Category: Q n A

Once a Jew said to me, “O the chief of believers! There is a verse in
your Holy Book Which is read by all of you (Muslims), and had it been
revealed to us, we would have taken that day (on which it was revealed
as a day of celebration.” ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab asked, “Which is that
verse?” The Jew replied, “This day I have perfected your religion For
you, completed My favor upon you, And have chosen for you Islam as
your religion.” (5:3) ‘Umar replied,”No doubt, we know when and where
this verse was revealed to the Prophet. It was Friday and the Prophet (ﷺ)
was standing at ‘Arafat (i.e. the Day of Hajj)”

A man from Najd with unkempt hair came to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and we heard
his loud voice but could not understand what he was saying, till he
came near and then we came to know that he was asking about Islam.
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “You have to offer prayers perfectly five times
in a day and night (24 hours).” The man asked, “Is there any more
(praying)?” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) replied, “No, but if you want to offer the
Nawafil prayers (you can).” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) further said to him: “You
have to observe fasts during the month of Ramadan.” The man asked,
“Is there any more fasting?” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) replied, “No, but if you
want to observe the Nawafil fasts (you can.)” Then Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)
further said to him, “You have to pay the Zakat (obligatory charity).”
The man asked, “Is there any thing other than the Zakat for me to
pay?” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) replied, “No, unless you want to give alms of
your own.” And then that man retreated saying, “By Allah! I will
neither do less nor more than this.” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “If what he
said is true, then he will be successful (i.e. he will be granted
Paradise).”

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “(A believer) who accompanies the funeral
procession of a Muslim out of sincere faith and hoping to attain
Allah’s reward and remains with it till the funeral prayer is offered
and the burial ceremonies are over, he will return with a reward of
two Qirats. Each Qirat is like the size of the (Mount) Uhud. He who
offers the funeral prayer only and returns before the burial, will
return with the reward of one Qirat only.”

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Abusing a Muslim is Fusuq (an evil doing) and
killing him is Kufr (disbelief).”

“Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) went out to inform the people about the (date of the)
night of decree (Al-Qadr) but there happened a quarrel between two
Muslim men. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “I came out to inform you about (the
date of) the night of Al-Qadr, but as so and so and so and so
quarrelled, its knowledge was taken away (I forgot it) and maybe it
was better for you. Now look for it in the 7th, the 9th and the 5th
(of the last 10 nights of the month of Ramadan).”

One day while the Prophet (ﷺ) was sitting in the company of some people,
(The angel) Gabriel came and asked, “What is faith?” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)
replied, ‘Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, (the) meeting with
Him, His Apostles, and to believe in Resurrection.” Then he further
asked, “What is Islam?” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) replied, “To worship Allah
Alone and none else, to offer prayers perfectly to pay the compulsory
charity (Zakat) and to observe fasts during the month of Ramadan.”
Then he further asked, “What is Ihsan (perfection)?” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)
replied, “To worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you cannot
achieve this state of devotion then you must consider that He is
looking at you.” Then he further asked, “When will the Hour be
established?” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) replied, “The answerer has no better
knowledge than the questioner. But I will inform you about its
portents.1. When a slave (lady) gives birth to her master.2. When the shepherds of black camels start boasting and competing
with others in the construction of higher buildings. And the Hour is
one of five things which nobody knows except Allah.The Prophet (ﷺ) then recited: “Verily, with Allah (Alone) is the knowledge
of the Hour–.” (31. 34) Then that man (Gabriel) left and the Prophet (ﷺ)
asked his companions to call him back, but they could not see him.
Then the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “That was Gabriel who came to teach the people
their religion.” Abu ‘Abdullah said: He (the Prophet) considered all
that as a part of faith.

I was informed by Abu Sufyan that Heraclius said to him, “I asked you
whether they (followers of Muhammad) were increasing or decreasing.
You replied that they were increasing. And in fact, this is the way of
true Faith till it is complete in all respects. I further asked you
whether there was anybody, who, after embracing his (the Prophets)
religion (Islam) became displeased and discarded it. You replied in
the negative, and in fact, this is (a sign of) true faith. When its
delight enters the heart and mixes with them completely, nobody can be
displeased with it.”

I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying, ‘Both legal and illegal things are
evident but in between them there are doubtful (suspicious) things and
most of the people have no knowledge about them. So whoever saves
himself from these suspicious things saves his religion and his honor.
And whoever indulges in these suspicious things is like a shepherd who
grazes (his animals) near the Hima (private pasture) of someone else
and at any moment he is liable to get in it. (O people!) Beware! Every
king has a Hima and the Hima of Allah on the earth is His illegal
(forbidden) things. Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if
it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets
spoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart.

I used to sit with Ibn ‘Abbas and he made me sit on his sitting place.
He requested me to stay with him in order that he might give me a
share from his property. So I stayed with him for two months. Once he
told (me) that when the delegation of the tribe of ‘Abdul Qais came to
the Prophet, the Prophet (ﷺ) asked them, “Who are the people (i.e. you)?
(Or) who are the delegate?” They replied, “We are from the tribe of
Rabi’a.” Then the Prophet (ﷺ) said to them, “Welcome! O people (or O
delegation of ‘Abdul Qais)! Neither will you have disgrace nor will
you regret.” They said, “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! We cannot come to you
except in the sacred month and there is the infidel tribe of Mudar
intervening between you and us. So please order us to do something
good (religious deeds) so that we may inform our people whom we have
left behind (at home), and that we may enter Paradise (by acting on
them).” Then they asked about drinks (what is legal and what is
illegal). The Prophet (ﷺ) ordered them to do four things and forbade them
from four things. He ordered them to believe in Allah Alone and asked
them, “Do you know what is meant by believing in Allah Alone?” They
replied, “Allah and His Apostle know better.” Thereupon the Prophet (ﷺ)
said, “It means:1. To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and
Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ).2. To offer prayers perfectly3. To pay the Zakat (obligatory charity)4. To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.5. And to pay Al-Khumus (one fifth of the booty to be given in Allah’s
Cause).Then he forbade them four things, namely, Hantam, Dubba,’ Naqir Ann
Muzaffat or Muqaiyar; (These were the names of pots in which Alcoholic
drinks were prepared) (The Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned the container of wine and
he meant the wine itself). The Prophet (ﷺ) further said (to them):
“Memorize them (these instructions) and convey them to the people whom
you have left behind.”

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “The reward of deeds depends upon the intention
and every person will get the reward according to what he has
intended. So whoever emigrated for Allah and His Apostle, then his
emigration was for Allah and His Apostle. And whoever emigrated for
worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what
he emigrated for.”