*Riyad al-Salihin* (The Gardens of the Righteous) from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Chapter: The obligation of enjoining obedience to Allah, the Exalted, upon one's family, discerning children, and all those under one's charge,
and forbidding them from disobedience, disciplining them, and preventing them from committing prohibited acts.
Allah, the Exalted, said: "And enjoin prayer upon your family and adhere steadfastly to it."
And the Exalted said: "O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire."
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: Al-Hasan ibn 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both) took a date from the dates of charity
and put it into his mouth. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: "Kakh, kakh! Cast it away!
Do you not know that we do not eat charity?" Agreed upon.
In another narration: "Charity is not lawful for us."
His saying "kakh, kakh" is a word of reprimand used to dissuade a child from filthy or improper things,
and al-Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) was only a young boy.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
The obligation of a person looking after his family, his children, and those under his guidance,
preventing them from forbidden matters while clarifying the reason and evidence for that.
The prohibition of receiving charity and zakat for the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his family.
Zakat payments are to be delivered to the ruler.
The permissibility of bringing young children into mosques and disciplining them with what benefits them,
preventing them from what harms them,
and barring them from consuming prohibited things, even if they are not legally accountable,
so that they may be trained upon that.
The recommendation of explaining the underlying reason behind a prohibition or reprimand.
The permissibility of addressing a non-discerning person in order to instruct discerning bystanders who can hear.
The recommendation of using language appropriate to the understanding of the one being addressed.
On the authority of Abu Hafs, 'Umar ibn Abi Salamah, 'Abdullah ibn 'Abd al-Asad,
the stepson of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"I was a young boy under the care of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and my hand used to wander around the dish.
So the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to me:
'O boy, mention the name of Allah, the Exalted,
eat with your right hand, and eat from what is directly in front of you.'
And that has remained my manner of eating ever since."
Agreed upon. The phrase "tatish" means wandering around the various sides of the dish.
"The stepson (rabib) of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him"
means the son of his wife, Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her).
"Hijr" means lap or care, meaning under his supervision and upbringing.
"Al-Sahfah" refers to a food bowl or platter.
"My manner of eating" refers to the way he ate following that statement.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
The obligation of raising children upon Islamic manners,
such as eating, drinking, and sleeping.
Among the manners of eating in Islam are:
Mentioning the name of Allah, eating with the right hand,
eating from one's own side of the dish,
and not taking food from the area in front of one's dining companion.
The swift compliance of the Companions with the guidance of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
and their steadfast adherence to his guidance.
The hadith demonstrates the virtue of 'Umar ibn Abi Salamah (may Allah be pleased with them both)
in complying with the command of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
consistently upholding its dictates,
and remaining steadfast upon the Sunnah.
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"All of you are shepherds and each of you is responsible for his flock.
The ruler is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock.
A man is a shepherd over his household and is responsible for his flock.
A woman is a shepherdess in the house of her husband
and is responsible for her flock.
A servant is a shepherd over the property of his master
and is responsible for his flock.
So each of you is a shepherd and responsible for his flock."
Agreed upon.
On the authority of 'Amr ibn Shu'ayb,
from his father, from his grandfather (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Command your children to pray when they are seven years old,
discipline them for neglecting it when they are ten years old,
and separate them in their beds."
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
"Al-Madaji'" refers to their sleeping beds.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
The very first practical matter in Islam taught to a child
after the concept of Tawhid (the oneness of Allah)
is the ritual prayer.
Parents ought to habituate their children to performing prayer
and teach them its rulings and manners.
Physical discipline is a recognized pedagogical tool,
particularly when it yields a clear benefit or averts harm;
it must only come after exhortation and gentle guidance,
and it must be non-injurious corrective discipline,
strictly avoiding the face.
Parents must safeguard their children
against anything that may arouse temptations within them;
for that reason, they should be separated from one another in their beds.
The age of discernment and formal instruction is seven years,
while the age of early adolescence
begins at ten.
Every stage of human development
has its own distinctive, defining characteristics,
so educators and caregivers must fully grasp and understand them.
The hadith serves as proof that the prayer of a child who has attained the age of understanding is legally valid.
The command to pray and the disciplinary measure for neglecting it
are meant by way of training and habituation,
not by way of strict legal obligation.
On the authority of Abu Thurayyah,
Sabrah ibn Ma'bad al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Teach the child prayer at seven years of age,
and discipline him for neglecting it at ten years of age."
Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.
And the wording in Abu Dawud is:
"Command the child to pray when he reaches seven years of age."
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
In addition to what has been previously mentioned,
fathers and mothers must
serve as righteous role models in performing acts of obedience,
so that their guidance to their children
is founded upon practical application, emulation, and exemplary conduct;
for there is no use in a father demanding that his children perform prayer
while he himself does not maintain it.
Likewise, it is incumbent upon teachers and instructors
to be righteous role models in establishing prayer and all other acts of worship,
so that their guidance proves impactful
and more likely to inspire compliance in children and learners.
Allah, the Exalted, said:
"Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him,
and be good to parents,
and to relatives, orphans, the needy,
the near neighbor, the distant neighbor,
the companion at your side, the traveler,
and those whom your right hands possess."
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar and 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Jibril kept enjoining good treatment of the neighbor upon me
until I thought he would include him among the heirs."
