10. Responsibility

10. Responsibility

chapter 108. A man is the shepherd of his family

212. Ibn ‘Umar reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, “All of you are shepherds and each of you is responsible for his flock. A man is the shepherd of the people of his house and he is responsible. A woman is the shepherd of the house of her husband and she is responsible. Each of you is a shepherd and each is responsible for his flock.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: As the slave is accountable for the property of his master, the master has a greater responsibility: he is accountable for each of his dependents and slaves. So, as the slave exerts efforts to carry out his dues towards his master, the master requires greater efforts to discharge his responsibilities over his dependents. He should feed them, clothe them and teach them the religion and their wordly affairs. Allah is the source of strength. In other wordings of the hadeeth, it adds, “…and the wife is the shepherd of her husband’s house and she is responsible for it.”

213. Abu Sulayman Malik ibn al-Huwayrith said, “We came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, being young men of a similar age. We spent twenty nights with him. He thought that we desired our own people and he asked us about those of our family we had left behind, and we told him. He was merciful and kind, and said, ‘Go back to your family. Instruct and command them. Pray as you have seen me praying. When it is time for the prayer, then let one of you give the adhan and let the oldest of you lead the payer.;:
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The leaders and scholars should be concerned about the affairs of their people as a whole and as individuals in a community. Likewise the students of knowledge, research activities should not make them show indifference to the affairs of their people; they should invite them to goodness and forbid them evil, teach them from what Allah has bestowed upon them of knowledge and action, supplicate for them and give them sincere advices when required. The hadeeth is evidence that travelers can pronounce the call-to-prayer as those at home, and that when the individuals in a group are on a par in the knowledge of the religion, the oldest amongst them should lead their prayers.

chapter 109. A woman is a shepherd

214. Ibn ‘Umar reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, “All of you are shepherds and each of you is responsible for his flock. A woman is the shepherd of the house of her husband and she is responsible as is the servant in regard to his master’s property.” He said, “I heard these words from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and I reckoned that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “and the man regarding his father’s property.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

chapter 110. Someone for whom a favour is done and he repays the favour

215. Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah al-Ansari reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever has a favour done for him should repay it. If he cannot find anything he can use to repay it, he should praise the one who did it. When he praises him, he thanks him. If he is silent, he is ungrateful to him. If someone adorns himself with something he has not been given, it is as if he was wearing a false garment.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: “He should praise the one who did it” that is, he should supplicate for him and speak well of him, and the best way to do this is to say, “Jazaakallah Khayran” (may Allah reward you with good). This is contained in an authentic hadeeth collected by Aboo Daawood in his Sunan, “Whoever is done a favour and says: ‘Jazaakallah Khayran’ (may Allah reward you with good) to the one who did the favour has fully given praise”.If a person is done a favour which became known amongst the people but did not make known the person who did the favour, he is as a person who is wearing a false garment for he would make the matter appear as if he were the one who did the thing basically. Allah knows best.

216. Ibn ‘Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Anyone who seeks refuge in Allah will find refuge with Him. Anyone who asks from Allah will be receive. Anyone who does a favour should repay it. If you do not find anything, then make supplication for the doer of the favour so that he knows that you have repaid him.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: “Whoever seeks refuge in the name of Allah” that is, he seeks protection with you from being harmed by you or any other party, imploring you with Allah the Most High. The one who asks in Allah’s Name should be given out of reverence for His Name and kindness to His creatures. However, the obligation to give the one who asks depends on whether the one who is asked is able to give without bringing difficulty upon himself or his household, and that a greater evil is not caused to the receiver in one way or the other as a result. The narration encourages mutual kindness; the one who receives should also give, and when he has not what to give, he should supplicate for the giver

chapter 111. Someone who cannot repay someone should make supplication for him

217. Anas reported that the Muhajirun said, “Messenger of Allah, the Ansar have taken all the reward!” He said, “No, not as long as you make supplication for them and praise them for it.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The Muhaajiroon are those who migrated from Makkah to Madeenah, and the Ansaar are those who welcomed and supported them in Madeenah. The Muhaajiroon asked whether the rewards of their migration and other good deeds they performed would go to the Ansaar for the kindness of the Ansaar towards them? But Allah’s favours are boundless; as long as the Muhaajiroon supplicate for them and commend them for their kindness to them, their supplications is as the kindness of the Ansaar to them and the rewards of the good deeds of the Muhaajiroon come back to them”.

chapter 112. The one who does not thank people

218. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Allah does not thank the person who does not thank people.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: That is, the one who has formed an attitude not to be grateful to people is not also grateful to Allah. It could also mean that Allah will not accept the thanks of a servant to whom He has granted favours if the servant does not give thanks to people for their kindness to him. The hadeeth teaches being thankful to people, and that that is from the aspects of righteousness.

219. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Allah ta’ala said to the self, ‘Go forth.’ It replied, ‘I only go forth reluctantly.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: This narration is considered as the concluding part of the preceding hadeeth for they have both been mentioned with the same chain of transmission. In that case, only the first part would be connected to the section heading. However, describing the connection of the narration to the chapter heading, Shaykh Husayn al-’Awaayishah (hafizahullah) said, “It appears to me that the statement of the soul, I come out only with reluctance, contains a breach of thankfulness, for thankfulness necessitates that it comes out willingly…”

chapter 113. A man’s maintenance of his brother

220. Abu Dharr reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked, “What action is best?” He replied, “Belief in Allah and jihad in His way.” He was asked, “Which slaves are best?” He replied, “The highest in price and most precious to their people.” He said, “What do you think I should do if I am unable to fight?” He replied, “Help someone in trouble or work for someone who does not work.” He asked, “What do you think that I should do if I am too weak (to act accordingly)?” He replied, “Spare people your evil. That is a sadaqa which you bestow on yourself.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The hadeeth shows the following: 1. The ardent desire of the companions (RA)to identify which deed is best in order to hasten towards it. They would even seek to know the good deeds to perform in the circumstances of inability and weakness. 2. The importance of belief in Allah; no deed is accepted without Eemaan 3. From the best things to give out are those that are most dearing to us. 4. The unskilled may have problems of spending upon himself and his household; so benefit extended to him may turn to be benefits to large number of people. 5. Refraining from harming people is from charity. This is because it does not disturb the one in a sound state nor increase discomfort for the one in difficulty.