I looked in Saheeh al-Bukhaari and Fath al-Baari, but I could not find it. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: This hadeeth was narrated by al-Tabari in al-Tafseer, 5/ 175; and by al-Bayhaqi in Shu’ab al-Eemaan, 7/153; from the mursal hadeeth of Qataadah. A mursal report is one which is narrated by a Taabi’i from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), with no narrator in between. This is one of the categories of da’eef (weak) hadeeth. So this hadeeth has a weak isnaad, as was mentioned by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah alDa’eefah, 1796. Secondly: The meaning of the hadeeth is sound and is supported by other evidence from the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon 65

him). The calamities that befall a man may be as the result of sin that he has committed, so this calamity may be expiation for that sin. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Whatever of good reaches you, is from Allaah, but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself. And We have sent you (O Muhammad) as a Messenger to mankind, and Allaah is Sufficient as a Witness” [al-Nisa’ 4:79] “And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much” [al-Shoora 42:30] Ibn Katheer said in his Tafseer (1/529): “Whatever of good reaches you, is from Allaah” means, it is by the grace, bounty, kindness and mercy of Allaah. “but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself” means, it is because of your own actions. This is like the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much” [al-Shoora 42:30] Al-Saddi, al-Hasan al-Basri, Ibn Jurayj and Ibn Zayd said: “is from yourself” means, because of your sin. Qataadah said concerning this verse, “is from yourself” means, as a punishment to you, O son of Adam, for your sin. Thirdly: The calamities that befall a believer in this world raise him in status and expiate for his sins. 66

Hence the believer should accept whatever calamities Allaah decrees for him, and should realize that this is good for him. It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no calamity that befalls a Muslim but Allaah expiates (sin) thereby, even a thorn that pricks him.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5640; Muslim, 2572. Muslim (2572) narrated that ‘Aa’ishah said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “There is nothing that befalls a believer, not even a thorn that pricks him, but Allaah will record a hasanah (good deed) for him thereby, or erase from him a sin.” And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 21711: al-Namrood and the people of the ditch Question: In which book of Hadees is the Explanation of Namrood’s infanticide during the days of Hazarat Abrahim ?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Al-Namrood was the king of Babylon, and he was a kaafir king. There happened between him and Ibraaheem (peace 67

be upon him) that which Allaah describes in the verse (interpretation of the meaning): “Have you not looked at him who disputed with Ibraaheem (Abraham) about his Lord (Allaah), because Allaah had given him the kingdom? When Ibraaheem (Abraham) said (to him): ‘My Lord (Allaah) is He Who gives life and causes death.’ He said, ‘I give life and cause death.’ Ibraaheem (Abraham) said, ‘Verily, Allaah brings the sun from the east; then bring it you from the west.’ So the disbeliever was utterly defeated. And Allaah guides not the people, who are Zaalimoon (wrongdoers)” [al-Baqarah 2:258] There is no story about him and any child that can be proven, as far as we know. But if you are asking about the story of the believing boy and the kaafir king, and how the boy was killed and the people believed in Allaah, and they bore persecution for that, this is the story of the people of the ditch, which was narrated by Muslim (3005) from the hadeeth of Suhayb (may Allaah be pleased with him), which says that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Among those who came before you there lived a king who had a (court) sorcerer. As he (the sorcerer) grew old, he said to the king: ‘I have grown old, so send some young boy to me so that I may teach him magic.’ He (the king) sent a boy to him so that he might train him (in magic). On his way to the sorcerer he (the boy) met a monk and sat with him. He (the boy) listened to his (the monk’s) talk and was impressed by it. So whenever he went to the sorcerer he would pass by the monk and sit with him. And when he came to the sorcerer, he (the sorcerer) beat him. He complained about it to the 68

monk and he said to him: ‘When you feel afraid of the sorcerer, say: My family made me late. And when you feel afraid of your family, say: The sorcerer made me late.’ It so happened that there came a huge beast (of prey) and it blocked the way of the people. He (the young boy) said: I shall find out today whether the sorcerer or the monk is superior. He picked up a stone and said: O Allaah, if the affairs of the monk are dearer to You than the affairs of the sorcerer, bring death to this animal so that the people will be able to move about freely. He threw that stone at it and killed it and the people were able to pass freely. He (the boy) then came to that monk and told him (what had happened). The monk said: My son, today you are better than me. Your affairs have reached a stage where I think that you will be soon put to the test, and in case you are put to the test do not reveal my identity. That young man began to heal the blind and those suffering from leprosy and he began to cure people of (all kinds) of illness. When a companion of the king, who had become blind, heard about him, he came to him with numerous gifts and said: If you heal me, all these things here will be yours. He said: I myself do not heal anyone; it is Allaah Who heals. If you believe in Allaah, I shall also pray to Allaah to heal you. He believed in Allaah and Allaah healed him. He came to the king and sat by his side as he used to sit before. The king said to him: Who restored your eyesight? He said: My Lord. He asked, Do you have any Lord other than me? He said: My Lord and your Lord is Allaah; so he (the king) took hold of him and tortured him until he revealed the identity of the boy. The boy was then summoned and the king said to him: O boy, it has been conveyed to me that you have become so proficient in your magic that you heal the blind and those suffering from leprosy and you do such and such things. Thereupon he said: I do not heal anyone; it is Allah Who heals. He (the king) took hold of him and began to torture him. So he revealed the identity of the monk. The monk was thus 69

summoned and it was said to him: Turn back from your religion. But he refused to do so. He (ordered) a saw to be brought and he (the king) placed it in the middle of his head and cut it until it fell apart. Then the courtier of the king was brought and it was said to him: Turn back from your religion, but he refused to do so. So the saw was placed in the middle of his head and it was cut until it fell apart. Then the boy was brought and it was said to him: Turn back from your religion. He refused to do so and he was handed over to a group of his courtiers. He said to them: Take him to such and such a mountain; make him climb that mountain and when you reach its top (ask him to renounce his faith) but if he refuses to do so, then throw him (down the mountain). So they took him and made him climb the mountain and he said: O Allaah, save me from them however You will. The mountain began to shake and they all fell down, and the boy came walking back to the king. The king said to him: What has happened to your companions? He said: Allaah has saved me from them. He again handed him to some of his courtiers and said: Take him and carry him away in a small boat and when you reach the middle of the ocean (ask him to renounce) his religion, but if he does not renounce his religion throw him (into the water). So they took him and he said: O Allaah, save me from them and what they want to do. It was not long before the boat overturned and they were drowned but he came walking back to the king. The king said to him: What has happened to your companions? He said: Allaah has saved me from them. He also said to the king: You cannot kill me until you do what I ask you to do. And he said: What is that? He said: You should gather people in a plain and crucify me on the trunk (of a tree). Then take an arrow from my quiver and say: In the name of Allaah, the Lord of the boy; then shoot an arrow and if you do that then you would be able to kill me. So he (the king) called the people to an open plain and crucified him (the boy) on the trunk of a tree. Then he 70

took an arrow from his quiver, placed the arrow in the bow and then said: In the name of Allaah, the Lord of the boy; he then shot an arrow and it hit his temple. He (the boy) placed his hands upon the temple where the arrow had hit him and he died. The people said: We believe in the Lord of this boy, we believe in the Lord of this boy, we believe in the Lord of this boy. Some people came to the king and said to him: Do you realize that you what feared has happened? All the people now believe (in the Lord of the boy). He (the king) commanded ditches to be dug at the entry-points of the roads. When these ditches were dug, and fires was lit in them it was said (to the people): He who does not turn back from his (the boy’s) religion will be thrown in the fire or they will be told to jump in it. So they started to do that until a woman came with her child and she hesitated to jump into the fire. Then her child said to her: O mother, be patient, for you are following the Truth.” Your saying in your question “Hazrat Ibraaheem” is an innovated expression which is best avoided, because for the Prophets (peace be upon them) there is an expression which is used only for them, namely “al-salaatu wa’lsalaamu ‘alayhim (blessings and peace be upon them). There is scholarly consensus on this point, as was narrated by Ibn al-Qayyim in Jala’ al-Afhaam from Imam alNawawi (may Allaah have mercy on them both) And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 43147: Reconciling the ahaadeeth about how many times better praying in congregation is than praying alone Question: In Saheeh al-Bukhaari there are two ahaadeeth – numbers 71

645 and 646 according to the numbering of Fath al-Baari. According to hadeeth no. 645 the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Praying in congregation is twenty seven times better than praying alone”. According to hadeeth no. 646, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Praying in congregation is twenty-five times better than praying alone.” I hope that you can comment and explain. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The first hadeeth was narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar by al-Bukhaari (619) and Muslim (650). It says: “Praying in congregation is twenty seven times better than praying alone”. The second hadeeth was narrated from Abu Sa’eed alKhudri, and was narrated by al-Bukhaari (619). It says: “Praying in congregation is twenty-five times better than praying alone.” The scholars have reconciled between these two hadeeth. Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: They may be reconciled in three ways: 1 – There is no contradiction because mentioning a smaller number does not rule out the larger number. Taking numbers literally is not acceptable according to the scholars of usool. 2 – He first spoke of the smaller number then Allaah told him of the greater bounty so he spoke of that. 3 – It may vary according to the circumstances of the worshippers and the prayer. So for some of them it may be twenty-five and for some it may be twenty-seven, 72

depending on how complete their prayer is, whether it is done in the proper manner and with proper focus and humility (khushoo’), the number of people present, how good they are, how good the environment is, etc. And Allaah knows best. Al-Majmoo’, 4/84 And there are other ways of reconciling the two hadeeth, some of which are based on the above. Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar suggested another way in Fath al-Baari (2/132) which was not mentioned by al-Nawawi, which is twenty-seven applies to the prayers in which Qur’aan is recited out loud and twenty-five applies to the prayers in which it is recited silently. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 22836: The ratio of people of Paradise to people of Hell Question: In Saheeh al-Bukhaari there are two ahaadeeth (nos. 6529 and 6530 according to the numbering of Fath al-Baari). In hadeeth no. 6529 it says that the number of “those who are to be sent to Hell is ninety nine from every hundred.” And in hadeeth no. 6530 it says that the number of “those who are to be sent to Hell is nine hundred and ninety nine from every thousand.” I hope that you could comment and explain this. May Allaah reward you with good. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The first hadeeth was narrated by al-Bukhaari (6529) from Abu Hurayrah, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The first one to be called on 73

the Day of Resurrection will be Adam. He will be shown his progeny and it will be said, ‘This is your father Adam.’ He will say, ‘Here I am at Your service.’ He will say: ‘Bring forth those who are to be sent to Hell from among your progeny.’ He will say, ‘O Lord, how many should I bring forth?’ He will say, ‘Bring forth from every hundred ninety nine.’” They said: “O Messenger of Allaah, if ninety nine are taken from every hundred of us, what will be left of us?” He said, “My ummah, among the other nations, is like a white hair on a black bull.” The second hadeeth was narrated by al-Bukhaari (3348) and Muslim (222) from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah will say, ‘O Adam!’ and he will say, ‘Here I am at Your service, and all goodness is in Your hand.’ He will say, ‘Bring forth those who are to be sent to Hell.’ He will say, ‘Who are those who are to be sent to Hell?’ He will say, ‘From every thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine.’ At that point the young will turn grey, every pregnant female will abort, and the people will appear intoxicated although they are not. But the punishment of Allaah is severe.” They said, “O Messenger of Allaah, which of us will be that one?” He said, “Be of good cheer, for there will be one man from among you and one thousand from among Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj.” Then he said, “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, I hope that you will be one quarter of the people of Paradise,” and they said, “Allaahu akbar!” Then he said, “I hope that you will be one third of the people of Paradise,” and they said, “Allaahu akbar!” Then he said, “I hope that you will be half of the people of Paradise,” and they said, “Allaahu akbar!” Then he said, “Among the people you are like a black hair on the hide of a white bull, or like a white hair on the hide of a black bull.” According to the first hadeeth, the number of those who will be saved on the Day of Resurrection is ten in a 74

thousand. According to the second hadeeth it is one in a thousand. The scholars have reconciled between these two ahaadeeth in several ways, such as the following: 1 – The numbers are not to be taken literally, so stating a particular number does not mean that there may not be more than that. What is meant by the two numbers mentioned in the two hadeeth is the small number of believers and the large number of kaafirs. 2 – The hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri may be understood as referring to all the progeny of Adam, so there will be one in every thousand (who goes to Paradise), and the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah may be understood as referring to everyone except Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj, so that the number is ten in every thousand. This is supported by the fact that Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj are mentioned in the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed but not in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah. 3 – It may be that the division will happen twice: once involving all the nations who came before this ummah, when the number will be one in every thousand, and again for this ummah only, when the number will be ten in every thousand. 4 – It may be that what is meant by “those who are to be sent to Hell” is the kaafirs and the sinners [from among the Muslims] who will enter it, so that from every thousand nine hundred and ninety nine kaafirs are sent, and from every hundred ninety-nine sinners are sent. These answers were mentioned by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari, 11/390. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 75

20612: He is amazed by the height of Adam (peace be upon him) Question: In saheeh al bukhari hadith No246, rasulullah states Adam was created 30m in height. i cannot understand and imagine this can you please expain?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: This hadeeth was narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who said: “Allaah created Adam and he was sixty cubits tall. Then He said, ‘Go and greet those angels and listen to how they greet you, for that will be your greeting and the greeting of your progeny.’ He said, ‘Al-salaamu ‘alaykum (Peace be upon you).’ They said, ‘Al-salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allaah (Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allaah).’ So they added the words ‘wa rahmat Allaah.’ And everyone who enters Paradise will be in the form of Adam. People kept on growing smaller until now.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3336; Muslim, 7092 According to a version narrated by Muslim: “Everyone who enters Paradise will be in the form of Adam who was sixty cubits tall. People kept growing smaller until now.” With regard to the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “People kept growing 76

smaller until now,” al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in Fath alBaari (6/367): “This means that in every generation people grew shorter than the previous generation, and continued to grow shorter until the time of this ummah, then they stayed like that.” The Muslim is obliged to believe in every idea for which there is evidence in the Qur’aan or saheeh Sunnah from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Imam al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “I believe in Allaah and in that which came from Allaah in the sense meant by Allaah. I believe in the Messenger of Allaah and in what came from the Messenger of Allaah in the sense meant by the Messenger of Allaah.” See al-Irshaad Sharh Lam’at al-I’tiqaad, p. 89. So the believer is required to believe with firm faith in everything that we are told by Allaah and by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), if it is proven to be soundly reported from him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He must believe in it with firm faith that leaves no room for the slightest doubt. He must accept it in general and specific terms, whether he understands it or not and whether he finds it strange or not, because not understanding something that is proven in a sound report does not mean that it did not happen. All that means is that he cannot comprehend this particular issue. Allaah has commanded us to believe in everything that He tells us and everything that His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) tells us. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Only those are the believers who have believed in Allaah and His Messenger, and afterward doubt not but strive with their wealth and their lives for the Cause of Allaah. Those! They are the truthful” [al-Hujuraat 49:15] 77

Part of faith is belief in the unseen (al-ghayb). The hadeeth we are discussing here comes under this heading. Allaah praises those who believe in the unseen, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): “Alif-Laam-Meem. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’aan and none but Allaah (Alone) knows their meanings.] This is the Book (the Qur’aan), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqoon [the pious believers of Islamic Monotheism who fear Allaah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allaah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)]. Who believe in the Ghayb[the unseen]” [al-Baqarah 2:13] You should note that Allaah is Able to do all things. Just as He is able to create man in the form that he appears in now, He is also Able to create man in a larger or smaller form. If this is difficult for you to understand, then think of the dwarves that we see, who are child-sized men. If this can happen, then why could the opposite not happen, namely a man being sixty cubits tall? In the history of mankind there have been giants as the archaeologists tell us. The basic principle here is to accept the absolute power of Allaah and to accept what He tells us and what His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) tell us, and to say what those who are well versed in knowledge say: “We believe in it; the whole of it (clear and unclear Verses) are from our Lord” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:7 – interpretation of the meaning]. 78

