33. Speech

33. Speech

chapter 321. Someone’s words, “So-and-so with the curly black hair” or someone “tall” or “short” when he intends to describe him and does not mean to slander him

754. Abu Ruhm, one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who had offered his allegiance to the Prophet under the Tree [i.e. at Hudaybiyya] was heard to say, “I went on the expedition to Tabuk with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. While we were travelling at night at al-Akhdar, I was near to the Prophet. A deep sleepiness overcame us, but I began to wake up when my camel wandered near to the Prophet’s camel. I was worried that when it came close, it would his foot in the stirrup. I began to pull my camel back, but at a certain point in the night I feel asleep. Then my camel jostled against the camel of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, while his foot was in stirrup, hitting his foot. I did not wake up until he exclaimed, ‘Ow!’ I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, ask for forgiveness for me!’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Never mind.’ “Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, began to ask about those of the Banu Ghifar who had stayed behind. He asked, ‘What happened to the people with thin red beards?’ I replied that they had stayed behind. He asked,, ‘What did the people with the short black curly hair with camels in Shabakatu Shadakh do?’ Then I remembered that they were among the Banu Ghifar, but I did not remember them until I remembered that they were a party from Aslam. So I replied, ‘Messenger of Allah, they are from Aslam.’ He said, ‘What kept one of these men who failed to come letting one of his camels by ridden by an man eager in the Way of Allah? The most painful thing for me is that Muhajirun from Quraysh, the Ansar, Ghifar and Aslam should stay behind.'”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)
Commentary: Shabakah sharakh is the name of a place in Hijāz.

755. ‘A’isha said, “A man asked for permission to come in to see the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Prophet remarked, ‘He is a bad brother of his tribe.’ When the man came in, the Prophet was cheerful towards him. I asked the Prophet about that and he said, ‘Allah does not love anyone who is obscene and coarse.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Imam an-Nawawee – may Allah be pleased with him – explained, “The man’s name was ‘Uyaynah bin Husayn. He had not actually embraced Islam at the time even when he pretended to have accepted Islam. Thus, the Prophetﷺ wanted to expose his true condition so that those who know not his condition are not deceived by what he showed…” See: Tuhfat al-Ahwadhee. However, the Prophetﷺ was cheerful with him to encourage him to truly accept Islam. The statement was intended to describe him and not slander.

756. ‘A’isha said, “Sawda, who was a heavy, sluggish woman, asked for permission to come in (to see the Prophet) on the night of Jam’ (Muzdalifa) and he gave her permission.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

chapter 322. Someone who does not see any harm in a historical story

757. Ibn Mas’ud said, “When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, divided the booty of Hunayn at Ji’rana, the people crowded up against him. Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Allah sent on of His slaves to a people and they rejected him and wounded him in the head. He wiped the blood from his brow, saying, “O Allah, forgive my people for they do not know.”‘” ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud added, “I can almost visualise the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, telling about the man wiping his brow.”
Grade: Hasan (Sound)
Commentary: The point in the hadeeth in relation to the chapter heading is the Prophet’s narration to the companions –may Allah be pleased with them all. However, when we tell narrations we should be sure that they are true and beneficial to our listeners.

chapter 323. Someone who shields a Muslim

758. Abu’l-Haytham said, “Some people came to ‘Uqba ibn ‘Amir and said, ‘We have some neighbours who drink (wine) and behave incorrectly. Shall we bring them before the ruler?’ ‘No,’ he replied, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, “Whoever sees the fault of a Muslim and then veils it, it is as if he brought girl buried alive back to life from her grave.””
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

chapter 324. Someone saying, “People are destroyed.”

759. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “When you hear a man saying, ‘People are destroyed,’ then he has destroyed them.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The narration has been reported in two versions: Ahlakuhum as mentioned above, meaning, ‘he is the most wicked of them’, and Ahlakahum; that is, ‘he presents them as if they are ruined when they are not really ruined’. The dispraise for the statement is regarding the one who utters such statements by way of scorning and pluming over the people. As for the one who says that by way of describing the actual condition of the people out of grief over their general weakness in their religion, then it is permissible

chapter 325. Do not call a hypocrite “master (sayyid)”

760. ‘Abdullah ibn Burayda reported from his father that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Do not call a hypocrite ‘master’. He is not your master and you will have angered your Lord, the Mighty and Exalted.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: See hadeeth no. 210. Allah is angered when evil and its people are accorded the respect and honour due to the pious! To do that is itself falsehood and hypocrisy.

chapter 326. What someone says when he is praised

761. ‘Adi ibn Arta’ said, “When one of the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was praised, he said in supplication to Allah), ‘Do not take me to task for what they say and forgive me for what they do not know.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: It is authentically collected that one of the pious predecessors, when he is praised would say the above with the increment, “wa-j’alnee khayran minmaa yazunnoon (And make me better than they think).” (Shu’ab al-Eemaan by Al-Bayhaqee). Shaykh Husayn al-‘Awaayisha (hafizahullah) explained, “It shows their humility, not being vain-glorious, recalling their sins and fearing been taken to task about what is said of them. They would hasten to supplication, seeking nearness to Allah in their prayers through asking for forgiveness and not been taken to task. They also have hope in Allah to make them better than they are considered.” See hadeeth no. 333.

762. Abu Qilaba reported that ‘Abdullah said to Abu Mas’ud or Abu Mas’ud said to ‘Abdullah, “What did you hear the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say about ‘(false) assertion?” He said, “It is a bad mount for a man.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: It means that the Prophetﷺ condemned a man for giving information about something that he was not sure about, relating it to others on the basis of allegations and hearsay. One should first check information before relating it to others. In an authentic hadeeth, the Prophetﷺ said, “It is sufficient lie for a man that he tells just whatever he hears.” (Muslim)

763. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr said, “Abu Mas’ud, what did you hear the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say about ‘People who make false claims?” He replied, “I heard him say, ‘A bad mount for a man’ and I heard him say, ‘Cursing a believer is like killing him.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: So, the one who hears another telling things based on mere hearsays should not use that as basis to curse a believer. He would have, thereby, depended on something baseless to commit a sin worse than the sin of the one who was telling him lies: the sin of killing a Muslim!

chapter 327. One should not say about something he does not know, “Allah knows it”

764. Ibn ‘Abbas said, “None of you should say about a thing which he does not know, ‘Allah knows it’ when Allah may know that it is other than what he said and thus he (tries to) teach Allah what he does not know. That is something terrible in Allah’s sight.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: As for the companions’ response to the questions of the Prophetﷺ in many circumstances, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best’, they would say this to affirm belief in Allah’s Knowledge and declare their not knowing at the same time. In the later times, some of the people disliked answering that they don’t know when asked what they really don’t know and resorted to different forms of vague or even deceptive means of giving responses. Such a person may even say a thing doubtfully and ascribe his doubt, which may be the wrong thing, to Allah’s knowledge! This is odious! The pious predecessors, on the other hand, would say and teach their students to say, ‘I don’t know’ when they don’t know, and doubt is also part of absence of knowledge. However, “if he intends by his saying, ‘Allah knows it’, that Allah’s knowledge encompasses that thing in its actual form in that circumstance, then he has said the truth.” See Fadlullaah is-Samad (2/583)

chapter 328. The rainbow

765. Ibn Abbas said, “The Milky Way is one of the gates of the heavens. The rainbow is security from being destroyed by flood after the people of Nuh, peace be upon him.”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

chapter 329. The Milky Way

766. Ibn al-Kawwa’ asked ‘Ali about the Milky Way. He said, “It is the water-trough (or loop of the bag) from which the heaven opens up flowing water.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

767. Ibn ‘Abbas said, “The rainbow is security for the people of the earth that they will not be drowned. The Milky Way is the door of the heavens and forms a furrow through it.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

chapter 330. Someone who dislikes for it to be said, “O Allah, place me in the Abiding Abode of Your mercy”

