Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
Umar (radi Allahu anhu) praised the statement of Hudhayfah (radi Allahu anhu), because he would often ask the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) about the tribulations and corruptions that were to occur after him, whereas other people did not have such courage. Therefore, Umar (radi Allahu anhu) said to him that indeed, you will explain them openly, because you know them well. Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) has brought this hadith here to establish that charity (sadaqah) becomes an expiation for sins.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
Hazrat Hudhayfah (radi Allahu anhu) himself states that I would generally ask the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) about tribulations (fitan) so that I could devise some means to protect myself from them.

(2)
By the breaking of the door is meant the martyrdom of Hazrat Umar (radi Allahu anhu), which Hazrat Umar al-Faruq (radi Allahu anhu) himself was well aware of. Indeed, after his martyrdom, the market of tribulations became so heated that it will not cool down until the Day of Judgment. His blessed existence truly served as an iron barrier (Sadd-i-Sikandari) against these tribulations.

(3)
Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) has proven from this hadith that sins are erased through charity and almsgiving (sadaqah wa khayrat), and a person becomes purified from internal impurities, as is explicitly mentioned in the hadith. Other benefits related to this hadith will be mentioned under the forthcoming hadith: 3586, insha Allah.

Hadith Commentary:
By their breaking, what is meant is their testimony.
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.
Subhan Allah! The person of Umar radi Allahu anhu was the support and protection for the Muslims against all calamities and tribulations.
Since this sacred personality departed, the Muslims have been afflicted with hardship.
Day by day, one calamity after another, one tribulation after another.
If Umar radi Allahu anhu were alive, then those ignorant dervishes and Sufis—who, Allah forbid, consider everything to be God, and consider the worshipper and the worshipped to be one, who deny the Prophets and the heavenly books—and those innovators who worship graves and saints, and those Rafidis and Kharijis, the enemies of the Companions and the Ahl al-Bayt, none of their schemes would ever have succeeded, never at all.
O Allah! Send among the Muslims another person like Umar radi Allahu anhu, who will once again raise the banner of Islam and bring the enemies of Islam low.
Amin, ya Rabb al-'Alamin.
(Wahidi)

Hadith Commentary:
1.
Indeed, Umar radi Allahu anhu truly possessed the distinction that his noble person was like a closed door in the face of tribulations (fitan).
The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had supplicated to Allah Almighty for the honor of Islam to be upheld, saying: “O Allah! Strengthen Islam through whichever of these two men is more beloved to You.”
Those two men were Abu Jahl and Umar ibn al-Khattab radi Allahu anhu.
Allah Almighty chose His beloved servant Umar radi Allahu anhu for this task.
(Musnad Ahmad: 2/95)
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu states that after Umar radi Allahu anhu embraced Islam, we were able to walk with our heads held high in dignity.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of the Virtues of the Ansar, Hadith: 3863)
On one occasion, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
“O Umar ibn al-Khattab radi Allahu anhu! Whenever you walk down a street or alley, the chief of tribulations, the accursed Iblis, flees from there and takes another path.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Virtues of the Companions of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, Hadith: 3683)
2.
Indeed, Umar radi Allahu anhu was truly like a closed door in the face of tribulations.
A man said to Khalid ibn al-Walid radi Allahu anhu:
“O Abu Sulayman! Fear Allah, for the era of tribulations has begun.”
Upon hearing this, he replied:
“As long as Umar radi Allahu anhu is alive, we have no fear of tribulations.
These tribulations will come after him. At that time, a person will ponder and wish for a place where their effects do not reach, so that he may go there, but he will find no such refuge.
These will be the days which the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam described as the days of killing and bloodshed (ayyam al-harj),
and these will occur before the Day of Judgment.
We seek refuge with Allah Almighty from having to witness those days, whether us or you.”
(Musnad Ahmad: 4/90)
In any case, Allah Almighty truly made Umar radi Allahu anhu a closed door against tribulations; as soon as this door was broken, tribulations devastated the Muslim Ummah.
And Allah is the One whose help is sought.

Hadith Commentary:
This hadith, along with its explanation, has already been mentioned above.
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has brought it in this chapter because it is a miracle of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and from it, it is established that as long as Umar radi Allahu anhu remained alive, no trial (fitnah) or corruption occurred among the Muslims.
After his death, the door of tribulations was opened, thus the prophecy of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was fulfilled.
Zarkashi said that if Hudhayfah radi Allahu anhu had referred to Uthman radi Allahu anhu as that door, it would have been correct, for after his martyrdom, the door of tribulations was opened.
(Rather, even the oppressed martyrdom of Uthman radi Allahu anhu occurred at the hands of the instigators of tribulation.)
The writer says that this is Zarkashi’s misconception.
The door of tribulations was opened during the lifetime of Uthman radi Allahu anhu, so how could he be that door?
Hudhayfah was a distinguished Companion and a confidant of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
What he determined as the matter, it was not appropriate for Zarkashi to object to it (Wahidi).
The meaning of the tribulation of family and wealth is to become heedless of the remembrance of Allah and for a veil of heedlessness to come over the heart.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has begun with the prophecies of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in this hadith.

