Allah Almighty says: {and lower your wing [in humility] to the believers} [Surat al-Hijr: 88] Allah Almighty says: {Be patient with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His pleasure. Do not turn your eyes away from them} [Surat al-Kahf: 28] Allah Almighty also says: {So do not mistreat the orphan. Nor repulse the beggar.} [Surat al-Duha: 9-10] Allah Almighty says: {Have you seen the one who denies the Recompense? Such is the one who repulses the orphan harshly, and does not urge others to feed the needy.} [Surat al-Mā‘ūn: 1-3]
1) The verses encourage gentle treatment to the heart-broken and those who lost their supporter like orphans, widows, and others of similar situations.
2) Taking care of the poor by consoling them, giving them food, and fulfilling their needs are among the qualities of the believers.
3) The verses encourage patience with the poor Muslims, lowering one’s wing to them, and being humble with them.
260/1- Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “Six of us were with the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) when the polytheists said to him: ‘Drive these ones away, lest they dare to venture against us.’ The six were myself, Ibn Mas‘ūd, a man of the Hudhayl tribe, Bilāl and two other men whose names I do not know. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) thought what Allah wished him to think (of sending them away) then Allah revealed: {Do not send away [O Prophet] those who supplicate their Lord morning and evening, seeking His pleasure} [Surat al-An‘ām: 52] [Narrated by Muslim]
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1) A person has to sit with those who are doers of good and obedient to Allah. He should not sit with dignitaries and nobles who are arrogant and haughty.
2) Sincerity to Allah Almighty is the criterion for accepting or rejecting the deeds of people. Allah Almighty looks at the sincerity and deeds of the person, not his form and looks.
261/2- Abu Hubayrah ‘Ā’idh ibn ‘Amr al-Muzani, who was one of the members of the Ridwān pledge (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that Abu Sufyān passed by Salmān, Suhayb, and Bilāl in the presence of a group of people. They said, “By Allah, the sword of Allah did not reach the neck of the enemy of Allah as it was required to reach.” Thereupon, Abu Bakr said, “Do you say this to the old man of the Quraysh and their chief?” Then he came to Allah’s Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him of this. Thereupon, he (the Prophet) said: “O Abu Bakr, you might have made them angry, and if you made them angry, then you have made your Lord angry.” So Abu Bakr went to them and said, “O my brothers, have I made you angry?” They said, “No, may Allah forgive you, brother.” [Narrated by Muslim]
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1) It is impermissible for one to disdain the poor and needy and those who are customarily regarded as worthless, because man’s real worth is his worth in the sight of Allah Almighty.
2) The Hadīth demonstrates the religious prudence of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and his keenness to clear his liability of others’ rights. It is incumbent upon anyone who wrongs another in word or deed to ask his forgiveness in the worldly life before he would be subject to retribution in the Hereafter.
The appropriateness of citing this Hadīth in this chapter is that Salmān, Suhayb, and Bilāl (may Allah be pleased with them) were all freed slaves, so they should be treated with gentleness and kindness. That is why the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) defended them, saying: “O Abu Bakr, you might have made them angry.”
262/3- Sahl ibn Sa‘d (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “I and the one who takes care of an orphan will be in Paradise like this,” and he raised his parted index and middle fingers. [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
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263/4- Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “He who takes care of an orphan, whether he is his relative or a stranger, will be in Paradise with me like these two.” The narrator, Mālik ibn Anas, raised his index and middle fingers for illustration.” [Narrated by Muslim]
In the statement of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “an orphan, whether he is his relative or a stranger,” the relative refers, for instance, to the case when an orphan is taken care of by his mother, grandfather, brother, or any other relative of his, and Allah knows best.
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1) The Hadīth encourages sponsoring an orphan by doing whatever is good for him with respect to his religion and worldly life.
2) The Hadīth underlines the reward for taking care of an orphan as the person who does this will be in the company of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) in Paradise, which is quite a superior rank.
3) The poor person should show patience and expect relief from Allah. He should not beg from people who may or may not give him. When one pins his hope on people, Allah entrusts him to them, in which case, he is entrusted to loss.
264/5- He also reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The needy is not the one who is satisfied with a date-fruit or two, or a morsel or two (that he receives through begging). But, the needy is the one who abstains from begging.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
In another narration by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim: “A needy person is not the one who goes from door to door begging and is turned away with a morsel or two or with a date or two. But a needy person is the one who does not have enough to live upon, and his appearance does not show him to be needy and thus receive charity, and he does not beg anything from others.”
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1) The Hadīth explains the description of the person who is truly in need, being the one who expects relief form Allah Almighty without begging from people.
2) A poor person should remain patient until he receives provision form Allah Almighty. When one pins his hope on the Creator, He will spare him his need, but when he pins his hope on people, he will become even more poor and needy.
265/6- He also reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The one who looks after the widow and the needy person is like the one who fights in the cause of Allah.” And I think that he also said: “and like the one who prays all night and fasts all day.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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1) The reward for looking after helpless and poor people is akin to the reward for performing such great acts of worship in Islam such as striving in the cause of Allah.
