Al-Adab Al-Mufrad
Excellence in Character
كتاب حسن الخلق
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Isma‘il ibn Abi Uways narrated to us, saying: My brother narrated to me, from Sulayman ibn Bilal, from Ibrahim ibn Abi Usayd, from his grandfather, from Abu Hurayra, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who said: ‘By the One in whose hand is my soul, you will not enter the Garden until you submit, and you will not submit until you love one another. Spread the greeting of peace and you will love one another. Beware of hatred, for it is the shaver. I do not mean that it shaves hair; rather, it shaves away the religion.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
لاَ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى تُسْلِمُوا، وَلاَ تُسْلِمُوا حَتَّى تَحَابُّوا،
تُسْلِمُوا can be rendered as submitting or embracing Islam; the repeated root is preserved here as ‘submit.’
Confirm whether ‘submit’ or ‘become Muslims’ best conveys both occurrences in this context.
وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَالْبُغْضَةَ، فَإِنَّهَا هِيَ الْحَالِقَةُ، لاَ أَقُولُ لَكُمْ: تَحْلِقُ الشَّعْرَ، وَلَكِنْ تَحْلِقُ الدِّينَ.
The text explicitly explains the metaphorical ‘shaver’ as destroying religion rather than hair.
Review whether ‘shaves away the religion’ best conveys the metaphor without overexplaining.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn ‘Asim narrated to us, saying: Sa‘id ibn ‘Ufair narrated to us, saying: Ibn Wahb narrated to me, from Haywa ibn Shurayh, from Darrāj, from ‘Isa ibn Hilal al-Sadafi, from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who said: ‘The souls of two believers surely meet within the course of a day, though neither of them has seen the other.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
إِنَّ رُوحَ الْمُؤْمِنَيْنِ لَيَلْتَقِيَانِ فِي مَسِيرَةِ يَوْمٍ، وَمَا رَأَى أَحَدُهُمَا صَاحِبَهُ.
The English witness recasts the phrase as ‘should meet in the course of a day even if they do not actually see each other’; the Arabic states that they meet within a day’s journey and neither has seen the other.
Confirm the temporal relation and whether ‘within the course of a day’ or ‘over a day’s journey’ best expresses مسيرة يوم.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad narrated to us, saying: Sufyan narrated to us, from Ibrahim ibn Maysara, from Tawus, from Ibn ‘Abbas, who said: ‘Blessings are met with ingratitude, kinship ties are severed, but we have seen nothing like hearts drawing close to one another.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
النِّعَمُ تُكْفَرُ، وَالرَّحِمُ تُقْطَعُ،
The passive تُكْفَرُ can mean that blessings are denied or met with ingratitude; in context, ingratitude is likely intended.
Confirm the idiomatic rendering of تُكْفَرُ.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Farwa ibn Abi al-Maghra narrated to us, saying: al-Qasim ibn Malik narrated to us, from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Awn, from ‘Umayr ibn Ishaq, who said: ‘We used to say that the first thing to be taken away from people would be affection.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَا يُرْفَعُ مِنَ النَّاسِ الأُلْفَةُ.
الأُلْفَةُ refers to affection, harmony, or closeness among people; يُرْفَعُ is literally ‘is lifted/removed.’
Review whether ‘affection’ or ‘harmony among people’ best captures الألفة.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Musaddad narrated to us, saying: Isma‘il narrated to us, saying: Ayyub narrated to us, from Abu Qilaba, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to some of his wives, with Umm Sulaym among them. He said, ‘Anjasha, take it gently as you drive the glass vessels.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
رُوَيْدًا سَوْقَكَ بِالْقَوَارِيرِ.
The Arabic addresses Anjasha and uses ‘glass vessels’ as an image; the English witness likewise renders the image literally.
Review how much of the metaphor should be made explicit in English while preserving the source wording.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Abd Allah ibn Salih narrated to us, saying: al-Layth narrated to me, saying: Ibn ‘Ajlan narrated to me, from his father—or from Sa‘id—from Abu Hurayra, who said: They asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, do you banter with us?’ He replied, ‘I say nothing but the truth.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَوْ سَعِيدٍ،
The chain itself preserves an alternative narrator, his father or Sa‘id.
Retain the transmitted alternative unless another witness resolves it.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Sadaqa narrated to us, saying: Mu‘tamir informed us, from Habib Abu Muhammad, from Bakr ibn ‘Abd Allah, who said: ‘The Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to throw watermelons at one another. When serious matters came, they were the men.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
يَتَبَادَحُونَ بِالْبِطِّيخِ، فَإِذَا كَانَتِ الْحَقَائِقُ كَانُوا هُمُ الرِّجَالَ.
