*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 on Hope.
On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Indeed, when a disbeliever performs a good deed, he is given a provision for it in this world.
As for the believer, Allah Almighty stores up his good deeds for him in the Hereafter
and grants him provision in this world in return for his obedience."
And in another narration: "Indeed, Allah does not wrong a believer regarding a single good deed;
he is granted reward for it in this world and recompensed for it in the Hereafter.
But as for the disbeliever, he is fed in this world for whatever good deeds he did for the sake of Allah Almighty,
until, when he arrives in the Hereafter, he has no good deed left to be recompensed for."
Related by Muslim.
"He follows it up for him" (*yu'qibuhu*) means He gives him; and "arrives" (*afda*) means he proceeds to the Hereafter.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
An affirmation of the justice of Allah Almighty toward His servants,
namely that He gives them their rewards in full, even the wicked disbelievers.
A disbeliever is recompensed for his good deeds in this world,
either through an increase in wealth or by having an affliction averted from him,
but he has no share in the Hereafter,
because disbelief nullifies the reward in the Hereafter.
As for the believer, he is recompensed for it both in this world and in the Hereafter.
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, said:
"The parable of the five daily prayers
is like that of an abundant, flowing river at the door of one of you,
in which he bathes five times every day."
Related by Muslim.
*Al-ghamr* means abundant.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
Prayer expiates sins,
just as water removes filth from bodies.
Those who pray ought not to become complacent,
for this merit is earned only by one who prays as commanded,
establishing its pillars, fulfilling its obligations, and showing humility therein.
It is recommended to use similes and strike parables for explanation and clarification.
On the authority of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"There is no Muslim man who dies
and forty men who associate nothing with Allah stand in prayer over his bier,
except that Allah accepts their intercession on his behalf."
Related by Muslim.
"Stand over his bier"
means perform the funeral prayer over him.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
The affirmation of intercession for the believers,
provided the deceased is among those eligible for intercession.
And their intercession on his behalf
is that Allah forgive him.
Encouragement to gather a large congregation for the funeral prayer,
in hope that the deceased will obtain forgiveness by the grace of Allah Almighty.
An affirmation of the virtue of Tawhid (monotheism) and disavowal of polytheism,
for a condition was stipulated regarding those standing in prayer over the bier,
which is that they associate nothing with Allah.
On the authority of Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
We were with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in a domed tent,
being about forty people,
and he said: "Would you be pleased to be a fourth of the people of Paradise?"
We said, "Yes."
He said: "Would you be pleased to be a third of the people of Paradise?"
We said, "Yes."
He said: "By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad,
I truly hope that you will be half of the people of Paradise.
That is because none shall enter Paradise except a Muslim soul,
and you, compared to the people of polytheism, are only like a white hair on the hide of a black bull,
or like a black hair on the hide of a red bull."
Agreed upon.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
The permissibility of gradual disclosure and repeating glad tidings stage by stage,
so that it is more conducive to renewing gratitude time after time.
The Muslims from the Ummah of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
constitute the majority of the inhabitants of Paradise,
and this is proof of the high standing of this Ummah.
None shall enter Paradise except a believing Muslim soul.
The small proportion of the people of faith relative to the people of disbelief,
because the majority of mankind are disbelievers in this world.
The permissibility of swearing an oath without being asked to swear,
in order to emphasize the speech by taking an oath.
The recommendation of striking parables to facilitate understanding for the listeners.
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:
"When the Day of Resurrection comes,
Allah will hand over to every Muslim a Jew or a Christian,
and say: 'This is your ransom from the Fire.'"
Its meaning is clarified by what was reported in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
who said: "There will come on the Day of Resurrection
people from among the Muslims with sins the size of mountains,
and Allah will forgive them for them."
Related by Muslim.
His statement: "He will hand over to every Muslim a Jew or a Christian,
and say: 'This is your ransom from the Fire,'"
is explained by what came in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him):
"Every person has a dwelling in Paradise and a dwelling in the Fire.
So when the believer enters Paradise,
the disbeliever succeeds him in the Fire,"
because he deserves that on account of his disbelief.
