It is narrated from Jubair bin Nufair, he says: One day we were sitting in the gathering of Sayyiduna Miqdad bin Aswad (may Allah be pleased with him) when a man passed by and said: How fortunate are these two eyes that saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). By Allah! We wish that we had also seen what you saw, and that we had also been present at those occasions at which you were present. At this, Sayyiduna Miqdad (may Allah be pleased with him) became angry, and I was surprised at him (thinking, what is there to be angry about? He has said a good thing). Then he turned towards him and said: What is the reason that a person wishes to be present at a time while Allah Almighty has kept him absent from it? Who knows what his condition would have been had he been present at that time? By Allah! Many people were present with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) whom Allah Almighty threw on their faces into Hell. (Because) they neither accepted the invitation of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) nor affirmed him. Do you not praise Allah for the fact that when He created you, you did not know anyone except your Lord, that is, there is faith all around. And you affirm the Shariah brought by the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The trial of affirmation and rejection was averted from you through other people. By Allah! No prophet was sent in such difficult circumstances as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent. It was a time of interval and ignorance (when for years no prophet had been sent), people did not consider any religion superior to idol worship. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came with the Furqan (criterion) through which truth and falsehood were distinguished. He separated father from son to such an extent that a (believing) man would see his father, son, and brother as disbelievers, while Allah Almighty had opened the locks of his own heart through faith. He knew that surely if (his father or brother) died, he would go to Hell, so (seeing them) his eyes would not be cooled, while he knew that his beloved was going to Hell. And this (love for children) is such a thing about which Allah Almighty has said: «وَالَّذِينَيَقُولُونَرَبَّنَاهَبْلَنَامِنْأَزْوَاجِنَاوَذُرِّيَّاتِنَاقُرَّةَأَعْيُنٍ»[سورہ الفرقان: 74] "And those who say: Our Lord! Grant us from our wives and our offspring the coolness of our eyes."
Hadith Referenceالادب المفرد / كتاب / 87
Hadith Gradingالألبانی:صحيح
Hadith Takhrij«صحيح : أخرجه أحمد : 23810 و ابن أبى عاصم فى الآحاد : 292 و الطبراني فى الكبير : 253/20 و ابن حبان : 6552 - الصحيحة : 2823»
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Maulana Usman Muneeb
Benefits and Issues: ➊ The meaning of "coolness of the eyes" is that a person attains delight and joy from their children. When wishes are fulfilled in such a way that a person becomes content and feels no need to look elsewhere, this phrase is also used on such occasions.
➋ When children are obedient and righteous, such that they are also saved from Hellfire, then a person's eyes are cooled; this does not refer only to worldly prosperity. In the interpretation of the verse referenced at the end of the hadith, Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhuma says that it means the children perform acts of obedience to Allah so that the eyes of their parents are cooled in both this world and the Hereafter. When Hasan al-Basri rahimahullah was asked about this verse, he said: "It means that Allah makes the wife, children, brothers, and friends of a Muslim servant obedient to Him, because by Allah! There is nothing greater for the coolness of a Muslim's eyes than this."
➌ This hadith clarifies that if a servant is born into a Muslim household and is provided with a Muslim environment, he should render special thanks to Allah for this. How many people are there who are born into disbelieving families and die in a state of disbelief. One should value this blessing. Secondly, the wish that 'if I had been in such-and-such era, I would have done such-and-such' should also not be expressed, because it is possible that if he had been in that era, he would have gone astray. Although the feelings of the Tabi'in were very good—that we would have seen the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and supported and aided him—however, Miqdad radi Allahu anhu explained that you should be content with Allah's decree; you do not know whether, had you been in that era, you would have been among his supporters or his opponents. He says: We have seen that a man himself is a Muslim while his children are disbelievers, and he remains anxious that they might die in a state of disbelief and enter Hellfire. Your relatives and siblings are Muslims, so in this respect you are fortunate, because no matter how much comfort and blessing a person himself enjoys, if he sees that his children are in distress and destined for Hellfire, he will never find peace.
➍ The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and his Companions radi Allahu anhum passed through extremely severe trials, and for this reason Allah elevated their ranks.
➎ The Tabi'in acknowledged the virtue of the noble Companions radi Allahu anhum and loved them.
Source: Fadlullah al-Ahad: Urdu Commentary on al-Adab al-Mufrad, Page: 87