We ask Allaah to show us the truth as true and help us to follow it, and to show us falsehood as false and help us to avoid it. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 34750: Woman taking off her clothes in a house other than her husband’s house Question: It is proven in the hadeeth that a woman is forbidden to take off her clothes anywhere other than her husband’s house. What is the purpose of that prohibition? Is she allowed to take off her clothes in the house of her own family or her relatives?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The hadeeth which was narrated by Imam Ahmad, Ibn Maajah and al-Haakim from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) says: “Any woman who takes off her clothes anywhere but in her husband’s house has torn the veil that was between her and Allaah (i.e., He will expose her).” A version that was narrated by Ahmad, al-Tabaraani, alHaakim and al-Bayhaqi from Abu Umaamah (may Allaah be pleased with him) says: “Any woman who takes off her clothes, Allaah will tear His cover away from her (i.e., expose her).” What the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) meant was to stop women treating as insignificant the matter of removing their clothes anywhere but in their 79

husband’s houses in such a manner that their ‘awrah can be seen and that they may be accused of intending to commit immoral actions and the like. As for taking off their clothes in a safe place, such as in her family’s house or her mahram’s house, to change her clothes and the like, or to relax etc and for other permissible purposes that are far removed from fitnah, there is nothing wrong with that. And Allaah is the Source of strength. Al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’lIfta’, 17/224. (www.islam-qa.com) 9262: What is the ability to marry that is mentioned in the hadeeth which encourages marrying? Question: What is meant by the words man astataa’ al-baa’ah (whoever is able to) in the hadeeth in which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) encourages young men to get married?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. It was narrated that Ibn Mas’ood said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O young men, whoever among you is able to, let him get married. Whoever is not able to, he must fast, for it will be a shield for him.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5065; Muslim, 1400 A shield means protection against committing immoral actions. The scholars differed concerning the meaning of ability 80

here, and there are two opinions. Some of them said that it means the ability to afford the expenses of marriage and spending on one’s wife; others said that it means the ability to have intercourse. There is no conflict between the two meanings, so what it meant is that whoever is able to have intercourse and can afford it, let him get married. Al-Nawawi said: The scholars differed concerning the meaning of ability here, and there are two views which boil down to the same meaning. The sounder of these two views is that what is meant is what the word (al-baa’ah) means in Arabic, which is the ability to have intercourse. So the meaning is, whoever is able to have intercourse because he can afford the expenses of marriage, then let him get married. Whoever is unable to have intercourse because he cannot afford the expenses of marriage, then he has to fast in order to control his desire. Sharh Muslim, 9/173 Ibn al-Qayyim said: With regard to the phrase, “whoever among you is able to, let him get married” – the word al-baa’ah was interpreted as meaning intercourse, and as meaning the expenses of marriage. That does not contradict the first meaning. Rawdat al-Muhibbeen, p. 219 Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: The ability to get married is the ability to afford the expenses of marriage, not the ability to have intercourse because the hadeeth is addressed to those who are able to have intercourse. Hence those who cannot afford it are commanded to fast, for it is a shield. Al-Fataawa alKubra, 3/134. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 81

12403: Advice to one who wants to get married but is not able for it Question: In the mosque we had a program where the Muslim youth could discuss with those who are older the ahaadeeth of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) concerning marriage, and the fact that they should make it easy for the youth to get married. This subject led to a number of discussions, because the parents are concerned about the situation and welfare of the couple, especially if they have children. Young people nowadays do not complete their university studies until the age of 21, or 23 for those who study medicine. They cannot afford the expenses of marriage. So what practical advice can you give them? Many of the Muslim youth in the west want to complete half of their religion. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: Discussing Islamic matters and spending time on that is one of the most beneficial things that a person can do for himself, because seeking knowledge is an obligation and an act of worship, and he is spending time in doing something that is of benefit to him and to others. If the people who are discussing do not understand something, then they have to ask people who have knowledge. Secondly: Our advice to those who live in the lands of immorality and kufr is to migrate from them to the Muslim lands 82

where the temptations of this world and of women are less. The Muslim countries are not equal in that regard, so he has to choose the best of them. We advise them to leave every environment in which he may stumble and fall, whether that is his accommodation, his work or his school/college. We advise them to hasten to marry, and to choose righteous wives who do not make extravagant demands with regard to the mahr, etc. We advise those who are unable to get married to fear Allaah and not to look at or listen to haraam things, not to walk towards haraam things, not to touch that which it is not permissible for him to touch. They should help themselves in this regard by fasting and praying, making du’aa’, and keeping company with righteous people. They should keep themselves busy with beneficial things such as seeking knowledge, memorizing Qur’aan and making du’aa’ to Allaah, for if a person keeps busy in obeying Allaah, that will distract him from disobeying Him. Thirdly: Our advise to community leaders and parents and guardians of boys and girls is not to regard completion of studies as an impediment to marriage. Since when is marriage an obstacle to acquiring knowledge?! Rather reality and experience point to the opposite, because marriage helps a person to focus and makes his mind clear, and above all that it is obedience to the command of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the youth to get married. So parents and guardians should not burden the youth with excessive demands that may be regarded as a form of extravagance. They should limit the demands to that which the woman and the house need only. They should 83

understand that marriage is one of the means by which provision is sought. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Saalihoon (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maidservants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allaah will enrich them out of His Bounty. And Allaah is AllSufficient for His creatures’ needs, AllKnowing (about the state of the people)” [al-Noor 24:32] And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 20653: The soundness and meaning of the hadeeth about performing Hajj every five years Question: We would like to know how to understand the hadeeth found in Saheeh At-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb (Al-AlbaniRA)which states that (hadeeth qudsi) one whom Allaah has granted good health etc.. and does not visit His house every five years is mahroom (deprived). Does it refer to Hajj or ‘umrah or both? And whatever the case may be, what are we to take from the hadeeth?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: The text of the hadeeth: 84

It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah says: ‘A person whose body I make healthy and to whom I grant ample provision but five years go by and he does not come to Me is indeed deprived.’” Narrated by Abu Ya’laa, 2/304; al-Bayhaqi, 5/262 Secondly: Discussion of the hadeeth: Some of the scholars have discussed this hadeeth. Some of them – such as Ibn al-‘Arabi al-Maaliki – were of the view that it is mawdoo’ (fabricated). Others classed it as da’eef, such as al-Daaraqutni, al-‘Aqeeli and al-Subki. Ibn Hibbaan and Shaykh al-Albaani in al-Silsilah alSaheehah (1662) are of the view that it is saheeh. Thirdly: Some of the scholars have interpreted this hadeeth as referring to Hajj or ‘Umrah. Based on this, al-Haythami included this hadeeth in his book Mawaarid al-Zam’aan under the heading “Chapter concerning one who is well off but does not go for Hajj or ‘Umrah in five years.” Mawaarid al-Zam’aan, p. 239. Others interpreted it as referring to Hajj only, as alMundhiri included it in his book al-Targheeb wa’lTarheeb under the heading, “Warning to one who is able to do Hajj but does not go for Hajj.” Some of the scholars quoted this hadeeth as evidence that it is obligatory to perform Hajj once every five years for the one who is able to do that. This is a weak view, either because the hadeeth is weak (da’eef) and not saheeh, or 85

because the hadeeth is to be understood as referring to what is mustahabb, not what is obligatory. Al-Subki said: The scholars are agreed that Hajj is an individual obligation upon every accountable, free Muslim who is able to do it, once in his or her lifetime, except for very few scholars who held different views, who said: It is obligatory once every five years, and they based that view on the report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every Muslim should come to the House of Allaah every five years.” This was narrated by Ibn al-‘Arabi. We say: Narrating this hadeeth is haraam, so how can a ruling be established based on it? Al-Daaraqutni said: It was narrated through more than one isnaad, none of which are saheeh at all. Fataawa alSubki, 1/263 Al-Hattaab said: Some of those who held an odd view said that it is obligatory every year, and it was narrated from some of them that it is obligatory every five years, because of the report according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every Muslim should come to the House of Allaah every five years.” Ibn ‘Arabi said: Narrating this hadeeth is haraam, so how can a ruling be established based on it? Meaning that it is mawdoo’ (fabricated). Al-Nawawi said: This idea is contrary to the consensus of the scholars, so this odd view is to be rejected on the basis of the consensus of the scholars who came before those who held this odd view. Even if we accept this hadeeth, then it is to be understood as meaning that it is mustahabb. Mawaahib al-Jaleel, 2/ 466. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islamqa.com) 86

14627: Meaning of maa’ilaat mumeelaat Question: What is the meaning of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the hadeeth, “maa’ilaat mumeelaat”?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This is a saheeh hadeeth which was narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who said: “There are two types of the people of Hell whom I have not seen: men in whose hands are whips like the tails of cattle, with which they beat the people, and women who are clothed yet naked, maa’ilaat mumeelaat, with their heads like the humps of camels, tilted to one side. They will not enter Paradise nor even smell its fragrance.” This is a stern warning to beware of the things referred to. The men in whose hands are whips like the tails of cattle are those who beat the people unjustly, like police and others, whether that is done by order of the state or otherwise. The state is only to be obeyed with regard to matters that are right and proper. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Obedience is only with regard to what is right and proper.” And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no obedience to any created being if it involves disobedience towards the Creator.” With regard to the phrase “women who are clothed yet naked, maa’ilaat mumeelaat”, the scholars interpreted this as follows: 87

“kaasiyat ‘aariyaat (translated above as “clothed yet naked” may have another meaning, which is that they are enjoying the blessings of Allaah, but they do not give thanks for them and they do not obey the commands of Allaah or heed His prohibitions, even though Allaah has bestowed upon them wealth and other blessings. The hadeeth is also explained in a different manner, which is that they wear clothes that do not cover them, because they are too thin or too short, so they do not serve the purpose of clothes, hence they are described as naked, and because the clothes they wear do not cover their ‘awrah. Maa’ilaat (literally “deviant”) means they turn away from chastity and righteousness, i.e., they commit sins and evil deeds like those who do immoral actions, or they fall short in doing the obligatory duties, prayer etc. Mumeelaat means they turn others away, i.e., they call people to evil and corruption, so by their words and actions they lead others into immorality and sin, and they commit immoral actions because of their lack of faith or the weakness of their faith. The point of this saheeh hadeeth is to warn against oppression and all kinds of corruption from men and women. With regard to the phrase, “their heads are like the heads of camels, tilted to one side,” some of the scholars said that this means they make their heads look big because of the hairstyles they adopt and so on, so that it looks like the hump of a bakht camel. The bakht is a type of camel that has two humps between which there is a dip, so that one hump leans one way and the other leans the other way. When these woman make their heads look big in this way, they look like these humps. With regard to the phrase, “They will not enter Paradise nor even smell its fragrance,” this is a stern warning; it 88

does not necessarily mean that they are kaafirs or that they will abide in Hell forever, like other sinners who die as Muslims; rather what is meant is that they and other sinners are threatened with Hell for their sins, but they are subject to the will of Allaah. If He wills He will forgive them and if He will He will punish them. This is like the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, Allaah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills” [al-Nisa’ 4:48] If a sinner (who is Muslim) enters Hell, he will not abide therein forever like the kuffaar, and those who will abide therein like murderers, adulterers and suicides will not abide therein forever like the kuffaar; rather it is an eternity which will have an end according to Ahl al-Sunnah wa’lJamaa’ah – in contrast to the Khawaarij and Mu’tazilah and the innovators who follow their path, because the saheeh mutawaatir ahaadeeth narrated from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) indicate that he will intercede for the sinners among his ummah and that Allaah will accept that intercession from him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) a number of times; each time He will specify a number who are to be brought forth from Hell. Similarly the rest of the Messengers, the believers and the angels will all intercede by Allaah’s leave, and He will accept their intercession for whomsoever He will among the believers in Tawheed who have entered Hell because of their sins but are Muslims. Then there will remain in Hell those sinners who are not included in the intercession of the intercessors, but Allaah will bring them forth by His Mercy and Kindness, and there will be none left in Hell but the kuffaar who will abide therein forever and ever. Allaah says concerning the kuffaar (interpretation of the meaning): 89

“whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire” [al-Isra’ 17:97] “So taste you (the results of your evil actions). No increase shall We give you, except in torment” [al-Naba’ 78:30] And He says concerning the kuffaar who worshipped idols (interpretation of the meaning): “Thus Allaah will show them their deeds as regrets for them. And they will never get out of the Fire” [al-Baqarah 2:167] And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, those who disbelieve, if they had all that is in the earth, and as much again therewith to ransom themselves thereby from the torment on the Day of Resurrection, it would never be accepted of them, and theirs would be a painful torment. They will long to get out of the Fire, but never will they get out therefrom; and theirs will be a lasting torment” [al-Maa’idah 5:36-37] We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound from being like them. Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li’lShaykh Ibn Baaz, 6/355 (www.islam-qa.com) 6652: What does it mean when we say that Allaah loves beauty? Question: What is the meaning of the hadeeth which says that Allaah is beautiful and loves beauty? What is meant here by 90

beauty? – especially since some people use this hadeeth as evidence that it is permissible to look at beautiful women and to enjoy every beautiful thing. Can you clarify this? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The hadeeth mentioned in the question was narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh, no. 131, from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood, who narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one will enter Paradise who has an atom’s-weight of pride in his heart.” A man said, “What if a man likes his clothes to look good and his shoes to look good?” He said, “Allaah is beautiful and loves beauty. Pride means denying the truth and looking down on people.” Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, commenting on this hadeeth: the phrase “Allaah is beautiful and loves beauty” includes the beautiful clothing which was asked about in the same hadeeth. It is included by way of generalization, i.e., that beauty in all things is what is meant here. In Saheeh Muslim no. 1686 it says: “Allaah is good and only accepts that which is good.” In Sunan al-Tirmidhi it says: “Allaah loves to see the effects of His blessing on His slave.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2963; he said it is hasan saheeh). It was reported that Abu’l-Ahwas al-Jashami said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw me wearing old, tattered clothes, and asked me, “Do you have any wealth?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “What kind of wealth?” I said, “All that Allaah has given me of camels and sheep.” He said, “Then show the generous blessings that He has given you.” (Narrated by Ahmad, no. 15323; al-Tirmidhi, 1929; al-Nisaa’i, 5128). Allaah, may He be glorified, loves the 91

effects of His blessings to His slave to be made manifest, for this is part of the beauty that He loves, and that is part of the gratitude for His blessings which forms an inner beauty (beauty of character). Allaah loves to see the external beauty of His slaves which reflects His blessings on them, and the inner beauty of their gratitude to Him for those blessings. Because He loves beauty, He sends down on His slaves clothes and adornments with which they may make their outward appearance beautiful and He gives them Taqwaa which makes their inner characters beautiful. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover yourselves (screen your private parts, etc.) and as an adornment, and the raiment of righteousness, that is better.” [al-A’raaf 7:26] And He says, speaking of the people of Paradise (interpretation of the meaning): “… and [Allaah] gave them Nadratan (a light of beauty) and joy. And their recompense shall be Paradise and silken garments, because they were patient.” [al-Insaan 76:11-12] Their faces will be made beautiful with the Nadrah (light of beauty), their innermost being with joy and their bodies with silken garments. Just as Allaah loves beauty in words, deeds, garments and outward appearance, so He hates ugliness in words, deeds, garments and outward appearance. He hates ugliness and its people, and loves beauty and its people. But two groups are misguided with regard to this issue: a group who say that everything that He has created is beautiful, so He loves all that He has created and we should love all that He has created and not hate anything. 92

