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“Let My Parents Be Sacrificed for You!” (Hadith No. 2549)
Bismillah.
Ahadith 2547 – 2548 (below) are repeats. See linked text for related posts.
Volume 4, Book 52, Number 152 :
Narrated by Sahl (radiallaahu `anhu)
When the helmet of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) was smashed on his head and blood covered his face and one of his front teeth got broken, ‘Ali (radiallaahu `anhu) brought the water in his shield and Fatima the Prophet’s daughter) washed him. But when she saw that the bleeding increased more by the water, she took a mat, burnt it, and placed the ashes on the wound of the Prophet and so the blood stopped oozing out.
Volume 4, Book 52, Number 153 :
Narrated by ‘Umar (radiallaahu `anhu)
The properties of Bani An-Nadir which Allah had transferred to His Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) as Fai Booty were not gained by the Muslims with their horses and camels. The properties therefore, belonged especially to Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) who used to give his family their yearly expenditure and spend what remained thereof on arms and horses to be used in Allah’s Cause.
Today’s Hadith:
Volume 4, Book 52, Number 154 :
Narrated by Ali (radiallaahu `anhu)
I never saw the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) saying, “Let my parents sacrifice their lives for you,” to any man after Sa’d (radiallaahu `anhu). I heard him saying (to him), “Throw (the arrows)! Let my parents sacrifice their lives for you.”
We come across many narrations in which the companions say these words to the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam): فِدَاكَ أَبِي وَأُمِّي (Let my father and mother be sacrificed for you!), but rarely do we see the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) doing the same for his companions, for it is indeed an honor not everyone deserves. If you read about the life of Sa’d bin Abi Waqas (radiallaahu `anhu), his noble qualities, his love for Allah and His deen and the sacrifices he made, you’ll see why he was one of the very few that the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said these words to.
One might ask, are we allowed to say these words to other people, even besides the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam)? The answer is yes, because the Sahabah and their followers (Tabi’oon) used to say it to each other among them. So saying it to the those who deserve it, like people you love for Allah’s sake, those with knowledge and those having higher ranks is permissible.
The Best of Generations (Hadith No. 2541)
Bismillah.
Volume 4, Book 52, Number 146 :
Narrated by Abu Said Al-Khudri (radiallaahu `anhu)
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “A time will come when groups of people will go for Jihad and it will be asked, ‘Is there anyone amongst you who has enjoyed the company of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam)?’ The answer will be, ‘Yes.’ Then they will be given victory (by Allah) (because of him). Then a time will come when it will be asked. ‘Is there anyone amongst you who has enjoyed the company of the companions of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam)?’ It will be said, ‘Yes,’ and they will be given victory (by Allah). Then a time will come when it will be said. ‘Is there anyone amongst you who has enjoyed the company of the companions of the companions of the Prophet?’ It will be said, ‘Yes,’ and they will be given victory (by Allah).”
This narration signifies the rank and honor of the companions, tabi’een and their followers – the three best generations according to the hadith of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam):
It also proves that people get good from Allah because of the good ones among them. For example, there can be a community who gets Allah’s blessings not because they’re His favorites as a whole, but because there are some individuals/groups among them who are loved by Him, and He lets His Mercy rain on all of them.
The Story of `Ammar ibn Yasir (radiallaahu `anhu) (Hadith No. 2460)
Bismillah.
Volume 4, Book 52, Number 67 :
Narrated by ‘Ikrima
That Ibn ‘Abbas (radiallaahu `anhu) told him and ‘Ali bin ‘Abdullah to go to Abu Said (radiallaahu `anhu) and listen to some of his narrations; So they both went (and saw) Abu Said (radiallaahu `anhu) and his brother irrigating a garden belonging to them. When he saw them, he came up to them and sat down with his legs drawn up and wrapped in his garment and said, “(During the construction of the mosque of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam)) we carried the adobe of the mosque, one brick at a time while ‘Ammar (radiallaahu `anhu) used to carry two at a time. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) passed by ‘Ammar (radiallaahu `anhu) and removed the dust off his head and said, “May Allah be merciful to ‘Ammar. He will be killed by a rebellious aggressive group. ‘Ammar will invite them to (obey) Allah and they will invite him to the (Hell) fire.”
