Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (121) | Chapter on the desirability of meeting over reading

0:00 Riyad al-Salihin from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

0:09 Chapter: Encouragement to recite specific surahs and verses.

0:16 On the authority of Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

0:21 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

0:25 "O Abu al-Mundhir,

0:27 do you know which verse from the Book of Allah you possess is the greatest?"

0:32 I replied, "Allah, there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all existence."

0:38 He struck my chest and said,

0:41 "May knowledge be a source of joy for you, O Abu al-Mundhir."

0:44 Narrated by Muslim.

0:46 From the benefits of the hadith:

0:50 The desirability of using kunyas (patronymics) for men and addressing a person by their kunya.

0:56 An illustration of the merit of Abu al-Mundhir.

0:59 Showing reverence to the people of knowledge and placing them in their rightful status.

1:04 A scholar’s reverence for his companions.

1:08 The permissibility of a scholar asking others questions for the purpose of teaching or confirmation.

1:13 The permissibility of praising a person to their face if there is no fear of corruption or if such praise serves a beneficial purpose.

1:21 An explanation of the excellence of Ayat al-Kursi and that it is the greatest verse in the Noble Qur’an.

1:29 Recognizing the virtues of knowledge.

1:32 Therefore, it should be acquired from authentic sources of knowledge.

1:37 It is not established through weak hadiths or baseless narrations.

1:43 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

1:47 "The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, put me in charge of guarding the zakat of Ramadan.

1:53 Someone came and began to scoop up some of the food.

1:57 I seized him and said,

1:59 'I will certainly report you to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.'

2:04 He said,

2:05 'I am in need, I have dependents, and I am in dire straits.'

2:11 So I let him go, and when morning came,

2:14 the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, asked,

2:18 'O Abu Hurayrah, what did your prisoner do last night?'

2:23 I said,

2:24 'O Messenger of Allah, he complained of need and dependents,

2:28 so I had mercy on him and let him go.'

2:31 He said,

2:32 'Indeed, he lied to you, and he will return.'

2:36 I knew he would return because of the words of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

2:42 So I lay in wait for him,

2:43 and he came to scoop up some of the food.

2:46 I said,

2:47 'I will certainly report you to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.'

2:52 He said,

2:53 'Let me go, for I am in need and have dependents; I will not return.'

2:54 So I had mercy on him and let him go.

3:00 When morning came,

3:03 the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, asked me,

3:04 'O Abu Hurayrah, what did your prisoner do last night?'

3:08 I said,

3:13 'O Messenger of Allah, he complained of need and dependents,

3:14 so I had mercy on him and let him go.'

3:19 He said,

3:22 'Indeed, he lied to you, and he will return.'

3:23 So I lay in wait for him a third time,

3:27 and he came to scoop up some of the food.

3:29 I seized him and said,

3:32 'I will certainly report you to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

3:34 This is the third time; you claim you will not return,

3:39 yet you return.'

3:44 He said,

3:46 'Let me go, and I will teach you words by which Allah will benefit you.'

3:47 I asked,

3:53 'What are they?'

3:54 He said,

3:55 'When you go to your bed, recite Ayat al-Kursi,

3:56 for there will remain a guardian from Allah over you,

4:01 and no devil will approach you until morning.'

4:05 So I let him go.

4:09 When morning came,

4:11 the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, asked me,

4:12 'What did your prisoner do last night?'

4:16 I said,

4:19 'O Messenger of Allah,

4:20 he claimed he would teach me words by which Allah would benefit me,

4:22 so I let him go.'

4:27 He asked,

4:29 'What are they?'

4:30 I said,

4:31 'He told me:

4:32 When you go to your bed, recite Ayat al-Kursi

4:34 from its beginning until you finish the verse:

4:38 "Allah, there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all existence."

4:42 And he told me:

4:46 "There will remain a guardian from Allah over you,

4:48 and no devil will approach you until morning."'

4:51 The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,

4:55 'Indeed, he told you the truth, even though he is a liar.

4:59 Do you know whom you have been speaking with for three nights, O Abu Hurayrah?'

5:03 I said, 'No.'

5:07 He said,

5:09 'That was a devil.'

5:10 Narrated by al-Bukhari.

5:12 "He told you the truth":

5:15 Meaning he spoke a truthful statement to you.

5:17 "Scooping up":

5:20 Meaning he was taking.

5:22 "I will report you":

5:23 Meaning I will take you to complain about you.

5:25 From the benefits of the hadith:

5:28 The devil may know what is beneficial for the believer.

5:33 A wicked person may receive wisdom but not benefit from it,

5:37 yet it may be taken from him and others may benefit from it.

5:41 A person may know something but not act upon it.

5:44 A disbeliever may affirm what a believer affirms,

5:48 yet he does not become a believer by that.

5:53 A liar may sometimes tell the truth.

5:56 It is the nature of the devil to lie.

5:59 The devil may manifest in certain forms,

6:02 so it is possible for him to be seen.

