In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Ifadah Center
for Humanities Studies and Research
presents
The Abridgment of Sahih al-Bukhari:
The Book of Faith.
Chapter: The statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
"Islam is built upon five [pillars],"
and faith consists of speech and action,
and it increases and decreases.
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"Islam is built upon five [pillars]:
testifying that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah,
and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah;
establishing prayer;
paying zakat;
performing Hajj;
and fasting the month of Ramadan."
Commentary on the hadith:
Regarding the phrase "and it consists of speech and action":
What is meant by "speech"
is the verbal articulation of the two testimonies of faith (Shahadatayn).
And by "action"
is meant a general term encompassing the actions of both the heart and the physical limbs,
so as to include internal beliefs and external acts of worship.
Thus, the salaf (early generations) stated:
"Faith is belief in the heart,
verbal articulation with the tongue,
and righteous action with the physical limbs."
Regarding "and it increases and decreases":
That is, faith increases through acts of obedience
and decreases through acts of disobedience.
Regarding "upon five":
Meaning upon five pillars or foundations.
Regarding "paying zakat":
It means giving it to those who are eligible to receive it.
Benefits derived from the hadith:
First:
The hadith constitutes one of the foundational pillars of Islam
and an all-encompassing principle of its rulings.
Jihad was not mentioned within it
because it is a communal obligation (fard kifayah),
whereas these are individual obligations (fard 'ayn).
Second:
Through faith, the servant earns praise and Allah's divine guardianship.
Third:
Faith encompasses internal affirmation by the heart,
verbal affirmation by the tongue,
and practical implementation with the limbs.
Fourth:
The term "Islam" is applied to external actions,
and "Islam" and "faith" (Iman) may sometimes be used synonymously.
Chapter: Matters of Faith.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said:
"Faith has sixty-odd branches,
and modesty (haya') is a branch of faith."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Biḍ'" (sixty-odd):
It refers to any number between three and nine.
"Shu'bah" (branch):
Meaning a specific trait or attribute.
"Al-Haya'" (modesty):
It is an inner character trait that prompts the avoidance of shameful deeds
and prevents one from neglecting the rights of any rightful claimant.
Benefits derived from the hadith:
First:
The hadith explicitly designates outward actions under the legal term of faith.
Second:
Modesty may be an acquired quality,
or it may be an innate disposition.
Employing it in accordance with the Shariah
requires conscious acquisition, sincere intention, and knowledge;
only then does it become a true component of faith.
Third:
Modesty motivates the performance of righteous deeds
and serves as a deterrent against sins.
Chapter:
A true Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand Muslims are safe.
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both),
from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said:
"A true Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand Muslims are safe,
and the true emigrant (muhajir) is the one who abandons what Allah has forbidden."
Commentary on the hadith:
"The emigrant" (al-muhajir):
Refers fundamentally to one who departs from their homeland.
Hijrah is of two types:
inward,
which is abandoning that toward which the evil-inciting soul and Satan call;
and outward,
which is fleeing with one's religion away from trials and tribulations.
"Hajara" (abandoned):
Meaning he left it behind and turned away from it completely.
Benefits derived from the hadith:
First:
The complete Muslim is the one who harms no fellow Muslim by word or deed;
the most virtuous of Muslims is the one who fulfills the rights of Allah the Almighty
and upholds the rights of the Muslims.
Second:
The hadith showcases the Prophet's (peace be upon him) concise and eloquent speech,
just as it is idiomatically said:
"True wealth is camels,"
and "True mankind is the Arabs,"
used for emphasizing excellence rather than absolute restriction.
Chapter:
Which practice of Islam is best?
On the authority of Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
They asked: "O Messenger of Allah,
which practice of Islam is best?"
He replied:
"The one from whose tongue and hand Muslims are safe."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Which practice of Islam is best?":
Meaning which traits of Islam are most virtuous.
Benefits derived from the hadith:
First:
The hand was singled out for mention
because most actions are carried out with it,
and likewise the tongue,
because it expresses what lies within the soul.
Second:
It urges the complete abstention from harming Muslims in any manner,
the essence of which
lies in good character.
Third:
The hadith contains a refutation of the Murji'ah sect,
for they do not acknowledge varying degrees of deficient Islam.
Chapter:
Feeding others is part of Islam.
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both),
that a man asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
"Which practice of Islam is best?"
