The Prophet's Hadiths
Origination of Sunnah from the Prophet
“Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed.” [Quran 53:3-4]
It is necessary for complete understanding of the meaning of the Sunnah to appreciate and understand the way Sunnah originates from the person of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ). In essence, this took place in three forms or ways:Through sayings, actions, as well as his physical characters and personal attributes and his approvals of others’ acts and sayings:
Sayings: This includes everything he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said. ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab may Allaah be pleased with him said that the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) said: “Indeed, all actions are based on intentions, and surely, every man shall have only that which he intended. Therefore, whosoever immigrated for the sake of Allaah and His Messenger, then his immigration is for Allaah and His Messenger.”[Muslim]
Actions: All of his sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) actions and deeds. For example, ‘Aa’ishah may Allaah be pleased with hersaid: “He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) used to fast so much that we would say he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) would never break the fast, and he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) used to abstain from fasting for so long that we would say he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) will never fast.” [Bukhaari]
Approval: This happens when someone does something in front of him, or in his absence but it gets reported to him sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) then he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) approves of it either by being silent and not commenting on it (Tacit Approval) or by saying something that would indicate agreement or endorsement of it (Explicit Approval). An example of the tacit approval would be the incident reported by Sa’eed Ibn Abi Awfa may Allaah be pleased with him that he went with the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, on seven expeditions, and we ate locust with him (while he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) was watching).” [Bukhaari and Abu Daawood] An example for the explicit approval is reported by Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri may Allaah be pleased with him that two men were traveling without water, so at the time of the Prayer they made dry ablution (Tayammum). Then sometime later, they found water and one of them repeated ablution and Prayer but the other did not. When they told the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention )told the one who did not repeat: ‘what you did is the Sunnah,' and said to the other: ‘you will get a double reward.’[Abu Daawood]
Descriptions: This includes everything related to his sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) character like Ibn ‘Abbaas may Allaah be pleased with him description of him as being, “The most generous of all people.” [Bukhaari], as well as his sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) physical attributes, as in the Hadeeth, “He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) had a face that was more beautiful than all people’s, he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) was best in character, and was of an average height: not too long or short.” [Bukhaari]
Comments:
It is recommended that one keep in mind, for general purposes, the definition used by the scholars of Hadeeth, mentioned before, as well as remember that rulings derived from the Sunnah may vary in their implication and weight as do the rulings derived from the Quran such that some of them are obligationsand prohibitions while others are just recommendations (Mustahabb) or dislikes (Makrooh). All, however, must be revered and applied. Anas may Allaah be pleased with him narrated that the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention )said: "Whoever avoids following my Sunnah does not belong to me.”[Bukhaari] Also, Talhah Ibn Auf may Allaah have mercy upon him stated that once he was praying "behind Ibn ‘Abbaas may Allaah be pleased with him in a funeral prayer, when he recited Al-Faatihah, the opening chapter of the Quran, then said: ‘I have recited this chapter for you to know that this is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention )."' [Bukhaari]
The Two Most Authentic Books of Hadeeth
Saheeh Al-Bukhaari:
Of all the works of Hadeeth, Saheeh Al-Bukhaari and Saheeh Muslim are regarded as the most authentic and authoritative books, after Al-Quran. Indeed the very word "Saheeh" means "authentic". Saheeh Al-Bukhaari was compiled by Imaam (leader) of Hadeeth, Mohammad Ibn Ismaa'eel Al-Bukhaari, born 194H in Bukhaara, central Asia. He traveled at an early age seeking knowledge to Hijaaz (Makkaah and Madeenah), Ancient Syria, Iraq Egypt etc. He devoted more than 16 years of his life to the actual compilation of this work. He learnt from more than 1000 scholars. It is said that Imaam Al-Bukhaari collected over 300,000 Hadeeths and he himself memorized 200,000 of which some were unreliable. He wrote many books especially on the bibliography of Hadeeth narrators and other books on various issues of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). However, his book 'Saheeh Al-Bukhaari', stands out for being the most authentic book of Hadeeth. It was also the first book to contain only authentic Hadeeths, while previous books contained authentic and non-authentic Hadeeths, as well as sayings of the companions and others. Imaam Al-Bukhaari died in his hometown, Bukhaara in the territory of Khurasaan (West Turkistan), in the year 256H.
