Abu Dawud

Sahih Bukhari Hadith No: 3303 Chapter: «بَابُ خَيْرُ مَالِ الْمُسْلِمِ غَنَمٌ يَتْبَعُ بِهَا شَعَفَ الْجِبَالِ:»
Relationship between the Chapter and the Hadith:
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, in the chapter heading, mentions the best wealth of Muslims, which he has identified as goats. However, the hadith he presents from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu contains no mention of goats. Apparently, the connection between the chapter heading and the hadith seems quite difficult to discern.
In reality, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah’s intent here is to show that the best wealth for Muslims is indeed goats, through which one’s livelihood is also best arranged. Another noteworthy connection is that among animals, there are two types: in some, Allah Ta’ala has placed goodness and blessing, while others are harmful. The chapter heading refers to those animals that are blessed, and below, a few hadiths are presented regarding those animals in which harm is established.
Upon reflection on the chapter heading, the connection that becomes apparent is that the hadiths clearly indicate that if a person is alone in the mountains and gives the adhan (call to prayer) and says the takbir (proclamation of Allah’s greatness), then the angels join him. The narrations also mention that wherever the sound of the adhan reaches, those who hear it will testify for the one who gave the adhan on the Day of Judgment. For example, if a shepherd grazes goats on a mountain, when the time for prayer comes, he will give the adhan and say the takbir, then establish the prayer. On this occasion, the goats that heard the adhan will testify for the one who gave the adhan on the Day of Judgment. It is clear from the chapter heading that goats are more beneficial for a Muslim’s worldly interests. Similarly, the rooster, whose worldly benefit is less than that of goats, will also testify on the Day of Judgment.
Maulana Abu’l Qasim Banarsi rahimahullah says:
“The original chapter is actually the chapter of the Qur’anic verse «﴿وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ دَابَّةٍ﴾ [لقمان : 10]», and the chapter under discussion (i.e., ‘the best wealth of a Muslim, etc.’) is, in fact, a sub-chapter of the previous one. The first chapter is about general terrestrial animals, in which all the hadiths of this chapter and its subordinate sub-chapters are included. The second chapter is to alert us that among these terrestrial animals, some are blessed, meaning that good lessons can be learned from them, and some are inauspicious, from which harm is received. Among the blessed animals, one is the goat, for a person is protected from tribulation by grazing it in the wilderness during times of trial, and the other is the rooster, which gives the adhan at dawn. Among the inauspicious animals, one is the donkey, whose habits are bad and whose voice is unpleasant; another is the rat, which causes much damage to household goods and crops; another is the lizard, which is harmful; and another is the snake, which is a venomous animal. All these (blessed and inauspicious) animals are mentioned in the chapter under discussion, and although the chapter heading is specific, all the aforementioned animals are related to it, because the blessed animals are related by genus, and the inauspicious ones by opposition. And the mention of genus or opposition in reference to something is common in the Qur’an and is recognized among the jurists, so the connection (between the chapter heading and the hadith) is established.” (Hal Mushkilat Bukhari, pp. 286-287)
Furthermore, if we reflect, another aspect of connection between the chapter heading and the hadith becomes apparent.
The chapter heading mentions “the best wealth,” which is identified as goats, because goats provide milk, meat, and, in terms of food and drink, constitute a complete source of nutrition. In contrast, the rooster may be useful for meat, but its worldly benefits are not equal to those of goats, so it cannot be counted among the best wealth. From here, the connection between the chapter heading and the hadith is also established.
Benefit:
Some people, especially the deniers of hadith or those who are accustomed to judging the Qur’an and hadith through a materialistic lens, openly reject these hadiths, because their comprehension is not possible through the senses; rather, these matters pertain to the unseen. Among the most important responsibilities of the believers is to accept everything from Allah Ta’ala and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam without any interpretation. It is absolutely certain that whatever has been revealed in Islam is, in fact, an important and decisive matter. It is another issue that we may be unaware of the realities described. We should have faith at such junctures, rather than rejecting the words of the Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam based on false interpretations.
