Allah Almighty says: {And [remember] when Moses said to his servant, “I will not give up until I reach the junction of the two seas, or I travel for ages.”} until the verse that says: {Moses said to him, “May I follow you so that you may teach me some knowledge that you have been taught?”} [Surat al-Kahf: 60, 66] Allah Almighty says: {Be patient with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His pleasure} [Surat Al-Kahf: 28]
1) The verses urge Muslims to maintain relations with good people, namely people of knowledge, faith, and righteousness.
2) To commit oneself patiently to accompanying righteous people is the advice of Allah Almighty to His Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).
360/1- Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “After the death of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr said to ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with both of them): ‘Let us visit Um Ayman (may Allah be pleased with her) just as the Messenger of Allah used to visit her.’ When they came to her, she wept. They said to her: ‘What makes you weep? Do you not know that what is with Allah is better for the Messenger of Allah?’ She said: ‘I am not weeping because of not knowing that what is with Allah is better for the Messenger of Allah, but I weep because the revelation from the sky has stopped.’ Her words moved them to tears and they began to weep along with her.” [Narrated by Muslim]
Um Ayman: The freed slave-woman of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and the one who took care of him in his early childhood. He (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) emancipated her when he grew up.
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1) The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) followed the example of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) in all matters, even in his visiting and asking after those who had rights upon him.
2) The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) revered the revelation (the Qur’an and the Sunnah) and wept for its cessation. So, why are those who wasted and deserted it not weeping?!
3) Weeping out of sadness for losing the righteous and the cessation of goodness is not included in the prohibited wailing.
4) Muslims are urged to visit good people, being one of the rights entailed by faith-based brotherliness.
361/2- Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A man set out to visit his brother (in faith) in another town, so Allah Almighty sent an angel to wait for him on his way. When he met the man, the angel said: ‘Where are you going?’ He said: ‘I am going to visit my brother in this town.’ The angel said: ‘Are you doing this to return a favor?’ He said: ‘No, only that I love him for the sake of Allah, the Exalted.’ Thereupon, the angel said: ‘I am a messenger from Allah to you to tell you that Allah loves you as you love him for His sake.’” [Narrated by Muslim]
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362/3- Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) also reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever visits a sick person or a brother of his for Allah’s sake, a caller calls out: ‘May you be blessed, may your footsteps be blessed, and may you dwell in a home in Paradise.’” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hasan Sahīh (sound and authentic); and as Gharīb (strange) in some editions]
1) It is recommended to visit those whom one takes as brothers for the sake of Allah, since the bond of brotherliness for Allah’s sake is stronger than the bonds of blood, marriage, and worldly interests.
2) The virtue of loving others and visiting them for the sake of Allah is highlighted by the Hadīth. Whoever loves Allah sincerely, loves His allies sincerely.
3) Visiting one another for the sake of Allah is a reason for entering Paradise and earning a great reward.
4) The Shariah encourages all that which fosters affection between brothers, like communicating with and visiting one another.
363/4- Abu Mūsa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The example of the righteous companion and the evil companion is like that of the musk-seller and the one who blows the bellows (a blacksmith). As for the musk-seller, he will either give you some as a present, or you will buy some from him, or you will just receive a good smell from him. Whereas the one blowing the bellows will either burn your clothes or you will receive a nasty smell from him.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
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1) Using examples in prophetic Hadīths is one of the educational methods that are used to ensure clearer understanding for the listener.
2) It is forbidden to accompany evil and wicked people, for their company badly impacts one’s religious and worldly affairs.
3) It is encouraged to befriend righteous people, as their example is like that of the seller of perfumes from whom you get only what is good.
364/5- Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A woman is married for four things: for her wealth, for her lineage, for her beauty, or for her piety. So, win the pious one, may you be blessed!” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
The meaning of the Hadīth is that people usually tend to marry a woman who has such qualities, and it urges a Muslim man to choose a pious wife and be keen to keep her company.
