Part of Riyad as-Salihin — Gardens of the Righteous (series completed)
· Lesson 19 of 190
Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (29) | Chapter: The command to preserve the Sunnah and its etiquette
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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Riyadh al-Salihin
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From the words of the Master of the Messengers
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Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him
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Chapter: The Command to Adhere to the Sunnah and Observe It
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From Abu Muslim—also said to be Abu Iyas—
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Salamah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Akwa‘, may Allah be pleased with him,
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That a man ate with his left hand in the presence of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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He said,
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"Eat with your right hand."
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The man replied,
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"I cannot."
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He said,
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"May you not be able to."
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Nothing prevented him but arrogance.
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And he could not raise it to his mouth thereafter.
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Narrated by Muslim.
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"May you not be able to"
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Is an invocation against him
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Because of his arrogance in following the Sunnah and acting upon it.
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From the benefits of the hadith:
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The obligation to eat with the right hand.
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Eating with the left hand without a valid excuse is forbidden.
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Every noble action
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Should be performed with the right hand.
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Because the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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Loved to begin with the right in all his affairs.
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Opposing the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, incurs sin.
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That is why the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, invoked against him,
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Because his refusal was out of arrogance and stubbornness.
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Advising the one eating or drinking
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Applies to men, women, and children.
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It is permissible to advise someone in public
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If it contains benefit for all.
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It is permissible to invoke against one who commits a forbidden act out of stubbornness,
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Arrogance, and persistence.
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Arrogance in implementing the rulings of the Shari‘ah
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Makes the perpetrator deserving of punishment.
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Allah the Exalted honors His Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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By answering his supplications.
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From Abu ‘Abdullah
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Al-Nu‘man ibn Bashir, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said:
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I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
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"You must straighten your rows,
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Or Allah will cause discord among your faces."
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Agreed upon.
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In a narration by Muslim:
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to straighten our rows
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Until they were as straight as arrows.
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Until he saw that we had understood it from him.
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Then he went out one day,
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And stood until he was about to begin the prayer,
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When he saw a man whose chest was protruding.
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He said, "O servants of Allah,
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You must straighten your rows,
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Or Allah will cause discord among your faces."
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"You must straighten your rows."
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Straightening the rows
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Means the standing worshippers are aligned in a single, even line.
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"Or Allah will cause discord among your faces"
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Refers to the disfigurement of the face,
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By shifting its features from their place, such as placing the back of the head in the front.
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And the intended meaning is:
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He will cause enmity, hatred, and discord in your hearts.
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*Al-Qidah* is the plural of *qidh*,
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Which is an arrow before it is feathered or tipped.
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The meaning is an exaggeration in straightening them until they are like arrows,
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Due to their extreme straightness and alignment.
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*‘Aqalna* means we understood.
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"Whose chest was protruding"
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Means he was out of the alignment of the row.
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From the benefits of the hadith:
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The encouragement to straighten the rows.
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The permissibility of speaking between the *iqamah* and entering the prayer.
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Straightening the rows is a mandatory act,
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And negligence regarding it is forbidden.
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It is incumbent upon the Imam before entering the prayer
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To straighten the rows of the worshippers and command them to do so.
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The obligation to obey the Imam when he commands the straightening of the rows,
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For straightening them is part of the excellence of the prayer.
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And part of the perfection of the servant’s prayer is following the Imam.
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Islam’s concern for straightening the rows in prayer
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Is a practical expression of the unity of the Ummah’s ranks,
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And the unity of its word, goals, and objectives.
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And if this is the appearance in worship,
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It is an organizational starting point for the fields of struggle and jihad,
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And in all spheres of life.
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From Abu Musa, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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A house in Madinah burned down with its inhabitants inside during the night.
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When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was told about them, he said:
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"This fire is an enemy to you,
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So when you sleep, extinguish it."
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Agreed upon.
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From the benefits of the hadith:
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The obligation to extinguish fire before sleeping.
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Fire is an enemy because it is hostile to our bodies and our wealth.
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The concern of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, for his Ummah
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In matters of this world and the Hereafter.
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The command in this hadith,
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It is said to be for guidance, and it is said to be for recommendation.
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This does not include hanging lamps if one is safe from harm.
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From Abu Musa, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
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"The likeness of the guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me
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Is like abundant rain that fell upon land.
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Part of it was fertile soil,
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Which absorbed the water,
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And produced much fodder and grass.
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Another part was barren, which held the water,
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And Allah benefited people through it;
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They drank from it, gave it to their livestock, and irrigated their crops.
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And another part fell upon land
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That was merely a hollow,
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Which neither held water nor produced grass.
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Such is the likeness of one who gains understanding in the religion of Allah,
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And benefits from what Allah has sent me with,
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So he learns and teaches.
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And the likeness of one who does not raise his head for that,
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And does not accept the guidance of Allah with which I was sent."
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Agreed upon.
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*Faqiha* means he became a scholar of *fiqh*.
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*Ghayth* means rain.
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*Ta'ifah* means a portion.
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*Al-Kala'* is the vegetation that is grazed upon,
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And it applies to both fresh and dry vegetation.
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*Al-‘Ushb* is green vegetation,
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And it applies only to the fresh.
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*Ajadib* is the plural of *ajdab*,
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Which is hard ground that does not let the water seep away.
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*Qi‘an* is the plural of *qa‘*,
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Which is smooth, level ground,
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That does not grow anything.
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"Does not raise his head for that"
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Means he did not benefit from what I was sent with.
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From the benefits of the hadith:
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Giving parables to bring meanings closer to people
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Is a legitimate practice.
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Knowledge revives hearts
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Just as rain revives the earth.
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The life of the Ummah is only through sacred knowledge;
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Any Ummah that is deprived of it is dead.
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And any Ummah that accepts it, benefits from it, and acts upon its rulings
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Is a living Ummah.
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People are in different ranks regarding the acquisition of sacred knowledge.
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The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, likens
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The guidance and knowledge with which he was sent
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To beneficial rain,
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Because it revives hearts
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Just as rain revives the earth.
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He likened the one who benefits from it to fertile soil,
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And he likened the one who carries knowledge and teaches it but does not benefit from it himself
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To the hard soil that retains water,
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So people benefit from it.
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And he likened the one who neither learns nor acts
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To the level ground
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That neither holds water nor grows grass.
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This is the worst of people; he neither benefits nor is he of benefit.
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From Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
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"My likeness and yours
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Is like a man who lit a fire,
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And locusts and moths began falling into it,
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While he was driving them away from it.
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I am holding you by your waistbands away from the Fire,
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But you are slipping from my hands."
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Narrated by Muslim.
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*Al-Janadib* are like locusts and moths;
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This is what is known to fall into the fire.
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*Al-Hujaz* is the plural of *hujzah*,
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Which is the place where the waist-wrapper or trousers are tied.
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*Yadhubuhunna*
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Means he prevents them and pushes them away.
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From the benefits of the hadith:
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The concern of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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And his mercy for his Ummah,
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As he did not leave any good
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Without guiding them to it,
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And he did not leave any evil that would be their ruin
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Without warning them against it.
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The ignorance of many people
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Is because their understanding is limited
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Regarding the perception of the realities of things,
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And they are quickly deceived by what they see,
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Except for those illuminated by the light of Prophethood.
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People rush toward the visible flowers of worldly life,
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And in that is their destruction.
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From Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him,
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That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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Commanded the licking of fingers and the dish,
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And said,
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"You do not know in which part of it the blessing lies."
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Narrated by Muslim.
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In a narration of his:
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"If a morsel of one of you falls,
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Let him pick it up and remove any dirt that was on it,
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And eat it,
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And not leave it for the Shaytan.
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And let him not wipe his hand with a napkin
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Until he licks his fingers,
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For one does not know in which part of his food the blessing lies.
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In another narration of his,
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"Indeed, the devil attends to each of you in every one of his affairs,
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even attending to him during his meal.
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So, if a morsel falls from any of you,
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let him remove whatever impurity is upon it,
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then let him eat it and not leave it for the devil."
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"Licking" refers to the act of cleaning with the tongue.
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"Blessing" means abundant goodness.
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"Let him remove" means let him set aside and clear away.
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"Impurity" refers to dust, dirt, or grime.
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From the benefits of the hadith:
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The food a person eats contains blessing,
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yet he does not know where it is.
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A person should be keen to preserve this blessing,
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for if blessing is removed,
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the servant will not benefit from anything,
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even if he were to possess the entire world in its entirety.
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Encouragement to lick one's fingers and the plate,
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as this preserves the blessing.
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It is also an act of cultivating humility.
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Picking up what has fallen to the ground after cleaning it of dirt,
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provided it is possible to clean it,
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and it has not fallen onto an impure place.
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It should then be eaten and not abandoned,
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because leaving it is a sign of disrespect for the blessing,
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and arrogance toward it.
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Confirmation of the existence of devils,
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and information regarding some aspects of their realm.
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The devil watches the servant in all his movements and stillness.
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If a person becomes heedless of the path of Allah,
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the devil gains mastery over him.
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A Muslim opposes the devils by every means,
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and does not leave any benefit for them through his own actions.
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Islamic law clarifies the reality of what brings benefits and wards off harms,
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unlike human opinions and customs.
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Islamic law is manifest in opposing what people have become accustomed to, such as abandoning food
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out of disgust or fear of illness.
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Islam is a religion of cleanliness and caution against harm,
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which is why it encourages removing what has attached itself to a fallen morsel.
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On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
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The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood among us to deliver a sermon and said:
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"O people,
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you will be gathered to Allah the Exalted, barefoot, naked, and uncircumcised."
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“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)
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"A promise binding upon Us;
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indeed, We were to do it."
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"Verily, the first of the creatures to be clothed on the Day of Resurrection
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will be Ibrahim (peace be upon him).
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Verily, men from my Ummah will be brought,
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and they will be taken toward the left side.
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So I will say, 'O my Lord, my Companions!'
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It will be said, 'You do not know what they innovated after you.'
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So I will say as the righteous servant said,"
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“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)
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up to his saying, "the Almighty, the All-Wise."
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Then it will be said to me, "They did not cease to be apostates
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turning back on their heels since you parted from them."
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Agreed upon.
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"Uncircumcised" means not circumcised.
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"The left side" means the direction of the Fire.
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"The righteous servant" is 'Isa (peace be upon him).
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From the benefits of the hadith:
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All of creation will be gathered to Allah the Exalted,
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barefoot and naked,
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just as He created them the first time.
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This indicates that whatever they collected and stored of worldly goods,
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they left behind their backs,
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and nothing will benefit them except what they sent forth before them.
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The promise of Allah is coming,
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and Allah does not break His promise.
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Clothing is a blessing from Allah the Exalted,
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so that a person may cover his private parts.
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The virtue of our master Ibrahim (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
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and that he is the first to be clothed on the Day of Resurrection.
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The punishment of the people of innovation who altered and changed the religion of Allah the Exalted.
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Everyone who does that deserves punishment.
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A person's affiliation with the Ummah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) will not benefit him
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if he does not act according to his Sunnah and hold fast to his guidance.
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On the authority of Abu Sa'id 'Abdullah Ibn Mughaffal (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade *khadhf* (flicking pebbles).
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He said, "It does not kill game, nor does it defeat the enemy,
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but it gouges out the eye and breaks the tooth."
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Agreed upon.
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In another narration, a relative of Ibn Mughaffal was flicking pebbles,
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so he forbade him and said, "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade *khadhf*."
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He said, "It does not hunt game," then he returned to it.
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So he said, "I tell you that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade it,
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yet you return to flicking pebbles? I will never speak to you again."
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*Khadhf* is throwing pebbles using the index finger and the thumb.
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"Does not defeat" means does not wound; "gouges out" means plucks out.
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From the benefits of the hadith: The prohibition of *khadhf* because there is no benefit in it,
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rather, it results in harm to others.
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Islam forbids every act that has no benefit or that causes harm to Muslims.
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This includes idle play that contains harm and no benefit.
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The great sanctity of a Muslim,
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which is why the Shari'ah takes precautions to protect it by every means,
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warding off evil and harm from it.
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Whoever sees an evil act contrary to the Shari'ah should
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alert the doer and inform him,
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and should not be harsh with him until after explaining and establishing the proof,
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and [confirming] intentional disobedience.
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The permissibility of shunning the people of innovation, those who oppose the Sunnah, and the sinful,
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until they abandon their ways.
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It is permissible to shun the people of innovation indefinitely.
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The religion of Allah is more beloved to the believer than his own self, his parents, his children,
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his relatives, his loved ones, and all people.
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On the authority of 'Abis Ibn Rabi'ah, who said:
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I saw 'Umar Ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) kissing the Stone,
18:45
meaning the Black Stone,
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and saying,
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"I know that you are a stone that neither harms nor benefits.
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Had I not seen the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) kissing you, I would not have kissed you."
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Agreed upon.
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From the benefits of the hadith:
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The obligation to follow the Messenger (peace be upon him) in what he has legislated for his Ummah,
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even if the reason for the wisdom behind it is not apparent to them.
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Acts of worship are *tawqifiyyah* (restricted to divine instruction) and must be followed.
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Prioritizing revealed text over human reason.
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Kissing the Black Stone is a Prophetic Sunnah.
19:29
The purity of the *tawhid* (monotheism) of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) toward their Lord,
19:34
as they attributed benefit and harm to Allah alone.
19:37
Everything other than Allah the Exalted possesses no power to harm or benefit,
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even if it is held in high esteem.
19:44
Al-Tabarani said:
19:46
'Umar only did that
19:48
because the people were recent converts from idol worship,
19:53
so 'Umar feared that the ignorant might think that touching the Stone was a form of venerating stones,
20:00
as the Age of Ignorance believed regarding idols.
20:05
Riyad al-Salihin.