Riyadh al-Salihin
From the words of the Master of the Messengers
Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him
Chapter: The Command to Adhere to the Sunnah and Observe It
From Abu Muslim—also said to be Abu Iyas—
Salamah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Akwa‘, may Allah be pleased with him,
That a man ate with his left hand in the presence of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
He said,
"Eat with your right hand."
The man replied,
"I cannot."
He said,
"May you not be able to."
Nothing prevented him but arrogance.
And he could not raise it to his mouth thereafter.
Narrated by Muslim.
"May you not be able to"
Is an invocation against him
Because of his arrogance in following the Sunnah and acting upon it.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The obligation to eat with the right hand.
Eating with the left hand without a valid excuse is forbidden.
Every noble action
Should be performed with the right hand.
Because the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Loved to begin with the right in all his affairs.
Opposing the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, incurs sin.
That is why the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, invoked against him,
Because his refusal was out of arrogance and stubbornness.
Advising the one eating or drinking
Applies to men, women, and children.
It is permissible to advise someone in public
If it contains benefit for all.
It is permissible to invoke against one who commits a forbidden act out of stubbornness,
Arrogance, and persistence.
Arrogance in implementing the rulings of the Shari‘ah
Makes the perpetrator deserving of punishment.
Allah the Exalted honors His Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
By answering his supplications.
From Abu ‘Abdullah
Al-Nu‘man ibn Bashir, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"You must straighten your rows,
Or Allah will cause discord among your faces."
Agreed upon.
In a narration by Muslim:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to straighten our rows
Until they were as straight as arrows.
Until he saw that we had understood it from him.
Then he went out one day,
And stood until he was about to begin the prayer,
When he saw a man whose chest was protruding.
He said, "O servants of Allah,
You must straighten your rows,
Or Allah will cause discord among your faces."
"You must straighten your rows."
Straightening the rows
Means the standing worshippers are aligned in a single, even line.
"Or Allah will cause discord among your faces"
Refers to the disfigurement of the face,
By shifting its features from their place, such as placing the back of the head in the front.
And the intended meaning is:
He will cause enmity, hatred, and discord in your hearts.
*Al-Qidah* is the plural of *qidh*,
Which is an arrow before it is feathered or tipped.
The meaning is an exaggeration in straightening them until they are like arrows,
Due to their extreme straightness and alignment.
*‘Aqalna* means we understood.
"Whose chest was protruding"
Means he was out of the alignment of the row.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The encouragement to straighten the rows.
The permissibility of speaking between the *iqamah* and entering the prayer.
Straightening the rows is a mandatory act,
And negligence regarding it is forbidden.
It is incumbent upon the Imam before entering the prayer
To straighten the rows of the worshippers and command them to do so.
The obligation to obey the Imam when he commands the straightening of the rows,
For straightening them is part of the excellence of the prayer.
And part of the perfection of the servant’s prayer is following the Imam.
Islam’s concern for straightening the rows in prayer
Is a practical expression of the unity of the Ummah’s ranks,
And the unity of its word, goals, and objectives.
And if this is the appearance in worship,
It is an organizational starting point for the fields of struggle and jihad,
And in all spheres of life.
From Abu Musa, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
A house in Madinah burned down with its inhabitants inside during the night.
When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was told about them, he said:
"This fire is an enemy to you,
So when you sleep, extinguish it."
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The obligation to extinguish fire before sleeping.
Fire is an enemy because it is hostile to our bodies and our wealth.
The concern of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, for his Ummah
In matters of this world and the Hereafter.
The command in this hadith,
It is said to be for guidance, and it is said to be for recommendation.
This does not include hanging lamps if one is safe from harm.
From Abu Musa, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"The likeness of the guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me
Is like abundant rain that fell upon land.
Part of it was fertile soil,
Which absorbed the water,
And produced much fodder and grass.
Another part was barren, which held the water,
And Allah benefited people through it;
They drank from it, gave it to their livestock, and irrigated their crops.
And another part fell upon land
That was merely a hollow,
Which neither held water nor produced grass.
Such is the likeness of one who gains understanding in the religion of Allah,
And benefits from what Allah has sent me with,
So he learns and teaches.
And the likeness of one who does not raise his head for that,
And does not accept the guidance of Allah with which I was sent."
Agreed upon.
*Faqiha* means he became a scholar of *fiqh*.
*Ghayth* means rain.
