On the authority of Abu Huraira who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Verily Allah, the Exalted, is pure and accepts only that which is pure. Allah has commanded the believers to do that which he has commanded the Messengers. The Exalted has said, ‘O Messengers! Eat of the good things and do right.’ And the Exalted also said, ‘O believers! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you.”‘ Then he [the Prophet (peace be upon him)] mentioned a man who after a long journey is disheveled and dust-colored. “[The man] stretches his hands out toward the sky and says, ‘O Lord, O Lord,’ while his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing unlawful and his nourishment is unlawful. How is he to be answered [in such a state]?” -Recorded by Muslim.

1. “Verily Allah, the Exalted, is Pure”
2. “Allah has commanded the believers to do that which he has commanded the Messengers”
3. “Then he [the Prophet (pbuh)] mentioned a man …
4. “while his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing unlawful and his nourishment is unlawful”
5. Other Points Related to This Hadith:
6. Summary of the Hadith

General Comments About the Hadith: The importance of this hadith is that it describes the acts that are pleasing and acceptable to Allah. It shows that if an act is not pure and good, according to the Shareeah, Allah will not accept it. Indeed, Allah may not even respond to one who calls on Him if his sustenance is not from permissible sources.

1. “Verily Allah, the Exalted, is Pure”

The hadith states that Allah is tayyib. Literally, tayyib means something good. As for its meaning in reference to Allah, Ibn Rajah wrote, The meaning of al-tayyib here is al-taahir (the pure). That is, Allah is holy, above every imperfection and need; He is pure and perfect. This is similar to the usage of the word in the verse, “Good women (al-tayyibaat) are for good men (altayyibeen) and good men are for good women. Such [good people] are innocent of [every bad statement] that the people make” (al-Noor 26). The meaning is that they are free of any base form of lewdness and its evil.
This means that Allah has all of the attributes of perfection and completeness. He is not in need of a partner, wife, child and so forth. He is also not in need of sleep or rest. All of these perfect aspects are implied in this one statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in which every form of shortcoming, weakness, blemish or need is removed from Allah.

“and accepts only that which is pure”: In another hadith, in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) specifically spoke about charity, he said virtually the same thing. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever gives in charity what is equivalent to a date that is from his pure earnings, and Allah only accepts what is pure, then Allah takes it with His right hand … ” (Recorded by al-Bukhari.)

However, it is argued that this particular hadith from Abu Huraira is more general than that. It is not simply talking about legal and pure wealth. But it is talking about all deeds. That is, Allah does not accept any deed unless it is free from any aspect that would ruin it. The deed must be free from any form of show or ostentation. If the deed involves wealth, the wealth must be purely legal wealth. All deeds and all actions must be pure and free from any taint whatsoever. Otherwise, Allah will not accept that deed. He is above accepting such a deed.

The Meaning of Having a Deed Accepted:

This hadith makes it very clear that deeds are not accepted if they are accompanied with forbidden aspects. However, “acceptance” has many different meanings to it. Ibn Rajab points out that it could imply any of the following:
(i) Allah is pleased with the deed, praises the one who performs it, tells
the angels about the deed performed and so forth;
(ii) the deed will be rewarded in the Hereafter;
(iii) the person has performed his legal obligation of enacting such a deed;
(iv) if the deed is not performed properly, Allah will not reward it and the person has not fulfilled his obligation of performing that deed. It seems that what is meant here by “Allah does not accept,” is (i) and (ii): Allah is pleased with the deed and He will reward it in the Hereafter.

Therefore, this no way implies that the person does not have to perform a particular obligatory deed if there is evidence that it will not be “accepted” by Allah. If he does not perform the deed in itself, he will receive a further punishment. This is the manner in which the hadith that contain phrases like, “Allah does not accept the prayers” or “Allah does not accept the deeds,” are to be understood. For example, there is a hadith that states that the prayers of a person who consumed alcohol will not be “accepted” for forty days. The person must still perform those prayers. The obligation is still upon him. However, Allah is not pleased with the person, so He is not pleased with his deeds and Allah does not mention them to the angels. But the person still must perform them. Otherwise, he may also be punished for not performing the deeds.