He grouped the traditions of the Prophet under various headings dealing with specific points of Islamic jurisprudence. In his time, the schools of law had been generally established and his objective was to catalogue the traditions he regarded as authentic in relation to their respective topics of jurisprudence.
Before he recorded each Hadeeth, he would perform ablution and offer a two-Rak'ah prayer and supplicate to Allaah. Many religious scholars of Islam tried to find fault in the great remarkable collection, but without success. It is for this reason, they unanimously agreed that the most authentic book after the Book of Allaah is Saheeh Al-Bukhaari.
Some facts about Saheeh Al-Bukhaari:
1. It contains 7,275 Hadeeths, which he chose from the large number of Hadeeths that he had collected.
2. The number of complete unrepeated Hadeeths is 2230.
3. All the Hadeeths mentioned are authentic.
4. The conditions for accepting a Hadeeth were very stringent. Such as:
a) The chain of narrators must be linked, i.e. every narrator must have met his predecessor, (the man of whom he heard the Hadeeth from, up to the Prophet .)
b) For it to be enclosed in the Saheeh, the narrators must be of the highest caliber regarding their piety, manners, memory, integrity, etc.
5. The book is not a mere book of narrations; it is essentially a course of study on Hadeeth, its derivatives, inductions and research.
6. Each one of its 97 chapters is headed by a relevant verse from the Quran that complements the meaning of the Hadeeths quoted.
7. Finally, much more could be said about this monumental work, however, it is enough to say that many people have reached fame and achieved the highest qualifications by studying the book, researching it and commenting on it.
Saheeh Muslim:
Saheeh Muslim is the second most authentic book of Hadeeth after Saheeh Al-Bukhaari, compiled by Imaam Muslim ibn Al-Hajaaj Al-Nisapuri . Born in 202H and died in 261 H. He traveled widely to gather his collection of Hadeeth to Iraq Hijaaz, Ancient Syria, and Egypt. He learnt from many scholars, most of which were Al-Bukhaari's teachers. He also learnt from the Imaam Al-Bukhaari himself and became his most loyal student. Like Imaam Al-Bukhaari, Allaah have mercy upon him, he, Allaah have mercy upon him, wrote many books on the sciences of Hadeeth.
He, Allaah have mercy upon him, sought not so much to complement the issues at stake in the fiqh, the lslamic jurisprudence, but rather to produce a collection of sound traditions, an authentic record, on which future studies of Hadeeth could be based.
Some facts about Saheeh Muslim:
1. The book contains 4000 non-repeated Hadeeths and 12000 repeated ones.
2. Many narrations are mentioned in Saheeh Al-Bukhaari, but with different chain of narrators.
3. In every chapter more than one Hadeeth with the same meaning but with different chains and text are listed. The first Hadeeth in each chapter is the strongest, followed by weaker narrations in order to strengthen weaker narrations.
4. Excellent classification.
5. The book is forwarded by a detailed introduction about the basis of the sciences of Hadeeth.
Saheeh Al-Bukhaari is preferred over Saheeh Muslim based on the authenticity of the Hadeeths. Imaam Al-Bukhaari was more strict in selecting Hadeeths (chains) than Imaam Muslim . Besides considering all the conditions of a Saheeh Hadeeth, Imaam Al-Bukhaari stipulated a further condition that a narrator should meet the person from whom he is narrating the Hadeeth.
Imaam Muslim however, did not stipulate the evidence of meeting the narrator from whom he is narrating, but according to him, it is sufficient to accept the Hadeeth of a narrator if he lives in the same period and there was the possibility of meeting the narrator from whom he is reporting the Hadeeth. So, the condition of Imaam Muslim was less strict than the condition of Imaam Al-Bukhaari .