This post will focus on the story of the death of `Ammar (radiallaahu `anhu) instead of his life. Here’s a brief account of the Battle of Siffin (657 CE):
Muʿāwiyah, governor of Syria, refused to recognize ʿAlī as the new caliph before justice for the murder of his kinsman, the third caliph, ʿUthmān, was done; for his part, ʿAlī relied on the support of individuals who had been implicated in ʿUthmān’s murder and was therefore reluctant to prosecute them. ʿAlī gathered support in Kūfah, where he had established his centre, and invaded Syria. The two armies met along the Euphrates River at Ṣiffīn (near the Syrian-Iraqi border), where they engaged in an indecisive succession of skirmishes, truces, and battles, culminating in the legendary appearance of Muʿāwiyah’s troops with copies of the Qurʾān impaled on their lances—supposedly a sign to let God’s word decide the conflict. ʿAlī agreed to bring the matter to arbitration on the basis of the Qurʾān and delegated Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī as his representative, while Muʿāwiyah sent ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ. By agreeing to arbitration, ʿAlī conceded to deal with Muʿāwiyah on equal terms, thus permitting him to challenge ʿAlī’s claim as leader of the Muslim community. This concession aroused the anger of a large group of ʿAlī’s followers, who protested that “judgment belongs to God alone” (Qurʾān 6:57) and believed that arbitration would be a repudiation of the Qurʾānic dictum “If one party rebels against the other, fight against that which rebels” (49:9). A small number of these pietists withdrew (kharajū) to the village of Ḥarūrāʾ and so became known as Khārijites (Arabic: Khawārij).
Accounts of what precisely transpired at the arbitration vary. [Britannica]
It was in this battle that `Ammar (radiallaahu `anhu) was martyred. He was in the army of `Ali (radiallaahu `anhu) so it’s obvious which side killed him.
Coming to the hadith narrated above which says in the end: “May Allah be merciful to ‘Ammar. He will be killed by a rebellious aggressive group. ‘Ammar will invite them to (obey) Allah and they will invite him to the (Hell) fire.”
It’s important to know that there are other versions of this hadith available as well, having words less direct than these. For example:
- Abu Huraira narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “Rejoice Ammar, the transgressing party shall kill you.”
(Sunan Thirmidhi : Hadith Number 3800) - Allah’s messenger (PBUH) said to Ammar: “A group of rebels would kill you.”
(Sahih Muslim, English version, v4, chapter MCCV, Tradition #6968) - Umm Salama narrated that Allah’s messenger (may peace be upon him) said: “A band of rebels would kill Ammar.”
(Sahih Muslim, English version, v4, chapter MCCV, Tradition #6970)
It’s safe to say that according to the hadith mentioned above, `Ammar (radiallaahu `anhu) made the right choice siding with `Ali (radiallaahu `anhu) since he was the caliph at that time and his obedience was waajib on all Muslims. But the question arises, what about those who sided with Mu`awiyah (radiallaahu `anhu)? He himself was a companion of the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) and many of the companions were on his side too. So what do we say about them? Were they calling `Ammar (radiallaahu `anhu) towards Hellfire?
The answer to that according to scholars is that they were doing the right thing in their opinion. It was a complex matter and everyone had their own views. They were mujtahids (those who do Ijtihad) so there’s no blame upon them because:
Amr ibn Al-As reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “If a judge makes a ruling, striving to apply his reasoning (ijtihad) and he is correct, then he will have two rewards. If a judge makes a ruling, striving to apply his reasoning and he is mistaken, then he will have one reward.” [Sahih Bukhari 6919, Sahih Muslim 1716]
And Allah has elevated the status of Sahabah in the Quran by saying He’s pleased with them and promising them Paradise. Who then are we to talk bad about any one of them?
“And the foremost to embrace Islam of the Muhaajiroon and the Ansaar and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith). Allaah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise), to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success.” [al-Tawbah 9:100]
I’d like to end with these words of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him):
“Whoever among you wishes to follow (someone), let him follow one who has died, for the one who is still alive is not safe from fitnah. The companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) were the best of this ummah, the most righteous of heart and the deepest in knowledge and the most straightforward, people whom Allaah chose to accompany His Prophet and establish His religion. So acknowledge their virtue and follow in their footsteps, and adhere as much as you can to their morals and religion, for they were following right guidance.
Narrated by Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr in al-Jaami’, no. 1810.
May Allah forgive us our sins, remove doubts and ill feelings from our hearts concerning his slaves, may He make us love those whom He loves, and hate those whom He hates. May He guide us to the truth always, and enter us into Jannat-ul-Firdaws.