768. Abu’l-Harith al-Kirmani heard a man say to Abu Raja’, “I greet you and I ask Allah to join both of us together in the Abiding Abode of His mercy.” Abu Raja’ said, “Is anyone capable of that?” He continued, “What is the Abiding Abode of His mercy?” “The Garden,” the man replied. “That is not correct,” he said. The man asked, “Then what is the Abiding Abode of His mercy?” “The Lord of the Worlds,” he replied.
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Abu Raja, Milhan bin ‘Imran al-‘Utareedee accepted Islam during the lifetime of the Prophetﷺ even though he did not meet him. He was a noble scholar, well-grounded in the science of reading the Qur’an and blessed with long life. Concerning his response to the man, Imam al-Albaanee (الله رحمه (explained, “This narration from him points to his nobility and knowledge and his sagacity. For it is not possible that the Garden is ‘the abiding abode of His Mercy’ since it (i.e. His Mercy) is one of His Attributes while the Garden is one of Allah’s creatures although the believers’ dwelling in it (i.e. the Garden) is out of His Mercy…”

chapter 331. Do not curse time

769. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “None of you should say, ‘May time (ad-Dahr) be disappointed. Allah is time (ad-Dahr).”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Allah causes day and night, he sends them and could withdraw them when and how He Wills: He has power over all things. So when a person is afflicted with anything, he should not curse the time, thinking that it brought him the affliction. Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (الله رحمه (warned, “The person who curses time is basically between one of two things: he is either cursing Allah or joining partners with Him. If he believes that the time does a thing along with Allah he is a polytheist, and if he believes that Allah alone did that and he is cursing whoever did it, then he has cursed Allah.” See Mawsoo’at al-Manaahee ash-Shar’iyyah (1/76). The one who is afflicted should rather patiently turn to Allah in supplication and properly consider his own actions and act rightly.

770. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “None of you should say, ‘May time be disappointed!’ Allah Almighty said, ‘I am time (ad-Dahr). I send the night and the day. If I so wished, I could take them away.’ None of you should the grape-vine ‘karm” (instead of ‘inab). Karm* is the Muslim man.” [* Karm suggests honour.]
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Arabs used the word “Karm” (generosity) for grape-vines because they thought that a man is more generous when he is drunk. Islam prohibited the use of that term, lest Shaytān tempts someone to the vice itself. The Muslim’s heart is the fountain of piety, light, guidance and as such, he is ennobled to be given the ascription, Karm.

chapter 332. A man should not look sharply at his brother when he turns away

771. Mujahid said, “It is disliked for a man to stare at his brother or let his eye follow him when he turns his back or to ask, ‘Where have you come from? Where are you going?'”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

chapter 333. Someone saying to someone else, “Bother you”

772. Anas reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saw a man driving a sacrificial camel. “Ride it,” he told him. The man replied, “It is a sacrificial camel.” “Ride it,” he repeated. The man said again, “It is a sacrificial camel.” “Ride it,” he repeated. The man said, “It is a sacrificial camel.” The Prophet said, “Ride it, and bother you!”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The Prophetﷺ out of concern for the man told him to ride the animal. But the man retorted that it was for sacrifice, thinking that the Prophetﷺ did not know that it was for sacrifice, and which in his thought should not be ridden. But the Prophetﷺ knew that it was for sacrifice because it was marked for sacrifice and so, he repeatedly encouraged him to ride it, and so, he chided him by way of discipline.

773. Al-Miswar ibn Rifa’a al-Quruzi said, “I heard a man ask Ibn ‘Abbas, ‘Should I do wudu’ after I have eaten bread and meat?’ He replied, ‘Woe to you! Would you do wudu‘ on account of good things?'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Perhaps the companion (radiya Allahu anhuma) intended that it is not obligatory to make ablution after eating meat, intending by that, the kinds of meat which when taken do not require ablution. Otherwise, it is obligatory to perform ablution when one eats camel meat – as in the hadeeth of Baraa bin ‘Aazib in Sunan Ibn Maajah -, and recommended if one eats whatever is cooked over fire (and meat is cooked before been taken) – as in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah collected by Muslim and others. Wayhak or Waylak as in other wordings of the hadeeth translated as “Woe to You!” is an expression of caution to a person who is groundlessly getting into an error