While Bukhaari's compilation is considered the more reliable of the two, Muslim's arrangement of his material has been recognised as superior, and rightly so. While Al-Bukhaari made the traditions in his collection testify to his own schedule of various points of law, Muslim left them to speak for themselves.
Story of Zayd ibn Al-Arqam and ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Ubayy ibn Salool
it was narrated that zayd ibn arqam, may allaah be pleased with him, said: “while i was taking part in a ghazwa (battle). i heard ‘abdullaah ibn ‘ubayy (ibn abi salool) saying. ‘do not spend on those who are with allaah's messenger, that they may disperse and go away from him. if we return (to medina), surely, the more honorable will expel the meaner amongst them.’ i reported that (saying) to my uncle(1) or to ‘umar who, in his turn, informed the prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, of it. the prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, called me and i narrated to him the whole story. then allah's messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, sent for ‘abdullaah ibn ‘ubayy and his companions, and they took an oath that they did not say that.
so allaah's messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, disbelieved my saying and believed his. i was distressed as i never was before. i stayed at home and my uncle said to me. ‘you got nothing of this except allah's messenger disbelieved your statement and hated you.’ so allaah revealed (the soorah (a chapter) of the noble quran beginning with) ‘when the hypocrites come to you.’ [al-munaafiqoon 63:1] the prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, then sent for me and recited it and said, ‘o zaiy! allaah confirmed your statement.”(2)
amongst the lessons drawn from the above-mentioned hadeeth are:
1- an-nawawi, may allaah have mercy upon him, said: “it is obligatory for the one who hears something related to the imaam (leader or governor of muslims) or the like of the great people in authority and expects that this will cause harm to muslims to inform them (those who are in authority) with it so that they may be careful of it and take the necessary precautions. furthermore, ibn hajar, may allaah have mercy upon him, said: “it is not to be deemed dispraised nameemah (carrying tales to circulate slanderous rumors between two persons to damage or sever the ties between them) unless he intends to cause absolute corruption by doing so. however, if this implies a benefit that dominates over the corruption, it will not(3) as it can be observed in this incident.
2- not holding the prominent figures in society by minor mistakes so that their followers may not turn away from them, confining to blaming them and accepting their excuses, believing in their oaths, even if the evidences indicate the opposite of this for this implies intimacy and affection.
3- the great morals of the prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, his perfect patience towards the harm caused to him and his great ability of enduring for the sake of allaah the almighty, expecting his immense reward.
4- it indicates the great virtues and merits of zay ibn arqam, may allaah be pleased with him, because verses of the noble quran were sent down to prove his truthfulness.
5- maliciousness, wickedness and plots of the hypocrites against islam and muslims.
Embrace these Treasures
it was narrated by ahmad that the prophet (peace be upon him): “when people accumulate gold and silver, you should accumulate these words: ‘allaahumma inni as’aluka al-thabaat fi’l-amr, wa ‘azeemata ala a-rushd, wa as’aluka shukra ni’matika, wa husna ‘ibaadatika, wa as’aluka qalban saleeman, wa as’aluka lisaanan saadiqan, wa as’aluka min khairi ma ta’lam, wa a’oodhu bika min sharri ma ta’lam, wa astaghfiruka mimma ta’lam, innaka anta ‘allaam ul-ghuyoob.”
“o allah, i ask you for steadfastness in this matter, and i ask you for the resolve toadhere to the path of guidance (i.e., to adhere to all matters that lead to what which is right and proper), and i ask you to thank your blessing, and to worship you properly (i.e., so that i may perform all acts of worship in a manner that is pleasing to you), and i ask you for a sound heart, and i ask you for a truthful tongue, and i ask you from the goodness of what you know, and i seek refuge with you from the evil of what you know, and i ask you for forgiveness for that which you know; you are the knower of the unseen.”