*Ta'ifah* means a portion.
*Al-Kala'* is the vegetation that is grazed upon,
And it applies to both fresh and dry vegetation.
*Al-‘Ushb* is green vegetation,
And it applies only to the fresh.
*Ajadib* is the plural of *ajdab*,
Which is hard ground that does not let the water seep away.
*Qi‘an* is the plural of *qa‘*,
Which is smooth, level ground,
That does not grow anything.
"Does not raise his head for that"
Means he did not benefit from what I was sent with.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Giving parables to bring meanings closer to people
Is a legitimate practice.
Knowledge revives hearts
Just as rain revives the earth.
The life of the Ummah is only through sacred knowledge;
Any Ummah that is deprived of it is dead.
And any Ummah that accepts it, benefits from it, and acts upon its rulings
Is a living Ummah.
People are in different ranks regarding the acquisition of sacred knowledge.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, likens
The guidance and knowledge with which he was sent
To beneficial rain,
Because it revives hearts
Just as rain revives the earth.
He likened the one who benefits from it to fertile soil,
And he likened the one who carries knowledge and teaches it but does not benefit from it himself
To the hard soil that retains water,
So people benefit from it.
And he likened the one who neither learns nor acts
To the level ground
That neither holds water nor grows grass.
This is the worst of people; he neither benefits nor is he of benefit.
From Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"My likeness and yours
Is like a man who lit a fire,
And locusts and moths began falling into it,
While he was driving them away from it.
I am holding you by your waistbands away from the Fire,
But you are slipping from my hands."
Narrated by Muslim.
*Al-Janadib* are like locusts and moths;
This is what is known to fall into the fire.
*Al-Hujaz* is the plural of *hujzah*,
Which is the place where the waist-wrapper or trousers are tied.
*Yadhubuhunna*
Means he prevents them and pushes them away.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The concern of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
And his mercy for his Ummah,
As he did not leave any good
Without guiding them to it,
And he did not leave any evil that would be their ruin
Without warning them against it.
The ignorance of many people
Is because their understanding is limited
Regarding the perception of the realities of things,
And they are quickly deceived by what they see,
Except for those illuminated by the light of Prophethood.
People rush toward the visible flowers of worldly life,
And in that is their destruction.
From Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him,
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Commanded the licking of fingers and the dish,
And said,
"You do not know in which part of it the blessing lies."
Narrated by Muslim.
In a narration of his:
"If a morsel of one of you falls,
Let him pick it up and remove any dirt that was on it,
And eat it,
And not leave it for the Shaytan.
And let him not wipe his hand with a napkin
Until he licks his fingers,
For one does not know in which part of his food the blessing lies.
In another narration of his,
"Indeed, the devil attends to each of you in every one of his affairs,
even attending to him during his meal.
So, if a morsel falls from any of you,
let him remove whatever impurity is upon it,
then let him eat it and not leave it for the devil."
"Licking" refers to the act of cleaning with the tongue.
"Blessing" means abundant goodness.
"Let him remove" means let him set aside and clear away.
"Impurity" refers to dust, dirt, or grime.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The food a person eats contains blessing,
yet he does not know where it is.
A person should be keen to preserve this blessing,
for if blessing is removed,
the servant will not benefit from anything,
even if he were to possess the entire world in its entirety.
Encouragement to lick one's fingers and the plate,
as this preserves the blessing.
It is also an act of cultivating humility.
Picking up what has fallen to the ground after cleaning it of dirt,
provided it is possible to clean it,
and it has not fallen onto an impure place.
It should then be eaten and not abandoned,
because leaving it is a sign of disrespect for the blessing,
and arrogance toward it.
Confirmation of the existence of devils,
and information regarding some aspects of their realm.
The devil watches the servant in all his movements and stillness.
If a person becomes heedless of the path of Allah,
the devil gains mastery over him.
A Muslim opposes the devils by every means,
and does not leave any benefit for them through his own actions.
Islamic law clarifies the reality of what brings benefits and wards off harms,
unlike human opinions and customs.
Islamic law is manifest in opposing what people have become accustomed to, such as abandoning food
out of disgust or fear of illness.
Islam is a religion of cleanliness and caution against harm,
which is why it encourages removing what has attached itself to a fallen morsel.
On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood among us to deliver a sermon and said:
"O people,
you will be gathered to Allah the Exalted, barefoot, naked, and uncircumcised."
