The Bare Minimum (Ahadith 1177 – 1182)

Bismillah.

Volume 2, Book 23, Number 478:

Narrated Ibn Abbas:

Thy Prophet sent Muadh to Yemen and said, “Invite the people to testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and I am Allah’s Apostle, and if they obey you to do so, then teach them that Allah has enjoined on them five prayers in every day and night (in twenty-four hours), and if they obey you to do so, then teach them that Allah has made it obligatory for them to pay the Zakat from their property and it is to be taken from the wealthy among them and given to the poor.”

Volume 2, Book 23, Number 479:

Narrated Abu Aiyub:

A man said to the Prophet “Tell me of such a deed as will make me enter Paradise.” The people said, “What is the matter with him? What is the matter with him?” The Prophet said, “He has something to ask. (What he needs greatly) The Prophet said: (In order to enter Paradise) you should worship Allah and do not ascribe any partners to Him, offer prayer perfectly, pay the Zakat and keep good relations with your Kith and kin.” (See Hadith No. 12, Vol 8).

Volume 2, Book 23, Number 480:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

A Bedouin came to the Prophet and said, “Tell me of such a deed as will make me enter Paradise, if I do it.” The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, “Worship Allah, and worship none along with Him, offer the (five) prescribed compulsory prayers perfectly, pay the compulsory Zakat, and fast the month of Ramadan.” The Bedouin said, “By Him, in Whose Hands my life is, I will not do more than this.” When he (the Bedouin) left, the Prophet said, “Whoever likes to see a man of Paradise, then he may look at this man.”

Volume 2, Book 23, Number 481:

Narrated Abu Zur’a:

from the Prophet the same as above.

Volume 2, Book 23, Number 482:

Narrated Ibn Abbas:

A delegation of the tribe of ‘Abdul Qais came to the Prophet and said, “O Allah’s Apostle! We are from the tribe of Rabi’a, and the infidels of the tribe of Mudar stands between us and you; so we cannot come to you except during the Sacred Months. Please order us to do something (religious deeds) which we may carry out and also invite to it our people whom we have left behind.” The Prophet said, “I order you to do four things and forbid you four others: (I order you) to have faith in Allah, and confess that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, (and the Prophet gestured with his hand like this (i.e. one knot) and to offer prayers perfectly and to pay the Zakat, and to pay one-fifth of the booty in Allah’s Cause. And I forbid you to use Dubba’, Hantam, Naqir and Muzaffat (all these are the names of utensils used for preparing alcoholic drinks).”

Already discussed here.

Volume 2, Book 23, Number 483:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

When Allah’s Apostle died and Abu Bakr became the caliph some Arabs renegade (reverted to disbelief) (Abu Bakr decided to declare war against them), ‘Umar, said to Abu Bakr, “How can you fight with these people although Allah’s Apostle said, ‘I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight the people till they say: “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and whoever said it then he will save his life and property from me except on trespassing the law (rights and conditions for which he will be punished justly), and his accounts will be with Allah.’ ” Abu Bakr said, “By Allah! I will fight those who differentiate between the prayer and the Zakat as Zakat is the compulsory right to be taken from the property (according to Allah’s orders) By Allah! If they refuse to pay me even a she-kid which they used to pay at the time of Allah’s Apostle . I would fight with them for withholding it” Then ‘Umar said, “By Allah, it was nothing, but Allah opened Abu Bakr’s chest towards the decision (to fight) and I came to know that his decision was right.”

Here’s what I think.. The five pillars of Islam [testimony of faith, prayer, charity, fasting, pilgrimage] are the most essential parts of the Deen. YET, a person fulfilling all these duties is doing only the bare minimum, only that which will be sufficient to help him enter Paradise (if Allah wills). So there’s a lot more to our Deen. Keep exploring it!

Kitaab-ul-Janaa’iz [Book of Funerals] ends here. Alhamdulillah.

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Abu Lahab (Hadith No. 1176)

Bismillah.

Volume 2, Book 23, Number 477:

Narrated Ibn Abbas.:

Abu Lahab, may Allah curse him, once said to the Prophet (p.b.u.h), “Perish you all the day.”

Then the Divine Inspiration came: “Perish the hands of Abi Lahab! And perish he!” (111.1).

