*!* Forty Hadeeth On: The Islamic Personality *!*

Hadeeth 21

The Muslim Repents and Turns Back to Allah

From Abu Sa'eed al-Khudree (radiyallaahu 'anhu) who said that Allaah's Messenger said:

The example of the believer with regards to eemaan is like the example of a horse with regards to its tethering stake; it roams around and then returns to its tethering stake, and the believer is negligent and then he turns to his eemaan. So feed the pious with your food and treat the believers well.[39]

So he does not persist upon sin, or treat it lightly. Rather like the rest of the children of Aadam he commits many sins. However he is frequent in turning back in repentance to his Lord.

So what has preceded will clearly show us:
39.Reported by Ahmad (3/38,55)






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Hadeeth 22

The Essential Characteristics of his Personality

From Abu Hurairah (radiyallaahu 'anhu) who said that Allaah's Messenger said:

Two characteristics are not found together in a hypocrite: good manners and understanding of the Religion.
[40]
So his manners are the manners of the righteous people, and his behaviour that of the servants of the Lord of the worlds. He emulates the pious and follows in the footsteps of the sincere. His heart and his behaviour agree, he is not like the weak who take pains to put on a good appearance whereas their hearts are empty! His knowledge and understanding of the Religion is deep and springs from a good and sensitive heart, and precise memory. However his good manners and knowledge and understanding of the Religion do not prevent him from:

40.Reported by At-Tirmidhee (no.2685)

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Hadeeth 23

Honest Jesting

From Abu Hurairah (radiyallaahu 'anhu) who said: We said: O Messenger of Allaah! You jest with us? He said (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam):

Yes except that I do not say except what is true.[41]
So falsehood has no share of this, and lies cannot approach it. So his jesting is with words that are true. Nor does this mean that he is to expend all his time in lightheartedness and jesting. Rather in this and in all matters he follows the footsteps of the Companions, May Allaah be pleased with them all, and their way in this regard was:

41.Reported by at-Tirmidhee in as-Sunan (no.1991)




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Hadeeth 24

A Time for this and a Time for that

From Hanzalah al-Usayyidee who said:
Abu Bakr met me and asked: How are you O Hanzalah? I Replied: Hanzalah is guilty of hypocrisy! He said: Free is Allaah and far removed from all defects! What are you saying? I said: When we are with Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) and he reminds us of the Fire and Paradise it is as if we were seeing it with our own eyes. Then when we depart from Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) and attend our wives, our children and our business, then much of this slips from our mind. Abu Bakr said: By Allaah we also experience the same. So I went with Abu Bakr until we entered upon Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam). I said: Hanzalah is guilty of hypocrisy O Messenger of Allaah (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam). So Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) said: And how is that? I said When we are with you, you remind us of the Fire and of Paradise and it is as if we are seeing it with our own eyes. Then when we depart from you and attend our wives, our children and our business then much of this slips from our minds. So Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam said: By Him in whose hand is my soul if you remained continually as you are when you are with me and in remembering (Allaah) then the angels would shake hands with you upon your beds and upon your roads. But O Hanzalah, (there is) a time for this and a time for that, (there is) a time for this and a time for that, (there is) a time for this and a time for that.[42]
So both of these times are regulated by the orders of Allaah, as has preceded. His time for serious matters is regulated according to the Book and the Sunnah, and his jesting is kept free of anything forbidden and accompanied only by that which Allaah has prescribed.

