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*Riyad al-Salihin* from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

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Chapter on the Virtue of Hope.

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Allah Almighty said, reporting about the righteous servant:

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“And ye will remember what I say unto you. I confide my cause unto Allah. Lo! Allah is Seer of (His) slaves.” (40:44)

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“And ye will remember what I say unto you. I confide my cause unto Allah. Lo! Allah is Seer of (His) slaves.” (40:44)

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“So Allah warded off from him the evils which they plotted, while a dreadful doom encompassed Pharaoh's folk,” (40:45)

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On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,

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from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), that he said:

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"Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said:

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'I am as My servant expects Me to be,

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and I am with him wherever he remembers Me.

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By Allah, Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than one of you would be upon finding his lost mount in a barren desert.

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Whoever draws near to Me by a handspan,

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I draw near to him by an arm's length;

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and whoever draws near to Me by an arm's length,

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I draw near to him by a fathom;

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and if he comes to Me walking,

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I come to him at speed.'"

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Agreed upon.

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And this is the wording of one of the narrations in Muslim.

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And it is narrated in the two *Sahih* collections:

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"And I am with him when (*heena*) he remembers Me," with the letter *nun*,

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while in this narration it is "wherever (*haythu*)," with the letter *tha'*.

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And both are authentic.

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"As My servant expects Me to be":

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meaning, in his hoping in Me and thinking well of Me.

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"His lost mount (*dalatuhu*)":

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meaning, his riding beast that he had lost,

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which carried his provisions and his water.

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"The barren desert (*al-fala*)":

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meaning, the land in which there is no water.

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Among the benefits derived from the hadith:

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Affirming the attributes of Speech, Joy, and Coming for Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He.

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And what is obligatory regarding this subject

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is affirmation without resemblance (to creation),

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and transcendence without negation.

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Encouragement to think well of Allah and to hope for His mercy,

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and hastening to repent and draw close to Him through acts of obedience.

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Affirming the special accompaniment (*al-ma'iyyah*) specific to the believers,

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which entails care, protection,

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divine guidance, victory, and support;

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and it is distinct from the general accompaniment

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that encompasses all of creation,

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which is by His all-encompassing knowledge.

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And on the authority of Jabir Ibn 'Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with them both,

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that he heard the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

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say three days before his death:

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"Let none of you die except while thinking well of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious."

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Narrated by Muslim.

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"Let none of you die":

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meaning, let one strive so that death reaches him while he is in this state.

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"Thinking well":

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meaning, hoping for His mercy and His pardon.

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Among the benefits derived from the hadith:

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The Prophet's keenness (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to guide his Ummah,

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and his immense compassion for it in all his circumstances,

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even while he was in his final terminal illness (peace be upon him),

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offering sincere counsel to his Ummah and pointing it toward the paths of salvation.

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Warning against despair and despondency,

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and encouraging hope,

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especially at the time of death.

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And on the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

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I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:

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"Allah Almighty said:

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'O son of Adam!

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So long as you call upon Me and hope in Me,

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I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I do not mind.

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O son of Adam!

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Were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky,

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and then you were to ask forgiveness of Me,

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I would forgive you, and I do not mind.

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O son of Adam!

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Were you to come to Me with an earthful of sins,

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and then meet Me without associating anything with Me,

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I would come to you with an earthful of forgiveness.'"

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Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.

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"The clouds of the sky (*'anan al-sama'*)":

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It is said to mean whatever appears before you of it,

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meaning what is visible when you raise your head;

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and it is said to mean the clouds.

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"An earthful (*qurab al-ard*)":

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It is what nearly fills it.

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And Allah knows best.

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Among the benefits derived from the hadith:

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The vastness of Allah's bounty, the Exalted and Glorious, and His generosity,

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for indeed His mercy encompasses all things.

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Encouragement to seek forgiveness, make supplication, and place one's hope in Allah, Exalted is He.

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The immense virtue of Tawhid (monotheism),

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for no matter how numerous or heinous sins may be,

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their forgiveness is hoped for from Allah, the Exalted and Glorious,

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so long as the servant does not associate any partner with Allah.

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Chapter on Combining Fear and Hope.

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Know that the preferred state for a servant during good health

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is to be both fearful and hopeful,

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with his fear and hope being equal.

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But in times of illness,

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hope should become purely predominant.

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And the principles of the Sharia from the texts of the Book and the Sunnah

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and other sources are abundantly clear in supporting that.

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Allah Almighty said:

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“Are they then secure from Allah's scheme? None deemeth himself secure from Allah's scheme save folk that perish.” (7:99)

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◁except the people who are losers.▷

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And He, Exalted is He, said:

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“Go, O my sons, and ascertain concerning Joseph and his brother, and despair not of the Spirit of Allah. Lo! none despaireth of the Spirit of Allah save disbelieving folk.” (12:87)

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◁except the disbelieving people.▷

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And He, Exalted is He, said:

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◁On the Day when some faces will turn white▷

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◁and other faces will turn black.▷

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And He, Exalted is He, said:

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“And (remember) when thy Lord proclaimed that He would raise against them till the Day of Resurrection those who would lay on them a cruel torment. Lo! verily thy Lord is swift in prosecution and lo! verily He is Forgiving, Merciful.” (7:167)

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◁and indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful.▷

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And He, Exalted is He, said:

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◁Indeed, the righteous will be in pleasure,▷

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“And lo! the wicked verily will be in hell;” (82:14)

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And He, Exalted is He, said:

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“Then, as for him whose scales are heavy (with good works),” (101:6)

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◁he will be in a pleasant life.▷

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“But as for him whose scales are light,” (101:8)

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◁his mother will be an abyss.▷

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And the verses conveying this meaning are numerous,

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so fear and hope are combined

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in two paired verses,

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or across several verses, or even within a single verse.

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On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,

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that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

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"If the believer knew

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the punishment that is with Allah,

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no one would hope for His Paradise;

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and if the disbeliever knew

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the mercy that is with Allah,

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no one would despair of His Paradise."

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Narrated by Muslim.

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Among the benefits derived from the hadith:

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Urging fear of the punishment of Allah Almighty

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and hope for His reward,

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His forgiveness, and His good pleasure.

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A servant should not rely entirely upon his deeds

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and become conceited on account of them,

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nor should he abandon righteous deeds relying merely

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on the mercy and forgiveness of Allah Almighty.

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And on the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him,

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that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

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"When the funeral bier is set down

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and the people—or the men—carry it upon their shoulders,

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if the deceased was righteous, it says:

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'Advance me! Advance me!'

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But if it was not righteous,

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it says:

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'Woe unto it! Where are you taking it?'

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Everything hears its cry except human beings,

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and were a human being to hear it, he would fall unconscious."

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Narrated by al-Bukhari.

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"It is set down": meaning, placed upon the bier before the men so that they may carry it.

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"Advance me": meaning, hasten with me.

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"Woe unto it": an expression of terror and utter remorse.

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"He would fall unconscious": meaning, he would faint,

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and that is due to the terrifying severity of the sound he would hear.

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Among the benefits derived from the hadith:

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It is the Sunnah to carry the funeral bier upon the shoulders of men.

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Carrying funeral biers is specific to men, to the exclusion of women.

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Allah Almighty shows His servants their dwellings

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and what is prepared for them in this state;

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thus the believer yearns for the honor prepared for him,

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while the disbeliever and the wicked tremble in horror at the painful torment awaiting them.

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There are certain sounds that creatures other than humans can hear,

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while human beings are unable to hear them.

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And this is among the miraculous signs,

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which modern science has indeed confirmed.

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And on the authority of Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

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The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

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"Paradise is closer to any one of you than the strap of his sandal,

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and the Fire is likewise."

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Narrated by al-Bukhari.

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*Riyad al-Salihin*.