*Riyadh al-Salihin* (The Meadows of the Righteous) from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Chapter on Hope (al-Raja').
On the authority of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
Some captives were brought before the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and among them was a woman searching frantically.
When she found an infant among the captives,
she took it, pressed it to her belly, and nursed it.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then asked,
"Do you think this woman would throw her child into the fire?"
We replied, "No, by Allah!"
He said, "Allah is certainly more merciful to His servants than this woman is to her child."
Agreed upon.
"Al-Saby" refers to captives of war.
"Tas'a" means she was rushing and running around.
"A-tarawna" means: Do you think?
Key lessons from the hadith:
The vast mercy of Allah Almighty toward His servants,
that He wills good for them,
and desires to rescue them from the Fire;
thus He opened for them the door of repentance, hope, and turning back to Him in devotion.
Drawing lessons from real-life incidents,
and using them for guidance and instruction by striking parables,
so that comprehensive understanding may be achieved in the most perfect manner.
A person should anchor their reliance in all states and times to Allah alone,
and the wise person should direct all their needs to Him.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"When Allah created the creation,
He inscribed in a Book,
which is with Him above the Throne:
'Verily, My mercy overcomes My wrath.'"
In another narration:
"'...has overcome My wrath.'"
And in yet another narration:
"'...has preceded My wrath.'"
Agreed upon.
Key lessons from the hadith:
Proof of the transcendence and highness ('Uluww) of Allah Almighty above His creation,
and that He is above His Throne, distinct and separate from His creation.
Affirmation of the attributes of Mercy and Wrath for Allah,
which must not be allegorically reinterpreted as merely the intent to reward and punish,
as that opposes the methodology of the righteous salaf (early generations), may Allah be pleased with them.
The mercy of Allah encompasses all of His servants,
and His mercy has preceded His wrath.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"Allah made mercy into one hundred parts.
He retained ninety-nine parts with Himself,
and sent down one single part to the earth.
It is from that single part that all creatures show mercy to one another,
so much so that an animal lifts its hoof away from its offspring,
fearing that it might harm it."
In another narration:
"Verily, Allah Almighty has one hundred mercies.
He sent down one mercy from them
among the jinn, mankind,
beasts, and crawling creatures.
By virtue of it they show affection and show mercy to one another,
and by it a wild beast shows compassion to its young.
And Allah has deferred ninety-nine mercies,
with which He will show mercy to His servants on the Day of Resurrection."
Agreed upon.
Muslim also narrated it from Salman al-Farsi (may Allah be pleased with him),
who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Verily, Allah Almighty has one hundred mercies.
From them is one mercy by which the creation shows mutual mercy among themselves,
and ninety-nine are reserved for the Day of Resurrection."
In another narration:
"Verily, on the day Allah Almighty created the heavens and the earth, He created
one hundred mercies,
each mercy spanning what is between the heavens and the earth.
From them, He placed one mercy on the earth,
by which a mother shows compassion to her child,
and wild beasts and birds show compassion to one another.
Then, when the Day of Resurrection comes, He will complete them with this mercy."
"Hafiraha" refers to its foot;
a horse's hoof is like a cow's cloven hoof.
"Al-Baha'im" is the plural of "bahimah" (beast),
referring to four-legged animals;
they were called such due to their lack of speech and unintelligibility.
"Al-Hawamm" refers to crawling creatures and vermin.
"Tibaq" means covering or spanning,
meaning that it fills the entire expanse between heaven and earth due to its vastness and grandeur.
Key lessons from the hadith:
The mercy that Allah has placed in the hearts of His servants
is part of His creation,
and the good He has sent down to them is from His grace.
All of this is merely a fraction of what Allah Almighty has stored up for His believing servants on the Day of Resurrection.
In this hadith is the greatest hope and glad tidings for the believers:
for if they receive, through a single mercy created for them in this world,
all this mutual compassion and immense goodness,
then how magnificent will it be with one hundred mercies on the Day of Resurrection!
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
narrating from his Lord, the Blessed and Exalted,
that He said: "A servant committed a sin,
and said: 'O Allah, forgive me my sin.'
Whereupon Allah, Blessed and Exalted, said:
'My servant committed a sin
and knew that he has a Lord Who forgives sin and takes to account for sin.'
Then he committed a sin again,
and said: 'O Lord, forgive me my sin.'
Whereupon Allah, Blessed and Exalted, said:
'My servant committed a sin
and knew that he has a Lord Who forgives sin and takes to account for sin.'
Then he committed a sin again,
and said: 'O Lord, forgive me my sin.'
Whereupon Allah, Blessed and Exalted, said:
'My servant committed a sin
and knew that he has a Lord Who forgives sin and takes to account for sin.
I have forgiven My servant,
so let him do as he wills.'"
Agreed upon.
His saying, the Exalted:
"So let him do as he wills,"
means: as long as he continues to do so—
committing a sin and then repenting—
I will forgive him,
for sincere repentance eradicates whatever came before it.
"Takes to account for sin"
means: He punishes for it if He wills.
Key lessons from the hadith:
The greatness of Allah Almighty's favor and mercy upon His servants,
as long as they believe that their Lord holds their ultimate affairs in His hand:
if He wills He forgives, and if He wills He punishes.
Sincere repentance expiates sin.
The believer in Allah Almighty purifies his heart through repentance,
hopes for his Lord's pardon,
hastens toward righteousness and good deeds,
and if a sin occurs from him,
he swiftly remedies it through repentance
and does not persist in disobedience.