They say: whoever realizes that all that exists comes from Him will see that it is beautiful… these people have no sense of jealousy for the sake of Allaah or hatred and enmity for the sake of Allaah, or denouncing what is evil (munkar), or jihaad for the sake of Allaah, or adhering His limits. They regard the beauty of images, male or female, as being part of the beauty that Allaah loves, and seek to worship Allaah through immoral acts. Some of them may even go so far as to claim that the One Whom they worship is manifested or incarnated in those images. The second group, on the other hand, say that Allaah condemns the beauty of images, forms and outward appearances. Allaah says about the Munaafiqoon (hypocrites) (interpretation of the meaning): “And when you look at them, their bodies please you…” [al-Munaafiqoon 63:4] “And how many a generation have We destroyed before them. Who were better in wealth, goods and outward appearance?” [Maryam 19:54] In Saheeh Muslim it is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah does not look at your outward appearance and your wealth, rather He looks at your hearts and deeds.” (Saheeh Muslim, no. 4651). According to another hadeeth: “Shabbiness is part of faith.” (Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 4108; Abu Dawood, 3630; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him). Allaah condemns those who are extravagant, which applies to extravagance in clothing as well as in food and drink. In order to settle this dispute, we may say that beauty in clothing and outward appearance is of three types, one of which is commendable, one is blameworthy and one of 93

which is neither. The kind of beauty which is to be commended is that which is done for the sake of Allaah, to help one to obey Allaah and fulfil His commands, such as when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made himself look beautiful (i.e. handsome) when meeting the delegations that came to him. This is like wearing armour or battle-dress when fighting, or wearing silk and showing off (in front of the enemy). This is commendable because it is done to make the word of Allaah supreme and to support His religion and annoy His enemies. The blameworthy kind of beauty is that which is done for the sake of this world, for reasons of power, false pride and showing off, or to fulfil some (selfish) desires. This also includes cases where beauty is an end in itself for a person and is all he cares about. Many people have no other concern in life. As for the kind of beauty which is neither commendable nor blameworthy, it is that which has nothing to do with either of the two purposes mentioned above (i.e., it is neither for the sake of Allaah nor for the sake of worldly purposes). The hadeeth under discussion refers to two important principles, knowledge and behaviour. Allaah is to be acknowledged for beauty that bears no resemblance to anything else, and He is to be worshipped by means of the beauty which He loves in words, deeds and attitudes. He loves His slaves to beautify their tongues with the truth, to beautify their hearts with sincere devotion (Ikhlaas), love, repentance and trust in Him, to beautify their faculties with obedience, and to beautify their bodies by showing His blessings upon them in their clothing and by keeping them pure and free of any filth, dirt or impurity, by removing the hairs which should be removed, by circumcision, and by clipping the nails. Thus they recognize Allaah through these qualities of beauty and seek to draw close to Him through beautiful words, deeds 94

and attitudes. They acknowledge Him for the beauty which is His attribute and they worship Him through the beauty which He has prescribed and His religion. The hadeeth combines these two principles of knowledge and behaviour. Al-Fawaa’id, 1/185 Where are these deep meanings of this hadeeth, as explained by Ibn al-Qayyim, in the misguided interpretations of those who follow their whims and desires, who want to follow deviant interpretations in order to justify their evil aims and goals? We ask Allaah to protect us. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 13260: Meaning of good treatment in the hadeeth “… and treats them well…” Question: What is the meaning of good treatment in the hadeeth of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Whoever has two daughters and he treats them well, they will be a shield for him against the Fire”? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Good treatment of girls and others means giving them an Islamic upbringing, teaching them the truth, striving to keep them chaste and keep them away from the things 95

that Allaah has forbidden, such as tabarruj (wanton display) etc. The same applies to taking care of one’s sisters and sons, so that all of them will be brought up to obey Allaah and His Messenger, and will keep away from the things that Allaah has forbidden, and will do their duty towards Allaah. Hence we know that good treatment does not simply mean giving them food and drink and clothing only; rather what is meant is something greater than that, treating them kindly by taking care of both their religious and worldly interests. Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz in al-Fataawa al-Jaami’ah li’l-Mar’ah al-Muslimah, part 3, p. 1074 (www.islamqa.com) 10299: Names of Commentaries on Saheeh Muslim Question: I want to know the names of some detailed commentaries on Saheeh Muslim. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. You may read the book Fath al-Mulhim li Sharh Saheeh Muslim by Imam al-Subki; al-Siraaj al-Wahhaaj by Abu’lTayyib Siddeeq ibn Hasan Khan al-Qanooji al-Bukhaari, b. 1248 AH, d. 1307 AH, which is comprised of 13 volumes. And Allaah is the Source of strength. Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 96

14397: What is the meaning of the words “I am his hearing with which he hears…” etc? Question: What is the meaning of Allaah’s words in the hadeeth qudsi, “When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks”? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. If the Muslim does the obligatory acts that Allaah has enjoined upon him, then he strives to draw closer to Allaah by doing naafil (supererogatory) acts of worship and persists in that as much as he can, then Allaah will love him and will help him in all that he does or does not do. So when he hears he will be guided by Allaah with regard to what he hears, and he will not hear anything but what is good, and he will not accept anything but the truth, and falsehood will be kept away from him, by the help and support of Allaah. So he will see the truth as truth and falsehood as falsehood, and when he strikes anything he will strike with power from Allaah, so his strike will be like a strike from Allaah in support of the truth. And when he walks he will be walking in obedience to Allaah, seeking knowledge, striving in jihad for the sake of Allaah. To sum up, all that he does, both inwardly and outwardly, will be guided and supported by Allaah. Hence it becomes clear that there is nothing in this hadeeth to indicate that Allaah is “incarnated” in His creation or that He becomes one with any of them. This is shown by the words at the end of the hadeeth, where Allaah says: 97

“Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it.” According to some reports, He also said, “So by My help he hears and by My help he sees…” This explains what is meant at the beginning of the hadeeth, and it clearly demonstrates that there is one who asks and One Who is asks, one who seeks refuge and One Who grants refuge [i.e., two separate entities]. This hadeeth is similar to another hadeeth qudsi: “Allaah says: ‘O My slave, I fell sick and you did not visit Me…’” In both cases, the latter part of the hadeeth explains the first part, but those who are led by their whims and desires follow the ambiguous texts and ignore the clear and unambiguous texts, and so they go astray. Al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, Kitaab Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/ 35. (www.islam-qa.com) 13731: The meaning of the hadeeth, “Whoever taunts his brother with a sin” and how sound it is Question: Hadhrat Muaaz (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: ”Whoever taunts a brother (Muslim) with a sin (which the Muslim has committed), will not die until he the taunter) commits the same sin.” Could you please xplain this Hadith in further detail? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth was narrated by al-Tirmidhi, (Kitaab Sifat al-Qiyaamah wa’l-Wara’, 2429), where the wording is, 98

“Whoever shames his brother for a sin will not die until he does it too.” Shaykh al-Albaani described this hadeeth in Da’eef alJaami’ (5710) as mawdoo’ (fabricated). If a hadeeth is da’eef (weak) and mawdoo’ (fabricated), it cannot be taken as a basis for rulings or be acted upon. With regard to the meaning of the hadeeth, Shaykh alMubaarakfoori said: “ ‘Whoever shames’ means whoever criticizes or condemns. ‘his brother’ means his brother in faith. ‘For a sin’ means one from which he has repented, according to the way in which Imaam Ahmad explained it. ‘will not die’ – the subject of this verb is ‘whoever’. ‘Until he does it too’ means, the sin for which he criticizes his brother. It is as if the one who criticizes his brother will be forsaken by Allaah until he commits the sin for which he criticized his brother, if that criticism was accompanied by selfadmiration for being free of that sin.” (Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi, 7/173) The fact that this hadeeth is da’eef (weak) does not mean that it is permissible to criticize those who have fallen into sin, for those who fall into sin are of different types. Some of them repent and turn back to their Lord, or else the punishment (hadd) is carried out on them. So it is not permissible to criticize them because their souls have been purified by their repentance or the punishment. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The one who repents from sin is like one who has never sinned.” (Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 4240; classed as saheeh by al-Busayri in al-Zawaa’id, commentary on Sunan Ibn Maajah). Imam Ahmad said that the punishment mentioned in the 99

hadeeth is for the one who criticizes a person who has repented from his sin, as al-Tirmidhi narrated from him. After narrating this hadeeth, he said: Ahmad said: from a sin from which he has repented. Some of them commit sin but they do not do it openly. Anyone who comes to know of that has to advise the person and cover his faults. And some of them commit sin openly. They should also be advised, and others should be warned against them to whatever extent is appropriate. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: It may be that what he meant is that your criticizing your brother for his sin is an even greater sin than his, because it means that you feel pride in your obedience and you are praising yourself for that, and claiming to be free from sin, whereas your brother has fallen into sin. But it may be that his feeling humble because of his sin and what has happened to him, such as his feeling humble and submissive, thinking less of himself, ridding himself of pious pretensions, arrogance and self-admiration, standing before Allaah with his head bowed, his gaze lowered and his heart broken – it may be that all of that is better for him than your feeling proud of your obedience, thinking that you are doing much good, believing that by doing so you are important, and reminding Allaah and mankind of that. How close this sinner is to the mercy of Allaah, and how close this conceited one is to the wrath of Allaah! A sin that leads to humility is more beloved to Him than an act of obedience which fills a person with conceit. If you sleep all night then wake up feeling regret (for not having prayed qiyaam al-layl), that may be better for you than if you were to pray all night and wake up in the morning filled with self-admiration. For the deeds of the one who 100

admires himself are not accepted. Perhaps your laughing whilst admitting to shortcomings is better than your weeping with piety but being filled with conceit. The groaning of the sinners is more beloved to Allaah than the tasbeeh of the conceited. It may be that by means of this sin, Allaah has caused him to drink the medicine that will cure a fatal disease which you also have, but you do not realize it. Allaah has reason for what He does to both those who are obedient and those who sin, which are known to no-one except Him, and which no one recognizes except those who have insight, and then only within the limits of human understanding; beyond that there are reasons which are not even known to the honourable scribes (i.e., the recording angels). The Prophet said: “If the slave woman of any one of you commits adultery, let him carry out the punishment on her and not criticize.” And Yoosuf (peace be upon him) said: “No reproach on you this day” [Yoosuf 12:92 – interpretation of the meaning]. For the scale is in the hand of Allaah, and the ruling is His. The point is to carry out the punishment (prescribed by Allaah) and not to shame and criticize. No one feels safe from what has been decreed for them and from the power of His decree except those who are ignorant of Allaah. Allaah said to the one who had more knowledge of Him than anyone else and was closer to Him: “And had We not made you stand firm, you would nearly have inclined to them a little”[alIsraa’ 17:74 – interpretation of the meaning]. And Yoosuf said: “Unless You turn away their plot from me, I will feel inclined towards them and be one (of those who commit sin and deserve blame or those who do deeds) of the ignorant”[Yoosuf 12:33 – interpretation of the meaning]. One of the ways in which the Messenger of Allaah used to swear was “No, by the One who turns hearts.” And he said, “There is no heart which is not between two of the fingers of the Most Merciful. If He wills He guides it aright and if He wills He sends it astray.” 101

Then he said, “O Allaah, the one Who turns hearts over, make our hearts steadfast in adhering to Your religion. O Allaah, musrif al-Quloob, sirf our hearts to obey You.” Madaarij al-Saalikeen, 1/177, 178) And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 2665: Meaning of the hadeeth, “Treat women kindly” Question: The hadeeth says, “Treat women kindly, for woman was created from a bent rib, and the most crooked part of the rib is the top part…” Please explain the meaning of this hadeeth, especially the phrase “and the most crooked part of the rib is the top part”. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This is a saheeh hadeeth which was narrated by the two Shaykhs [al-Bukhaari and Muslim] in al-Saheehayn from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Treat women kindly, for woman was created from a bent rib, and the most crooked part of the rib is the top part, so treat women kindly.” This is a command to husbands, fathers, brothers and 102

others to treat women kindly and not to oppress them; to give them their rights and to guide them to do good. This is what is obligatory upon everyone, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Treat women kindly.” This is not altered by the fact that a woman may sometimes mistreat her husband or relatives with her words or actions, because she was created from a rib as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, and the most crooked part of it is the top. It is well known that the top of it is the part by which it is attached, so the rib will have some crookedness in it at that point, as is well known. The meaning is that she will inevitably have some crookedness or shortcomings in her character. Hence it was narrated in another hadeeth in al-Saheehayn: “I have not seen any lacking in rational ability and failing in religion but (at the same time) robbing the wisdom of the wise, besides you [women].” The point is that this is the ruling of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and it is narrated in al-Saheehayn from the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him). What is meant by lacking in rational ability, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, is that the testimony of two women is equivalent to the testimony of one man. Failing in religion, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, means that women spend days and nights without praying, i.e., because of menstruation or post-childbirth bleeding. This is a shortcoming which Allaah has decreed for them, and there is no sin on them because of that. So women should accept this in the way that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) meant it, even if a woman is knowledgeable and pious, because 103

the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not speak of his own whims and desires, rather that was a Revelation that was revealed to him, which he conveyed to the ummah, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “By the star when it goes down (or vanishes). Your companion (Muhammad) has neither gone astray nor has erred. Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only a Revelation revealed” [al-Najm 53:1-4] Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat al-Shaykh ‘Abd al‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), part 5 (www.islam-qa.com) 22394: The soundness of the hadeeth “Do not write anything from me…” and explanation of what it means Question: Is this hadeeth saheeh, and what does it mean: “Do not write anything from me, and whoever writes anything but the Qur’aan, let him erase it”? May Allaah reward you with good. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not write anything from me; whoever has written anything from me other than the Qur’aan, let 104

him erase it and narrate from me, for there is nothing wrong with that.” (Narrated by Muslim, al-Zuhd wa’lRaqaa’iq, 5326) Al-Nawawi said in his commentary on Saheeh Muslim: “Al-Qaadi said: there were many disputes among the Sahaabah and Taabi’een concerning the writing down of knowledge. Many of them regarded this as being makrooh, but most of them regarded it as permissible. This dispute is no longer an issue. They differed as to the meaning of this hadeeth which says that it is forbidden. It was said that this pertained to one who was sure of his memory, and there was the fear that he may rely upon what he had written if he wrote it down; the ahaadeeth which say that it is permissible to write things down is to be interpreted as referring to the one whose memory is not reliable, such as the hadeeth, “Write it down for Abu Shaah”; or the hadeeth of the saheefah of ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him); the hadeeth of the book of ‘Amr ibn Hazm, which contains laws on inheritance, sunnahs and diyaat (blood money); the hadeeth about writing down charity, and the minimum amounts at which zakaah becomes obligatory (nisaab), with which Abu Bakr sent Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) to Bahrain; the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah which says that Ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas used to ; write things down but he (Abu Hurayrah) did not write things down, and other ahaadeeth. And it was said that the hadeeth forbidding writing down ahaadeeth was abrogated by these ahaadeeth. The prohibition was in effect when there was the fear that (the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) might be mixed with the Qur’aan. When that danger was no longer present, permission was given to write down (ahaadeeth). And it was said that the prohibition mentioned in the hadeeth referred to writing ahaadeeth on the same page as Qur’aan, 105

lest they become mixed and thus the reader would be confused when looking at this page. And Allaah knows best. The hadeeth of Abu Shaah was narrated by al-Bukhaari from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: ‘When Allaah granted His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) victory over Makkah, he stood before the people and praised and glorified Allaah, then he said: “Allaah protected Makkah from the elephant and has given authority to His Messenger and the believers over it, so fighting was forbidden for anyone before me, and was made permissible for me for part of a day, and it will not be permissible for anyone after me. Its game should not be chased, its thorny bushes should not be uprooted, and picking up its fallen things is not allowed except for one who makes public announcement for it, and he whose relative is murdered has the option either to accept a compensation for it or to retaliate.” Al-‘Abbas said, “Except Al-Idhkhir (a kind of plant), for we use it in our graves and houses.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Except AlIdhkhir.” Abu Shaah, a Yemeni, stood up and said, “O Messenger of Allaah! Get it written for me.” The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Write it for Abu Shaah.” (al-Luqatah, 2254) Ibn Hajar said: What may be understood from the story of Abu Shaah (“Write it for Abu Shaah”) is that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave permission for hadeeth to be written down from him. This contradicts the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri, which says that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Do not write down anything from me except the Qur’aan.’ (Narrated by Muslim). 106

The two may be reconciled by noting that the prohibition applied only to the time when the Qur’aan was being revealed, lest it be confused with something else, and that permission was given at other times; or that the prohibition applied only to writing down things other than Qur’aan with the Qur’aan on one thing, and that permission was given to write them separately; of that the prohibition came first and the permission abrogated that, when there was no longer any fear of confusion. This is most likely to be the case. It was said that the prohibition applied only to those whom it was feared would depend on the writing and not memorize things, and that permission was given for those from whom such a thing was not feared. The scholars said: a group of the Sahaabah and Taabi’een regarded it as makrooh to write down the hadeeth and they regarded it as mustahabb to learn it from them by heart, as they had learned it. But when people were no longer able to strive so hard (in memorizing) and the scholars feared that knowledge might be lost, they compiled it in books.”

Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 13930: Meaning of the hadeeth “No haamah and no Safar and no naw’ and no ghoul” Question: I read a strange hadeeth which says that there is no haamah, no Safar, no naw’ and no ghoul. What do these words mean? 107

Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Ibn Muflih al-Hanbali said: In al-Musnad, al-Saheehayn and elsewhere it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No haamah and no Safar.” Muslim and others add the words, “No naw’ and no ghoul.” Haamah (pl. Haam) [owl]: the people of the jaahiliyyah used to think that when someone died and was buried, an owl [haamah] would come out of his grave. The Arabs used to think that the bones of the deceased turned into owls which flew, and they said that if someone was murdered, an owl would come out of his head, and it would keep saying, “Give me to drink, give me to drink,” until the slain person was avenged and his killer was killed. Safar: it was said that they used to have superstitions concerning the month of Safar, so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No Safar”. And it was said that the Arabs used to believe that there was a snake in the stomach which would harm a person when he had intercourse, and that this was contagious, so the Lawgiver denied that. Maalik said: the people of the Jaahiliyyah would regard Safar as not being sacred one year and as sacred the next year. Naw’: (pl. al-Anwaa’) (a star which sets at the rising of another): this refers to twenty eight lunar mansions or phases, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): “And the moon, We have measured for it mansions…” [Yaa-Seen 36:39]. Every thirteen nights, one of these stars sets in the west 108

at dawn, and another rises in the east, so that at the end of the year they will all have come and gone. The Arabs used to believe that when one set and the next one rose, there would be rain, which they attributed to them (these stars), so they would say, “We have rain because of such and such naw’ (star which sets at the rising of another).” It is called naw’ because when the star which is setting sets in the west, the one which is rising appears (naa’a) in the east, i.e., it rises and emerges. And it was said that naw’ means setting, which is the opposite. But in the case of those who believe that rain came by the will of Allaah and say, “We have rain at the time of such and such naw’” meaning that Allaah usually causes rain to come at this time – there is some dispute as to whether saying this is haraam or makrooh. Ghoul (pl. gheelaan) means a kind of jinn or devil. The Arabs used to think that the ghoul lived in the wilderness and would appear to people, and that it could take on different shapes and colours, and that it would make them lose their way, seeking to kill them. The Lawgiver rejected and denied this idea altogether. And it was said that this was not denying that ghouls exist, rather it was a denial of the Arabs’ belief that they could change shape and colour and make people lose their way, hence the meaning of “no ghoul” is that they cannot make people lose their way. This is borne out by another hadeeth, “There is no ghoul but there is sa’aali” This is in Muslim and elsewhere. Sa’aali is a magician among the jinn, but among them there are magicians who base their magic on confusion and illusions… al-Khallaal narrated from Taawoos that a man accompanied him, then a crow cawed and the man said, “Good, good.” Taawoos said to him, “What good is there in this, and what evil? Do not come with me!” (al-Aadaab al-Shar’iyyah, 3/369, 370) 109

Ibn al-Qayyim said: Some scholars said that the words “no healthy person should be exposed to a sick person” were abrogated by the words “There is no ‘adwa (contagion).” This is not correct. This is an example where what is negated is different than what is affirmed. What the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) denied when he said “There is no contagion and no Safar” was the belief of the mushrikeen which was based on their beliefs of shirk. With regard to the Prophet’s prohibition of exposing healthy people to sick people, there are two interpretations: (1) The fear that people may attribute what Allaah has decreed to ‘adwa (contagion), which may confuse those who hear of this and make them believe in ‘adwa. There is no contradiction between the two reports. (2) That this refers to exposing the sick person to the healthy person, which may be the means by which Allaah creates disease, so the exposure is the cause, but Allaah may divert its effects by means of other causes which oppose it or prevent the effect of the sickness. This is pure Tawheed, unlike that which the people of shirk believe in. This is similar to the denial of intercession on the Day of Resurrection mentioned in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): “when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession” [al-Baqarah 2:254] This does not contradict the unambiguous mutawaatir ahaadeeth which say that there will be intercession on the Day of Resurrection, because what Allaah is denying 110

here is the kind of intercession that was known among the mushrikeen, where an intercessor would come forward and intercede without being given permission. The intercession which is affirmed by Allaah and His Messenger is that which comes after His permission is given, as in the aayahs (interpretation of the meaning): “…Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission?…” [al-Baraqah 2:255] “and they cannot intercede except for him with whom He is pleased” [al-Anbiyaa’ 21:28] “Intercession with Him profits not except for him whom He permits” [Saba’ 34:23] Haashiyat Tahdheeb Sunan Abi Dawood, 10/289-291) And Allaah is the One Who grants strength to do what is right. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 12817: except ruqam (marks or stripes) on clothes Question: What is meant by ruqam (marks or stripes on clothes) in the hadeeth “except ruqam on textiles”? 111

Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) interpreted ruqam in two ways: (i) That it refers to images in carpets and similar items, which are walked on and are not treated in a respectful manner like pillows. This is allowed, because the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) allowed it. What is meant is that he allowed their use, but making images is not allowed. (ii) That it refers to decorations on garments, apart from pictures or images. Decoration on clothing is fine and does not come under the ruling on images. What is forbidden is images of animate beings, human or otherwise, because it was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered upon ‘Aa’ishah and saw a garment on which there was an image. He got angry and tore it down, and said, “The makers of these images will be punished on the Day of Resurrection, and they will be told, ‘Give life to that which you have created.’ ‘Aa’ishah said: So I made it into two pillows on which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) could recline. Al-Nasaa’i narrated with a saheeh isnaad from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had an appointment with Jibreel, and he was late, so he went out to him and found him waiting for him (outside). Jibreel said to him: “In the house there is a statue, and a curtain with images on it, and a dog. Go and break the head off the statue so that it will look like a tree, and go and make two pillows out of the curtain that will be thrown on the floor and stepped on, and go and throw the dog out.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went and did that, then 112

Jibreel (peace be upon him) came in. Abu Hurayrah said: the dog was a puppy underneath a bed in the house, which has been brought in by al-Hasan and al-Husayn. Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Maqaalaat Mutunaaw’iah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-‘Allaamah ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), p. 91 (www.islamqa.com) 4713: What is the meaning of the hadeeth “We are an unlettered nation, we do not write or calculate”? Question: What is the meaning of the hadeeth “We are an unlettered nation, we do not read or write”? Does this contradict what the Muslims are doing nowadays of seeking education? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The wording of the hadeeth is not as mentioned in the question. We will quote it here: It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “We are an unlettered nation, we do not write or calculate. The month is such-and-such or such-and-such – meaning sometimes it is twenty-nine and sometimes it is thirty.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1814; Muslim, 1080) This hadeeth was narrated concerning the issue of the beginning of the lunar month, and it indicates that there is no need to resort to astronomical calculations in order 113

to know when the month begins. We should rely on visual sighting of the moon when it is new, then we will know that the month has begun. The hadeeth was quoted to explain that we should rely on sighting of the moon and not on calculations. It did not come to urge the ummah to remain ignorant and not to learn arithmetic and all other useful sciences. So this hadeeth does not contradict what Muslims are doing nowadays of seeking education in different branches of science which will benefit their worldly interests. Islam is the religion of knowledge; it calls for knowledge and obliges every Muslim to learn what Allaah has enjoined upon him and to learn whatever rulings of sharee’ah he needs to know about acts of worship and dealings with others. With regard to worldly sciences such as medicine, engineering, agriculture, etc., Muslims have to learn whatever the ummah needs to know. If the Muslims need to manufacture a needle, there has to be someone among them who can learn how to make this needle. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah wrote a very useful discussion on this hadeeth; there follows a selection of his comments on it: “The phrase ‘We are an unlettered nation’ is not telling them to be like that. They were unlettered before Islam came, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves’ [al-Jumu’ah 62:2] ‘And say to those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) and to those who are illiterates (Arab pagans): Do you (also) submit yourselves (to Allaah in Islam)?’ [Aal ‘Imraan 3:20] 114

Although this is how they were before the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sent to them, they were not commanded to become like that. Some of the implications of being unlettered were to remain, but as we shall see, they were not commanded to remain as they were in every sense… Among the nation to which Allaah sent him were some who could read and write a great deal, just as there were among his Companions. There were also some who could calculate. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sent with some obligations which involve calculation. It was narrated that when the person he had appointed to take care of the zakaah, Ibn al-Latabiyyah, came to him, he calculated the total amount collected. He had a number of scribes, such as Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmaan, ‘Ali, Zayd and Mu’aawiyah, who would write down the Revelation, and would write contracts and write his letters to the people to whom Allaah had sent him, the kings of the earth and the leaders of groups, and to his workers, governors, etc. Allaah says in His Book (interpretation of the meaning): “… that you might know the number of the years and the reckoning” [Yoonus 10:5; al-Israa’ 17:12] This is mentioned in two places in the Qur’aan, where Allaah tells us that He has created [the sun and moon] so that the calculations may be known. The word ummi (unlettered or illiterate) comes from the same root as the word ummah (nation). It refers to one who is not distinguished from the rest of the people by knowing how to read or write. It is akin to the word ‘aammi which is used to describe a regular person (one of the ‘aammah or masses) who is not distinguished from them by having knowledge which they do not have. It 115

was also said that the word ummi is connected to the word umm (mother), because he has learned no more than his mother taught him, and so on. The distinction which takes him out of the ranks of the regular, unlettered people into the ranks of those who have specialized knowledge may be a virtue in and of itself, as in the case of those who read Qur’aan and understand its meaning, or it may be a means which helps to reach that level of virtue, as when a person is distinguished from them by his being able to write and read. So the one who uses that knowledge to pursue perfection is to be praised, whilst the one who neglects it or uses it for evil purposes is to be condemned. Whoever does away with it in favour of something that is more beneficial is more perfect, and if you can achieve the aim without using these means, then that is even better. Thus it is clear that being distinct from the unlettered is of two types. The first nation to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sent was the Arabs, through whom the Message was conveyed to all the other nations, because it was sent in their tongue. They were mostly illiterate, and they had no advantage of having knowledge or a scripture etc., although by nature they were more ready to learn than other nations. They were like a plowed field that is ready to be sown, but there was no one to do the task and they had no scripture they could read that had been revealed from Allaah, as the People of the Book had, or any analytical science like the Sabaeans and others had. Writing existed among them, but to a very small extent. They had some knowledge of the type that is acquired by common sense, but which does not make an individual distinct from any other unlettered person; for example, they knew of the Creator, and they held good characteristics in high esteem, and they had some knowledge of astronomy, genealogy and poetry. So they deserved to be called unlettered in all senses of the word, 116

as Allaah said concerning them (interpretation of the meaning): “‘He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves’ [al-Jumu’ah 62:2] ‘And say to those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) and to those who are illiterates (Arab pagans): Do you (also) submit yourselves (to Allaah in Islam)?’ [Aal ‘Imraan 3:20] So the unlettered or illiterate were described as being opposite to the People of the Book, for the kitaabi (one of the People of the Book) is something other than the ummi (unlettered). When he was sent among them, it became obligatory upon them to follow the Book that he brought and to ponder its meanings, understand it and act upon it. Allaah made this Book an explanation for all things, and their Prophet taught them everything, even (the etiquette of) defecation. They became people of a Book and people of knowledge, indeed, they became the most knowledgeable of people and the best of them in beneficial knowledge. They lost the feature of blameworthy and imperfect illiteracy, which is the lack of knowledge and a revealed Book, and they gained knowledge of the Book and wisdom. They inherited the Book, as Allaah said concerning them (interpretation of the meaning): “He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves, reciting to them His Verses, purifying them (from the filth of disbelief and polytheism), and teaching them the Book (this Qur’aan, Islamic laws and Islamic jurisprudence) and AlHikmah 117

(AsSunnah: legal ways, orders, acts of worship of Prophet Muhammad). And verily, they had been before in manifest error” [al-Jumu’ah 62:2] They were unlettered in every sense of the word, but when he taught then the Book and al-Hikmah, Allaah said concerning them (interpretation of the meaning): “Then We gave the Book (the Qur’aan) as inheritance to such of Our slaves whom We chose (the followers of Muhammad). Then of them are some who wrong their ownselves, and of them are some who follow a middle course, and of them are some who are, by Allaah’s Leave, foremost in good deeds” [Faatir 35:32] “And this is a blessed Book (the Qur’aan) which We have sent down, so follow it and fear Allaah (i.e. do not disobey His Orders), that you may receive mercy (i.e. saved from the torment of Hell). Lest you (pagan Arabs) should say: ‘The Book was sent down only to two sects before us (the Jews and the Christians), and for our part, we were in fact unaware of what they studied.’ Or lest you (pagan Arabs) should say: ‘If only the Book had been sent down to us, we would surely, have been better guided than they (Jews and Christians).’” [al-An’aam 6:155-157] And Allaah answered the prayer of al-Khaleel (Ibraaheem) for them, when he said (interpretation of the meaning): “Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own (and indeed Allaah answered their invocation by sending 118

