Bukhari

Hadith Commentary: The reason Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has brought this hadith in this chapter is to clarify the case of the last person, because he used the neighbor’s property for another purpose without the owner’s permission and earned profit from it, and he also made an analogy to sale (bay‘) on this basis.

Thus, a sale by an unauthorized agent (bay‘ fuduli) is valid just like an unauthorized marriage (nikah fuduli), and it becomes effective upon the owner’s approval.

From this lengthy hadith, it is also established that presenting righteous deeds as a means (wasilah) before Allah is permissible, as the real wasilah is such righteous actions themselves, and this is the meaning of the noble verse: ﴿وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ﴾ .

Those who seek wasilah through graves, shrines, and deceased saints are mistaken. Sometimes such means even enter into the bounds of shirk (polytheism).

The hadith mentions the incident of the shepherd, which may raise the suspicion of injustice towards the children, as they remained hungry and cried throughout the night. However, this is not injustice. Rather, it was their good intention that they wished to serve their parents first, and the noble verse: ﴿وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ﴾ (al-Hashr: 9) can also be understood in this sense as mentioned here.

وهنا طریق أخر في الجواز و هو أنه صلى الله عليه وسلم ذكر هذه القصة في معرض المدح و الثناء على فاعلها و أقره على ذلك و لو كان لا يجوز لبينه.

That is, the permissibility of the subject matter of the chapter is also established in this way: the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam mentioned this story and the incident regarding the laborer in the context of praise and commendation, and he approved of it. If it had not been permissible, he would have clarified it.

Thus, the subject of the chapter is established from this, for if this action were impermissible, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would have stated so.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
A faraq is a measure for grain equivalent to two sa‘ (sā‘).
(2)
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has established the permissibility of a "fuduli sale" (bay‘ fuduli), which is when a person purchases something with another’s property without their permission, and then if the owner consents, the transaction becomes valid. The consent of the other person is necessary. A fuduli sale, like a fuduli marriage (nikah fuduli), is valid and becomes effective upon the approval of the concerned person. Imam Bukhari rahimahullah’s reasoning is based on the statement of the last person in this hadith, because he utilized the property owned by someone else without the original owner’s permission, earned profit from it, bought cows, and hired a shepherd for their care. In the end, the laborer accepted it. The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam narrated this incident as a matter of praise and commendation. If the action of the last person had been impermissible, why would he present it before Allah? Moreover, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would have clarified it.
(3)
From this, it is also understood that the law (shari‘ah) of the people before us is a proof for us, provided that its ruling does not contradict our shari‘ah and there is no rejection of it established from the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. However, those who follow the thought of Farahi do not agree with this method of reasoning. They have mocked this hadith, saying that legal principles cannot be derived from this story. According to them, there is much indecency in this hadith, and furthermore, this method of supplication is contrary to the spirit of Islam. They have also rejected other narrations in which, during supplication, mentioning a righteous deed or the intermediation (tawassul) of a living righteous person is found, and have declared them to be fabricated stories invented by the Shia. The basis of this rejection is not any scholarly principle, but rather their self-invented "critical analysis" (dirayah). With this sickle, authentic ahadith are cut down. (Tadabbur Hadith: 1/498) In any case, according to us, a fuduli sale is valid, and righteous deeds can be presented before Allah as a means (wasilah). There is also an indication of this in the Noble Qur’an. ()

Hadith Commentary:
From this hadith, it is established that presenting righteous deeds as a means (wasilah) at the time of supplication (du'a) is permissible.
The verse "And seek the means (wasilah) to Him" (: al-Ma'idah: 35) has this very meaning.
The wasilah of righteous people is that if they are alive, supplication may be requested from them; the wasilah of the dead is an entirely baseless matter, from which abstaining is obligatory.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
From this hadith, it is understood that supplicating at the time of calamity, showing good conduct towards parents, serving them, and giving them preference over one’s wife and children are the most virtuous deeds. By virtue of such actions, Allah Almighty listens to supplications and grants them the honor of acceptance. On the contrary, a person who is disobedient to his parents and neglects serving them will be disgraced and humiliated in this world and the Hereafter. Thus, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
“May Allah abase and destroy the person who finds one or both of his parents in old age, yet does not serve them and thereby fails to attain Paradise.”
(Sahih Muslim, al-Birr wa al-Silah, Hadith: 6510(2551))

(2)
From this hadith, it is also proven that presenting righteous deeds as a means (wasilah) at the time of supplication is permissible. However, using deceased persons as a means (wasilah) is entirely baseless, and it is extremely necessary to avoid this.

