The Book of Miscellany

كتاب المقدمات

Chapter 50: Hope in Allah's Mercy

Anas bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have committed a sin liable of ordained punishment. So execute punishment on me". Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not ask him about it, and then came the (time for) Salat (prayers). So he performed Salat with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) finished Salat, the man stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah! I have committed a sin. So execute the Ordinance of Allah upon me". He (ﷺ) asked, "Have you performed Salat with us?" "Yes", he replied. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Verily, Allah has forgiven you".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Anas bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah is pleased with His slave who eats a meal and praises Him for it; and takes a drink and praises Him for it".[Muslim].

Chapter 44: Visiting the Pious Persons, loving them and adoption of their company

Usair bin 'Amr (Ibn Jabir) reported

When delegations from Yemen came to the help of (the Muslim army at the time of Jihad) 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) would ask them, "Is there Owais bin 'Amir amongst you?" (He continued searching him) until he met Owais (May Allah be pleased with him). He said, "Are you Owais bin 'Amir?" He said, "Yes". 'Umar asked, "Are you from the Qaran branch of the tribe of Murad?" He said, "Yes". He 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) again said, "Did you suffer from leucoderma and then you were cured from it but for the space of a dirham?" He said, "Yes". He 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "Is your mother still alive?" He said, "Yes". He 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, 'There would come to you Owais bin 'Amir with the reinforcement from the people of Yemen. He would be from Qaran (the branch) of Murad. He had been suffering from leucoderma from which he was cured but for a spot of a dirham. He has a mother to whom he is very dutiful. If he were to take an oath in the Name of Allah, Allah would fulfill his oath. And if it is possible for you, ask him to ask forgiveness for you.' So, ask forgiveness for me". He Owais (May Allah be pleased with him) did so. 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) then said, "Where do you intend to go?" He said, "To Kufah." He 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "Let me write a letter for you to its governor," whereupon he Owais (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "I love to live amongst the poor people". The following year, a person from among the elite (of Kufah) performed Hajj and he met 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him). 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) asked him about Owais (May Allah be pleased with him). He said, "I left him in a state with meagre means of sustenance in a decayed house." (Thereupon) 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, 'There would come to you Owais bin 'Amir of Qaran, a branch (of the tribe) of Murad, along with the reinforcement of the people of Yemen. He had been suffering from leucoderma which would have been cured but for the space of a dirham. He has a mother to whom he is very dutiful. Were he to swear, trusting Allah, for something, Allah would fulfill his oath. If you can ask him to pray for forgiveness for you, do so". This man went to Owais (May Allah be pleased with him) and asked him to pray for forgiveness for him. Owais (May Allah be pleased with him) said to him, "You have just returned from a blessed journey, it is you who should pray for forgiveness for me; and did you meet 'Umar?" The man said, "Yes". 'Owais (May Allah be pleased with him) then prayed for forgiveness for him. People became aware of the high status of Owais (May Allah be pleased with him) and he set out following his course.[Muslim].Another narration is: A delegation from Kufah came to 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him). Among them was one who used to make fun of Owais (May Allah be pleased with him). 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) enquired, "Is there anyone among you who is from Qaran?" So this man stepped forward. Then 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, 'A man will come to you from Yemen named Owais. He will have left in the Yemen only his mother. He was suffering from leucoderma and prayed to Allah to be cured of it. So he was cured except for a space of the size of a dinar or a dirham. Whoever of you should meet him should ask him to pray for forgiveness for him."'Another narration is: 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said: "I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, 'The best one of the next generation (At-Tabi'un) is a man called Owais, he will have a mother and he will be suffering from leucoderma. Go to him and ask him to pray for forgiveness for you".[Muslim].

'Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

I sought permission of the Prophet (ﷺ) to perform 'Umrah. He granted me leave and said, "Dear brother! Do not forget us in your supplications". ('Umar added): This is something I would not exchange for the whole world.Another narration is: He (ﷺ) said, "Include us, my dear brother, in your supplications." [Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi, who categorized the Hadith as Hasan Sahih.].

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to visit Quba', either mounted or on foot and would offer two Rak'ah prayer in the mosque there.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration is: The Prophet (ﷺ) used to visit the mosque at Quba' every Saturday (i.e., every week) either mounted or on foot, and Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) used to do the same thing.