Muhammad), who shall recite unto them Your Verses and instruct them in the Book (this Qur’aan) and Al-Hikmah (full knowledge of the Islamic laws and jurisprudence or wisdom or Prophethood) [al-Baqarah 2:129] So there are kinds of illiteracy which are haraam, kinds which are makrooh and kinds which are a shortcoming and failure to do that which is better. A person who does not know how to read al-Faatihah or any part of the Qur’aan, is called by the fuqahaa’ in their discussion on al-salaah (prayer), ummi (unlettered), the opposite of whom is a qaari’ (one who reads or recites). They say: it is not correct for a qaari’ to be led in prayer by an ummi, but it is permissible for an ummi to lead another ummi in prayer; and they discuss other issues of the same nature. What they mean by ummi here is one who cannot read what is necessary, regardless of whether he can write and calculate or not. This illiteracy also includes neglecting what is obligatory, for which a man will be punished if he is able to learn it but he does not do so. There is also the kind of illiteracy which is blameworthy, such as that which Allaah described in the case of the People of the Book, when He said (interpretation of the meaning): “And there are among them (Jews) unlettered people, who know not the Book, but they trust upon false desires and they but guess” [al-Baqarah 2:78] This is a description of one who does not understand the word of Allaah or act upon it; all he does is to recite it. Al-Hasan al-Basri said: The Qur’aan was revealed to be 119

acted upon, so recitation implies acting upon it. The ummi in this sense may read the letters of the Qur’aan, etc., but he does not understand it; when he speaks about matters of knowledge, he speaks superficially, based on conjecture. This person is also regarded as ummi and deserves to be blamed, just as Allaah condemned him for his lack of obligatory knowledge, whether this knowledge is fard ‘ayn (obligatory on each individual) or fard kafaayah (obligatory on the community as a whole but not on each individual) There is also the kind of ‘illiteracy’ which is better and more perfect, such as the one who only reads a part of the Qur’aan and he only understands what he has learned. He only understands as much of sharee’ah as he has to know. Such a person is also called ummi (illiterate), and others who learn and act upon the Qur’aan are better and more perfect than him. These matters which distinguish a person are virtues, and if a person fails to attain them, he is missing out on something that is obligatory either on him as an individual (fard ‘ayn) or is obligatory on the community (fard kafaayah) or is mustahabb (recommended). These attributes of perfection and virtue may be attributed to Allaah and His Prophets in general terms. Allaah is AllKnowing and All-Wise, and He combines knowledge and beneficial speech in all that He wants, tells and wills. The same is true of His Prophets and our Prophet, the leader of the knowledgeable and wise. With regard to the distinguishing features which are means to attaining virtues, but which one can do without and use alternative means, these are things like writing and numeracy. If a person does not have these abilities, knowing that virtue cannot be achieved without them, not having them is a sign of imperfection. If a person acquires them and uses them to perfect himself – like the 120

one who learns how to read and then uses that to read the Qur’aan and read useful books or write other things that will be of benefit to people – then this is a virtue in his case. But if he uses it for purposes that will harm him or other people – like the one who reads misguided books or writes things that will harm people, like forging the writing of rulers, judges and witnesses – then this will be bad for him, and will be a sin and imperfection. Hence ‘Umar forbade teaching women how to write. If it is possible to do without it yet still achieve perfect knowledge, then this is better, and this was the case with our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), of whom Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning): “Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write (i.e. Muhammad) whom they find written with them in the Tawraat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)…” [al-A’raaf 7:157] His being unlettered did not mean that he was lacking in knowledge or the ability to recite by heart, for he is the leader of all imaams in that regard. What it meant was that he was not able to write or to read anything that was written, as Allaah said of him (interpretation of the meaning): “Neither did you (O Muhammad) read any book before it (this Qur’aan), nor did you write any book (whatsoever) with your right hand…” [al-‘Ankaboot 29:48] [Then he (Ibn Taymiyah – may Allaah have mercy on him) went back to discussing the hadeeth “We are an unlettered nation, we do not write or calculate…” and stated that there is a corroborating report which refers to what is meant by this hadeeth. Then he said:] When this is compared with his comment that the month may be thirty or twenty-nine days, it becomes clear that what is meant is that with regard to the new moon 121

(beginning of the month), we have no need for writing or calculations, because sometimes it is (thirty days) and sometimes it is (twenty-nine days). What differentiates between them is the sighting (of the new moon), there is nothing else that differentiates between them, such as writing or calculation. Thus is becomes clear that the “illiteracy” mentioned here is a characteristic which is praiseworthy in several senses: it means doing without writing and calculations in favour of something whichis clearer and more apparent, namely, (sighting) the new moon. - Writing and calculation may involve errors… Etc. (Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 25/164-175) (www.islam-qa.com) 9571: What is the meaning of the hadeeth “Do not inveigh against time (waqt) for Allaah is time waqt)”? Question: Is the saying “Do not curse time for Allah is time” authentic from the Rasool’s sayings ? If so, how do you interpret this ? I am confused about this issue. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The word used in the hadeeth is not waqt (= time), but dahr (= time, vicissitudes of time) [this element of confusion may stem from translation of the question into Arabic]. This hadeeth was narrated by Muslim (5827) from Abu Hurayrah. 122

Other versions of the hadeeth are: “Do not inveigh against time (al-dahr), for Allaah is time” “Let not any one of you say, ‘Woe to time,’ for Allaah is time” “Allaah says, ‘The sons of Adam offend Me and say, Woe to time, but they should not say Woe to time. I am time, I alternate the night and the day, and if I willed, I could seize them both.’” With regard to the meaning of the hadeeth, al-Nawawi said: They said: this is a metaphor, because the Arabs used to inveigh against time when disasters such as death, old age, loss of money, etc., happened. They would say, ‘Woe to time’ and other phrases cursing or inveighing against time. So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Do not inveigh against time for Allaah is time’, i.e., do not inveigh against the One Who brings about those disasters, for that will be directed towards Allaah, for He is the One Who causes them to happen. Time (al-dahr) means al-zamaan (time) which cannot do anything in and of itself, for it is just one of the things that have been created by Allaah. The meaning of the phrase “for Allaah is time” means that He is the One Who causes those events and accidents to happen, and He is the Creator of all that happens. And Allaah knows best. (Sharh Muslim, 15/3) It should be noted that “time” (al-dahr) is not one of the Names of Allaah; it is attributed to Allaah in the sense that He created it and is controlling it, i.e., He is the Creator of time. Some phrases in the same hadeeth also indicate 123

this, as when He says, “It is in My Hand, I alternate the night and the day.” The One Who alternates and the thing which is alternated cannot be one and the same; there is the One Who alternates – i.e., Allaah – and the thing which is alternated – i.e., time, which Allaah controls as and when He wills. See: Fataawa al-‘Aqeedah by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 1/163 Al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer said, in his Tafseer of the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): “And they say: “There is nothing but our life of this world, we die and we live and nothing destroys us except AdDahr (time)” [al-Jaathiyah 45:24] Al-Shaafa’i, Abu ‘Ubaydah and others said, in their commentary on the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Do not inveigh against time for Allaah is time” – During the Jaahiliyyah, if some difficulty, trial or disaster befell them, the Arabs would say ‘Woe to time’, attributing those events to time and inveighing against it. But the One Who brought those events to pass is Allaah, so it was as if they were inveighing against Allaah, may He be glorified, because in fact He was the One Who caused those things to happen. So it was forbidden to inveigh against time in this manner, because Allaah is Time, i.e., He is the One lWho is controlling it, but the Arabs were attributing those events to Time. This is the best of the comments made in the Tafseer of this hadeeth, and this is what is meant. And Allaah knows best. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 4/152) Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah preserve him) was 124

asked about the ruling on inveighing against time. He replied: Inveighing against time may be divided into three categories: 1. Where the intention is to convey information without blaming or condemning. This is permissible, such as when a person remarks, “We are suffering from the heat (or the cold) today” and the like, because deeds are judged according to their intentions, and in this case a person is merely describing what is happening without expressing discontent. 2. Where a person inveighs against time as the cause of events, as if by inveighing against it he means that time is what causes things to alternate between good and bad. This is shirk akbar (major form of shirk) because when a person attributes events to something other than Allaah, this means that he believes that there is another creator alongside Allaah. 3. Where a person inveighs against time but believes that the One who causes things to happen is Allaah, but he inveighs against time because of the bad things that happened. This is haraam because it is contrary to the sabr (patience) that is required, but it is not kufr because the person does not inveigh directly against Allaah. If he were to inveigh directly against Allaah, he would be a kaafir. (Fataawaa al-‘Aqeedah, 1/197) Other reprehensible expressions which people utter include cursing the hour or the day on which a certain bad thing happened, and so on. This is a sin because it is cursing and improper speech, and because this is cursing something which does not deserve to be cursed. What has the hour or the day done wrong? Nothing apart from 125

the fact that the events happened then, but they are only created things which have no control over anything and cannot be held to blame. If a person inveighs against time, this reflects on the Creator of time. The Muslim should be above speaking in such a foolish and improper manner. And Allaah is the One Whose help we seek. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 4236: The Hadith of the Seven is Not in Reference to Men Only Question: Is the hadith that talks about the seven whom Allah will shade on the Day in which there is no shade except Allah’s specific just for men or is it for anyone, such as women, who perform those acts and, therefore, they will receive that reward mentioned in the hadith? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The merits mentioned in the hadith are not specifically for men. In fact, they are general for both men and women. If a young woman grows up in the worship of Allah, she is included among them. Similarly, two women who love each other for the sake of Allah alone are also included. Again, any woman who is invited to illegal sexual intercourse by a man of nobility and beauty and she refuses his advances, saying, “I fear Allah,” will be one of those in the shade of Allah. 126

Any woman who gives in charity from her legal earnings to the extent that her left hand does not know what her right hand has given will be included among them. If a woman remembers Allah when she is alone by herself, she will be included among them like any man. However, the righteous leader is something specific for men. Similarly, performing the prayers in congregation in the mosque is something specific for men. The prayer of the woman in her house is more virtuous as has been stated in the authentic Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Shaikh ibn Baz (www.islam-qa.com)

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Science of Hadeeth 34651: Mutawaatir hadeeth Question: What is the ruling on mutawaatir hadeeth in Islam?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Mutawaatir is an Arabic word that is derived from the word tawaatur, which means succession, one after the other. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Then We sent Our Messengers in succession” [al-Mu’minoon 23:44] What this means in sharee’ah terminology is a report which was narrated by a group who could not possibly have agreed upon a lie, from a similar group, and which is based on what they saw or heard. The scholars have mentioned four conditions for a hadeeth to be regarded as mutawaatir: 1 – It should have been narrated by a large number 2 – The number should be so large that it is impossible that they could have agreed upon a lie. 3 – There should be a large number of narrators at every stage of the chain of narration (isnaad), so it should have been narrated by a large number from a large number, all the way back to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). 128

4 – It should be based on what they saw or heard, so they should say, “We heard” or “We saw”, because if it is not like that it is possible for error to creep in, so it is not mutawaatir. With regard to the types of mutawaatir, these are: 1 – Mutawaatir in the wording – For example: “Whoever tells a lie against me deliberately, let him take his place in Hell.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 107; Muslim, 3; Abu Dawood, 3651; al-Tirmidhi, 2661; Ibn Maajah, 30, 37; and Ahmad, 2/159. This hadeeth was narrated by more than seventy-two Sahaabah, and was narrated from them by a huge number of narrators whom it is impossible to list. 2 – Mutawaatir in the meaning – this is where the same meaning is narrated in mutawaatir hadeeth, but not necessarily in the same wording each time. For example: the ahaadeeth about raising the hands when making du’aa’. Nearly one hundred ahaadeeth are narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in each of which it says that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) raised his hands when making du’aa’. Al-Suyooti compiled them in a chapter which he entitled Fadd al-Wi’aa’ fi Ahaadeeth Raf’ al-Yadayn fi’lDu’aa’. With regard to the ruling on mutawaatir reports: a mutawaatir report must be accepted, because it is definitive and certain, even if there is no other corroborating evidence. And there is no need to examine 129

the biographies of its narrators. This is a matter concerning which no wise man will have any doubts. References: - Nuzhat al-Nazr by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar - Al-Hadeeth al-Mutawaatir by Dr, Khaleel Mulla Khaatir - Al-Hadeeth al-Da’eef wa Hukm al-Ihtijaaj bihi by Shaykh Dr ‘Abd al-Kareem ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Khudayr Mu’jam Mustalahaat al-Hadeeth wa Lataa’if alAsaaneed by Dr. Muhammad Diya’ al-Rahmaan alA’zami. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 27224: Overnight stay of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and Abu Bakr in the cave of Thawr Question: I have been trying to find the hadeeth where it says that when the Prophet was migrating to Madeenah and he hid in the cave, an angel or angels covered with their wings the opening of the cave from the view of the searching party of the kuffaar. The common version that is well known amongst Muslims is that a spider spun a web around the opening thus hiding the Prophet, but I found out that this narration is weak or fabricated, and that the report of angels covering the opening is an authentic version, can you tell me who the narrator was and in which book of hadeeth or seerah I can find this (with chains) ?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The overnight stay of the Prophet (peace and blessings of 130

Allaah be upon him) and Abu Bakr in the cave of Thawr is mentioned in the Book of Allaah and in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). There follow some details: 1 – In the Book of Allaah: The story of this overnight stay is mentioned in the Qur’aan. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “If you help him (Muhammad) not (it does not matter), for Allaah did indeed help him when the disbelievers drove him out, the second of the two; when they (Muhammad and Abu Bakr) were in the cave, he said to his companion (Abu Bakr): “Be not sad (or afraid), surely, Allaah is with us.” Then Allaah sent down His Sakeenah (calmness, tranquillity, peace) upon him, and strengthened him with forces (angels) which you saw not, and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowermost, while the Word of Allaah that became the uppermost; and Allaah is AllMighty, All-Wise” [al-Tawbah 9:40] This verse clearly states that the mushrikeen were conspiring to kill him, and that they [i.e., the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and Abu Bakr] stayed overnight in the cave. 2 – The Sunnah With regard to the reports in the saheeh Sunnah which speak of the overnight stay in the cave: -iIt was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah, the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), said: “… then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and Abu Bakr headed towards a cave 131

on the mountain of Thawr, and they hid in it for three nights, during which ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Bakr – who was a smart young lad – stayed with them at night then left just before dawn (at the end of the night) so that he would be among Quraysh in Makkah when morning came, as if he had spent the night among them. He used to listen out to see what they were planning, then he would bring news of that [to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and Abu Bakr] when darkness came…” This was narrated by al-Bukhaari (3905) in a lengthy story to which he gave the title “The migration (hijrah) of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions to Madeenah.” -iiIt was narrated that Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), when I was with him in the cave: “If one of them looks down at his feet he will see us.” He said, “What do you think, O Abu Bakr, of two the third of whom is Allaah?” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3653. The story of the spider’s web was narrated by Imam Ahmad (3241) from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him), with regard to the verse (interpretation of the meaning): “And (remember) when the disbelievers plotted against you (O Muhammad) to imprison you” [al-Anfaal 8:30]. He said: Quraysh met together one night in Makkah. Some of them said: When morning comes, imprison him in chains – meaning the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Some said, No, kill him; and others said, No, drive him out. Allaah informed His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) of that, so ‘Ali slept in the bed of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that night, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went 132

out and hid in the cave. The mushrikoon spent the night lying in wait for ‘Ali, thinking that he was the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). When morning came, they pounced on him, and when they saw ‘Ali, Allaah thwarted their plot. They said, Where is that friend of yours? He said, I do not know. So they set out after him and when they reached the mountain, they were confounded. They climbed up the mountain and passed by the cave, and saw a spider’s web over its entrance. They said, If anyone had entered here, the spider would not have spun a web over the entrance. And he stayed there for three nights. The scholars differed concerning this hadeeth. Its isnaad was classed as hasan by al-Haafiz ibn Hajar in Fath alBaari and by Ibn Katheer in al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah (3/222). It was classed as da’eef by al-Albaani in alSilsilah al-Da’eefah. Ahmad Shaakir said in Tahqeeq alMusnad (3251): there is some dispute concerning its isnaad. The commentators on al-Musnad said (3251): its isnaad is da’eef. And Allaah knows best. With regard to the story of the two doves or pigeons, this was mentioned by Ibn Katheer in al-Bidaayah wa’lNihaayah (3/223). He said, it was narrated by Ibn ‘Asaakir, then he said: This hadeeth is ghareeb jiddan with this isnaad. It was similarly classed as da’eef by the commentators on al-Musnad in the same place referred to above. Al-Albaani said in al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah (3/339): Note that there is no saheeh hadeeth concerning the spider and doves at the cave, despite the fact that this is widely mentioned in some books and lectures which are given on the anniversary of the migration of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to Madeenah. So this should be borne in mind. 133

With regard to the angels concealing the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and Abu Bakr, this was narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer (24/106-108) from the hadeeth of Asma’ bint Abi Bakr. It is a lengthy hadeeth in which it says: “Then Abu Bakr said of a man whom he could see opposite the cave, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, he is looking at us.’ He said, ‘No, the angels are concealing us with their wings.’…” The isnaad of this hadeeth includes Ya’qoob ibn Humayd ibn Kaasib al-Madani, concerning whom the scholars differed. See Tahdheeb al-Kamaal by al-Mazzi, 32/318323. He was regarded as da’eef (weak) by Ibn Ma’een, Abu Haatim, al-Nasaa’i and Abu Zar’ah al-Raazi. Abu Dawood al-Sijistaani said: we have seen in his Musnad ahaadeeth which we regard as munkar. We asked him for their sources and he refused to tell us, then he narrated them after that. We found ahaadeeth in some books that had been recently altered, and these ahaadeeth are mursal but he added isnaads to them and added something to the texts. Ibn ‘Adiyy said: There is nothing wrong with him and his reports. He narrated many ahaadeeth and many ghareeb reports. Al-Dhahabi said: He was one of the scholars of hadeeth but he reports munkar and ghareeb reports. Ibn Hibbaan classed him as thiqah (trustworthy). AlHaafiz ibn Hajar said, he is sadooq (truthful) but he is confused sometimes. Al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) classed his hadeeth as hasan but he did not class this hadeeth as hasan. He said in al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah (3/263): 134

