Category: Abi Dawud

‘Amir b. sa’id on his father’s authority reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: The Muslim who offends most against the Muslims is he who enquires about something which has not been forbidden to men, and it is declared forbidden because of his enquiry.

Yazid b. ‘Umairah, who was one of the companions of Mu’adh b. Jabal said: Whenever he (mu’adh b. jabal) sat in a meeting for preaching, he would say: Allah is a just arbiter; those who doubt would perish. One day Mu’adh b. jabal said: In the times after you there would be trails in which riches would be abundant. During these trails the Quran would be easy so much so that every believer, hypocrite, man, woman, young, grown up, slave and free man will learn it. Then a man might say: What happened with the people that they do not follow me while I read the Quran? They are not going to follow me until I introduce a novelty for them other than it. So avoid that which is innovated (in religion), for whichever is innovated is an error. I warn you of the deviation of a scholar from right guidance, for sometimes Satan utters a word of error through the tongue of a scholar; and sometimes a hypocrites may speak a word of truth. I said to Mu’adh b. jabal: I am at a loss to understand may Allah have mercy on you that a learned man sometimes may speak a word of error and a hypocrite may speak a word of truth. He replied: Yes, avoid the speech of a learned man on distract you from him (the learned), for it is possible that he may withdraw (from these well-known things), and you get the truth when you hear it, for truth has light. Abu Dawud said: In this tradition Ma’mar on the authority of al-Zuhrl said: The words “wa la yun iyannaka” instead of “wa la yuthniyannaka,” with the same meaning: “it may not distract you” salih b. Kaisan on the authority of al-Zurhrl said in this tradition the words “al-mushtaharat” (well-know things). He also said the word “La yuthniyannaka” as ‘Uqail mentioned. Ibn ishaq, on the authority of al-Zuhri, said: Yes, if you are doubtful about the speech of a scholar until you say: WHAT did he mean by this word?

Sufyan said (according to one chain), and Abu al-Salit said (according to another chain): A man wrote to ‘Umar b. ‘Abd al-Aziz asking him about Divine decree. He wrote to him: To begin with, I enjoin upon you to fear Allah, to be moderate in (obeying) His Command, to follow the sunnah (practice) of His Prophet (ﷺ) and to abandon the novelties which the innovators introduced after his Sunnah has been established and they were saved from its trouble (i.e. novelty or innovation) ; so stick to Sunnah, for it is for you, if Allah chooses, a protection ; then you should know that any innovation which the people introduced was refuted long before it on the basis of some authority or there was some lesson in it, for the Sunnah was introduced by the people who were conscious of the error, slip, foolishness, and extremism in case of (the sunnah) was opposed. So accept for yourself what the people (in the past) had accepted for themselves, for they had complete knowledge of whatever they were informed, and by penetrating insight they forbade (to do prohibited acts); they had more strength (than us) to disclose the matters (of religion), and they were far better (than us) by virtue of their merits. If right guidance is what you are following, then you outstriped them to it. And if you say whatever the novelty occurred after them was introduced by those who followed the way other then theirs and disliked them. It is they who actually outstripped, and talked about it sufficiently, and gave a satisfactory explanation for it. Below them there is no place for exhaustiveness, and above them there is no place for elaborating things. Some people shortened the matter more than they had done, and thus they turned away (from them), and some people raised the matter more than they had done, and thus they exaggerated. They were on right guidance between that. You have written (to me) asking about confession of Divine decree, you have indeed approached a person who is well informed of it, with the will of Allah. I know what whatever novelty people have brought in, and whatever innovation people have introduced are not more manifest and more established than confession of Divine decree. The ignorant people (i.e. the Arabs before Islam) in pre-Islamic times have mentioned it ; they talked about it in their speeches and in their poetry. They would console themselves for what they lost, and Islam then strengthened it (i.e. belief in Divine decree). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not mention it in one or two traditions, but the Muslims heard it from him, and they talked of it from him, and they talked of it during his lifetime and after his death. They did so out of belief and submission to their Lord and thinking themselves weak. There is nothing which is not surrounded by His knowledge, and not counted by His register and not destined by His decree. Despite that, it has been strongly mentioned in His Book: from it they have derived it, and from it they have and so ? they also read in it what you read, and they knew its interpretation of which you are ignorant. After that they said: All this is by writing and decreeing. Distress has been written down, and what has been destined will occur ; what Allah wills will surely happen, and what He does not will will not happen. We have no power to harm or benefit ourselves. Then after that they showed interest (in good works) and were afraid (of bad deeds).

Nafi said: Ibn ‘Umar had a friend from the people of Syria who used to correspond with him. ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Umar wrote to him: I have been informed that you have talked something about Divine decree. You should write it to me, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: Among my community there will be people who will falsify Divine decree.

Khalid al-Hadhdha said: I said to al-Hasan: Abu Sa’id, tell me about Adam. Was he created for the heaven or the earth? He said: No, for the earth. I said: It was unavoidable for him. I said: Tell me about the following verse of the Quran: ”can lead (any) into temptation concerning Allah, except such as are (themselves) going to blazing fire.” He said: The devils do not lead anyone astray by their temptation except the one whom Allah destined to go to Hell.

Narrated AbuDharr: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The best of the actions is to love for the sake of Allah and to hate for the sake of Allah.

Khalid al-Hadhdha, asked al-Hasan about the Quranic verse: “And for this did He create them.” He said: He created these for this and those for that.

‘Abd Allah b. Ka`b b. Malik who used to lead his father from among his sons when he became blind, said: I heard Ka`b b. Malik – the transmitter Ibn al-Sarh then narrated the story of his remaining behind from the Prophet (ﷺ) during the campaign of Tabuk – say: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade the Muslims to speak to any of us three. When (in this state) abundant time passed on me, I ascended the wall of the garden of Abu Qatadah who was my cousin. I saluted him, but, I swear by Allah, he did not return salute to me. He then narrated the story of the revelation of the Qur’anic verses relating to his repentance.

Khalid al-Hadhdha asked al-Hasan about the Quranic verse: “Can lead (any) into temptation concerning Allah, except such as are (themselves) going to the blazing fire.” He said: Except the one whom Allah destined that he should go to Hell.

‘Ammar b. Yasir said: I came to my family when my hands had cracks. They dyed me with saffron. I then went to Prophet (ﷺ) and saluted him, but he did not return me salutation. He said: Go and wash it away from you.