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1) Religiosity is the best quality sought by a suitor in the woman he is going to marry, since a religiously-committed woman will aid him to adhere to his religion, keep his trust, and take care of his children.
3) The most blessed marriage is that which is founded upon religiosity.
365/6- Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said to Jibrīl (Gabriel) (peace be upon him): “What makes you not visit us more than you do?” So, Allah Almighty, revealed: {[Gabriel said], “We do not descend except with the command of your Lord. To Him belongs all that is before us and all that is behind us, and all that is in between. Your Lord is never forgetful.} [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
1) A Muslim is encouraged to ask good people to visit him at his home, in order to get the benefit of their company.
2) The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) loved Gabriel, since he communicated to him the revelation that carried guidance and light.
3) The angels do not act or descend except by the command of Allah Almighty. Such should be the attitude of the believer; he should not embark on something unless he has learned the judgment of Allah Almighty and His Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) concerning it, so that his affairs would be compliant with the command of Allah Almighty and the command of His Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).
366/7- Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Take no companion except a believer, and let no one eat your food except a pious person.”
[Narrated by Abu Dāwūd, and by Al-Tirmidhi with an acceptable Isnād]
1) It is strictly forbidden to keep the company of the disbelievers or the wicked or to show them affection. It is also forbidden to honor them even by giving them food and drink.
2) It is enjoined to keep the company of the pious believers and socialize with them, since this is the commandment of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) which we should comply with.
367/8- Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A man follows the religion (i.e. ways and manners) of his intimate friend. So, each of you should carefully consider whom he takes as his intimate friend.”
[Narrated by Abu Dāwūd and Al-Tirmidhi with an authentic Isnād; Al-Tirmidhi classified it as Hasan (sound)]
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1) One should accompany good people, since companionship has an evident impact on the person’s behavior.
2) A person’s faith increases by accompanying the believers and decreases by accompanying the sinners. A companion is a dragger, either to good or evil, and mixing with someone entails resemblance to them.
368/9- Abu Mūsa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “One will be with those whom he loves.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
He said in another version of the Hadīth: “The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: ‘What about a man who loves a people but he cannot be at the same level of excellence as them?’ Thereupon, he said: ‘One will be with those whom he loves.’”
1) A Muslim should love the pious in order for him to join them, for one will be gathered on the Day of Judgment with those whom he loves.
2) Loving others for Allah’s sake is an act of worship that enables one to make up for what he has missed or neglected of other acts of worship.
3) The variance among the believers with regard to their degrees of servitude to Allah does not prevent the negligent one from joining the excellent, since the root of faith-based love, which is one of the highest deeds of the hearts, is a common factor between them.
4) The merit of loving the righteous, from among the people of knowledge and religiosity, on top of whom come the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and the righteous predecessors. So, let those who take them as allies rejoice! And woe to those who bears hatred and enmity towards them.
369/10- Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that once a Bedouin said to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “When is the Hour?” The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “What have you prepared for it?” He said: “Love for Allah and His Messenger.” The Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “You will be with those whom you love.”
[Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim; this is the wording of Muslim]
Another narration by both of them reads: “I have not prepared as much of fasting, prayer, or charity for it, but I love Allah and His Messenger.”
370/11- Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “A man came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what do you say about a man who loves a people but he cannot catch up with their level of excellence?’ Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘A person will be with those whom he loves.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) One should ask himself and call it to account: ‘Have you done good deeds? Have you repented? Have you returned to Allah?’ This is what matters for his salvation rather than waiting for death to come without having done good deeds!
2) The wisdom of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is illustrated in the Hadīth through his reply to the questioner. He guided him to what is optimal for him in attaining salvation, namely, getting prepared for the Hereafter by doing what is beneficial for him.
3) Allah Almighty concealed knowledge of the Hour from the people, so that everyone would be always prepared for meeting Allah Almighty. {and do not die except as Muslims.} For, once a slave dies, he will face his Hour.
