السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh
أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم
A'udhu billahi minash shaitanir rajim
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Bismillahir rahmanir rahim
عَنْ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ أَيْضًا قَالَ: " بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ جُلُوسٌ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ، إذْ طَلَعَ عَلَيْنَا رَجُلٌ شَدِيدُ بَيَاضِ الثِّيَابِ، شَدِيدُ سَوَادِ الشَّعْرِ، لَا يُرَى عَلَيْهِ أَثَرُ السَّفَرِ، وَلَا يَعْرِفُهُ مِنَّا أَحَدٌ. حَتَّى جَلَسَ إلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه و سلم . فَأَسْنَدَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ إلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ، وَوَضَعَ كَفَّيْهِ عَلَى فَخْذَيْهِ،
وَقَالَ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ أَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ الْإِسْلَامِ.
فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم الْإِسْلَامُ أَنْ تَشْهَدَ أَنْ لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَتُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةَ، وَتُؤْتِيَ الزَّكَاةَ، وَتَصُومَ رَمَضَانَ، وَتَحُجَّ الْبَيْتَ إنْ اسْتَطَعْت إلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا.
قَالَ: صَدَقْت . فَعَجِبْنَا لَهُ يَسْأَلُهُ وَيُصَدِّقُهُ!
قَالَ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ الْإِيمَانِ.
قَالَ: أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاَللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ، وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْقَدَرِ خَيْرِهِ وَشَرِّهِ.
قَالَ: صَدَقْت. قَالَ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ الْإِحْسَانِ.
قَالَ: أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّك تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاك.
قَالَ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ السَّاعَةِ. قَالَ: مَا الْمَسْئُولُ عَنْهَا بِأَعْلَمَ مِنْ السَّائِلِ.
قَالَ: فَأَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ أَمَارَاتِهَا؟ قَالَ: أَنْ تَلِدَ الْأَمَةُ رَبَّتَهَا، وَأَنْ تَرَى الْحُفَاةَ الْعُرَاةَ الْعَالَةَ رِعَاءَ الشَّاءِ يَتَطَاوَلُونَ فِي الْبُنْيَانِ. ثُمَّ انْطَلَقَ، فَلَبِثْنَا مَلِيًّا،
ثُمَّ قَالَ: يَا عُمَرُ أَتَدْرِي مَنْ السَّائِلُ؟.
قُلْتُ: اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ.
قَالَ: فَإِنَّهُ جِبْرِيلُ أَتَاكُمْ يُعَلِّمُكُمْ دِينَكُمْ ". رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ [رقم:8].
A’n Omar radi Allah a’anho qal “bainama nahn jloos i’end rassol Alla (saw) dhat yaom, idh talaa’ a’alina rajolon shadeed bayad altheab, shadeed sawad al shaa’r, la yora a’alaih atharo assafar, w la yaa’rifoho minna ahad. Hatta jalasa ila annabee (saw). Fasnada rokbataeh ila rokbataeh w wadaa’ kaffaih ala fakhidaeeh, w qal: ya Mohammad akbernee a’an alislam, fqal: rasool Allah (saw), an tashhada ana la illah illa allah w an Mohammadan rasool Allah, w toqeem alsalah, w tootee alzakah, w tasoom Ramadan, w tahij albeit in istata’at ilaih sabela. Qal: sadaqt. Faa’ajebna laho yasaloho w yosaddeq. Qal: fakhbernee a’an alieeman. Qal: an toomen ba Allah w malaeekateh w kotebeh w rosoleh w alyaoom al akher khaireh w sharrih. Qal: sadaqt. Qaal fakhbernee an alihsan. Qal an taa’bod Allah kaanak trah fien lam takon tarah fienah yrak. Qal: fakhbernee a’n alsaa’ah. Qal: ma almasool a’anha biaa’lam men alsaiel. Qal: fakhbernee a’an amarateha? Qal: an talida alaamah rabbataha, w an tra alhofat alo’rat ala’alah roa’a alshai ytatawaloon albonyan. Thom intalaq. Falabethna Malian. Thom qal: ya Omar atadree man alsaeel? Qolt allah w rasooloh aa’lam. Qal: faenaho jebreel atakom yo’alemakom denakom.” Rawah Muslim
"While we were one day sitting with the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, there appeared before us a man dressed in extremely white clothes and with very black hair. No traces of journeying were visible on him, and none of us knew him. He sat down close by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, rested his knee against his thighs, and said, O Muhammad! Inform me about Islam." Said the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, "Islam is that you should testify that there is no deity save Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, that you should perform salah(ritual prayer), pay the zakah, fast during Ramadan, and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah), if you can find a way to it (or find the means for making the journey to it)." Said he (the man), "You have spoken truly." We were astonished at his thus questioning him and telling him that he was right, but he went on to say, "Inform me about iman (faith)." He (the Messenger of Allah) answered, "It is that you believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers and in the Last Day, and in fate (qadar), both in its good and in its evil aspects." He said, "You have spoken truly." Then he (the man) said, "Inform me about Ihsan." He (the Messenger of Allah) answered, " It is that you should serve Allah as though you could see Him, for though you cannot see Him yet He sees you." He said, "Inform me about the Hour." He (the Messenger of Allah) said, "About that the one questioned knows no more than the questioner." So he said, "Well, inform me about the signs thereof (i.e. of its coming)." Said he, "They are that the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress, that you will see the barefooted ones, the naked, the destitute, the herdsmen of the sheep (competing with each other) in raising lofty buildings." Thereupon the man went off. I waited a while, and then he (the Messenger of Allah) said, "O 'Umar, do you know who that questioner was?" I replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better." He said, "That was Jibril. He came to teach you your religion." [Muslim]
