47. Behaviour with people

47. Behaviour with people

chapter 547. The Trust

1154. Anas said, “I was serving the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, one day. When I thought I had finished serving him, I said, ‘The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is having a midday nap.’ So I left him and there were some children playing. I stood looking at them and their game. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came out, and came up to them and greeted them. Then he called me and sent me to get something he needed. He remained in the shade until I came back to him. I was late for my mother and she and he asked, ‘What kept you?’ I replied, The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent me for something he needed.’ ‘What was it?’ she asked. I replied, ‘It is a secret of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.’ She said, Keep the secret of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.’ I did not tell anyone that secret. If I had told it, I would have told it to her.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: Anas bin Malik never told the secret to anyone; neither to his dear mother (radiya Allahu anha) nor to his eminent student, Thaabit alBunaanee (الله رحمه (who reported this hadeeth from him.

chapter 548. When he turned, he turned completely

1155. Abu Hurayra described the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with the words, “He was of medium height, but nearer to being tall. He was very white with a black beard and good front teeth. He had long eye-lashes. He was very broad between the shoulders and had full cheeks. He walked on his entire foot, but they did not have a hollow. He turned completely towards people or turned his back completely. I have not seen anyone like him before or since.'”
Grade: Hasan (Sound)
Commentary: The Prophetﷺ was handsome in nature and character. So, when he faced or turned away from people, he did so completely. This mind alertness aids obedience to Allah, the Mighty and Sublime and refraining from His prohibitions. It also leads to attaining absolute sincerity and modesty.

chapter 549. When a man is sent to another man for some reason and he does not tell him what it is

1156. Aslam said, “‘Umar said to me, ‘If I send you to a man, do not tell him why I sent you to him. If you do, Shaytan will prepare a lie for him in that.'”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

chapter 550. Should you say, “Where have you come from?”

1157. Mujahid said, “It is disliked for a man to look sharply at his brother or to follow him with his glance when he leaves or to ask him, ‘Where have you come from and where are you going?'”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

1158. Malik ibn Zubayd said, “We passed by Abu Dharr at ar-Rabadha. He said, ‘Where have you come from?’ We said, ‘Makka or from the Ancient House.’ He said, ‘Is this what you have done?’ We said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘And was there commerce or selling with it?’ ‘No,’ he replied. He said, ‘Then resume your actions anew.'”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)
Commentary: That Allah has forgiven all your sins and you can resume your life anew.

chapter 551. Someone who listens to people’s conversation when they dislike for him to do that

1159. Ibn ‘Abbas reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Whoever fashions an image will have to breathe life into it and he will be punished since he will not be able to breathe life into it. Anyone who claims to have seen a vision in a dream will have to string two beads of barely together and he will be punished because he will not be able to string them together. Anyone who listens to people’s conversation when they move away from him will have molten lead poured into his ears.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The hadeeth only prohibits making images of all kinds of animals as is indicated by other texts that allow making images of trees and similar other things, lying about dreams and eavesdropping on people’s private talks.

chapter 552. Sitting on an elevated seat

1160. Al-‘Iryan ibn al-Haytham said, “My father came to Mu’awiya when I was a body. When he reached him, he said, ‘Welcome, welcome.’ A man was sitting with him on the elevated seat. He said, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin, who is this you are welcoming?’ He said, ‘This is the master of the people of the east. This is al-Haytham ibn al-Aswad.’ I asked, ‘Who is this?’ They replied, ‘This is ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As.’ I said to him, ‘Abu so-and-so. From where will the Dajjal emerge?’ He said, ‘I have not seen the people of a town who asked about what is far nor left what is near. You are from the people of a town.’ Then he said, ‘He will emerge from the land of Iraq with the trees and palm trees.'”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

1161. Abu’l-‘Aliyya said, “I sat with Ibn ‘Abbas on an elevated seat.” Abu Jamra said, “I used to sit with Ibn ‘Abbas. He used to make me sit on his seat. He told him, ‘Stay with me so that I can allot you a portion of my property.’ I stayed with him for two months.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: “Sareer” could literally refer to “a bed”, or “seat” or “bier”. However, the context in which it is used in the narrations in the chapter indicates that it refers to “seat” See hadeeth no. 1164. Shaykh Husayn al- ‘Awaayishah (الله رحمه (remarked that, “Perhaps the intent of the author for this chapter titling and the narration is that one should not avoid sitting on a chair, and establishing its permissibility (in the Sharee’ah).” Sharh Saheeh al-Adab al-Mufrad (3/283).

1162. Abu Khulda reported that he heard Anas ibn Malik when he was with al-Hakam, the amir of Basra, on a seat. He said, “When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was hot, he delayed the prayer until a cooler time of the day. When it was cold, he made the prayer early.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

1163. Anas ibn Malik said, “I came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, while he was on a seat with a bad woven on it. He had a pillow under his head made of skin stuffed with fibre. There was a cloth between his skin and the seat. ‘Umar visited him and wept. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘What made you weep, ‘Umar?’ He said, ‘By Allah, Messenger of Allah, I am only weeping since I know that you are more noble with Allah than Chosroes and Caesar. They both live in what they live of this world while you, Messenger of Allah, are in the place I see.’ The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Are you not content, ‘Umar, that they have this world while we have the Next?’ I replied, ‘Yes, Messenger of Allah.’ He said, ‘That is the way of it.'”
Grade: Hasan (Sound) and Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: In another version of the hadeeth collected in the two Saheehs, it said that ‘Umar began to weep when he saw the signs of the straw mat on the sides of the Prophetﷺ. 2. Indeed the Chosroes and Caesar lived in material comfort in this transient and trifling life, they will live in the worst punishment and ignominy in the Hereafter. Allah the Exalted says: “Let not the free disposal (and affluence) of the disbelievers throughout the land deceive you. A brief enjoyment; then, their ultimate abode is Hell; and worst indeed is that place for rest.” (Q 3 : 196-197)

1164. Abu Rifa’a al-‘Adawi said, “I came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, while he was speaking [i.e. on Jumu’a]. I said, ‘Messenger, a stranger man has come to ask about his deen. He does not know what his deen is.’ He turned to me and stopped speaking. He was brought a chair which I think had iron legs. (Hamid [one of the transmitters] said, ‘I think that it was black wood like iron).’] He sat down on it and began to teach me what Allah had taught him. Then he finished his speech.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

1165. Musa ibn Dihqan said, “I saw Ibn ‘Umar sitting on a bridal seat wearing a red garment.”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

1165. (sic) ‘Imran ibn Muslim said, “I saw Anas sitting on a bed, placing one foot over another.”
Grade: Da’eef (Weak)

chapter 553. When someone sees people conversing secretly, he should not enter where they are

1166. Sa’id al-Maqburi said, “I passed by Ibn ‘Umar who had a man with him with whom he was conversing. I went to them, and he struck me on the chest and said, ‘When you find two men conversing, do not go up to them nor sit with them until they give you permission.’ I said. ‘May Allah make you prosper, Abu ‘Abdu’r-Rahman. I hoped that I would hear something good from you.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: The narration is evidence that good intentions do not justify actions; the action too must be correct as the intention to be acceptable before Allah the Exalted. It also shows the religion outrightly prohibits violating people’s privacy.

1167. Ibn ‘Abbas said, “Whoever listens to people’s conversations when they do not want him to do so will have molten lead poured into his ears. Anyone who lies about a dram will be obliged to string a barley bead.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

chapter 554. Two should not converse to the exclusion of a third

1168. ‘Abdullah reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “When there are three people, two should not converse together to the exclusion of the third.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: As it prohibits eavesdropping on people’s private talks, the religion also prohibits alienating a third person in a group of three which may lead him to listen in their conversation. This hadeeth is also evidence that whatever essentially leads to a prohibited act is also prohibited.

chapter 555. When there are four people

1169. ‘Abdullah reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “When there are three people, two should not converse together to the exclusion of the third for that would grieve him.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

1170. Ibn ‘Umar reported something similar from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He stated, “We said, ‘If there are four?’ He said, ‘Then it will not harm him.'”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: When two persons converse privately, the rest of the people could continue with whatever they were doing without feeling neither estranged nor been tempted to listen in the talk. Thus the permission mentioned in the hadeeth. This forms evidence for the legal maxim that: “Rulings change with their causes.”

1171. ‘Abdullah reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Two should not converse to the exclusion of another until they are mixing with people since that would distress him.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

1172. Ibn ‘Umar said, “When there are four, there is no harm.”
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)

chapter 556. When someone sits without someone else, he should ask his permission to leave

1173. Abu Burda ibn Abi Musa said, “I sat with ‘Abdullah ibn Sallam. He said, ‘You have sat down with us, but now it is time for us to leave.’ I said, ‘If you like.’ He got up and I followed him to the door.”

chapter 557. Do not sit in the edge of the sunlight

1174. Qays related that his father arrived while the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was speaking. He stood in the sun and the Prophet told him to move to the shade.
Grade: Saheeh (Authentic)
Commentary: In another report it says: “He prohibited sitting between sunlight and shade and said: ‘It is the seat of Shaytan.’” See Silsilat alAhaadeeth is-Saheehah (838)