A verse in the Quran also states, while quoting the son of Adam, “Allah accepts only from those who are God-fearing” (al-Maaidah 27). For this reason, the Salaf used to fear that their deeds were not accepted by Allah. It is not enough to simply perform a deed for it to be accepted by Allah and for Allah to be pleased with it. Many other factors are also involved. One of the most important factors is that the person has a fear of Allah with respect to his deed– that he may not be performing the deed in a way that is pleasing to Allah. Similarly, the person must make certain that all of his wealth and provisions are, to the best of his ability, from pure and legal sources. Otherwise, his deeds may not be accepted by Allah.

2.”Allah has commanded the believers to do that which he has commanded the Messengers”

This hadith makes it very clear that one of the most damaging aspects for a person’s deed is when he relies on or lives off of money that is not pure and legal. The food that he eats must be permissible. The money with which he buys his food must be permissible. This is one of the essential keys by which one’s deeds will be accepted by Allah. This is an integral command that Allah has given to all of the messengers before and which Allah has also given to this Nation. This is how the Messengers must live their lives and this is how all true believers must live their lives.

“‘O Messengers! Eat of the good things and do right. “: The Prophet (peace be upon him) quoted this verse from the Quran,”O Messengers! Eat of the good things and do right” (al-Muminoon 51).

This verse shows the honorable position of the messengers in the sight of Allah. They purify themselves with respect to their body and their spirit. They purify their physical being by consuming only the pure, beneficial things that Allah has permitted them. They purify their spiritual being by performing good deeds. Hence, both physically and spiritually they are purified. This verse was also a refutation of the disbelievers who objected to the fact that the messengers ate and walked in the marketplace like other humans. In essence, there is nothing shameful in eating and drinking. In fact, it is a necessity of physical life. However, the most important matter is what is being consumed. That is, the important point is that what is being consumed is pure, good, wholesome and lawful. In addition, what is being consumed must have been obtained through legal means. In such a case, no blame may be imputed to the person.

This same noble command that was addressed to the messengers was also specifically addressed to the believers. The command was repeated with respect to the believers due to the importance of the command itself and the fact that all true servants of Allah must abide by it. The believers must also do their best to get their sustenance through legal means and to consume only what is good and legal. Hence, the Prophet (peace be upon him) then quoted the following verse:
” ‘O believers! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you.”‘

Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) quoted the following verse, “O believers! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you” (alBaqara 172).

In the Quran, this verse follows a number of verses in which the disbelievers are rebuked for prohibiting some pure and good things that Allah has allowed them. They prohibited them supposedly as an act of worship of Allah, although Allah never sanctioned such behavior. Hence, Allah commands the believers to eat of the pure things that Allah has allowed them.

So the believers have been given the same command as the messengers. They must only consume what is pure and good- in other words, what is allowed by the shareeah. They must neither disallow what Allah has permitted nor may they consume what Allah has forbidden. In the context of this hadith, however, it seems that the point stressed here by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is that one must not consume what Allah has prohibited. Consuming what Allah has prohibited takes the person further away from Allah and may cut him off from Allah’s mercy.

Therefore, the messengers and their followers are ordered to eat from the good and permissible sources and to do righteous deeds. Ibn Rajab states, As long as the food eaten is permissible, then the good deeds are accepted. If the food eaten is not permissible, how, then, could the deeds be accepted? What is mentioned later concerning supplication and how it will not be accepted while one is participating in forbidden acts is an indication of how far away deeds are from being accepted when the person is sustaining himself through forbidden means.

The order to “eat” in this verse implies permissibility and is not an obligation. Scholars have divided consuming food into five categories. The first category is that which is obligatory. This is the amount of food that it takes for one to survive and maintain himself. The second category is that food for which one will also receive a reward for eating. This is the food that is specifically consumed with the intention that it will give one the strength needed to perform acts of worship and so forth. The permissible food is that which is beyond the first two categories. The next category is that of disapproval, where the person eats more than what he needs to satisfy and fill himself. The fifth category is the forbidden level where one eats so much or such foods that he actually is physically harming his body and his ability to worship Allah.

3. “Then he [the Prophet (peace be upon him)] mentioned a man …

The remainder of this hadith is a very moving example that the Prophet (peace be upon him) has given. As shall be seen, the man has done almost everything that one should do in order for his supplication to be answered. However, because he is living his life off of forbidden means, Allah may not respond to him, even though Allah loves to respond to those who call on Him. Allah has said in the Quran,

“And when My servants ask you [O Muhammad] concerning Me, then that I am indeed near. I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me. So let them obey me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright” ( al-Baqara 1 86).

