Part of Al-Shama'il Al-Muhammadiyah (the series is completed)
· Lesson 20 of 40
Al-Shamail Al-Muhammadiya | Episode (20) | Chapter: How were the words of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, and his laughter?
0:000:00
Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
0:00
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
0:07
With pens of longing,
0:09
And the ink of love,
0:11
We record lines more precious than gold,
0:15
In describing the Master of all creation,
0:17
Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
0:20
The Prophetic characteristics (Shama'il).
0:30
Chapter: How the speech of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was.
0:35
It is narrated from ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, that she said:
0:41
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, did not speak rapidly as you do now.
0:47
Rather, he spoke with clear, distinct speech,
0:52
Which was easily memorized by those who sat with him.
0:55
In this hadith, the Mother of the Believers, ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, describes
1:01
The speech of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
1:05
Saying:
1:07
"He did not speak rapidly as you do now."
1:10
Meaning, he did not deliver his words in a hurried, rushed, or overlapping manner.
1:14
"Rather, he spoke with clear, distinct speech."
1:19
The meaning of "clear" is manifest, and "distinct"
1:23
Means separated, where each part is distinguished from the other,
1:26
So that whoever hears him can clearly understand it.
1:29
Thus, his guidance, peace be upon him, was to be measured in speech,
1:33
And to be deliberate in delivering his hadith.
1:36
Unlike some people who, when they speak, do not clarify their words,
1:41
And perhaps, due to the speed of their speech, some letters are lost,
1:45
And sometimes even entire words.
1:48
As for her saying, "Which was easily memorized by those who sat with him,"
1:51
This is due to its clarity and eloquence,
1:54
And because he delivered it in a measured way, not in a rush.
1:58
It is recorded in the two Sahih collections from ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
2:02
That the Prophet, peace be upon him, would speak in such a way
2:07
That if a counter were to count his words, they could be counted.
2:10
The intent here is to emphasize his deliberation and clarity.
2:15
From Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
2:21
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
2:24
Would repeat a word three times so that it would be understood from him.
2:28
In this hadith,
2:31
It is shown that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
2:34
Would repeat a word three times.
2:37
By "word," it means a sentence,
2:40
Or a part of a sentence.
2:42
He would repeat it three times so that it would be understood from him.
2:46
This was not his practice in all his speech,
2:49
But he would do so when the situation required it,
2:53
Such as emphasizing a matter or showing its importance.
2:57
Repetition has many purposes,
3:00
And among its purposes is ensuring the listener understands and retains the speech.
3:04
That is why Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
3:07
"So that it would be understood from him,"
3:09
Meaning, so that the listeners might contemplate it,
3:12
And its meaning might be firmly established in their minds.
3:15
A benefit:
3:19
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
3:21
He, peace be upon him,
3:23
Was the most eloquent of Allah’s creation,
3:25
The sweetest of them in speech,
3:27
The most rapid in delivery,
3:29
And the most pleasant in expression,
3:31
To the point that his speech would capture the hearts,
3:35
And captivate the souls,
3:37
And even his enemies bore witness to this.
3:40
When he spoke,
3:42
He spoke with distinct, clear speech,
3:45
That a counter could count.
3:47
It was not a hurried babble that could not be memorized,
3:50
Nor was it broken by awkward silences between the parts of his speech.
3:55
Rather, his guidance in this was the most perfect of guidance.
3:58
This is a fine etiquette,
4:00
Which should be observed when speaking to people,
4:03
And when preaching, advising, and teaching them.
4:06
Whoever adopts this noble Prophetic etiquette,
4:10
And treats people with good character,
4:12
And is patient with them,
4:14
And seeks the help of Allah in calling them and teaching them,
4:17
It is likely that they will respond to him and learn from him.
4:21
Chapter: What has been narrated regarding the laughter of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
4:30
From ‘Abdullah Ibn al-Harith Ibn Juz’, may Allah be pleased with him,
4:36
That he said:
4:38
"I have never seen anyone smile more than the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him."
