Accepting Gifts, Even if Humble (Ahadith 2238 – 2240)

Bismillah.

Ahadith 2233 – 2237 (below) are repeats. See linked text for related posts.

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 735:
Narrated ‘Urwa:
That ‘Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa) told him that Buraira came to seek her help in her writing of emancipation (for a certain sum) and that time she had not paid anything of it. ‘Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa) said to her, “Go back to your masters, and if they agree that I will pay the amount of your writing of emancipation and get your Wala’, I will do so.” Buraira informed her masters of that but they refused and said, “If she (i.e. ‘Aisha) is seeking Allah’s reward, then she can do so, but your Wala’ will be for us.” ‘Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa) mentioned that to Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) who said to her, “Buy and manumit her, as the Wala’ is for the liberator.” Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) then got up and said, “What about the people who stipulate conditions which are not present in Allah’s Laws? Whoever imposes conditions which are not present in Allah’s Laws, then those conditions will be invalid, even if he imposed these conditions a hundred times. Allah’s conditions (Laws) are the truth and are more solid.”

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 736:
Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar (radiallaahu `anhu):
Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa) wanted to buy a slave-girl in order to manumit her. The girl’s masters stipulated that her Wala’ would be for them. Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said (to ‘Aisha), “What they stipulate should not stop you, for the Wala’ is for the liberator.”

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 737:
Narrated Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa):
Buraira came (to ‘Aisha) and said, “I have made a contract of emancipation with my masters for nine Uqiyas (of gold) to be paid in yearly installments. Therefore, I seek your help.” ‘Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa) said, “If your masters agree, I will pay them the sum at once and free you on condition that your Wala’ will be for me.” Buraira went to her masters but they refused that offer. She (came back) and said, “I presented to them the offer but they refused, unless the Wala’ was for them.” Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) heard of that and asked me about it, and I told him about it. On that he said, “Buy and manumit her and stipulate that the Wala’ should be for you, as Wala’ is for the liberator.” ‘Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa) added, “Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) then got up amongst the people, Glorified and Praised Allah, and said, ‘Then after: What about some people who impose conditions which are not present in Allah’s Laws? So, any condition which is not present in Allah’s Laws is invalid even if they were one-hundred conditions. Allah’s ordinance is the truth, and Allah’s condition is stronger and more solid. Why do some men from you say, O so-and-so! manumit the slave but the Wala will be for me? Verily, the Wala is for the liberator.”

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 738:
Narrated Amra bint ‘AbdurRahman:
Buraira went to Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa), the mother of the faithful believers to seek her help in her emancipation Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa) said to her, “If your masters agree, I will pay them your price in a lump sum and manumit you.” Buraira mentioned that offer to her masters but they refused to sell her unless the Wala’ was for them. ‘Aisha told Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) about it. He said, “Buy and manumit her as the Wala’ is for the liberator.”

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 739:
Narrated ‘Abdul Wahid bin Aiman:
I went to ‘Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa) and said, “I was the slave of Utba bin Abu Lahab. “Utba died and his sons became my masters who sold me to Ibn Abu Amr who manumitted me. The sons of ‘Utba stipulated that my Wala’ should be for them.” ‘Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa) said, “Buraira came to me and she was given the writing of emancipation by her masters and she asked me to buy and manumit her. I agreed to it, but Buraira told me that her masters would not sell her unless her Wala’ was for them.” ‘Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa) said, “I am not in need of that.” When the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) heard that, or he was told about it, he asked ‘Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa) about it. ‘Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa) mentioned what Buraira had told her. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “Buy and manumit her and let them stipulate whatever they like.” So, ‘Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa) bought and manumitted her and her masters stipulated that her Wala’ should be for them.” The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “The Wala’ will be for the liberator even if they stipulated a hundred conditions.”

Book of Manumission of Slaves [Kitaab-ul-`Itq] ends here.

Book of Gifts [Kitaab-ul-Hibah] starts today..