Abdullah bin Ali al-Najdi al-Qasimi writes:
“«فهذا بيان الأحاديث نبوية صحيحة قد أشكلت على كبار العلماء، قد أشكل بعضها طبيًا، وبعضها فلكيًا، وبعضها علميًا، وبعضها حسيًا، وبعضها دينيًا، فجعل فريق فكذبها و ردها و تحمل على رواتها، ولم يصب فى ذالك.“ (مقدمة مشكلات الأحاديث النبوية)»
That is, ‘The statements of authentic hadiths are certainly difficult for some of the great scholars (to answer the objections to them) because some hadiths pertain to medicine, some to astronomy, some to specific sciences, some to the senses, and some to religion. Thus, one group among them (due to lack of understanding) rejects these hadiths based on the endurance of their narrators, and in this, they do not reach the truth.’”
From Imam Qasimi’s clarification, it becomes clear that the hadiths are not only related to acts of worship, but the statements of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam pertain to every field of the world. The hadiths mentioned by Imam Bukhari rahimahullah under this chapter relate to animals (zoology), which is why most scholars, due to unfamiliarity with these sciences, remain in doubt, especially those whose habit is to criticize hadith. The reason for the donkey’s braying being the sighting of a devil, or the rooster’s crowing being due to seeing an angel, apparently seems incomprehensible. However, upon reflection, there are many animals whose perception in certain matters is many times greater than that of humans. For example, a kite, even at great heights, can perceive a chicken or a fish; consider the olfactory power of the ant, the auditory power of the peacock, the visual power of the kite, which is many times greater than that of humans; the olfactory power of the dog, which can hear a silent whistle from afar that a human cannot hear; the peacock can encompass sounds from miles away; the ant can smell scents from a great distance. There is a type of ant that is a farmer; there is a type of ant that is a mimic, called (Basiceros).
There are some strange types of ants that trade slaves; that is, when the soldiers of one colony realize that they can easily overpower another colony, they go on the hunt. They attack the colony, kill the queen, and gather the honey-storing ants as spoils. Most interestingly, they also take the larvae of the queen to their own colony, and the ants that emerge from these larvae serve as slaves. There is also a formidable type of ant, just as among humans there are soldiers who disguise themselves, similarly among ants there are soldier mimics. According to scientists, there is an insect called the bombardier beetle, which uses a chemical method for defense and to protect itself from enemy attacks, which is very strange indeed.
For details, see:
➊ Bert Holldobler - Edward O. Wilson, The Ants, Harvard University Press 1990, pp. 176-177, USO
➋ Natural History 1/94, Gregory Paulson and Roger D. Akre.
➌ Science, Volume 262, 22nd Oct 1993.
➍ The Miracle of the Ant, Harun Yahya.
In addition, consider monkeys; they are also a strange creation of Allah Ta’ala, whose behaviors and movements resemble those of humans. In the margin of Anwar Shah Kashmiri rahimahullah’s commentary Faydh al-Bari, an incident is recorded:
“A monkey put a noose around its neck and hung itself from a tree, so it suffocated. Immediately, another monkey came, untied the rope from its neck, and, thinking it was dead, began to circle around it. After a while, it went away and brought a large monkey on its back. This monkey checked its pulse, then spoke to the one who had brought it, who then took it back to where he had brought it from. On returning, he brought a herb in his hand, put some of it in its nose and some in its mouth, and immediately it sat up.” (Faydh al-Bari, vol. 4, p. 76, margin)
Maulana Hakim Muhammad Abdullah Sahib mentions a very strange incident. He states:
“My friend Dr. S. J. Roy told me that one of my benefactors told me that he saw a fight between a snake and a mongoose in a forest in the Ajmer region. The mongoose was weak; the snake bit it several times, but as soon as the poison affected the mongoose, it dodged and ran away, went a little distance, broke off a herb and began to eat it, and after a while returned to fight the snake again. This happened three times, and the mongoose kept eating the leaves of the herb and fighting until it killed the snake. I thought that this herb was an antidote to the poison, so I experimented with it and found it to be absolutely correct.” (Herbs, vol. 1, pp. 18-19)
Modern research has also proven that trees and plants can feel happiness and sadness, and they experience pain, even though a few years ago there was no sign of such research. But this is certainly mentioned in the hadiths. Alhamdulillah, today modern science has also accepted this. Allama Shabbir Usmani, while giving rational and textual answers regarding this law and power of Allah Ta’ala, writes in his book Islam and Miracles:
“Today we see that an English expert in the science of vision has shed light on the power of sight in human skin. He writes that under the skin of the human body are tiny particles spread throughout the body; these particles are tiny eyes, and images are imprinted in them just as they are in the pupil of the eye. The idea that human skin can see just as eyes do is not new. When you see a blind person passing through a crowded market, you are amazed at how he finds his way. It is thought that the skin of the human forehead has the power of sight, and it sends messages to the brain in the same way.
