Halal and Haram

On the authority of an-Nu’man ibn Basheer (ra), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say, “That which is lawful is clear and that which is unlawful is clear, and between the two of them are doubtful matters about which many people do not know. Thus he who avoids doubtful matters clears himself in regard to his religion and his honor, but he who falls into doubtful matters [eventually] falls into that which is unlawful, like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary, all but grazing therein. Truly every king has a sanctuary, and truly Allah’s sanctuary is His prohibitions. Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh, which, if it be whole, all the body is whole, and which, if it is diseased, all of [the body] is diseased. Truly, it is the heart.”

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (ra): The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Allah the Almighty is Good and accepts only that which is good. And verily Allah has commanded the believers to do that which He has commanded the Messengers. So the Almighty has said: “O (you) Messengers! Eat of the tayyibat [all kinds of halal (legal) foods], and perform righteous deeds.” [23:51] and the Almighty has said: “O you who believe! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you.” [2:172]” Then he (ﷺ) mentioned [the case] of a man who, having journeyed far, is disheveled and dusty, and who spreads out his hands to the sky saying “O Lord! O Lord!,” while his food is haram (unlawful), his drink is haram, his clothing is haram, and he has been nourished with haram, so how can [his supplication] be answered?

On the authority of Abu Abdullah Jabir bin Abdullah al-Ansaree (may Allah be pleased with him) that: A man questioned the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, “Do you think that if I perform the obligatory prayers, fast in Ramadhan, treat as lawful that which is halal, and treat as forbidden that which is haram, and do not increase upon that [in voluntary good deeds], then I shall enter Paradise?” He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied, “Yes.”

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "He who believes in Allah and the Last Day must either speak good or remain silent."

Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "Who is the most excellent among the Muslims?" He said, "One from whose tongue and hands the other Muslims are secure."

Sahl bin Sa'd (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whosoever gives me a guarantee to safeguard what is between his jaws and what is between his legs, I shall guarantee him Jannah."

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, "A person utters a word thoughtlessly (i.e., without thinking about its being good or not) and, as a result of this, he will fall down into the fire of Hell deeper than the distance between the east and the west."

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "A man utters a word pleasing to Allah without considering it of any significance for which Allah exalts his ranks (in Jannah); another one speaks a word displeasing to Allah without considering it of any importance, and for this reason he will sink down into Hell."

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Do you know what is backbiting?" The Companions said: "Allah and His Messenger know better." Thereupon he said, "Backbiting is talking about your (Muslim) brother in a manner which he dislikes." It was said to him: "What if my (Muslim) brother is as I say." He said, "If he is actually as you say, then that is backbiting; but if that is not in him, that is slandering."

Abu Bakrah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: Delivering the sermon during the Farewell Pilgrimage on the day of Sacrifice at Mina, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Verily your blood, your property and your honour are as sacred and inviolable as the sanctity of this day of yours, in this month of yours and in this town of yours. Verily! I have conveyed this message to you."

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The blood, honour and property of a Muslim is inviolable for another Muslim."

'Itban bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) said in his long Hadith cited in the Chapter entitled 'Hope' reported: When the Prophet (ﷺ) stood up to offer As-Salat (the prayer) he asked, "Where is Malik bin Ad-Dukhshum?" A man replied: "He is a hypocrite. He does not love Allah and His Messenger." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Do not say that. Do you not know that he said: La ilaha illallah (there is no true god except Allah),' seeking His Pleasure. Allah has made the fire of Hell unlawful for him who affirms that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah."

Ka'b bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) said in his long story about his repentance: The Prophet (ﷺ) was sitting among the people in Tabuk. He (ﷺ) said, "What happened to Ka'b bin Malik?" A person from the tribe of Banu Salamah said: "O Messenger of Allah! the embellishment of his cloak and an appreciation of his sides have allured him, and he was thus detained." Mu'adh bin Jabal (May Allah be pleased with him) said: "Woe be upon you! You have passed indecent remarks. O Messenger of Allah! by Allah, we know nothing about him but good." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) remained silent..

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: A man sought permission for audience with the Prophet (ﷺ). He said, "Give him permission but he is a bad member of his tribe."

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I do not think that so-and-so understands anything of our Faith."Al-Bukhari said: Al- Laith bin Sa'd, who is one of the narrators of this Hadith, said: The two men mentioned by the Prophet (ﷺ) in this Hadith were hypocrites (i.e., they revealed Faith and concealed disbelief).

Fatimah bint Qais (May Allah be pleased with her) said: I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said to him: "Muawiyah and Abul-Jahm sent me a proposal of marriage." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Muawiyah is destitute and he has no property, and Abul-Jahm is very hard on women."

Zaid bin Al-Arqam (May Allah be pleased with him) said: We set out on a journey along with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and we faced many hardships. 'Abdullah bin Ubaiy (the chief of the hypocrites at Al- Madinah) said to his friends: "Do not spend on those who are with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) until they desert him." He also said: "If we return to Al-Madinah, the more honourable (meaning himself, i.e., Abdullah bin Ubaiy) will drive out therefrom the meaner (meaning Messenger of Allah (ﷺ))." I went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and informed him about that and he sent someone to 'Abdullah bin Ubaiy. He asked him whether he had said that or not. Abdullah took an oath that he had not done anything of that sort and said that it was Zaid who carried a false tale to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Zaid said: I was so much perturbed because of this until this Verse was revealed verifying my statement:"When the hypocrites come to you (O Muhammad (ﷺ)), they say: 'We bear witness that you are indeed the Messenger of Allah.' Allah knows that you are indeed His Messenger, and Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are liars indeed." (63:1) Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called the hypocrites in order to seek forgiveness for them from Allah, but they turned away their heads..

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: Hind, the wife of Abu Sufyan, said to the Prophet (ﷺ): Abu Sufyan is a niggardly man and does not give me and my children adequate provisions for maintenance unless I take something from his possession without his knowledge. The Prophet (ﷺ) said to her, "Take from his possessions on a reasonable basis that much which may suffice for you and your children."

Hudhaifah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The person who goes about with calumnies will never enter Jannah."

Ibn 'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed by two graves and said, "Both of them (the persons in these graves) are being tortured, and they are not being tortured for a cardinal sin. But indeed they are great sins. One of them used not to save himself from being soiled with his urine, and the other one used to go about with calumnies (among the people to rouse hostilities, e.g., one goes to a person and tells him that so-and-so says about him such and such evil things)."