Al-Nawawi Forty Hadith

As Salamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

Hadeeth 6: The Halaal is Clear and the Haraam is Clear

On the authority of Aboo `Abdillaah an-Nu`maan the son of Basheer (radiAllaahu 'anhumaa), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) say:

Explanation of Hadeeth 6

This hadeeth is a great Principle from the Principles of the Sharee'ah, such that the well known Muhaddith Aboo Dawood as-Sijistaanee said, "al-Islaam revolves around four ahaadeeth" , and he then mentioned this hadeeth amongst them. And there is consensus amongst the People of Knowledge upon the great status of this hadeeth and its immense benefits.

The statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam "That which is lawful is clear and that which is unlawful is clear, and between the two of them are doubtful matters" implies that matters are of three types.

Whatever Allaah has established to be permissible in a text, then it is the 'clear' Halaal, such as the statement of Allaah ta'aalaa:

And whatever Allaah has established to be forbidden in a text, then that is the 'clear' Haraam, such as the statement of Allaah ta'aalaa:

And also such as the forbiddance of fawaahish (evil lusts and desires), that which is apparent of it and also that which is hidden of it. And every matter concerning which Allaah has established upon it a limit or associated with it a punishment or a threat, then that matter is also included amongst the 'clear' haraam.

As for the the 'doubtful matters' then they are those issues in which there appears (to the layman) to be opposing evidences from the Book and the Sunnah, and so in this case restraint from them is from piety.

And the scholars have differed regarding the ruling upon the doubtful matters mentioned by the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam in this hadeeth.

So one opinion is that they are all Haraam, due the saying of the Messenger sallAllaahu alayhi wa salaam "[he] clears himself in regard to his religion and his honour", as whoever does safeguard his religion and his honour has definitely fallen into the Haraam.

Another opinion is that they are Halaal, due the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam "like the shepherd who pastures around a sanctuary", so this indicates that these actions are permissible, but leaving them is from piety.

And a third opinion is that we make no ruling regarding the doubtful matters, and do not say that they are Halaal nor that they are Haraam, as the Prophet sallAllaahu alayi wa salaam placed them between the clear Halaal and the clear Haraam. Hence it is required that we refrain from passing judgement and this too is from piety.

And in the hadeeth from 'Adiyy ibn Haatim that he said to the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa salaam:

So the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam gave a verdict based upon a doubt, fearing that the dog which killed the game was the other dog upon which the name of Allaah had not been pronounced, hence making the kill slaughtered for other than Allaah. And Allaah has said about this:

So this verdict contains evidence for taking care regarding those actions or events that involve some judgement regarding what is Halaal or Haraam, due to the similarity between the different situations. And this is encompassed in the meaning of the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam: "Leave that which causes you doubt, for that which does not cause you doubt." [narrated by an-Nasaa'ee]

And some of the scholars have said the doubtful matters can be divided into three types:

1) That affair which a person knows to be Haraam, but which he then doubts as to whether its forbiddance still continues or not. For example, a person cannot eat from an animal until he is sure that is has been slaughtered Islaamically, and so if he has doubts about this then the forbiddance to eat continues until certainty of the correct slaughtering is achieved. And the origin of this is in the hadeeth of 'Adiyy mentioned above. [Note: this is referring to a situation similar to when 'Adiyy came upon the dogs next to the kill - and not when your butcher says the meat is Halaal and you doubt it!]

2) The opposite of this, where the affair is originally Halaal, and the person has doubts regarding whether it has become Haraam. And whatever is of this type then it is considered permissible until its forbiddance is clearly established. And the origin of this is the hadeeth of Abdullaah bin Zayd, regarding the doubt in ones wudoo' if one is sure that previously he had made wudoo'. [i.e. one continues upon the assumption of being with wudoo' until it becomes clear that the wudoo' has broken]

3) The third type is where one has doubts about a matter and one does not know whether it is Halaal or Haraam, and the matter could be of either of the two, and there is no clear evidence to establish either ruling. Then in this situation the best course of action is restraint. For example, once the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam found a date in his house, but did not eat it for he feared that it may have been from that given as sadaqah (as the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam was forbidden from taking of sadaqah).

However, if a person chooses the opposite of what is clearly apparent due to an imaginary doubt which has no evidence, then restraint in such a situation is foolishness, and is from the whisperings of shaytaan. For example, a person may restrain from praying in a place which has no visible traces of filth, simply out of a fear that maybe some urine had fallen there and since dried. Or a person may wash a dress simply out of a fear that some filth (najaasah) came upon it but which he did not actually see upon it. So in all such situations where there is no 'real' doubt then it is required that one does not leave the action.