Hadith Footnote:
Both have the same meaning.
That is, I worked hard and collected one hundred gold coins.
The narration of Ibn Uqbah has been connected by Imam Bukhari rahimahullah himself in the Book of Manners (Kitab al-Adab).
Explanation:
Under this lengthy hadith, Hafiz Sahib rahimahullah states:
أَوْرَدَ فِيهِ حَدِيثَ الثَّلَاثَةِ الَّذِينَ انْطَبَقَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْغَارُ وَسَيَأْتِي الْقَوْلُ فِي شَرْحِهِ فِي أَحَادِيثِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْمَقْصُودُ مِنْهُ هُنَا قَوْلُ أَحَدِ الثَّلَاثَةِ فَعَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ أَيْ عَلَى الْأَجِيرِ حَقَّهُ فَرَغِبَ عَنْهُ فَلَمْ أَزَلْ أَزْرَعْهُ حَتَّى جَمَعْتُ مِنْهُ بَقَرًا وَرُعَاتِهَا فَإِنَّ الظَّاهِرَ أَنَّهُ عَيَّنَ لَهُ أُجْرَتَهُ فَلَمَّا تَرَكَهَا بَعْدَ أَنْ تَعَيَّنَتْ لَهُ ثُمَّ تَصَرَّفَ فِيهَا الْمُسْتَأْجِرُ بِعَينهَا صَارَت من ضَمَانه قَالَ بن الْمُنِيرِ مُطَابَقَةُ التَّرْجَمَةِ أَنَّهُ قَدْ عَيَّنَ لَهُ حَقَّهُ وَمَكَّنَهُ مِنْهُ فَبَرِئَتْ ذِمَّتَهُ بِذَلِكَ فَلَمَّا تَرَكَهُ وَضَعَ الْمُسْتَأْجِرُ يَدَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَضْعًا مُسْتَأْنَفًا ثُمَّ تَصَرَّفَ فِيهِ بِطَرِيقِ الْإِصْلَاحِ لَا بِطَرِيقِ التَّضْيِيعِ فَاغْتُفِرَ ذَلِكَ وَلَمْ يُعَدَّ تَعَدِّيًا وَلِذَلِكَ تَوَسَّلَ بِهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَجَعَلَهُ مِنْ أَفْضَلِ أَعْمَالِهِ وَأُقِرَّ عَلَى ذَلِكَ وَوَقَعَتْ لَهُ الْإِجَابَةُ الخ (Fath al-Bari)
That is, at this place Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has narrated the hadith of those three persons whom the cave enclosed. Its full explanation will come in the Book of the Stories of the Prophets (Kitab Ahadith al-Anbiya).
Here, the intended point is the statement of one of those three persons who said that he wanted to give his laborer his full due,
but the laborer refused.
So he (the employer) began to cultivate (the land) with it, until from its yield he bought oxen and their herders.
Thus, it is apparent that he had fixed the wage for the laborer, but the laborer left it.
Then the owner, on his own responsibility, invested it in business.
Ibn al-Munir said that the correspondence (with the chapter heading) is that the owner of the orchard fixed the wage for him and gave it to him,
but the laborer left it.
Then that person, with the intention of improvement and growth, began to increase it.
Because of this good intention, he considered it his best deed and presented it as a means (wasilah) in the court of Allah, and Allah accepted this good deed. From this, the objective of the chapter is established.
From this, it is also proven that deeds can be presented as a means (wasilah) at the time of supplication in the court of Allah.
This is the very wasilah which has been commanded in the Noble Qur’an:
﴿يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ﴾ (al-Ma’idah: 35)
O you who believe! Fear Allah and seek a means (wasilah) to Him (through righteous deeds), and strive hard in His cause so that you may be successful.
Those people who, leaving aside righteous deeds, seek the wasilah of the saints and, under this false notion, call upon them in all circumstances,
such people, by committing shirk, are written in the sight of Allah among the polytheists.
This is the deception of Iblis (may Allah’s curse be upon him) in which a large number of so-called Muslims are trapped.
Under this same false notion, celebrations are held on the birth and death anniversaries of the saints.
Sacrifices are made.
Festivals (urs) are held.
Vows and offerings are made in their names.
All these practices have been learned from the polytheist nations, and those Muslims who are caught up in them should be concerned for their religion and faith.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
In this hadith, it is clearly stated that the third person offered the right of the laborer to him, but he refused to take it. After that, the owner made use of his wages and put them to work. If this use had not been permissible, it would have been disobedience to Allah, which is an outright sin; then how could nearness to Allah be attained through it? Since he put the laborer's wages to work without his consent, if those wages had been lost, compensation would have been obligatory upon him. On this basis, the title is correct and this hadith is in accordance with it.

