18. The Elderly

18. The Elderly

chapter 163. The excellence of the older person

353. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Anyone who does not show mercy to our children nor acknowledge the right of our old people is not one of us.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Children due to their young ages may show lack of knowledge and say a thing or perform an action which will be considered by the adult as irritatingly silly or time-wasting; and so, the adult should show mercy to them by teaching them and guiding them with gentlenss and affection. As for the elderly, they have spent many years on the earth and have thereby, acquired a wide-range of experience; thus they deserve to be shown honor and high regard. With respect to the expression, “…is not one of us…” Haafidh Ibn Hajar al-Asqalaanee (الله رحمه (said, “that is, from those upon our lines of conduct and path; it does not mean his been disconnected from the religion. However, it is mentioned with this wording to emphasize the seriousness of falling into a thing like that…”

354. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As reported that it reached him that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Anyone who does not show mercy to our children nor acknowledge the right of our old people is not one of us.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Children due to their young ages may show lack of knowledge and say a thing or perform an action which will be considered by the adult as irritatingly silly or time-wasting; and so, the adult should show mercy to them by teaching them and guiding them with gentlenss and affection. As for the elderly, they have spent many years on the earth and have thereby, acquired a wide-range of experience; thus they deserve to be shown honor and high regard. With respect to the expression, “…is not one of us…” Haafidh Ibn Hajar al-Asqalaanee (الله رحمه (said, “that is, from those upon our lines of conduct and path; it does not mean his been disconnected from the religion. However, it is mentioned with this wording to emphasize the seriousness of falling into a thing like that…

355. The same from ‘Amr ibn Shu’ayb.

356. The same from Abu Umama.
Grade: Hasan (Sound) and Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Children due to their young ages may show lack of knowledge and say a thing or perform an action which will be considered by the adult as irritatingly silly or time-wasting; and so, the adult should show mercy to them by teaching them and guiding them with gentlenss and affection. As for the elderly, they have spent many years on the earth and have thereby, acquired a wide-range of experience; thus they deserve to be shown honor and high regard. With respect to the expression, “…is not one of us…” Haafidh Ibn Hajar al-Asqalaanee (الله رحمه (said, “that is, from those upon our lines of conduct and path; it does not mean his been disconnected from the religion. However, it is mentioned with this wording to emphasize the seriousness of falling into a thing like that…”

chapter 164. Respect for the Old

357. Al-Ash’ari said, “Part of respect for Allah is to show respect to an old Muslim and to someone who knows the Qur’an, as long as he does not go to excess in it nor turn away from it, and to respect a just ruler.”
Grade: Hasan (Sound)
Commentary: The narration teaches the following among others: 1. The obligation to respect the old Muslim, the one who commits the Qur’an to memory and the just ruler. 2. Getting to old age, commiting the Qur’an to memory and being just as a ruler are from the favours of Allah upon the servant who is granted any of it. 3. Exhortation towards learning the Qur’an by heart and being just. 4. Immoderation is prohibited in Islam; and that includes being immoderate with the Qur’an such as getting engrossed in the matters of Tajweed and its application and abandoning pondering about the meaning the Qur’an and acting upon it. The Qur’an Recitation competitions popular around the Muslim world today forms a part of such immoderation regarding the Qur’an. 5. The prohibition of turning away from the Qur’an. 6. About every ruler would have been just at least once during his rule; but the ruling about attributing justice to the ruler is based on what is most common with him. So, to respect the one whose justice outweighs his unfairness is encouraged in this narration.