4:44
And from him also, he said:
4:46
"The laughter of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was nothing but a smile."
4:53
In this hadith,
4:56
There is a clarification of the frequency of the Messenger of Allah’s, peace be upon him, smiling.
5:01
He was like that due to the perfection of his character, his humility, and his good social conduct with people.
5:08
He, peace be upon him, would meet people with a bright, open, and smiling face.
5:15
Also, it clarifies that the Prophet, peace be upon him, would not exceed a smile.
5:22
This was the case in most of his circumstances,
5:25
Since it is established that he, peace be upon him, on some occasions, laughed until his molars were visible.
5:33
From Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
5:39
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
5:43
"I surely know the first man to enter Paradise,
5:47
And the last man to exit the Fire."
5:50
A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection,
5:53
And it will be said:
5:57
"And his major sins will be hidden from him."
6:00
It will be said to him:
6:10
It will be said:
6:16
He will say:
6:18
"I have sins that I do not see here."
6:22
Abu Dharr said:
6:24
"I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, laugh until his molars were visible."
6:33
In this hadith, the Prophet, peace be upon him, says:
6:38
"I surely know,"
6:39
Meaning, through revelation,
6:41
"The first man to enter Paradise,"
6:44
And he intends by this himself, peace be upon him,
6:48
For he is the first to open the gate of Paradise,
6:51
And the first to enter it.
6:53
And he says:
6:55
"And I know the last man to exit the Fire,"
6:58
And he is the one whose description is mentioned in this hadith.
7:01
No one will remain in the Fire after him except those who are to dwell therein forever,
7:07
And they are the disbelievers.
7:09
It is mentioned in a narration:
7:12
"I surely know the last of the people of the Fire to exit it,
7:16
And the last of the people of Paradise to enter it."
7:19
Meaning, it is one man who will be the last to exit the Fire,
7:24
Then he will enter Paradise.
7:26
And his saying:
7:28
"A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection,"
7:30
"And it will be said,"
7:32
Meaning, Allah the Almighty will say to the angels:
7:35
"Present his minor sins to him,"
7:38
"And his major sins will be hidden from him,"
7:40
Meaning, ask him about his minor sins, not his major ones.
7:44
It will be said to him:
7:46
"You did such and such on such and such a day."
7:49
And he will admit, not denying it,
7:52
Meaning, he will remember it and confirm it.
7:55
And his saying:
7:57
"While he is fearful of his major sins,"
7:59
Meaning, he is afraid of his major sins,
8:02
That they might be presented to him and he be held accountable for them,
8:05
Because whoever is held accountable for the minor,
8:07
It is more certain that he will be punished for the major.
8:10
Then Allah the Almighty will say:
8:12
"Give him a good deed in place of every evil deed he committed."
8:16
This substitution for him is a matter of grace from the Lord of the Worlds.
8:21
Then the servant will say:
8:23
"My Lord, I have done things,"
8:25
Meaning, from the major sins,
8:27
"That I do not see here,"
8:29
Meaning, in the records.
8:31
This means that when the servant sees the substitution of evil deeds for good ones,
8:35
He asks to see the major sins,
8:37
Which he was afraid would appear,
8:40
And this is because of what he witnessed of the grace of Allah the Almighty,
8:43
And the vastness of His mercy, glory be to Him.
8:46
And his saying:
8:48
"I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, laugh,"
8:52
"Until his molars were visible."
8:54
The molars are the back teeth,
8:57
Which are hardly visible except when laughing intensely.
9:01
His laughter, peace be upon him,
9:05
Here is a recognition of the grace of Allah the Almighty, His bounty, and His mercy toward His servants.
9:11
From Jarir Ibn ‘Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
9:17
"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, never barred me from him since I embraced Islam,
9:22
And he never saw me but that he laughed."
9:25
And he also said:
9:27
"And he never saw me since I embraced Islam but that he smiled."