Best of Mankind (Ahadith 2317 – 2318)
Bismillah.
Hadith no. 2316 (below) is a repeat. Read it here.
Volume 3, Book 48, Number 818 :
Narrated by An-Nu’man bin Bashir (radiallaahu `anhu)
My mother asked my father to present me a gift from his property; and he gave it to me after some hesitation. My mother said that she would not be satisfied unless the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) was made a witness to it. I being a young boy, my father held me by the hand and took me to the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam). He said to the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam), “His mother, bint Rawaha, requested me to give this boy a gift.” The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “Do you have other sons besides him?” He said, “Yes.” The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “Do not make me a witness for injustice.” Narrated Ash-Shabi that the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “I will not become a witness for injustice.”
Today’s Ahadith:
Volume 3, Book 48, Number 819 :
Narrated by Zahdam bin Mudrab
I heard Imran bin Husain (radiallaahu `anhu) saying, “The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, ‘The best people are those living in my generation, then those coming after them, and then those coming after (the second generation).” Imran said “I do not know whether the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) mentioned two or three generations after your present generation. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) added, ‘There will be some people after you, who will be dishonest and will not be trustworthy and will give witness (evidences) without being asked to give witness, and will vow but will not fulfill their vows, and fatness will appear among them.”
Volume 3, Book 48, Number 820 :
Narrated by Abdullah (radiallaahu `anhu)
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “The people of my generation are the best, then those who follow them, and then whose who follow the latter. After that there will come some people whose witness will go ahead of their oaths, and their oaths will go ahead of their witness.” Ibrahim (a sub-narrator) said, “We used to be beaten for taking oaths by saying, ‘I bear witness by the Name of Allah or by the Covenant of Allah.”
Allah has extolled the virtues of the Companions of the Prophet (saw) many places in the Qur’an. A Companion is defined as one who met the Prophet (saw) in a state of belief and who died in that state. Allah said (after mentioning some of the hypocrites who stayed behind from Jihad):
{Rather, the Prophet and those who believe with him fought with their property and their lives for these are all good things, they are the successful ones and Allah has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow therein forever and that is the great success.} At-Tauba: 88-89
Allah’s praise of the Companions also extends to all those who follow their way. Allah said:
{The forerunners those who came first among the Migrators and the Helpers and those who followed them with the best. Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him and Allah has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow therein forever and that is the great success.} At-Tauba: 100
The best generations of all time are: the generation of the Prophet (saw) i.e., the Companions, those who followed them (at-taabi’een) and the ones who followed those (atbaa’ at-taabi’een). They are our best example. When we doubt whether a certain practice or belief is a prohibited bid’a or a valid interpretation and a good practice in the din, we simply have to look at these generations. If it is in the area of worship and they did not practice it or anything similar to it, or they openly condemned it then we know with certainty that it is not part if Islam and is the bid’a which Allah and His Prophet (saw) have absolutely forbidden.
The word for “generation” is qarn. Nowadays, this word is used to mean “century”. There are three interpretations of the word in this hadith:
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One hundred years. There are several hadith narrated in which the Prophet (saw) said that someone will reach “qarn” and then other reports state that that person lived to 100 years. There are differences as to this last point, however.
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The people of a particular time who were together in a certain affair – such as under a particular prophet or leader.
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That the “qarn” of the Prophet (saw) is the Companions, the next one is the Followers (taabi’een) and the third one is their Followers.
Notice that the last two are pretty similar. The third one is the best in terms of the meaning of this hadith. So the generation of the Companions lasted until the last of them passed away and likewise the two generations after them.
The scholars have agreed that the last of the those who followed those who followed lived to around 220 years. After that time, all sorts of innovations appeared and many of the deviant sects began. The Mu’tazilah spoke out loudly and widely and the philosophers raised their heads. The people of knowledge were tested by being forced to say that the Qur’an was created. In short, things changed very drastically and things have remained deficient ever since.
The only protection for this Ummah is to stick to the way of the Companions and the first generations.
Abi Burda reports from his father: “We prayed Maghrib with Allah’s Messenger (saw) then we said: Why not sit until we pray Isha with him? And so we sat and the Prophet (saw) came out to us and said: “Are you still here?” We said: “O Allah’s Messenger we prayed Maghrig with you and we decided to sit here until we pray Isha with you.” He said: “You have done well.” Then, he raised his head toward the heavens – and he used to do that frequently – and said: “The stars are the protection for the sky – when the stars have gone, that which has been forewarned will come to the sky. I am the protection for my Companions – when I have gone, that which has been forewarned will come to my companions. My Companions are the protection for this Ummah – when they have gone, that which has been forewarned will come to this Ummah.” (Muslim)
Taken mostly from: http://www.java-man.com/pages/BestGenerations/BestGenerations.html
Read more on the virtues of Sahaba here.