4) Loving Allah Almighty and obeying Him, as well as loving His Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) are among the best deeds by which one draws close to Allah Almighty, and are among the most perfect acts of worship that save one in the worldly life and on the Day of Judgment.
According to a narration by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim: “Anas said: I love the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, and I hope that I would be with them by virtue of my love for them, even though my deeds are not as excellent as theirs.”
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy upon him) said in his poem Al-Lāmiyyah:
Love for all the Companions is a principle that I adopt, and love for the relatives of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) is something through which I seek closeness to Allah.
All of them are high in status and have abundant merits, yet Al-Siddīq tops all of them.
371/12- Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “People are of different origins (characters), like gold and silver; the best of them in the pre-Islamic period are the best of them in Islam, if they are well-versed in the religion. Souls are like recruited soldiers, they mix with those who are similar to them in qualities and drift away from those who do not share their qualities.” [Narrated by Muslim]
In the narration of Al-Bukhāri, the part that reads “Souls are like recruited soldiers...” is reported by ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her).
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1) A Muslim is urged to endeavor to rectify himself and seek to enhance the good nature within himself.
2) Knowledge and good understanding of the religion are the greatest factors whereby souls are refined. {Indeed, he who purifies his soul will attain success.}
3) Souls familiarize with one another according to the nature upon which they are disposed. However, one should refine himself so that it would love and familiarize with righteous believers and keep away from disbelievers and sinners and have an aversion to them.
372/13- Usayr ibn ‘Amr, or ibn Jābir, reported: “When delegations from Yemen came to the help (of the Muslim army at the time of Jihad), ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) would ask them, ‘Is there an Uways ibn ‘Āmir amongst you?’ He continued searching for him until he met Uways (may Allah be pleased with him). He said, ‘Are you Uways ibn ‘Āmir?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ ‘Umar asked, ‘Are you from the Qaran branch of the tribe of Murād?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ ‘Umar said, ‘Did you suffer from vitiligo and then you were cured from it but for a spot the size of a dirham?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ ‘Umar said, ‘Is your mother still alive?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ ‘Umar said, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) saying: ‘There would come to you Uways ibn ‘Āmir with the reinforcement from the people of Yemen. He would be from Qaran (the branch) of Murād. He had been suffering from vitiligo from which he was cured but for a spot the size of a dirham. He has a mother to whom he is very dutiful. If he were to take an oath in the Name of Allah, Allah would fulfill his oath. So if you can ask him to ask forgiveness for you, then do so.’ So, ask forgiveness for me.’ Uways asked forgiveness for him. ‘Umar then said, ‘Where do you intend to go?’ He said, ‘To Kufah.’ ‘Umar said, ‘Let me write a letter for you to its governor,’ whereupon Uways said, ‘I love to be with the poor people.’ The following year, a person from among the elite of Kufah performed Hajj and he met ‘Umar. ‘Umar asked him about Uways. The man said, ‘I left him in a state with meager means of sustenance in a decayed house.’ ‘Umar said, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) saying: ‘There would come to you Uways ibn ‘Āmir with the reinforcement from the people of Yemen. He would be from Qaran (the branch) of Murād. He had been suffering from vitiligo from which he was cured but for a spot the size of a dirham. He has a mother to whom he is very dutiful. If he were to take an oath in the Name of Allah, Allah would fulfill his oath. So if you can ask him to ask forgiveness for you, then do so.’ This man went to Uways and asked him to ask forgiveness for him. Uways said to him, ‘You have just returned from a blessed journey; it is you who should pray for forgiveness for me. Did you meet ‘Umar?’ The man said, ‘Yes.’ Uways then prayed for forgiveness for him. People became aware of the high status of Uways, so he set out following his course. [Narrated by Muslim]
In another narration of the Hadīth by Muslim, Usayr ibn Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that a delegation from Kufah came to ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Among them was a man who used to mock Uways. ‘Umar inquired, “Is there anyone among you anyone from Qaran?” So this man stepped forward. Then ‘Umar said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) saying: ‘A man will come to you from Yemen named Uways. He will have left in the Yemen only his mother. He was suffering from vitiligo and prayed to Allah to be cured of it. So he was cured except for a spot the size of a dinar or a dirham. Whoever of you should meet him should ask him to pray for forgiveness for him.’”
