Ahadith

Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah relates that the Holy Prophet said: Allah has forbidden you disobedience of parents, miserliness, false claims, and the burying alive of female infants and has disapproved for you idle talk, too much asking and waste (Bokhari and Muslim).

Ibn Umar relates that the Holy Prophet said: The highest virtue is that a person should be benevolent towards his father’s friends (Muslim).

Abdullah ibn Dinar relates about Abdullah ibn Umar that a desert Arab chanced to meet him on the way to Mecca; Abdullah ibn Umar greeted him, asked him to ride with him on the donkey he was riding and gave him the turban he was wearing. Abdullah ibn Dinar relates: We said to him: May Allah be good to you, these rustics are pleased with little. Abdullah ibn Umar said: This man’s father was my father’s friend and I have heard the Holy Prophet say: The highest virtue is that a person should be benevolent towards his father’s friends and the members of their families (Muslim).

Ibn Dinar relates about Abdullah ibn Umar that when the latter travelled to Mecca and got tired riding a camel, he would take it easy riding on a donkey of his, and would wind a turban round his head. When one day he was riding on his donkey a desert Arab passed by him and he said to him: Are you not So and So son of So and So? The man said: Indeed. Abdullah gave him the donkey and said: Ride it; and gave him his turban and said: Wind it round your head. Some of his companions said to him. May Allah forgive you, you have given this rustic the donkey on which you took your ease and the turban that you wound round your head. He said: I have heard the Holy Prophet say: It is of the highest virtue that a person should be benevolent towards the members of the families of the friends of his father after his death. This man’s father was a friend of my father (Muslim). (Al-Ahzab 35, Al-Hajj 34)

Malik ibn Rabi‘a Sa‘idi relates that they were sitting with the Holy Prophet when a man of the Bani Salamah came and asked: Messenger of Allah, is there anything by means of which I can exercise benevolence towards my parents after their death? He answered: Yes; by praying for them and asking forgiveness for them, fulfilling their promises, exercising benevolence towards those related through them and honouring their friends (Abu Daud). (Al-Ahzab 35, Al-Hajj 34)

Ayesha relates: I did not envy any of the wives of the Holy Prophet so much as I envied Khadijah, though I had never seen her. The Holy Prophet mentioned her often. When a goat was slaughtered, he would cut it into pieces and send them to Khadijah’s friends. Sometimes I would say to him: You talk of her as if there never was any woman in the world beside Khadijah; and he would say: She was such and such, and I had children from her (Bokhari and Muslim). One version is: He would slaughter a goat and send the meat to her friends as a present as much as was available. Another version is: When a goat was slaughtered he would say: Send out of it to Khadijah’s friends. On one occasion, Halah bint Khuwailad, sister of Khadijah, asked permission of the Holy Prophet to come in. He recognised and recalled the manner. of Khadijah and was deeply moved. He exclaimed, O Allah, let it be Halah bint Khuwailad. (Az-Zumar 2)

Anas ibn Malik relates that he went on a journey with Jarir ibn Abdullah Bujali and the latter served him though he was older than Anas. So Anas said to him: Do not do so. He replied: I saw the Ansar serve the Holy Prophet with such devotion that I made a vow that whenever I am in the company of any of them I must serve him (Bokhari and Muslim). (Az-Zumar 2)

Yazid ibn Hayyan relates that Husain ibn Sabrah, Amr ibn Muslim and he went to Zaid ibn Arqam and when they had sat down with him Husain said to him: Zaid, you have gathered a great amount of good. You saw the Holy Prophet, you heard him talk, you fought along with him, you performed the salat behind him. You have indeed garnered a great amount of good, Zaid. Now relate to us what you heard from the Holy Prophet. He said: Nephew, I have arrived at old age and have become ancient, and some of the things that I used to remember from the Holy Prophet I have forgotten. So what I might relate that accept, and do not force me to recall that which I leave out. The Holy Prophet addressed us at Khumma, a spring between Mecca and Medina. He rendered praise to Allah and glorified Him and admonished and exhorted us and then said: O ye people, I am but a man and soon the messenger of my Lord will come and I shall respond to him. I am leaving with you two weighty things. The first is the Book of Allah, in it there is guidance and light. Take fast hold of the Book of Allah and adhere to it. He emphasised this and urged recourse to the Book of Allah. Then he said: The second are the members of my family. I admonish you in the name of Allah concerning members of my family, I admonish you in the name of Allah concerning members of my family. Husain said: Zaid, who are the members of his family? Are not his wives the members of his family? Zaid said: His wives are members of his family and also those who are forbidden to accept alms after him. Husain asked: Who are they? Zaid said: They are the descendants of Ali, Aqil, Ja‘far and Abbas. They have all been forbidden to accept alms? Zaid said: Yes (Muslim). Another version is: Hearken, I am leaving with you two weighty things. One is the Book of Allah; it is the rope of Allah. He who follows it will be rightly guided; and he who discards it will be astray.

Ibn Umar relates that Abu Bakr said: Honour Muhammad by honouring the members of his family (Bokhari). (Az-Zumar 2)

Ugbah ibn Amr relates that the Holy Prophet said: When people are gathered for Prayer, the one who is best versed of them in the recitation of the Quran should lead the Prayer; should they be all equal in that respect, then the one who is best versed of them in the sunnah; should they be all equal in that respect, then the one of them who migrated earliest; and should they be all equal in that respect then the oldest of them in age. No one should lead the Prayer in place of another without his permission, nor occupy another’s seat in his house without his permission (Muslim). In one version there occurs: the seniormost of them in accepting Islam; in place of the oldest of them in age. Another version is: The leader in Prayer should be the best versed from among the congregation in the Book of Allah; should they be all equal in that respect then the seniormost of them in migration; and should they be all equal in that respect, the oldest of them in age. (Az-Zumar 2)