Toggle above to switch between keyword search and direct hadith lookup
الفتح الربانی
Fath al-Rabbani
مسائل الهبة والهديةIssues of Gifts and Presents
قبول رَسُولِ اللهِ صلَّى اللهُ عَليهِ وسَلمَ الْهَدِيَّةَ وَإِنْ كَانَتْ حَقِيرَة لا الصَّدَقَةَ وَإِنْ كَانَتْ عَظِيمَةٌAcceptance by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) of a gift even if insignificant, but not charity even if great
Hadith 6270
اُردوEn
عَنْ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ أَهْدَتْ أُمُّ سُنْبُلَةَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَبَنًا فَلَمْ تَجِدْهُ فَقَالَتْ لَهَا إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَدْ نَهَى أَنْ يُؤْكَلَ طَعَامُ الْأَعْرَابِ فَدَخَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ فَقَالَ مَا هَذَا مَعَكِ يَا أُمَّ سُنْبُلَةَ قَالَتْ لَبَنًا أَهْدَيْتُ لَكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ اسْكُبِي أُمَّ سُنْبُلَةَ فَسَكَبَتْ فَقَالَ نَاوِلِي أَبَا بَكْرٍ فَفَعَلَتْ فَقَالَ اسْكُبِي أُمَّ سُنْبُلَةَ فَسَكَبَتْ فَنَاوَلَتْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَشَرِبَ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَشْرَبُ مِنْ لَبَنٍ وَأَبْرَدَهَا عَلَى الْكَبِدِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ كُنْتُ حُدِّثْتُ أَنَّكَ قَدْ نَهَيْتَ عَنْ طَعَامِ الْأَعْرَابِ فَقَالَ يَا عَائِشَةُ إِنَّهُمْ لَيْسُوا بِالْأَعْرَابِ هُمْ أَهْلُ بَادِيَتِنَا وَنَحْنُ أَهْلُ حَاضِرَتِهِمْ وَإِذَا دُعُوا أَجَابُوا فَلَيْسُوا بِالْأَعْرَابِ
It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that Sayyida Umm Sunbala (may Allah be pleased with her) brought a gift of milk for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but did not find him at home. Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said to her: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has forbidden us from eating the food of the Bedouins. Meanwhile, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived, and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was with him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Umm Sunbala! What is this with you? She said: O Messenger of Allah! It is milk; I have brought it as a gift for you. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Umm Sunbala! Pour it into a bowl. She poured it into a bowl. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Hand it to Abu Bakr. She did so. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Umm Sunbala! Pour more. She poured more and handed it to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he drank it. When Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) saw that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was drinking the milk and how much it was cooling his heart, she said: O Messenger of Allah! I was told that you had forbidden the food of the Bedouins? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Aisha! These people are not Bedouins; they are from the outer areas adjacent to our city, and we are from their city. When they are called (for the affairs of the Messenger of Allah and the Muslims), they respond. They are not Bedouins.
Brief Explanation
Benefits: … It is possible that the intention of Sayyidah Aisha radi Allahu anha is Hadith number (6274), since the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam upheld Sayyidah Aisha radi Allahu anha regarding her statement about refraining from eating the food of the Bedouins. Therefore, it is now necessary to explain the meaning of this prohibition and what its reason is. At most, there can be two reasons:
(1) Some Bedouins are harsh-natured, hard-hearted, and coarse in temperament, as Allah the Exalted has said: {وَمِنَ الْاَعْرَابِ مَنْ یَّتَّخِذُ مَا یُنْفِقُ مَغْرَمًا وَیَتَرَبَّصُ بِکُمُ الدَّوَائِرَ} … “And among the Bedouins are some who regard what they spend as a fine and wait for misfortunes to befall you (the believers).” (Surah al-Tawbah: 98) This is the blameworthy category of Bedouins. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam forbade eating the food of such people, whereas some Bedouins are praiseworthy, as Allah the Exalted has said: {وَمِنَ الْاَعْرَابِ مَنْ یُّؤْمِنُ بِاللّٰہِ وَالْیَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَیَتَّخِذُ مَا یُنْفِقُ قُرُبَاتٍ عِنْدَ اللّٰہِ وَصَلَوٰتِ الرَّسُوْلِ} … “And among the Bedouins are some who believe in Allah and the Last Day and consider what they spend as a means of nearness to Allah and the prayers of the Messenger.” (Surah al-Tawbah: 99)
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam considered Sayyidah Umm Sunbula radi Allahu anha among the praiseworthy Bedouins, not among the blameworthy villagers.
(2) Another possible reason is that Bedouins are not only deprived of the knowledge of what is lawful (halal) and unlawful (haram), but even when they do understand, they often prove to be careless and do not observe Islamic etiquette in matters of slaughter (dhabh), hunting, and other issues related to food and drink. We ourselves have seen such people hunting with dogs; when they release the dog for hunting, they do not recite “Bismillah,” and when they snatch the prey from the dogs and slaughter it, they do not even check whether the animal had died before slaughter or if there was still some life left in it. However, when there is a strong presumption about a particular person that he is intelligent, knowledgeable of Islamic rulings, and adheres to them, then there is no harm in dealing with him in these matters.
(1) Some Bedouins are harsh-natured, hard-hearted, and coarse in temperament, as Allah the Exalted has said: {وَمِنَ الْاَعْرَابِ مَنْ یَّتَّخِذُ مَا یُنْفِقُ مَغْرَمًا وَیَتَرَبَّصُ بِکُمُ الدَّوَائِرَ} … “And among the Bedouins are some who regard what they spend as a fine and wait for misfortunes to befall you (the believers).” (Surah al-Tawbah: 98) This is the blameworthy category of Bedouins. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam forbade eating the food of such people, whereas some Bedouins are praiseworthy, as Allah the Exalted has said: {وَمِنَ الْاَعْرَابِ مَنْ یُّؤْمِنُ بِاللّٰہِ وَالْیَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَیَتَّخِذُ مَا یُنْفِقُ قُرُبَاتٍ عِنْدَ اللّٰہِ وَصَلَوٰتِ الرَّسُوْلِ} … “And among the Bedouins are some who believe in Allah and the Last Day and consider what they spend as a means of nearness to Allah and the prayers of the Messenger.” (Surah al-Tawbah: 99)
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam considered Sayyidah Umm Sunbula radi Allahu anha among the praiseworthy Bedouins, not among the blameworthy villagers.
(2) Another possible reason is that Bedouins are not only deprived of the knowledge of what is lawful (halal) and unlawful (haram), but even when they do understand, they often prove to be careless and do not observe Islamic etiquette in matters of slaughter (dhabh), hunting, and other issues related to food and drink. We ourselves have seen such people hunting with dogs; when they release the dog for hunting, they do not recite “Bismillah,” and when they snatch the prey from the dogs and slaughter it, they do not even check whether the animal had died before slaughter or if there was still some life left in it. However, when there is a strong presumption about a particular person that he is intelligent, knowledgeable of Islamic rulings, and adheres to them, then there is no harm in dealing with him in these matters.
