*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: Istikharah (Seeking Allah’s Counsel) and Consultation.
Allah Almighty said: "And consult them in the matter."
And Almighty Allah said: "And whose affair is [determined by] consultation among themselves."
That is: they consult with one another regarding it.
On the authority of Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
used to teach us Istikharah in all matters,
just as he would teach us a surah from the Qur'an.
He would say: "When one of you intends to undertake a matter,
let him offer two non-obligatory units of prayer,
and then say:
'O Allah, I seek Your counsel by Your knowledge,
and I seek strength through Your power,
and I ask You of Your tremendous bounty.
For You have power, while I have none;
and You know, while I do not know;
and You are the Knower of all the unseen.
O Allah, if You know that this matter
is good for me in my religion, my livelihood,
and the outcome of my affair'—
or he said: 'in my immediate affair and its end'—
'then decree it for me, make it easy for me,
and then bless it for me.
But if You know that this matter
is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood,
and the outcome of my affair'—
or he said: 'in my immediate affair and its end'—
'then turn it away from me and turn me away from it,
and decree for me the good wherever it may be,
and then make me pleased with it.'"
He said: "And he should name his specific need."
Recorded by al-Bukhari.
Istikharah is
seeking the better of two choices for the one who needs it.
Points of benefit from the hadith:
Istikharah is not performed for obligatory or recommended acts,
because the fundamental rule regarding them is to perform them.
Likewise, one does not perform Istikharah to refrain from forbidden or disliked acts.
Therefore, the statement of Jabir:
"The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
used to teach us Istikharah in all matters"
refers to a specific scope,
meaning all permissible matters.
Istikharah is recommended in every matter,
even if it seems trivial in the estimation of the person,
for a minor thing may become significant,
and major consequences may result from it.
It demonstrates the profound eagerness of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
to teach his Companions this prayer,
due to the great benefit and goodness it contains.
The command to perform the Istikharah prayer is not obligatory,
due to his statement, peace be upon him:
"Let him offer two non-obligatory units of prayer."
The supplication is to be made after the prayer,
due to his statement, peace be upon him:
"Then let him say."
A servant must refer all matters back to Allah
and absolve himself of any reliance on his own power and might,
for there is no power or might except with Allah.
Some of the common people mistakenly believe
that it is necessary after Istikharah
for the person to see a dream indicating what they should do,
but this is a false assumption.
What is apparent is that the supplication of Istikharah should follow two units of prayer
performed specifically for the purpose of Istikharah and nothing else;
thus, one should not recite the Istikharah supplication after an obligatory prayer or a regular Sunnah prayer.
The person seeking guidance should proceed with the matter for which he sought Allah's counsel;
so he embarks upon it,
and if he finds ease, facilitation, and success,
he continues,
otherwise he refrains and desists.
And Allah knows best.
Chapter: The Recommendation to Go to the Eid Prayer,
Visit the Sick,
Perform Hajj, Military Expeditions, Funerals, and the Like
by One Route and Return by Another,
to Multiply the Places of Worship.
On the authority of Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
On the day of Eid, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
would take alternate routes.
Recorded by al-Bukhari.
His statement: "He would take alternate routes"
means he would go by one path and return by another.
Points of benefit from the hadith:
It is recommended to take an alternate route when returning on the day of Eid, both for the imam and the congregation.
The path will testify for the person on the Day of Resurrection.
And on the authority of Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
used to leave via the road of al-Shajarah
and enter via the road of al-Mu'arras;
and when he entered Mecca,
he entered from the upper pass (al-Thaniyyah al-'Ulya)
and left from the lower pass (al-Thaniyyah al-Sufla).
Agreed upon.
Points of benefit from the hadith:
The recommendation to take alternate routes when going and coming during Hajj,
in order to multiply the paths of goodness.
