General Behavior (Kitab Al-Adab)

كتاب الأدب

Chapter 128: Regarding intercession

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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 134: The rights of neighbors

‘A’ishah reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying

Gabriel kept on commending the neighbor to me so that I thought he would make him an heir.

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

He who believes in Allah and in the last day should honour his guest; he who believes in Allah and in the last day should not harm his neighbor; he who believes in Allah and in the last day should speak good or keep silence.

‘A’ishah said

Abu Dawud said: Shu’bah said this tradition : Talhah is a man of the Quraish.

Chapter 135: Regarding the rights of slaves

Ma’rur b. Suwaid said

I saw Abu Dharr at Rabadhah. He was wearing a thick cloak, and his slave also wore a similar one. He said : the people said: Abu Dharr! (it would be better) if you could take the cloak which your slave wore, and you combined that with, and it would be a pair of garments (hullah) and you would clothe him with another garment. He said: Abu Dharr said : I abused a man whose mother was a non-Arab and I reviled him for his mother. He complained against me to the apostle of allah (May peace be upon him). He said: Abu Dharr! You are a man who has a characteristic of pre-Islamic days. He said: they are your brethren; Allah has given you superiority over them; sell those who do not please you and do not punish Allah’s creatures.

Ma’rur b. Suwaid said

Abu Dawud said: Ibn Numair transmitted it from al-A'mash in a similar way.

Narrated Rafi' ibn Makith

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Treating those under one's authority well produces prosperity, but an evil nature produces evil fortune.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and asked: Messenger of Allah! how often shall I forgive a servant? He gave no reply, so the man repeated what he had said, but he still kept silence. When he asked a third time, he replied: Forgive him seventy times daily.

Zadhan said

I came to Ibn ‘Umar when he set his slave free. He took a stick or something else from the earth and said; for me there is no reward even equivalent to this. I heard the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) say: If anyone slaps or beats his slave the atonement due from him is to set him free.

Chapter 136: If a slave is sincere

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

when a slave acts sincerely towards his master and worship Allah well, he will have a double reward.

Chapter 138: Seeking permission to enter

Narrated AbuHurayrah

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When one has a look into the house, then there is no (need of) permission.

Chapter 140: How many times should one say salam when seeking permission to enter

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri said

I was sitting in one of the meeting of the Ansar. Abu Musa came terrified. We asked him; what makes you terrified? He replied: ‘Umar sent for me; so I went to him and asked his permission three times, but he did not permit me (to enter), so I came back. He asked; what has prevented you from coming to me? I replied: I came and asked permission three times, but it was not granted to me (so I returned). The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) has said: When one of you asks permission three times and it is not granted to him, he should go away. He (‘Umar’) said; establish the proof of it. So Abu Sa’id said: the youngest of the people will accompany you. So Abu Sa’id got up with him and testified.

Abu Musa said that he came to ‘Umar and asked permission three times saying

Abu Musa asks permission, al-Ash’ari ask permission, and ‘Abd Allah b. Qais asks permission, but it was not granted to him. So he went away and ‘umar sent for him saying: what did you return? He replied: The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) said: When one of you asks permission three times and it is not granted to him, he should go away. He said: Establish the proof of it. He went, came back, and said; This is Ubayy. Ubayy said: ‘Umar, do not be an agony for the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). ‘Umar said : I shall not be an agony for the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).