358. Same as 354.

chapter 165. The old person should be the first to speak and ask

359. Rafi’ ibn Khudayj and Sahl ibn Abi Hathama reported that ‘Abdullah ibn Sahl and Muhayyisa ibn Mas’ud came to Khaybar and parted when they were among the palm trees. ‘Abdullah ibn Sahl was murdered. ‘Abdu’r-Rahman ibn Sahl and Huwayyisa and Muhayyisa, the sons of Mas’ud came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and spoke to him about their (murdered) companion. ‘Abdu’r-Rahman, the youngest of those present, began to speak, but the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Let the oldest speak first.” (or “Exalt the eldest.”) They spoke about their companion and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked, “Will fifty of you take an oath that you are entitled to the blood-money of your murdered man?” They replied, “Messenger of Allah, this is something which we did not see.” He said, “Then will the Jews exonerate themselves by the oaths of fifty of them?” They protested, “Messenger of Allah, they are unbelievers!” So the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, himself paid his blood money.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Abdullāh b. Sahl who was murdered and ‘Abdu’r-Rahman b. Sahl are both brothers and nephews to Muhayyisa and Huwayyisa, the sons of Mas‘ūd (y). It is mentioned in the wording reported by Imam Muslim in his Saheeh, that the Messengerﷺ: “paid the blood-wit of hundered (camels) from the camels given for charity.” The hadeeth is evidence that the old person should be the first to speak except as delegated for reasons of greater knowledge and better expression that the younger may possess. The older person should also be given preference in the matters of imamate and marriage guardianship among others when the people are equal in other indices

chapter 166. When an older person does not speak, can the youngest speak then?

360. Ibn ‘Umar said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Tell me which tree is like the Muslim? It gives fruits at all times by the permission of its Lord and its leaves do not fall.’ It occurred to me that it was the palm tree, but I did not want to speak as Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, were both present. When they did not speak, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘It is the palm tree.’ When I left with my father, I said, ‘Father, I thought that it was the palm,.’ He asked, ‘What kept you from saying that? If you had said so, I would have preferred that to such-and-such.’ I said, ‘What kept me from doing so was that I did not see you or Abu Bakr speak, so I did not like to speak out.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The palm gives fruits at all times from when it begins to bear them. The fleshy part of its fruit is a chief article of food, it contains sugar, fat, protein and minerals, and its seed is food for livestock. Palm leaf stalks are used for basketry and wickerwork, its leaves are woven into bags and mats, and fiber from both is made into cordage. It has many other uses. Likewise the Muslim; he is certain in his faith, beautiful in his character and attributes, regular in his prayer and is always maintaining ties. He is amply generous and what comes from him of knowledge and benefit is nourishing to the soul; benefit is derived from him while he is alive and in his death. The hadeeth also highlights the following: 1. Children must be mannerly with their parents. 2. Parents should make efforts to nurture their children upon righteousness; encouraging them to meet well-grounded scholars and attend gatherings of learning. 3. It was a well-known fact amongst the companions (RA)that Abu Bakr and Umar (عنهام الله ريض (were the best amongst them even in the lifetime of the Prophetﷺ; and so, they accorded them great respects. 4. An eminent well-grounded scholar may not know something which is known to a relatively younger person. Yet, this does not reduce the eminence and status of the scholar in anyway nor imply that the younger should be illmannered towards the scholar

chapter 167. Making the old leaders

361. Hakim ibn Qays ibn ‘Asim reported that then his father was dying. he enjoined his sons: “Fear Allah and make the oldest among you your leaders. When people make the oldest among them their leaders, they follow their fathers. When they make the youngest among them their leaders, that lowers them in the sight of their peers. You must have wealth and use it well. It is an impetus for the generous and it will make you independent of critics. Beware of asking people. It is a man’s last source of earning. When I die, do not wail. There was no wailing for the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. When I die, bury me in land where the Bakr ibn Wa’il will not know where I am died. I used to waylay on the roads in the time of the Jahiliyya.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The narration shows: 1. That the pious predecessors were really concerned, even while dying, about the proper guidance of their children. So, they adjured them among others, to fear Allah, follow the lines of conduct of the Messengerﷺ and shun innovations. 2. That one should avoid whatever lowers the elders before their peers and the young. 3. That it is encouraged to legitimately seek wealth and also expend it prudently. 4. Discouragement for begging. 5. That wailing at the death of a person contradicts the Sunnah. 6. The need to be cautious of about one’s antagonists especially when they are non-Muslims