And the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam "about which many people do not know" means that many people do not know the shar'ee ruling upon these matters. However, the People of Knowledge may be able to associate such matters with other principles that they must follow, and thus achieve a ruling upon them as to whether they are Halaal or Haraam, and thus they cease to be doubtful matters.

As for the statement "but he who falls into doubtful matters [eventually] falls into that which is unlawful" then this is from two angles:

1) The one who does not fear Allaah and indulges in doubtful matters, eventually begins to practise the Forbidden actions too, and becomes lenient in these affairs. And this is as some of the 'ulemaa have said that minor sins lead to major sins and major sins lead to kufr.

2) The one who often indulges in doubtful matters oppresses himself as his heart is deprived of the Light of Knowledge and the Light of Piety, so he ends up falling into the Haraam and does not realise it.

And just as a King has a sanctuary, which the shepherds must keep their sheep away from, so too has Allaah specified certain things as Forbidden for his slaves, which they must refrain from - such as murder, interest (ribaa), theft, drinking alcohol, backbiting and tale-carrying, and other such things, all of which we should keep well away from for fear of falling into them.

As for the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam "Truly in the body there is a morsel of flesh, which, if it be whole, all the body is whole ... ":

Allaah ta'aalaa has blessed only man and the animals with this special organ - the heart - and through it we find that even the animals recognize that which benefits them and that which harms them. Then, Allaah has singled out al-Insaan from amongst all the animals with the faculty of the intellect, and additional faculties within the heart. Allah says:

And the various limbs of the body are subservient to the heart, so whatever the heart decides upon, that action appears upon the limbs. So if the heart is good then the actions of the limbs are good, and if the heart is corrupt then the actions of the limbs are also corrupt. And if this fact is understood then the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam "if it be whole, all the body is whole, and if it is diseased, all of [the body] is diseased" becomes clear.

We ask Allaah the Majestic to cleanse the corruption of our hearts. O Changer of Hearts, establish our hearts upon Your Deen! O Controller of Hearts, turn our hearts towards Your obedience!

Summary

• That those things which are Haraam are clear and need clear evidence.
• That one who does doubtful things may well be doing what is Haraam.
• That it is difficult to live honorably when doing the doubtful.
• That Allaah is the King; The King of kings.
• That it is understandable that Allaah should have things prohibited for us.
• That the sanctuary of Allaah which we must not enter is all those things which He has made Haraam for us. Thus we must know what is Haraam and definitely avoid them.
• That doing the doubtful or what is forbidden adversely affects the heart.
• That it is important to make and keep the heart pure, since it affects the rest of us. Thus we should look for ways to purify and preserve our hearts from being stained.

As Salamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

Hadith 8: Sanctity of a Muslim

On the authority of the son of 'Umar (radi Allaahu 'anhumaa) that the Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

Explanation of Hadeeth 8

This is a Great Hadeeth and a Principle from amongst the Principles of the Religion. It has also been narrated by Anas (radi Allaahu 'anhu) whose version mentions:

And it has come in Saheeh Muslim from the narration of Abu Hurayrah (radiAllaahu 'anhu):

and this has the same meaning as what Ibn 'Umar narrated.

As for the meaning of this hadeeth, then the scholars of seerah have said:

And 'Umar radiAllaahu 'anhu followed him in doing this.

Regarding the statement of the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa salaam "I have been ordered to fight the people until they say 'laa ilaahaa illaa Allaah' ..." al-Khattaabee rahimahu Allaah and others said:

And Shaykh Muyee ad-Deen an-Nawawee said:

And the meaning of his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement: "and their Reckoning will be with Allaah" refers to those matters which they hide from the people, i.e. those things other than that which is outwardly apparent from the compulsory actions. Al-Khattaabee mentions this and then says:

And in his (sallAllaahu alayi wa sallam) statement: "I have been ordered to fight the people until they testify that none is worthy of worship except Allaah, and believe in me and in all that I come with" is a clear proof for the position of the People of Truth and the vast majority of the Salaf and the Khalaf, that it is enough for a person to believe in the Religion of Islaam with a firm, unwavering belief, without it being necessary for him to understand the proofs of the Mutakallimoon (people of Theological Rhetoric) regarding the 'recognition' of Allaah through the intellect. And this opposite to the statement of those people that it is an obligatory condition for the correctness of ones eemaan. And this is clear from the fact the Prophet sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam mentioned only at-Tasdeeq (belief, affirmation) and did not lay any condition for it through intellectual recognition. And this hadeeth appears a number of times in the Saheeh, and together they reach the rank of mutawaatir, without doubt yielding definite knowledge, and Allaah knows best.