“After a long Journey”: This is the first characteristic that the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned about that man. Ibn Daqeeq al-Eid and others understand this to mean that the person has undertaken a long journey for the cause of worship, such as for jihad or Hajj. This is not explicitly mentioned in the hadith. However, it is sufficient that the person was on a journey and was invoking Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) once said, “Three supplications are responded to: the supplication of the oppressed, the supplication of the traveler and the supplication of the father for his child.”[al-Bukhari]

Ibn Rajah explains the relationship between traveling and having one’s
supplication answered. He says that when one is traveling, in a strange land, away from his family, facing hardship, the heart becomes soft and realizes its dependence upon and need for Allah. This feeling in the heart is one of the greatest causes for one’s supplication to be answered by Allah.

“disheveled and dust-colored”: This characteristic mentioned by the Prophet (peace be upon him) implies modesty and simplicity on the part of the person. This has also been noted as being one of the causes for Allah to respond to one’s supplication. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated, “Many a person with disheveled hair [and dust-colored] is turned away from the doors [whereas Allah holds him in such high esteem] that if he were to swear by Allah, Allah would fulfill that for him.” (Recorded by Muslim.) It is described that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) went out to pray for rain, he would go out in a very humble, modest manner to beseech Allah.

“stretches his hands out toward the sky”: This is the third particular characteristic that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) mentioned about this particular man. Again, the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned something that is very important when it comes to having one’s supplications responded to by Allah. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Your Lord is munificent and generous, and is ashamed to turn away empty the hands of His servant when he raises them to Him.”

Raising the hands in supplication was known to be the practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him). When he performed the prayer for rain, he raised his hands so high that one could see the white of his armpit. Similarly, when he beseeched Allah for help during the Battle of Badr, he extended his arms such that his cloak fell off from this shoulders. (Recorded by Muslim.)

“says, ‘O Lord, 0 Lord”‘: This is the fourth important characteristic mentioned by the Prophet (peace be upon him) in this hadith. The person is making an urgent request of Allah by repeating the fact that Allah is the Lord. The term Lord implies that Allah is the One who creates and sustains everything. The person is recognizing and admitting that fact by calling Allah by this name. He is admitting his dependence and need upon Allah when he calls Allah by this name. Hence, this is the one of the most important names by which Allah is to be beseeched. Indeed, when one studies the supplications that are found in the Quran, one will note that many of them begin with, “O Lord,” or “O our Lord.”

4. “while his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing unlawful and his nourishment is unlawful”

By the grace and mercy of Allah, Allah has revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) some of the main circumstances that lead to Allah choosing to answer one’s prayers. Some of these “causes” have been explicitly referred to in this particular hadith. They are yet other causes, such as invoking at specific times. However, at the same time, one must be aware that there are also “causes,” actually preventive factors, that lead Allah not to respond to
one’s supplications. The Muslim must be aware of these also and avoid them to the best of his ability. In this particular hadith, there is explicit mention of one of the preventive factors that leads Allah to not respond to one’s prayers.

If one’s life is filled with forbidden aspects, how does one expect Allah to respond to his prayers? The person himself does not respond to Allah’s teachings and yet he expects Allah to respond to his calls. This hadith makes it clear that if one really wants Allah to respond to his prayers, he must remain away from those things that Allah has forbidden. He must respond to Allah’s call and then Allah will certainly respond to his call upon Him.

One of the Salaf stated, “Do not be surprised that the response is slow in coming as you have blocked its road due to your sins.”

“How is he to be answered?”: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not explicitly state that the person’s invocation would not be responded to. Instead, he has made it abundantly clear that indulging in forbidden aspects is one of the major reasons why a person’s supplications may not be responded to. However, as ibn Daqeeq al-Eid points out, in Allah’s mercy and grace, He may still respond to such a person although the person himself is doing something so great that it could prevent him from being responded to.

Allah may also respond to his supplications for quite a different reason. It may be another means by which the person takes himself to his own destruction and punishment. He is involved in forbidden deeds and yet he supplicates and Allah gives him what he asks for. This should cause some awakening on his part. He should recognize the blessings that Allah has given him and how Allah has responded to him although he has not responded properly to Allah’s call. If this does not have any affect on him, then it is a matter of Allah simply giving him more blessings while he is making himself more and more ungrateful for what Allah has given him. Hence, the person is just taking himself closer and closer to his own destruction.