9:31
In this hadith,
9:34
The noble Companion,
9:36
Jarir Ibn ‘Abdullah al-Bajali, may Allah be pleased with him, informs us
9:39
That the Prophet, peace be upon him,
9:42
Never barred him from entering upon him since he embraced Islam,
9:46
And this was due to his status among the people,
9:49
And also due to the nobility of his character, peace be upon him.
9:53
And his saying:
9:55
"And he never saw me but that he laughed,"
9:57
Meaning, he never met him after his conversion to Islam without laughing.
10:02
And he intends by laughter here,
10:04
A smile,
10:06
As it came in the second narration with the wording:
10:09
"Smiling."
10:11
From ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
10:16
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
10:20
"I surely know the last of the people of the Fire to exit it:
10:24
A man who will exit it crawling.
10:27
It will be said to him:
10:29
'Go and enter Paradise.'
10:32
He said: So he will go to enter Paradise,
10:35
And he will find that the people have already taken their places.
10:38
So he will return and say:
10:40
'O my Lord, the people have already taken their places.'
10:44
It will be said to him:
10:46
'Do you remember the time you were in?'
10:49
He will say: 'Yes.'
10:51
He said: It will be said to him:
10:53
'Wish for something.'
10:55
He said: So he will wish.
10:57
It will be said to him:
10:59
'You shall have what you wished for,
11:01
And ten times the like of the world.'
11:03
He said:
11:05
So he will say:
11:07
'Are You mocking me, while You are the King?'
11:09
He said:
11:12
"I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, laugh,"
11:16
until his molars became visible.
11:19
In this hadith,
11:22
the Prophet (peace be upon him) says:
11:25
"I truly know the last of the people of the Fire to emerge from it,"
11:28
meaning one of the sinful believers.
11:30
"A man who crawls out of it,"
11:33
and in another narration,
11:35
"he emerges from it creeping,"
11:37
meaning he walks on his hands and knees.
11:40
Then it is said to him—
11:42
meaning Allah the Exalted says to him—
11:44
"Go and enter Paradise."
11:47
So he goes to enter,
11:49
but finds that the people have already taken their dwellings,
11:52
meaning their places in Paradise.
11:54
It is then imagined to him
11:56
that no dwelling remains for anyone else.
11:59
So he returns and says, "O my Lord,
12:01
the people have taken the dwellings,"
12:04
meaning no place remains for me to settle in Paradise.
12:08
Then Allah says to him,
12:10
"Do you remember the time you were in?"
12:13
meaning, do you remember the worldly life?
12:15
He says, "Yes."
12:17
Then He says to him,
12:18
"Wish for whatever you desire,"
12:21
meaning ask for whatever you want.
12:23
So he asks and asks,
12:25
and when his wishes are exhausted,
12:27
Allah says to him,
12:29
"You shall have what you wished for,
12:31
and ten times the like of the world."
12:34
The servant is stunned and says,
12:36
"Are You mocking me, while You are the King?"
12:39
meaning, are You ridiculing me?
12:41
"And the situation is that You are the King of magnificent status,
12:44
of great proof,
12:46
while I am the lowly, despised servant."
12:49
The point is that there emanated from him
12:52
this astonishment and bewilderment
12:54
due to the joy he received,
12:56
from that which had never crossed his mind,
12:59
nor had he imagined it in his hopes.
13:02
Thus, he was not, at that moment, in control of his words,
13:05
nor aware of what would follow
13:08
from the state he was in.
13:10
Rather, it flowed from his tongue according to his habit
13:13
in addressing the people of his time,
13:15
and conversing with his companions and brethren.
13:19
We have already passed by his saying:
13:22
"I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) laugh
13:26
until his molars became visible."
13:29
If the reward of the last person to emerge from the Fire
13:32
among the sinful monotheists who enters Paradise
13:35
is like the world and ten times its like,
13:38
and he has whatever his soul desires and his eye delights in,
13:41
then how much greater is the reward of the close servants of Allah?
13:46
On the authority of 'Ali ibn Rabi'ah, he said:
13:50
I witnessed 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)
13:52
when a beast was brought for him to ride.