Dr. Fergol states that thousands of years ago, the art of reading without eyes had reached perfection and was commonly practiced. But when humans realized that they could do the same with their eyes as with their skin, they abandoned the method of seeing with the skin, and eventually, the ability to see with the skin disappeared. If this sense is developed again, it is not surprising that even the blind may begin to see through it.
In any case, the advancement of science is greatly aiding the understanding of miracles, and for this reason, we are justified in hoping that, after some time, insha’Allah Ta’ala, the devotees of science will bow their heads in acceptance of miracles.
Until recently, when we heard that trees bowed before the Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, or that they greeted him, or that they moved from their place at his gesture, the atheists would mock these stories as ‘tales of the ancients’ and attack these accounts as the credulity or superstition of early Muslims. But today, the experts in botany have revealed such astonishing facts about plant life that it is clear that trees and plants indeed possess all those senses and impressions that were previously thought to be the exclusive property of living creatures. Anyone with even a little knowledge of plant life knows that plants and flowers also eat their food, drink their water, and sleep their sleep. They also have mating and reproduction, their generations continue, they also age, and eventually, they too fall into the clutches of death.
But very few people would be willing to believe that plants also have the ability to see and hear, that they communicate with each other, that they are affected by love and affection, that they are afflicted by sorrow and grief, and that they, too, are influenced by emotions and sensations just like us.
You must have seen that some plants and flowers shrink just by being touched and close up at the slightest gesture. Because of this sensitivity, one plant is called ‘touch-me-not’ (Mimosa pudica).
These are conditions that every person can see with the naked eye, but if you study the recent book by your compatriot, the scientist Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, who, through a lifetime of experiments and his strange and wonderful instruments, has discovered such facts about plants and trees that have brought about a remarkable revolution in botany, you will find that he has conducted all kinds of experiments on plants and made astonishing discoveries, revealing many hidden secrets of nature. Upon seeing and learning of these conditions, one cannot help but recite the verse:
‘The green leaves of trees, in the eyes of the wise,
Every leaf is a page from the book of the Creator’s knowledge.’
Various types of medicines have exactly the same effect on plants as they do on humans or animals. Chloroform can anesthetize a plant just as it can you or me.
Sir Bose has made an instrument by which you can easily observe the sleeping state of a plant.
The most sensitive plant is the ‘Mimosa’; a slight cloud cover makes it drowsy, and exposure to sunlight immediately makes it alert and lively. Experiments on sleep and wakefulness are often conducted on this plant.
In contrast, there is the ‘Jhunga flower’ plant, which grows more along the banks of the Ganges in Bengal. During the day, it is in a state of rest, and at night, it displays its full bloom. In Africa, there are coconut trees that, due to the strong and harsh winds of the seashore, are bent to one side, but in the morning, when there is no wind, these trees stand completely upright, and at that time, it is very difficult to pick their fruit. But at the appointed time, they all bend again, and the next morning, they stand upright once more.
Most people are aware of the palm tree in Bengal that would awaken at sunrise and gradually rise up straight from the ground, but as the sun set, the tree would begin to bend, and with sunset, it would prostrate itself.