Chapter 45: Excellence and Etiquette of Sincere love for the sake of Allah

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Seven are (the persons) whom Allah will give Shade of His Thrown on the Day when there would be no shade other than His Throne's Shade: A just ruler; a youth who grew up worshipping Allah; a man whose heart is attached to mosques; two persons who love and meet each other and depart from each other for the sake of Allah; a man whom an extremely beautiful woman seduces (for illicit relation), but he (rejects this offer by saying): 'I fear Allah'; a man who gives in charity and conceals it (to such an extent) that the left hand does not know what the right has given; and a person who remembers Allah in solitude and his eyes well up".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Chapter 46: Signs of Allah's love for His slaves and the efforts for its Achievement

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When Allah loves a slave, calls out Jibril and says: 'I love so-and-so; so love him'. Then Jibril loves him. After that he (Jibril) announces to the inhabitants of heavens that Allah loves so- and-so; so love him; and the inhabitants of the heavens (the angels) also love him and then make people on earth love him".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration of Muslim is: Messenger of Allah, (ﷺ) said: "When Allah loves a slave, He calls Jibril (Gabriel) and says: 'I love so-and-so; so love him.' And then Jibril loves him. Then he (Jibril) announces in the heavens saying: Allah loves so-and-so; so love him; then the inhabitants of the heavens (the angels) also love him; and then people on earth love him. And when Allah hates a slave, He calls Jibril and says: 'I hate so- and-so, so hate him.' Then Jibril also hates him. He (Jibril) then announces amongst the inhabitants of heavens: 'Verily, Allah hates so- and-so, so you also hate him.' Thus they also start to hate him. Then he becomes the object of hatred on the earth also".[Muslim].

Chapter 48: Making Judgment of people keeping in view their evident actions and leaving their hidden Actions to Allah (swt)

Al-Miqdad bin Al-Aswad (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

I said, "Tell me, O Messenger of Allah, if I meet an infidel, and we fight together, and he cuts off my hands with his sword, then hides from me behind a tree and (then) says he has submitted himself to Allah. Shall I kill him after he has said it?" He (ﷺ) replied, "Do not kill him." I submitted, "But O Messenger of Allah, he cut off one of my hands and only then he said it." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then replied, "Do not kill him, for if you do so, he will be in the position in which you were before you killed him (i.e., he will be considered a Muslim and thus his life will be inviolable), and you will be in the position in which he was before he made his testimony (i.e., your life will not be inviolable, for his heirs can ask for Qisas)".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Jundub bin 'Abdullah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) dispatched a contingent of the Muslims to a tribe of the polytheists. The two sides met (in combat) at one place. A man among the polytheists was so dashing that, whenever he intended to kill a man from Muslims, he killed him. Amongst the Muslims, too, was a man looking forward to (an opportunity of) his (polytheist's) unmindfulness. He (the narrator) said: We talked that he was Usamah bin Zaid (May Allah be pleased with him). When he raised his sword, he (the soldier of the polytheists) uttered: "La ilaha illallah (There is no true god except Allah)." But he (Usamah bin Zaid) killed him. When the good news of victory reached Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) he asked him (about the events of the battle), and he informed him about the man (Usamah) and what he had done. He (Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)) sent for him and asked him why he had killed him. He (Usamah) said, "O Messenger of Allah, he struck the Muslims and killed such and such of them." And he named some of them. (He continued): "I attacked him and when he saw the sword he said: 'La ilaha illallah."' Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Did you kill him?" He (Usamah) replied in the affirmative. The Messenger of Allah then remarked, "What would you do with regard to (the utterance): La ilaha illallah, when it comes (before you) on the Day of Resurrection?" He (Usamah) said, "O Messenger of Allah! Beg forgiveness for me". He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "What would you do with regard to (the utterance): La ilaha illallah, when it comes (before you) on the Day of Resurrection?" He (Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)) added nothing to it but kept repeating, "What would you do with regard to (the utterance): La ilaha illallah, when it comes (before you) on the Day of Resurrection?".[Muslim].

Chapter 49: Fear (of Allah)

Abu Barzah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Man's feet will not move on the Day of Resurrection before he is asked about his life, how did he consume it, his knowledge, what did he do with it, his wealth, how did he earn it and how did he dispose of it, and about his body, how did he wear it out."[At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hadith Hasan Sahih].

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) recited, "That Day it (the earth) will reveal its news (about all that happened over it of good or evil)." (99:4). Then he (ﷺ) inquired, "Do you know what its news are?" He was told: "Allah and His Messenger know better". He said, "Its news is that it shall bear witness against every slave man and woman they did on its back. It will say: 'You did this and this on such and such day.' Those will be its news."[At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hadith Hasan Sahih].