➋
Hudhayfah radi Allahu anhu would often ask the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam about tribulations (fitan) so that he could remain protected from them. Among the noble Companions radi Allahu anhum, he was known as the confidant of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He did not know from conjecture or estimation, but rather learned from the prophecy of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that as long as Umar radi Allahu anhu remained alive, no kind of tribulation or corruption would arise among the Muslims. After him, the door to tribulations would be flung wide open. Indeed, the prophecy of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was fulfilled. From that time, the Muslim Ummah has been in decline. In any case, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam informed about the coming circumstances, and they occurred exactly as foretold; this too is among his miracles and a proof of his prophethood.

➌
The tribulation of family refers to a person becoming so engrossed in their love that he becomes heedless of the remembrance of Allah. The tribulation of neighbors is that a person harbors malice or envy towards his neighbors, or boasts and shows off to them, or falls short in fulfilling their rights. In the hadith, the mention is of home, wealth, and neighbors, and the expiation for these tribulations is also threefold: thus, prayer and fasting are acts of physical worship, charity and almsgiving are acts of financial worship, and enjoining good and forbidding evil (amr bil-ma‘ruf wa nahi ‘anil-munkar) are acts of verbal worship. These three types of worship, in order, are expiation for the three types of shortcomings.

(Fath al-Bari: 6/739)

Lexical Explanation:
«الإِسْلاَمُ بَدَأَ غَرِيباً» Islam began as something strange, that is, among a few individuals, then it spread and became dominant.
«الَّتِي» «تَمُوجُ كَمَا يَمُوجُ الْبَحْرُ» The tribulation (fitnah) that will surge like the waves of the sea—what is meant is its intensity, magnitude, spread, and vastness.
«بَابًا مُغْلَقًا» The closed door refers to Sayyiduna Umar radi Allahu anhu; during his blessed life, no major tribulation occurred, but after his martyrdom, such a door of tribulations was opened that has not been closed to this day.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
Aghalīt is the plural of aghlūṭa.
By this is meant something by which another person can be led into confusion or error.
By this, Hudhayfah (radi Allahu anhu) intended to say: I am narrating to you the truthful and straightforward words of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam); I do not wish to fabricate anything from my own opinion or ijtihad and thereby lead you into any confusion.
Indeed, this was the distinguishing quality of the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum).

(2)
By the tribulation (fitnah) related to family and dependents, what is meant is that a person might do or say something for the sake of his household that is not permissible according to the Shariah.
By the tribulation of children, it is meant that, being engrossed in their love, one becomes deprived of performing good deeds.
By the tribulation of wealth, it is meant acquiring it through unlawful means or spending it in improper ways.
The statement of Allah, the Exalted, is:
﴿إِنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ﴾ “Your wealth and your children are but a trial for you.” (al-Taghabun: 64:15)

(3)
In the light of the ahadith, the details regarding the forgiveness of sins are as follows: minor sins are washed away by performing ablution (wudu); sins greater than these are forgiven due to coming to the mosque with the intention of prayer; then, by performing the prayer with punctuality and observing humility, sins are erased. However, it should be remembered that only minor sins are forgiven through prayer; for the forgiveness of major sins, repentance (tawbah) is a condition.
The statement of Allah, the Exalted, is:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّـهِ تَوْبَةً نَّصُوحًا﴾ “O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance.” (al-Tahrim: 66:8)
If merely performing prayer and other good deeds were sufficient for the forgiveness of all minor and major sins, then what need would remain for repentance, towards which Allah, the Exalted, has directed us?

Hadith Commentary:
In this hadith, along with prayer (salah), fasting (sawm) has also been described as an expiation for sins; this is precisely the objective of the chapter. The tribulations (fitan) alluded to here are those which began even during the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphate (Khilafah Rashidah), and the dangerous effects of these tribulations persist in the Ummah to this day in the form of division.

What Umar radi Allahu anhu stated, based on his insight, has proven to be true word for word.