774. Jabir said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was at al-Ji’rana on the Day of the Battle of Hunayn with the spoils in the custody of Bilal. The Prophet was dividing them out. A man came up to him and said, ‘Be just! You are not being just!’ The Prophet said, ‘Bother you! Who will be just if I am not just?’ ‘Umar said, ‘Messenger of Allah, let me strike off the head of the hypocrite!’ The Prophet said, ‘This man is with his followers who recite the Qur’an and it does not go beyond their throats. They pass through the deen as an arrow passes through the target (i.e. nothing of it remains on the arrow).'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: In another report collected by Imam al-Bukhaaree in his Saheeh, it says, the man said to the Prophetﷺ,“This division was not done for the sake of Allah!” And the Prophetﷺ replied that, “Woe to you! Am I not the most deserving of the people of the earth to be fearfully conscious of Allah?!” (Muslim). “Who then will obey Allah if I disobey Him? Should I be entrusted with the people of the earth and you will not trust me?!” (Muslim). It is also reported that in the Prophet’s response to Umar’s request to chop off the man’s head, heﷺ said, “I seek refuge with Allah! Let not the people say that I kill my companions.” (Muslim). Similarly, Khaalid bin Waleed asked for permission to decapitate the man but the Prophetﷺ said to him, “No, perhaps he prays” to which Khaalid replied, “Many pray but say what is not in their hearts!” The Prophetﷺ then remarked, “I have not been ordered to quest for the hearts of people nor lay bare their stomach!” (Muslim). 2. Their reading of the Qur’an will not go beyond their throats because apart from the reading, they would neither ponder about its message nor follow its injunctions. So their reading does not leave any effect on their religion; their entering into Islam is just like their leaving it: It never got to their hearts! 3. It is also reported that the man’s name is Dhu Khuwaysirah at-Tameemee who later became one of the heads of the misguided Khawaarij sect that declared the companions of Allah’s Messenger including Alee, Ibn Abbass and others as disbelievers! He was reported to have been killed during the battle of Nahrawaan when he fought against Alee and the rest of the companions and their students (radiya Allahu anhum). 4. The point of reference in this hadeeth in relation to the chapter heading is the Prophet’s statement, ‘Waylak’.

775. Bashir ibn Ma’bad as-Sadusi (whose name was Zahim ibn Ma’bad) made hijra (emigration) to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the Prophet asked him, “What is your name?” “Zahim,” he replied. The Prophet said, ‘No, you are Bashir.” Bashir said, “While I was walking with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he passed the graves of some idolaters. He said, ‘These people have missed much good’ three times. Then he passed by the graves of the Muslims and observed, ‘These people have obtained much good.’ The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, suddenly looked up and saw a man wearing sandals walking among the graves. He said, ‘You with the ox-hide sandals, take off your sandals!’ When he saw the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he removed his sandals and threw them away.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The hadeeth contains evidence for, amongst others, that: 1. The Muslim should not be buried with the non-Muslims in the grave. The graveyards of the Muslims and the non-Muslims should be different! 2. It is obligatory to remove one’s shoes in a graveyard.

chapter 334. Building

776. Muhammad ibn Hilal reported that he saw the rooms of the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The rooms were made of palm trunks covered with hair. The transmitter (Muhammad ibn Abi Fudayk) said, “I asked him about ‘A’isha’s room and he said, ‘Its door faced Syria.’ I asked, ‘Was it one or two spans?’ ‘Its door was one span,’ he replied. I asked, ‘And what was it made of?’ He said, ‘From cypress or teak wood.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

777. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The Final Hour will not come until houses’ adornments resemble painted garments.” Ibrahim (the transmitter) said, “He meant striped garments.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Hafidh Ibn Hajar al-Asqalaanee said, “it could also mean competing with each other in beautifying and decorating (houses) or something more encompassing. Many of such have been seen and it is even on the increase.” This was in his time, about 600 years ago. Today, the increase is significant and rapid. Some of the people even seek loans from Riba-based institutions and acquire wealth from other prohibited sources for this purpose! Allah alone grants success

chapter 335. A man saying, No, by your father”

