38. General Behaviour

38. General Behaviour

chapter 395. Deliberation in things

888. Az-Zuhri reported that a man from Bali said, “I came to visit the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with my father. My father spoke to him while I was not there. I said to my father, ‘What did he say to you?’ He replied, ‘When you desire something, then you must proceed slowly until Allah shows you a way out of it or until Allah makes a way out for you.'”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

889. Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya said, “Not wise is he who does not deal correctly with a person whose company he cannot avoid until Allah appoints for him a release or a way out.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: This would include one’s wives, parents, servants, neighbours, superiors in offices, workers, in-laws and so on. Since one may not disconnect ties with these people easily, due contemplation would suggest strongly that one deals with them in a good manner until Allah the Exalted brings relief.

chapter 396. Someone who guides down an alley or on a path

890. Al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib related that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “If anyone gives a gift or guides down a land or a path that, for him, is equivalent to freeing a slave.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Allah’s favors on His servants are limitless; just guiding somebody to a place is rewarded with the equivalent of the reward of the one who frees a slave! The hadeeth encourages giving gifts and helping people to locate their destinations. Conversely, it prohibits misleading people. See narration no. 892

891. Abu Dharr is reported as saying, “Your putting some of the water from your bucket in your brother’s bucket is sadaqa. Your removing stones. thorns and bones from people’s path is sadaqa. Your guiding a man in a place where there are no guides is sadaqa.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary:Imam Nawawee (الله رحمه (said, “That is, it has the ruling of sadaqah in terms of reward.” This contains evidence that every good deed one performs or says is written down for him as sadaqah.

chapter 397. Someone who misguides a blind person

892. Ibn ‘Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Allah curses anyone who misguides a blind person and leads him away from the path.”
Grade:Hasan (Sound) and Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: It shows how odious and wicked this action is such that it brings its perpetrator no less than the wrath of the Most Merciful! We seek Allah’s refuge from His curse.

chapter 398. Tyranny (baghy)

893. Ibn ‘Abbas told Shahr (ibn Hawshab), “While the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was sitting in the courtyard of his house in Makka, ‘Uthman ibn Maz’un passed by and smiled at the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to him, ‘Why don’t you sit down?’ ‘I will,’ he said. So the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sat facing him. While he was conversing with him, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stared at the sky and said, ‘A messenger from Allah, ‘Abdullah came to me just now when you sat sown?’ He asked, ‘What did he say to you?’ He said, ‘Allah commands justice and doing good and giving to relatives. And He forbids indecency and doing wrong and tyranny. He warns you so that hopefully you will pay heed.’ (16:90) ‘Uthman said, ‘That was when belief was established in my heart and I loved Muhammad.'”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

chapter 399. The punishment for outrage

894. Anas reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “I will enter the Garden with someone who brings up two daughters until they come of age, and we will be like these two,” and he indicated his index finger and middle finger.
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

895. “Two doors come quickly in this world: outrage and cutting off relatives.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: This report is the concluding part of the hadeeth that precedes it and contains the point of reference vis-à-vis the chapter heading. It strongly condemns aggression and severing the ties of kinship. See comment on hadeeth no. 29.

chapter 400. Noble descent

896. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The noble son of the noble son of the noble son of the noble one was Yusuf ibn Ya’qub ibn Ishaq ibn Ibrahim.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Yoosuf combined the nobility of messengership, knowledge, handsomeness, modesty, good character, fairness and leadership – peace be upon him –. Lut (alayhis-Salam) wished that he could seek refuge in some strong family background by way of seeking a means. Otherwise, he had his refuge with Allah the Mighty and Sublime; he – peace and blessings be upon him – had said: “My Lord, Give me victory of the people who are mischiefmakers”. (Q 29: 30). The point here is the supplication of the Prophetﷺ for his brother, Lut – peace be upon him.

897. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “My friends on the Day of Rising will be those with taqwa, even if one lineage is closer than another. People will not bring me their actions. They will come carrying this world on their shoulders and they will call out, ‘Muhammad!’ I will say, ‘no,’ to such-and-such, and I will have full power over them.”
Grade: Hasan (Sound)
Commentary: 1) The hadeeth orders maintaining ties with the near relatives without restricting it to the Muslims among them alone. The Prophetﷺ would quickly act upon the instructions of the Qur’aan and give admonitions employing methods that depicted the importance of what he said. (2) The hadeeth forms evidence that the Muslim could still relate himself to his fathers: grand-fathers, great grand-fathers and further above, whether they were Muslims or not for the verse reffered to some of the non-Muslim grand parents of the Messengerﷺ and mentioned them as his near relatives. (3) Everyone is enjoined to hasten towards acting upon good deeds and not depend on nor take pride in family ties. Connecting family ties is emphasized in the hadeeth.

898. Ibn ‘Abbas said, “I do not know anyone who acts by this ayat: ‘Mankind! We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you might come to know each other. The noblest among you in Allah’s sight is the one with the most taqwa.’ (49:13) One man says to another man, ‘I am more noble than you are.’ No one is nobler than another person except by taqwa.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: That is, acting upon the meaning of this verse, no one will say to another person, ‘I am nobler than you’ since the verse will hold him back from that. Unfortunately, many of the people are soaked in arrogance over their lineage. And Ibn Abbass – may Allah be pleased with them both – was from the people with the best lineage.

