Commentary

Hadith on people whose salaah would not rise up beyond their ears

Q: Abu Umamah (radhiyallahu anhu) narrated that Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: "There are three whose salaah would not rise up beyond their ears: The runaway slave until he returns, a woman who spends a night while her husband is angry with her, and a people's Imaam whom they dislike."

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ، حَدَّثَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ وَاقِدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو غَالِبٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا أُمَامَةَ، يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ ثَلاَثَةٌ لاَ تُجَاوِزُ صَلاَتُهُمْ آذَانَهُمُ الْعَبْدُ الآبِقُ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ وَامْرَأَةٌ بَاتَتْ وَزَوْجُهَا عَلَيْهَا سَاخِطٌ وَإِمَامُ قَوْمٍ وَهُمْ لَهُ كَارِهُونَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ ‏.‏ وَأَبُو غَالِبٍ اسْمُهُ حَزَوَّرٌ ‏.

Classification: Hasan (Good) Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Book of Salaah, Hadith 360

Can you please explain the 3rd point.

Explanation of the Hadith regarding a believer selling his Deen

Q: Please explain this Hadith:

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (radiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: ‘Be quick in increasing your good deeds, before such trials arrive, in which a person who was a believer in the morning will become a kaafir (non believer) by the evening, or he who was a believer in the evening would become a non believer by the morning; because of him selling his deen (religion) in exchange of the acquisitions of the world.’ (Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 309)

Hadith on advising someone who is on the wrong

Q: How should we understand and apply this narration, what is the correct method to practice it?

عن أبي قلابة، أن أبا الدرداء مر على رجل قد أصاب ذنبا، فكانوا يسبونه، فقال: أرأيتم لو وجدتموه في قليب ألم تكونوا مستخرجيه؟ قالوا: بلى، قال: فلا تسبوا أخاكم واحمدوا الله الذي عافاكم ، قالوا: أفلا تبغضه؟ قال: إنما أبغض عمله، فإذا تركه فهو أخي

Abu Qilabah (rahimahullah) narrates that Abud Darda (radiyallahu ‘anhu) once passed by a man who had committed a sin and the people were cursing him. So he said: “Tell me, if you were you to find him in a deep well wouldn’t you bring him out?” When they replied in the affirmative, he said: ‘Then do not curse your brother and praise Allah who protected you.’ They asked, ‘Don’t you hate him?’ He replied: ‘I only hate his wrong doing, but when he abandons it then he is my brother.'”

This statement of Sayyiduna Abud Darda (radiyallahu ‘anhu) is recorded in Musannaf ‘Abdur Razzaq and Shu’abul Iman. (Musannaf ‘Abdur Razzaq: 20267, Shu’abul Iman: 6264) The narrators are reliable.

Looking for faults of fellow Muslims

Q:

1. What is the meaning of: "Iman has not entered their hearts".

2. What is the meaning of: "Allah Ta’ala will search for his faults and the one who Allah takes to task, Allah will disgrace him even if he is in his home."

عن ابن عمر قال: صعد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم المنبر فنادى بصوت رفيع، فقال: يا معشر من أسلم بلسانه ولم يفض الإيمان إلى قلبه، لا تؤذوا المسلمين ولا تعيروهم ولا تتبعوا عوراتهم، فإنه من تتبع عورة أخيه المسلم تتبع الله عورته، ومن تتبع الله عورته يفضحه ولو في جوف رحله 

Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (radiyallahu ‘anhuma) reports: “Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) once ascended the pulpit and called out in a loud voice, ‘O those who have accepted Islam with their tongues while Iman has not entered their hearts! Do not cause harm to the Muslims, do not rebuke them and do not search for their faults, for verily the one who searches for his Muslim brother’s faults, Allah Ta’ala will search for his faults and the one who Allah takes to task, Allah will disgrace him even if he is in his home.'” (Sunan Tirmidhi, Hadith: 2032 and Sahih Ibn Hibban; Al Ihsan, Hadith: 5763)

Imam Tirmidhi (rahimahullah) has declared the Hadith sound (hasanun gharib) and Imam Ibn Hibban (rahimahullah) has declared the Hadith authentic (sahih).

Explanation of the statement of Hazrat Umar (radiyallahu anhu), "Do not let the prayer of a man deceive you nor his fasting..."

Q: What is the meaning of this narration: Sayyiduna ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab (radiyallahu ‘anhu) said: “Do not let the prayer of a man deceive you nor his fasting. Rather look at the truthfulness of his speech, his trustworthiness whenever he is entrusted, and how he acts whenever he is given wealth/power.”

Imams Musaddad, Bayhaqi (rahimahumallah) and other Muhaddithun have recorded this statement of Sayyiduna ‘Umar ibn Al Khattab (radiyallahu ‘anhu). Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al ‘Asqalani (rahimahullah) has declared the narration authentic. (Shu’abul Iman, Hadith: 4898 and Al Matalibul ‘Aliyah, Hadith: 2631)

Hadith on enjoining good and forbidding evil

Q: Can you explain what is the corroboration of the following narrations about Al Amr Bil Ma’ruf Wan Nahy ‘Anil Munkar.

 رأيت ليلة أسري بي رجالا تقرض شفاههم بمقاريض من نار فقلت يا جبريل من هؤلاء قال هؤلاء خطباء من أمتك يأمرون الناس بالبر وينسون أنفسهم وهم يتلون الكتاب أفلا يعقلون

1. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “On the night of Mi’raj I saw men whose lips were being cut with scissors made of fire. I asked Jibril, ‘Who are these people’? He replied, ‘These are the orators of your ummah who command people to do good but forget about their own selves whereas they read the Quran, Don’t they understand?'”

Imam Ahmad (rahimahullah) has recorded this Hadith on the authority of Sayyiduna Anas (radiyallahu ‘anhu). Imam Ibn Hibban (rahimahullah) has declared the Hadith authentic. (Musnad Ahmad, vol. 3 pg. 239/240, Sahih Ibn Hibban; Al Ihsan, Hadith: 53)

2.Sayyiduna Hudhayfah ibn Yaman (radiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “You should certainly enjoin good and forbid evil else Allah will swiftly send a punishment, then you will supplicate to him but your supplication will not be answered” (Sunan Tirmidhi, Hadith: 2169. Declared sound by Imam Tirmidhi)

3.Sayyiduna Abu Sa’id Al Khudri (radiyallahu ‘anhu) said, I heard Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) say: “Whomsoever sees an evil, let him change it with his hand, if he is unable to do so, then [let him change it] with his tongue and if he is unable to do that, then with his heart and that is the weakest Iman” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 49).

4.It was once revealed to Nabi Yusha’ ibn Nun (‘alayhis salam) that a punishment would befall his people and destroy one hundred thousand of them. Sixty thousand of them were sinners, whereas the other forty thousand were outwardly pious people! [In astonishment] Nabi Yusha’ asked, “O Allah! What crime did the pious people commit?” Allah Ta’ala replied, “They associated and interacted with the evil people, ate and drank with them and did not express any anger for the wrongs taking place around them.”

Imam Abu Bakr ibn Abid Dunya (rahimahullah) has recorded this as the statement of Ibrahim ibn ‘Amr As San’ani. (Al ‘Uqubat, Hadith: 13, Al Amr Bil Ma’ruf Wan Nahy ‘Anil Munkar, Hadith: 71)

Imam Bayhaqi (rahimahullah) has recorded this narration as the statement of Wadin ibn ‘Ata, a Tab’ut Tabi’i. (Shu’abul Iman, Hadith: 8982)