Hadith No. 50

حدّثنا ( أبُو نَعِيْم ) ٍ حدّثنا ( زَكَرياء ) ُ عن ( عامِر ) ٍ قال سَمِعْتُ ( النُّعمْانَ بنَ بَشِير ) ٍ يقولُ سَمِعْتُ رسولُ اللَّهِ يقولُ الحَلالُ بَيِّنٌ والحَرامُ بَيِّنٌ وَبيْنِهما مُشَبَّهَاتٌ لا يَعْلَمُها كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَمَنِ اتَّقَى المُشَبَّهَات اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِينِهِ وعِرْضهِ ومَنْ وَقَعَ فِي الشُّبُهَاتِ كَرَاعِي يَرْعَى حَولَ الحِمى يُوشِكُ أن يُواقِعَهُ ألا وإنّ لِكُلِّ مَلِكٍ حِمًى ألا إنّ حِمَى اللَّهِ في أرْضِهِ مَحَارِمُهُ ألا وإنّ في الجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً إذا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الجَسدُ كُلُّهُ وإذا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ ألا وهْيَ القَلبُ

Narrated by an-No’man bin Bashir (RA)

I heard Allâh's Apostle (Sallallâhu Alaihi Wasallam) saying, 'Both legal and illegal things are evident but in between them there are doubtful (suspicious) things and most of the people have no knowledge about them. So whoever saves himself from these suspicious things saves his religion and his honor. And whoever indulges in these suspicious things is like a shepherd who grazes (his animals) near the Hima (private pasture) of someone else and at any moment he is liable to get in it. (O people!) Beware! Every king has a Hima and the Hima of Allâh on the earth is His illegal (forbidden) things. Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart.

Narrator—Hadhrat No’man bin Bashir

An-No'man bin Bashir (RA) is the son of Bashir bin Sa'd (RA) who embraced Islâm in 'Aqba-Thania'. He participated in all Gazwas including Badr. His mother was the sister of a famous suhabi namely Abdullah bin Rawaha (RA). No’man bin Bashir (RA) was born in 3nd year of Hijrah and is called أول مولود في الإسلام (First born child in Islâm) after Hijrah of Ansâr from Madinah as Abdullah bin Zubair (RA) was the first born child in Islâm after Hijrah of Muhâjireen. Hadhrat No'man bin Bashir (RA) was the governor of Hamas and Kofa during Khilâfat of Hadhrat Mâwiyah (RA). There are one hundred and fourteen Ahâdith narrated on his authority, of which five are agreed upon. He died in 64 Hijrah, may Allâh be pleased with his soul and elevate his rank.

Status of the Hadith

This Hadith is one of the great Ahâdith. Some people say that it is one third of Islâm. Imâm Abu Dawood has chosen four Ahâdith from a total of five lac Ahâdith, which he thinks are enough for one's Deen and this is one among these Ahâdith. These Ahâdith are:

1) إنما الأعمال بالنيات

2) من حسن الإسلام ترمه ما لا يعنه

3) لا يكون المؤما حتى يرضى لأخيه ما يوضى لنفسه

4) ألحرام بيّن والحرام بيّن

Comments

Hadhrat No'man bin Bashir (RA) says that he heard Rasulullah (Sallallâhu Alaihi Wasallam) as saying that Halâl (Permissible things in the Shari’ah) is quite evident and Harâm (forbidden things in Shari'ah) is also evident. A believer is supposed to act upon Halâl and to refrain from Harâm. But there are a good number of things where one gets confused whether these are Halâl or Harâm. It is these things which are labelled as "Mushtabihât" . In this Hadith Rasulullah (Sallallâhu Alaihi Wasallam) says that one who keeps himself away even from doubtful things or Mushtabihât, he will definitely save his Deen.

Halâl and Harâm is evident

This means that a particular thing being Halâl is proved beyond any doubt by the four sources of Fiqh i.e., the Qur'an, Hadith, consensus of the Ummah (Ijma-اجمعاء) and Qayyas (juristic reasoning). There is no difference of opinion in the Ummah about these things being Halâl or Harâm. Such doubtless Halâl things are to be taken and acted upon without any hesitation and such doubtless Harâm things are to be abstained from. This is the common man's grade of Taqwâ (Piety).