Basically, while Muhammad saw was giving a sermon, a man with very black hair and very white clothes came and sat in front of Muhammad and started asking a bunch of questions. Here, normally when someone asks a question, it means that the person doesn't know the answer, but this stranger actually affirms the Prophet's saw answers, like a teacher affirming the answer of a student. Aside from the peculiar manner of the interaction between this stranger and Muhammad saw, was also the strangers appearance. He appeared clean and tidy, not exactly how someone would look like if he'd been on a journey. People then didn't have cars or trains, so when travelling, they'll be on camels, or walking and you'd NOTICE that a person has been traveling; dust in the hair, unwashed body, dust and stained clothes. But this stranger was clean and groomed.
Why would we say he was on a journey? Because no one gathered there knew who this stranger was. Now, society in those days were completely different than ours today. Everyone knew everyone living in the same village and most likely knew each others business as well. So, since no one even knew this stranger, then definitely, he's not from around there.
Why is this hadith important? Because it summarizes the essence and practices of a Muslim. Like the al-Fatihah is the mother of the al-Quran as it summarizes what Islam is, this hadith is the mother of the sunnah.
While the first hadith (concerning the deeds of a person) is the theory of a Muslim's life, the second hadith is the practicals of a Muslim's life, and as we will see later, the third hadith is the application of Islam in a Muslim's life. As medical students, we sit in class learning the theories, like how to perform and IV injection (1st hadith). Then we do actually do hold a syringe and practice on either a dummy or a live patient (in some cases, on each other) (2nd hadith). They in our last few years of medical school, we learn when to actually use IV injections as not all drugs are required as IV administration in all cases. If you want fast result then of course IV, if not necessary, then other ways such as IM, PO, PR (3rd hadith)
The important thing in this hadith is the conversation between the stranger and Muhammad saw.
The first question
What is Islam? Here, the answer enumerates the 5 pillars of Islam:
- Shahadah (الشهادة)
- Solat ( صلاة)
- Zakat (زكاة)
- Fasting during Ramadan (تَصُومَ رَمَضَانَ)
- Hajj (حج)
The shahadah is the first step to being a Muslim, and it is something that a Muslim takes to the grave. It is bearing witness to everyone and everything in this world that Allah is the one and only God, and that Muhammad saw is the messenger of Allah.
أشهد أن لا إله إلاَّ الله و أشهد أن محمد رسول الله
Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illallah, Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulullah
Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illallah, Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulullah
I bear witness that there is no God, except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.
In the context of the hadith, Muhammad was talking about the fard prayers; the compulsory 5 prayers a day: al-fajr, al-zuhur, al-asar, al-mahgrib, and al-ishak.
The second question:
What is Iman? Iman in the layman's term means faith; complete faith. The answer given enumerates the six pillars of Iman.
- faith in Allah
- Complete faith that Allah is the only God, that He is the all-knowing, the Almighty, etc
- faith in the existence of angels
- Complete faith that Allah's servents (the angels) are there doing His biding. They do not disobey or question Allah's commands. They were made from light, and have no characteristics of a man or woman and do not procreate. No one knows how many angels there are except Allah. To name a few:
- Jibril, who served as a messenger between Allah and Muhammad (and the stranger in this hadith)
- Ridwan, who is responsible for Jannah (heaven)
- U'zrail, the angel of death, who took mud from earth when Allah created Adam
- Israfil, who is responsible for blowing the horn, signalling the coming of Qiyamah (Judgement day)
- Mikail, who provides nourishment for bodies and souls, responsible for bringing rain and thunder to Earth, responsible to dole out rewards to good persons in life
- Alkeram Alkatebeen, who records everything we say and do, sitting on our right and left shoulders, to whom Muslims give salam after salah.