What is established concerning this Ya’qoob is that his hadeeth is hasan… If there is no other fault in the isnaad then it is hasan… Then he said: Shaykh al-Tabaraani Ahmad ibn ‘Amr al-Khallaal al-Makki did not find anything about his background. He narrated approximately 16 hadeeth from him in al-Mu’jam alAwsat, which indicates that he was one of his well-known shaykhs. If the hadeeth is known or there are corroborating reports, then the hadeeth is hasan. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 32638: Is it true that there are no da’eef reports? Question: What is the number of ahaadeeth as compared to the number of narrators? Is it true that there are no weak (da’eef) reports although there are many weak narrators?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. It is difficult to compare the number of reports and the number of narrators, because one hadeeth may have been transmitted by a number of narrators, just as one narrator may have transmitted a number of ahaadeeth. The view that there are no da’eef (weak) reports is not correct, because the position of the narrator and his status with regard to his character, precision and memory, has a great impact on the ruling on his reports. We will give you some examples of that. 135

1 – The hadeeth “Recite Ya-Seen over your dead.” This was narrated by Abu Dawood and Ibn Maajah, via Sulaymaan al-Taymi from Abu ‘Uthmaan from his father from Ma’qil ibn Yassaar. This hadeeth is da’eef because the identity of Abu ‘Uthmaan and his father are not known. See Irwa’ alGhaleel, 3/150, no. 688. 2 – The hadeeth “No child should be separated from his mother.” This was narrated by al-Bayhaqi, from the hadeeth of Husayn ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Damrah from his father from his grandfather. Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “This is a da’eef hadeeth, and there is consensus that Husayn ibn ‘Abd-Allaah is da’eef.” (alMajmoo’, 9/445). These ahaadeeth are da’eef because their narrators are da’eef. It may also be the case that the isnaad is da’eef but the hadeeth itself is saheeh because it is narrated through another chain which is saheeh. Or the isnaad may be saheeh, but the text is da’eef, because of some fault in it. This is a vast field of knowledge which requires study and experience. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 20153: Refutation of one who casts aspersions upon Saheeh al-Bukhaari Question: My Shia friend have posed a question to me as to how we 136

can claim Sahih Bkhari to be Authentic when Imam Bukhari (May Allah Mercy be upon him) was present 400 years after the death of the Prophet. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Imam al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) died in 256 AH, i.e., 245 years after the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, not as your Shi’i friend claims. But these people are natural liars so this claim comes as no surprise. That does not mean that alBukhaari could have narrated directly from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him); this is not what is meant at all. Rather we mention this here for the purpose of making things clear. But how can we depend upon Saheeh al-Bukhaari when al-Bukhaari never met the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in person? The answer is that in his Saheeh, al-Bukhaari did not narrate anything directly from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), rather he narrated from trustworthy shaykhs, who attained the highest degree of memorization, precision and trustworthiness, who in turn had narrated from equally reliable shaykhs, all the way back to the Sahaabah who narrated from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The smallest number of narrators between al-Bukhaari and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is three. So we rely upon Saheeh al-Bukhaari because he chose the narrators from whom he transmitted hadeeth with the utmost care, and they are the most trustworthy. Moreover, he would not write down any hadeeth in his Saheeh until he had done ghusl, then prayed 137

two rak’ahs and prayed istikhaarah, asking Allaah to guide him with regard to writing down this hadeeth; then he would write it down. It took him sixteen years to write this book, which the ummah accepted and unanimously agreed that what is narrated in it is saheeh; and Allaah has protected this ummah from agreeing upon misguidance. Imam al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his introduction to Sharh Muslim (1/14): “The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) are agreed that the most sound of books after the Qur’aan are the two Saheehs of al-Bukhaari and Muslim, which were accepted by the ummah. The book of al-Bukhaari is the more sound and the more beneficial of the two.” If you ask this Shi’i (or Raafidi) about the sayings of ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) that their leaders have transmitted, and the sayings of al-Baaqir and Ja’far alSaadiq, and others of Ahl al-Bayt (may Allaah have mercy on them), whether they heard them from them or transmitted them with isnaads (chains of narrators), the answer will be clear. There is a great difference between the isnaads of al-Bukhaari and the isnaads of these misguided people who cannot find the names of their chain of narrators in the reports except in the books of the weak narrators, liars and deficient narrators. The claim made by this Raafidi (Shi’i) is simply the first step in attacking the Sunnah which demonstrates that their madhhab is false and their beliefs are corrupt. They cannot help but try to stir up trouble with these misguided notions. But they can never succeed, for the truth is clear and falsehood is confused. Moreover we advise you – may Allaah help you – to look for Sunni friends from whose company you can benefit, and to avoid making friends with followers of bid’ah. 138

The scholars have warned against making friends with them because they will keep on trying until they take a person far away from the truth by using all kinds of wiles and causing confusion. We ask Allaah to help us and you to follow the Sunnah and to keep away from bid’ah and those who follow it. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 21523: The authors of the Six Books Question: Who are the authors of the Six Books, and are there any da’eef (weak) ahaadeeth in their books? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The authors of the Six Books are: 1- Imam al-Bukhaari 2- Imam Muslim 3- Imam Abu Dawood 4- Imam al-Tirmidhi 5- Imam al-Nasaa’i 6- Imaam Ibn Maajah There follow brief details about each of them. 139

1 – Imam al-Bukhaari His full name was Abu ‘Abd-Allaah Muhammad ibn Ismaa’eel ibn Ibraaheem ibn al-Mugheerah ibn Bardizbah al-Ja’fi al-Bukhaari. His grandfather al-Mugheerah was a freed slave of al-Yamaan al-Ja’fi, the governor of Bukhaarah, so he took his name after he became Muslim. Imam al-Bukhaari was born in Bukhaara in 194 AH. He grew up an orphan and started to memorize ahaadeeth before he was ten years old. When he was a young man he set out to travel to Makkah and perform the obligation of Hajj. He stayed in Makkah for a while, studying under the imams of fiqh, usool and hadeeth. Then he began to travel around, going from one Islamic region to another, for sixteen years in all. He visited many centers of knowledge where he collected ahaadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) until he had compiled more than 600,000 ahaadeeth. He referred to one thousand scholars of hadeeth and discussed these reports with them. These scholars were people who were known for their sincerity, piety and sound belief. From this huge number of ahaadeeth he compiled his book alSaheeh, following the most precise scientific guidelines in his research as to their authenticity and in distinguishing the saheeh (sound) from the weak, and in finding out about the narrators, until he recorded in his book the most sound of the sound, although it does not contain all the saheeh ahaadeeth. The book’s full title is al-Jaami’ al-Saheeh al-Musnad min Hadeeth Rasool-Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wa Sunanihi wa Ayaamihi. The governor of Bukhaara wanted al-Bukhaari to come to his house to teach his children and read ahaadeeth to them. But al-Bukhaari refused and wrote to him: “Knowledge is to be sought in its own house,” meaning that knowledge is to be sought not summoned. Whoever wanted to learn from the scholars should go to them in 140

the mosque or in their houses. So the governor bore a grudge against him and ordered that he be expelled from Bukhaara. So he went to the village of Khartank which is near Samarqand, where he had relatives, and he settled there until he died in 256 AH at the age of 62. May Allaah have mercy upon him. 2 – Imam Muslim His full name was Muslim ibn al-Hajjaaj ibn Muslim alQushayri al-Nisapoori Abu’l-Husayn. He is one of the leading scholars of hadeeth and one of the most knowledgeable. He was born in Nisapoor on the day that Imam al-Shaafa’i died in 204 AH. He studied in Nisapoor, and when he grew up he traveled to Iraq and the Hijaaz to learn hadeeth. He heard ahaadeeth from many shaykhs, and many scholars of hadeeth narrated from him. The most famous of his books is his Saheeh which is known as Saheeh Muslim. This is one of the six reliable books of hadeeth. He spent nearly fifteen years compiling this book, which is second only to Saheeh al-Bukhaari in status and in the strength of its ahaadeeth. Many scholars have written commentaries on his Saheeh. His books also include Kitaab al-Tabaqaat, Kitaab alJaami’ and Kitaab al-Asma’, and others which exist in printed and manuscript form. He died in the city of Nasarabad, near Nisapoor, in 261 AH, at the age of 57. May Allaah have mercy on him. 3 – Imam Abu Dawood His full name was Sulaymaan ibn al-Ash’ath ibn Shaddaad ibn ‘Amr ibn Ishaaq ibn Basheer al-Azdi alSajistani, from Sajistan. Abu Dawood was the leading hadeeth scholar of his age. He is the author of al-Sunan, which is one of the six reliable books of hadeeth. He was born in 202 AH. He traveled to Baghdad where he met Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and stayed with him; he also 141

looked like him. He also traveled to the Hijaz, Iraq, Khurasaan, Syria, Egypt and the borders of the Islamic world. Al-Nasaa’i, al-Tirmidhi and others narrated hadeeth from him. He attained the highest degree of piety and righteousness. His book al-Sunan includes more than 5300 ahaadeeth. The caliph Abu Ahmad Talhah (al-Muwaffaq al-‘Abbaasi) asked three things of him: the first was that he should move to Basrah and settle there, so that seekers of knowledge could come to him, thus bringing more people to settle there. The second was that he should teach alSunan to his children. The third was that he should give exclusive classes to his children, for the children of the caliph should not sit with the common people. Abu Dawood said to him: As for the first, yes; as for the second, yes; as for the third, no way, because all people are equal when it comes to knowledge. So the sons of al-Muwaffaq al-‘Abbaasi used to attend his lessons, and they would sit with a screen between them and the people. He remained in Basrah until he died in 275 AH. May Allaah have mercy on him. 4 – Imam al-Tirmidhi His full name was Muhammad ibn ‘Eesa ibn Soorah ibn Moosa ibn al-Dahhaak al-Salami al-Tirmidhi, Abu Eesa. He came from Tirmidh, once of the cities of Transoxiana, after which he was named. He was one of the leading scholars of hadeeth and memorization of hadeeth. He was born in 209 AH and studied under al-Bukhaari; they had some of the same teachers. He began to seek ahaadeeth by travelling to Khurasaan, Iraq and the Hijaz. He became famous for his memorization of hadeeth, trustworthiness and knowledge. His shaykhs included Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Abu Dawood al-Sajistani. He compiled al-Jaami’ which is counted as one of the six reliable books of hadeeth. In this book he examined the ahaadeeth in detail, 142

which is of benefit to students of fiqh, because he mentions the ahaadeeth and most of his ahaadeeth deal with rulings of fiqh. He mentions the isnaads and lists the Sahaabah who narrated the hadeeth, so what he believes is saheeh he says is saheeh, and what he believes is da’eef he says is da’eef. He explains who among the fuqaha’ accepted the hadeeth and who did not. His Jaami’ is the most comprehensive of the books of al-Sunan, and is the most useful to the muhaddith (hadeeth scholar) and faqeeh. His other works include Kitaab al-Shamaa’il al-Nabawiyyah and al-‘Ilal fi’l-Hadeeth. He was blind for the latter part of his life, after he had travelled around and compiled saheeh reports from prominent and well-versed scholars. He died in 279 AH at the age of 70. May Allaah have mercy on him. 5 – Imam al-Nasaa’i His full name was Ahmad ibn Shu’ayb ibn ‘Ali ibn Sinaan ibn Bahr ibn Dinar al-Nasaa’i, Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan. He came from the city of Nasa in Khurasaan, after which he was named (Nasawi or Nasaa’i). He was born in 215 AH, and he was one of the leading scholars and muhaddiths of his time. His comments on al-jarh wa’lta’deel (the study of the soundness or otherwise of narrators of hadeeth) are highly esteemed by the scholars. Al-Haakim said: I heard Abu’l-Hasan al-Daaraqutni say more than once, “Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan is the foremost among all scholars of hadeeth, and he is the best evaluator of narrators of his time.” He was extremely pious and righteous, and he used to regularly observe the best kind of fasting (the fasting of Dawood), he used to fast on alternate days. He lived in Egypt, where his books became famous and people learned from him. Then he moved to Damascus, where he died on Monday 13 Safar 300 AH, at the age of 85. May Allaah have mercy on him. 143

6 – Imam Ibn Maajah His full name was Muhammad ibn Yazeed al-Rab’i alQazwayni, Abu ‘Abd-Allaah. His father Yazeed was known as Maajah, so he was known as Ibn Maajah. The name al-Rab’i refers to Rabee’ah, after whom he was named because his father was a freed slave of Rabee’ah . He was a famous hafiz and the author of the book of hadeeth called al-Sunan. He was born in Qazwayn, after which he was named, in 209 AH. He travelled to Iraq, Basrah, Kufa, Baghdad, Makkah, Syria, Egypt and al-Rai to write down hadeeth. He wrote three books during his travels: a book on Tafseer; a book on history, in which he compiled the reports of men who had written down reports of the Sunnah from the time of the Sahaabah until his own time; and his book al-Sunan. Ibn Maajah died on Monday 22 Ramadaan 273 AH, at the age of 64. May Allaah have mercy on him. Ruling on the ahaadeeth in these books: With regard to Saheeh al-Bukhaari and Saheeh Muslim, the ummah accepts the ahaadeeth that are contained in these books, and they are agreed that everything in them is saheeh apart from a very few phrases which al-Bukhaari and Muslim narrated in order to explain why they are not sound, either explicitly or implicitly, as the scholars who wrote commentaries on these two books, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him), have explained. With regard to the other books of Sunan, they are not free of some da’eef (weak) ahaadeeth here and there. Some of them are noted as such by the authors themselves, and others have been pointed out by other scholars. They did not point out all the weak ahaadeeth, because they narrated the ahaadeeth with their isnaads, so it is easy for the scholars to tell the saheeh ahaadeeth from the da’eef by checking the chain of narrators and knowing who is reliable and who is weak. 144

Among the famous scholars in this field were Ahmad, alDaraqutni, Yahya ibn Ma’een, Ibn Hajar, al-Dhahabi, alWaaqi and al-Sakhaawi. Among the contemporary scholars in this field are al-Albaani, Ahmad Shaakir and others. May Allaah have mercy on them all. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 26794: The status of the hadeeth, “If I am someone’s mawla then ‘Ali is his mawla too” and its meaning Question: How sound is the hadeeth, “If I am someone’s mawla (friend) then ‘Ali is his mawla too”, and what does it mean? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth was narrated by alTirmidhi, 3713; Ibn Maajah, 121. There is some difference of opinion as to its authenticity. Al-Zayla’i said in Taareekh al-Hidaayah 1/189: “How many ahaadeeth there are which have many narrators and many isnaads, but they are da’eef (weak), such as the hadeeth “If I am someone’s mawla then ‘Ali is his mawla too”.” Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: “As for his saying “If I am someone’s mawla then ‘Ali is his mawla too”, this is not in the books of Saheeh, but it is one of the reports which were narrated by the scholars and concerning whose authenticity the people disputed. It was 145

narrated that al-Bukhaari, Ibraaheem al-Harbi and a group of scholars of hadeeth stated that it is not saheeh… As for the additional material, which is the phrase ‘O Allaah, take as friends those who take him as a friend, and take as enemies those who take him as an enemy,’ etc., this is undoubtedly false.” Manhaaj al-Sunnah, 7/319. AlDhahabi said: “As for the hadeeth, “If I am someone’s mawla then ‘Ali is his mawla too”, it has jayyid isnaads.” It was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah alSaheehah, 1750, and he criticized those who said that it is da’eef (weak). The fact that this sentence has a saheeh isnaad going back to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – if it is saheeh – cannot under any circumstances be taken as evidence to support what the extremists added to the hadeeth to prove that ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) takes precedence over all the other Sahaabah, or to slander the Sahaabah and accuse them of usurping his rights. Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] referred to some of these additions and proved them to be da’eef (weak) in ten places in Manhaaj al-Sunnah. There is some difference of opinion as to the meaning of the hadeeth. Whatever the meaning, it does not contradict that which is proven and well-known from the saheeh ahaadeeth which state that the best of this ummah is Abu Bakr and that he was the most deserving of being the khaleefah; then he was followed by ‘Umar, then ‘Uthmaan – may Allaah be pleased with them all. Proof of the virtue of a specific Sahaabi does not means that he is the best of them, and that does not contradict the fact that Abu Bakr is the best of them as is affirmed in the chapters on ‘aqeedah. One of the meanings that have been suggested for this hadeeth is as follows: 146

