Al-Adab Al-Mufrad
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 428
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ، عَنْ حَجَّاجِ بْنِ حَجَّاجٍ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ يَزِيدَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ، عَنْ عِيَاضِ بْنِ حِمَارٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَوْحَى إِلَيَّ أَنْ تَوَاضَعُوا حَتَّى لاَ يَبْغِيَ أَحَدٌ عَلَى أَحَدٍ، وَلاَ يَفْخَرَ أَحَدٌ عَلَى أَحَدٍ، فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، أَرَأَيْتَ لَوْ أَنَّ رَجُلاً سَبَّنِي فِي مَلَأٍ هُمْ أَنْقُصُ مِنِّي، فَرَدَدْتُ عَلَيْهِ، هَلْ عَلَيَّ فِي ذَلِكَ جُنَاحٌ؟ قَالَ: الْمُسْتَبَّانِ شَيْطَانَانِ يَتَهَاتَرَانِ وَيَتَكَاذَبَانِ. قَالَ عِيَاضٌ: وَكُنْتُ حَرْبًا لِرَسُولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَهْدَيْتُ إِلَيْهِ نَاقَةً، قَبْلَ أَنْ أُسْلِمَ، فَلَمْ يَقْبَلْهَا وَقَالَ: إِنِّي أَكْرَهُ زَبْدَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad narrated to us: My father narrated to us: Ibrahim narrated to me, from Hajjaj ibn Hajjaj, from Qatada, from Yazid ibn ‘Abd Allah, from ‘Iyad ibn Himar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: Allah revealed to me that you should be humble, so that none of you transgresses against another and none boasts over another. I asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, what if a man insults me in a gathering of people who are beneath me, and I answer him back? Would I be blameworthy for that?’ He replied: The two who revile one another are two devils who hurl abuse and lies at each other.
‘Iyad added: I was at war with the Messenger of Allah, and before I became Muslim I gave him a she-camel. He did not accept it and said: I dislike the froth of the polytheists.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The final phrase زبد المشركين literally means ‘the froth of the polytheists’; the English witness uses the same image, but the intended sense is unclear.
فَلَمْ يَقْبَلْهَا وَقَالَ: إِنِّي أَكْرَهُ زَبْدَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ.
The Arabic literally says ‘froth of the polytheists’; its intended sense in the context of refusing a gift is not clear from this passage.
Can the phrase زبد المشركين be checked against another edition or commentary before selecting a less literal rendering?