So he does not, through negligence, allow his jesting to become a way in which he falls into sin. Indeed how could he do this when:

42.Reported by Muslim (Eng. Trans. Vol.4, p.1436,
no.6223)



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Hadeeth 25

He does not Take Sins Lightly

From Sahl ibn Sa'd (radiyallaahu 'anhu) who said that Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) said:

Beware of sins which are treated as being minor, just like a person who encamp in the centre of a valley, so someone brings a stick of firewood and someone else brings a stick until they are therefore able to bake their bread. Likewise sins which are treated as being minor and for which the person is taken to account will destroy him.[43]
So it is just as the noble companion 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ood said: The believer sees his sins as if he were sitting beneath a mountain which he feared was about to fall upon him, whereas the wicked sees his sins like a man who finds a fly settle upon his nose, so he does this (one of the narrators said: He brushes it away from his nose).[44]

The Muslim should realise the greatness of hid Lord, the One free and far from all imperfections, and His tremendous Power and Might, and he should not think of the sin as being great or small! Rather he should think of it with regard to the One he is disobeying.

Those sins which are ignored by the weak hearted cause their destruction by removing eemaan and fear of Allaah from their hearts.

When a person regards sins and acts of disobedience as something slight the he is one who is oppressing his own soul, and that should never occur, since:


43.Reported by Ahmad (5/331) and others
44.Reported by al-Bukharee (Eng. Trans. 8/214/no.320)




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Hadeeth 26

The Muslim does not Commit Oppression

From Jaabir ibn 'Abdullah (radiyallaahu 'anhu) who said that Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) said:

Beware of committing oppression for on the Day of Resurrection oppression will be darkness, and beware of avarice for avarice destroyed those who came before you, it led them into shedding blood and into making lawful that which was forbidden for them.[45]
Oppression is of two types:
(i) A person oppressing his own soul and (ii) his oppressing others. Both of these have been forbidden by Allaah, the One free and far from all imperfections. So a person oppressing his own soul causes him to feel at home with his sins and to commit them, and causes him to abandon acts of obedience to Allaah.

The true Muslim is far removed from all of this and furthermore:


45.Reported by Muslim (Eng. Trans. 4/1366/no.6248)




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Hadeeth 27

He is not a carrier of Malicious Reports!

From Anas ibn Maalik (radiyallaahu 'anhu) who said that Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) said: Do you know what calumny (al-'Adh) is? They said: Allaah and his Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) know best. He said:

Conveying the words of some people to others in order to create mischief between them.[46]
Tale-carrying is a foul disease; when it enters the heart it corrupts it, and when the heart is corrupt the rest of the body becomes corrupt and ones actions are destroyed.

The sickness of tale-carrying only finds a place in hearts which are filled with love of this world, the hearts of those who use the Religion for lowly and despicable ends, and we seek Allaah's refuge from that! However, as for the sincere Muslim who strives to follow and apply the guidance sent by his Lord, then:


46.Reported by al-Bukharee, al-Baihaqee and others

Hadeeth 28

He is not Attached to This World

From Sahl ibn Aa'd (radiyallaahu 'anhu) who said that Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) said:

Jibreel came to me and said: O Muhammad! Live as you will for you must certainly die; love whom you will since you must certainly leave him; act as you will since you shall certainly be given due reward for it; know that the believers eminence is his standing in prayer during the night, and his honour is having sufficiency without dependency upon the people.[47]

The person who lives attached to this world is poor with regard to his Religion and intellect, he does not realise that this worlds, for the one having no Religion is the road to degradation, the path to corruption and the key to evil and foul deeds. Whereas the Muslim who is sincere to his Lord and his own soul and with his brothers should be an excellent example to those who thirst after this world and the few dirhams and deenaars.

He should be a lesson for them that there is no good in that, and that good lies only in taking this world as a means of increasing one's rank with regard to the Religion and seeking to purify one's heart. However these two will not be achieved except through:

47.Reported by al-Haakim (4/324) and others.

Hadeeth 29

Disassociation from this World

From Aboo Umaamah Iyaas ibn Tha'labah who said:

The Companions of Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) mentioned this world one day in his presence, so Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) said: Will you not listen, will you not listen! Wearing old clothes is part if eemaan, wearing old clothes is part of eemaan![48]

Zuhd (abstemiousness) is to have little regard for this world, to manifest ones poverty and need before Allaah, to treat the servants of Allaah kindly and gently, to avoid spending lavishly upon clothing, food and drink, and to avoid fame.