He replied:
"To offer food,
and to extend greetings of peace to those you know and those you do not know."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Part of Islam":
Meaning among its noble characteristics and branches.
"To offer food":
Meaning to serve food to guests and others in need.
"To extend greetings of peace":
Meaning to offer the salam,
the most complete form of which is saying:
"As-salamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh" (May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you).
"To those you know and those you do not know":
Meaning specifically among the Muslims,
for the greeting of peace is the distinct hallmark of Islam
and an established right for every Muslim.
Benefits derived from the hadith:
First:
Among the most virtuous physical actions
is feeding others,
which sustains the physical body,
and the best speech in benevolence and honor
is spreading the greeting of peace.
Second:
Extending salam universally to all people
ensures that the act remains purely for the sake of Allah the Almighty,
free from selfish motives, favoritism, and pretension.
Third:
It encourages noble virtues of character,
such as generosity and humility.
Chapter:
Loving for one's brother what one loves for oneself is part of faith.
On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him),
from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said:
"None of you truly believes
until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself."
Commentary on the hadith:
"Part of faith": meaning among the branches of faith.
"None of you truly believes":
Meaning his faith is not complete
"until he loves": referring to goodness,
where love represents the natural inclination toward that which pleases the person.
Benefits derived from the hadith:
First:
It is among the branches of faith
to love for one's brother the same goodness one loves for oneself.
Second:
It also entails disliking for one's brother the same evil one dislikes for oneself.
Chapter:
Loving the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is part of faith.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"By the One in Whose Hand is my soul,
none of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his parent and his child."
On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his parent, his child, and all of mankind."
Commentary on the hadith:
Regarding "than his parent and his child":
They are dearer to a person than general family and wealth.
The mention of "all of mankind" is a conjunction of the general following the specific,
and love for the rest of humanity is an elective, appreciative love.
Benefits derived from the hadith:
First: The permissibility of swearing an oath regarding an important matter without being asked to do so.
Second: Everyone who believes in the Prophet (peace be upon him)
will not be devoid of experiencing something of that predominant love.
Thirdly, loving him (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) entails
supporting his Sunnah and defending his Sacred Law.
Chapter: The Sweetness of Faith.
On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him),
from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said:
"Whoever possesses three qualities will taste the sweetness of faith:
that Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than anything else;
that he loves a person solely for the sake of Allah;
and that he hates returning to disbelief after Allah has saved him from it,
just as he hates being cast into the Fire."
Commentary on the Hadith:
"Possesses" (kunna) means they are realized and attained.
"The sweetness of faith"
means finding pleasure in acts of obedience,
enduring hardships for the sake of religion,
and prioritizing that over worldly gains.
"Loves him solely for the sake of Allah"
refers to love purely stripped of selfish desires
and free from worldly motives.
"Returning to disbelief"
means lapsing into it and becoming settled in it.
Key Takeaways from the Hadith:
First:
The servant's love for Allah
is achieved through obeying Him and abandoning disobedience to Him.
Second:
Love for the Messenger (peace be upon him)
is achieved by following him.
Third:
Encouragement of loving one another for the sake of Allah Almighty.
Malik said:
"Loving for the sake of Allah is among the obligatory duties of Islam."
Fourth:
The believer knows that the disbeliever is in the Fire,
so he hates disbelief
just as he hates entering the Fire.
Chapter:
Loving the Ansar is a Sign of Faith.
On the authority of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him),
from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said:
"The sign of faith is love for the Ansar,
and the sign of hypocrisy is hatred for the Ansar."
Commentary on the Hadith:
"The sign of faith"
means its indicator and proof.
"Love for the Ansar" —
they are the tribes of al-Aws and al-Khazraj.
Thus, whoever recognizes their support for him (peace be upon him)
will necessarily love them,
thereby attaining a branch of faith.
"And the sign of hypocrisy is hatred for the Ansar"
means that whoever hates them because they aided the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
is a hypocrite.
Key Takeaways from the Hadith:
First:
Loving the Ansar is a branch of faith.
Second:
Loving them falls under the general scope of his saying:
"loves him solely for the sake of Allah,"
and singling them out for mention demonstrates their high esteem.
Chapter.
On the authority of 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"I pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) among a small group,
and he said:
'Pledge allegiance to me that you will not associate anything with Allah,
nor steal,
nor commit unlawful intercourse,
nor kill your children,
nor bring a slander that you invent between your hands and feet,
nor disobey me in what is right.