Today’s Ahadith:

Volume 3, Book 47, Number 740:
Narrated Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu):
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “O Muslim women! None of you should look down upon the gift sent by her she-neighbour even if it were the trotters of the sheep (flesh-less part of legs).”

The awkward moment when you think you’ve covered the hadith before on the blog but it doesn’t show up in search results! Anyhoo..

Volume 3, Book 47, Number 741:
Narrated Urwa:
Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa) said to me, “O my nephew! We used to see the crescent, and then the crescent and then the crescent in this way we saw three crescents in two months and no fire (for cooking) used to be made in the houses of Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam). I said, “O my aunt! Then what use to sustain you?” ‘Aisha (radiallaahu `anhaa) said, “The two black things: dates and water, our neighbors from Ansar had some Manarh and they used to present Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) some of their milk and he used to make us drink.”

Humility is one of the best and noblest of characteristics; it is the attitude of the Prophets and Messengers, and the way of the close friends of Allaah and the righteous. That is being kind to people, lowering the wing of humility to them and trying to meet their needs and wants.

It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“The most perfect of the believers in faith is the one who is best in attitude and humble, who get along with others and others get along with them, and  there is no good in the one who does not get along with others and they do not get along with him.”

Narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Awsat (2/268); classed as hasan by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah(751).

One of the greatest qualities of those who are humble is that they accept gifts no matter what their value, and they do not look at their value or whether the giver could have afforded something better than that, rather one should accept it and appreciate it, and feel that the true gift is the love that motivated them to give, not the value of the gift.

The leader of mankind, the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, our Beloved Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), despite his high status and lofty position, would accept a gift even if it was a sheep’s foot or a drink of milk.

Volume 3, Book 47, Number 742:
Narrated Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu):
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “I shall accept the invitation even if I were invited to a meal of a sheep’s trotter, and I shall accept the gift even if it were an arm or a trotter of a sheep.”

This hadeeth is indicative of the good attitude of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his humility, and his desire to make people happy by accepting gifts and responding when a man invited him to his home, even if he knew that what he was inviting him to was something small. This is encouragement to keep in touch with one another, love one another, make friends with one another, and accept invitations great and small, and to accept gifts likewise.

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Smacking the Face (Hadith No. 2232)

Bismillah.

Hadith no. 2231 (below) is a repeat. Read it here.

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 733:
Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar (radiallaahu `anhu):
That he heard Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) saying, “Everyone of you is a guardian and is responsible for his charge; the ruler is a guardian and is responsible for his subjects; the man is a guardian in his family and responsible for his charges; a woman is a guardian of her husband’s house and responsible for her charges; and the servant is a guardian of his master’s property and is responsible for his charge.” I definitely heard the above from the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) and think that the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) also said, “A man is a guardian of his father’s property and responsible for his charges; so everyone of you is a guardian and responsible for his charges.”

Today’s Hadith:

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 734:
Narrated Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu):
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “If somebody fights (or beats somebody) then he should avoid the face.”

This, for sure, is not allowed.

Ibn Uthaymeen says about smacking children:

Smacking on the face is risky, because the face is the highest and noblest part of a person and if a person is smacked on the face it is more humiliating and shameful than if he were to be smacked on the back. Hence it is forbidden to smack on the face.
Fataawa Noor ‘ala al-Darb, 13/2

More on smacking children here.

Rights of Servants (Hadith No. 2230)

Bismillah.

Ahadith 2227 – 2229 (below) are repeats. See linked text for related posts.

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 729:
Narrated Ibn ‘Umar (radiallaahu `anhu):
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “If one manumits his share of a common slave (Abd), and he has money sufficient to free the remaining portion of the price of the slave (justly estimated), then he should free the slave completely by paying the rest of his price; otherwise the slave is freed partly. “

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 730:
Narrated ‘Abdullah (radiallaahu `anhu):
Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “Everyone of you is a guardian and is responsible for his charges. The ruler who has authority over people, is a guardian and is responsible for them, a man is a guardian of his family and is responsible for them; a woman is a guardian of her husband’s house and children and is responsible for them; a slave (‘Abu) is a guardian of his master’s property and is responsible for it; so all of you are guardians and are responsible for your charges.”

