logo

| 2 Bukhari hadiths

10
It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe, and the [true] muhajir is the one who shuns (hajara) that which Allah has forbidden.”.

Commentary : This hadith is an example of the concise speech of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). In it, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) teaches us to acquire Islamic manners and attitudes, which increase love and harmony among the Muslims. What it means is that the perfect Muslim who attains all the good characteristics that Islam promotes is the one who does not harm any other Muslim in word or deed. The tongue and hand are mentioned in particular, because of the many mistakes they commit and the great deal of harm that they cause, because most ills result from these two things. The tongue tells lies, backbites, reviles and bears false witness, and the hand strikes, kills, steals and so on. The tongue is mentioned first, because causing harm and offence with the tongue is more frequent and easier, and it is more hurtful; it affects both the living and the dead. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained that the one who may be called a muhajir (lit. migrant) in a perfect sense is the one who shuns (hajara) that which Allah has forbidden. So the muhajir who is truly deserving of praise is the one who combines leaving his homeland and people with shunning that which Allah (may He be exalted) has forbidden. Simply migrating from the land of shirk whilst persisting in sin is not hijrah (migration) in a complete and perfect sense. The muhajir in the true sense is the one who does not stop at physical migration, leaving a land of war for a land of safety; rather he is the one who shuns (hajara) everything that Allah has forbidden.
This hadith urges us to refrain from harming any Muslims in any way.
It also teaches us that what a person appears outwardly to be is not something that Allah cares about, unless it is supported by righteous deeds that confirm the soundness of the outward appearance..

12
It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man asked the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): What aspect of Islam is best? He said: “Offering food to people, and saying salaam to those whom you know and those whom you do not know.”.

Commentary : In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explains which deeds of Islam are better than others, after believing and doing the pillars of Islam. That was in response to a question that someone asked. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) mentioned two things: the first was frequently offering food to people, by which he meant more than what is required in zakah. That includes charity, gifts, hosting people, giving feasts and feeding the poor, seeking the pleasure of Allah (may He be exalted), because food is necessary for the maintenance of physical well-being, and the virtue of offering food to people increases at times when the need for it is greater, which is at times of famine and when prices are high.
The second thing is saying salaam to every Muslim, seeking the pleasure of Allah, without differentiating between one person and another. That is because the greeting of Islam is for all Muslims, and the greeting of salaam is the first means of creating harmony and bringing about a sense of love among Muslims. Spreading the greeting of salaam enhances harmony and love among the Muslims and makes their slogan apparent and widespread, in contrast to other religious communities. In addition to that, it teaches self-discipline and humility, and shows respect to other Muslims.
Offering food and spreading the greeting of salaam are mentioned together in this hadith because by means of both, one will show kindness in word and deed, which is the most perfect kindness. This is described as being the best of Islam after fulfilling the obligatory duties of Islam, because any Muslim who would offer food and spread the greeting of salaam would surely affirm his strong belief in Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day..

13
It was narrated from Anas that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “No one of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”.

Commentary : In this hadith – of which it was said that it is a quarter of Islam and is one of the four hadiths from which good manners and characteristics stem – the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained that no Muslim can attain perfect faith – and the negation here does not mean that he is no longer a Muslim at all; rather it means that he has not attained perfect faith – until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself of good deeds and all types of goodness in both religious and worldly terms, and he dislikes for him what he dislikes for himself. So if he sees some shortcoming in the religious commitment of his Muslim brother, he strives to point it out and help him rectify it, and if he sees him doing good, he supports him and helps him to be steadfast in that and to do more. So the believer is not truly a believer until he likes for people what he likes for himself. That can only come from having a heart that is free of any rancour, ill feelings and envy, because envy leads to the envier hating to see anyone surpass him in anything good or even to see him equalling him in that, because he wants to be superior to people by means of what he has of virtues and achievements, and he wants to be the only one to stand out in that regard. But faith requires the opposite of that, which is to wish for all the believers to share with him in the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon him..

15
It was narrated that Anas said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “No one of you [truly] believes until I am dearer to him than his father, his child and all the people.”.