يَتَبَادَحُونَ describes throwing melons at one another, while الْحَقَائِقُ literally means realities or serious matters. The saying contrasts their playfulness with their conduct in earnest affairs.
Review whether ‘watermelon’ is the right specific fruit and whether ‘serious matters’ best renders الحقائق.
فَإِذَا كَانَتِ الْحَقَائِقُ كَانُوا هُمُ الرِّجَالَ.
The witness’s ‘If these were real, they would be men’ can misleadingly attach ‘real’ to the melons rather than the serious situations.
Confirm that the final clause refers to serious affairs, not to real melons.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Bishr ibn Muhammad narrated to us, saying: ‘Abd Allah informed us, saying: ‘Umar ibn Sa‘id ibn Abi Husayn informed us, from Ibn Abi Mulayka, who said: ‘A’isha joked in the presence of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Her mother said, ‘Messenger of Allah, some of the jokes of this clan are from Kinana.’ The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Rather, some of our joking is of this clan.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
فَقَالَتْ أُمُّهَا: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، بَعْضُ دُعَابَاتِ هَذَا الْحَيِّ مِنْ كِنَانَةَ،
The Arabic says her mother (أمها); the English witness instead identifies her as A’isha’s slave girl.
Confirm the speaker as A’isha’s mother, as stated in the Arabic source.
بَعْضُ دُعَابَاتِ هَذَا الْحَيِّ مِنْ كِنَانَةَ، قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم: بَلْ بَعْضُ مَزْحِنَا هَذَا الْحَيُّ.
The phrase هَذَا الْحَيِّ may refer to this clan/tribe, and the two utterances are elliptical. The witness renders the first as women who joke in the quarter and the second as jokesters from the quarter.
Review the referents of ‘this clan’ and Kinana without importing the witness’s unstated wording.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn al-Sabbah narrated to us, saying: Khalid—he is Ibn ‘Abd Allah—narrated to us, from Humayd al-Tawil, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: A man came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asking him for a mount. He said, ‘I will carry you on the foal of a she-camel.’ The man said, ‘Messenger of Allah, what would I do with the foal of a she-camel?’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, replied, ‘Do camels give birth to anything other than she-camels?’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
أَنَا حَامِلُكَ عَلَى وَلَدِ نَاقَةٍ، قَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، وَمَا أَصْنَعُ بِوَلَدِ نَاقَةٍ؟ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: وَهَلْ تَلِدُ الإِبِلَ إِلاَّ النُّوقُ.
The humor turns on the fact that every camel is born from a she-camel; the request for a mount is answered with a deliberately literal joke about a camel’s offspring.
Review whether the joke is clear in English without explaining beyond the dialogue.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Adam narrated to us, saying: Shu‘ba narrated to us, saying: Abu al-Tayyah said: I heard Anas ibn Malik say: ‘The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to mix with us so freely that he would say to a little brother of mine, “Abu ‘Umayr, what happened to the little nugayr?”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
يَا أَبَا عُمَيْرٍ، مَا فَعَلَ النُّغَيْرُ؟
النُّغَيْرُ is a diminutive name for a small bird; the exact species is not specified by this wording alone. The supplied English witness calls it a sparrow.
Confirm whether a specific English bird name is justified or whether ‘little bird’ is safer.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ibn Salam narrated to us, saying: Waki‘ narrated to us, from Mu‘awiya ibn Abi Muzarrid, from his father, from Abu Hurayra: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, took the hand of al-Hasan—or al-Husayn, may Allah be pleased with them both—then placed his two feet on top of the other’s two feet, and said, ‘Climb higher.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
ثُمَّ وَضَعَ قَدَمَيْهِ عَلَى قَدَمَيْهِ،
The Arabic repeats the same masculine dual possessive suffix on both pairs of feet, so it is not explicit whether the Prophet placed his feet on the child’s or the child’s feet on his. The English witness resolves it as the child’s feet on the Prophet’s.
Review the foot referents in this sentence while preserving the source’s ambiguity if it cannot be resolved.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu al-Walid narrated to us: Shu‘ba narrated to us, from al-Qasim ibn Abi Buzza, who said: I heard ‘Ata al-Kaykharaani, from Umm al-Darda’, from Abu al-Darda’, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: ‘There is nothing heavier in the balance than good character.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The report uses the singular ‘the balance’ and the general phrase ‘good character’; the English witness has the same central wording.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Kathir narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from al-A‘mash, from Abu Wa’il, from Masruq, from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr, who said: The Prophet ﷺ was neither obscene nor one who spoke obscenely. He used to say, ‘The best of you are those best in character.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic pairs فاحش and متفحش; the wording distinguishes being foul in speech from deliberately speaking obscenely.