899. Ibn ‘Abbas said, “What do you reckon to be nobility? Allah has made nobility clear. The noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the one with the greatest taqwa. What do you reckon as lineage? The best of you in lineage is the best of you in character.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

chapter 401. The arwah (spirits) are a massed army

900. ‘A’isha said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, ‘The arwah are a massed army. When they already know each other, they are friendly. When they do not know each other, they disagree.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The inclination of the souls towards each other is a function of their dispositions towards good or evil as the case may be. So, when their intrinsic dispositions are alike they incline towards each other. Imam Ibn alJawzee (الله رحمه (explains, “It could be deduced from this hadeeth that if a person finds enstrangement in himself towards the noble and pious, it is necessary that he finds out the reason for that, so that he hastens to remove it and gets purified from the negative attribute.

901. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The spirits are massed armies. Those of them that knew one another are friendly. Those that did not know one another disagree.”
Commentary: As No. 900, from Abū Hurayra, with a different isnād.

chapter 402. A man saying, “Glory be to Allah!” when he is amazed

902. Abu Hurayra said, “I heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, ‘While a shepherd was tending to his sheep, a wolf came and snatched one of the sheep. The shepherd went after the wolf which turned to him and said, ‘Who will look after them on the ‘Day of Wild Beasts’? They will have no shepherd but me.’ People said, ‘Glory be to Allah!’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘I believe it I, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: ‘The Day of Wild Beast’ refers to the time of trials and tribulations when people will be forced to abandon their herds without any shepherd to the wild beasts. 2. The hadeeth highlights the virtue of the two great Shaykhs, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar (radiya Allahu anhuma). In another version in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, it said, “And they were both not present there (at the time).” 3. The point in this hadeeth in relation to the chapter heading is the companions’ statement, Subhaanallah; Glorious is Allah, because they were surprised at the narration.

903. ‘Ali said, “The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was in a funeral procession an he picked up something and began to scratch the ground with it. He said, ‘There is none of you who does not have his seat written either in the Fire or in the Garden.’ They said, ‘Messenger of Allah, then should we not rely on what is written for us and abandon action?’ ‘Act.’ he said. ‘Every thing is easy if you were created for it.’ He added, ‘As for someone who is one of the people of happiness, it is easy for him to perform the actions of happiness. As for someone who is one of the people of wretchedness, it is easy for him to perform the actions of wretchedness.’ Then he recited, ‘As for him who gives out and has taqwa and confirms the Good É’ (92:5-10)
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Allah the Mighty and Sublime has absolute knowledge of all things – generally and specifically – ever before (which negates been preceded by Ignorance) and everlastingly (which negates forgetfulness) whether it has to do with His actions or those of His creatures. All these are written down in the Laoh al-Mahfooz (the Preserved Tablet). This definitely includes where every person will endup – whether in the Fire or the Garden. This clearly refutes the wrong position of the Qadarites that Allah has no knowledge or record of events before they occur! 2. The Prophetﷺ ordered the people to “Act”; that is, carry out Allah’s commands and abstain from His prohibitions by way of giving servitude to Him showing that they have will and ability to actually obey or disobey. Thus, it refutes the position of the Jabarites who hold – albeit wrongly – that the servant does not have will or ability and that they carry out acts of obedience and disobedience under coercion! Every mentally balanced person knows the difference between the actions they perform out of their own volitions and those they perform out of coercion.

chapter 403. Wiping the ground with the hand

904. Usayd ibn Abi Usayd reported that his mother said, “I said to Abu Qatada, ‘Why don’t you relate something from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?’ Abu Qatada said, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, “Whoever tells lies about me, eases the way for himself to a bed in the Fire.” When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that, he began to wipe his hand on the ground.'”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)
Commentary: Imam Al-Albaanee (الله رحمه (explains, “The mother of Usayd is an unknown reporter; but the hadeeth is authentically reported in Mutawaatir form with the word: ‘Whoever deliberately ascribes any falsehood to me should find his place in the Fire.’

chapter 404. Slings

905. ‘Abdullah ibn Mughaffal al-Muzani said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade slings. He said, ‘They do not kill game nor injure the enemy. They gouge the eye and break the teeth.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary:T he Prophetﷺ prohibited Khazf, hurling stones by placing them between the first finger and the thumb which was common during the time. He – peace and blessings be upon him – gave the reason for the prohibition in the hadeeth: it is of no benefit and very harmful. Therefore, as Imam Ibn Maalik (الله رحمه (puts it, “Everything with the same implications is joined to it (in ruling).”

chapter 405. Do not curse the wind

906. Abu Hurayra said, “A fierce wind blew when the people were on the road to Makka while ‘Umar was making hajj. ‘Umar asked those around him, ‘What is the wind?’ They did not give any answer. I urged my camel forward and I caught up with him and said, ‘I have heard that you asked about the wind. I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, “The wind (rîh) is from the spirit (ruh) if Allah. It brings mercy and it brings punishment. Do not curse it. Ask Allah for the good of it and seek refuge from its evil.”‘”
Grade: Hasan (Sound) and Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Imam Alee Qaaree (الله رحمه (explained the expression, Min Raoh al-Allah, as ‘from the Mercy of Allah’ and Imam Al-Albaanee (الله رحمه ( affirmed it. However, it may be asked, ‘How could the wind be from Allah’s mercy and yet, it could still bring punishment?’ Dr. Muhammad Luqman asSalafee (hafizahullah) explained that, “If it is punishment for the wrongdoers; then it is mercy for the righteous.” See Chapter 298.