Agreed upon.
"I thought" means I came to believe and expect.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
The neighbor possesses a tremendous right,
and one must honor this neighborly relationship
and care for him by extending all forms of kindness to him
according to one's capacity, while warding off any harm from him.
The permissibility of hoping for additional divine favor
when blessings continuously follow one another.
The permissibility of expressing the virtuous thoughts that cross one's mind.
Because of how frequently Jibril enjoined care for the neighbor upon the Prophet, peace be upon him,
he presumed that Allah would grant the neighbor a share of inheritance
to be given alongside immediate relatives.
On the authority of Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"O Abu Dharr,
when you cook broth, add extra water to it,
and share it generously with your neighbors."
Narrated by Muslim.
And in another narration of his on the authority of Abu Dharr, he said:
"My close friend, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, advised me:
'When you cook broth, add extra water to it,
then look to some household among your neighbors
and serve them some of it in an honorable manner.'"
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
The recommendation of advising loved ones and companions with what benefits them in their worldly life and the Hereafter.
The recommendation of exchanging gifts among neighbors,
because it fosters affection and increases mutual love.
Never belittling any form of good or act of righteousness,
for each of them constitutes a recognized act of kindness.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"By Allah, he does not believe!
By Allah, he does not believe!
By Allah, he does not believe!"
It was asked:
"Who, O Messenger of Allah?"
He said:
"The one whose neighbor is not safe from his harmful conduct."
Agreed upon.
And in a narration by Muslim:
"He shall not enter Paradise whose neighbor is not safe from his harmful conduct."
"Al-Bawa'iq"
refers to calamities, harms, and evil actions.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
Restraining harm from neighbors is part of the perfection of faith.
An emphatic affirmation of the neighbor's right,
due to his swearing by Allah upon that, peace be upon him,
and repeating the oath three times.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"O Muslim women,
let no female neighbor belittle a gift given to her neighbor,
even if it be only the trotters of a sheep."
Agreed upon.
And on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"No neighbor should prevent his neighbor
from fixing a wooden beam into his wall."
Abu Hurayrah would then say:
"Why do I see you turning away from it?
By Allah, I will surely cast it between your shoulders!"
Agreed upon.
"Khashabahu" has been narrated in the genitive construct as a plural ("his wooden beams"),
and as "khashabatan" with nunation in the singular ("a wooden beam").
His remark: "Why do I see you turning away from it?"
refers to turning away from this Sunnah.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
Mutual cooperation and tolerance among neighbors are among the essential rights of neighborhood,
and a true manifestation of the cohesion of the Islamic society.
If a wall belongs to one person who has a neighbor,
that neighbor has the legal right to rest his roof beam upon it,
whether the owner grants permission or not,
provided that this causes no structural harm to the wall,
For Islam has established among its universal maxims:
"There shall be no harm nor reciprocating of harm."
It is permissible to denounce anyone who abandons a Shar'i obligation, in a manner appropriate to the situation.
A legal ruling must not be abandoned merely because people are ignorant of it
or turn away from it;
rather, one must remain steadfast until people learn and embrace it.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him),
the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him not harm his neighbor;
and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him honor his guest;
and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent."
Agreed upon.
On the authority of Abu Shurayh al-Khuza'i (may Allah be pleased with him),
the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him treat his neighbor well;
and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him honor his guest;
and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent."
Recorded by Muslim with this wording, and al-Bukhari recorded part of it.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
Inflicting harm upon a neighbor through word or deed
negates the perfection of faith and contradicts the attributes of the servants of the Most Merciful.
The guest has an established right;
thus, a Muslim should provide hospitality to his guest, receive him cheerfully,
and prepare suitable lodging for him.
Speech is either good or evil;
so whoever knows some speech to be good,
let him speak it only after reflection and careful consideration.
Silence is better than useless talk.
A servant of Allah must guard his tongue,
for nothing topples people on their faces—or on their noses—into the Fire
except the harvests of their tongues.
On the authority of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), she said:
"I said: 'O Messenger of Allah,
I have two neighbors,
so to which of them should I send a gift?'
He replied:
'To the one whose door is closer to you.'"
Recorded by al-Bukhari.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
One should be considerate of the feelings of the nearer neighbor,
as he sees whatever gifts or provisions enter his neighbor's house,
unlike the one who is farther away.
Moreover, the closer neighbor can respond more swiftly to any emergency that befalls his neighbor,
especially during moments of heedlessness or vulnerability.
The closer a neighbor is, the greater his rights over his neighbor become.
The recognized standard of proximity here is the proximity of doors.
From this hadith, it is deduced that knowledge precedes action;
which is why 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) inquired about the ruling on the matter
prior to proceeding with the deed.
On the authority of 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), he said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"The best of companions in the sight of Allah Almighty
is the one who is best to his companion;
and the best of neighbors in the sight of Allah Almighty
is the one who is best to his neighbor."
Recorded by al-Tirmidhi.
Among the benefits derived from the hadith:
Encouragement to venerate and strengthen ties of faith-based companionship.
Encouragement to safeguard the neighbor and show excellence toward him.
Islam's earnest concern for strengthening the bonds of love among Muslims.
Riyad al-Salihin.