فَاحِشًا وَلاَ مُتَفَحِّشًا
The second adjective conveys deliberately adopting or displaying obscenity, which the witness renders ‘loud,’ a different sense.
Should the distinction be retained with a slightly explanatory English phrase?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Abd Allah ibn Salih narrated to us: al-Layth narrated to me: Yazid ibn al-Had narrated to me, from ‘Amr ibn Shu‘ayb, from his father, from his grandfather, who heard the Prophet ﷺ say: ‘Shall I tell you who among you is dearest to me and will be closest to me in seating on the Day of Resurrection?’ The people fell silent. He repeated it two or three times. The people said, ‘Yes, Messenger of Allah.’ He said, ‘Those of you with the best character.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source states ‘closest to me in seating’ (مَجْلِسًا), a compact expression for closeness in the gathering. The witness expands this as being seated closest.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Isma‘il ibn Abi Uways narrated to us: ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Muhammad narrated to me, from Muhammad ibn ‘Ajlan, from al-Qa‘qa‘ ibn Hakim, from Abu Salih al-Samman, from Abu Hurayra, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘I was sent only to perfect noble character.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source has صالح الأخلاق, ‘good/noble character,’ while the witness uses ‘good character.’
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Isma‘il narrated to us: Malik narrated to me, from Ibn Shihab, from ‘Urwa, from ‘A’isha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: ‘Whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was given a choice between two matters, he chose the easier of them, provided it was not sinful. If it was sinful, he was the furthest of people from it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ never took revenge for himself; but if a sanctity of Allah Most High was violated, he would exact retribution for Allah, Mighty and Majestic.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source speaks of Allah’s sanctity being violated and of taking retribution for Allah. The witness’s ‘respect’ and ‘take revenge’ are close paraphrases.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Kathir narrated to us: Sufyan informed us, from Zubayd, from Murra, from ‘Abd Allah, who said: ‘Allah, Most High, apportioned your characters among you just as He apportioned your provisions among you. Allah, Most High, gives wealth to those He loves and those He does not love, but He gives faith only to those He loves. Whoever is miserly with his wealth and unwilling to spend it, fears the enemy and is unwilling to strive against them, or dreads the night and its hardship, let him frequently say: “There is no god but Allah; glory be to Allah; praise belongs to Allah; Allah is the greatest.”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source’s final counsel is conditional: whoever has these stated fears or reluctance should frequently recite the four formulas. يُكَابِدَهُ refers to enduring the night’s hardship, not merely staying awake.
وَهَابَ اللَّيْلَ أَنْ يُكَابِدَهُ
The phrase may evoke enduring the exertion of night worship; the object is the night itself.
Would a contextual review prefer ‘dreads enduring the night’ or the more explicit ‘dreads the hardship of night worship’?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Yahya ibn Bukayr narrated to us: al-Layth narrated to us, from Ibn ‘Ajlan, from al-Qa‘qa‘, from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurayra, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: ‘Richness does not come from having abundant possessions. Rather, richness is richness of the soul.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic العرض refers to worldly goods or possessions; غنى النفس describes inward richness or contentment.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Sulayman ibn Harb narrated to us: Hammad ibn Zayd and Sulayman ibn al-Mughira narrated to us, from Thabit, from Anas, who said: ‘I served the Prophet ﷺ for ten years. He never once said “uff” to me. If I failed to do something, he never said to me, “Why didn’t you do it?” And if I had done something, he never said, “Why did you do it?”’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic preserves the interjection ‘uff’ and contrasts an omitted task with a completed one.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ibn Abi al-Aswad narrated to us: ‘Abd al-Malik ibn ‘Amr narrated to us: Sahhama ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Asamm narrated to us: I heard Anas ibn Malik say: ‘The Prophet ﷺ was compassionate. No one came to him without his promising them something and fulfilling it for them, if he had it. The prayer was then called, and a Bedouin came and took hold of his garment, saying, “Only a little of my need remains, and I fear I will forget it.” He stood with him until the man had finished his need. Then he returned and prayed.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic says the Bedouin had only a little of his need left to ask and feared forgetting it. The witness’s ‘I am still not satisfied’ does not express that wording.
إِنَّمَا بَقِيَ مِنْ حَاجَتِي يَسِيرَةٌ، وَأَخَافُ أَنْسَاهَا
The Arabic describes a small remaining part of the man’s request and fear of forgetting it, rather than dissatisfaction.
Can the witness’s ‘not satisfied’ be corrected against this Arabic wording?