- Munkar and Nakir, who will ask 3 questions when we enter the grave (who is your God, what is your religion, who is your prophet)
- Malik, who is the care taker of fires of Hell
- faith in the books of Allah
- In Islam, we recognize 4 books; the Torah (given to Musa/Moses), the Zaboor (given to Daud/David), the Injil (given to Issa/Jesus) and the al-Quran (given to Muhammad saw). Of course, the only book that we now follow is the al-Quran, as the authentic Torah, Zaboor and Injil no longer exist.
- faith in the prophets of Allah
- Complete faith to those whom Allah have selected to bring the word of Allah and the teachings of Islam to humankind, starting all the way from the first, Prophet Adam alaihi alsalatu wassallam till the last, Prophet Muhammad saw.
- faith in Qiyammah (Judgement Day)
- Belief that there is a Judgement day awaiting us, a day which will fall upon us whether we want to or not. Everyone, believers and non-believers from the beginning of time till the end of days, will be brought back to life and stand trial in front of Allah for all their deeds, bad and good.
- faith in Fate (Qadr)
- Complete faith that whatever happens, bad or good, according to our liking or not comes from Allah, and is the best for us, as Allah is all knowing (al-Alim)
Islam and Iman must coincide with each other, for without faith, religion becomes empty; without Iman, the 5 pillars of Islam becomes nothing but a burden and empty gestures; without Islam, then a person becomes empty of Iman as the practices of religion strengthens and builds a persons faith.
The third question:
What is Ihsan? Ihsan here speaks about the heart; sincerity and commitment. Everything a Muslim does, pray, eat, sleep, do Hajj, etc should be done with sincerity and commitment, as though you can see Allah in front of you. If a Muslim cannot reach that level of Ihsan, then at least he/she should remember that Allah sees everything he/she does. Religion is not something to be done one day, and left the next and picked up again later. It is a commitment for life. There is no divorcing yourself from Islam.
This is a tale of a devout Muslim
When Hatim al Asamm was asked about his prayer, he said, "When it is near the time of prayer, I perform a perfect Wudu, and go to where I am going to pray and sit down there until I become fully attentive to what I am about to do. I then stand up and pray, imagining that the Ka'ba is in front of my eyes, Jannah to my right, Hellfire to my left and the Angel of Death behind me. I imagine that it is the last prayer I am about to perform, stand up in hope (in Allah, His Jannah and rewards) and fear (from Allah's torment in Hellfire) an recite the Takbir while having full attention. I recite the Quran calmly, make Ruku' humbly, go into Sujud with Khushu. I then sit on my left leg, with the left foot laid on the floor and the right foot raised up, all the while praying with sincerity. Afterwards, I do not know (nor feel certain) if that prayer was accepted from me!
The fourth question:
What are the sign of the Qiyammah?
Muhammad saw answered, 'the one who is asked does not know anymore than the one who is asking'. It is true. No one knows when Judgement day will come. No one knows when the Dajjal will come. No one knows the second coming of Issa alaihi alsalatu wassallam. No one knows when the world will come to an end. It can come tomorrow, it can come in a month, a year, a decade, a century...
But one thing, we know is that we are living in the times approaching the end. Some signs stated in this hadith are:
- the destruction of morality
- 'when the slave girl gives birth to her mistress', means to show that children no longer respect nor care for their parents and they treat their parents like their slaves. We see many children now talking back to their parents, disobeying them, ill-treating them.
- destruction of government
- 'when the barefooted ones, the naked, the destitute, the herdsmen of the sheep (competing with each other) in raising lofty buildings', means to show that government are not given to the right or qualified people. The government of Islam, that was in the time of the khalifa's is no longer seen today. Take the Emirates; they were initially bedouins, nomads moving here and there with camels and their tents, living on trade, nomadic agriculture and herding. But because of the discovery of oil they are now rich, very rich. 'raising lofty buildings': Dubai is building taller, more luxurious buildings to promote themselves. Rich people now pay for power, if you have money, you have power, but how many of them are qualified to hold power?
With the collapse of the khalifa system, due to Muslims ourselves, we are now in the dark ages. Luckily, most still uphold the practices of Islam, though not enough to rebuild an Islamic government, these few are the building blocks. Everything up high, must start from the bottom. So, we start with individual Muslims who are true to Islam, and build our way up, from family, to community, to town, to city, to state, to country, and so forth. So, our beacon of hope, we look now to Egypt. If Egypt holds strong, then others will follow.
That is all, for this hadith, as it has been a long winded explanation. Stay tuned for hadith number 3... whenever I get the inspiration to write again, inshaAllah, it will be soon.
Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh
(السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته)