Paradise without Prayer (Hadith No. 2456)

Bismillah.

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 63 :
Narrated by Al-Bara (radiallaahu `anhu)
A man whose face was covered with an iron mask (i.e. clad in armor) came to the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) and said, “O Allah’s Apostle! Shall I fight or embrace Islam first? “The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “Embrace Islam first and then fight.” So he embraced Islam, and was martyred. Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “A little work, but a great reward.” (He did very little (after embracing Islam), but he will be rewarded in abundance).

This proves that Allah rewards a person in abundance for the littlest of deeds. This is due to His Grace.

This person (mentioned in the hadith) did not offer one prayer, nor did he completed a fast for Allah. He was granted Paradise for his testimony of faith only (and martyrdom eventually). The reason is that he intended to live as a Muslim from that moment on. Were he granted more life, he would’ve prayed and fasted like other Muslims.

P.S. This makes me think how important it was for him to go to the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) to ask this question. If he didn’t, it would have been a completely different story. O_O

Story of Anas ibn Nadhr (radiallaahu `anhu) (Ahadith 2454 – 2455)

Bismillah.

Hadith no. 2453 (below) is a repeat. Read it here.

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 60 :
Narrated by Abdullah bin Abbas (radiallaahu `anhu)
That Abu Sufyan told him that Heraclius said to him, “I asked you about the outcome of your battles with him (i.e. the Prophet ) and you told me that you fought each other with alternate success. So the Apostles are tested in this way but the ultimate victory is always theirs.

Today’s Ahadith:

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 61 :
Narrated by Anas (radiallaahu `anhu)
My uncle Anas bin An-Nadr (radiallaahu `anhu) was absent from the Battle of Badr. He said, “O Allah’s Apostle! I was absent from the first battle you fought against the pagans. (By Allah) if Allah gives me a chance to fight the pagans, no doubt. Allah will see how (bravely) I will fight.” On the day of Uhud when the Muslims turned their backs and fled, he said, “O Allah! I apologize to You for what these (i.e. his companions) have done, and I denounce what these (i.e. the pagans) have done.” Then he advanced and Sad bin Muadh (radiallaahu `anhu) met him. He said “O Sad bin Muadh ! By the Lord of An-Nadr, Paradise! I am smelling its aroma coming from before (the mountain of) Uhud,” Later on Sad (radiallaahu `anhu) said, “O Allah’s Apostle! I cannot achieve or do what he (i.e. Anas bin An-Nadr) did. We found more than eighty wounds by swords and arrows on his body. We found him dead and his body was mutilated so badly that none except his sister could recognize him by his fingers.” We used to think that the following Verse was revealed concerning him and other men of his sort: “Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah…” (33.23) His sister Ar-Rubbaya’ broke a front tooth of a woman and Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) ordered for retaliation. On that Anas (bin An-Nadr) (radiallaahu `anhu) said, “O Allah’s Apostle! By Him Who has sent you with the Truth, my sister’s tooth shall not be broken.” Then the opponents of Anas’s sister accepted the compensation and gave up the claim of retaliation. So Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “There are some people amongst Allah’s slaves whose oaths are fulfilled by Allah when they take them.”

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 62 :
Narrated by Kharija bin Zaid
Zaid bin Thabit (radiallaahu `anhu) said, “When the Quran was compiled from various written manuscripts, one of the Verses of Surat Al-Ahzab was missing which I used to hear Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) reciting. I could not find it except with Khuzaima bin Thabit Al-Ansari (radiallaahu `anhu), whose witness Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) regarded as equal to the witness of two men. And the Verse was:– “Among the believers are men who have been true to what they covenanted with Allah.” (33.23)

The ayah:

“Among the believers are men true to what they promised Allah.” [33:23]

Ibn Kathir comments:

When Allah mentions how the hypocrites broke their promise to Him that they would not turn their backs, He describes the believers as firmly adhering to their covenant and their promise:

﴿صَدَقُواْ مَا عَـهَدُواْ اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ فَمِنْهُمْ مَّن قَضَى نَحْبَهُ﴾

(﴿they﴾ have been true to their covenant with Allah; of them some have fulfilled their Nahbah;) Some of them said: “Met their appointed time (i.e., death).” Al-Bukhari said, “Their covenant, and refers back to the beginning of the Ayah.”

﴿وَمِنْهُمْ مَّن يَنتَظِرُ وَمَا بَدَّلُواْ تَبْدِيلاً﴾

(and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed in the least.) means, they have never changed or broken their covenant with Allah. Al-Bukhari recorded that Zayd bin Thabit said: “When we wrote down the Mushaf, an Ayah from Surat Al-Ahzab was missing, which I used to hear the Messenger of Allah reciting. I did not find it with anyone except Khuzaymah bin Thabit Al-Ansari, may Allah be pleased with him, whose testimony the Messenger of Allah counted as equal to that of two other men. (The Ayah in question was:)

﴿مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُواْ مَا عَـهَدُواْ اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ﴾

(Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah;)” This was recorded by Al-Bukhari but not by Muslim, It was also recorded by Ahmad in his Musnad, and by At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa’i in the chapters on Tafsir in their Sunans. At-Tirmidhi said, “Hasan Sahih. Al-Bukhari also recorded that Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “We think that this Ayah was revealed concerning Anas bin An-Nadr, may Allah be pleased with him:

﴿مِّنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رِجَالٌ صَدَقُواْ مَا عَـهَدُواْ اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ﴾

(Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah.)” This was reported only by Al-Bukhari, but there are corroborating reports with other chains of narration. Imam Ahmad recorded that Anas said: “My paternal uncle Anas bin Al-Nadr, may Allah be pleased with him, after whom I was named, was not present with this Messenger of Allah at Badr, and this distressed him. He said: `The first battle at which the Messenger of Allah was present, and I was absent; if Allah shows me another battle with the Messenger of Allah , Allah will see what I will do!’ He did not want to say more than that. He was present with the Messenger of Allah at Uhud, where he met Sa`d bin Mu`adh, may Allah be pleased with him. Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said to him, `O Abu `Amr! Where are you going’ He replied, `I long for the fragrance of Paradise and I have found it near the mountain of Uhud.’ He fought them until he was killed, may Allah be pleased with him. Eighty-odd stab wounds and spear wounds were found on his body, and his sister, my paternal aunt Ar-Rabayyi` bint Al-Nadr said, `I only recognized my brother by his fingertips.’