Riyad al-Salihin from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace be upon him.
Chapter: Clarifying the group of martyrs who receive the reward of the Hereafter.
They are washed and the funeral prayer is performed over them.
This is unlike the one killed in battle against the disbelievers.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"The martyrs are five: the one who dies of the plague, the one who dies of a stomach ailment, the one who drowns,
the one who dies under a collapsed building, and the martyr in the way of Allah."
Agreed upon. "The one who dies of the plague" means the one who dies from the epidemic.
"The one who dies of a stomach ailment" means one who dies from a disease of the stomach.
"The one who dies under a collapsed building" is the one who dies beneath rubble.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Martyrs are of two types: the martyr of this world and the martyr of the Hereafter.
The martyrs of this world are those mentioned [in the hadith].
They are granted the reward of martyrs in the Hereafter,
but the rulings of martyrdom in this world do not apply to them.
Rather, they are washed, shrouded, and the funeral prayer is performed over them.
The martyrs of the Hereafter are those killed in battle against the disbelievers,
advancing and not retreating, being sincere.
The number mentioned in the hadith is not intended to be exhaustive.
For it has been authentically reported from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
that he mentioned a group of martyrs other than these.
Among them is the one thrown by his horse, the one stung by a venomous creature,
the woman who dies in childbirth due to her child,
death by burning, and death by tuberculosis.
And whoever is killed defending his rights, whether regarding his person, honor, or wealth.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"Who do you consider to be the martyrs among you?"
They said: "O Messenger of Allah,
whoever is killed in the way of Allah is a martyr."
He said: "Then the martyrs of my Ummah would be few."
They asked: "Then who are they, O Messenger of Allah?"
He said: "Whoever is killed in the way of Allah is a martyr,
whoever dies in the way of Allah is a martyr,
whoever dies of the plague is a martyr,
whoever dies of a stomach ailment is a martyr,
and the one who drowns is a martyr."
Narrated by Muslim.
From the benefits of the hadith:
An illustration of the vastness of Allah’s mercy and His bounty.
Allah’s care for this Ummah.
He has granted those mentioned in the hadiths the reward of martyrs.
Highlighting the best Ummah brought forth for mankind.
“Neither those who disbelieve among the people of the Scripture nor the idolaters love that there should be sent down unto you any good thing from your Lord. But Allah chooseth for His mercy whom He will, and Allah is of Infinite Bounty.” (2:105)
The keenness of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
to give the concept of martyrdom a deeper dimension
and a more profound meaning than what was established in the minds of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.
On the authority of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"Whoever is killed defending his wealth is a martyr."
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of the hadith:
It is permissible for a man to defend against one who intends to take his wealth, or any part of it, unjustly.
If the aggressor is killed,
then there is no retaliation (qisas) or blood money (diyah) upon the killer,
because if he had been killed, he would have been a martyr.
Thus, sin is completely removed from him.
On the authority of Abu al-A‘war,
Sa‘id ibn Zayd ibn ‘Amr ibn Nufayl, may Allah be pleased with him,
one of the ten promised Paradise, may Allah be pleased with them,
who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say:
"Whoever is killed defending his wealth is a martyr,
whoever is killed defending his blood (life) is a martyr,
whoever is killed defending his religion is a martyr,
and whoever is killed defending his family is a martyr."
Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The permissibility of defending one’s religion, wealth, life, and honor.
Whoever is killed defending any of these is a martyr.
Islam’s concern for preserving the five necessities:
which are religion, intellect, life, honor, and wealth.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
A man came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and said:
"O Messenger of Allah, what if a man comes wanting to take my wealth?"
He said: "Do not give him your wealth."
He asked: "What if he fights me?"
He said: "Fight him."
He asked: "What if he kills me?"
He said: "Then you are a martyr."
He asked: "What if I kill him?"
He said: "He is in the Fire."
Narrated by Muslim.
"What if" means "tell me."
"Wanting to take my wealth"
means without right.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The hadith is evidence that knowledge precedes action,
as this Companion asked the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
about what he must do before he actually had to act.
One should be gradual in repelling an aggressor,
by admonition or seeking help before resorting to fighting him.
If one must resort to fighting him,
his intention should be to repel him, not to kill him.
The blood, wealth, and honor of a Muslim are sacred.
Chapter: The virtue of manumission (freeing slaves).
Allah the Almighty says:
"But he has not attempted the steep path."
“Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Ascent is! -” (90:12)
"And what can make you know what is the steep path? It is the freeing of a slave."
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to me:
"Whoever frees a Muslim slave,
Allah will free every limb of his from the Fire for every limb of the slave,
even his private parts for his private parts."
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Clarifying the virtue of manumission.
Freeing a male slave is better than freeing a female slave.
Clarifying Islam’s concern for freeing enslaved people,
which was a custom among the Arabs.