“It was said that its meaning is, ‘whomever I took as a friend, ‘Ali will also take him as a friend as opposed to an enemy, and whomever I used to love, ‘Ali will also love him.’ And it was said that its meaning is, ‘whoever took me as a friend, ‘Ali will also take him as a friend.’ This was quoted by al-Qaari’ from some of his scholars. Al-Jazari said in al-Nihaayah: ‘The word mawla is frequently mentioned in the hadeeth, and this is a name that is applied to many. It may refer to a lord, to an owner, to a master, to a benefactor, to one who frees a slave, to a supporter, to one who loves another, to a follower, to a neighbour, to a cousin (son of paternal uncle), to an ally, to an in-law, to a slave, to a freed slave, to one to whom one has done a favour. Most of these meanings are referred to in various ahaadeeth, so it is to be understand in the manner implied by the context of the hadeeth in which it is mentioned. Everyone who is in charge of some matter or is taking care of it is the mawla of that thing. The word mawla mentioned in this hadeeth may refer to most of the meanings indicated above. Al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: What is meant by that is the bonds of Islam, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): ‘That is because Allaah is the Mawlaa (Lord, Master, Helper, Protector) of those who believe, and the disbelievers have no Mawlaa (lord, master, helper, protector)’ [Muhammad 47:11] Al-Teebi said: it is incorrect to interpret the mawla as referring to the imam who conducts the affairs of the believers, because the only person who was in charge of the Muslims’ affairs during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the Prophet himself and no one else, so the word mawla must 147

be interpreted as referring to love, the bonds of Islam and so on.” Adapted from Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi Sharh al-Tirmidhi, Hadeeth 3713.. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 21364: Weakness of a hadeeth about the virtues of Ramadaan Question: How sound is the hadeeth narrated from Salmaan alFaarisi (may Allaah be pleased with him) in which he is reported to have said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) addressed us on the last day of Sha’baan and said: ‘O People, there has come to you a great and blessed month, a month in which there is a night that is better than a thousand months. Allaah has made fasting (this month) an obligation and spending its nights in prayer an act of voluntary worship. Whoever draws near to Allaah during this month by doing some good deeds is like one who does an obligatory action at any other time, and the one who does an obligatory action during this month is like one who does seventy obligatory actions at any other times. It is a month whose beginning is mercy, its middle is forgiveness and its end is ransom from the Fire…’”?? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. 148

This hadeeth was narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah in his Saheeh, 3/191, no. 1887. He said, “If the report is saheeh …” but the word ‘if’ was omitted in some references such as al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb by al-Mundhiri (2/95), so they thought that Ibn Khuzaymah said, “The report is saheeh,” although he did not state that. It was also narrated by al-Mahaamili in al-Amaali (293); by al-Bayhaqi in Shu’ab al-Eemaan (7/216); Fadaa’il alAwqaat, p. 146, no. 37; by Abu’l-Shaykh Ibn Hibbaan in Kitaab al-Thawaab; it was attributed to him by al-Saa’aati in al-Fath al-Rabbaani (9/233); it was mentioned by alSuyooti in al-Durr al-Manthoor, and he said, it was narrated by al-‘Aqeeli and he classed it as da’eef (weak); it was mentioned by al-Isbahaani in al-Targheeb, and by al-Munaqqi in Kanz al-‘Ummaal (8/477). All of them narrated it via Sa’eed ibn al-Musayyib from Salmaan alFaarisi. The isnaad of the hadeeth is da’eef (weak) for two reasons, which are: 1 – There is a break in the chain of narrators, because Sa’eed ibn al-Musayyib did not hear it from Salmaan alFaarisi (may Allaah be pleased with him). 2 – Its isnaad includes ‘Ali ibn Zayd ibn Jad’aan, of whom Ibn Sa’d said: “There is some weakness in him and he cannot be quoted as evidence. He was classed as da’eef (weak) by Ahmad, Ibn Ma’een, al-Nasaa’i, Ibn Khuzaymah, al-Jawzjaani and others, as it says in Siyar A’laam al-Nubala’, 5/207. Abu Haatim al-Raazi judged the hadeeth to be munkar (a kind of weak hadeeth). Al-‘Ayni said likewise in ‘Umdat al-Qaari’, 9/20, as did Shaykh al-Albaani in Silsilat alAhaadeeth al-Da’eefah wa’l-Mawdoo’ah, vol. 2/262. no. 871. So it becomes clear that the isnaad of this hadeeth and similar reports are all da’eef (weak), and that the muhadditheen (scholars of hadeeth) judged it to be 149

munkar, in addition to the fact that it contains some phrases whose authenticity is subject to further examination, such as its dividing the month into three parts, saying that the first ten days are mercy, then forgiveness, then ransom from the Fire. There is no evidence for this, rather the bounty of Allaah is immense, all of Ramadaan is mercy and forgiveness, and there are those whom Allaah ransoms from the Fire every night and at the time of breaking the fast, as is proven by the ahaadeeth. Moreover, in this hadeeth it says, “Whoever draws near to Allaah during this month by doing some good deeds is like one who does an obligatory action.” There is no evidence for this, rather naafil actions are naafil and obligatory actions are obligatory in Ramadaan and at other times. This hadeeth also says, “and the one who does an obligatory action during this month is like one who does seventy obligatory actions at any other times.” This number is subject to further examination, because a good deed earns a reward between ten and seven hundred times in Ramadaan and at other times, and nothing is exempted from that apart from fasting, for its reward is immense and unlimited, because of the hadeeth qudsi: “Every deed of the son of Adam is for him, except for fasting, which is for Me and I shall reward for it.” (Agreed upon; narrated from Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him). We must beware of da’eef (weak) hadeeth and make sure of their status before we speak of them. We must strive to find out the saheeh ahaadeeth about the virtues of Ramadaan. May Allaah grant us all strength and accept our fasting, night prayers and all our good deeds. And Allaah knows best. Dr. Ahmad ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Baatili. (www.islamqa.com) 150

21635: Is this hadeeth saheeh: “My Lord taught me good manners and He taught me well”? Question: What is the status of the hadeeth: “My Lord taught me good manners and He taught me well”? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Ibn Taymiyah said: No proven isnaad is known for this. See Ahaadeeth al-Qisaas, 78. It was narrated by alShawkaani in al-Fawaa’id al-Majmoo’ah, 1020 and by al-Fitni in Tadhkirah al-Mawdoo’aat, 87. But its meaning is correct. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 21728: Ruling on sleeping after ‘Asr Question: What is the status of the hadeeth, “Whoever sleeps after ‘Asr and loses his mind has no one to blame except himself”? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. 151

This hadeeth is da’eef jiddan (very weak). See al-Maqdoo’aat by Ibn al-Jawzi, 3/69; al-La’aali’ alMasnoo’ah by al-Suyooti, 2/279; Tarteeb al-Mawdoo’aat by al-Dhahabi, 839 Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 14017: Weak and fabricated ahaadeeth narrated by the Sufis Question: Is this hadeeth which is mentioned by the Sufis saheeh – “My heaven and my earth could not contain Me, but the heart of My believing slave contains Me”? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah was asked about the words which were narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “My heaven and my earth could not contain Me, but the heart of My believing slave contains Me”? He replied: Praise be to Allaah. What they mentioned is from the Israa’eeliyyaat [reports narrated from Jewish sources], no isnaad is known for it from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). What it means is that Allaah puts love and knowledge of Himself in the heart of His slave. The report, “The heart is the house of the Lord” is like 152

the first report. The heart is the home or seat of faith in Allaah and of knowledge and love of Him. They reported the words, “I was an unknown treasure and I wanted to be known, so I created mankind and taught them about Myself so that they would know Me.” These are not the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and I know of no isnaad for this, either saheeh (sound) or da’eef (weak). They reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah created reason, and said to it, ‘Come here,’ and it came. He said to it, ‘Go there,’ and it went. He said, ‘By My Glory and Majesty, I have not created anything more noble than you. I shall reward and punish because of you.’” This hadeeth is baatil (false) and mawdoo’ (fabricated) according to the consensus of hadeeth scholars. They narrate the words, “Love of this world is the root of all evil.” This is known from Jundub ibn ‘Abd-Allaah alBajali, but there is no known isnaad from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). They report the words, “This world is merely a step for the believing man.” This is not known from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or from the salaf of this ummah or its imams. They report the words, “Whoever is blessed with a thing, let him stick with it” and, “Whoever commits himself to something, let him stick with it.” The first report was narrated from one of the salaf. The second report is baatil (false), for whoever commits himself to something may have to stick to it or he may not, according to what Allaah and His Messenger have commanded. They report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Do favours for the poor, for tomorrow 153

they will have authority, and what authority!” and, “Poverty is my pride and I boast of it.” Both of these are lies and are not known in any way in the well known books of the Muslims. They report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I am the city of knowledge and ‘Ali is its gate.” This hadeeth is da’eef (weak); indeed it is mawdoo’ (fabricated) according to the scholars of hadeeth. It was narrated by al-Tirmidhi and others, but it is a lie. They report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “The poor will sit down on the Day of Resurrection, and [Allaah] will say, ‘By My Glory and Majesty, I did not deprive you of worldly things because you are insignificant. Rather I wanted to raise your status on this Day. Go to the place where the people are standing, and whoever gave you a piece of bread, or water to drink, or clothes to wear, take him to Paradise.’” The shaykh said: this report is a lie which was not narrated by any of the scholars of hadeeth. It is baatil (false) and goes against the Qur’aan and Sunnah and scholarly consensus (ijmaa’). They report that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to Madeenah, the daughters of al-Najjaar came out with daffs (hand-drums) and sang “Tala’a al-Badru ‘alayna min thaniyyat al-Widaa”, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to them, “Shake your tambourines, may Allaah bless you.” The hadeeth about women beating the daff on joyous occasions is saheeh, and this was done at the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but it is not known that he said, “Shake your tambourines.” They report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “O Allaah, You have brought me out of the place which is most beloved to me, so cause me to 154

dwell in the place which is most beloved to You.” This hadeeth is also baatil (false), although it was narrated by al-Tirmidhi and others. Rather he said to Makkah, “You are the most beloved part of Allaah’s land to me.” And he said, “You are the most beloved land to Allaah.” They report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever visits me and my father Ibraaheem in one year will enter Paradise.” This is a fabricated lie which was not narrated by any of the scholars of hadeeth. They report that a Bedouin prayed (quickly), pecking (like a bird) in his prayer. ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said, “Do not peck in your prayer.” The Bedouin said, “O ‘Ali, if your father had pecked in prayer he would not have entered Hell.” This is a lie. They report that ‘Umar killed his father. This is a lie, for his father died before the mission of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) began. They report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “I was a Prophet when Adam was between the water and the clay. I was a Prophet when Adam was neither water nor clay.” This wording is false. They report the words, “The bed of a single man is fire. Poor is the man who has no woman and the woman who has no man.” These are not the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It was narrated that when Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) built the Ka’bah, he prayed one thousand rak’ahs in each corner, then Allaah revealed to him, “O Ibraaheem, this is not like feeding a hungry man or clothing a man who cannot cover his ‘awrah.” This is obviously a lie, and it is not known in the books of the Muslims. 155

They narrate the words, “Do not despise tribulation, for it will reap the hypocrites.” These words are not known from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). They narrate the words, “Whoever teaches his brother an aayah from the Book of Allaah becomes his master.” This is a lie which is not known at all in the books of the scholars. They narrate that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “I looked at the sins of my ummah and I did not find any greater sin than that of one who learns an aayah then forgets it.” If this hadeeth is saheeh, what is meant is forgetting in the sense of not reciting. The wording of the hadeeth is: “Among the sins of my ummah is that of a man to whom Allaah gave an aayah of the Qur’aan, but he neglected it until he forgot it.” This forgetting means turning away from the Qur’aan and not believing in it or acting upon it. With regard to neglecting to study it until one forgets it, this is a sin. They report the words, “One aayah of the Qur’aan is better than Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. The Qur’aan is the word of Allaah, revealed not created, and there is nothing like it.” This wording was not reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). They report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever learns something beneficial and conceals it from the Muslims, Allaah will bridle him with reins of fire on the Day of Resurrection.” A similar meaning is to be found in al-Sunan: the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Whoever is asked about a matter of [Islamic] knowledge which he knows but he conceals it, Allaah will bridle him with reins of fire on the Day of Resurrection.” 156

They report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “When you come to talk about disputes which took place among my companions, be quiet. When you come to talk about the Divine will and decree (alqadaa’ wa’l-qadar), keep quiet.” This was reported with munqati’ (broken or interrupted) isnaads. They report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to Salmaan al-Farsi when he was eating grapes, “Du, du,” meaning eat them two by two. These are not the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him); this is baatil (false). They report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Whoever commits zina (fornication) with a woman and she gives birth to a girl, the fornicator may marry his daughter who was born as a result of zina.” This was said by those who were not among the companions of al-Shaafa’i. Some of them attributed it to al-Shaafa’i, and some of the companions of al-Shaafa’i denied that he said that. They said, he did not state that this is permitted, but he did state that this is permissible in the case of radaa’ah (breastfeeding), if he breastfed from the milk of a woman who got pregnant as a result of zina. Most of the scholars, such as Ahmad, Abu Haneefah and others, are agreed that this is haraam, and this is the stronger of the two opinions narrated in the madhhab of Maalik. They report the words, “the most deserving thing for which you take payment is the Book of Allaah.” Yes, it is proven that [the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] said, “The most deserving thing for which you take payment is the Book of Allaah,” but that was in the hadeeth about ruqyah (reciting Qur’aan and du’aa’s for the purpose of healing), and the reward was for the recovery of that sick person, not for the recitation. 157

They report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Whoever mistreats a dhimmi (a Jew or Christian living under Islamic rule), Allaah will be his opponent on the Day of Resurrection” or “I will be his opponent on the Day of Resurrection.” This is da’eef (weak). What is known from him is that he said: “Whoever kills a mu’aahid (member of a kaafir nation which has a peace treaty with the Muslims) for no lawful reason will not smell the fragrance of Paradise.” They report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever lights a lamp in the mosque, the angels and the bearers of the Throne will not cease to pray for forgiveness for him so long as the light of that lamp is shining in the mosque.” I know of no isnaad for this from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 5/88-93 (www.islam-qa.com) 12692: How sound is the hadeeth, “Seek to draw closer to Allaah by virtue of my status”? Question: What is the status of the hadeeth, “Seek to draw closer to Allaah by virtue of my status, for my status with Allaah is great”? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth has no basis. Ibn Taymiyah and al-Albaani said: it has no basis. 158

