Lessons from Ahâdeeth Shareef by Moulana Naeem Motala | Commentary on 40 ahâdeeth | Arba’een | of Imaam Nawawi رحمة الله عليه with emphasis on perfecting one’s character
| Lesson Twenty-Nine |
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اَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنُؤمِنُ بِهِ وَ نَتَوَ كَّلُ عَلَيهِ ، وَنَعُوْذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُوْرِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ ، وَنَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ ، وَنَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَناَ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Verily all praise is for Allah, we praise Him and seek His aid and ask for His forgiveness and we believe in Him and we place our trust upon Him, and we seek refuge with Allah from the evils of ourselves and our evil actions. Whomsoever Allah guides there is none who can misguide him, and whomsoever Allah misguides there is none who can guide him, and we bear witness that none has the right to be worshiped except Allah alone, having no partner, and we bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger
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اَللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِناَ مُحَمَّدٍ ، وَعَلَى آلِ سَيِّدِناَ مُحَمَّدٍ وَبَارِكْ وَسَلِّمْ
Allahumma Salli ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammad Wa’ala Aali Sayyidina Muhammadin Wa Baarik Wa Sallim | Oh Allah shower blessings and peace upon our Master Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam and upon the family of Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam
| Hadith 28 |
Adhering to the Sunnah
عَنْ أَبِي نَجِيحٍ الْعِرْبَاضِ بْنِ سَارِيَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: “وَعَظَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم مَوْعِظَةً وَجِلَتْ مِنْهَا الْقُلُوبُ، وَذَرَفَتْ مِنْهَا الْعُيُونُ، فَقُلْنَا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ! كَأَنَّهَا مَوْعِظَةُ مُوَدِّعٍ فَأَوْصِنَا، قَالَ: أُوصِيكُمْ بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ، وَالسَّمْعِ وَالطَّاعَةِ وَإِنْ تَأَمَّرَ عَلَيْكُمْ عَبْدٌ، فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ يَعِشْ مِنْكُمْ فَسَيَرَى اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا، فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِسُنَّتِي وَسُنَّةِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ الْمَهْدِيينَ، عَضُّوا عَلَيْهَا بِالنَّوَاجِذِ، وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَمُحْدَثَاتِ الْأُمُورِ؛ فَإِنَّ كُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ
رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُدَ، وَاَلتِّرْمِذِيُّ [رقم:266] وَقَالَ: حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ
On the authority of Hazrat Abu Najeeh al-’Irbaad ibn Saariyah Radiallahu Anhu who said: Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam gave us a sermon by which our hearts were filled with fear and tears came to our eyes. So we said, “O Rasullullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam)! It is as though this is a farewell sermon, so counsel us.” He (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said, “I counsel you to have Taqwa (fear) of Allah, and to listen and obey [your leader], even if a slave were to become your Ameer. Verily he among you who lives long will see great controversy, so you must keep to my Sunnah and to the Sunnah of the Khulafa ar-Rashideen (the rightly guided caliphs), those who guide to the right way. Cling on to it [literally: with your molar teeth]. Beware of newly invented matters [in the religion], for verily every Bidah (innovation) is misguidance.” [Abu Dawud]
It was related by at-Tirmidhi, who said that it was a good and sound Hadeeth.
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| BRIEF EXPLANTION |
In this Hadith we learn that the Sahabah Radiallahu Anhum requested Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam to give them some Nasiha (advice). And from the degree, manner and usage of words that Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam spoke in the Khuthbah delivered to them, they understood that it may be a farewell admonition. Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam advised them firstly :
(1) in having Taqwa
(2) and to hear and obey ;
This refers to hearing and obeying the Ameer (leader) of the time. Whoever is appointed as leader of the time, be it a prominent person or an Abyssinian slave (alienated from nobility), one is commanded in this Hadith to obey the instructions and commands of such a leader, provided that this appointed leader is following the Qur’aan and Sunnah and not a person of incorrect beliefs and executing impermissible (Haraam) instructions to society.
Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam emphasized obedience towards the appointed Ameer (leader), and prophesized that a time will come when disagreements will arise. And so, during times of disagreement and disputes, one has been instructed by Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam to hold firmly onto his (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam’s) way of life and the way of life of the four rightly-guided Khulafah (Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique RA / Hazrat Umar Farouk RA / Hazrat Uthmaan Ghani RA / Hazrat Ali Murtadha RA).
Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam specifically forewarned the Believers in practising upon Bid’aah (innovations). *Bid’ah (innovations) leads a person astray.
*Bid’ah (innovations) was discussed in detail in Hadith #5 of Arba’een of Imaam Nawawi Rahmatullah Alayh.