5. Other Points Related to This Hadith:

• Giving charity from illegal wealth or wealth wrongfully attained is not acceptable to Allah.

• Ibn Abbas was asked about a man who was performing a deed, taking wealth wrongfully from others and then he repented. He made Hajj, freed slaves and gave charity from that wealth. Ibn Abbas said about him, “Filth does not wipe away filth.” Similarly, ibn Masud said, “Filth does not expiate filth. But pure deeds wipe away filth.”

• If a thief or usurper gives in charity for his own sake, such a deed will not be accepted. That is, the person will not be rewarded for it. In fact, he will be considered sinful because he used the money in a specific way without getting permission for that. The original or rightful owner also will not be rewarded for that, since that was neither his intent or purpose. This is the opinion of a number of scholars and it has been narrated from Saeed ibn alMusayyab. Similarly, if a ruler or governor wrongfully takes wealth from the public treasury and builds a mosque with it or distributes copies of the Quran with that wealth, claiming that he is doing a charitable act, he will not be rewarded for such a deed and his act is wrong, even though people may benefit from his wrongful act.

• If a person has money that was gotten through illegal means and he is not able to return the money to its rightful owner or his heirs, then he may give it away to charitable causes. This is the opinion of Malik, Abu Hanifah, Ahmad and others. Imam al-Shafi’ee was of the opinion that such wealth should be kept and saved until it could be returned to its rightful owners. Al-Fudhail ibn Iyaadh states that such money should be destroyed or thrown into the ocean and cannot be given in charity. Ibn Rajah states that the correct opinion is that it is to be given in charity as it is forbidden to waste wealth, as is clear in a hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Obviously, though, the one who received it wrongfully and gives it away does not give it as charity on his own behalf, seeking its reward. Instead, he gives it on behalf of its rightful owner in the hope that the rightful owner will benefit from that in the Hereafter, since it is not possible to benefit him with it in this life.

• This hadith also alludes to the importance of supporting oneself through permissible means. How one supports himself is how he lives his life. All of his life is based on how he is supporting himself. If he is supporting himself through legal means, then he will be blessed and rewarded for all that he does with what he has provided for himself. But if he supports himself through illegal means, then all that he does with that wealth may be of no benefit to him whatsoever. Indeed, he may just be exposing himself to more sin. In another hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
  • “The first thing that putrefies of a human is his stomach. Therefore, if one of you can keep himself to consuming only good (legal and from legal sources) food, he should do so.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari.) One’s wealth and provisions must be from pure sources. It should be from pure sources and it is best that it be from the work the person did himself. A true believer should not rely upon others. Instead, he should work and support himself and support himself only through pure and legal means. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
  • “The best earnings are those that come from the person’s own hand, if he was sincere.” In another hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) also said, “By the One in whose hand is my soul, it is better for one of you to take a rope and gather wood and carry it on his back and sell it [as a means to a legal livelihood] rather than to ask a person for something and that person may or may not give him.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari.)

• The realization that Allah responds to a person’s call upon him should lead the person to respond to Allah’s orders and commands. Allah says, “And when My servants ask you (0 Muhammad) concerning Me, then that I am indeed near. I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. Therefore, let them respond to Me [My commands] and believe in Me that they may be rightly guided” (al-Baqara 186).

6. Summary of the Hadith

Abu Abdullah al-Naji made a statement that very closely summarizes the
meaning of this hadith. He said, Five characteristics make a deed complete. [These five are:]

1. faith by knowing Allah,
2. knowing the truth,
3. doing the deed purely for the sake of Allah,
4. performing the deed according to the sunnah and
5. eating only what is permissible.

If any one of these characteristics is lacking, the deed will not be raised [to
Allah]. For example, if you know Allah but do not know the truth, it will not be of benefit in the least. If you know the truth but do not know Allah, that also will not benefit you. If you know Allah and know the truth but your deed is not sincere and pure, it will not be of benefit. If you know Allah, know the truth, perform the act sincerely but it was not according to the sunnah, it will not be of benefit. If you met all four but you did not eat from permissible sources, it will also be of no benefit.

Doing forbidden acts greatly affects one’s relationship with Allah. Although is Allah ready to respond to the believers’ supplications, Allah may not respond to the one who greatly indulges in forbidden acts- even if he has met all of the manners that are appropriate and beneficial for supplications.