Holding Fast to the Qur'an and Sunnah
كتاب الاعتصام بالكتاب والسنة
Chapter 5: To follow the actions of the Prophet (saws)
The Prophet (ﷺ) wore a gold ring and then the people followed him and wore gold rings too. Then the Prophet said, "I had this golden ring made for myself. He then threw it away and said, "I shall never put it on." Thereupon the people also threw their rings away.
Chapter 6: Going deeply into and arguing about knowledge, and exaggerating in religion, and inventing heresies
(the mother of believers) Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) during his fatal ailment said, "Order Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer." I said, "If Abu Bakr stood at your place (in prayers, the people will not be able to hear him because of his weeping, so order `Umar to lead the people in prayer." He again said, "Order Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer " Then I said to Hafsa, "Will you say (to the Prophet), 'If Abu Bakr stood at your place, the people will not be able to hear him be cause of his weeping, so order `Umar to lead the people in prayer?" Hafsa did so, whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "You are like the companions of Joseph (See Qur'an, 12:30-32). Order Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer." Hafsa then said to me, "I have never received any good from you!"
'Uwaimir Al-`Ajlani came to `Asim bin `Adi and said, "If a man found another man with his wife and killed him, would you sentence the husband to death (in Qisas,) i.e., equality in punishment)? O `Asim! Please ask Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) about this matter on my behalf." `Asim asked the Prophet (ﷺ) but the Prophet disliked the question and disapproved of it. `Asim returned and informed 'Uwaimir that the Prophet disliked that type of question. 'Uwaimir said, "By Allah, I will go (personally) to the Prophet." 'Uwaimir came to the Prophet (ﷺ) when Allah had already revealed Qur'anic Verses (in that respect), after `Asim had left (the Prophet (ﷺ) ). So the Prophet (ﷺ) said to 'Uwaimir, "Allah has revealed Qur'anic Verses regarding you and your wife." The Prophet (ﷺ) then called for them, and they came and carried out the order of Lian. Then 'Uwaimir said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Now if I kept her with me, I would be accused of telling a lie." So 'Uwaimir divorced her although the Prophet (ﷺ) did not order him to do so. Later on this practice of divorcing became the tradition of couples involved in a case of Li'an. The Prophet (ﷺ) said (to the people). "Wait for her! If she delivers a red short (small) child like a Wahra (a short red animal). then I will be of the opinion that he ('Uwaimir) has told a lie but if she delivered a black big-eyed one with big buttocks, then I will be of the opinion that he has told the truth about her." 'Ultimately she gave birth to a child that proved the accusation. (See Hadith No. 269, Vol. 6)
I proceeded till I entered upon `Umar (and while I was sitting there), his gate-keeper Yarfa came to him and said, " `Uthman, `Abdur-Rahman, Az-Zubair and Sa`d ask your permission to come in." `Umar allowed them. So they entered, greeted, and sat down. (After a while the gatekeeper came) and said, "Shall I admit `Ali and `Abbas?'' `Umar allowed them to enter. Al-`Abbas said "O Chief of the believers! Judge between me and the oppressor (`Ali)." Then there was a dispute (regarding the property of Bani Nadir) between them (`Abbas and `Ali). `Uthman and his companions said, "O Chief of the Believers! Judge between them and relieve one from the other." `Umar said, "Be patient! beseech you by Allah, with Whose permission the Heaven and the Earth Exist! Do you know that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'Our property is not to be inherited, and whatever we leave is to be given in charity,' and by this Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) meant himself?" On that the group said, "He verily said so." `Umar then faced `Ali and `Abbas and said, "I beseech you both by Allah, do you both know that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said so?" They both replied, "Yes". `Umar then said, "Now I am talking to you about this matter (in detail) . Allah favored Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) with some of this wealth which He did not give to anybody else, as Allah said: 'What Allah bestowed as Fai (Booty on His Apostle for which you made no expedition... ' (59.6) So that property was totally meant for Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), yet he did not collect it and ignore you, nor did he withhold it with your exclusion, but he gave it to you and distributed it among you till this much of it was left behind, and the Prophet, used to spend of this as the yearly expenditures