Chapter 50: Hope in Allah's Mercy

Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

A bedouin came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and asked him, "O Messenger of Allah, what are the two imperatives which lead to Jannah or Hell". He (ﷺ) replied, "He who dies without associating anything with Allah will enter Jannah, and he who dies associating partners with Allah will enter the Fire".[Muslim]

'Itban bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) reported, who was with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in the battle of Badr

I used to lead my people at Bani Salim in Salat (prayer) and there was a valley between me and those people. Whenever it rained, it became difficult for me to cross it for going to their mosque. So I went to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said, "I have weak eyesight and the valley between me and my people flows during the rainy season and it becomes difficult for me to cross it. I wish you to come to my house and offer Salat at a place so that I could reserve that as a Musalla (place for prayer)." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I will do so". So Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) came to my house the (next) morning after the sun had risen high. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked my permission to enter and I admitted him. He did not sit before saying, "Where do you want us to offer Salat in your house?" I pointed to the place where I wanted him to offer prayers. So Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up for the prayer and started the prayer with Takbir and we aligned in rows behind him; and he offered two Rak'ah prayer and finished them with Taslim, and we also performed Taslim with him. I detained him for a meal called Khazirah which I had prepared for him. (Khazirah is a special type of dish prepared from barley flour and meat soup). When the neighbours got the news that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was in my house, they started coming till a large number of men gathered in my house. One of them said, "What is wrong with Malik, for I do not see him?" One of them replied, "He is a hypocrite and does not love Allah and His Messenger". On that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Don't say this. Haven't you seen that he testified that there is no true god except Allah,' for Allah's sake only." The man replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better, but by Allah, we never saw him but helping and talking with the hypocrites." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied, "No doubt, whosoever testifies that there is no true god except Allah, seeking by so professing the pleasure of Allah only, Allah will safeguard him against (Hell) Fire."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah has divided mercy into one hundred parts; and He retained with Him ninety-nine parts, and sent down to earth one part. Through this one part creatures deal with one another with compassion, so much so that an animal lifts its hoof over its young lest it should hurt it".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah has one hundred mercies, out of which He has sent down only one for jinn, mankind, animals and insects, through which they love one another and have compassion for one another; and through it, wild animals care for their young. Allah has retained ninety-nine mercies to deal kindly with His slaves on the Day of Resurrection."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].Another narration in Muslim is reported: by Salman Al-Farisi: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah has hundred mercies, out of which one mercy is used by his creation for mutual love and affection. Ninety-nine mercies are kept for the Day of Resurrection."Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah created one hundred units of mercy on the Day He created the heavens and the earth. Each one of them can contain all that is between the heaven and the earth. Of them, he put one on earth, through which a mother has compassion for her children and animals and birds have compassion for one another. On the Day of Resurrection, He will perfect and complete His Mercy". (That is He will use all the hundred units of mercy for his slaves on that Day).

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, were you not to commit sins, Allah would replace you with a people who would commit sins and then seek forgiveness from Allah; and Allah would forgive them".[Muslim].

Abu Ayyub Khalid bin Zaid (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Were you not to commit sins, Allah would create people who would commit sins and ask for forgiveness and He would forgive them".[Muslim].

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "A believer will be brought close to his Rubb on the Day of Resurrection and enveloping him in His Mercy, He (SWT) will make him confess his sins by saying: 'Do you remember (doing) this sin and this sin?' He will reply: 'My Rubb, I remember.' Then He (SWT) will say: 'I covered it up for you in the life of world, and I forgive it for you today.' Then the record of his good deeds will be handed to him".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

'Abdullah bin Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

A man kissed a woman and he came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and made a mention of that to him. It was (on this occasion) that this Ayah was revealed:"And perform As-Salat (Iqamat-As-Salat), at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night [i.e., the five compulsory Salat (prayers)]. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e., small sins)". (11:114)That person said, "O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), does it concern me only?". He (Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)) said, "It concerns the whole of my Ummah".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Chapter 51: Excellence of Good Hopes

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah says: 'I am just as My slave thinks of Me when he remembers Me.' By Allah! Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than one of you who unexpectedly finds in the desert his lost camel. 'He who comes closer to Me one span, I come closer to him a cubit; and he who comes closer to Me a cubit, I come closer to him a fathom; and if he comes to Me walking, I come to him running".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Chapter 53: Excellence of Weeping out of Fear from Allah (swt)

'Abdullah bin Ash-Shikhkhir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported

I came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when he was performing prayers. He was sobbing and his chest sounded like a boiling kettle.[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi].