The Importance of Learning Hadeeth

[madeenahsh]

The Importance of Learning Hadeeth
Written by Shaykh ‘Abdullaah Nasir Rehmaani
Taken from: A taped lecture given on 21/02/06



All praises are due to Allaah, we praise Him, we seek His aid and we seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allaah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our actions. Whomsoever Allaah guides, then there is no one to misguide him and whomsoever Allaah leaves to go astray, then there is no one to guide him. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allaah, alone, without any partner and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.



To Proceed:



Indeed, the best speech is the speech of Allaah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). The worst affairs are the newly invented matters and every newly invented matter is an innovation. Every innovation is misguidance and every misguidance is in the hellfire.



‘O Allaah, send prayers upon Muhammad and the followers of Muhammad, just as You sent prayers upon Ibraheem and upon the followers of Ibraheem. Verily, You are full of praise and majesty. O Allaah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, just as You sent blessings upon Ibraheem and upon the family of Ibraheem. Verily, You are full of praise and majesty.’



Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala) says in the Qur’aan:



“O you who believe! Obey Allaah, and obey the Messenger (Muhammad) and render not vain your deeds.” (Muhammad 47:33)



Verily having a relationship with the Hadeeth of Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is extremely important. Imaam ash-Shaafi’ee (rahimhullaah) used to say: “Who ever studies Hadeeth, his daleel is the strongest.” This statement of Imam ash-Shaafi’ee is indicative towards the statement of the Messenger (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in which he said: “There will not cease to be a group from my Ummah manifest and upon the truth, not being harmed by those who forsake them neither by those who oppose them.” The reason behind such uniqueness is that they have the Qur’aan and Sunnah. And, no one can overpower the Qur’aan and the Sunnah.



Ameer ul-Mumineen ‘Umar bin al-Khattaab (radee Allaahu ‘anhu) used to say: “The people of opinions (Ahlul Raai) will argue with you using the aayaat from Qur’aan (i.e. they will interpret the aayaat based on their desires)”, then he said: “So you grab them with the Sunnah (Hadeeth) of the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) for verily before the status of Sunnah these people are tired”, and these people are away from the memorisation of Sunnah (Hadeeth) and implementation upon it. Thus the relationship with the Hadeeth of Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is a sign of virtue amongst the people of correct understanding.



The Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) supplicated by saying: “May Allaah make pleasant (i.e. illuminate, brighten) the face of the man who heard a hadeeth from me, memorised it and then conveyed it (to others) just as he heard it.” [2]



This supplication applies to that person who enjoins three types of relationship with the hadeeth of Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam):



1. Hears a hadeeth: meaning that he loves to listen to the sayings of Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) until it resides in his heart. When he listens to the hadeeth his heart feels a difference. That difference is not that which makes his heart constrict and in turn turning him away from the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) but rather it illuminates his heart in a manner that increases his love towards the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). And then:

2. He preserves it: meaning he memorises the hadeeth and implements upon it. The Sahaabah (radee Allaahu ‘anhum) did not find a better way to memorise a hadeeth except by implementing upon what their hearts preserved and when they implemented on the hadeeth they would consider it to be preserved. And then:

3. Conveys it (to others) just as he heard it: by fulfilling the right of ‘Amaanah’ [Trust]. It is incumbent upon every Muslim to establish this relationship as there is much blessing in it and the one who is unable to establish this falls in the trap of shaaytan. The protection from innovations and the traps of shaaytan can only be achieved from the hadeeth of Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).



The status of an innovator is not unknown and his end is very grave. Sahl bin ‘Abdullaah Tustharee (rahimhullaah) was an esteemed scholar of Hadeeth and he used to make many sound statements about the ‘Manhaj.’ He (rahimhullaah) said: “Any person who does an action, Allaah on the Day of Judgment will ask from him the proof for those actions and if he succeeded in presenting the proof then he will be from the people of Paradise, but if he is unable to present the proof then he will be from the people of Hellfire.” Indeed, Qur’aan and Hadeeth is a distinction between Paradise and Hellfire thus it is incumbent that our ‘Aqeedah, Manhaj, Actions, behaviour, life and death are based upon daleel (proof) and that they are in accordance with Qur’aan and Hadeeth. Sahl bin ‘Abdullaah’s statement is in accordance with the Qur’aan where Allaah says:



“How (will it be) then, when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you (O Muhammad SAW) as a witness against these people?” (An-Nisa 4:41)



This witness is regarding the actions of the servant. A person is standing before his Creator and his actions are being judged. They may include Salaah, Hajj, Fasting, etc., and Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala) will make the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) a criterion for judging those actions. If those deeds were in accordance with the Sunnah of Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) then that person will be successful. If those actions are not in accordance with the Sunnah and they include innovations then his repentance is not accepted. Such a person is unsuccessful.



The Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam] said: “Indeed, Allaah does not accept the repentance of an innovator, until he ceases from the innovation.” [3] And, abandoning of innovations can only occur if one holds on to the Sunnah of Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). A person when he reads the hadeeth of Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and implements upon them then he will be away from innovations but when he abandons this methodology then he falls in the traps of shaaytan.



The Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “And whomsoever from amongst you lives, then he shall see much differing. So adhere strictly to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of Rightly Guided Caliphs after me. Hold onto it with your molar teeth and beware of newly invented affairs, since every newly invented affair is an innovation and every innovation is a misguidance.” [4]. This hadeeth shows that the only way one can protect himself from these innovations is by holding onto the Sunnah of Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) with a strong hold so that nothing can loosen it. This is why the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “I have left two things that you shall not go astray after them so long as you stick to them: the Book of Allaah and My Sunnah.” [5] These ahaadeeth are like the strong castles that protect us from all the traps of shaaytan. A person, when he adheres to the Sunnah of Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) then he is strong in dunya and akhirah. The Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Any person who hears my hadeeth and then acts in accordance with it then none can establish proof against him.” [6] This is what Imaam ash-Shaafi’ee meant when he said that: “…the person who studies hadeeth his proof is the strongest.”



A person who posses the following qualities none can challenge him and they cannot establish proof against him on the Day of Judgement:



a) He hears the hadeeth of Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and:

b) Agrees with what he hears by implementing upon it.



Islaam is the religion that is strange as the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Islam began as something strange and will revert to being strange as it began, so give glad tidings to the strangers.” [7] It is possible that those who adhere to the Sunnah of Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) they may face difficulties in the dunya but none can challenge them on the Day of Judgement. Allaah (subhaanahu wa ta’aala) says:



“And they say: ‘None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian.’ These are their own desires. Say (O Muhammad): ‘Produce your proof if you are truthful’.” (Al-Baqarah 2:111)



And, proof is Qur’aan and hadeeth. The one who is enriched with these two he is the companion of daleel and none can establish proof against him on the Day of Judgement.



Ayyoob as-Sikhtiyaani, a great scholar of hadeeth and a narrator of Bukhaaree and Muslim used to say: “Even if I had an itch on my head I would want to scratch it according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam”, meaning he wanted all of his actions to be in accordance with the hadeeth of the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). And on the authority of Abee Hurayrah (radee Allaahu ‘anhu) who narrated that the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “All of my Ummah will enter Paradise except those who refuse.” So it was asked: “And who would refuse, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said: “Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise and whoever disobeys me will enter the Fire (of Hell).” [8] The Ummah of Muhammad (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is left upon a straight path and those who stay on the straight path will never go astray. This straight path is the path of our Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, his Sahaabah and Allaah the Most high:



“Verily, my Lord is on the straight Path (the truth).” (Hud 11:56)



Indeed those who follow the Sunnah of Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) regardless of the time and place they are upon that ‘Siraat-ul-Mustaqeem’ and Allaah says:



“So hold you (O Muhammad) fast to that which is inspired in you. Verily, you are on a Straight Path.” (Az-Zukhruf 43:43)



The Messenger of Allaah (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) clarified the flawless methodology in more than one authentic hadeeth. The Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) drew a straight line on the ground one day. Then he drew short lines all around the straight line, on both sides of it. Then he recited Allaah's Statement, Blessed and Exalted:



“And verily, this is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path. This He has ordained for you that you may become Al-Muttaqoon.” (Al-An’am 6:153)



After the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) read the verse, he ran his finger along the straight path and said: “This is the Path of Allaah, and these paths on its sides, the sides of the straight path, there is a shaaytan at the head of every path, calling the people to it.” [9]



Thus this relationship with the Sunnah is a blessing and it is incumbent upon every student of hadeeth to understand these important aspects.



‘Abdullaah bin Mubarak (rahimhullaah) advised those students who started learning hadeeth by saying: “There are six levels for a student of hadeeth:



1) Ikhlas (sincerity): A student of hadeeth should develop ikhlas and set forth on this journey purely for the sake of Allaah.



2) Hearing (the hadeeth): There are two ways in this: a) The Shaykh reads the hadeeth and the students listen to him; b) The student reads and the Shaykh listens. Both ways are considered important and acceptable by the Scholars of hadeeth. If the student hears of a scholar of hadeeth then he should go to him even if it requires travel. Sufyaan ath-Thawri (rahimhullaah) said: “If an Alim, Muhaddith, Faqeeh is sitting on a mountain top then that is a Jamaa’ah and it is necessary that the student climbs the mountain and learn from him.”



3) Understanding: Meaning the correct Understanding. This can be only achieved if one understands that the correct methodology lies with the Sahaabah. The correct understanding of hadeeth is extremely important and is a foundation for one’s Deen because if his understanding gets corrupted then he will fall in the traps of shaaytan. It is important to mention that if one wants to truly understand any aspect of Qur’aan and Sunnah then he has to learn from the scholars. If a person reads a book by himself then he will understand it according to his desires which can cause him to go astray but if he learns from a scholar then he will be enlightened with ikhlaas and light of knowledge. The hearts will unite and the scholar will share with him what he learnt from his teachers thus increasing the blessing and understanding. The scholars of hadeeth used to give extreme importance to learning from a scholar so much so that they used to criticise those who did not learn from scholars. Imam adh-Dhahabee criticised a person by saying: “He does not have any Shaykh.” Imaam Auzaaee (rahimhullaah) used to say: “The knowledge of hadeeth was very blessed but there came a point when this entered in books and thus those who were not qualified entered.” These people used to buy books and read them according to their desires without learning from scholars.



4) Memorising it: The knowledge should be listened with utmost attention so that it will enter the heart and illuminate it. As mentioned earlier, the Sahaabah did not consider a hadeeth to be memorised until they implemented upon it.



5) Acting upon it: With action the hadeeth enters the heart with complete firmness.



6) Conveying that knowledge: To others with care and by fulfilling all the rights of ‘Amaanah’ [trust]. The Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “Convey from me, even if it is a single aayah” [10] The Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “Whoever is questioned pertaining to such knowledge that he has and thereafter conceals it, will be bridled by a rein of fire.” [11]



May Allaah grant us the correct understanding and the ability to implement on it amen!



And Allaah Knows Best.



Translator’s Note: This work is a brief summary on what the Shaykh said and this translation may contain mistakes. The Shaykh is Free from any mistake I made in this translation. May Allaah make this a benefit for us in this dunya and akhirah, amen!



Footnotes:

[2] Sharh us-Sunnah of al-Baghawee (1/235-236 no.112), Saheeh Sunan at-Tirmidhee (2139), Saheeh Sunan Aboo Daawood (3108), Saheeh Sunan Ibn Maajah (2480), Saheeh at-Targheeb (4, 85, 86)

[3] Saheeh: Relate by at-Tabaraanee in al-Aswat (no. 4360) and others. It was authenticated by Shaykh Al-Albaanee (rahimhullaah) in Silsilatul-Ahadeeth us-Saheehah (no. 1620)

[4] Saheeh: Related by Aboo Daawood (no. 4607); at-Tirmidhee (no. 2676)

[5] Haakim

[6] Musnad Ahmed

[7] Muslim

[8] Al-Bukhaaree (7280)

[9] An authentic hadeeth collected by Ahmed and ad-Daarimee

[10] Saheeh Bukhaaree, Saheeh at-Tirmidhee and others

[11] At-Tirmidhee



Source: darulehsaan.com

[Protected_Diamond]

:sl: warhmatulahi wabarakathu

“And whomsoever from amongst you lives, then he shall see much differing. So adhere strictly to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of Rightly Guided Caliphs after me. Hold onto it with your molar teeth and beware of newly invented affairs, since every newly invented affair is an innovation and every innovation is a misguidance.”

Alhamdulilah, like you said sis it's very important to refer to the sunnah and the quran sharif insha Allah

:w: warhmatulahi wabarakathu

[Muhammad]

:sl:

Masha'Allaah a very beneficial thread.

Verily having a relationship with the Hadeeth of Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is extremely important. Imaam ash-Shaafi’ee (rahimhullaah) used to say: “Who ever studies Hadeeth, his daleel is the strongest.” This statement of Imam ash-Shaafi’ee is indicative towards the statement of the Messenger (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in which he said: “There will not cease to be a group from my Ummah manifest and upon the truth, not being harmed by those who forsake them neither by those who oppose them.” The reason behind such uniqueness is that they have the Qur’aan and Sunnah. And, no one can overpower the Qur’aan and the Sunnah.



Ameer ul-Mumineen ‘Umar bin al-Khattaab (radee Allaahu ‘anhu) used to say: “The people of opinions (Ahlul Raai) will argue with you using the aayaat from Qur’aan (i.e. they will interpret the aayaat based on their desires)”, then he said: “So you grab them with the Sunnah (Hadeeth) of the Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) for verily before the status of Sunnah these people are tired”, and these people are away from the memorisation of Sunnah (Hadeeth) and implementation upon it. Thus the relationship with the Hadeeth of Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is a sign of virtue amongst the people of correct understanding.



The Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) supplicated by saying: “May Allaah make pleasant (i.e. illuminate, brighten) the face of the man who heard a hadeeth from me, memorised it and then conveyed it (to others) just as he heard it.” [2]



This supplication applies to that person who enjoins three types of relationship with the hadeeth of Prophet (sall-Allaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam):

...