General Behavior (Kitab Al-Adab)

كتاب الأدب

Chapter 128: Regarding intercession

Abu Musa reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying

Make intercession to me, you will be rewarded, for Allah decrees what he wishes by the tongue of his prophet.

Narrated Mu'awiyah

Make intercession, you will be rewarded, for I purposely delay a matter so that you intercede and then you are rewarded. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: If you make intercession, you will be rewarded.

A similar tradition has also been transmitted by Abu Musa from the prophet (May peace be upon him) through a different chain of narrators.

Chapter 129: A man should begin with his own name when writing a letter

Narrated al-Ala' ibn al-Hadrami

Some of the children of al-Ala' ibn al-Hadrami said: Al-Ala' ibn al-Hadrami was the governor of the Prophet (ﷺ) at al-Bahrayn, and when he wrote to him he began with his won name.

Ibn al-Ala said

Al-Ala b. al-Hadrami wrote to the prophet (May peace be upon him), and he began with his name.

Chapter 130: How to write to a dhimmi

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas

The Prophet (ﷺ) wrote a letter to Heraclius: "From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to Hiraql (Heraclius), Chief of the Byzantines. Peace be to those who follow the guidance." Ibn Yahya reported on the authority of Ibn Abbas that AbuSufyan said to him: We then came to see Hiraql (Heraclius) who seated us before him. He then called for the letter from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Its contents were: "In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful, from Muhammad the Messenger of Allah, to Hiraql, chief of Byzantines. Peace be to those who follow the guidance. To proceed."

Chapter 131: Regarding honoring one's parents

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying

A son does not repay what he owes to his father unless he buys him and emancipates him if he finds him in slavery.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar

A woman was my wife and I loved her, but Umar hated her. He said to me: Divorce her, but I refused. Umar then went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and mentioned that to him. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Divorce her.

Bahz b. Hakim on his father's authority said that his grandfather said

Abu Dawud said: Aqra' means a snake whose hair of the head were removed on account of poison.

Kulaib b. Manfa'ah said that his grandfather told then he went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said

Messenger of Allah! to whom should I show kindness? He said: Your mother, your sister, your brother and the slave whom you set free and who is your relative, a due binding (on you), and a tie of relationship which should be joined.

‘Abd Allah b. ‘Amr (b. al-As) reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying

A man’s reviling of his parents is one of the grave sins. He was asked : Messenger of Allah! How does a man revile his parents? He replied: He reviles the father of a man who then reviles his father, and he reviles a man’s mother and he reviles his.

Narrated AbuUsayd Malik ibn Rabi'ah as-Sa'idi

While we were with the Messenger of Allah! (ﷺ) a man of Banu Salmah came to Him and said: Messenger of Allah is there any kindness left that I can do to my parents after their death? He replied: Yes, you can invoke blessings on them, forgiveness for them, carry out their final instructions after their death, join ties of relationship which are dependent on them, and honour their friends.

Ibn ‘Umar reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying

One of the finest acts of kindness is for a man to treat his father’s friends in a kindly way after he has departed.

Narrated AbutTufayl

I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) distributing flesh at Ji'irranah, and I was a boy in those days bearing the bone of the camel, and when a woman who came forward approach the Prophet (ﷺ), he spread out his cloak for her, and she sat on it. I asked: Who is she? The people said: She is his foster-mother.

Narrated Umar ibn as-Sa'ib

One day when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was sitting, his foster-father came forward. He spread out of a part of his garment and he sit on it. Then his mother came forward to him and he spread out the other side of his garment and she sat on it. Again , his foster-brother came forward. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood for him and seated him before himself.

Chapter 132: The virtue of one who takes care of an orphan

Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone has a female child, and does not bury her alive, or slight her, or prefer his children (i.e. the male ones) to her, Allah will bring him into Paradise. Uthman did not mention "male children".

Narrated AbuSa'id al-Khudri

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If anyone cares for three daughters, disciplines them, marries them, and does good to them, he will go to Paradise.

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Suhail through a different chain of narrators to the same effect. This version has

“three sisters, or three daughter, or two daughter, or two sisters”.

Narrated Awf ibn Malik al-Ashja'i'

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: I and a woman whose cheeks have become black shall on the Day of Resurrection be like these two (pointing to the middle and forefinger), i.e. a woman of rank and beauty who has been bereft of her husband and devotes herself to her fatherless children till they go their separate ways or die.

Chapter 133: One who takes care of an orphan

Sahl (b. Sa’d) reported the prophet (May peace be upon him) as saying; I and the one who takes the responsibility of an orphan will be in Paradise thus, and he joined his middle finger and forefinger.