In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
A Concise Summary of the Prophetic biography.
Authored by Sheikh Musa bin Rashid al-Azimi.
May Allah preserve him.
The virtue of the people of Badr.
Imam al-Bukhari recorded in his Sahih,
on the authority of Mu'adh ibn Rifa'ah ibn Rafi' al-Zuraqi,
from his father,
and his father was among those who fought at Badr.
He said:
Jibril came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and asked,
"How do you regard the people of Badr among you?"
He replied,
"As the best of the Muslims,"
or a similar expression.
He said,
"And likewise are those among the angels who witnessed Badr."
The two Sheikhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim) recorded in their Sahih collections,
on the authority of Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,
"He has indeed witnessed Badr,"
meaning Hatib ibn Abi Balta'ah,
may Allah be pleased with him.
"And what do you know? Perhaps Allah looked upon those who witnessed Badr and said,
'Do what you wish, for I have forgiven you.'"
Al-Hafiz (Ibn Hajar) said in al-Fath,
"This is a great glad tiding that was not granted to others."
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim said,
"As for those who speculated about this, and Allah knows best,
it is that this address was directed to a people whom Allah, the Exalted, knew
would never abandon their religion,
but rather would die in Islam.
And that although they might commit some of the sins that others commit,
He, the Exalted, would not leave them persisting in them,
but would grant them success in sincere repentance and seeking forgiveness,
and good deeds that erase the effects of those sins.
Their being singled out for this, to the exclusion of others,
is because this (state of grace) was realized in them,
and they are indeed forgiven.
This does not preclude the fact that forgiveness is attained through means performed by them.
Just as it does not imply that one should abandon obligatory duties, relying solely on the promise of forgiveness.
For if it had been attained without continuing to uphold the commandments,
there would have been no need thereafter for prayer, fasting, or Hajj,
nor for zakat or jihad.
This is impossible.
Among the most obligatory of duties is repentance after such acts.
Thus, the guarantee of forgiveness does not necessitate the abandonment of the means to attain that forgiveness.
Likewise, for those whom the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, gave glad tidings of Paradise,
or informed that they were forgiven,
neither he nor any of the Companions understood this
as a license for them to commit sins and acts of disobedience,
or as an exemption from performing obligatory duties.
Rather, these individuals were even more diligent, cautious, and fearful after receiving the glad tidings than they were before,
such as the ten who were given the glad tidings of Paradise.
Imam Muslim recorded in his Sahih,
on the authority of Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
A servant of Hatib came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, complaining about Hatib,
saying, "O Messenger of Allah, Hatib will surely enter the Fire!"
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, replied,
"You have lied; he will not enter it,
for he witnessed Badr and al-Hudaybiyah."
Imam al-Bukhari recorded in his Sahih,
on the authority of Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
Umm al-Rabi' bint al-Bara',
who was the mother of Harithah ibn Suraqah,
came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and said,
"O Prophet of Allah,
will you not tell me about Harithah?"
He had been killed on the day of Badr,
struck by a stray arrow,
meaning one whose shooter was unknown.
"If he is in Paradise, I will be patient,
but if it is otherwise,
I will weep for him intensely."
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,
"O mother of Harithah,
there are many gardens in Paradise,
and your son has attained the highest Firdaws."
Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir said,
"In this is a great indication of the virtue of the people of Badr."
Imam al-Bukhari recorded in his Sahih,
on the authority of Mu'adh ibn Rifa'ah ibn Rafi',
and Rifa'ah was among the people of Badr,
and Rafi' was among the people of al-'Aqabah.
He used to say to his son,
"It does not please me that I witnessed Badr instead of al-'Aqabah."
Al-Hafiz said in al-Fath,
"What appears to be the case is that Rafi' ibn Malik
did not hear from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
an explicit statement preferring the people of Badr over others,
so he said what he said based on his own reasoning.
His rationale was that al-'Aqabah
was the origin of the support for Islam,
and the cause of the Hijrah from which it grew.
However, virtue is in the hand of Allah; He gives it to whom He wills,
and Allah knows best."
A Concise Summary of the Prophetic biography.
[The text continues]
with the remainder.
May He heal them.