“The Day when We shall roll up the heavens as a recorder rolleth up a written scroll. As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. (It is) a promise (binding) upon Us. Lo! We are to perform it.” (21:104)
"A promise binding upon Us;
indeed, We were to do it."
"Verily, the first of the creatures to be clothed on the Day of Resurrection
will be Ibrahim (peace be upon him).
Verily, men from my Ummah will be brought,
and they will be taken toward the left side.
So I will say, 'O my Lord, my Companions!'
It will be said, 'You do not know what they innovated after you.'
So I will say as the righteous servant said,"
“I spake unto them only that which Thou commandedst me, (saying): Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. I was a witness of them while I dwelt among them, and when Thou tookest me Thou wast the Watcher over them. Thou art Witness over all things.” (5:117)
up to his saying, "the Almighty, the All-Wise."
Then it will be said to me, "They did not cease to be apostates
turning back on their heels since you parted from them."
Agreed upon.
"Uncircumcised" means not circumcised.
"The left side" means the direction of the Fire.
"The righteous servant" is 'Isa (peace be upon him).
From the benefits of the hadith:
All of creation will be gathered to Allah the Exalted,
barefoot and naked,
just as He created them the first time.
This indicates that whatever they collected and stored of worldly goods,
they left behind their backs,
and nothing will benefit them except what they sent forth before them.
The promise of Allah is coming,
and Allah does not break His promise.
Clothing is a blessing from Allah the Exalted,
so that a person may cover his private parts.
The virtue of our master Ibrahim (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
and that he is the first to be clothed on the Day of Resurrection.
The punishment of the people of innovation who altered and changed the religion of Allah the Exalted.
Everyone who does that deserves punishment.
A person's affiliation with the Ummah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) will not benefit him
if he does not act according to his Sunnah and hold fast to his guidance.
On the authority of Abu Sa'id 'Abdullah Ibn Mughaffal (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade *khadhf* (flicking pebbles).
He said, "It does not kill game, nor does it defeat the enemy,
but it gouges out the eye and breaks the tooth."
Agreed upon.
In another narration, a relative of Ibn Mughaffal was flicking pebbles,
so he forbade him and said, "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade *khadhf*."
He said, "It does not hunt game," then he returned to it.
So he said, "I tell you that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade it,
yet you return to flicking pebbles? I will never speak to you again."
*Khadhf* is throwing pebbles using the index finger and the thumb.
"Does not defeat" means does not wound; "gouges out" means plucks out.
From the benefits of the hadith: The prohibition of *khadhf* because there is no benefit in it,
rather, it results in harm to others.
Islam forbids every act that has no benefit or that causes harm to Muslims.
This includes idle play that contains harm and no benefit.
The great sanctity of a Muslim,
which is why the Shari'ah takes precautions to protect it by every means,
warding off evil and harm from it.
Whoever sees an evil act contrary to the Shari'ah should
alert the doer and inform him,
and should not be harsh with him until after explaining and establishing the proof,
and [confirming] intentional disobedience.
The permissibility of shunning the people of innovation, those who oppose the Sunnah, and the sinful,
until they abandon their ways.
It is permissible to shun the people of innovation indefinitely.
The religion of Allah is more beloved to the believer than his own self, his parents, his children,
his relatives, his loved ones, and all people.
On the authority of 'Abis Ibn Rabi'ah, who said:
I saw 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) kissing the Stone,
meaning the Black Stone,
and saying,
"I know that you are a stone that neither harms nor benefits.
Had I not seen the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) kissing you, I would not have kissed you."
Agreed upon.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The obligation to follow the Messenger (peace be upon him) in what he has legislated for his Ummah,
even if the reason for the wisdom behind it is not apparent to them.
Acts of worship are *tawqifiyyah* (restricted to divine instruction) and must be followed.
Prioritizing revealed text over human reason.
Kissing the Black Stone is a Prophetic Sunnah.
The purity of the *tawhid* (monotheism) of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) toward their Lord,
as they attributed benefit and harm to Allah alone.
Everything other than Allah the Exalted possesses no power to harm or benefit,
even if it is held in high esteem.
Al-Tabarani said:
'Umar only did that
because the people were recent converts from idol worship,
so 'Umar feared that the ignorant might think that touching the Stone was a form of venerating stones,
as the Age of Ignorance believed regarding idols.
Riyad al-Salihin.