778. Abu Hurayra said, “A man came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, which sadaqa has the best reward?’ He said, ‘By your father, you will learn of it. It is that you give sadaqa while you are healthy and avaricious, fearful of poverty and desirous of wealth. You should not delay it until you are at the point of death and then say, “This much is for so-and-so. This much is for so-and-so. This much is for so-and-so.”‘”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The phrase, ‘Wa Abeek!’ (by your father) is the point of reference in the hadeeth. However, the same phrase is the part of the hadeeth that is inauthentic. See Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth id-Da’eefah (4992). Yet, it is reported in Saheeh Muslim that the Prophetﷺ said to a man who had asked him about the pillars of Islam and promised to stick to them that, “he will be successful, by his father, and he will enter the garden, by his father, if he is true to his words.” Thus, it is used as evidence that it is permissible to swear by one’s father. However, this deduction is contradicted by the authentic and widely reported sayings of the Prophetﷺ that prohibit swearing by other than Allah the Exalted. This apparent conflict is resolved on the fact that swearing by a person’s father as was the custom of the people before Islam, was initially allowed and later, it became prohibited. The evidence for the abrogation of the allowance is contained in the authentic hadeeth of Ibn Umar (radiya Allahu anhuma) who reported that, “The Messenger of Allahﷺ said, ‘Whoever wants to swear should only swear by Allah’. But the people of Quraysh used to swear by their fathers. So heﷺ said, ‘Do not swear by your fathers!’” (Ahmad). This is also the conclusion of Hafidh Ibn Hajar al-Asqalaanee (الله رحمه (in Fath al-Baaree (1/444 [Darussallam]) and Shaykh Saleem bin ‘Eid al-Hilaalee (hafizahullah) in Mawsoo’at alManaahee ash-Shar’iyyah (1/64).

chapter 336. When a person seeks something, he should ask for something small and not praise the person

779. ‘Abdullah said, “When one of you seeks something he needs, he should ask for something small. He will have what is decreed for him. None of you should go to his companion and then praise him and thus break his back.
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: It emphasizes the basic fact that whether a person is decent and simple while asking or resorts to unnecessary flattery of his brother, he cannot get more than what is decreed for him. See narrations on Chapter 153.

780. Abu ‘Izza Yassar ibn ‘Abdullah al-Hudhali reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “When Allah wants a slave to die in a particular country, he makes him have some reason for being there.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Perhaps, the narration in relation to the chapter heading seeks to also emphasize preordainment: that enduring the pains of journey to meet a need does not really mean that the need will be fulfilled.

chapter 337. Someone’s words, “May the one who hates you not have good!”

781. Abu ‘Abdu’l-‘Aziz said, “Abu Hurayra spent the night with us and looked at a star before him. Then he said, ‘By the One who holds Abu Hurayra in his hand, some people wish that they would be appointed commanders in the earth while their actions are as if they were handing from that star. They are not appointed to those positions of command not to those positions.’ Then he turned to me and said, ‘May the one who hates you not have good! Is all of this allowed by the people of the east in the east?’ ‘Yes, by Allah,’ I replied. He said, ‘May Allah make them ugly and drive them like angry camels as if their faces were beaten shields until they give the owner of a field his field and the owner of sheep his sheep!'”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

chapter 338. Someone should not say, “Allah and so-and-so”

782. Mughith claimed that Ibn ‘Umar once asked him about his mawla and Mughith replied, “By Allah and so-and-so.” Ibn ‘Umar responded, “Do not speak like that. Do not put anyone with Allah. Say “so- and-so: after you have said, “Allah.”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

chapter 339. Someone saying, “What Allah wills and you will”

783. Ibn ‘Abbas said, “A man said, to the Prophet, ‘Whatever Allah wills and you will.’ He said, ‘You have put an equal with Allah. It is what Allah alone wills.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: After citing narrations with similar meanings, Imam AlAlbaanee (الله رحمه (explained, “These hadeeths contain that a man’s statement to another, ‘whatever Allah wills and you will’, is counted as from Shirk (joining associates with Allah) in the Sharee’ah. It is from the Shirk in expressions because it gives an impression that the will of the slave is of the same level with the Will of the Lord – Glorious is He, the Exalted – due to the connection that is made between the two.” See Sharh Saheeh al-Adab alMufrad (2/477)

chapter 340. Singing and Play

784.’Abdullah ibn Dinar said, “I went out with ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar to the market. He passed by a small slave-girl who singing and remarked, ‘Shaytan. If he had left anyone, he would have left this girl.'”
Grade: Hasan (Sound)
Commentary: Shaytan does not leave anyone; he declared enmity against Adam (alayhis-salam) and his progeny and so, he keeps trying to mislead them in every form possible. We seek Allah’s protection from the evils of the accursed Shaytan. The narration evinces that getting busy with singing, and worst still, music, is from the deceptions of the Shaytan.