du'a - supplication for travel
ibn omar (ra) reported: whenever the messenger of allah (peace be upon him) mounted his camel for setting out on a journey, he would recite: “allahu akbar (allah is greatest),” thrice. then he (peace be upon him) would supplicate: “far removed from imperfection is the one who has made this subservient to us, for we have no power to subjugate it, and certainly to our rubb (lord) shall we return. o allah, we ask you during this journey of ours for righteousness, piety and such deeds as are pleasing to you. o allah, make easy for us this journey of ours and make the distance short for us. o allah, you are our companion during the journey and the guardian of the family and the property in our absence. o allah, i seek refuge in you from the hardships of traveling, unhappiness connected with ghastly scenes and evil turns in property and family.” when he returned, he recited this supplication making addition of these words: “we are those who return; those who repent; those who worship and those who praise our rubb (lord).” [sahih muslim]
"Convey from me even a single verse."
the explanation of the hadeeth where the prophet , said: "convey from me even a single verse."
this sentence is part of an authentic hadeeth (narration) by al-bukhaari may allaah have mercy upon him and other narrators. it means that the muslim is required to convey whatever he receives from the quran and sunnah (prophetic tradition) to the people who are not aware of it. al-mubaarakfoori may allaah have mercy upon him said, "it means: convey from me even if it is a short verse from the quran, and the quran was conveyed through the messenger of allaah , from allaah the almighty. this implies that hadeeths should be conveyed as well."
some scholars said that the word "verse" in the hadeeth refers to meaningful words, such as: "whoever keeps silent will be saved," and "the essence of religion is to offer advice." in that way, it means that "convey from me hadeeths even if they are few."
however, the first opinion is the predominant one, as stated by imaam al-mubaarakfoori may allaah have mercy upon him.
Beware of Suspicion
abu hurairah (may allah be pleased with him) said that the messenger of allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the greatest falsehood. do not try to find fault with one another, do not spy on one another, do not vie with one another, do not envy one another, do not be angry with one another, do not turn away from one another, and be servants of allah, brothers to one another, as you have been enjoined…”[1]
these were the simple instructions that produced the greatest generation ever to set foot on this planet. it was a generation of fallible humans with wide-ranging characters and personalities, strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. they differed with one another even falling into disputes and argumentation, yet remained brothers one to another raised upon these principles laid out by the messenger of allah (peace and blessings be upon him.)
even with the existence of hypocrites amongst their ranks, these principles where established to produce a united, victorious body in the face of formidable enemies. for these evils such as suspicion, fault-finding, envy, abandonment etc are evils that destroy a community with harms greater than any enemy could inflict.
especially through these testing times, with such intense focus and pressure on our communities and individuals, combined with the modern-day need to ‘look after number one’, these prophetic orders are vital for our survival. we are ordered to be one united body, not falling into suspicion, spying, envy, desertion and other such actions that sow the seeds of enmity and hatred within our ranks.
the companions (may allah be pleased with them) had lofty aims for this world and the next and would therefore clear their hearts from such ill-feelings towards their brothers and sisters. it was for this very reason that the ansari (may allah be pleased with him) was given glad tidings of being from the people of paradise for the quality of going to sleep each night with no place in his heart for ill-intentions or envy.
let us live up to these noble manners and enjoy the bliss of the people of paradise to whom it will be said:
“’enter therein (paradise), in peace and security.’ and we shall remove whatever is in their breasts of resentment, (so they will be) brothers, on thrones facing each other.” [2]
CLASSIFICATION OF HADEETH
ahadeeth have been divided into three main categories on the basis of reliability of the narrators and the degree of authenticity of the text:
1) al-sahih (sound):
a hadeeth that has come down through the virtuous and pious men of age and whose integrity is beyond doubt and therefore the chain of transmission (al-isnad) and the text (al-matn) are sound, furthermore its text doesn’t contradict any established belief of islam. they have grades:
a) those given by bukhari and muslim.
b) those given by bukhari alone.
c) those given by muslim alone.
d) those not given by either, but fulfil their shuroot (conditions set by them).
e) those which fulfil bukhari’s shuroot (conditions set by imam bukhari).
f) traditions sound in the opinion of other authorities.