Allahumma salli wa sallim ‘ala Habibika wa ‘ala sahibihi, wa’ghfir lana wa’rhamna ya Arham ar-Rahimin.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
There is no doubt that minor sins are forgiven through performing prayers, fasting, and giving charity and alms. Allah the Exalted has said:
﴿إِنَّ الْحَسَنَاتِ يُذْهِبْنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ﴾ “Indeed, good deeds erase bad deeds.” (: Hud 11:114)
However, major sins are forgiven through repentance (tawbah).
Similarly, the rights of people (huquq al-‘ibad) can only be forgiven by fulfilling the right or seeking forgiveness from the person.
It should be remembered that repentance is not a strict condition for the forgiveness of sins; Allah the Exalted is capable of forgiving major sins on account of some other good deed as well. Nevertheless, repentance is certainly an important means for the forgiveness of sins.

(2)
From this hadith, it is also understood that Sayyiduna Umar al-Faruq radi Allahu anhu had definite knowledge of his impending martyrdom, just as the coming of night before the next day is certain. And it happened exactly so: after the martyrdom of Sayyiduna Umar al-Faruq, such a door of tribulations (fitan) was opened that has not been closed to this day.
The Muslim Ummah is still afflicted by these tribulations.
May Allah the Exalted protect it.
In another hadith, it is stated that the five daily prayers and from one Ramadan to the next, if a person avoids major sins, these (acts) are expiation for other sins.
(Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Taharah, Hadith: 552(233)) ()
In another hadith, it is stated that whoever fasts in Ramadan and recognizes its limits, then these fasts will be expiation for past sins.
(Shu‘ab al-Iman, Fada’il Shahr Ramadan: 310/3) ()

(3)
Imam al-Bukhari rahimahullah established a chapter heading for this hadith in the Book of Prayer (Kitab al-Salat) with these words:
(Bab al-Salat Kafarah)
“Prayer is expiation.”
Similarly, in the Book of Zakat, he established a chapter as follows:
(Bab al-Sadaqah Tukaffiru al-Khati’ah)
“Charity erases sin.”
In any case, along with reward, fasting also results in the forgiveness of sins.
(Fath al-Bari: 143/4) ()

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: This hadith establishes that the shortcomings and faults that occur from a Muslim and believing servant regarding his dependents, his obligatory prayers, fasting, etc., become an expiation for them. And Umar radi Allahu anhu was like a closed door in front of the tribulations (fitan) that would befall the Islamic Ummah. When this door was broken by the martyrdom of Umar radi Allahu anhu, and not opened by his natural death, then after that, the Muslims or the Islamic Ummah became afflicted with tribulations, which continue to manifest from time to time in various forms. Sometimes their intensity is less, and sometimes more, and today the Ummah is afflicted with severe tribulations. Everywhere, there is dominance and prevalence of Muslims only in name, who are mentally and intellectually overawed by non-Muslims, and in fact, are their slaves.

Explanation:
1:
It is understood from this that for the one who takes responsibility for the household, any shortcomings that occur regarding the fulfillment of rights towards his family, wealth, children, and neighbors, then prayer (salah), fasting (sawm), charity (sadaqah), and enjoining good and forbidding evil (amr bil-ma'ruf wa nahi 'anil-munkar), etc., all of these become expiations (kaffarah) for him.

2:
What Hudhayfah (radi Allahu anhu) described actually came to pass after the martyrdom of Umar (radi Allahu anhu): that is, an unending series of tribulations (fitan) began, and nothing by the name of peace and security remained in the world. Thus, everyone is now in search of tranquility and reassurance.

Benefits and Issues: ➊
The trials regarding family, dependents, neighbors, etc., refer to daily matters.
A person is also tested through these, whether he complies with the commands of Allah Almighty or not.

➋
Minor mistakes are forgiven through acts like prayer and fasting.

➌
The tribulation (fitnah) mentioned in this hadith refers to the secret conspiracies of the enemies of Islam, which could not succeed during the lifetime of Umar radi Allahu anhu.
After him, these became apparent through false accusations against Uthman radi Allahu anhu, and through the force of false propaganda, they were made successful.

➍
The breaking of the door refers to the martyrdom of Umar radi Allahu anhu, which occurred at the hands of a Magian, Abu Lu’lu’ah Firoz.
With this, the greatest obstacle in the path of conspiracies was removed.

➎
The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had informed Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman radi Allahu anhuma about future tribulations.
It was against wisdom to inform the general Muslims about them.

➏
These tribulations occurred exactly as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had described.
This is proof of the truthfulness of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, that whatever he said was in the light of revelation.
It is not correct to use this as evidence for the Prophet’s sallallahu alayhi wa sallam knowledge of the unseen (ilm al-ghayb).