Mentioning the limbs
is an indication that the slave should be whole,
having no defects,
so that the reward is complete.
On the authority of Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I said: "O Messenger of Allah,
which deeds are best?"
He said:
"Faith in Allah
and Jihad in the way of Allah."
He said:
I asked: "Which slaves are best [to free]?"
He said:
"Those most valuable to their owners
and most expensive."
Agreed upon.
Chapter: The virtue of treating the slave well.
Allah the Almighty says:
"Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him,
and to parents do good,
and to relatives, orphans, the needy,
the near neighbor, the distant neighbor,
the companion at your side, the traveler,
and those whom your right hands possess."
On the authority of al-Ma‘rur ibn Suwayd, who said:
I saw Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, wearing a garment,
and his slave was wearing one like it.
I asked him about that,
and he mentioned that he had insulted a man during the time of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
and shamed him regarding his mother.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
"You are a man in whom there is Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance).
They are your brothers and your servants;
Allah has placed them under your authority.
So whoever has his brother under his authority,
let him feed him from what he eats,
and let him clothe him from what he wears.
Do not burden them with what is beyond their strength,
and if you do burden them, then help them."
Agreed upon.
"In you is Jahiliyyah"
means you possess a trait from the traits of the pre-Islamic era.
"Servants" (khawal) means the staff and attendants.
From the benefits of the hadith:
One should treat the slave well and observe their brotherhood.
The prohibition against insulting slaves and shaming them for their parentage.
The encouragement to treat them with kindness and gentleness.
Included with slaves
are those in a similar position, such as employees and others.
Not to act superior to a Muslim or look down upon him.
Using the term "brother" for a slave.
The brotherhood of faith is higher than any other value.
The dissolving of differences that stand between brothers
in the crucible of faith and ideological cohesion.
Boasting of lineage and attacking ancestry
are among the traits of Jahiliyyah that Islam dismantled, bond by bond.
A man, despite his virtue, knowledge, and religion,
may still possess some of these traits called Jahiliyyah,
and this does not necessitate his disbelief or corruption.
The keenness of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
to respond to his intent
and apply his Sunnah to themselves and those they support.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
from the Prophet, peace be upon him, who said:
"When a servant brings food to one of you,
if he does not have him sit with him,
let him offer him a morsel or two,
or a bite or two,
for he has handled the preparation."
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
"A bite" is the morsel.
"Handled the preparation" means he did the work.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Encouragement toward humility and good character.
Either by having the servant sit for food and drink,
or by giving him some of it.
Whoever is in charge of any of the Muslims,
must treat them well
and not make things difficult for them.
Treating a slave or employee well
makes him master his work,
and love his masters and be loyal to them.
Chapter: The virtue of the slave
who fulfills the right of Allah and the right of his masters.
On the authority of Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both,
that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"If a slave is sincere to his master
and worships Allah well,
He shall have his reward twice.
Agreed upon.
Among the benefits of this hadith:
The merit of the slave who fulfills the right of Allah,
And the right of his masters.
The advice to the master,
Includes fulfilling his right regarding service and obedience,
And safeguarding his wealth,
Because the slave is a shepherd over his master's wealth,
And he is responsible for his flock.
Whoever is characterized by this,
Shall have his reward twice.
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:
"The righteous slave has two rewards."
By Him in Whose hand is the soul of Abu Hurayrah,
Were it not for Jihad in the cause of Allah,
And Hajj, and honoring my mother,
I would have loved to die while being a slave.
Agreed upon.
Among the benefits of this hadith:
A slave is not obligated to perform Jihad or Hajj while in a state of servitude,
Even if it is valid for him to perform them.
Righteousness includes excellence in worship and sincerity toward the master.
On the authority of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"For the slave who worships his Lord well,
And fulfills the rights he owes to his master,
And offers sincerity and obedience, there are two rewards."
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
On the authority of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Three types of people have two rewards:
A man from the People of the Book,
Who believed in his own prophet and believed in Muhammad,
And a slave,
Who fulfills the right of Allah and the right of his masters,
And a man who had a slave-girl,
And he disciplined her and perfected her discipline,
And he taught her and perfected her education,
Then he emancipated her and married her;
He shall have two rewards."
Agreed upon.
Among the benefits of this hadith:
It is incumbent upon a man to educate his slave-girl and his family.
As for the slave-girl, the hadith is explicit in that regard.
And the family is included here by analogy,
Since taking care of free women in teaching them the obligatory duties of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger,
Is more emphasized than taking care of slave-girls.
The merit of the believers among the People of the Book,
Who believed in what Allah revealed to their prophets,
Then recognized that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,
So they believed in him and in what was revealed to him,
Thus Allah gave them their reward twice.
The slave who fulfills the right of Allah and the right of his masters,
Is given his reward twice.
Whoever marries his slave-girl after emancipating her,
Shall have two rewards.
Riyadh al-Salihin.