The Book of Miscellany

When it was revealed to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and whether you disclose what is in your own selves or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it," the Companions of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) felt it hard and severe and they came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and sat down on their knees and said: "O Messenger of Allah, we were assigned some duties which were within our power to perform, such as Salat (prayer), Saum (fasting), Jihad (striving in the Cause of Allah), Sadaqah (charity). Then this (the above mentioned) Verse was revealed to you and it is beyond our power to live up to it." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Do you want to say what the people of two Books (Jews and Christians) said before you: 'We hear and disobey?' You should rather say: 'We hear and we obey, we seek forgiveness, our Rubb and unto You is the return."' And they said: "We hear and we obey, (we seek) Your forgiveness, our Rubb! And unto You is the return." When the people recited it and it smoothly flowed on their tongues, then Allah revealed immediately afterwards: "The Messenger (Muhammad (ﷺ)) believes in what has been sent down to him from his Rubb, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say), 'We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers' - and they say, 'We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Rubb, and to You is the return (of all)". When they did that, Allah abrogated this (Ayah) and Allah the Great revealed: "Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned." (The Prophet (ﷺ) said): "Yes. 'Our Rubb! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians)". (The Prophet (ﷺ) said): "Yes. 'Our Rubb! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear". (The Prophet (ﷺ) said): "Yes. 'Pardon us and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Maula (Patron, Supporter and Protector) and give us victory over the disbelieving people".He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said: "Yes".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "If anyone introduces in our matter something which does not belong to it, will be rejected".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].The narration in Muslim says: "If anybody introduces a practice which is not authenticated by me, it is to be rejected".

Whenever the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) delivered a Khutbah, his eyes would become red, his tone loud and he showed anger as if he were warning us against an army. He (ﷺ) would say, "The enemy is about to attack you in the morning and the enemy is advancing against you in the evening". He would further say, "I am sent with the final Hour like these two fingers of mine." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) held up his index finger and the middle finger together to illustrate. He used to add: "To proceed, the best speech is the Book of Allah and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (ﷺ), the worst practice is the introduction of new practices in Islam and every Bid'ah is a misguidance". He would also say, "I am, in respect of rights, nearer to every believer than his own self. He who leaves an estate, it belongs to his heirs, and he who leaves a debt, it is my responsibility to pay it off." [Muslim]. Same Hadith as reported by 'Irbad bin Sariyah (May Allah be pleased with him) has already been recorded in the previous chapter regarding safeguarding the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ).(See Hadith number 158)

We were with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) shortly after dawn when there came to him some people clad in woollen rags, or covered with sleeveless blankets; and with swords hanging down from their necks. Most of them rather, all of them, belonged to the Mudar tribe. The face of the Prophet (ﷺ) changed when he saw them starving. Then he went into his house and came out; then he commanded Bilal (May Allah be pleased with him) to proclaim Adhan (call to prayers). So he proclaimed Adhan and recited Iqamah and the Prophet (ﷺ) led the Salat. Then he delivered a Khutbah saying, "O mankind! Be dutiful to your Rubb, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife (Eve), and from them both He created many men and women; and fear Allah through Whom you demand your (natural) rights, and do not sever the relations of kinship. Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you." (4:1) He also recited the Ayah which is in the end of Surat Al-Hashr: "O you who believe! Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every one look what he has sent forth for the tomorrow". (59:18). Thereafter, every man gave in charity Dinar, Dirham, clothes, measure-fulls of wheat and measure-fulls of dates till he said: "(Give in charity) be it half a date". Then a man of the Ansar came with a bag which was difficult for him to hold in his hand. Thereafter, the people came successively (with charity) till I saw two heaps of food and clothes. I noticed that the face of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was glowing like that of the bright moon or glittering gold. Then he (ﷺ) said, "Whosoever introduces a good practice in Islam, there is for him its reward and the reward of those who act upon it after him without anything being diminished from their rewards. And whosoever introduces an evil practice in Islam, will shoulder its sin and the sins of all those who will act upon it, without diminishing in any way their burden"[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The first son of Adam* takes a share of the guilt of every one who murders another wrongfully because he was the initiator of committing murder".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].* The son of Adam in the Hadith is said to be Qabil. Allah tells us about his story in Surat Al-Ma'idah (The Table spread with Food). Verses 27-31.