Zuhd is not the rejection of the favours of Allaah, the One free and far removed from all defects, bestows upon some of His servants, rather it is as Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, rahimahullaah, said: Keep away from that which does not bring benefit, either because it contains no benefit at all, or because something other than it is more beneficial, so that by doing the first he would be missing greater benefit, or because it will produce something whose harm will grow to outweigh its benefit. But as regards things which are purely beneficial or predominantly, then avoidance of them is stupidity.[49] Therefore there is to be no abstemiousness with regard to:

48.Reported by Aboo Dawood (Eng. Trans. 3/1158/no.4149) and its chain of narration is hasan
49.Majmoo'ul Fataawaa (10/615)

Hadeeth 30

Good Actions

From Abu Hurairah (radiyallaahu 'anhu) who said that Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) said:

Charity (sadaqah) is due upon every joint of a person on every day that the sun rises. Administering justice between two people is an act of charity; and to help a man concerning his riding beast by helping him on to it or lifting his luggage on to it is an act of charity; a good word is charity; and every step which you take to prayer is charity; and removing that which is harmful from the road is charity.
[50]
So if the servant is able to spend all his days and nights in obedience to Allaah, and in doing actions pleasing to Him, then let him do so!

[Author's text abridged hereafter]

Even though abstemiousness is to be given special attention by the rich due to their ability to spend and their wealth, as opposed to the poor, then this will not prevent the Muslim, rich or poor, from having a contented and rich soul, since:


50.Reported by al-Bukharee (Eng. Trans. 4/146/no.232)




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Hadeeth 31

The Muslim is Contented and Satisfied

From Abu Hurairah (radiyallaahu 'anhu) who said that Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) said:

Richness is not having many belongings, but richness is the richness of the soul (contentment).[51]
So the greatest of riches you can attain, O servant of Allaah, is contentment of ones soul, and having a contented heart and this will not be achieved except through humbling oneself before Allaah, the One free from and far removed from all defects, and calling upon Him in supplication and in placing reliance upon Him. So he whose soul is contented and rich will increase in his.

51.Reported by Muslim (Eng. Trans. 2/501/no.2287)





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Hadeeth 32

Devotion to the Religion of Islaam

From Ka'b ibn Maalik al-Ansaaree (radiyallaahu 'anhu) who said that Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) said:

Two hungry wolves let loose amongst sheep will not cause more harm to them than a persons craving after wealth and status will do to his Religion.[52]
So flee, May Allaah have mercy upon you, from this mad craving after this world and its finery, and there is no salvation from that which has been destined for a person.
[Author's text abridged hereafter]

So he who wishes for salvation then let it be the case that his desire for his Religion is his foundation and guiding principle, if this is so then Allaah will protect him and protect his religion. Then from the comprehensive matters that should be known is:

52.Reported by Ahmad and others

Hadeeth 33

How the Muslim Deals with People

From Aa'ishah (radiyallaahu 'anhaa) who said that a man sought permission to enter upon the Prophet (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam), so he said:

Give permission to him and what a bad son of his people (or: what a bad man of his people). Then when he entered he spoke politely to him. Aa'ishah said: So I said: O Messenger of Allaah, you said about him what you said and then you spoke politely to him? He said: O Aa'ishah the worst people in station before Allaah on the Day of Resurrection are those whom the people desert, or abandon, in order to save themselves from their evil speech.[54]
[Author's text abridged hereafter]

It will also not be hidden that one of the best ways of cementing ties and improving relations is:


54.Reported by al-Bukharee (8/50/80)




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Hadeeth 34

Visiting Brothers

From Abu Hurairah (radiyallaahu 'anhu) who said that Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) said:

