Adab al-Mufrad

Benefits and Issues:
➊ The author rahimahullah has mentioned this narration in detail in Chapter 216, Hadith 460, in which the wording “disobedience to mothers” (ʿuqūq al-ummahāt) appears, which is related to our aforementioned chapter. Moreover, this hadith is present in both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.

➋ This hadith guides us that from time to time, we should continue to advise one another. The goodwill of friends is that they should inform each other of the sayings of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Similarly, a person should not consider himself to possess all knowledge, but should continue to benefit from various scholars, because arrogance is the enemy of knowledge. Sayyiduna Muʿāwiyah radi Allahu anhu was among the eminent Companions, yet he did not feel any shame in asking questions about the religion. Furthermore, it is clarified that even in the earliest generations, the practice of writing hadith existed, as is evident from this narration. This is a great proof against those who criticize the hadith and consider it unreliable.

➌ In the hadith, three pieces of advice from the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam are mentioned, which are stated in extremely concise and meaningful words. Two are related to the tongue, and one is related to the hands. Their explanation is as follows:

Excessive Questioning: ...There are two types of questions: (1) Questions regarding religious and worldly matters. (2) Questions for fulfilling needs and necessities.

Asking questions and inquiring about religious matters due to lack of knowledge is a praiseworthy act; in fact, Islam has commanded it. Allah the Exalted says:
﴿فَسْئَلُوْا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ﴾ ()
“If you do not know about a matter, then ask the people of knowledge.”

Similarly, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
((إِنَّمَا شِفَاءُ العَيِّ السُّؤَالُ)) (Abu Dawud, Hadith no. 336)
“The cure for ignorance is only to ask questions.”

This means that if a person does not possess knowledge, he should go to the scholars and ask about religious matters—what is the command of Allah and His Messenger in this regard—and then act accordingly. Blind following and not striving to reach the commands of Allah and His Messenger is highly blameworthy in Islam. The scholars of the Jews and Christians declared the unlawful as lawful and the lawful as unlawful, and their followers followed them without asking or questioning. Allah the Exalted has equated this with considering others as lords besides Allah. In the present era, the means of acquiring knowledge have become very vast, so a person should utilize his resources to reach the correct ruling, which is certainly present in the form of Allah’s Qur’an and the authentic sayings of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

All these points are for the person who desires to reach the straight path and asks questions to know the correct matter and act upon it. The one whose purpose is merely to argue, to test the scholars, or to display his own scholarly dominance is blameworthy in the sight of Allah. Similarly, asking purposeless questions, such as the one who asked, “O Messenger of Allah, who is my father?” is also prohibited and disliked. Likewise, asking about an issue that has not yet arisen is also blameworthy; in fact, sometimes a person is afflicted with that very thing as a punishment for his questioning. Many people ask purposeless questions that have no religious or worldly benefit, for example: What was the name of Musa alayhis salam’s grandmother? What was the rein of his she-camel made of? And so on. Such unnecessary questions are also prohibited.

Engaging in unnecessary debate about predestination (qadar) is also disliked in the Shariah. Delving into matters of the Barzakh (intermediate realm) which the Shariah has not clarified, such as “If it is like this, then why is it not like that?”—this too is blameworthy. In summary, all questions that are hypothetical and not actual are blameworthy to discuss or ask about.

Prying into people’s affairs and gathering as much information as possible about them—what is so-and-so like, what does so-and-so do—is also blameworthy. Similarly, delving into the details of someone’s private life is also prohibited.

On the occasion of marriage, girls try to find out details about the boy from the girl, and boys from their friends, and some ignorant people even disclose such details; these types of questions are also prohibited. The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has cursed the man and woman who disclose the secrets of the night’s privacy to others.

The second type of question is asking for the fulfillment of needs: If this question is directed to Allah the Exalted, then no matter how much it is done, it is not enough, because Allah the Exalted is pleased with those who call upon Him and is displeased with those who do not ask of Him. Regarding those things which are only in the power of Allah the Exalted, asking anyone from the creation about them is prohibited and angers Allah, for example: calling upon anyone other than Allah in times of difficulty, as many ignorant people do, saying, “O so-and-so, remove this illness of mine.”

As for those things which are within the power of the servants, it is permissible to ask them, for example: if someone wants to lift a load, he can ask someone to help him lift it. Innovators and polytheist scholars, in order to deceive people, present such examples to justify seeking help from and calling upon others besides Allah, whereas there is a vast difference between help under means and absolute removal of hardship.

If a person is needy and destitute, he may ask others, but when his need is fulfilled, he should refrain from asking. Some people came to the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in a bad state and requested help; he said to his Companions that your brothers are deserving of your kindness, so help them. However, adopting begging as a profession is highly blameworthy in Islam. Islam has discouraged this and, to address it, has given a beautiful system of zakat and spending in the way of Allah, so that the needs of the needy are fulfilled and their self-respect is not harmed.

➍ Squandering Wealth (Iḍāʿat al-māl): ...Wealth refers to everything towards which there is a natural inclination. By this is meant gold, silver, money, livestock, and other possessions which a person keeps for times of need or benefits from. Wealth is a blessing from Allah the Exalted if it is acquired through lawful and permissible means and used according to the commands of Allah the Exalted. The Qur’an has described the goods of this world as “good.” Allah the Exalted says:
﴿وَإِنَّهُ لِحُبِّ الْخَيْرِ لَشَدِيدٌ﴾ (Adiyat: 8) “And indeed, he is, in his love of wealth, intense.”

Just as it is necessary to use lawful means to earn wealth, after acquiring something in one’s possession, a person is not free and unrestrained in its use. The tragedy of our society is that the majority do not even consider how they are acquiring their wealth. If a few percent use lawful means to earn, they do not distinguish between lawful and unlawful when spending. On the Day of Judgment, both matters will be questioned. The hadith states that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
((لاَ تَزُوْلُ قَدَمُ ابْنِ آدَمَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّهِ ....وَعَنْ مَالِهِ)) (Jamiʿ al-Tirmidhi, Sifat al-Qiyamah, Hadith: 2416)
“On the Day of Judgment, a person will not move from his place before his Lord until he is questioned...about his wealth—how he earned it and how he spent it.”

Therefore, those who squander wealth through extravagance are called the brothers of Satan in the Qur’an. The importance of protecting wealth earned through lawful means and saving it from being wasted can be gauged from the fact that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam declared the one who is killed while protecting his wealth to be a martyr. The Prophetic statement is:
((من قُتِلَ دُونَ مَالِهِ فَهُو شَهِيدٌ)) (Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Mazalim, Hadith: 2480)
“Whoever is killed while protecting his wealth is a martyr.”

Therefore, one should neither be miserly with wealth nor extravagant, but should adopt moderation.

➎ Qīl wa Qāl (“He said, she said”): ...Both are verbal nouns. Their repetition in the prohibition is for emphasis—that is, to transmit people’s statements without verification, such as “so-and-so said this, so-and-so used to say that,” is a very bad trait. Most social conflicts arise from spreading hearsay. Even to transmit correct and true information, it is necessary to verify it, let alone transmitting useless talk or statements that cause mutual conflict. Some scholars have included, under this heading, the statements of jurists (fuqaha) without evidence as well.