13:55
When he placed his foot in the stirrup, he said:
13:58
"In the name of Allah."
14:00
When he settled on its back, he said:
14:03
"Praise be to Allah."
14:05
Then he said:
14:08
“That ye may mount upon their backs, and may remember your Lord's favour when ye mount thereon, and may say: Glorified be He Who hath subdued these unto us, and we were not capable (of subduing them);” (43:13)
14:10
“That ye may mount upon their backs, and may remember your Lord's favour when ye mount thereon, and may say: Glorified be He Who hath subdued these unto us, and we were not capable (of subduing them);” (43:13)
14:13
"And indeed we are to our Lord returning."
14:17
Then he said:
14:19
"Praise be to Allah"
14:20
three times,
14:22
"Allah is the Greatest"
14:24
three times,
14:25
"Exalted are You, I have wronged myself, so forgive me,
14:29
for none forgives sins except You."
14:33
Then he laughed.
14:35
I said to him,
14:36
"For what reason did you laugh, O Commander of the Faithful?"
14:40
He said:
14:41
"I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
14:44
do as you saw me do,
14:46
then he laughed."
14:48
I said,
14:49
"For what reason did you laugh, O Messenger of Allah?"
14:53
He said:
14:54
"Indeed, your Lord marvels at His servant when he says,
14:58
'My Lord, forgive me my sins,'
15:00
knowing that no one forgives sins except Him."
15:06
In this hadith,
15:08
'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him)
15:11
was brought a beast to ride.
15:13
When he placed his foot in the stirrup, he said:
15:16
"In the name of Allah."
15:18
The stirrup is what hangs from the saddle,
15:21
and the rider places his foot in it to mount the beast.
15:26
And his saying,
15:27
"When he settled on its back,"
15:30
meaning he became steady on its back,
15:32
he said:
15:33
"Praise be to Allah,"
15:35
meaning for the blessing of riding and others.
15:38
Then he said:
15:40
“That ye may mount upon their backs, and may remember your Lord's favour when ye mount thereon, and may say: Glorified be He Who hath subdued these unto us, and we were not capable (of subduing them);” (43:13)
15:43
meaning, He has made this mount subservient to us,
15:46
“That ye may mount upon their backs, and may remember your Lord's favour when ye mount thereon, and may say: Glorified be He Who hath subdued these unto us, and we were not capable (of subduing them);” (43:13)
15:49
meaning, capable of controlling it.
15:51
The meaning is:
15:52
Were it not for His subjection of it,
15:54
we would not have been capable of riding it.
15:57
“And lo! unto our Lord we surely are returning.” (43:14)
16:01
meaning, we are surely returning to Him after our death,
16:05
and to Him is our ultimate journey.
16:07
This is by way of drawing attention from the journey of the world to the journey of the Hereafter.
16:12
Then he said:
16:14
"Praise be to Allah"
16:15
three times,
16:16
"Allah is the Greatest"
16:18
three times,
16:19
"Exalted are You, I have wronged myself,"
16:22
meaning I have committed errors and shortcomings that necessitate punishment,
16:27
"so forgive me,
16:28
for none forgives sins except You."
16:32
Perhaps mentioning the wronging of the self in this situation and seeking forgiveness,
16:36
while being mindful of this great blessing,
16:39
is indicative of the servant's shortcoming in the presence of his Lord, the Exalted,
16:43
despite His abundant blessings upon him,
16:46
so it was appropriate to seek forgiveness.
16:48
Then the Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), laughed.
16:53
When he was asked about the reason for his laughter,
16:56
he said:
16:57
"I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) do as I did,"
17:02
meaning he acted as the Prophet (peace be upon him) acted,
17:07
in word and deed.
17:10
In this is a clarification of what the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were upon
17:14
of following and emulating him (peace be upon him).
17:18
And his saying:
17:20
"I said, 'For what reason did you laugh, O Messenger of Allah?'"
17:24
meaning I asked him just as you asked me.