A man went out to visit a brother of his in a different village, so Allaah, the Most High, put an angel in wait for him in the road. So when the angel came to him he said: Where are you going? He said: I am going to visit a brother in this village. He said: Is it that you have done something for him for which you seek repayment? He said: No, it is just that I love him for Allaah's sake. He said: Then I am one sent by Allaah to you (to inform you) that Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, loves you, just as you have loved for His sake.[55]
[Author's text abridged hereafter]
Paradise) cannot be attained unless the incentive for it is:

55.Reported by Muslim (4/1362/no.6226)

Hadeeth 35

The Muslim's Character

From Abu Darda (radiyallaahu 'anhu) who said that Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) said:

There is nothing which is heavier upon the balance than the good character.
[56]
So by his character the Muslim turns enemies into friends, opponents into companions, and harsh people into those who are mild. Character is a commodity which is almost something rare amongst the people today, except amongst those who sincerely worship Allaah alone, Who are honest and true in the worship of the Lord of the Worlds. So good character refines the soul and enables that:


56.Reported by Ahmad (6/446 and 448)

Hadeeth 36

The Muslim Knows his Own Worth

From Abu Hurairah (radiyallaahu 'anhu) who said that Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) said:

There will come upon the people years of deceit in which the liar will be believed, the truthful disbelieved, the treacherous will be trusted and the trustworthy held to be treacherous, and the despicable (ar-Ruwaybidah) will speak out. It was said: Who are the despicable ones (ar-Ruwaybidah)? He said: The lowly, ignoble man who speaks out about the public affairs.[57] [Author's text abridged hereafter]

So it is binding upon the obedient servant that he should:

57.Reported by Ahmad, Ibn Majah and others, with weak chain of narration.




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Hadeeth 37

He Hopes for good for Himself and His Brothers

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From Jundub (radiyallaahu 'anhu) who said that the Messenger of Allaah (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) narrated:

That a man said: By Allaah, Allaah will not forgive so and so. Whereas Allaah, the Most High said: Who is it who swears by Me that I will not forgive so and so, for I have forgiven so and so, and have rendered your actions futile.

[59] [Author's text abridged hereafter]

The fear and hope that a Muslim has for his brothers does not prevent him from carrying out what Allaah has established with regard to:
59.Reported by Muslim (4/1381/no.6350)

Hadeeth 38

Ordering Good and Forbidding Evil

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From Aboo Sa'eed al-Khudree (radiyallaahu 'anhu) who said:

Allaah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihi wa'sallam) stood amongst us to deliver an address, and from his address was that he said: Indeed it is about to occur that I will be called and will respond. Then after me will follow rulers over you who say what they have knowledge of, and act upon what they know. Obedience to them is obedience to me, and you remain like that for a time. Then there will follow rulers over you after them who say what they do not have knowledge of and act according to what they do not have knowledge of. So whoever is sincere to them and assists them, or strengthens them then they are destroyed and have caused destruction. Accompany them with your bodies and differ with them by your actions, and bear witness for the doer of good from them that he is a doer of good, and for the doer of evil that he is a doer of evil.[63]
[Author's text abridged hereafter]
In ordering good and forbidding evil, the Muslim is careful of:

63..Reported by al-Baihaqee in az-Zuhdul Kabeer (no.191)

Hadeeth 39

Being Cautious to Avoid Animosity and Dissention

From Jaabir ibn 'Abdullah (radiyallaahu 'anhu) who said that Allaah's Messenger said:

Indeed Satan has despaired that those who pray should worship (him) in the Arabian peninsular, however (he seeks) to provoke animosity between them.[65]
So perhaps a word which one does not realise allows to escape from his tongue and it falls upon one of the servants of Allaah, or a mistake he makes, perhaps this will cause a great fire to blaze in the hearts of the brothers.

This is the most Satan desires and it causes him to be joyful and happy. So what we have indicated certainly occurs and is bound to occur and it leads to widespread evil and great danger, so since this is the case, then what is:

65.Muslim (Eng. Trans. 4/1471/no.6752)




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