*Riyad 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.
On the authority of Abu Najih 'Amr ibn 'Abasah al-Sulami, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"During the pre-Islamic period of ignorance (Jahiliyyah), I used to consider people to be in manifest error,
and that they stood on nothing of truth while worshipping idols.
Then I heard of a man in Mecca who was delivering profound news, so I mounted my camel and journeyed to him.
There I found the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, living in hiding, while his people were brazen and insolent toward him.
I acted discreetly until I managed to enter his presence in Mecca, and I asked him: 'What are you?'
He replied: 'I am a Prophet.'
I asked: 'And what is a Prophet?'
He said: 'Allah has sent me as a Messenger.'
I asked: 'With what has He sent you?'
He replied: 'He has sent me to uphold the ties of kinship, to smash idols,
and to proclaim that Allah alone be worshipped, without associating anything with Him.'
I asked: 'And who is with you in this matter?'
He said: 'A free man and a slave.'
At that time, Abu Bakr and Bilal, may Allah be pleased with them, were with him.
I said: 'I am going to follow you.'
He replied: 'You will not be able to do so today.
Do you not see my vulnerable state and the hostile state of the people?
Rather, return to your family,
and when you hear that I have prevailed, then come to me.'
He said: 'So I went back to my family,
and later the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, arrived in Medina.
While I was still among my family,
I began actively seeking news
and inquiring of people after he arrived in Medina,
until a group of people from Medina arrived.
I asked them: 'What has this man who arrived in Medina done?'
They said: 'People are hastening to him in crowds;
his people intended to kill him,
but they were unable to do so.'
So I went to Medina and entered his presence.
I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, do you recognize me?'
He said: 'Yes, you are the one who met me in Mecca.'
He said: 'So I said: O Messenger of Allah,
teach me of what Allah has taught you and of which I am ignorant;
teach me about the prayer.'
He said: 'Perform the morning prayer,
then refrain from praying until the sun has risen to the height of a spear,
for it rises between the two horns of Satan,
and at that time the disbelievers prostrate to it.
Thereafter, pray as you wish, for the prayer is witnessed and attended by the angels,
until the shadow of a spear becomes at its shortest at midday.
Then refrain from praying,
for at that hour Hellfire is intensely stoked.
When the shadow begins to shift, pray,
for the prayer is witnessed and attended by the angels,
until you pray the 'Asr prayer.
Then refrain from praying until the sun has set,
for it sets between the two horns of Satan,
and at that time the disbelievers prostrate to it.'
He said: 'I then said: O Prophet of Allah,
tell me about the ablution (wudu).'
He said: 'No man among you brings his ablution water,
rinses his mouth, snuffs water into his nostrils, and blows it out,
but that the sins of his face, mouth, and nostrils fall away.
Then, when he washes his face as Allah commanded him,
the sins of his face drop from the tips of his beard along with the water.
Then he washes his arms up to the elbows,
and the sins of his hands drop from his fingertips along with the water.
Then he wipes his head,
and the sins of his head drop from the ends of his hair along with the water.
Then he washes his feet up to the ankles,
and the sins of his feet drop from his toes along with the water.
If he then stands up to pray, praises and extols Allah,
glorifies Him as He truly deserves,
and devotes his heart entirely to Allah Almighty,
he departs from his sins as pure as on the day his mother gave birth to him.'
'Amr ibn 'Abasah narrated this hadith to Abu Umamah,
the Companion of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Abu Umamah said to him:
'O 'Amr ibn 'Abasah,
consider carefully what you are saying!
Is all this bestowed upon this man in a single setting?'
'Amr replied:
'O Abu Umamah,
my age has advanced, my bones have grown frail,
my appointed time draws near,
and I have no need to invent a lie against Allah Almighty,
nor against the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Had I not heard it from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
except once, twice, or thrice—
until he counted up to seven times—
I would never have narrated it,
but indeed I heard it even more times than that.'
Related by Muslim.
His phrase: 'brazen and insolent toward him' (*jura'a' 'alayhi qawmuh*),
means audacious, domineering, and lacking any awe of him.
This is the well-known transmission.
Al-Humaydi and others transmitted it as:
*hira'a' 'alayhi qawmuh*,
and he explained its meaning as:
enraged, filled with deep grief and anguish,
whose patience with him had completely run out,
to the point that it visibly took a toll on their physical bodies;
derived from their expression:
'his body withered away' (*hara jismuhu yahra*),
which applies when it emaciates due to pain, sorrow, or the like.
The correct reading, however, is with the letter *jim* (*jura'a'*).
His saying, peace be upon him:
'between the two horns of Satan',
means the two sides of his head.
The intent here is a metaphorical representation,
meaning that at that particular time,
Satan and his legions stir into action
and exercise their sway.