The Black and White Threads (Ahadith 1634 – 1636)
Bismillah.
أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ لَيْلَةَ الصِّيَامِ الرَّفَثُ إِلَىٰ نِسَائِكُمْ ۚ هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ لَّكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لِبَاسٌ لَّهُنَّ ۗ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ أَنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ تَخْتَانُونَ أَنفُسَكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَعَفَا عَنكُمْ ۖ فَالْآنَ بَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَابْتَغُوا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۚ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ ۖ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ ۚ وَلَا تُبَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنتُمْ عَاكِفُونَ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ ۗ تِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ فَلَا تَقْرَبُوهَا ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ آيَاتِهِ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ
“It has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives [for sexual relations]. They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them. Allah knows that you used to deceive yourselves, so He accepted your repentance and forgave you. So now, have relations with them and seek that which Allah has decreed for you. And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the sunset. And do not have relations with them as long as you are staying for worship in the mosques. These are the limits [set by] Allah , so do not approach them. Thus does Allah make clear His ordinances to the people that they may become righteous.” [2: 187]
Ibn Kathir says in his tafsir:
These Ayat contain a relief from Allah for the Muslims by ending the practice that was observed in the early years of Islam. At that time, Muslims were allowed to eat, drink and have sexual intercourse only until the `Isha’ (Night) prayer, unless one sleeps before the `Isha’ prayer. Those who slept before `Isha’ or offered the `Isha’ prayer, were not allowed to drink, eat or sexual intercourse sex until the next night. The Muslims found that to be difficult for them.
Volume 3, Book 31, Number 139:
Narrated Al-Bara:
It was the custom among the companions of Muhammad (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) that if any of them was fasting and the food was presented (for breaking his fast), but he slept before eating, he would not eat that night and the following day till sunset.
Qais bin Sirma-al-Ansari (radiallaahu `anhu) was fasting and came to his wife at the time of Iftar (breaking one’s fast) and asked her whether she had anything to eat. She replied, “No, but I would go and bring some for you.” He used to do hard work during the day, so he was overwhelmed by sleep and slept. When his wife came and saw him, she said, “Disappointment for you.” When it was midday on the following day, he fainted and the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) was informed about the whole matter and the following verses were revealed: “You are permitted To go to your wives (for sexual relation) At the night of fasting.” So, they were overjoyed by it. And then Allah also revealed: “And eat and drink Until the white thread Of dawn appears to you Distinct from the black thread (of the night).” (2.187)
Volume 3, Book 31, Number 140:
Narrated ‘Adi bin Hatim (radiallaahu `anhu):
When the above verses were revealed: ‘Until the white thread appears to you, distinct from the black thread,’ I took two (hair) strings, one black and the other white, and kept them under my pillow and went on looking at them throughout the night but could not make anything out of it. So, the next morning I went to Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) and told him the whole story. He explained to me, “That verse means the darkness of the night and the whiteness of the dawn.”
Volume 3, Book 31, Number 141:
Narrated Sahl bin Saud (radiallaahu `anhu):
When the following verses were revealed: ‘Eat and drink until the white thread appears to you, distinct from the black thread’ and of dawn was not revealed, some people who intended to fast, tied black and white threads to their legs and went on eating till they differentiated between the two. Allah then revealed the words, ‘of dawn’, and it became clear that meant night and day.
I’ve always found this incident regarding `Adi bin Hatim (radiallaahu `anhu) very cute! It goes to say how some of us are quite literal in understanding things. Not that we’re to be blamed. :P
On the other hand, there’s an important lesson in it for us: the companions weren’t always correct in their interpretation of Quranic ayaat or Ahadith. We’ll always find differences of opinions among companions, and when we do, we should go for the most correct and favored opinion. And just because a companion reached an incorrect conclusion doesn’t mean he was less intelligent or had weak imaan, na`oodhu billah! It only proves that they were human beings like us, but far better than us. If we were there, we would’ve made fun of `Adi (radiallaahu `anhu). But we don’t find any reports of companions or the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) laughing at him or making him feel bad about what he did. Such were the chosen people. <3
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