of his family and then take what remained of it and spent it as he did with (other) Allah's wealth. The Prophet (ﷺ) did so during all his lifetime, and I beseech you by Allah, do you know that?" They replied, "Yes." `Umar then addressed `Ali and `Abbas, saying, "I beseech you both by Allah, do you know that?" Both of them replied, "Yes." `Umar added, "Then Allah took His Apostle unto Him. Abu Bakr then said 'I am the successor of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)' and took over all the Prophet's property and disposed of it in the same way as Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to do, and you were present then." Then he turned to `Ali and `Abbas and said, "You both claim that Abu Bakr did so-and-so in managing the property, but Allah knows that Abu Bakr was honest, righteous, intelligent, and a follower of what is right in managing it. Then Allah took Abu Bakr unto Him, 'I said: I am the successor of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr.' So I took over the property for two years and managed it in the same way as Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), and Abu Bakr used to do. Then you both (`Ali and `Abbas) came to me and asked for the same thing! (O `Abbas! You came to me to ask me for your share from nephew's property; and this (`Ali) came to me asking for his wives share from her father's property, and I said to you both, 'If you wish, I will place it in your custody on condition that you both will manage it in the same way as Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr did and as I have been doing since I took charge of managing it; otherwise, do not speak to me anymore about it.' Then you both said, 'Give it to us on that (condition).' So I gave it to you on that condition. Now I beseech you by Allah, did I not give it to them on that condition?" The group (whom he had been addressing) replied, "Yes." `Umar then addressed `Abbas and `Ali saying, "I beseech you both by Allah, didn't I give you all that property on that condition?" They said, "Yes." `Umar then said, "Are you now seeking a verdict from me other than that? By Him with Whose Permission the Heaven and the Earth exists I will not give any verdict other than that till the Hour is established; and if you both are unable to manage this property, then you can hand it back to me, and I will be sufficient for it on your behalf." (See, Hadith No. 326, Vol. 4)
Chapter 11: “A group of my followers will remain victorious in their struggle in the cause of the Truth.”
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "A group of my follower swill remain predominant (victorious) till Allah's Order (the Hour) comes upon them while they are still predominant (victorious).
Chapter 13: Comparing an ambiguous situation to a clear well-defined one
A woman came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "My mother vowed to perform the Hajj but she died before performing it. Should I perform the Hajj on her behalf?" He said, "Yes! Perform the Hajj on her behalf. See, if your mother had been in debt, would you have paid her debt?" She said, "Yes." He said, "So you should pay what is for Him as Allah has more right that one should fulfill one's obligations to Him. "
Chapter 15: “Certainly you will follow the ways of those who were before you.”
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The Hour will not be established till my followers copy the deeds of the previous nations and follow them very closely, span by span, and cubit by cubit (i.e., inch by inch)." It was said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Do you mean by those (nations) the Persians and the Byzantines?" The Prophet said, "Who can it be other than they?"
Chapter 17: The religious learned men should not differ
We were with Abu Huraira while he was wearing two linen garments dyed with red clay. He cleaned his nose with his garment, saying, "Bravo! Bravo! Abu Huraira is cleaning his nose with linen! There came a time when I would fall senseless between the pulpit of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and `Aisha's dwelling whereupon a passerby would come and put his foot on my neck, considering me a mad man, but in fact, I had no madness, I suffered nothing but hunger."
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A Jew said to `Umar, "O Chief of the Believers, if this verse: 'This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favors upon you, and have chosen for you, Islam as your religion.' (5.3) had been revealed upon us, we would have taken that day as an `Id (festival) day." `Umar said, "I know definitely on what day this Verse was revealed; it was revealed on the day of `Arafat, on a Friday."
Abu Barza said, "(O people!) Allah makes you self-sufficient or has raised you high with Islam and with Muhammad."
