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 TEN |
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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
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| HADITH 9 |
Submission to Revelation
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ صَخْرٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: سَمِعْت رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم يَقُولُ
مَا نَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنْهُ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ، وَمَا أَمَرْتُكُمْ بِهِ فَأْتُوا مِنْهُ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ، فَإِنَّمَا أَهْلَكَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ كَثْرَةُ مَسَائِلِهِمْ وَاخْتِلَافُهُمْ عَلَى أَنْبِيَائِهِمْ
[رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ] ، [رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ]
Hazrat Abu Hurayrah Abdur`Rahman ibn Sakhr Radiallahu Anhu narrates that : Rasullullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said :
“What I have forbidden for you, avoid. What I have ordered you [to do], do as much of it as you can. For verily, it was only the excessive questioning and their disagreeing with their Prophets that destroyed [the nations] who were before you”.
[Saheeh Buhkaari] [Saheeh Muslim]
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| BRIEF EXPLANTION |
This Hadith prohibits excessive questioning, because this practice destroyed previous nations. They had questioned their Ambiya Alayhimus~salaatu was~salaam and then still acted contrary to their teachings.
This Ummah has been warned by Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam of adopting the same attitude. Therefore, we should refrain from asking unnecessary questions, or questions indulging in details and technicalities, or questions that will lead to confusion or doubt, or questions that will bring difficulty upon us if we are given the answer [ie: the action may be difficult to carry out if we are given the answer to that particular question].
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To understand this Hadith, we look into an incident which prompted Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam to mention this particular Hadith :
Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam had addressed the Sahabah Radiallahu Anhum and said : “O people, Allah has made Hajj compulsory upon you, so perform the Hajj”. A man asked : “…Every year, O Messenger of Allah [Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam]?” Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam remained silent. The man asked the same question three times. Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam then said : “If I said yes, it [Hajj] would become obligatory upon you [to perform it every year] and you would not be able to do it”. Then Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said : “Leave me, as I leave you … for all that destroyed those before you was their questioning and their disagreement with their Messengers. So when I tell you to do something, do of it that which you are able [to the best of your ability] and if I forbid you something, then leave it alone”. . [Sahih Muslim]
We are forbidden to ask about a great deal of those things [which are Halaal and Haraam], and which it is feared, the question would cause revelation of some hardship.
Hence, Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam mentions in another Hadith :
إِنَّ أَعْظَمَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فِي الْمُسْلِمِينَ جُرْمًا مَنْ سَأَلَ عَنْ أَمْرٍ لَمْ يُحَرَّمْ فَحُرِّمَ عَلَى النَّاسِ مِنْ أَجْلِ مَسْأَلَتِهِ
The greatest criminal of the Muslims against the Muslims is someone who asks about something [which has not been forbidden], but then it is declared forbidden because of his asking. [Sunan Abi Dawud]
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Imaam Awza’ee Rahmatullah Alayh mentions : “When Allah wants to deprive His servant the blessing of knowledge, He puts questions on his tongue, which are designed to cause difficulty to the people of knowledge [the Ulema] … I think they are the people with the least knowledge … ”.
Imaam Maalik Rahmatullah Alayh use to say : “Arguing [unnecessary disputing and wrangling] about knowledge, removes the Noor of knowledge from a man’s heart”.
So, in this Hadith, our attention has been drawn to the fact that we should be pre-occupied with putting into effect the command of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam and we should be avoiding his prohibition. This will keep us busy so that we do not have to ask any other questions.
When we hear a command or prohibition, our concern should not be directed towards speculation about matters which might or might not happen.