Mushtabihât

There are many things which fall between the two groups i.e., clear-cut Halâl and clear-cut Harâm, and these are called Mushtabihât or doubtful things. There are many things which make them doubtful. Allâmah Khattabi says that one should not understand that there is nothing known about these things in Shari’ah because Allâh has ordained about everything. But the thing is that the statement of Shari'ah about a particular thing is sometimes not told in clear terms and common people do not find easy answers to such things and hence become doubtful as regards the common man but are not doubtful near Allâh or Shari'ah or the learned people. This thing is clear from the wording of this Hadith only which says that many people do not know it, which indirectly means that some people know it. Then the message of this Hadith would be that anyone who does not know the status of a particular thing as regards to Halâl or Harâm, should remain away from it till he comes to know about its true nature from the learned scholars of Islâm. If it turns to be Halâl, he can go for it and if it turns to be Harâm than he should leave it.

Imâm Nawawi says that Mushtabihât are those things about which the proofs of being Halâl or Harâm, are contradictory. He says that it will be better to leave them even if some Mujtahid grants its permission. This type of Taqwâ is called Var’a (ورع).

Some examples of Mushtabihât

The rulings applicable in Dharul-Harb (دار الخرب) and Dharul-Islâm (دار الاسلام) are different . There are certain things which become permissible in Dharul-Harb but are forbidden in Dhar-ul-Islâm. Now, if it is not clear whether a particular country should be called Dharul-Harb or Dharul-Islâm, it is better not to consider those things permissible which otherwise become permissible.

Women have been asked not to visit grave yards but there is another Hadith which says that not going to grave yards has not been made obligatory on them. There seems to be a contradiction, in such an event going of women to grave yards has become doubtful, so it would be better for them not to go.

Some times a thing is quite Halâl but others get confused about it, and there is every apprehension that they may put false allegations against the doer, that time it is better to avoid such situations, though one is doing quite permissible job. Once Rasulullah (Sallallâhu Alaihi Wasallam) was accompanying his wife Safiyah during night, two men from Ansâr passed by, Rasulullah (Sallallâhu Alaihi Wasallam) at once told them that ‘she is my wife Safiya’. By doing this Rasulullah (Sallallâhu Alaihi Wasallam) closed any opportunity of Satan to put wrong thing in their minds.

So whoever saves himself from these suspicious things saves his religion and his honour

By leaving doubtful things one saves both his religion as well as his honour. People take in high esteem a person who avoids even a doubtful thing and regard him as a pious man. For example, any person who avoids a particular medicine which contains alcohol is considered very pious by the people. One who takes pains to avoid even doubtful things he is very unlikely to commit sins and as such he will definitely save his Deen. And whoever indulges in these suspicious things is like a shepherd who grazes his cattle near the Hima (private pasture) of someone else and at any moment his cattle is liable to get in it.

What is Hima?

In olden days the kings used to select a fertile piece of green pasture as their private pasture and would punish any one grazing his cattle therein. So, the shepherds usually grazed their cattle far away from it fearing that that they might be punished as there is every possibility that these cattle may get in the forbidden pasture.

Hima of Allâh is His forbidden things

Allâmah Shabir Uthmâni says that man is like a shepherd and his Nafs is like cattle and the doubtful things are like the surroundings around the Hima (private pasture of Allâh i.e., His Forbidden things). So, the Nafs which takes the forbidden things is likely to indulge in Harâm things.

Beware! There is a piece of flesh

Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good and if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt, listen that is heart.

In this Hadith it is said that one can save his religion and honour if one avoids the forbidden things and in this part of the Hadith it is said that one can achieve this thing by concentrating on the Qalb. If the Qalb becomes purified from all the worldly filth then it would be easy to achieve higher grades of Taqwâ.

