Al-Adab Al-Mufrad
Social Behaviour
كتاب ذات البين
Chapter 179
بَابُ يُنْمِي خَيْرًا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Umm Kulthum bint ‘Uqba ibn Abi Mu‘ayt reported that she heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) say: A liar is not one who reconciles between people, saying something good or conveying something good. She said: I never heard him permit any of the lying people speak except in three cases: reconciling between people, a man’s conversation with his wife, and a woman’s conversation with her husband.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The English witness includes only the first statement; the Arabic adds Umm Kulthum’s report about three exceptions. The final two clauses are translated literally as conversation between spouses without adding an interpretation of their scope.
قَالَتْ: وَلَمْ أَسْمَعْهُ يُرَخِّصُ فِي شَيْءٍ مِمَّا يَقُولُ النَّاسُ مِنَ الْكَذِبِ إِلاَّ فِي ثَلاَثٍ: الإِصْلاَحِ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ،
The Arabic adds a statement that she had not heard the Prophet permit any lying people say except in three cases, followed by three examples; the English witness omits this continuation.
Can the omitted continuation be checked against a complete English edition?
Chapter 180
بَابُ لا يَصْلُحُ الْكَذِبُ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Abd Allah reported that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: Be truthful, for truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to the Garden. A person continues to speak the truth until he is recorded with Allah as a ṣiddīq (a steadfastly truthful person). Beware of lying, for lying leads to wickedness, and wickedness leads to the Fire. A person continues to lie until he is recorded with Allah as a liar.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source contrasts al-birr, righteousness, with al-fujur, wickedness, and retains ṣiddīq as a religiously significant designation with a brief gloss.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Abd Allah said: Lying is not right, whether in earnest or in jest. None of you should promise his child something and then fail to fulfill it.
Chapter 181
بَابُ الَّذِي يَصْبِرُ عَلَى أَذَى النَّاسِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar reported that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: The believer who mixes with people and patiently bears their harm is better than one who does not mix with people or bear their harm.
Chapter 182
بَابُ الصَّبْرِ عَلَى الأَذَى
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Musa reported that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: No one—or no thing—is more patient in bearing hurtful words that he hears than Allah, Mighty and Majestic. They claim that He has a son, yet He grants them well-being and provides for them.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The narrator gives two variants: ‘no one’ or ‘no thing.’ The Arabic says Allah continues to grant well-being and provision to those who make this claim.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Abd Allah said: The Prophet made a distribution, as he would sometimes do. A man from the Ansar said, ‘By Allah, this was not a distribution made seeking the Face of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.’ I said to myself, ‘I will tell the Prophet.’ I went to him while he was among his Companions and spoke to him privately. This distressed him, his face changed, and he became angry, until I wished I had not told him. Then he said, ‘Musa was harmed even more than this, and he bore it patiently.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic says the Prophet made a distribution (قَسَمَ قِسْمَةً); the English witness mistakenly reads this as swearing an oath.
قَسَمَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قِسْمَةً،
The Arabic repeats the root for dividing/distributing and means that the Prophet made a distribution; it does not say he swore an oath.
Should the opening follow the Arabic ‘made a distribution’ rather than the witness’s ‘swore an oath’?
Chapter 183
بَابُ إِصْلاحِ ذَاتِ الْبَيْنِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu al-Darda’ reported that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: Shall I tell you of a rank better than prayer, fasting and charity? They said, ‘Yes.’ He said: Mending relations between people. Corrupting relations between people is the shaver.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source uses a striking metaphor, calling discord ‘the shaver’; it is left literal rather than replacing it with an explanatory paraphrase.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ibn ‘Abbas commented on the verse, ‘So be mindful of Allah and set matters right among yourselves’ (Qur’an 8:1), saying: This is an injunction from Allah to the believers to be mindful of Him and set matters right among themselves.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic describes this as a binding injunction from Allah to the believers; the verse citation is preserved as in the English witness.
Chapter 184
بَابُ إِذَا كَذَبْتَ لِرَجُلٍ هُوَ لَكَ مُصَدِّقٌ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Sufyan ibn Usayd al-Hadrami reported that he heard the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) say: It is a great betrayal to tell your brother something that he believes you about while you are lying to him.
Chapter 185
بَابُ لا تَعِدْ أَخَاكَ شَيْئًا فَتُخْلِفَهُ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ibn ‘Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: Do not argue with your brother, do not joke at his expense, and do not make him a promise that you then break.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic forbids mockery or joking with one’s brother; ‘joke at his expense’ conveys the admonition without suggesting all friendly humor is prohibited.
Chapter 186
بَابُ الطَّعْنِ فِي الأَنْسَابِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: There are two practices my community will not abandon: wailing and attacking people’s lineage.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic says طعن في الأنساب, literally attacking or impugning lineages; ‘attacking people’s lineage’ retains that sense.
Chapter 187
بَابُ حُبِّ الرَّجُلِ قَوْمَهُ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Fusayla said: I heard my father say that he asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, is it tribal partisanship for a man to help his people in wrongdoing?’ He replied, ‘Yes.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic asks about العصبية, tribal or group partisanship; the English witness renders it as ‘disobedience.’
قَالَتْ: سَمِعْتُ أَبِي يَقُولُ: قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ،
The Arabic العصبية refers to tribal or group partisanship, whereas the English witness says disobedience.
Should this be translated as tribal partisanship, as in this version, rather than general disobedience?