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| Explanation "May Allaah brighten the man..." |
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| bhaloo |
| 05/01/03 at 22:43:19 |
| [slm] Here was something I sent out to my maillist a few weeks back, and now I'm posting it here. Alhumdullilah I had heard a variation of this hadith at a khutbah delivered by a CAIR representative. The hadith is awesome. Explanation of the hadeeth “"May Allaah brighten the man…..” By Shaykh Abdul-muhsin Al-Abbaad Translated by brother Hisham Assing Narrated by Zaid bin Thaabit who said that Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) said, "May Allaah brighten the man who heard a hadeeth from us, memorized it and then conveys it just as he heard it, for perhaps the one who carries fiqh is not a faqeeh (one who understands), and perhaps he passes it on the fiqh to one who is better than him in understanding. Three things the heart of muslim harbors no ghil (aversion) towards: making one's act sincerly for Allah sake, sincerly advising the muslim rulers, and sticking to the jamaah, for indeed their supplication encompasses those who are behind them. And the one who makes the dunya his concern (main), Allah will remove from his heart contentment and He will place poverty right between his eyes, and Allah will shatter his affairs and nothing will come (to him) except what was written for him. And the one who makes the aakhirah his concern Allah will place contentment in his heart and He will remove the poverty that is between his eyes, and He will suffice him in his affairs, and the dunya will come to regardless." This hadeeth has been narrated by the following sahabahs (each having a slight variation in wording): 1. Abdullah Ibn Masood 2. Zayd Ibn Thaabit 3. Jubayr Ibn Mu'tim 4. Anas Ibn Maalik 5. N'umaan Ibn Basheer 6. Basheer Ibn Sa'd (father of N'umaan Ibn Basheer) 7. Abu Saeed Al-Khudree 8. Abdullah Ibn Umar 9. Muaadh Ibn Jabal 10. Abu Hurayrah 11. Abdullah Ibn Abbas 12. Abu Darda 13. Abu Qarsaafah 14. Rabee'a Ibn Uthmaan At-Taymee 15. Jaabir 16. Zubd Ibn Khaalid Al-Juhanee 17. A'ishah 18. Sad Ibn Abee Waqqaas 19. Shaybah Ibn Uthmaan 20. Ubayd Ibn Umayr Ibn Qatadah Al-Laythee from his father from his grandfather 21. Umar Ibn Al-khattaab 22. Uthmaan Ibn Affaan 23. Alee Ibn Abee Taalib 24. Ubay Ibn K'ab However this particular narration of the hadeeth has been reported in the following books of hadeeth, Musnad Al-Imam Ahmad (5/183), Sunan Ad-Daarimee (1/75), Sunan Abu Dawud (3/438), Sunan Ibn Majah (1/84), Sunan At-Tirmidhee (10/124), Saheeh Ibn Hibbaan (1/225) , Abu Amr Al-Asbahaanee (p. 3) in his juz in which he collected the ahaadeeth of the farewell hajj of the Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam), Ar-Raamharmazee's book, Al-muhadith: al-faasil bayna ar-raawee wal waa'ee (p. 4), Ibn Abdul-Bar's book Jaami' bayaan al-ilm wa fadlihi (1/39), Al-Khateeb Al-Baghdaadee's book Al-fiqh wal mutafaqhi, Al-Qaadee iyaad's book Al-ilmaa' (p. 13) Thus, many scholars of hadeeth such as Imam At-Tirmidhee, Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar, Ibn Jaafar Al-Kataanee, As-Suyootee and others have all considered this hadeeth to be mutawaatir. Moreover, the fact that the Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) mentioned this hadeeth at masjid Al-Kheef in Mina during the time of hajj is one of the main reasons why so many sahabahs narrated this hadeeth. Hence, this hadeeth and others like it is refutation for those who try to belittle the significance of the ahaadeeth that are not in the saheehayn (Al-Bukhari and Muslim). For indeed it is well known that they (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) did not intend to gather all the authentic hadeeth as they clearly stated as reported by Al-Haafidh Ibn Salah in his Uloomul hadeeth (p.16&17). Explanation of the hadeeth Many of the narrations for this hadeeth state that the Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) mentioned this hadeeth while giving a khutbah at masjid Al-Kheef in Mina. He (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) chose to mention this hadeeth at this particular place because of the numerous number of people who were there to witness his hajj, learn the deen and convey what they saw and heard from him to the corners of the earth. This is also an evidence of the care and concern the Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) had for the preservation of his sunnah and its propagation. His statement, “nadarah (brighten)” according to the Al-Qamoos (dictionary) (2/143) linguistically means blessings, life riches and goodness. Ar-Raamharmazee in his book, Al-muhadith al-faasil states that this word can have two meanings: 1. may Allah adorn that person with a beautiful appearance, 2. may Allah enter him into the nadrah of jannah which is its goodness and blessings. Al-Khattaabee says in Ma’alim as-sunan, “This is a du’a asking for this person to blessed and cheerful. “ (4/187) Al-Haafidh Al-Mundharee states in At-targheeb wa-atarheeb, “This is a dua asking Allah to enhance this person’s appearance.” (1/108) Ibn Al-Arabee says in his explanation of Sunan At-Tirmidhee, “nadaarah is the cheerfulness that is apparent on the face as a result of being blessed.” (1/124) Al-Mulla Alee qaaree Al-Hanafee in his book Al-muraqaa states, “This means may Allah specifically bless this person with buoyancy and happiness due the knowledge He has bestowed upon him in this life and may He bless him in the next life to the extent that the signs of blessings and ease are apparent upon this person. Some have said this is a du’a for this person to have a cheerful appearance as a result of the favors of Allah upon him. Others have said this is a du’a for this person to have a lofty position.” (1/288) I (Abul-muhsin Al-Abbaad) say that Al-Mulla Alee qaaree Al-Hanafee did something very noteworthy by mentioning these different meanings without giving preference to any one of them. For nadarah in this hadeeth can mean may Allah beautify this person by blessing him with a cheerful look and may he enter him into the nadrah of jannah which are the luxuries and the blessings of the high levels therein. Thus the different meanings given to this hadeeth are from the differences that are conciliatory, not from the differences that contradictory, for explaining the hadeeth by one word does not negate the validity of the applicability of another. And this is what is referred to as explanation by example. Rewards of memorizing and spreading the sunnah The Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) made dua for the person who hears and conveys his sunnah to have “nadaarah” as a fair compensation for the efforts this person has made in spreading the sunnah in its unadulterated form. From amongst those who adopt this reason is Al-Mulla Alee qaaree Al-Hanafee who in his book Al-muraqaa states, “ The Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) made du’a for the person because he used his memory to retain what he heard and he conveyed what he heard just as he heard it. Thus he made du’a that this person be compensated with a reward that is in accordance with the efforts he made in reviving the sunnah.” (1/188) This du’a that the Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) made for the person who hears and conveys his sunnah has indeed been made manifest for those who Allah grants the tawfeeq to work sincerely for His sake in the service of the sunnah and it dissemination. Al-Mulla Alee qaaree Al-Hanafee states, “It has been said that Allah has indeed answered the du’a of his Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam), hence one finds that ahlul-hadeeeth have the brightest faces and the best appearance. It has been narrated that Sufiyaan Ibn Uyaynah said: there is none from the students of hadeeth except on his face is nadrah.” (1/188) This report from Sufiyaan Ibn Uyaynah can also be found in Al-Khateeb Al-Baghdaadee’s book Sharaf ashaabal-hadeeth (p. 11) with its complete chain of narration. Ibn Al-Arabee states in his explanation of Sunan At-Tirmidhee, “This du’a of the Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) must - by the bounty of Allah - be made manifest on the one upholds the sunnah.” (10/125) This portion of the hadeeth contains within it an indication of the tremendous merits for the one who by Allah’s tawfeeq engages in the service of the sunnah. As-Sakhaawee says in Fathul-mugheeth, “The rewards for conveying knowledge is well known, especially for the narrators of hadeeth, for they come under the umbrella of the du’a of the Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) of nadaarah for those who hears and conveys what he says.“ (2/275) Al-Mulla Alee qaaree says in Al-muraqaa, “This indicates the nobility, merits and position of the student of hadeeth, for he (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) specified them in his du’a to the exclusion of others from his ummah. And if the only benefit of memorizing and conveying hadeeth was that of having the barakah of this blessed du’a, then this in itself would have been sufficient as a great achievement and accomplishment for this life and the next.” (1/288) “The one who heard a hadeeth from us” This applies to those who directly heard from the Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) like the sahabahs (radiallahu anhum) or those who came after them. Conveying what the Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) did and approved also falls within the context of, “Heard a hadeeth from us,” for in some of the narrations of the hadeeth it says, “Heard something from us.” Thus conveying the actions, statements and approvals of the Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) all fall under the category of hearing a hadeeth from him (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) and conveying it. “Memorized it” embraces preservation by means of the heart or by means of writing, or by both of them. Therein is an evidence of the permissibility of writing down hadeeth during the time of the Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam), and this is by the consensus of the sahabahs and those after them. “And then conveys it (to others) just as he heard it,” without an increase or decrease. “For perhaps the one who carries fiqh is not a faqeeh (one who understands), and perhaps he passes on the fiqh to one who is better than him in its understanding” This is an evidence that a hadeeth can be referred to as fiqh. Linguistically fiqh means in-depth knowledge of a subject; however its usage has evolved over the time to refer only to that of the knowledge of the deen due to its excellence. Ibn Hajar says in Al-Fath, “It is pronounced fuqh if it is becomes part of someone’s characteristic to have understanding, it is pronounced faqh if one proceeds another in understanding, and it is pronounced fiqh if one understands.” (1/164) These two statements indicate to us that a person may be able to memorize but he may not be able to comprehend what he has memorized. Likewise a person may understand something but someone else may have a better understanding than that person. In any event the one who memorizes but does not understand is still rewarded for memorizing the sunnah and conveying it. And the one who memorizes and understands is more thorough than the one who simply memorizes, thus he will be rewarded for memorizing the sunnah, conveying it and possessing the ability to derive rulings from it. Three things that are the foundation of a pure heart “Three things the heart of muslim harbors no ghil (aversion) towards” This sentence means that the mu’min is never deceitful in these three matters, nor does ill feeling enter into him whenever he is doing these things. Hence Az-Zamakhsharee said that this characteristic rectifies the heart and whoever holds fast to them purifies his heart from animosity and corruption. Al-Mulla Alee qaaree says in Al-muraqaa quoting from Ibn Hajar, “The relation this part of the hadeeth has with the one before it is that when the Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) highly encouraged the one who hears his sunnah to convey it, he informed them that there are certain traits that greatly facilitates the heart in conveying this message.” (1/289) “Ikhlaas lillah - Making one's act sincerly for Allah sake,” ikhlaas lillah is for a muslim to make his acts’ solely for the pleasure of Allah. Ikhlaas lillah is one of the pillars which the deen of Islaam is built upon, the second being following the Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam). Thus Fudayl Ibn Iyaad said about the verse in surah Al-mulk, “That He may test which of you is best in action” - "Who is most the most sincere and the most correct. So it was said: O Abu Alee what do you mean by the most sincere and the most correct? He replied: an action if it is sincere and not correct then it is not accepted. And if it is correct and not sincere then it is not accepted. It is only accepted when it is both sincere and correct. And it is only sincere when it is solely for Allaah’s sake, and it is only correct when it is done according to the Sunnah." Ibn Al-Qayyim says in his book Al-Fawaa’id, “Never does ikhlaas, love of praise and craving for what the people have gather together in the heart just as water and fire do not mix. So if your soul encourages you to have ikhlaas, then the first thing you should do is go to your cravings and slaughter it with the knife of despair, then go to love of praise and abstain from it just as those who are the lovers of this dunya abstain from (the rewards of) the aakhirah. If by then the slaughter of your cravings and love of praise was successful, having ikhlaas will be easy for you. If you ask what will facilitate the slaughter of cravings and abstinence from praise? I say – as for the slaughter of cravings, it can be easy for you when you know for sure that there is nothing you desire except it is solely in the hands of Allah and He is the lone possessor of all things. As for abstinence from desiring praise, it can be easy for you when you have sure knowledge that no one can benefit or harm you by their praise or criticism of you except Allah. Therefore, abstain from seeking the praise of the one who’s praise does not benefit you nor does his criticism harm you, rather seek the praise of the One who there is only good in His praise and there is only scorn in His criticism. And one would never be able to attain this lofty position except by patience and certainty. For when these two ingredients of patience and certainty are missing, it is like the one who wants to travel the ocean without a boat. As Allah says, “So be patient. Verily, the Promise of Allâh is true, and let not those who have no certainty of faith, discourage you from conveying Allâh's Message.” (Ar-Rum: 60), “And we appointed from amongst them a’imah who were guided by Our command when they became steadfast and believed firmly in Our revelations.” (As-sajdah: 24 / Al-Fawaaid p. 148) “Sincerely advising the muslim rulers” In some of the narrations it states, “Sincerly advising the muslims.” This clarifies the obligation the muslim has to other muslims. As found in the hadeeth of Tameem Ad-Daaree narrated by Al-Bukharee and Muslim, “The deen is naseehah." The people asked, "To whom?" The Prophet (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) replied, "To Allah and to His Book and to His Messenger and to the leaders of the muslims and the common folk." And as Abdullah Al-Bajalee (radiallahu anhu) said, “I gave bayah (pledge of allegiance) to Allah's Messenger (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) on the establishment of the prayer, payment of zakah, and naseehah for every muslim.” (Al-Bukaree and Muslim). Ibn Hajar says in Al-Fath, “Al-Maazaree says that naseehah is taken from the phrase ‘nusuuhat al-asl (honey)’ when the honey is purified. Thus something is ‘nus-h’ whenever it becomes filtered.” (1/638) Regarding naseehah to the muslim rulers, this is manifested by the want for them to be upright, guiding them, desiring to see the ummah united behind them, disliking the disobedience