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 731:
Narrated Abu Huraira and Zaid bin Khalid (radiallaahu `anhumaa):
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “If a slave-girl (Ama) commits illegal sexual intercourse, scourge her; if she does it again, scourge her again; if she repeats it, scourge her again.” The narrator added that on the third or the fourth offence, the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “Sell her even for a hair rope.”

Today’s Hadith:

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 732:
Narrated Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu):
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “When your servant brings your meals to you then if he does not let him sit and share the meals, then he should at least give him a mouthful or two mouthfuls of that meal or a meal or two meals, as he has prepared it.”

Rights of a servant over his employer based on this article are as follows:

1-     He should give his servant the same food as he eats

2-     He should clothe him as he clothes himself.

3-     He should not give him more to do than he is able for, and if he does that he should help him.

4-     He should pay him a wage that is appropriate to his work and his efforts.

5-     He should not insult him or hit him.

6-     He should treat him well and be kind to him.

7-     He should overlook his mistakes and shortcomings.

Read more here.

Rabb or al-Rabb? (Hadith No. 2226)

Bismillah.

Ahadith 2219 – 2225 (below) are repeats. Related posts have been linked.

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 721:
Narrated Al-Ma’rur bin Suwaid:
I saw Abu Dhar Al-Ghifari (radiallaahu `anhu) wearing a cloak, and his slave, too, was wearing a cloak. We asked him about that (i.e. how both were wearing similar cloaks). He replied, “Once I abused a man and he complained of me to the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam). The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) asked me, ‘Did you abuse him by slighting his mother?’ He added, ‘Your slaves are your brethren upon whom Allah has given you authority. So, if one has one’s brethren under one’s control, one should feed them with the like of what one eats and clothe them with the like of what one wears. You should not overburden them with what they cannot bear, and if you do so, help them (in their hard job).”

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 722:
Narrated Ibn ‘Umar (radiallaahu `anhu):
Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “If a slave is honest and faithful to his master and worships his Lord (Allah) in a perfect manner, he will get a double reward.“

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 723:
Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ashari (radiallaahu `anhu):
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “He who has a slave-girl and teaches her good manners and improves her education and then manumits and marries her, will get a double reward; and any slave who observes Allah’s right and his master’s right will get a double reward.”

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 724:
Narrated Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu):
Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “A pious slave gets a double reward.” Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu) added: By Him in Whose Hands my soul is but for Jihad (i.e. holy battles), Hajj, and my duty to serve my mother, I would have loved to die as a slave.

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 725:
Narrated Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu):
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “Goodness and comfort are for him who worships his Lord in a perfect manner and serves his master sincerely.”

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 726:
Narrated ‘Abdullah (radiallaahu `anhu):
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “If a slave serves his Saiyid (i.e. master) sincerely and worships his Lord (Allah) perfectly, he will get a double reward.”

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 727:
Narrated Abu Musa (radiallaahu `anhu):
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “The Mamluk (slave) who worships his Lord in a perfect manner, and is dutiful, sincere and obedient to his Saiyid (master), will get a double reward.”

Today’s Hadith:

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 728:
Narrated Abu Huraira (radiallaahu `anhu):
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “You should not say, ‘Feed your lord (Rabbaka), help your lord in performing ablution, or give water to your lord, but should say, ‘my master (e.g. Feed your master instead of lord etc.) (Saiyidi), or my guardian (Maulai), and one should not say, my slave (Abdi), or my girl-slave (Amati), but should say, my lad (Fatai), my lass (Fatati), and ‘my boy (Ghulami).”

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The scholars said: The word al-Rabb, with the definite article al-, cannot be applied to anyone except Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. But it may be used in conjunction with something else, in the genitive, e.g., rabb al-maal (the owner of the wealth), rabb al-daar (the owner of the house) and so on. An example of this is what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, in the saheeh hadeeth about the lost camel, “Let it be until its owner (rabbuha) finds it, and in another saheeh hadeeth, “until the one who has wealth (rabb al-maal) will be worried about finding someone to accept his wealth (zakaah).” (It also appears) in the words of ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) in al-Saheeh, “… the owner (rabb) of the herd of camels and flock of sheep…” And there are many other well-known examples in the hadeeth.

The scholars said: It is only makrooh for a slave to say to his master “rabbiy (my lord)” because by saying this he is making someone a partner with Allaah in lordship.

With regard to the ahaadeeth “until its owner (rabbuha) finds it” and “owner (rabb) of the herd of camels” and so on, the word is only used here because it refers to things that are not accountable. They are like houses and wealth. Undoubtedly it is not makrooh to say rabb al-daar (owner of the house) or rabb al-maal (owner of the wealth).

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The reason for the prohibition is that that the right of Lordship belongs to Allaah alone, because the lord is the owner, the one who is maintaining a thing, and that is true only of Allaah, may He be exalted.

Al-Khattaabi said: The reason why it is not allowed to call another person one’s rabb (lord) is that man is under the care of al-Rabb (the Lord, Allaah), and he is required to show sincere belief in the Oneness of Allaah (Tawheed) and avoid associating anything with Him (shirk), so it is makrooh for him to use the same name lest it come under the heading of shirk. There is no differentiation in this case between the free man and the slave. As for other things, animals and inanimate objects, which are not obliged to do acts of worship, it is not makrooh to use this word in the genitive with reference to them, such as saying rabb al-daar (owner of the house) or rabb al-thawr (owner of the bull).

Ibn Battaal said: It is not permissible to call anyone except Allaah rabb (lord), just as it is not permissible to call anyone else ilaah (god). What is to be used exclusively for Allaah is the word al-Rabb (the Lord) with the definite article, without mentioning anything in conjunction with it. But when it is used in conjunction with another word, in the genitive, it is it permissible to use it, such as when Allaah tells us that Yoosuf (peace be upon him) said: “Mention me to your Lord” and he said: “Return to your lord” [Yoosuf 12:50], and when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, describing the portents of the Hour, “When the slave woman gives birth to her lord (i.e., master,rabbaha).” This indicates that the prohibition on using this word applies only to its use with the definite article (al-Rabb), and it is possible that the prohibition is aimed at avoiding usage with reference to human beings of words that are befitting only for Allaah. Reports which indicate otherwise may be taken as meaning that it is permitted. Or it may be that it is not allowed to do that a great deal and take that usage as a habit, and it does not mean that it is forbidden in all cases. End quote.

Fath al-Baari (5/179).

To sum up:

The word al-Rabb (the Lord) which applies only to Allaah is that which appears with the definite article, but when the word is used in conjunction with something else, especially if it is something that has no power of rational thought and is not obliged to worship Allaah, then it is permissible.

Double Reward (Hadith No. 2218)

Bismillah.

Volume 3, Book 46, Number 720:
Narrated Abu Musa (radiallaahu `anhu):
Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “He who has a slave-girl and educates and treats her nicely and then manumits and marries her, will get a double reward.“

Another similar narration:

The Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are three who will be given a double reward: a man from among the people of the Book who believed in his Prophet, then lived to see the Prophet (S) and followed him and believed in him– he will have a double reward; and a slave who fulfills his duty towards Allaah and towards his master – he will have a double reward; and a man who had a slave woman whom he fed and fed her well, and taught her and taught her well, then he set her free and married her – he will have a double reward”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (97) and Muslim (154).

The act of educating a slave-girl and treating her nicely is rewarded.. and marrying her after freeing her gets the owner double reward.. because this is kind treatment multiplied by two.

P.S. a man cannot marry his slave because ownership is stronger than wedlock. Read more here.