Summary

• That the disbelieving people are fought until Islaam triumphs.
• That it is an order from Allaah and thus waajib.
• That the Ameer of the Muslims enforces protection of the lives and the properties of the Muslims.
• That if a Muslim does something which deserves a punishment according to the Rulings of Islaam, then the Ameer of the Muslims must enforce that too.
• That the punishments must be given, regardless of what Allaah will Judge for them (i.e. Allaah may punish them or forgive them).

As Salamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

Hadith 10: Restricting oneself to the Pleasant Halaal

On the authority of Abu Hurairah (radiAllaahu 'anhu) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

Explanation of Hadeeth 10

And this is one of those ahaadeeth upon which the Principles and Rulings of Islaam are built. And in it is encouragement towards spending upon that which is Halaal, and forbiddance from spending upon that which is other than that. And that what is eaten, and what is drunk and what is worn, and all such similar things should be purely Halaal, without any doubt in them. And that whosoever wishes to supplicate to Allaah should humble and submit himself before his Lord with that which is Halaal. And from the hadeeth we also understand that when the slave spends upon the good, Halaal things then these things purify him and bring him prosperity. And that delicious and tasty food which is not permissible to eat will instead be a source of evil and punishment, and the actions of the slave will then not be acceptable by Allaah.

And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement "Then he mentioned [the case] of a man who, having journeyed far, is dishevelled and dusty ..." then its meaning is best known by Allaah. But we know from other ahaadeeth that the supplication of the traveller is more readily acceptable to Allaah, and a 'long journey' could be from amongst the actions of worship, such as the Hajj or Jihaad or other than that from the pious actions. And even in this case his supplication is still not accepted because his food, drink and clothing are Haraam. So how about the case of the one who is travelling for some purpose of the dunyaa, or for oppressing the people, or those who are ignorant of the various types of worship and goodness.

And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement: "who spreads out his hands to the sky" means that he raises his hands in supplication to Allaah 'azza wa jall, while at the same time he is opposing His commands and is sinning. And his (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) statement: "so how can [his supplication] be answered ?!" and in another narration "so how can he be answered because of that ?!", means that there cannot be an answer for the one who possesses such characteristics. Such a person cannot be amongst those whose supplication will be answered, unless Allaah the Almighty does so out of His infinite Grace and Kindness and Generosity, and Allaah knows best.

Summary

• That Allaah accepts only that which is good
• That every believer is obliged to do that which the Messengers were obliged to do (except what is specifically exempted)
• That every Muslim must eat only Halaal and must take great care that he has avoided eating whatever he knew to be Haraam or suspicious
• That performing righteous deeds is waajib for every one of us
• That frequently we turn to Allaah for help while we do not try to eat, drink, maintain ourselves and earn in a pure way
• That if we do not take care of the above then our prayers will not be effective
• That it is correct to raise ones hands while asking Allaah for something

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As Salamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

Hadith 12: Leaving that which does not concern a Muslims

On the authority of Abu Hurairah (radiAllaahu 'anhu) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

A Hasan (Good) Hadeeth which was related by at-Tirmidhee and others in this fashion.

Explanation of Hadeeth 12

And this hadeeth has also been narrated by Qurrah bin 'Abd-ir-Rahmaan from [the great Muhaddith] az-Zuhree, from Abee Salamah from Abee Hurairah, and he considered its chains of narration Saheeh (Authentic), and then he said regarding the hadeeth that it is from the Comprehensive speech that contains many significant meanings, and all this in very few words. And similar to this [hadeeth] is the statement of Abu Dharr (radiAllaahu anhu) in some of his narrations from the Prophet (sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) that he said:

And Imaam Maalik mentioned that it reached him that it was said to Luqmaan: "What has enabled you to attain what we see in you of Grace and Blessing ?" to which he replied:

And it has been narrated from Hasan [al-Basree] that he said:

And Abu Daawood as-Sijistaanee said:

and he mentioned among them this hadeeth.

Summary

That prying and interfering in others affairs is a sign of not being a good Muslim