785.Anas ibn Malik heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, “I have nothing to do with diversions and diversions have nothing to do with me.” He meant that he does not do anything worthless.”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

786. Ibn ‘Abbas said about “There are some people who trade in distracting tales” (31:5) that it means singing and things like it.
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The verse prohibits engaging oneself with any worthless thing including music and singing. When Abdullah bin Mas’ud was asked the meaning of the verse, he said, “It is singing, by the One beside Whom none is worthy of worship!” He reapeated it thrice. (Tafseer at-Tabaree).

787. Al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Spread the greeting to people and you will be safe. The saw is evil.” Abu Mu’awiya said that the “saw” means amusement.
Grade: Hasan (Sound)
Commentary: The mention of idle talk as evil is the point of reference in the hadeeth here. The pious predecessors consider singing and music as mojor examples of idle talk.

788. Fadala ibn ‘Ubayd was at a meeting when he heard that some people were playing backgammon. He got up in anger to forbid it in the strongest possible terms. Then he said, “The one who plays in order to live on his winnings is like a person who eats pig meat and does wudu‘ in blood.”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

chapter 341. Guidance and good behaviour

789. Ibn Mas’ud was heard to say, “You are living at a time when there are many men of understanding and few orators. There are few who ask and many who give. In it there is more action than diversion. After you there will come a time when there are few men of understanding and many orators. There will be many who ask and few who give. Guidance in it directs action. Know that right guidance at the end of time is better than some actions.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Oratory does not essentially mean knowledge. The narration dispraises speaking without knowledge, begging, stingyness and following the desires, and exhorts towards being of good thoughts and character.

790. Abu’t-Tufayl said, “I was asked, ‘Did you see the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?’ ‘Yes,’ I replied, ‘and I do not know of any man left alive on the face of the earth except myself who saw the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.’ He went on, ‘The Prophet had white skin and a handsome face.'”
In another transmission, al-Jurayri said, “I and Abu’t-Tufayl (‘Amir ibn Wathila l-Kinani) were doing tawaf of the House when Abu’t-Tufayl said, ‘There is no one remaining who saw the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, except me.’ I asked, ‘Did you actually see him?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied. I asked, ‘What was he like?’ He said, ‘He was white-skinned, handsome, and of medium stature.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

791. Ibn ‘Abbas reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Right guidance, correct behaviour and being moderate form a twenty-fifth portion of prophethood.” In another variant, “Right guidance, correct behaviour and moderation form a seventieth part of prophethood.”
Grade: Hasan (Sound)
Commentary: The hadeeth does not mean that prophethood can be acquired or that the person with good thoughts and character has aspects of prophethood. It rather demonstrates the importance of being of good thoughts and refined in behaviour. Allah the Exalted selected the prophets and ended prophethood with His Messenger, Muhammadﷺ. In another version, it says: “…make up a seventieth portion of prophethood.”

chapter 342. When news comes to you from someone you do not furnish with travel provisions

792. It is related that ‘Ikrima said, “I asked ‘A’isha, ‘Did you ever hear the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, quoting poetry?’ She replied, ‘Sometimes when he entered a house, he would say, “News will come to you from someone you do not furnish with travel provisions.”*'” [*. A line of poetry written by Abu Khirash.]
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Sometimes he – peace and blessings be upon him – would imitate poetry of one line or even lesser which did not include sinful words nor agitate towards or praise sins or sinful people. As eloquent as the Prophetﷺ was, he did not use to compose poems even though some of the people took aspects of his expressions, albeit wrongly, for lines of poetry.

793. Ibn ‘Abbas said, “This is something that a Prophet said, ‘News will come to you from someone you do not furnish with travel provisions’ (meaning that he had quoted it.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: That is, it used to be cited by a prophet, meaning, the Messenger of Allahﷺ

chapter 343. Wishing which is disliked

794. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “When one of you wishes for something, he should look to what he desires. He does not know what he will be given.”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

chapter 344. Do not call the grape “kurm“

795. ‘Alqama ibn Wa’il reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “None of you should say ‘kurm.’ Rather use ‘habala‘ for grape-vines.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Allah causes day and night, he sends them and could withdraw them when and how He Wills: He has power over all things. So when a person is afflicted with anything, he should not curse the time, thinking that it brought him the affliction. Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (الله رحمه (warned, “The person who curses time is basically between one of two things: he is either cursing Allah or joining partners with Him. If he believes that the time does a thing along with Allah he is a polytheist, and if he believes that Allah alone did that and he is cursing whoever did it, then he has cursed Allah.” See Mawsoo’at al-Manaahee ash-Shar’iyyah (1/76). The one who is afflicted should rather patiently turn to Allah in supplication and properly consider his own actions and act rightly.

chapter 345. Someone saying, “Bother you”

796. See 772.
Commentary:Similar to No. 772, from Abū Hurayra, with a different isnād.

chapter 346. Someone saying, “O person!”

797. Hamna bint Jahsh said, “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘What is it, O person?'”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

798. Habib ibn Sabhan al-Asadi said, “I saw ‘Ammar praying the obligatory prayer. Then he said to a man at his side, ‘O person!’ Then he got up.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

799. Ash-Sharid said, “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, rode with me behind him and said, “Do you know any of the poetry of Umayya ibn Abi’s-Salt?’ ‘Yes,’ I replied and recited a line. ‘Go on,’ he said, until I had recited a hundred lines.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: One could benefit from other peoples in the matters that conform to Islam – not contradicting it – including poetry, history, science and technology. In another version, no. 869, the Prophetﷺ said, “He (that poet) almost became a Muslim.”

chapter 347. Someone saying, “I am lazy”

800. ‘A’isha said, “Do not forget to stand up at night to pray. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not neglect to do it. If he was either ill or lazy, he prayed sitting down.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The hadeeth is evidence for the permissibility of observing supererogatory prayers while sitting when one is inactive even though one is able to stand up. Imam an-Nawawee (الله رحمه (had cited a consensus of the scholars on that. As regards the chapter heading, the hadeeth evinces that if one could speak of another person as being inactive, that he could say that about himself is with a greater reason.

chapter 348. Someone who seeks refuge from laziness

801. Anas ibn Malik said, “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to often say, ‘O Allah, I seek refuge with You from worry, sorrow, incapacity, laziness, cowardice, avarice, being overburdened by debt and being overcome by other men.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: When the slave raises up his hand in supplication out of humility, seeking his needs from the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, full of hope in Him to grant his requests, he finds that his supplications are granted, for Allah is Merciful, He Hears and Responds.

chapter 349. Someone’s words, “May my self be your ransom!”

802. Anas ibn Malik said, “Abu Talha used to kneel before the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and sprinkle water on his quiver and say: ‘May my face be a protection for your face And my self be a ransom for your self.'”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