Another narration of by Muslim on the authority of ‘Umar reads, “ I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘The best of the next generation (the Tābi‘ūn) is a man called Uways; he will have a mother and he will have suffered from vitiligo. Ask him to pray for forgiveness for you.’”
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1) The Hadīth underlines the merit of Uways ibn ‘Āmir al-Qarani (may Allah have mercy upon him), for he was the best of the Tābi‘ūn, just as Abu Bakr al-Siddīq (may Allah be pleased with him) was the best of the Companions.
2) One may ask from the righteous to supplicate on his favor, even if the asker is superior to the one asked, and one may take advantage of the supplication of those whose supplications are hoped to be answered by virtue of their knowledge and righteousness. All these are lawful forms of Tawassul (beseeching Allah).
3) Dutifulness to parents is a means for having one’s supplications answered and being granted success by Allah Almighty.
4) The humbleness of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) and his keenness on what is good, at a time when he was the Caliph of the Muslims. May Allah have mercy upon ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb and be pleased with him, for he made it hard for those who succeeded him to follow his way!
373/14 - ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I asked the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) for permission to perform ‘Umrah, and he gave permission to me and said: “Remember us, brother, in your supplication.” He thus said words which I would not exchange for the world.
In another version, he said: “Include us, my brother, in your supplication.” [An authentic Hadīth narrated by Abu Dāwūd and Al-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hasan Sahīh (sound and authentic)] [6]
1) The supplication of the traveler is readily answered, so a believer should be keen on taking good advantage of the times where supplications are answered.
2) It is permissible for one to ask the righteous to supplicate in his favor if he aims thereby to let the supplicant receive the same good things as what he supplicates for the other, as implied by the Hadīth that reads: “He who supplicates for his brother, the angel (commissioned for carrying the supplication to his Lord) says, ‘May the same be for you.’”
374/15- Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: “The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to visit Qubā’ Mosque, either riding or on foot, and he would pray two Rak‘ahs there.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
According to another version, he said: “The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to visit Qubā’ Mosque every Saturday, either riding or on foot, and Ibn ‘Umar used to do the same thing.”
Qubā’ is a mosque located in one of the districts of Madinah, about 3 kilometers from the Prophet’s Mosque. It is the mosque referred to in the following verse: {A mosque that was founded on piety from the first day is more deserving for you to pray therein}.
1) It is recommended to visit Qubā’ Mosque, emulating the practice of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).
2) ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) was so keen to follow the example of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), which should be the attitude of the successful believers.
The merit of Qubā’ Mosque was highlighted in many Hadīths, one of which is the one where Abu Umāmah reported: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Whoever performs ablution at home and then comes to the mosque of Qubā’ and offers prayer in it shall have a reward like that of ‘Umrah.’” [Narrated by Ahmad with an authentic chain of narration]
Ibn Kathīr (may Allah have mercy upon him) said in his Tafsīr book:
“Allah urged his Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) to pray in the mosque of Qubā’ which was founded on piety ever since the first day...Therefore He said: {A mosque that was founded on piety from the first day is more deserving for you to pray therein}. The mosque referred to in this context is the mosque of Qubā’... A group of the righteous predecessors stated that the mosque mentioned in the verse is Qubā’ Mosque... However, according to an authentic Hadīth: “The mosque that was founded on piety is the mosque of the Messenger of Allah which stands in the middle of Madinah.” This is a correct statement, and there is no contradiction between the two views, for if the mosque of Qubā’ was founded on piety from the first day, then this is true of the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) with greater reason and more deservingly.