Riyadh 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 of Miscellaneous and Instructive Narrations.
On the authority of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) came
with the mother of Isma'il and her infant son Isma'il,
while she was still nursing him,
until he brought her to the site of the House,
placing her beneath a large tree above Zamzam at the highest part of the Mosque.
At that time, there was no one in Makkah,
nor was there any water.
So he settled them both there,
and placed near them a leather pouch containing dates
and a waterskin containing water.
Then Ibrahim turned to leave,
so the mother of Isma'il followed him, saying,
"O Ibrahim!
Where are you going, leaving us in this valley
in which there is no companion, nor anything at all?"
She repeated that to him several times,
but he did not turn back to look at her.
Then she asked him,
"Has Allah commanded you to do this?"
He replied, "Yes."
She said,
"Then He will not forsake us."
She then returned,
and Ibrahim (peace be upon him) went on his way
until he reached the mountain pass
where they could no longer see him.
There, he turned his face toward the House,
then supplicated with these prayers,
raising his hands and saying:
“Our Lord! Lo! I have settled some of my posterity in an uncultivable valley near unto Thy holy House, our Lord! that they may establish proper worship; so incline some hearts of men that they may yearn toward them, and provide Thou them with fruits in order that they may be thankful.” (14:37)
“Our Lord! Lo! I have settled some of my posterity in an uncultivable valley near unto Thy holy House, our Lord! that they may establish proper worship; so incline some hearts of men that they may yearn toward them, and provide Thou them with fruits in order that they may be thankful.” (14:37)
until he reached:
"...that they may be grateful."
The mother of Isma'il began nursing Isma'il
and drinking from that water,
until the water in the skin was completely depleted.
Then she grew thirsty, and her son grew thirsty as well,
and she began looking at him as he writhed in agony—
or the narrator said: as he tossed and struggled.
Unable to bear looking at him, she went away,
and found that al-Safa was the nearest hill to her.
She climbed it,
and faced the valley, looking to see if she could spot anyone,
but she saw no one.
So she descended from al-Safa,
and when she reached the valley floor,
she tucked up the edge of her garment
and ran like an utterly exhausted, striving person
until she crossed the valley.
She then came to al-Marwah and stood atop it,
looking to see if she could spot anyone,
but she saw no one.
She did that seven times.
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"That is why the people run between them."
When she ascended al-Marwah,
she heard a sound.
She said to herself, "Hush!"—
quieting herself—
and then listened attentively.
She heard the sound again,
so she said,
"You have made me hear; do you have any help to offer?"
And there was the angel at the site of Zamzam!
He dug into the earth with his heel—
or he said: with his wing—
until the water appeared.
She began to contain it with a basin, motioning with her hands like this,
and started scooping the water into her waterskin,
while it gushed forth as fast as she scooped.
And in another narration:
"...in proportion to what she scooped."
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"May Allah have mercy on the mother of Isma'il!
Had she left Zamzam alone"—
or he said:
"Had she not scooped up the water—
Zamzam would have become a flowing spring."
He said:
So she drank and nursed her child.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not fear being neglected or abandoned,
for here stands a House of Allah,
which this boy and his father will build,
and Allah never forsakes His people."
The House was elevated above the ground like a hillock,
and flash floods would come and flow to its right and left.
She remained in that state
until a caravan from the tribe of Jurhum passed by them—
or a household from Jurhum—
arriving by way of Kada'.
They camped in the lower part of Makkah,
where they saw a bird circling in the air,
and they said,
"This bird must be circling over water;
yet our past experience with this valley was that it had no water."
So they sent one or two messengers,
who found that there was indeed water.
They returned and informed their people,
so they came, and there was the mother of Isma'il by the water.
They asked,
"Do you permit us to settle near you?"
She said, "Yes,
but you have no ownership right to the water."
They said, "Yes, agreed."
Ibn Abbas said:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"That suited the mother of Isma'il,
for she loved human companionship."
So they settled there, and sent word to their families,
who came and settled with them,
until several households were established there.
The boy grew up and learned Arabic from them,
and they cherished and admired him as he matured.
When he reached adulthood, they gave him a woman from among them in marriage.
Then the mother of Isma'il passed away.
Ibrahim came after Isma'il had married,
to check on what he had left behind,
but he did not find Isma'il.