17:27
He said:
17:29
"Indeed, your Lord marvels at His servant when he says,
17:32
'My Lord, forgive me,'
17:34
'for none forgives sins except You.'"
17:37
Marveling is one of the active attributes of Allah,
17:41
and Allah the Exalted marvels in a way that befits His majesty,
17:45
and there is nothing like unto Him.
17:47
And his saying:
17:49
"None forgives sins except You,"
17:51
contains an affirmation of Oneness,
17:54
and a means of seeking forgiveness.
17:56
In a narration by Ahmad:
18:00
"The Lord marvels at His servant when he says,
18:03
'My Lord, forgive me,'
18:05
He says:
18:06
'My servant knows that none forgives sins except Me.'"
18:11
On the authority of 'Amir ibn Sa'd, he said:
18:15
Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
18:17
"I truly saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
18:21
laugh on the day of the Trench
18:23
until his molars became visible."
18:25
He said:
18:27
I said, "How was his laughter?"
18:29
He said:
18:31
"There was a man with a shield,
18:33
and Sa'd was an archer.
18:35
The man would say
18:37
such and such with the shield,
18:39
covering his forehead.
18:41
So Sa'd aimed an arrow at him.
18:43
When he raised his head,
18:45
he shot him, and it did not miss this part of him,"
18:48
meaning his forehead.
18:50
The man fell over,
18:52
and kicked with his leg.
18:54
The Prophet (peace be upon him) laughed
18:57
until his molars became visible.
18:59
He said:
19:01
I said, "For what reason did he laugh?"
19:03
He said:
19:05
"At what he did to the man."
19:07
This hadith is weak,
19:10
and it is rendered unnecessary by what is reported in Sahih Muslim
19:13
on the authority of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him),
19:16
that the Prophet (peace be upon him)
19:19
gathered his parents for him on the day of Uhud.
19:22
He said:
19:24
"There was a man among the polytheists
19:26
who had burned the Muslims."
19:28
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him:
19:32
'Shoot, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you!'
19:35
He said:
19:36
"So I drew an arrow for him that had no arrowhead,
19:39
and I hit his side, so he fell,
19:42
and his private parts were exposed.
19:44
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) laughed
19:48
until I looked at his molars."
19:51
And his saying in this hadith,
19:53
"burned the Muslims,"
19:55
meaning he inflicted heavy casualties upon them,
19:57
and acted upon them as fire acts,
19:59
due to the intensity of his onslaught.
20:01
And his saying,
20:02
"and kicked with his leg,"
20:04
meaning he raised it and fell onto his back.
20:07
Regarding his statement:
20:09
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, laughed,
20:12
until I saw his molars.
20:14
This was out of joy at the killing and destruction of his enemy,
20:18
not because of the exposure of his private parts.
20:20
A benefit:
20:24
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was
20:27
cheerful of countenance,
20:28
always radiant,
20:30
and a gentle smile would almost never
20:32
leave his noble face.
20:35
Through it, his companion would find happiness,
20:37
his guest would find comfort,
20:39
his associate would find joy,
20:41
his enemy would be humbled,
20:43
and his detractor would be cast down.
20:45
Through it, the perfection of his character was known,
20:48
as well as the nobility of his nature.
20:50
On the authority of Simak Ibn Harb, who said:
20:52
I asked Jabir Ibn Samurah,
20:55
"Did you used to sit with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him?"
20:59
He replied, "Yes, frequently.
21:02
I sat with the Prophet, peace be upon him,
21:05
more than a hundred times.
21:08
He would not rise from the place where he prayed the morning prayer
21:12
until the sun had risen.
21:14
When the sun rose, he would stand up.
21:17
His Companions would recite poetry to one another,
21:20
and discuss matters from the Age of Ignorance,
21:24
while he remained silent.
21:26
They would laugh,
21:27
and he would sometimes smile along with them."
21:30
The hadith has more to follow, if Allah wills.
21:34
And Allah knows best.
21:36
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
21:40
and upon all his family and companions.