Can anyone, after reading these modern discoveries and the works of Sir Bose, dare to deny the authentic and reliable facts of the Prophet’s biography sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, which indicate the presence of sensation, consciousness, will, speech, and emotions such as love in plants?
Further, consider the example of termites. Look at the termite mound and compare its size; termites successfully build large mounds, a project that is 300 times larger than the termite’s own body, and the most amazing and astonishing thing is that termites are blind.
Harun Yahya hafizahullah writes:
“If you gather thousands of blind people and give them all kinds of technical tools, you still would not be able to have them build a mound like the one built by a single termite in a termite colony.” (Signs of Allah, p. 51)
Astonishing fact: the wings of the Kabul bee (hoverfly):
Despite being very thin, the wings of this bee are very strong, containing about 1,000 compartments. Due to this twisted strength, the wings of this creature do not tear and can withstand air pressure. The roof of the Munich Olympic Stadium was also constructed on this principle. (223 # For Man of Understanding by Harun Yahya, pg)
The sum of all this discussion is that Allah Ta’ala has placed different abilities and qualities in different animals; some are easy for us to perceive, and some are extremely difficult, and some things are impossible to perceive because they pertain to the unseen and matters of faith. It is extremely necessary for us to have faith in those commands that the Shari’ah has given us.
In the hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the snake is also mentioned, whose characteristic is that it causes miscarriage and blindness. Alhamdulillah, today’s research has proven that such snakes exist in the forests of Africa; researchers have named it the “spitting snake.” Therefore, whatever Allah and His Messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam have mentioned, we should accept it and, by not rejecting it, save our deeds from being ruined.
Siraj al-Din Ali bin Ahmad al-Ansari, known as Ibn al-Mulaqqin rahimahullah, says:
“«فيه دلالة ان الله جعل للديك ادراكا كما جعله للحمير، و ان كل نوع من الملائكة والشياطين موجودان، وهذا معلوم فى الشرع قطعا و المنكر بشيئ منها كافر.“ (التوضيح شرح الجامع الصحيح، ج19، ص 243)»
‘(These hadiths) indicate that just as Allah Ta’ala has placed a specific perception in the donkey, so too does the rooster have a (specific) perception, and all types of angels and devils exist, and this is decisively known from the Shari’ah. Whoever denies any of this is a disbeliever.’”

Hadith Commentary: Hafiz said: The virtue of the rooster is derived from this hadith.
Abu Dawud has narrated with a sound chain: Say “blessed” (barakah) for the rooster, for it calls to prayer—that is, it awakens (people) at the time of prayer.
From this hadith, it is also derived that making supplication (du'a) in the company of righteous people is recommended (mustahabb),
because the hope of acceptance is greater.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
There is a particular quality in the rooster that is not found in other animals: it has an awareness of the night, for whether the night is short or long, it does not err in its crowing, and it continues to call before and after Fajr as usual.
From this, it is understood that Allah, the Exalted, has granted it understanding and perception.
Similarly, the donkey also has perception.
In one narration it is stated:
“Do not revile the rooster, for it awakens you for prayer.”
(Sunan Abi Dawud, Al-Adab, Hadith: 5101)
In another narration it is stated:
“When the dog barks, seek refuge with Allah, the Exalted, from the accursed Shaytan.”
(Sunan Abi Dawud, Al-Adab, Hadith: 5103)

➋
The command to seek Allah’s bounty at the time of the rooster’s crowing is given because at that time the angels say ‘Ameen’ and supplicate for the servant’s forgiveness; furthermore, they will bear witness to the servant’s humility and submissiveness.
(Fath al-Bari: 6/425)

Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
Diyaka:
Plural of deek,
Rooster.

Benefits and Issues:
From this hadith, it is understood that making supplication (dua) in the presence of righteous people is recommended,
because when the rooster crowed upon seeing the angel and we made supplication,
so that the angel would say "Ameen," it is understood from this
that the participation of righteous people in supplication increases the likelihood of acceptance. And since Satan tries to cause harm,
therefore, it is necessary to seek refuge from him, and this is a special characteristic that Allah, the Exalted, has placed in these animals.