So he asked his wife about him,
and she replied,
"He has gone out seeking sustenance for us"—
and in another narration:
"He is hunting for us."
Then he asked her about their livelihood and condition,
and she replied,
"We are in an evil state;
we are in distress and hardship,"
complaining to him.
He said,
"When your husband returns,
convey my greeting of peace to him,
and tell him
to change the threshold of his door."
When Isma'il arrived,
he sensed that something had occurred,
so he asked,
"Did anyone come to you?"
She said, "Yes,
an old man of such-and-such description came to us,
and asked about you,
so I told him.
He then asked me how our livelihood was,
and I told him that we were in distress and hardship."
He asked,
"Did he leave you any instruction?"
She said, "Yes,
he told me to convey his greeting of peace to you,
and he says:
'Change the threshold of your door.'"
He said,
"That was my father,
and he has commanded me to divorce you.
Return to your family."
So he divorced her,
and married another woman from among them.
Ibrahim stayed away from them for as long as Allah willed,
then came to them afterward,
but did not find him.
So he went to his wife
and asked about him.
She replied,
"He has gone out seeking sustenance for us."
He asked,
"How are you?"
and asked her about their livelihood and condition.
She replied,
"We are in good condition and abundance,"
and she praised Allah.
He then asked,
"What is your food?"
She replied,
"Meat."
He asked,
"And what is your drink?"
She replied,
"Water."
He prayed,
"O Allah, bless them in their meat and water."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"At that time, they had no grain;
had they possessed grain,
he would have supplicated for a blessing in it as well."
He said:
"And no one outside Makkah subsists solely on those two
without it disagreeing with them."
And in another narration:
So he came and asked,
"Where is Isma'il?"
His wife replied,
"He has gone hunting."
His wife then said,
"Will you not alight and have something to eat and drink?"
He asked,
"And what is your food, and what is your drink?"
She replied,
"Our food is meat,
and our drink is water."
He said,
"O Allah, bless them in their food and their drink."
The narrator said:
Thereupon Abu al-Qasim, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, remarked,
"This was due to the blessing of Ibrahim's supplication."
He said,
"When your husband returns, convey greetings of peace to him,
and instruct him to keep the threshold of his door."
When Isma'il arrived,
he asked,
"Did anyone come to you?"
She replied, "Yes,
an elderly man of goodly appearance visited us,"
and she praised him.
"He inquired about you,
and I informed him.
Then he asked how we were living,
and I informed him that we were doing well."
He asked,
"Did he give you any counsel?"
She replied, "Yes,
he conveys greetings of peace to you,
and instructs you to keep the threshold of your door."
He said,
"That was my father,
and you are the threshold;
he has commanded me to retain you."
Then he stayed away from them as long as Allah willed.
Afterwards, he came back
while Isma'il was sharpening an arrow of his beneath a large tree near Zamzam.
When he saw him,
he rose to meet him,
and they embraced each other as a father does with his son
and a son with his father.
He said,
"O Isma'il,
Allah has given me a command."
He replied,
"Then do what your Lord has commanded you."
He asked,
"And will you assist me?"
He answered,
"I will assist you."
He said,
"Indeed, Allah has commanded me to build a House right here,"
and he pointed to a hillock raised above the land around it.
It was then that they raised the foundations of the House:
Isma'il began bringing the stones,
while Ibrahim was building.
When the building grew high,
he brought this stone,
placed it for him,
and he stood upon it as he built,
while Isma'il handed him the stones,
both of them reciting:
"Our Lord, accept this from us!
Indeed, You alone are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing."
In another narration:
Ibrahim set out with Isma'il and the mother of Isma'il,
carrying with them an old waterskin containing water.
The mother of Isma'il would drink from the waterskin,
and her milk would flow copiously for her baby,
until he reached Mecca
and lodged her beneath a large tree.
Ibrahim then departed to return to his family,
so the mother of Isma'il followed him,
until when they reached Kada',
she called out to him from behind:
"O Ibrahim!
To whom are you leaving us?"
He said, "To Allah."
She said, "I am content with Allah."
She returned and kept drinking from the waterskin,
and her milk continued to flow for her baby,
until the water was exhausted.
She then said,
"If only I were to go and look around,
perhaps I might perceive someone."