803. Abu Dharr said, “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went towards al-Baqi’ and I began to follow him. He turned and saw me and said, ‘Abu Dharr!’ I said, ‘At your service, Messenger of Allah. May I be your ransom.’ He said, ‘Those who are rich will be poor on the Day of Rising except those who say, “Such-and-such and such-and-such is for a right (which was performed).”‘ I said, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ He said, ‘That is how it is’ three times.
Then we came to Uhud. He said, ‘Abu Dharr!’ I replied, ‘At your service, Messenger of Allah. May I be your ransom.’ He said, ‘It would not delight me if Uhud were to become gold for the family of Muhammad and then have them spend a night with a dinar or he said a mithqal.’ Then we were at a wadi and he went ahead, so I thought that he felt a call of nature, and so I sat down at the edge of the wadi. He was gone a long time and I feared for him. Then I heard him and it seemed as if he were talking to a man. Then he came out to me my himself. I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, who was the man you were talking to?’ ‘Did you hear him?’ he asked. I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘That was Jibril. He came to me and gave me the good news that whoever of my community dies without associating anything with Allah will enter the Garden.’ I said, ‘Even if he commits adultery or steals?’ He said, ‘Yes.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The hadeeth emphasizes the importance of Tawheed and Eemaan and warns against Shirk, joining partners with Allah. The Prophet’s question to Jibreel, “Even if he commits adultery and steals?” points to the gravity of stealing and adultery. The keynote from the hadeeth vis-a-vis the chapter heading is the companion’s response to the Prophetﷺ, “Ana Fidauka, May I be your ransom.” In another version of the same hadeeth, it says, “Ja’alaniya Allahu fidaa-aka, May Allah make me your ransom.” Based on this hadeeth and others in its meaning, Imam at-Tabaraanee (رحمه الله (said, “These narrations point to the permissibility of making that statement.”

chapter 350. A man saying, “May my father and mother be my ransom”

804. ‘Abdullah ibn Shaddad said, “I heard ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, say, ‘I did not see the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying, (“May my father and mother be) your ransom” after Sa’d. I heard him say to him, “May my father and mother be your ransom.”‘”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The hadeeth highlights the virtues of Sa’d bin Abee Waqqas , and the permissibility of saying: “May my father and mother be ransomed for you” even if they have both passed away. As regards the Prophetﷺ having made this statement to Sa’d bin Abee Waqqas alone, another report is authentically collected by Imam al-Bukhaaree in his Saheeh from Alee bin Abee Talib with the same meaning. However, Abdullah bin az-Zubayr (radiya Allahu anhuma) reported that the Prophetﷺ made the same statement to Zubayr bin al-‘Awwaam during the battle of the Trench as collected also by Imam al-Bukhaaree in his Saheeh. Hafidh Ibn Hajar (الله رحمه (explained that, “Perhaps Alee did not know that, or he only intended a restriction (for Sa’d) to the day of Uhud – Allah knows best.”

805. ‘Abdullah ibn Burayda related that his father said, “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went out to the mosque while Abu Musa was reciting and asked, ‘Who is this?’ ‘I am Burayda,’ I replied, ‘May I be your ransom!’ He said, ‘This man has been given one of the flutes of the family of Da’ud.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Here, the Prophetﷺ likened the beauty and splendour of the companion to the sound from instruments. The expression cited here seeks the person as the ransom and not his father and mother as in others in this chapter. Perhaps that shows that if it is allowed to say that regarding oneslf, then it is allowed regarding one’s parents. Allah knows Best.

chapter 351. A man saying, “My son” to someone whose father did not become Muslim

806. As-Sa’b ibn Hakim reported that his grandfather said, “I came to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him. He began to say, ‘Nephew.’ Then he questioned me and I told him my lineage and so he knew that my father had not become Muslim. He began to say, ‘My son, my son.'”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

807. Anas said, “I used to serve the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.” He continued, “I used to enter without asking for permission to enter. One day I came and he said, ‘My son, there is a new situation. You should not come in unless you have permission.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: This was on the occasion of the revelation of the order for veiling. The expression, my son, demonstrates the Prophet’s kindheartedness towards the young while he implemented the order of his Lord the Most High.

808. Ibn Abi Sa’sa’sa reported from his father that Abu Sa’id al-Khudri called him “my son”.
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

352. Someone should not say, “khabuthat nafsi” * (an expression meaning “I am overcome with nausea”)

809. ‘A’isha reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “None of you should say, ‘khabuthat nafsi‘. He should say, ‘Laqisat nafsi.'” [* Khabutha has a connotation of foulness.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Both expressions have the same meaning but the first one has other meanings as well, e.g. ‘I have become wicked’. As for Laqisat nafsī it only means ‘I have been overcome by nausea because of a full stomach’. This is why the Prophetﷺ recommended the second expression which has no unpleasant connotations.

810. Same with another isnad.
Commentary:As No. 809, from Sahl b. Hunayf with a different isnād