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whoever guides someone to virtue will be rewarded equivalent to him who practices that good action".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "If anyone calls others to follow right guidance, his reward will be equivalent to those who follow him (in righteousness) without their reward being diminished in any respect, and if anyone invites others to follow error, the sin, will be equivalent to that of the people who follow him (in sinfulness) without their sins being diminished in any respect".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said on the day of the Khaibar Battle, "I will give this banner to a person at whose hands Allah will grant victory; a man who loves Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), and Allah and His Messenger love him also." The people spent the night thinking as to whom it would be given. When it was morning, the people hastened to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Every one of them was hoping that the banner would be given to him. He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) asked, "Where is 'Ali bin Abu Talib?" They said: "O Messenger of Allah! His eyes are sore." He (ﷺ) then sent for him and when he came, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) applied his saliva to his eyes and supplicated. 'Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) recovered as if he had no ailment at all. He (ﷺ) conferred upon him the banner. 'Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) said: ''O Messenger of Allah, shall I fight against them until they are like us?" Thereupon he (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "Advance cautiously until you reach their open places; thereafter, invite them to Islam and inform them what is obligatory for them from the Rights of Allah, for, by Allah, if Allah guides even one person through you that is better for you than possessing a whole lot of red camels".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

A young man from the tribe of Aslam said, "O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I wish to fight (in the Cause of Allah) but I do not have anything to equip myself with (for fighting)". He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "Go to so- and-so, for he had equipped himself (for fighting) but he fell ill." So he (the young man) went to him and said, "Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sends you his greetings and says that you should give me the equipment that you have provided yourself with." The man said (to his wife or servant): "O so-and-so, give him the equipment I have collected for myself and do not withhold anything from him. By Allah, if you withhold anything from him, we will not be blessed therein".[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He who equips a warrior in the way of Allah (will get the reward of the one who has actually gone for Jihad); and he who looks after the family of a warrior in the way of Allah will get the reward of the one who has gone for Jihad".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent a detachment to Banu Lahyan tribe and remarked, "Let one of every two men get ready to advance, and both will earn the same reward".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came across a party of mounted men at Ar-Rauha and asked them, "Who are you?" They answered: "We are Muslims, and who are you?" He said, "I am the Messenger of Allah." A woman from among them lifted a boy up to him and asked: "Can this one go on Hajj?" He (ﷺ) said, "Yes, and you will have the reward."[Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The honest Muslim trustee who carries out duties assigned to him (in another narration he said, "Who gives"), and he gives that in full, with his heart overflowing with cheerfulness, to whom he is ordered, he is one of the two givers of charity".[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Ad-Deen is sincerity". We said: "For whom?" He replied, "For Allah, His Book, His Messenger and for the leaders of the Muslims and their masses".[Muslim].

I made my covenant with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the observance of Salat, payment of Zakat, and giving counsel to Muslim."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "No one of you becomes a true believer until he likes for his brother what he likes for himself".[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whoever amongst you sees an evil, he must change it with his hand; if he is unable to do so, then with his tongue; and if he is unable to do so, then with his heart; and that is the weakest form of Faith".[Muslim].

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Never a Prophet had been sent before me by Allah to his people but he had, among his people, (his) disciples and companions, who followed his ways and obeyed his command. Then there came after them their successors who proclaimed what they did not practise, and practised what they were not commanded to do. And (he) who strove against them with his hand is a believer; he who strove against them with his heart is a believer; and he who strove against them with his tongue is a believer ; and beyond that there is no grain of Faith".[Muslim].

We swore allegiance to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to hear and obey; in time of difficulty and in prosperity, in hardship and in ease, to endure being discriminated against and not to dispute about rule with those in power, except in case of evident infidelity regarding which there is a proof from Allah. We swore allegiance to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to say what was right wherever we were, and not to fear from anyone's reproach.[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The likeness of the man who observes the limits prescribed by Allah and that of the man who transgresses them is like the people who get on board a ship after casting lots. Some of them are in its lower deck and some of them in its upper (deck). Those who are in its lower (deck), when they require water, go to the occupants of the upper deck, and say to them : 'If we make a hole in the bottom of the ship, we shall not harm you.' If they (the occupants of the upper deck) leave them to carry out their design they all will be drowned. But if they do not let them go ahead (with their plan), all of them will remain safe".[Al- Bukhari].