to them that is in accordance with the obedience to Allah and the hatred for those who view that it is permissible to revolt against them. Ibn Salaah made some noteworthy comments regarding naseehah to the muslims, he said, “Naseehah to the muslims implies that they be guided to that which will benefit them, teaching them matters of their deen and their worldy life, covering their faults, filling in for their shortcomings, assisting them against their enemies, defending them, avoiding the deceit and envy of them, loving for one’s muslim brother what one loves for oneself, and hating for them what one hates for oneself.” From those which matters which are also considered as naseehah to the muslim rulers; asking Allah for them to be successful and guided, and that He gives victory to the deen by means of them. For there is tremendous goodness for the muslims, in both their religious and wordly matters, when the condition of the muslim rulers is aright. Hence, some of the salaf used to say, “If I knew I had a du’a that would be definitely answered, I would make it for the ruler.” However, giving naseehah is not just restricted only for the muslim, for the hadeeth mentions what occurs most often, rather one can also give naseehah to the kaafir by inviting him to Islaam and guiding to him that which is correct whenever he seeks one’s advice. “And sticking to the jamaah” By conforming to their aqeedah and good actions, and being wary of opposition to them. “For indeed their supplications encompass those who are behind them” This point of the hadeeth was mentioned right after that of the importance of clinging to the jamaah to show the gain of sticking to the jamaah – which is that this person by being part of the jamaah, he will benefit whenever their supplications are made. “And the one who makes the dunya his concern (main), Allah will remove from his heart contentment and He will place poverty right between his eyes, and Allah will shatter his affairs.” This part of the hadeeth refers back to the matter of ikhlaas (naseehah), for the one who does not make his affair sincerely for Allah and his sole concern is this dunya. Indeed Allah will punish him in this life with the punishment of removing contentment from his heart, thus he will have no comfort or tranquility. As a result, stress will overtake that person and Allah will place the threat of poverty right in front of him so that it will never depart from him, while at the same time Allah has ruined his affairs and afflicted him with hardships from every angle. “And nothing will come (to him) except what was written for him.” This means that this person’s sustenance comes to him just as the provision of the creatures are written for them, Allah says, “There is no moving creature on earth but its sustenance dependeth on Allah.” (Hud: 6) Likewise, the one is sincere, his provisions come to him as a result of what Allah has written for him, however Allah rewards him with what is destined for him, plus more, because of his sincerity to Allah. This does not negate the reality we witness whereby many of the enemies of Allah live the most luxurious lifestyles. This may be what is apparent, but their hearts are void of contentment, they are constantly worried by the though of being becoming poor, and they lack what the one who believes in Allah has from the internal peace and satisfaction. Whatever Allah has given them only increases them in tribulation, and this only precipitates their pleasures which they have no portion therein except in this life. As Allah says, “So let not their wealth or their children amaze you; in reality Allâh's Plan is to punish them with these things in the life of the this world, and that their souls shall be seized while they are disbelievers.” (At-Tawbah: 55) “And the one who makes the aakhirah his concern Allah will place contentment in his heart and He wil remove the poverty that is between his eyes, and He will suffice him in his affairs, and the dunya will come to regardless.” This is the reward for the one who makes his affair sincerely for Allah and the aakhirah is his main concern, which is exactly opposite to the punishment of the one who fails to have sincerity in his actions. Allah fills his heart with contentment, He distances from him the threat of poverty and He provides him with sustenance from places he least expected. This does conflict with the fact we witness whereby some sincere muslims may have little wealth, for indeed the true wealth is the wealth of the heart. And the one who is sincere to Allah achieves this, and whatever poverty he may experience is also a test (just as wealth is a test). Finally, I hope that I was able to give this great hadeeth some of the rights it deserves as far as research and explanation is concerned. I ask Allah taa’la to make me amongst those whom the blessings of this noble du’a encompasses, to give me the tawfeeq to work in service of the sunnah and to be constant upon it. O Rabb bestow upon us your mercy and make easy for us the straight path, wa salallaahu wasallam ala abdihi wa rasulihi nabiyana Muhammad wa aalihi wa sahbihi. This research was completed on Thursday of Rabi’al-awwal corresponding to the year 1392 after the hijrah of Al-Mustafa salallaahu alaihi wasallam, from Makkah Al-Mukarramah, and All praises due to Allah firstly and finally. |
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