Whoever among you fulfills this,
his reward rests with Allah;
and whoever commits any of these [sins]
and is punished for it in this world,
it shall serve as an expiation and purification for him.
But whoever is concealed by Allah,
his matter rests with Allah:
if He wills, He will punish him,
and if He wills, He will forgive him.'"
Commentary on the Hadith:
This hadith is connected to what preceded it,
as the narrator is from the Ansar,
and it demonstrates that avoiding prohibitions is part of faith.
"I pledged allegiance" means: I entered into a covenant.
"A small group" (raht) refers to a group of fewer than ten men.
"Nor kill your children":
because it is murder and severing the ties of kinship,
and it was widespread among them.
"With slander" means: with falsehood.
"You invent" means: you fabricate.
"Between your hands and feet":
he attributed the slander to the hands and feet
because they are the instruments of human action.
"Nor disobey me" means: do not oppose my command.
"In what is right" (ma'ruf):
ma'ruf is whatever is recognized by the Lawgiver as good, whether a command or a prohibition.
"Whoever fulfills"
means: whoever remains steadfast upon the covenant.
"Is punished"
means: receives the prescribed legal penalty.
Key Takeaways from the Hadith:
First:
The prohibition of polytheism, theft, unlawful intercourse, and falsehood.
Second:
Obedience to a created being is only in that which does not involve sin.
Third:
It contains a refutation of the Kharijites, who declare Muslims disbelievers on account of sins.
Fourth:
Applying the prescribed legal penalty serves as an expiation for the sin,
though it was also said
that repentance is indispensable.
Fleeing from trials and tribulations is part of religion.
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn Abi Sa'sa'ah, who said
that Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him:
"I see that you love sheep and tend to them;
so take good care of them and wipe their nostrils,
for indeed I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say:
'A time will come upon the people
when the best wealth of a Muslim will be sheep,
which he follows along the mountain peaks
and places of rainfall,
fleeing with his religion from tribulations.'"
Commentary on the Hadith:
"And wipe their nostrils"
refers to cleaning the mucus that flows from their noses.
Sheep were mentioned because of their blessing
and because the Prophets (peace be upon them) shepherded them.
"Mountain peaks" (sha'ath al-jibal) means their summits.
"Places of rainfall" means the valley beds.
"Fleeing with his religion" means escaping to safeguard his faith.
Key Takeaways from the Hadith:
First: The virtue of seclusion during times of tribulation
to ensure the safety of one's religion.
Second:
The merit of striving for lawful earnings
and attending to one's livelihood.
Chapter: The Statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him):
"I am the most knowledgeable among you concerning Allah,"
and that knowing Him is an act of the heart.
On the authority of 'A'ishah, who said:
"Whenever the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
commanded them,
he would only command them to do deeds that were within their capacity.
They said:
'We are not like you, O Messenger of Allah;
Allah has already forgiven your past and future sins.'
Thereupon, he would become angry until anger could be seen on his face,
and then he would say:
'Verily, the most God-fearing among you and the most knowledgeable concerning Allah is I.'"
Commentary on the Hadith:
"He commanded them to do deeds that were within their capacity"
means what they could sustain continuously so that they would not grow weary.
"We are not like you"
means: our state is not like your state.
They said that out of a desire to perform additional good deeds.
"The most God-fearing among you"
points to practical devotional strength,
while "the most knowledgeable"
points to cognitive, scholarly strength;
and through both, the Prophet (peace be upon him) attained the pinnacle of perfection.
Key Takeaways from the Hadith:
First:
Faith is not complete through verbal profession alone
unless accompanied by inner conviction,
and conviction is an act of the heart that bears the fruit of righteous deeds.
Second:
Knowledge of Allah exists in degrees,
where some excel over others,
and the Prophet (peace be upon him) occupies the highest degree of it,
being the standard in all matters.
Third:
What is optimal in worship
is moderation and consistency,
not excess that leads to abandonment,
for religion is ease.
Fourth:
When a servant reaches the ultimate state in worship,
it should further motivate him to persist in it,
so as to preserve the blessing
and seek its increase through gratitude.
Fifth:
The legitimacy of anger when a command of the Sacred Law is contested.
Sixth:
The Companions were the keenest of people in complying,
the most complete in obedience,
and the most eager to increase in good deeds.