باب أَدَاءُ الْخُمُسِ مِنَ الإيمانِ

Chapter (Bâb) 41 : "To pay one fifth of the war booty (in the name of Allâh) is a part of faith.”

Purpose of Tarjamatul Bâb

Imâm Bukhari is enumerating the branches of Imân and he has kept this thing as last probably because some people sometimes get the booty after death.

Hadith No. 51

حدثنا علي بن الجعد قال أخبرنا شعبة عن أبي جمرة قال كنت اقعد مع ابن عباس يجلسني على سريره فقال أقم عندي حتى أجعل لك سهما من مالي فاقمت معه شهرين ثم قال إن وفد عبد القيس لما أتوا النبي قال من القوم أو من الوفد قالوا ربيعة قال مرحبا بالقوم أو بالوفد غير حزايا ولا ندامى فقالوا يا رسول الله إنا لا نستطيع أن نأتيك إلا في شهر الحرام وبيننا وبينك هذا الحي من كفار مضر فمرنا بأمر فصل نخبر به من رواءنا وندخل به الجنة وسألوه عن الاشربة فأمرهم بأربع ونهاهم عن أربع أمرهم بالإيمان بالله وحده قال أتدرون ما الإيمان بالله وحده قالوا الله ورسوله أعلم قال شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمدا رسول الله وإقام الصلاة وإيتاء الزكاة وصيام رمضان وأن تعطوا من المغنم الخمس ونهاهم عن أربع عن الحنتم والدباء والنقير والمزفت وربما قال المقير وقال احفظوهن وأخبروا بهن من وراءكم

Narrated by Hadhrat Abu Jamra (RA)

I used to sit with Ibn 'Abbas and he made me sit on his sitting place. He requested me to stay with him in order that he might give me a share from his property. So I stayed with him for two months. Once he told (me) that when the delegation of the tribe of 'Abdul Qais came to the Prophet, the Prophet asked them, "Who are the people (i.e. you)? (Or) who are the delegate?" They replied, "We are from the tribe of Rabi'a." Then the Prophet said to them, "Welcome! O people (or O delegation of 'Abdul Qais)! Neither will you have disgrace nor will you regret." They said, "O Allâh's Apostle! We cannot come to you except in the sacred month and there is the infidel tribe of Mudar intervening between you and us. So please order us to do something good (religious deeds) so that we may inform our people whom we have left behind (at home), and that we may enter Paradise (by acting on them)." Then they asked about drinks (what is legal and what is illegal). The Prophet ordered them to do four things and forbade them from four things. He ordered them to believe in Allâh Alone and asked them, "Do you know what is meant by believing in Allâh Alone?" They replied, "Allâh and His Apostle know better." Thereupon the Prophet said, "It means:

To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh and Muhammad is Allâh's Apostle.

To offer prayers perfectly

To pay the Zakâh (obligatory charity)

To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.

And to pay Al-Khumus (one fifth of the booty to be given in Allâh's Cause).

Then he forbade them four things, namely, Hantam, Dubba,' Naqir Ann Muzaffat or Muqaiyar; (These were the names of pots in which alcoholic drinks were prepared) (The Prophet mentioned the container of wine and he meant the wine itself). The Prophet further said (to them): "Memorize them (these instructions) and convey them to the people whom you have left behind."

Comments

Al-Khumus means one fifth of the booty one gets after participating in the war fought in the way of Allâh. Imâm Bukhari wants to convey that paying of this Khumus is also part of faith. Allâh Ta’âlâ says in the Qur'an:

وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا غَنِمْتُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَأَنَّ لِلَّهِ خُمُسَهُ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ آمَنْتُمْ بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَى عَبْدِنَا يَوْمَ الْفُرْقَانِ يَوْمَ الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

"And know that out of all the booty that ye may acquire (in war) a fifth share is assigned to Allâh and to the apostle and to near relatives orphans the needy and the wayfarer if ye do believe in Allâh and in the revelation We sent down to Our servant on the day of testing the day of the meeting of the two forces. For Allâh hath power over all things." (8:41)