See Iqtidaa’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem by Ibn Taymiyah, 2/ 415; al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah, 22 Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 13623: Is the hadeeth “Differences of opinion among my ummah is a mercy” saheeh? Question: What is the status of the hadeeth “Differences of opinion among my ummah are a mercy”? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth is mawdoo’ (fabricated). See al-Asraar al-Marfoo’ah, 506; Tanzeeh al-Sharee’ah, 2/402; al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah, 11. Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 14003: What is the status of the hadeeth “Whoever performs Hajj to the House (the Ka’bah) but does not visit me has shunned me”? Question: What is the status of the hadeeth “Whoever performs Hajj 159

to the House (the Ka’bah) but does not visit me has shunned me”? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth is mawdoo’ (fabricated). See Tarteeb al-Mawdoo’aat by al-Dhahabi, 600; alMawdoo’aat by al-Saghaani, 52; al-Fawaa’id alMajmoo’ah by al-Shawkaani, 326 Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 21942: The hadeeth which says “there is no siyaahah in Islam” is not saheeh Question: How sound is the hadeeth “There is no siyaahah (travel by wandering ascetics) in Islam”? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. It says in the hadeeth narrated by ‘Abd al-Razzaaq in his Musannaf from Layth from Taawoos that the Messenger of Allaah SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “… there is no travel by wandering ascetics, no hermitage and no monasticism in Islam.” Al-Albaani said in Da’eef al-Jaami’, “(It is) da’eef.” (no. 6287) 160

What is saheeh is that which was narrated by Abu Dawood in his Sunan from the hadeeth of Abu Umaamah, that the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The siyaahah (travel of wandering ascetics) of my ummah is jihaad for the sake of Allaah.” (Classed as saheeh in Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 2093) The word saa’ihaat (translated as “emigrants”) in the aayah: “Muslims (who submit to Allaah), believers, obedient (to Allaah), turning to Allaah in repentance, worshipping Allaah sincerely, given to fasting or emigrants [saa’ihaat] (for Allaah’s sake), previously married and virgins” [al-Tahreem 66:5 – interpretation of the meaning] may also mean women who fast, because the word siyaahah has two meanings in the shar’i texts: it may mean jihad or it may mean fasting. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 9786: Soundness of the hadeeth, “Whoever recites Aayat al-Kursiy after every prayer Question: What do you say about the hadeeth of Abu Umaamah, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever recites Aayat al-Kursiy after every prescribed prayer is not prevented from entering Paradise by anything except death”? 161

Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth was narrated by alNasaa’i in ‘Aml al-Yawm wa’l-Laylah, by Ibn al-‘Sunni in ‘Aml al-Yawm wa’l-Laylah, by al-Tabaraani in alKabeer and by others, via Muhammad ibn Humayr from Muhammad ibn Ziyaad al-Alhaani from Abu Umaamah (may Allaah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). There is nothing wrong with its isnaad, and it was classed as saheeh by Ibn Hibbaan in Kitaab al-Salaah and by al-Mundhiri, Ibn ‘Abd al-Haadi and Ibn Katheer. It was extreme on the part of Ibn al-Jaawzi to include it in his book al-Mawdoo’aat (“fabricated reports”), and this is not to be accepted. The hadeeth was narrated only by Muhammad ibn Humayr from al-Alhaani. This hadeeth may be classified as ma’lool (defective), especially as al-Qasawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Muhammad ibn Humayr is not qawiy (strong). Ibn al-Ma’een disagreed with him and said that he [Muhammad ibn Humayr] was thiqah (trustworthy). Imaam Ahmad said, I do not know anything but good about him. Al-Nasaa’i said: there is nothing wrong with him. The isnaad of this hadeeth is jayyid, but it is not saheeh. But reports of this kind may be accepted for a number of reasons: 1. Imaam al-Nasaa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated it and did not regard it is ma’lool (defective); he narrated it in his Mukhtaarah and classed it as saheeh. 2. The hadeeth does not deal with any major ruling of sharee’ah. 162

3. If a sadooq (truthful narrator) is the only one to narrate a hadeeth, it may be accepted if there is evidence that his narration was of good quality. The fact that Muhammad ibn Humayr was the only one to narrate it is a case in point, but there is corroborating evidence in the ahaadeeth of al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah, Abu Mas’ood and ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, even though none of those reports are saheeh. And Allaah knows best. Shaykh Sulaymaan ibn Naasir al-‘Alwaan (www.islamqa.com) 10163: Three fabricated ahaadeeth Question: How sound are these ahaadeeth which are often repeated? “Love of one’s homeland is part of faith” “Allaah created forty people in one image” “Whoever saves a woman from drowning, she is his sister” Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Nowadays mawdoo’ (fabricated) ahaadeeth, false reports and made-up stories have become widespread. Many people have become used to repeating these reports without checking whether they are saheeh and without examining their real nature. This is haraam according to sharee’ah and is an insult to common sense. 163

These three ahaadeeth are falsely attributed to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It is not permissible to narrate them or quote them without clearly stating that they are false. Al-Bukhaari narrated in his Saheeh (3509) from ‘Ali ibn ‘Ayyaash, Hareez told us, he said, ‘Abd al-Waahid ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Nasari told me, he said, I heard Waathilah ibn al-Asqa’ saying: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Among the greatest of lies is for a man to claim to belong to someone other than his father, or to claim that he has seen something which he did not see, or to attribute words to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that he did not say.’” And it was narrated by al-Bukhaari (110), and by Muslim in his introduction to his Saheeh (3) via Abu Haseen from Abu Saalih from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever tells lies about me deliberately, let him take his place in Hell.’” Everyone who narrates fabricated ahaadeeth and stories about the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and does not point out which are saheeh and which are false is exposing himself to sin and the warning (of Allaah). Al-Suyooti mentioned in his book Tahdheer al-Khawaas min Akaadheeb al-Qussaas, p. 167, that whoever narrated false ahaadeeth deserves to be whipped and threatened with worse, and to be rebuked and boycotted; he should not be greeted, he may be talked about behind his back for the sake of Allaah, he should be referred to the ruler (to stop him doing this), judgement should be passed to prevent him from narrating such reports, and testimony should be given against him. This is in order to defend the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace 164

and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and to eliminate false reports, and to protect individuals and societies against these fables and lies. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound. Shaykh Sulaymaan ibn Naasir al-‘Alwaan (www.islamqa.com) 12949: How sound is the hadeeth, “Every time the Qur’aan is completed there is a du’aa’ that is answered”? Question: How sound is the hadeeth, “Every time the Qur’aan is completed there is a du’aa’ that is answered”? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth is mawdoo’ (fabricated). It was narrated by Abu Na’eem in al-Hilyah and by others. Its isnaad includes Yahyaa ibn Haashim al-Simsaar. Imaam al-Nasaa’i said concerning him: “His hadeeth is to be rejected.” Yahyaa ibn Ma’een said: “He is a liar.” Ibn ‘Adiyy said: “He used to fabricate and plagiarize hadeeth.” Du’aa’ upon completing the Qur’aan may be said in either of two situations: 1. During prayer, which is bid’ah (a reprehensible innovation). Acts of worship are based on what is 165

prescribed in Islam (shar’) and on following (the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)). No one has the right to worship Allaah except in the manner that He has prescribed or according to the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Anything other than that is an innovation in the religion. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours (Islam) that is not a part of it will have it rejected.” (Agreed upon, from the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah). Al-Shaatibi mentioned in al-I’tisaam and Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] mentioned in al-Iqtidaa’ an important guideline for telling bid’ah from other things. This is: if the reason and motive for doing a thing existed at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the time of the Sahaabah, and they did not do it, although there was nothing to stop them from doing it, then it is bid’ah – such as giving the adhaan for Eid prayers and for prayers for rain (salaat al-istisqaa’), and so on. Making du’aa’ for completing the Qur’aan during prayer comes under this heading. In Ramadaan, the Sahaabah would stand in prayer for a long time, leaning on sticks because it was so long. In this manner they would complete the Qur’aan more than once, but it was not narrated that any of them made du’aa’ after completing it. Imaam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: I did not hear that he made du’aa’ upon completing the Qur’aan, or any of the other things that people do. This was quoted from him by Ibn al-Haaj in al-Madkhal. 2. The second case is when du’aa’ is made straight after completing the Qur’aan, not during prayer. This was 166

narrated from Anas ibn Maalik with a saheeh isnaad, and it is narrated from a group of scholars, but I do not know of any proven marfoo’ report [i.e., one which goes back to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] concerning that. And Allaah knows best. Shaykh Sulaymaan ibn Naasir al-‘Alwaan (www.islamqa.com) 11802: Who compiled saheeh ahaadeeth apart from alBukhaari and Muslim? Question: who all have reported saheeh hadeedh except bukhari and muslim? (which is considered to be saheeh) Answer: Praise be to Allaah. There are others who compiled saheeh haadeeth besides al-Bukhaari and Muslim, such as Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Hibbaan in their Saheehs, Ibn al-Sakan in his Saheeh, alHaakim in al-Mustadrak and al-Diyaa’ al-Maqdisi in alMukhtaarah, but none of them reached the level of the two Saheehs (of al-Bukhaari and Muslim). Shaykh Sa’d al-Humayd (www.islam-qa.com) 4135: “Satanic verses” Question: In setanic verses by salman rushdi, he talks about some 167

ayat of Quran those were revealed in order to accept three of the most popular gods of the that time in mecca as to be superior or heavenly beings like angels or the god. Later on, those ayat were cancelled and it was said that those were not revealed through gibrail rather it was iblis(satan) who made up those ayat and the prophet(peace be upon him) at that time was not aware of it. How true is this? If there is some truth in this then please specify how much and I would appreciate a real story as to what really happened. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This is based on a false report. Ibn Katheer and others said: There is no saheeh isnaad from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) concerning this report, which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) “recited Soorat al-Najm to the mushrikeen until he reached the verses (interpretation of the meaning) ‘Have you then considered AlLaat, and Al‘Uzzaa (two idols of the pagan Arabs), And Manaat (another idol of the pagan Arabs), the other third?’ [al-Najm 53:19-20 – interpretation of the meaning]. Then the Shaytaan put words into the mouth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he said: ‘they are the exalted gharaneeq, whose intercession is to be hoped for.’ The kuffaar were pleased with this praise of their three idols, so they prostrated.” This report is undoubtedly false on a number of counts. 1. Its isnaad is very weak and is not saheeh. 2. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon 168

him) was infallible with regard to the conveying of his Message. 3. Even if this report was saheeh, for argument’s sake, the scholars have stated that it is to be understood as meaning that the Shaytaan caused the kuffaar to hear these words, not that he put them in the mouth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so they heard them from him. See Ibn Katheer’s refutation of this in his tafseer of Soorat al-Hajj 22:52. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 6981: How can we tell the saheeh ahaadeeth from the fabricated ones? Question: I have a question regarding hadith. I know we should follow Muhammad’s( ) example but how sure are we that some of the hadith we have today are not corrupt and changed. I am by no means judging the hadith and saying they are wrong. please understand that. it’s just that some muslims have told me alot of hadith is changed and bogus. I follow the hadith to the best of my ability. Please help me with any knowledge. thank you. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Allaah has guaranteed to protect His religion, which 169

includes preserving His miraculous Book, and preserving the Sunnah of His Prophet which helps us to understand the Qur’aan. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur ’ân) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption).” [al-Hijr 15:9] The word Dhikr here includes both the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. Many people – in the past and at present – have tried to insert weak and fabricated ahaadeeth into the pure sharee’ah and the Prophetic Sunnah. But Allaah has thrown their plots back in their faces and has provided means of protecting His religion. Among these means are the trustworthy and reliable scholars who sifted through the reports and checked their sources, examining the biographies of the narrators and even describing the point at which a narrator began to be confused in his narration, and stating who narrated from him before he became confused and who narrated from him afterwards. They described the journeys of the narrator, which cities he visited and from whom in each city he took reports. They checked many details about each narrator, more than can be listed here. All of this indicates that the religion of this Ummah is protected, no matter how hard our enemies try to plot and play about with the religion and distort it. Sufyaan al-Thawri said: the angels are the guardians of the heavens and the scholars of hadeeth are the guardians of this world. Al-Haafiz al-Dhahabi mentioned that Haaroon al-Rasheed was about to execute a zindeeq (heretic), and the zindeeq said: “What are you going to do about the one thousand ahaadeeth I have fabricated?” Al-Rasheed said: “What are you going to do, O enemy of Allaah, about Abu Ishaaq al-Fazaari and ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Mubaarak, who will 170

sift through those ahaadeeth and examine them letter by letter?” The seeker of knowledge can find out about the fabricated (mawdoo’) and weak (da’eef) ahaadeeth very easily, by looking at the isnaads or chains of narrators, and finding out about the people mentioned there in the “books of men” i.e., narrators (kutub al-rijaal) and the books which state which narrators are sound or otherwise (kutab aljarh wa’l-ta’deel). Many scholars have compiled these fabricated and weak ahaadeeth in books devoted solely to these type of reports, so that it is easy to find out about them – then one can beware of them and warn others about them. These books include al-‘Ilal al-Mutanaahiyah by Ibn al-Jawzi, alManaar al-Muneef by Ibn al-Qayyim, al-La’aali’ alMasnoo’ah fi’l-Ahaadeeth al-Mawdoo’ah by al-Suyooti, al-Fawaa’id al-Majmoo’ah by al-Shawkaani, al-Asraar al-Marfoo’ah fi’l-Ahaadeeth al-Mawdoo’ah by Ibn ‘Arraaq, and Da’eef al-Jaami’ al-Sagheer and Silsilat alAhaadeeth al-Da’eefah wa’l-Mawdoo’ah, both by Shaykh al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him. The fact that the brother has heard about weak and fabricated ahaadeeth indicates that he is making the distinction – praise be to Allaah – between what is saheeh and what is not. This is by the grace of Allaah, and is a sign that Allaah is protecting this sharee’ah, as we mentioned above. We advise our brother to read the “books of men” i.e., narrators (kutub al-rijaal), the books which state which narrators are sound or otherwise (kutab al-jarh wa’lta’deel) and the books of the science of hadeeth (kutub mustalah al-hadeeth), so that he can learn the extent of the efforts made by the scholars in the service of the Sunnah. 171

And Allaah is the source of strength. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com) 2988: The report which says one should say “ Wa ana ‘ala dhaalika min al-shaahideen (And I am one of those who testify to that)” after reciting Soorat al-Teen is da’eef (weak) Question: Assalaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatu ‘Llahi wa barakatuh Is there a hadith that mentions after reciting the last ayah of surah At-Tin (#95) that one should say what means,”No doubt and I testify to it.” Is that hadith authentic and where can I find it ? Jazzakallahu Khayrun Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Al-Tirmidhi, may Allaah have mercy on him, said in his Sunan: “Ibn Abi ‘Umar told us, Sufyaan told us from Ismaa’eel ibn Umayyah who said: ‘I heard a Bedouin Arab man say, “I heard Abu Hurayrah say, narrating this, ‘Whoever recites “Wa’l-teeni wa’l-zaytoon (By the fig, and the olive)” [al-Teen 95:1 – interpretation of the meaning] then recites “Alaysa Allaahu bi ahkam il haakimeen (Is not Allaah the Best of judges?)” [al-Teen 95:8 – interpretation of the meaning], let him say, “Balaa wa ana ‘ala dhaalika min al-shaahideen (Yes indeed, and I am one of those who testify to that).”’”’” Abu ‘Eesa 172

said: “This hadeeth was narrated with this isnaad from this Bedouin from Abu Hurayrah, but his name is not given.” Thus al-Tirmidhi (may Allaah have mercy on him) explained the fault in this isnaad, which is the fact that this Bedouin is not known (jahaalah). On this basis, the isnaad is da’eef (weak), and the hadeeth is not saheeh. Abu Dawood (may Allaah have mercy on him) also narrated this report (753) from the same Bedouin. Al‘Allaamah al-Albaani also classed the hadeeth as da’eef in his book Da’eef al-Jaami’, no. 5784. As the hadeeth is not proven, we cannot follow it. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islamqa.com)

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