This hadith
is proof that even if a sin is repeated a hundred times or more,
and the person repents each time, his repentance is accepted
and his sins fall away;
and even if he repents for all of them with a single repentance after committing them all,
his repentance remains valid.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"By Him in Whose Hand is my soul,
if you were not to sin, Allah would replace you
and bring a people who would sin,
and then seek Allah Almighty's forgiveness,
and He would forgive them."
Narrated by Muslim.
On the authority of Abu Ayyub Khalid ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"Were it not that you commit sins,
Allah would create a creation who commit sins,
and then seek forgiveness, and He would forgive them."
Narrated by Muslim.
Key lessons from the hadith:
A demonstration of Allah Almighty's grace upon His servants through pardon and forgiveness.
Every child of Adam is prone to error,
so the servant must hasten to seek forgiveness and repent.
Among the wisdoms behind religious accountability (taklif)
is the manifestation of the Divine Names of Allah,
which encompass His forbearance, His pardon,
His forgiveness, His concealment of faults, His overlooking the misdeeds of His creation,
and His emancipation of whomever He wills among His servants.
The hadith contains no incitement toward committing sins;
rather, it offers glad tidings of forgiveness,
and dispels overwhelming fear and despair
from the hearts of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
For they used to flee to the mountains
and withdraw from life and its pleasures out of intense fear,
so this brought reassurance and hope in Allah's pardon and forgiveness.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and among our group were Abu Bakr and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them).
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stood up
from our midst and was absent for a long time,
so we feared that he might have been harmed or intercepted in our absence.
We panicked and stood up, and I was the first to panic;
so I went out searching for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
until I came upon an enclosed garden belonging to the Ansar.
—and he mentioned the hadith in full up to where he said:
Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Go, and whomever you meet beyond this garden who testifies that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,
with full certainty in his heart, give him the glad tidings of Paradise."
Narrated by Muslim.
"Min bayni azhurina" means from our midst.
"Yuqta'a" means to be seized, harmed, or ambushed.
"Fazi'na" means we became alarmed and went out searching for him.
"Abtaghi" means I sought.
"Ha'itan" means an enclosed garden or orchard.
"Mustayqinan" means having certainty and firm belief.
Key lessons from the hadith:
The intense love of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) for the Messenger (peace be upon him),
and their deep concern for his safety from every harm.
True faith grants entry into Paradise,
either initially through Allah's forgiveness,
or after enduring purification in the Fire.
The legitimacy of conveying good news and glad tidings.
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As (may Allah be pleased with them both),
that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, recited the words of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime,
concerning Abraham (peace be upon him),
“My Lord! Lo! they have led many of mankind astray. But whoso followeth me, he verily is of me. And whoso disobeyeth me - Still Thou art Forgiving, Merciful.” (14:36)
“My Lord! Lo! they have led many of mankind astray. But whoso followeth me, he verily is of me. And whoso disobeyeth me - Still Thou art Forgiving, Merciful.” (14:36)
and the words of Jesus (peace be upon him),
“If Thou punish them, lo! they are Thy slaves, and if Thou forgive them (lo! they are Thy slaves). Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Mighty, the Wise.” (5:118)
“If Thou punish them, lo! they are Thy slaves, and if Thou forgive them (lo! they are Thy slaves). Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Mighty, the Wise.” (5:118)
he raised his hands and said:
"O Allah, my Ummah, my Ummah!"
and he wept.
Thereupon, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, said:
"O Gabriel,
go to Muhammad—
though your Lord knows best—
and ask him what makes him weep."
So Gabriel came to him,
and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told him what he had said,
though He already knows best.
Then Allah, the Exalted, said:
"O Gabriel,
go to Muhammad
and say:
'We shall surely please you regarding your Ummah, and We will not cause you grief.'"
Transmitted by Muslim.
Key takeaways from the hadith:
This hadith is among the most hope-inspiring hadiths for the Ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him).
It demonstrates the profound compassion of the Prophet (peace be upon him) for his Ummah,
his deep concern for their well-being,
and his devotion to their affairs.
It highlights the exalted status of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) with Allah,
and that He will elevate him until he is well pleased.
It is part of the Sunnah in supplication
to raise one's hands.
It affirms the transcendence and loftiness of Allah the Exalted above His creation,
and that He is above the heavens,
where hearts and hands turn toward Him.
On the authority of Mu'adh Ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
I was riding behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) on a donkey,
and he said:
"O Mu'adh,
do you know what Allah's right over His servants is,
and what the servants' right over Allah is?"
I replied:
"Allah and His Messenger know best."
He said:
"Indeed, Allah's right over His servants is that they worship Him alone and associate nothing with Him,
and the right of the servants over Allah
is that He will not punish anyone who associates nothing with Him."
I said:
"O Messenger of Allah,
should I not give glad tidings to the people?"
He replied:
"Do not tell them, lest they rely entirely on it and slacken in their deeds."
Agreed upon.
On the authority of Al-Bara' Ibn 'Azib (may Allah be pleased with them both),
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"When a Muslim is questioned in the grave,
he testifies that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah
and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
That is what is meant by the words of Allah the Exalted: ﴿Allah keeps firm those who believe, with the firm word...﴾"
“Allah confirmeth those who believe by a firm saying in the life of the world and in the Hereafter, and Allah sendeth wrong-doers astray. And Allah doeth what He will.” (14:27)
Agreed upon.
"Keeps firm" means He strengthens them
"with the firm word,"
meaning with decisive proof and clear evidence.
Key takeaways from the hadith:
The questioning in the grave is a reality.
It shows Allah's care for His believing servants in this world and the Hereafter.
The best commentary on the Book of Allah
is the speech of His Messenger (peace be upon him).
From Riyad al-Salihin.