2) The believers are urged to cooperate amongst themselves, in the sense that the rich and poor should live in solidarity.
266/7- He also reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The worst food is that of a wedding banquet from which are left out those who would like to come and to which are invited those who refuse to come. He who rejects an invitation disobeys Allah and His Messenger.” [Narrated by Muslim]
Another narration cited in Sahīh Al-Bukhāri and Sahīh Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurayrah reads: “The worst food is that of a wedding banquet to which the rich are invited and the poor are ignored.”
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1) Inviting the poor and needy to the wedding banquet is encouraged, as they are more deserving of it than wealthy people.
2) It is obligatory to accept the invitation to a banquet because disobedience occurs when an obligatory act is abandoned. This is inferred by the statement of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “He who rejects an invitation disobeys Allah and His Messenger.”
A banquet invitation here refers to the food to which people are invited in wedding occasions only.
Conditions for the obligatory acceptance of a banquet invitation:
First Condition: that the host is Muslim, otherwise, it is not obligatory to accept it. However, it is permissible to accept the invitation of a disbeliever if this would yield an interest like calling him to Islam or defending the religion.
Second Condition: that the money of the host is lawful, otherwise, it is not obligatory to accept it.
Third Condition: that there are no violations of Shariah involved, otherwise, it is not obligatory to accept it, unless the guest is able to change or alleviate the violations involved.
Fourth Condition: that the host identifies the guest by name when he invites him. In other words, he should say, “O so-and-so, I invite you to the wedding banquet.” If he makes a public invitation without identifying the invitees by name, then accepting the invitation is recommended rather than obligatory.
267/8- Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever supports two girls till they reach puberty, he and I will come on the Day of Resurrection like these two,” and he joined his fingers (the index and middle fingers). [Narrated by Muslim]
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The support mentioned in the Hadīth refers to providing the basic needs of a person, such as food, clothes, etc. Support also extends to include moral needs in addition to physical needs, i.e. offering proper upbringing to the body and the heart.
Reaching puberty is realized by the appearance of its known signs in women.
1) The merit of taking care of girls, given that they are usually weak and not looked after by their parents like male children.
2) A Muslim must pay attention to what draws him near to Allah Almighty, especially in the process of raising and qualifying a Muslim generation. One of the major reasons for the weakness the Islamic Ummah suffers is the lack of faith-related upbringing offered to young generations.
268/9- ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “A woman, along with her two daughters, came to me asking (for charity). She found that I had nothing except one date, so I gave it to her. She divided it between her two daughters and ate nothing herself, then she got up and left. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) then came in, and I told him about it so he said: ‘Whoever is tried by having daughters and he treats them kindly, they will be a screen for him from Hellfire.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
269/10- ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “A poor woman came to me carrying her two daughters. I gave her three dates to eat, and she gave one to each of her daughters. She then lifted a date to her mouth to eat it, but her daughters asked for it, so she split the date between the two of them. Her action amazed me. I mentioned what she did to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and he said: ‘Because of it, Allah made Paradise guaranteed for her or saved her from the Hellfire.’” [Narrated by Muslim]
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1) The Hadīth demonstrates the altruism of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) had nothing but a few dates, yet she preferred to give them to the poor woman rather than keep them for herself.
2) The Hadīth highlights the virtue of offering kind treatment to daughters by providing them with money and clothes and gentleness because they are weak and helpless.
3) A small act has great merit if coupled with sincerity of the heart; a simple deed can earn its doer a great reward.
4) Kind treatment to children and showing them mercy is a reason for entering Paradise and safety from the Fire.
270/11- Abu Shurayh Khuwaylid ibn ‘Amr al-Khuzā‘i (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “O Allah, I declare strictly inviolable the rights of the two weak ones: the orphan and the woman.” [Hasan (sound) Hadīth narrated by Al-Nasā’i with a good Isnād (chain of narration)]
I declare strictly inviolable: I declare as sinful whoever neglects or violates their rights, and I strongly warn against that and strongly denounce it.
271/12- Mus‘ab ibn Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: “Sa‘d believed that he deserved a bigger share (of war booty) than those below him. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Are you granted victory and sustenance except because of your weak ones?’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri as a Mursal Hadīth, since Mus‘ab ibn Sa‘d is a Tābi‘i (not a Companion]. It was also narrated by Abu Bakr al-Barqāni in his Sahīh with a connected chain of narration on the authority of Mus‘ab from his father (may Allah be pleased with him).
272/13- Abu al-Dardā’ ‘Uwaymir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: “Seek for me the weak persons, for you are granted victory and means of subsistence because of your weaklings.” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd, with a good Isnād]
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1) The weak among the believers are a reason for gaining victory over the enemies and bestowal of sustenance upon the people.
2) Showing mercy to the weak is a means for attaining the mercy of Allah Almighty, as evidenced by the statement of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “Show mercy to those on earth, and the One in the heaven will show mercy to you.” [Narrated by Ahmad]
3) The Hadīth shows the compassion of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) to weak people. It is incumbent on the guided slaves of Allah Almighty to follow the example of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) in all aspects of doing good.