Ibn Kathir says in his Tafsir about the reason for revelation of this Surah [al-Lahab]:

Al-Bukhari recorded from Ibn `Abbas that the Prophet went out to the valley of Al-Batha and he ascended the mountain. Then he cried out,

«يَا صَبَاحَاه»

(O people, come at once!) So the Quraysh gathered around him. Then he said,

«أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ حَدَّثْتُكُمْ أَنَّ الْعَدُوَّ مُصَبِّحُكُمْ، أَوْ مُمَسِّيكُمْ أَكُنْتُمْ تُصَدِّقُونِّي»

؟ (If I told you all that the enemy was going to attack you in the morning, or in the evening, would you all believe me) They replied, “Yes.” Then he said,

«فَإِنِّي نَذِيرٌ لَكُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيد»

(Verily, I am a warner (sent) to you all before the coming of a severe torment.) Then Abu Lahab said, “Have you gathered us for this May you perish!” Thus, Allah revealed,

﴿تَبَّتْ يَدَآ أَبِى لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ ﴾

(Perish the two hands of Abu Lahab and perish he!) to the end of the Surah. In another narration it states that he stood up dusting of his hands and said, “Perish you for the rest of this day! Have you gathered us for this” Then Allah revealed,

﴿تَبَّتْ يَدَآ أَبِى لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ ﴾

(Perish the two hands of Abu Lahab and perish he!) The first part is a supplication against him and the second is information about him. This man Abu Lahab was one of the uncles of the Messenger of Allah.His name was `Abdul-`Uzza bin Abdul-Muttalib. His surname was Abu `Utaybah and he was only called Abu Lahab because of the brightness of his face. He used to often cause harm to the Messenger of Allah . He hated and scorned him and his religion. Imam Ahmad recorded from Abu Az-Zinad that a man called Rabi`ah bin `Abbad from the tribe of Bani Ad-Dil, who was a man of pre-Islamic ignorance who accepted Islam, said to him, “I saw the Prophet in the time of pre-Islamic ignorance in the market of Dhul-Majaz and he was saying,

«يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، قُولُوا: لَا إِلهَ إِلَّا اللهُ تُفْلِحُوا»

(O people! Say there is no god worthy of worship except Allah and you will be successful.) The people were gathered around him and behind him there was a man with a bright face, squint (or cross) eyes and two braids in his hair. He was saying, “Verily, he is an apostate (from our religion) and a liar!” This man was following him (the Prophet ) around wherever he went. So, I asked who was he and they (the people) said, “This is his uncle, Abu Lahab.” Ahmad also recorded this narration from Surayj, who reported it from Ibn Abu Az-Zinad, who reported it from his father (Abu Zinad) who mentioned this same narration. However in this report, Abu Zinad said, “I said to Rabi`ah, `Were you a child at that time’ He replied, `No. By Allah, that day I was most intelligent, and I was the strongest blower of the flute (for music).”’ Ahmad was alone in recording this Hadith. Concerning Allah’s statement,

﴿مَآ أَغْنَى عَنْهُ مَالُهُ وَمَا كَسَبَ ﴾

(His wealth and his children (Kasab) will not benefit him!) Ibn `Abbas and others have said,

﴿وَمَا كَسَبَ﴾

(and his children (Kasab) will not benefit him!) “Kasab means his children.” A similar statement has been reported from `A’ishah, Mujahid, `Ata’, Al-Hasan and Ibn Sirin. It has been mentioned from Ibn Mas`ud that when the Messenger of Allah called his people to faith, Abu Lahab said, “Even if what my nephew says is true, I will ransom myself (i.e., save myself) from the painful torment on the Day of Judgement with my wealth and my children.” Thus, Allah revealed,

﴿مَآ أَغْنَى عَنْهُ مَالُهُ وَمَا كَسَبَ ﴾

(His wealth and his children will not benefit him!) Then Allah says,

﴿سَيَصْلَى نَاراً ذَاتَ لَهَبٍ ﴾

(He will enter a Fire full of flames!) meaning, it has flames, evil and severe burning.

I wonder if Abu Lahab ever felt that he could be wrong; if he ever wondered what he’d do to save himself from Allah’s wrath. He ‘knew’ Prophet (SAW) to be a truthful and honest person, still he denied the message he (SAW) brought. Knowing and not believing.. hmm.. arrogance?

BEWARE!