Chapter 3: Following the Sunna of the Prophet (saws)
I sat with Shaiba in this Mosque (Al-Masjid-Al-Haram), and he said, "`Umar once sat beside me here as you are now sitting, and said, 'I feel like distributing all the gold and silver that are in it (i.e., the Ka`ba) among the Muslims'. I said, 'You cannot do that.' `Umar said, 'Why?' I said, 'Your two (previous) companions (the Prophet (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr) did not do it. `Umar said, 'They are the two persons whom one must follow.'" (See Hadith No. 664, Vol. 2)
The best talk (speech) is Allah's Book 'Qur'an), and the best way is the way of Muhammad, and the worst matters are the heresies (those new things which are introduced into the religion); and whatever you have been promised will surely come to pass, and you cannot escape (it).
We were with the Prophet (ﷺ) when he said (to two men), "I shall judge between you according to Allah's Book (Laws)."
Chapter 4: Asking too many questions and troubling with what does not concern one
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was asked about things which he disliked, and when the people asked too many questions, he became angry and said, "Ask me (any question)." A man got up and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Who is my father?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "Your father is Hudhaifa." Then another man got up and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Who is my father?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Your father is Salim, Maula Shaiba." When `Umar saw the signs of anger on the face of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), he said, "We repent to Allah."
We were with `Umar and he said, "We have been forbidden to undertake a difficult task beyond our capability (i.e. to exceed the religious limits e.g., to clean the inside of the eyes while doing ablution).
A man said, "O Allah's Prophet! Who is my father?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Your father is so-and-so." And then the Divine Verse:-- 'O you who believe! Ask not questions about things..(5.101)
Chapter 6: Going deeply into and arguing about knowledge, and exaggerating in religion, and inventing heresies
`Ali addressed us while he was standing on a brick pulpit and carrying a sword from which was hanging a scroll He said "By Allah, we have no book to read except Allah's Book and whatever is on this scroll," And then he unrolled it, and behold, in it was written what sort of camels were to be given as blood money, and there was also written in it: 'Medina is a sanctuary form 'Air (mountain) to such and such place so whoever innovates in it an heresy or commits a sin therein, he will incur the curse of Allah, the angels, and all the people and Allah will not accept his compulsory or optional good deeds.' There was also written in it: 'The asylum (pledge of protection) granted by any Muslims is one and the same, (even a Muslim of the lowest status is to be secured and respected by all the other Muslims, and whoever betrays a Muslim in this respect (by violating the pledge) will incur the curse of Allah, the angels, and all the people, and Allah will not accept his compulsory or optional good deeds.' There was also written in it: 'Whoever (freed slave) befriends (takes as masters) other than his real masters (manumitters) without their permission will incur the curse of Allah, the angels, and all the people, and Allah will not accept his compulsory or optional good deeds. ' (See Hadith No. 94, Vol. 3)
Chapter 9: “…(Judge between men) by that which Allah has shown you…”
I fell ill, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr came to visit me on foot. The Prophet (ﷺ) came to me while I was unconscious. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) performed ablution and poured the Remaining water of his ablution over me whereupon I became conscious and said, 'O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! How should I spend my wealth? Or how should I deal with my wealth?" But the Prophet (ﷺ) did not give me any reply till the Verse of the laws of inheritance was revealed.
Chapter 10: The way the Prophet (saws) taught his followers
A woman came to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Men (only) benefit by your teachings, so please devote to us from (some of) your time, a day on which we may come to you so that you may teach us of what Allah has taught you." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Gather on such-and-such a day at suchand- such a place." They gathered and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came to them and taught them of what Allah had taught him. He then said, "No woman among you who has lost her three children (died) but that they will screen her from the Fire." A woman among them said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! If she lost two children?" She repeated her question twice, whereupon the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Even two, even two, even two!" (See Hadith No. 341, Vol. 2)
Chapter 12: “…or to cover you with confusion in party strife…”
When the (following) Verse was revealed to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ): 'Say: He has power to send torment on you from above,'..(6.65) he said, "O Allah! I seek refuge with Your Face (from that punishment)." And when this was revealed: '..or from beneath your feet.' (6.65) he said, "O Allah! I seek refuge with Your Face (from that)." And when this Verse was revealed: '..or to cover you with confusion in partystrife, and make you to taste the violence of one another,'...(6.65) he said: "These two warnings are easier (than the previous ones).