6:06 Whoever is appointed to guard something is called a "wakil" (agent/guardian).

6:08 The jinn eat from the food of humans.

6:12 The jinn speak the language of humans.

6:16 The jinn steal and deceive.

6:21 The excellence of Ayat al-Kursi and the excellence of Surah al-Baqarah.

6:24 The jinn take from food over which the name of Allah is not mentioned.

6:28 A thief is not subject to the prescribed punishment during a famine.

6:34 If the stolen item does not reach the minimum threshold (nisab), the hand is not cut.

6:37 Therefore, it was permissible for the Companion to pardon him before reporting him to the Lawgiver.

6:43 The permissibility of collecting zakat al-fitr during Ramadan before the night of Eid.

6:49 Accepting an excuse and covering the faults of one who is thought to be truthful.

6:54 The awareness of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, regarding the state of Abu Hurayrah.

6:59 His approval of Abu Hurayrah’s action is an indication of the latter's deep fiqh.

7:05 The believer has mercy on people, feels compassion for those with dependents, and helps the needy.

7:11 The believer seeks wisdom, for it is his lost property, and pursues knowledge, for it is his passion.

7:18 On the authority of Abu al-Darda’, may Allah be pleased with him,

7:27 that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

7:30 "Whoever memorizes ten verses from the beginning of Surah al-Kahf will be protected from the Dajjal."

7:34 In another narration: "from the end of Surah al-Kahf." Both were narrated by Muslim.

7:41 From the benefits of the hadith:

7:47 The first narration is the preserved one.

7:51 It is supported by the hadith of al-Nawwas ibn Sam‘an, may Allah be pleased with him, in which it says:

7:54 "Whoever among you encounters him, let him recite the opening verses of Surah al-Kahf."

8:00 An explanation of the excellence of Surah al-Kahf.

8:05 That its opening verses protect against the trial of the Dajjal.

8:09 Information regarding the matter of the Dajjal.

8:12 And an explanation of what protects against him.

8:16 Memorizing the Qur’an and reflecting upon it protects one from many pitfalls.

8:19 On the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:

8:24 "While Jibril, peace be upon him, was sitting with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

8:29 he heard a creaking sound from above him.

8:35 He raised his head and said,

8:38 'This is a gate in the heaven that has been opened today;

8:41 it has never been opened before today.'

8:45 An angel descended from it,

8:48 and he said,

8:51 'This is an angel who has descended to the earth;

8:53 he has never descended before today.'

8:56 He gave greetings and said,

8:59 'Rejoice in two lights you have been given,

9:01 which no prophet before you was given:

9:04 the Opening of the Book (al-Fatihah),

9:08 and the concluding verses of Surah al-Baqarah.

9:10 You will not recite a letter from them without being granted it.'"

9:13 Narrated by Muslim.

9:18 "Naqid":

9:20 The sound.

9:21 From the benefits of the hadith:

9:23 The excellence of the Opening of the Book and the final verses of Surah al-Baqarah.

9:26 The Book of Allah is a light that guides to that which is most upright.

9:32 The believer recites the Book of Allah to act upon it,

9:37 and asks Allah for help in achieving success in that.

9:40 The heaven has gates.

9:44 Divine commands descend from them.

9:47 They do not open except by the command of Allah,

9:49 for each gate has a specific purpose.

9:52 Affirmation of the attribute of Highness for Allah, the Most High, the Almighty.

9:57 Chapter: The desirability of gathering for recitation.

10:05 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:

10:10 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

10:14 "No group of people gathers in one of the houses of Allah

10:17 reciting the Book of Allah

10:21 and studying it among themselves,

10:23 but that tranquility descends upon them,

10:26 mercy covers them,

10:28 the angels surround them,

10:30 and Allah mentions them to those who are with Him."

10:33 Narrated by Muslim.

10:36 "Haffathum":

10:38 Meaning they surrounded them.

10:44 From the benefits of the hadith:

10:47 Encouragement to seek knowledge,

10:49 and to gather for it and study it.

10:52 The most noble of sciences to be studied and discussed

10:55 is the Book of Allah, the Almighty.

10:58 Among the means of preserving knowledge

11:01 is studying and discussing it.

11:03 All of this leads to collective understanding,

11:06 and sound fiqh,

11:08 especially when several opinions

11:10 are gathered regarding a certain issue.

11:13 Circles of knowledge have a special status

11:16 with Allah, the Almighty.

11:18 This is manifested by tranquility descending upon them,

11:21 mercy covering them,

11:23 and the angels surrounding them.

11:25 All of this is crowned

11:28 by Allah mentioning them to those who are with Him.

11:31 Allah has angels who travel the earth

11:35 seeking circles of dhikr,

11:38 These are the gatherings of knowledge,

11:40 which serve as evidence for the exaltedness of Allah, the Exalted,

11:43 over His creation.

11:45 Riyadh al-Salihin, O Riyadh al-Salihin.

Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (121) | Chapter on the desirability of meeting over reading

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