And the meaning of "your ransom"
is that you were subject to entering the Fire,
and this is your ransom,
because Allah Almighty decreed a set number that fills the Fire;
so when the disbelievers enter it on account of their sins and their disbelief,
they become, in essence, a ransom for the Muslims.
And Allah knows best.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
Allah Almighty honoring this Ummah
because of its faith in Allah,
its bearing witness over mankind,
and its upholding the methodology of Allah
by enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong.
The ignominy of the Jews and the Christians before Allah,
who altered the Word of Allah and killed His messengers;
hence they serve as ransoms
by which the Muslims are redeemed.
On the authority of Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"The believer will be brought near to his Lord on the Day of Resurrection
until He places His veil over him
and makes him confess his sins,
saying: 'Do you recognize such-and-such a sin?
Do you recognize such-and-such a sin?'
He will say: 'My Lord, I recognize it.'
He will say: 'Indeed, I concealed it for you in the world,
and I forgive it for you this Day.'
Then he will be given the record of his good deeds."
Agreed upon.
His concealment and His mercy.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
Allah's care and solicitude for the people of faith,
and His concealing their faults in this world and the Hereafter.
The believing servant does not lie in this world or in the Hereafter.
Confession erases transgression.
Encouragement to conceal the faults of a believer as much as possible.
Affirming the attribute of Speech for Allah, Lord of the worlds.
The deeds of the servants are fully reckoned by the Lord of the servants;
so whoever finds good, let him praise Allah,
and whoever finds other than that, let him blame no one but himself,
and he is subject to the will of Allah.
On the authority of Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him):
A man took an illicit kiss from a woman,
so he came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and informed him of it.
Thereupon Allah Almighty revealed:
“Establish worship at the two ends of the day and in some watches of the night. Lo! good deeds annul ill-deeds. This is reminder for the mindful.” (11:114)
“Establish worship at the two ends of the day and in some watches of the night. Lo! good deeds annul ill-deeds. This is reminder for the mindful.” (11:114)
The man said,
"Is this for me alone, O Messenger of Allah?"
He said:
"For all of my Ummah in their entirety."
Agreed upon.
"The two ends of the day"
means morning and evening.
"In some hours of the night"
means portions of it that are close to the day.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
Prayer expiates whatever minor sins have occurred.
It is recommended to conceal the identity of the sinner and not name him publicly.
This hadith confirms that the precept is taken from the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the cause.
Kissing, touching, and winking do not incur a prescribed legal punishment (*hadd*);
rather, they warrant discretionary chastisement (*ta'zir*).
On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
A man came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and said:
"O Messenger of Allah,
I have committed an offense deserving of a prescribed punishment, so execute it upon me."
The time for prayer arrived,
and he prayed along with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
When he finished the prayer, he said:
"O Messenger of Allah,
I have committed an offense deserving of a prescribed punishment,
so carry out the judgment of the Book of Allah upon me."
He said:
"Did you not attend the prayer with us?"
He said, "Yes."
He said:
"You have indeed been forgiven."
Agreed upon.
And his words "I have committed an offense deserving of a prescribed punishment"
mean a sin requiring discretionary chastisement (*ta'zir*),
and not an actual legal penalty (*hadd*) in the technical sense,
such as the prescribed punishment for fornication, drinking wine, or the like;
for such legal penalties are not waived by prayer,
nor is it permissible for the ruler to forgo them.
On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Indeed, Allah is pleased with the servant when he eats a morsel of food and praises Him for it,
or drinks a draught of drink and praises Him for it."
Related by Muslim.
*Al-aklah* refers to a single instance of eating,
like the morning meal or the evening meal.
And Allah knows best.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
It is recommended to praise Allah upon having every meal and drink,
because that is part of the etiquettes of eating.
The believer seeks the pleasure of Allah in his food and drink,
partaking of it to seek strength in obeying Allah.
Affirming the attribute of Pleasure for Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He.
On the authority of Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him),
from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"Indeed, Allah Almighty stretches out His Hand by night so that the sinner of the day may repent,
and He stretches out His Hand by day so that the sinner of the night may repent,
until the sun rises from the west."
Related by Muslim.
*Riyad al-Salihin*.