Commentary : Love of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is one of the basic principles of faith, and it is accompanied by love of Allah (may He be glorified and exalted). Allah has issued a warning to the one who gives precedence over that to any of the things to which one may have a natural inclination to love, such as family, wealth, homeland and the like, as He says: {Say, [O Muhammad], ‘If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command} [at-Tawbah 9:24]. The believer is not a believer in the perfect sense until he gives precedence to love of the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) over love of anyone else. Love of the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stems from love of the One Who sent him.
Sound love dictates following the beloved and loving what he loves, and hating what he hates. Love means going along with the beloved in all situations. If this love is sincere, it must inevitably make one follow the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and adhere to his Sunnah. The sign of loving the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is that if obeying the commands of the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) conflicts with any other inclination or person that would prompt one to do otherwise, one gives precedence to obeying the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and complying with his commands over the other thing. This is an indication that one’s love for the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is sound. But if one gives precedence to going along with any of these other things that one has a natural inclination to love over obeying the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and complying with his commands, this indicates that he has not attained the perfect faith that is required of him. Part of loving the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is supporting his Sunnah and defending his message, and wishing that one had lived during his lifetime so that he could have offered his life and his wealth to protect him. This love is not sound until one holds the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in high esteem and gives him precedence over any parent, child, person who did one a favour or person whom one likes.
This hadith is very concise, because these few words carry a great deal of meaning. That is because there are three types of love: love based on respect and veneration, such as love of a parent; love based on compassion and mercy, such as love of a child; and love that results from liking someone and finding that one has much in common with him, such as love of any other person. This hadith refers to all the reasons why one person may love another..

16
It was narrated from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There are three characteristics, whoever attains them will find the sweetness of faith: when Allah and His Messenger are dearer to him than all others; when he loves someone and only loves him for the sake of Allah; and when he would hate to go back to disbelief as he would hate to be thrown into the fire.”.

Commentary : This important hadith represents one of the basic principles of Islam. In it, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) speaks of three characteristics that are among the most sublime characteristics of faith. Whoever perfects these characteristics will find the sweetness of faith, for faith has a sweetness and a flavour that may be tasted in the heart just as the sweetness of food and drink may be tasted in the mouth. Just as one cannot enjoy the sweetness of food and drink except when one is in good health, by the same token, if the heart is sound and free of the disease of misleading whims and desires and forbidden pleasures, it will taste the sweetness of faith, but if it is sick and unhealthy, it will not taste the sweetness of faith; rather it may find sweetness in that which could lead to loss and doom, namely desires and sins. Whoever tastes the sweetness of faith will find pleasure in doing acts of worship and obedience, and will give them precedence over worldly pursuits, putting up with hardship for the sake of Allah (may He be exalted).
The first characteristic is when Allah and His Messenger are dearer to him than all others. Love of Allah stems from knowing His names and attributes, contemplating His creation and what is in it of wisdom, purpose and wondrous things. Love of Allah also stems from reflecting on the blessing that He has bestowed upon people, for all of that is indicative of His perfect might, wisdom, knowledge and mercy. A person’s love for His Creator (may He be glorified and exalted) will lead him to adhere to His laws and obey Him, and refrain from what He has forbidden. Love of the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stems from love of Allah, and what results from that love is following the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in what he enjoins and forbids, such as obeying Allah (may He be glorified and exalted). The Muslim should love the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) more than he loves himself and more than he loves his father, his mother, his son, his daughter, his wife, his friend, his relatives, and all people.
The second characteristic is when one loves someone and only loves him for the sake of Allah. This encourages us to love one another for the sake of Allah, which is one of the strongest bonds of faith, for it is not love for the sake of exchanging benefits or attaining worldly gains; rather what brings them together is love for the sake of Allah. As a result of that love, the Muslim will try to help and benefit his Muslim brother and will refrain from harming him, as it says in the hadith narrated in as-Sahihayn: “The Muslim is the brother of his fellow Muslim; he does not wrong him or let him down. Whoever meets his brother’s needs, Allah will meet his needs, and whoever relieves a Muslim of some worldly distress, Allah will relieve him of some of the distress of the Day of Resurrection. Whoever covers a Muslim (conceals his sin), Allah will cover him (conceal his sin) on the Day of Resurrection.”
The third characteristic is when the Muslim would hate to go back to disbelief as he would hate to be thrown into the fire. For when faith takes root in the heart and the individual adheres sincerely to it and tastes its sweetness and flavour, he will love it and will love to be steadfast in adhering to it and to learn more about it, and he would hate to leave it. In his case, his hating to leave it will be greater than his hatred of being thrown into the fire. When a person tastes the sweetness of faith in his heart, he realizes the bitterness of disbelief, evildoing and sin. It was said that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said this as a warning to the Sahabah, for they had been disbelievers then had become Muslim, but some individuals still had some inclination in their hearts to what they had known in the past. Hence the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained to them that going back to disbelief would be like a man throwing himself into the fire, because the ultimate fate of the disbelievers is to be thrown into the fire of hell; recanting one’s repentance and going back to sin is also like throwing oneself into the fire of hell, because of the seriousness of the sin of disbelief and going back to it.    .