And his words: 'brings his ablution water',
mean that he prepares the water with which he will perform ablution.
And his words: 'the sins fall away' (*kharrot khataya*),
mean that they drop off.
Some narrated it as *jarat* with a *jim* ('flowed away'),
but the correct reading is with the *kha'* (*kharrot*),
which is the transmission of the vast majority.
And his words: 'and blows it out' (*yastanthir*),
mean that he expels the impurities inside his nose,
and the *nathrah* is the tip of the nose.
'In Jahiliyyah'
means the era prior to Islam;
they were named so because of their pervasive ignorance and foolishness.
'I acted discreetly' (*talattaftu*)
means I conducted myself with gentle caution.
'I follow you'
means openly professing Islam
and remaining with you in Mecca.
'Return to your family'
means remain steadfast upon your Islam
and reside among your family,
out of concern for his safety from the persecution of Quraysh.
'The height of a spear'
means its approximate measure in the sky.
'Witnessed'
means the angels are present at it
and bear witness to it on behalf of whoever performs it.
'Is stoked' (*tusjar*)
means it is flared up with fuel.
*Al-Fay'*
is the post-meridian shadow that shifts after midday.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
Any nation that deviates from the methodology of Allah
and follows the footsteps of Satan
stands upon nothing of true substance,
because it plunges headlong into the abysses of misguidance.
The people of Jahiliyyah corrupted the religion of Abraham, peace be upon him,
yet there remained a few individuals who firmly believed their people were astray,
adhered to what survived of the religion of Abraham, peace be upon him,
and were known as the Hunafa' (monotheists),
such as Quss ibn Sa'idah al-Iyadi
and Zayd ibn 'Amr ibn Nufayl.
When the callers to truth fear persecution
at the hands of the party of Satan,
and find themselves in a state of vulnerability,
it is permissible for them to keep their dawah discreet.
For this reason, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, instructed
'Amr ibn 'Abasah, may Allah be pleased with him,
to return to his family while holding onto his Islam,
so as to stay among them out of fear of Quraysh's harm.
An illustration of the severe hardship the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, endured
from his people,
as they sought to bar people from the path of Allah.
The recommendation to ask the people of knowledge regarding the rulings of the religion.
An exposition of what Allah sent His Messengers with,
namely, the unified foundation of the faith:
that Allah alone be worshipped,
without associating any partner with Him,
and that false deities (taghut) be destroyed.
The obligation to demolish idols and crosses,
and to efface images.
A demonstration of the superior virtue of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq
and Bilal ibn Rabah, may Allah be pleased with them both,
and that they were among the foremost early believers.
The recommendation to follow up on the news of the scholars,
inquiring into their well-being, and seeking reassurance about them.
The recommendation to hasten toward the community of Islam
once trials and tribulations have subsided.
Consequently, it is impermissible to increase the numbers of the disbelievers
by permanently residing in their midst.
An explanation of the times during which prayer is disliked:
at sunrise,
at midday zenith,
and at sunset.
The prohibition of imitating the disbelievers,
even if the one imitating does not intend to do so;
for the person praying at sunrise or sunset
does not intend to imitate the disbelievers,
yet despite this,
prayer at those specific times remains prohibited.
An exposition of the great virtue of ablution,
and that it expiates sins and wrongdoings,
and this applies to whoever performs ablution as commanded.
The permissibility of verifying a narrator's transmission without implying an accusation of dishonesty.
Whenever a Muslim's lifespan increases,
their hair grows white with old age,
and their bones become frail,
they ought to increase in excellence, hope,
and righteous deeds.
The Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
are all upright and trustworthy.
On the authority of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, may Allah be pleased with him,
from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
who said:
"When Allah, Exalted is He, intends mercy for an Ummah,
He takes the soul of its Prophet before it,
making him a forerunner and an advance herald awaiting them.
But when He intends the destruction of an Ummah,
He punishes it while its Prophet is still alive,
destroying it as he looks on,
bringing solace to his eyes by its destruction
because they denied him and defied his command."
Related by Muslim.
"A forerunner" (farat)
means one who goes ahead and precedes them,
"awaiting them" means ahead of them.
"Destruction" (halakah)
means ruin and perdition.
"Solace to his eyes"
means that he finds relief and vindication in its destruction.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
Allah's immense mercy toward this Muhammadan Ummah—
may Allah increase it in honor—
for it is an Ummah granted mercy,
as its Prophet was taken before it.
So we ask Allah, Exalted is He, to make him for us
a forerunner and an advance herald when we meet him at the Basin.
Also, the profound care of the Prophets for their nations,
their deep concern for safeguarding them,
and rectifying their affairs.
Furthermore, the punishment and destruction of the disbelievers,
which brings solace and vindication to the Prophets and their followers.
Riyadh al-Salih—
Riyadh al-Salihin.