٥ - باب المراقبة

As for the hadiths, the first is: On the authority of ʻUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: While we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ one day, there suddenly appeared before us a man with intensely white clothing and intensely black hair; no trace of travel could be seen on him, and none of us knew him. He sat down before the Prophet ﷺ, rested his knees against his knees, placed his palms on his thighs, and said, “O Muḥammad, tell me about Islam.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Islam is that you testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah, that you establish the prayer, give the zakāt, fast Ramaḍān, and make pilgrimage to the House if you are able to find a way to it.” He said, “You have spoken truly.” We were amazed at him — he questions him and then declares him truthful! He said, “Then tell me about faith (īmān).” He said, “That you believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and that you believe in the decree (qadar), its good and its evil.” He said, “You have spoken truly.” He said, “Then tell me about excellence (iḥsān).” He said, “That you worship Allah as though you see Him, for though you do not see Him, He sees you.” He said, “Then tell me about the Hour.” He said, “The one asked about it knows no more than the one asking.” He said, “Then tell me about its signs.” He said, “That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress, and that you will see the barefoot, naked, destitute shepherds of sheep competing in [the construction of] tall buildings.” Then he departed, and I waited a while. Then he said, “O ʻUmar, do you know who the questioner was?” I said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He said, “It was Jibrīl; he came to you to teach you your religion.” Narrated by Muslim. The meaning of “the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress (rabbatahā)” — that is, her owner: its meaning is that concubines will become numerous, until the slave-girl, the concubine, bears a daughter to her master, and the master’s daughter is in the position of the master; and other explanations have been given. And “al-ʻālah” means the poor. His statement “maliyyan” means a long time, and that was three [days].

The second: On the authority of Abū Dharr Jundub ibn Junādah and Abū ʻAbd al-Raḥmān Muʻādh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with them both), from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said, “Fear Allah wherever you are; follow a bad deed with a good one and it will wipe it out; and treat people with good character.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: a good (ḥasan) hadith.

The third: On the authority of Ibn ʻAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: I was behind the Prophet ﷺ one day, and he said, “O young man, I shall teach you some words: Be mindful of Allah and He will protect you; be mindful of Allah and you will find Him before you. When you ask, ask Allah; and when you seek help, seek help from Allah. And know that if the entire community were to gather to benefit you with something, they would not benefit you except with something Allah has already decreed for you; and if they were to gather to harm you with something, they would not harm you except with something Allah has already decreed against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: a good and sound (ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ) hadith. In a narration other than al-Tirmidhī’s: “Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him before you; come to know Allah in times of ease and He will know you in times of hardship. And know that what missed you was never to befall you, and what befell you was never to miss you. And know that victory comes with patience, that relief comes with distress, and that with hardship comes ease.”

The fourth: On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: You [people] do deeds that are finer in your eyes than a hair, yet in the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ we used to count them among the destroyers (al-mūbiqāt). Narrated by al-Bukhārī. He said: “al-mūbiqāt” means the things that bring destruction.

The fifth: On the authority of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet ﷺ, who said, “Allah Most High has jealous honour (yaghār), and Allah Most High’s jealous honour is that a person should do what Allah has forbidden him.” Agreed upon. And “al-ghayrah” — with a fatḥah on the ghīn — its root meaning is disdainful pride / a sense of honour.

The sixth: On the authority of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), that he heard the Prophet ﷺ say: “There were three men among the Children of Israel — a leper, a bald man, and a blind man — whom Allah wished to test. So He sent them an angel. He came to the leper and said, ‘What is most beloved to you?’ He said, ‘A good colour, good skin, and that what people find repulsive in me be removed.’ So he wiped him, and his repulsiveness left him and he was given a good colour. He said, ‘And which property is most beloved to you?’ He said, ‘Camels’ — or he said, ‘Cattle’ (the narrator was uncertain) — so he was given a pregnant she-camel, and he said, ‘May Allah bless you in it.’ Then he came to the bald man and said, ‘What is most beloved to you?’ He said, ‘Good hair, and that what people find repulsive in me be removed.’ So he wiped him, and it left him, and he was given good hair. He said, ‘And which property is most beloved to you?’ He said, ‘Cattle,’ so he was given a pregnant cow, and he said, ‘May Allah bless you in it.’ Then he came to the blind man and said, ‘What is most beloved to you?’ He said, ‘That Allah restore my sight to me so that I may see people.’ So he wiped him, and Allah restored his sight to him. He said, ‘And which property is most beloved to you?’ He said, ‘Sheep,’ so he was given a pregnant ewe. The two [animals] bred and this one bore young, so that this man came to have a valley-full of camels, this one a valley-full of cattle, and this one a valley-full of sheep. Then he came to the leper in his [former] form and appearance and said, ‘A poor man; my means have been cut off on my journey, and today I have no recourse except through Allah and then through you. I ask you, by the One who gave you the good colour, the good skin, and the wealth, for a camel by which I may complete my journey.’ He said, ‘The claims [on me] are many.’ He said, ‘It is as if I know you. Were you not a leper whom people found repulsive, a poor man, and Allah gave [it all] to you?’ He said, ‘I only inherited this wealth from one great forefather after another.’ He said, ‘If you are lying, may Allah return you to what you were.’ Then he came to the bald man in his [former] form and appearance and said to him the like of what he said to the first, and he answered him the like of what the first answered, so he said, ‘If you are lying, may Allah return you to what you were.’ Then he came to the blind man in his [former] form and appearance and said, ‘A poor man and a wayfarer; my means have been cut off on my journey, and today I have no recourse except through Allah and then through you. I ask you, by the One who restored your sight to you, for a sheep by which I may complete my journey.’ He said, ‘I was indeed blind, and Allah restored my sight to me, so take what you wish and leave what you wish. By Allah, I will not press you today [to return] anything you take for the sake of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.’ He said, ‘Keep your wealth; you were only being tested. Allah is pleased with you and displeased with your two companions.’” Agreed upon. And “the she-camel al-ʻusharāʾ” — with a ḍammah on the ʻayn, a fatḥah on the shīn, and a long vowel — is the pregnant she-camel. His statement “antaja” — and in [another] narration “fa-nataja” — means: he attended to her delivery; the one who delivers a she-camel is like the midwife for the woman. His statement “wallada hādhā” — with a shaddah on the lām — means: he attended to its delivery, and it carries the same meaning as “antaja” regarding the she-camel; so al-muwallid, al-nātij, and al-qābilah (the midwife) are of one meaning, except that this [term] is for animals and that for others. His statement “inqaṭaʻat bī al-ḥibāl” — with an unpointed ḥāʾ and a single-dotted bāʾ — means: the means [were cut off]. His statement “lā ajhaduka” means: I will not press hard upon you in returning anything you take or seek from my property. And in al-Bukhārī’s narration: “lā aḥmaduka” — with an unpointed ḥāʾ and a mīm — and its meaning is: I do not praise you for leaving anything you need, just as they say: “There is no regret over the length of life,” that is, over the passing of its length.

The seventh: From Abu Yaʿlā Shaddād ibn Aws (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: "The wise person is the one who calls himself to account and works for what comes after death, while the incapable person is the one who lets his soul follow its desires and yet [merely] entertains vain hopes in Allah." Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: "A good (ḥasan) hadith." Al-Tirmidhī and other scholars said: the meaning of "dāna nafsahu" is: he called it to account.

The eighth: From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Part of the excellence of a person's Islam is his leaving alone what does not concern him." A good (ḥasan) hadith, narrated by al-Tirmidhī and others.

The ninth: From ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: "A man is not to be questioned as to why he struck his wife." Narrated by Abu Dāwūd and others.