2) al-hasan (good):
a hadeeth which is not considered quite as strong as a sahih hadeeth because of the fact that some of its narrators have been found to have a weaker memory in comparison to the narrators of a sahih hadeeth. they are however sufficient for establishing points of law.
3) al-da’eef or al-saqeem (infirm):
the moral excellence of narrators of this category of ahadeeth is questionable. these types of ahadeeth have various degrees keeping in view the defects in their reporters or the texts. allowance is made for using weak ahadeeth in dealing with advise, stories, and good behaviour. weak ahadeeth should not be used in dealings with matters of law, i.e. halal and haram.
with reference to the number of transmitters:
1) mutawatir (continuous):
a hadeeth reported by a large number of people at different times, which makes it impossible for any falsehood to enter it. this condition must be met in the entire chain from its source to its end.
2) mashoor (popular):
these are ahadeeth which were originally narrated in the first generation by two to four narrators. later (on their authority) these were narrated by several narrators.
3) aziz (rare):
a hadeeth that has been transmitted by not less then two persons from not less then two.
4) ghareeb (poor or strange):
a hadeeth that is narrated from only one companion or from a single person at a later stage. it may apply to the chain of transmission (al-isnad) or the text (al-matn) or both. with a little difference it is also known as fard with only one transmitter at each stage or which is transmitted by people of only one particular area and if it differs from what others report then this type of hadeeth is known as shaaz. if it differs from what people of greater authority transmit or if its transmitter is not of sufficient reliability to have his unsupported tradition accepted, it is rejected.
with reference to the nature of chain of transmission (al-isnad):
1) muttasil (connected):
a hadeeth with an unbroken chain traced back to the source. this has two kinds:
a) muttasil marfoo:
chain goes back to sayyidina muhammad.
b) muttasil mauqooq (restricted):
chain goes back to a sahabi (companion).
2) maqtu’ (intersected):
a hadeeth going back to a tabi’ee (successor). some experts have used it in the sense of munqati (disconnected) which has been used for a hadeeth that has a chain including unspecified people or one later then a tabi’ee, who claims to have heard it from someone having defective hearing. it is also used for one later then a tabi’ee quoting directly from a sahabi (companion); but commonly this term is used when there is a break in the chain of authority at any stage later then a tai’ee.
3) munfasil (separated):
it is applied to a hadeeth with several breaks in the chain.
4) mu’allaq (suspended):
when one or more names are omitted at the beginning of the isnad or when the whole chain is omitted it is called mu’allaq.
5) mursal (dropped):
a hadeeth in which a tabi’ee directly quotes from sayyidina muhammad, dropping the sahabi (companion) from the chain.
6) mu’allal or ma’lool:
a hadeeth that has some fault in the chain of transmission (al-isnad) or the text (al-matn).
with reference to special features of the text (al-matn) or the chain of transmission (al-isnad):
1) musalsal:
a hadeeth where the transmitters in an isnad use the same words or are of the same type or come from the same place. this types has two kinds:
a) musalsal al-half:
if in the chain of transmitters every one swears an oath regarding the authenticity of the text (al-matn).
b) musalsal al-yad:
if in the chain of transmitters each of the transmitters gives his hand to whom he transmits the hadeeth.
2) mudallas:
a hadeeth having a concealed defect in the isnad due to different reasons. different classification of this kind are as follows :
a) tadless-ul-isnad:
this defect may be pretending to hear a hadeeth from a contemporary while it may not be the case.
b) tadless-ul-shuyukh:
the authority quoted bears an unfamiliar name instead of the original and known name.
c) tadlees-ul-taswiyah:
to omit a weak transmitter between sound ones.
3) mubham (obscure):
when a transmitter is named vaguely such as rajul (man) or ibn fulan (son of so and so) particularly when a father is not well known.
4) maqbul (transposed):
a hadeeth that is attributed to someone other then the real authority to make it acceptable ghareeb hadeeth.