The narrator said:
So she went and climbed al-Safa,
looking and gazing intently
to see if she could perceive anyone,
but she did not see a soul.
Then, when she reached the valley floor,
she ran until she came to al-Marwah,
repeating that several times.
Then she said,
"If only I went back to see what the child is doing."
She went and looked,
and found him as he had been,
as though gasping in the throes of death.
Her soul could not bear it,
so she said,
"If only I were to go and look,
perhaps I might perceive someone."
So she went and climbed al-Safa,
looking and gazing intently,
but perceived no one,
until she completed seven circuits.
Then she said,
"If only I went to see how he is doing."
Suddenly, she heard a voice,
and said,
"Help, if you have any good to bring!"
Behold, it was Jibril, peace be upon him,
who struck with his heel like this—
thrusting his heel into the ground—
and the water gushed forth.
The mother of Isma'il was astonished,
and began scooping it up with her hands.
He recounted the hadith in full.
It was narrated by al-Bukhari
with all these variant narrations.
"Al-Dawhah":
a massive tree.
His saying: "Qaffa":
meaning turned back.
"Al-Jariyy":
a messenger.
"Alfa":
its meaning is found.
His saying: "Yanshaghu":
meaning gasping for breath.
"Jirab":
a leather pouch.
"Siqa'":
a vessel used for milk and water.
"Al-Thaniyyah":
a mountain pass.
"Yatalabbat":
meaning rolling and thrashing about on the ground;
and close in meaning to it
is that it denotes writhing.
"Al-Majhud":
the one who is severely exhausted.
"Tuhawwid":
meaning making it into a basin.
"A spring of flowing water (ma'in)":
meaning visible and flowing upon the surface of the earth.
"Do not fear neglect":
meaning do not fear ruin.
"A circling bird ('a'if)":
meaning hovering over the water,
circling back and forth without departing.
"Anfasuhum":
meaning their longing for it grew intense.
"Adraka":
meaning reached the age of puberty.
"Checking upon those he left behind":
meaning looking after those he had settled there.
"The threshold of his door":
the wife was metonymically referred to as the threshold
because she guards the door and safeguards whatever is within.
"Anasa":
meaning sensed or perceived.
"Yabri nablahu":
meaning shaping an arrow before fitting its point and feathers.
"He embraced him as a father does with his son, and a son with his father":
meaning through shaking hands, embracing, and the like.
"Shannah":
meaning an old, worn leather waterskin.
Among the lessons derived from this hadith:
The haste of the Prophets, peace and blessings of Allah be upon them, in obeying their Lord,
and sacrificing their children, spouses, and possessions for the sake of His pleasure.
Whoever relies upon Allah, He will suffice him,
and whoever entrusts his affairs to Him, He will protect him.
Indeed, Hajar, the mother of Isma'il, was certain that Allah would never let her and her son perish,
and it was just as she expected.
The food of Isma'il's mother was Zamzam water,
which confirms that it is nourishing food and a cure for illness.
The remarkable acumen and discernment of the Arabs,
as they deduced the presence of water from the circling of birds above that spot.
The recommendation to divorce an ill-mannered wife
who does not show gratitude for the blessings of Allah bestowed upon her.
An indication of a mother's profound tenderness and love for her infant child.
Hastening to honor one's father and fulfill his command,
so long as it does not entail disobedience to Allah.
The reprehensibility of grumbling about one's living conditions,
and the recommendation to thank the Bestower of blessings in all circumstances.
On the authority of Sa'id ibn Zayd, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"Truffles are a kind of manna, and their water is a cure for the eyes."
Agreed upon.
The truffle is a plant that has neither leaves nor stem;
it is found in the ground without being cultivated,
and was named so because of its concealment beneath the soil.
"Manna": meaning the food that Allah Almighty sent down to the Children of Israel.
Among the lessons derived from this hadith:
The legitimacy of seeking medical treatment.
Truffle juice is a healing remedy for the eye,
and it is among the most effective medicines for the eyes
when antimony (kohl) is kneaded with it and applied as kohl.
It strengthens the eyelids,
and sharpens and strengthens one's eyesight,
and protects it from the descent of afflictions.
*Riyad al-Salihin* (The Gardens of the Righteous).