Chapter: The Recommendation of Prioritizing the Right Hand
in Everything Involving Honor and Dignity,
such as performing Wudu, Ghusl, and Tayammum,
putting on garments, sandals,
leather socks, and trousers,
entering the mosque,
using the tooth-stick (siwak), applying kohl,
trimming the nails,
clipping the mustache,
plucking the armpit hair, shaving the head,
giving the greeting of salam to end the prayer,
eating, drinking,
shaking hands,
touching the Black Stone,
exiting the lavatory,
giving and receiving,
and other similar dignified actions.
It is also recommended to prioritize the left side in the opposite cases,
such as blowing the nose, spitting to the left,
entering the lavatory,
exiting the mosque,
taking off leather socks, sandals, trousers, and garments,
leaving the mosque,
and handling impurities and the like.
Allah Almighty said:
"So as for him who is given his record in his right hand,
he will say, 'Here, read my record!'"
to the end of the verses.
And Almighty Allah said:
"Then the companions of the right—
what are the companions of the right?
And the companions of the left—
what are the companions of the left?"
On the authority of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
liked to prioritize the right side in all his affairs:
in his purification, combing his hair, and putting on his sandals.
Agreed upon.
*Al-Tayammun*
means beginning with the right side.
*Tana'uluh*
means putting on his sandals.
*Tarajjuluh*
means combing and oiling his hair.
Points of benefit from the hadith:
The recommendation to begin with the right-side limbs
during Wudu and Ghusl.
The recommendation to begin with the right side of the head
when combing, washing, and shaving.
The recommendation to begin with the right foot when putting on sandals.
And on the authority of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
The right hand of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
was used
for his purification and his food,
while his left hand was for his toilet and anything unclean.
Recorded by Abu Dawud.
Points of benefit from the hadith:
The left hand is not used except in removing impurities
and for everything that does not involve dignity.
And on the authority of Umm 'Atiyyah, may Allah be pleased with her:
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
said to them regarding the washing of his daughter Zaynab, may Allah be pleased with her:
"Begin with her right side and the parts washed in Wudu."
Agreed upon.
Points of benefit from the hadith:
Women are to undertake the washing of a deceased female,
and it is not permissible for men to wash her,
with the exception of spouses,
for it is permissible for either spouse to wash the other.
The Sunnah in washing the deceased
is to begin with the right side and the areas washed in Wudu.
It highlights the honor of the limbs of Wudu over the rest of the body.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"When one of you puts on sandals, let him start with the right foot;
and when he takes them off, let him start with the left foot.
Let the right foot be the first to be shod
and the last to be barefoot."
Agreed upon.
Points of benefit from the hadith:
The recommendation to put on sandals with the right foot
and take them off with the left.
This demonstrates that honor belongs to the right side,
so one begins with it and ends with it.
And on the authority of Hafsah, may Allah be pleased with her:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
used his right hand for his food, drink, and dressing,
and used his left hand for other than that.
And on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"When you dress and when you perform Wudu,
begin with your right side."
Recorded by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.
And on the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
came to Mina;
he went to the Jamrah and stoned it,
then went to his lodging in Mina and slaughtered the sacrifice.
He then said to the barber:
"Shave," and gestured towards the right side of his head,
and then the left side,
and then he began distributing it among the people."
Agreed upon.
In another narration:
"When he stoned the Jamrah,
slaughtered his sacrificial animal, and exited the state of ihram,
he presented the right side of his head to the barber,
who shaved it.
Then he called Abu Talhah al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him)
and gave it to him.
Then he presented the left side,
saying, 'Shave,'
and he shaved it,
and he gave it to Abu Talhah,
saying,
'Distribute it among the people.'"
"His sacrificial animal" (nusukahu)
refers to the sacrificial offering (hady) that he had brought with him,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, on his Pilgrimage.
Among the benefits derived from this hadith:
the recommendation of instructing the barber
where to begin shaving
and where to finish;
that whatever separated from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
is permissible to seek blessings (barakah) from;
and this is exclusive to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
with no one else from the Ummah sharing in it;
the permissibility of singling out certain individuals for good
over others,
which is why the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, called
Abu Talhah al-Ansari,
gave him his hair,
and commanded him to distribute it among the people.
Riyad al-Salihin.