5) mudhtarib (contradictory or confused):
it is used when two or more persons disagree with one another in their version of the hadeeth; they being people of equal status in piety, learning etc. the difference may affect the chain of transmission (al-isnad) or the text (al-matn). this nature of defect makes a hadeeth weak. when a man becomes knows as mudhtarib-ul-hadeeth, it means his traditions are confused.
with reference to acceptable traditions:
1) ma’roof (acknowledged):
it is applied to a weak hadeeth confirmed by another weak one, or it is a hadeeth superior in the text (al-matn) or chain of transmission (al-isnad) to a hadeeth known as munkar (ignored). it is also applied to a muhaddith (tradionist) who is reported by more then one transmitter, otherwise he is majhul i.e. unknown either as a person or his reliability.
2) maqbul (accepted):
it is hadeeth that fulfils the requirements and it is either sahih (sound) or hasan (good).
3) mahfuz (protected):
it applies to a hadeeth which, when compared to shaaz is considered of a greater weight and value.
with reference to rejected traditions:
1) munkar (ignored):
a hadeeth whose transmission is alone and differs from one who is reliable or is one who has not the standing to be accepted when alone.
2) mardud (rejected):
it is opposite of maqbul. more particular, it is a hadeeth from a single transmitter contradicting the authorities on the same material.
3) matruk (abandoned):
it is a hadeeth reported by such a transmitter suspected of falsehood or is openly wicked in speech and action or is guilty of carelessness or frequent wrong notions.
4) mawdu’ (fictitious):
this is the worst type of all, as the entire contents of it are fabricated having no truth in it.
SEVERAL TYPES OF AHADEETH COLLECTION
sayyidina muhammad (pbuh) said in his last khutbah at arafat:
all those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly.
1) sahifah:
sahifah is a collection of ahadeeth of sayyidina muhammad as written down by one of his companions. collection of abdullah bin al-aas known as sadiqah is an example.
2) musannaf:
it is a large collection of ahadeeth in which ahadeeth relating to different topics are put together and arranged in chapters dealing with a particular topic. muwatta of imam malik, sahih bukhari and sahih muslim are examples of this kind.
3) musnad:
the word musnad (supported) was originally used for ahadeeth which were supported by a complete uninterrupted chain of narrators going back to a companion who related it from sayyidina muhammad. but later on the term came to used in a more general sense of reliable and authoritative ahadeeth. in this sense the term is also used for all reliable works of hadeeth literature, and the works like sunan of al-darimi and sunan of al-bukhari may be called musnads. but technically, it is used only for those collections of ahadeeth in which they are arranged in accordance to the names of the final authorities by whom they are related irrespective of their subject matter.
4) sunan:
sunan are collections of ahadeeth relating to al-ahkam (legal injunctions). the collection prepared by imam abu dau’d (ra), imam nasa’i (ra), and others are known as sunan works.
5) mu’jam:
the term mu’jam is commonly applied to such works on various subjects which are arranged in alphabetical order. the collections which are arranged under the names of the companions in alphabetical order are also known as mu’jam al-sahaba. but according to the authorities of the science of hadeeth the term is technically used for such collections of ahadeeth which in fact have been arranged according to the muhadditheen from whom the compiler himself received them. collections belonging to this class are tabrani, ibn al-qani.
6) ijzah:
the ijzah are collections of ahadeeth that have been handed down on the authority of one single individual whether he be a sahabi (companion) or a taba’ee (successor).
7) rasa’il:
these are collection of ahadeeth which deal with one particular topic out of the following eight topics into which the contents of the jam’i books of ahadeeth may be classified:
a) aqaaid (beliefs).
b) ahkam (laws).
c) ruqaq (peity, asceticism, mysticism etc.)
d) aadaab (etiquettes in eating, drinking, travelling etc.)
e) tafsir (commentary of the holy qur’an).
f) tarikh or siyar (historical or biographical matters which include cosmology, ancient history, life of sayyidina muhammad companions and successors.
g) fitan (trials and tribulations).
h) appreciation and denunciation of persons and places.
the rasa’il are also called kutub (books). the works of ibn hajar al-asqalani and jalaluddin suyuti belong to this category.
