Riyad us-Saliheen

Hanzalah Al-Usayyidi (May Allah be pleased with him) who was one of the scribes of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), reported: I met Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) he said: "How are you O Hanzalah?" I said, "Hanzalah has become a hypocrite". He said, "Far removed is Allah from every imperfection, what are you saying?" I said, "When we are in the company of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he reminds us of Hell-fire and Jannah, we feel as if we are seeing them with our very eyes, and when we are away from Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), we attend to our wives, our children, our business, most of these things (pertaining to life hereafter) slip out of our minds." Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "By Allah, I also experience the same thing". So Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) and I went to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and I said to him, "O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Hanzalah has turned hypocrite." Thereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "What has happened to you?" I said, "O Messenger of Allah, when we are in your company, and are reminded of Hell-fire and Jannah, we feel as if we are seeing them with our own eyes, but when we go away from you and attend to our wives, children and business, much of these things go out of our minds." Thereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "By Him in Whose Hand is my life if your state of mind remains the same as it is in my presence and you are always busy in remembrance (of Allah), the angels will shake hands with you in your beds and in your roads; but Hanzalah, time should be devoted (to the worldly affairs) and time should be devoted (to prayer)". He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said this thrice..

Ibn 'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: While the Prophet (ﷺ) was delivering Khutbah (religious talk), he noticed a man who was standing, so he asked about him and was told that he was Abu Israel who had taken a vow to remain standing and not sit, or go into the shade, or speak while observing fasting. Thereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Tell him to speak, to go into the shade, to sit and to complete his fast"..

'Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Should anyone fall asleep at night and fail to recite his portion of the Qur'an, or a part of it, if he recites it between the Fajr prayer and the Zuhr prayer, it will be recorded for him as though he had recited it during the night"..

'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'as (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me, "O Abdullah! Do not be like so-and-so. He used to get up at night for optional prayer but abandoned it later."

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: When Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) missed the optional night Salat (Tahajjud) due to pain or any other reason, he would perform twelve Rak'ah during the day time..

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Do not ask me unnecessarily about the details of the things which I do not mention to you. Verily, the people before you were doomed because they were used to putting many questions to their Prophets and had differences about their Prophets. Refrain from what I forbid you and do what I command you to the best of your ability and capacity"

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Everyone of my Ummah will enter Jannah except those who refuse". He was asked: "Who will refuse?" He (ﷺ) said, "Whoever obeys me, shall enter Jannah, and whosoever disobeys me, refuses to (enter Jannah)"..

Salamah bin Al-Akwa' (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: My father said that a person ate in the presence of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) with his left hand. He (ﷺ) said, "Eat with your right hand". He said, "I cannot do that." Thereupon he (the Prophet) said, "May you never do that." It was pride that prevented him from doing it. And he could not raise it (the right hand) up to his mouth afterwards..

Nu'man bin Bashir (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Straighten your rows (during Salat) or Allah would create dissension amongst you"..In another narration reported by Muslim, Nu'man bin Bashir (May Allah be pleased with them) narrated: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to straighten our rows (in Salat), as if he was straightening an arrow with their help until he saw that we had learnt it from him. One day he came out, stood up (for Salat) and was about to say: Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest), (marking the beginning of the prayer) when he saw a man, whose chest was bulging out from the row. He said, "Slaves of Allah, you must straighten your rows or Allah would create dissension amongst you."

Abu Musa (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: A house in Al- Madinah caught fire at night and the roof and walls fell down upon the occupants. When this was reported to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) he said, "Fire is your enemy; so put it out before you go to bed"..

Abu Musa (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The similitude of guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like a rain which has fallen on some ground. A fertile part of earth has absorbed water and brought forth much grass and herbs. Another part, which is solid, held the water and Allah benefits men thereby, who drank and gave others to drink, and used it for irrigation. But some of it has fallen on a portion of sandy land which neither retains the water nor produces herbage. Such is the likeness of the man who understands the religion of Allah and who gets benefit of what Allah has sent me with; he learns and teaches others. It is also the likeness of the man who neither raises his head on that account (meaning he does not benefit from what the Prophet (ﷺ) was sent with) nor accepts Allah's Guidance with which I am sent"..

Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "My parable and that of yours is like a man who kindled a fire. When it has illuminated all around him, the moths and grasshoppers began to fall therein. He tried to push them away, but they overcame him and jumped into it. I am catching hold of your waists ties (to save you) from fire, but you slip away from my hands"..

Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded the licking of fingers (after eating) and the cleaning of the dish, saying: "You do not know in what portion the Blessing (of Allah) lies"..In another narration, Jabir said: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When a morsel of any of you falls down, you should pick it up and remove any dirt or dust on it and then eat it; and don't leave it for Satan; and do not wipe your hand with the towel until you have licked your fingers, for you do not know in what portion of the food the Barakah* (of Allah) lies".* Barakah is the abundance of goodness and its continuity.

'Abdullah bin Mughaffal (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prohibited flicking pebbles by the index finger and the thumb; and he said, "It does not kill a game animal nor does it inflict wound on the enemy, but breaks the tooth and gorges the eye"..

'Abis bin Rabi'ah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I saw 'Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) kissing the Black Stone (Al-Hajar Al-Aswad) and saying: "I know that you are just a stone and that you can neither do any harm nor give benefit. Had I not seen Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) kissing you, I would not have kissed you"..

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "If anyone introduces in our matter something which does not belong to it, will be rejected"..The narration in Muslim says: "If anybody introduces a practice which is not authenticated by me, it is to be rejected"

Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Whenever the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) delivered a Khutbah, his eyes would become red, his tone loud and he showed anger as if he were warning us against an army. He (ﷺ) would say, "The enemy is about to attack you in the morning and the enemy is advancing against you in the evening". He would further say, "I am sent with the final Hour like these two fingers of mine." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) held up his index finger and the middle finger together to illustrate. He used to add: "To proceed, the best speech is the Book of Allah and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (ﷺ), the worst practice is the introduction of new practices in Islam and every Bid'ah is a misguidance". He would also say, "I am, in respect of rights, nearer to every believer than his own self. He who leaves an estate, it belongs to his heirs, and he who leaves a debt, it is my responsibility to pay it off." . Same Hadith as reported by 'Irbad bin Sariyah (May Allah be pleased with him) has already been recorded in the previous chapter regarding safeguarding the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ).(See Hadith number 158)

Jarir bin 'Abdullah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: We were with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) shortly after dawn when there came to him some people clad in woollen rags, or covered with sleeveless blankets; and with swords hanging down from their necks. Most of them rather, all of them, belonged to the Mudar tribe. The face of the Prophet (ﷺ) changed when he saw them starving. Then he went into his house and came out; then he commanded Bilal (May Allah be pleased with him) to proclaim Adhan (call to prayers). So he proclaimed Adhan and recited Iqamah and the Prophet (ﷺ) led the Salat. Then he delivered a Khutbah saying, "O mankind! Be dutiful to your Rubb, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife (Eve), and from them both He created many men and women; and fear Allah through Whom you demand your (natural) rights, and do not sever the relations of kinship. Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you." (4:1) He also recited the Ayah which is in the end of Surat Al-Hashr: "O you who believe! Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every one look what he has sent forth for the tomorrow". (59:18). Thereafter, every man gave in charity Dinar, Dirham, clothes, measure-fulls of wheat and measure-fulls of dates till he said: "(Give in charity) be it half a date". Then a man of the Ansar came with a bag which was difficult for him to hold in his hand. Thereafter, the people came successively (with charity) till I saw two heaps of food and clothes. I noticed that the face of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was glowing like that of the bright moon or glittering gold. Then he (ﷺ) said, "Whosoever introduces a good practice in Islam, there is for him its reward and the reward of those who act upon it after him without anything being diminished from their rewards. And whosoever introduces an evil practice in Islam, will shoulder its sin and the sins of all those who will act upon it, without diminishing in any way their burden"

Ibn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The first son of Adam* takes a share of the guilt of every one who murders another wrongfully because he was the initiator of committing murder"..* The son of Adam in the Hadith is said to be Qabil. Allah tells us about his story in Surat Al-Ma'idah (The Table spread with Food). Verses 27-31.

Abu Mas'ud 'Uqbah bin 'Amr Al-Ansari Al-Badri (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whoever guides someone to virtue will be rewarded equivalent to him who practices that good action"..