8) mustadrak:
these are collections of ahadeeth in which the complier has accepted the conditions laid down by previous compilers, and adds ahadeeth left by the original compilers for some reason. mustadrak of hakim belongs to this category who increased the ahadeeth in the works of bukhari and muslim which were originally not included by them in their sahihs.
9) mustakhraj:
mustakhraj are those collections of ahadeeth in which a later compiler adds fresh isnads (chains of narrators) to the traditions already collected by previous compilers. abu nu’aym isfahani wrote a mustakhraj on the sahih of imam bukhari and imam muslim by adding fresh chains of narrators for some of the traditions which were already included by them in their sahihs.
10) jami’:
jami’ are those collection of ahadeeth which contain ahadeeth relating to various subject matters mentioned under rasa’il. sahih bukhari and tirmidhi are examples of this category.
11) arba’eenat:
arba’eenat as the name suggests are the collections of forty ahadeeth relating to one or more subjects which may have appeared of special interest to the compiler.
the arba’een of imam nawawi (ra) is an example of this kind.
this is in obedience to the hadeeth of sayyidina muhammad:
“whosoever of my ummah commits to memory forty ahadeeth regarding religious matters, he will be raised with the jurists and religious scholars on the day of judegement”
Modesty is a part of faith
it was related on the authority of abu mas'ood al-badri may allaah be pleased with him that: "the messenger of allaah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ) said: "one of the admonitions of the previous prophets which has been conveyed to people is that if you have no shame, you can do whatever you wish." [al-bukhaari]
explanation of the hadeeth:
the saying of the messenger sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may allaah exalt his mention ): "…if you feel no shame, you can do whatever you wish" is in the command form, and can be looked at from two angles, each conveying a distinct meaning:
(1) the first is that it is a form of threat and a challenge thrown down against those who engage in inappropriate behaviour. such people have no shame in front of allaah and therefore, no matter what course they take, it would not make any real difference. in this case, it would be as if the hadeeth is stating: "if you do not feel any shame from doing these prohibited acts, then do whatever you wish…" modesty is the quality that prevents one from immodest behaviour, and the lack of it will only cause one to increase in distancing himself from allaah and make him indifferent to creed or deed.
(2) the second meaning pertains to doing that which is lawful. that is, if the action that one is about to do is not within the category of the unlawful, and we are not ashamed of doing the act in front of allaah or the people, then we are free to do it. however, if we are ashamed to do it, then we should not. the hadeeth gives a measuring stick by which we can evaluate actions, both privately and publicly.
thus, the first explanation relates to a lack of consciousness regarding allaah and the second is regarding the opposite, which is to be conscious of allaah and of his watching over a person and his actions.
the former explanation relates to an unbridled nafs (base desires and lower self), whereas the latter implies observance of due constraint over it, so that it does not embark on the road to destruction.
modesty is of two types:
modesty is either natural or acquired. natural modesty means that the individual has this quality by nature and does not need to exert any effort to acquire it. acquired modesty, on the other hand, is attained by those who possess knowledge concerning allaah, being cognisant concerning his greatness, proximity and his inspection of all that they do.
points related to modesty:
1. modesty is one of the most honourable attributes and is a consistent virtue found in all the various laws sent down to each prophet and messenger.
2. it is one of the most perfect and desirable characteristics to possess and an excellent state to be in.
3. modesty only brings good to individuals and is an indication of faith.
4. bashfulness and shame is in direct opposition to indecency and shamelessness.
5. modesty is an element of faith, and indecency has no relation to it.
6. modesty adorns one's nature and personality and is indicative of his being islamically cultured and refined.
7. indecency, on the other hand, shows that one lacks virtues and is uncouth, dishonourable and uncultured.
8. we are obligated to guard ourselves against indecency and from acting indecently or uncultured, as qualified by islam.
9. we must never misconstrue bashfulness or shyness with cowardice - islamically they are far from synonymous.
10. modesty, as mentioned, is a root virtue. one of the fruits of modesty is chastity.
11. there is no modesty when it comes to teaching the laws of islam or searching for the truth.