(2)
From this hadith, it is understood that it is permissible and legislated to supplicate to Allah by means of one's righteous deeds. Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah has written, quoting the commentator of Bukhari, Ibn Munir: This person fixed the laborer's wage and handed it over to him, but he refused to take it and left it behind. Thus, this person began to increase it with the intention of growth and improvement. He did not intend to waste it; due to this good intention, he considered it his best deed and presented it as a means (wasilah) before Allah. Allah accepted it and granted them deliverance. Even so, if the wages had been lost, he would have had to pay compensation, because he did not have permission to use them. (Fath al-Bari: 21/5)

(3)
It should be clear that those who abandon righteous deeds and seek the intercession (wasilah) of saints, and then offer vows and offerings in their names, should be concerned for their religion and faith. The command of Allah, the Exalted, is:
“O you who believe! Fear Allah and seek a means (wasilah) to Him to attain His nearness.” (al-Ma'idah: 35:5)
Nearness to Allah cannot be attained by anything other than righteous deeds; therefore, we should strive to take an active part in good works. May Allah, the Exalted, enrich us with the wealth of sincerity.
Ameen

Hadith Commentary:
Many rulings are established from this hadith, including the issue of the chapter, which is also proven in the mentioned hadith regarding the third person.
It is also established from this that it is permissible to present righteous deeds as a means (wasilah).
The meaning of the noble verse, ﴿وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ﴾, is precisely this: seek a means to Allah through righteous deeds.
Those who seek the means of elders and saints, or merely present the noble person of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) as a means after his passing, are engaging in an act for which there is no clear evidence from the Book and the Sunnah.
If it were permissible to present the noble person of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) as a means after his passing, then on the occasion of the prayer for rain (istisqa’), Umar (radi Allahu anhu) would not have said: O Allah! In the lifetime of Your Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), we used to present him to You to supplicate for us.
Now the Prophet of Allah has departed from this world, and Your honored uncle, Abbas (radi Allahu anhu), is present among us, so we present him to supplicate for us. Therefore, accept his supplications on our behalf and bless us with the rain of mercy.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
The basis of the argument lies in the role of the third person mentioned in the hadith, who independently invested a laborer’s wealth and gained considerable profit from it, then gave it all to him.
This applies in the case where the rulings of previous communities are legislated for us and the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has not prohibited it.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) mentioned this incident in a manner of praise and commendation, and did not object to the character of the person involved in any way.
If this act were not permissible in our Shariah, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would have clarified it.
Although the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) narrated this incident as an admonition and advice, Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) has derived a juristic ruling from it.
(2)
The commentator of Bukhari, Ibn Battal, writes that if someone invests usurped or entrusted wealth in trade, then the profit from it is permissible for him, provided that the original wealth is returned to its owner.
(Fath al-Bari: 4/517)
According to our inclination, no one has the right to dispose of someone’s trust (amanah).
If someone does dispose of it and earns a profit, then that profit belongs to the original owner; at most, he may take compensation for his labor “in the customary manner.”
If there is any loss in that wealth or it is destroyed, then the one who used it is liable for it, because he disposed of another’s wealth without permission, which is not legally permissible for him.
(3)
Islahi Sahib writes regarding this hadith:
“In my view, this is a story prevalent among the Jews; it is not necessary that it be a real incident.
Among the People of the Book, this is the temperament of the Jews.”
(Tadabbur Hadith: 1/566)
Thus, according to Maulana Islahi and his followers, this is not a true story but rather a fictional tale.
Na’udhu billah min hadhihi al-hafawat al-Islahi wa ansarihi.

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam narrated this incident to his ummah for the purpose of imparting lessons and admonition. There are several points in it that especially require attention.

(1) The most important and foremost point is that these three individuals performed their deeds solely for the sake of Allah’s pleasure, and because of this particular quality of their actions, they presented them before Allah. This demonstrates the blessing, effect, and power of sincerity (ikhlas). To supplicate (make du’a) by means of righteous deeds is commendable and a cause for the acceptance of supplication.

(2) The common factor in all three actions is that these deeds are excellent examples of suppressing one’s own self (nafs) and sacrificing its desires in the face of Allah’s command and will. Observe: the first person’s struggle against his own self is so intense that he spends the entire day herding animals in the wilderness, and when he returns home in the evening, exhausted and weary, his heart must be yearning and restless for rest. However, since his parents had gone to sleep without drinking milk, and he understood that Allah’s pleasure lay in not disturbing their sleep and rest, he stood by their bedside, sacrificing his own comfort and ease, so that when they awoke from sleep, he could give them milk. In this way, morning came, and his innocent, beloved children lay at his feet, crying and wailing from hunger, but considering the right of his elderly parents to be foremost, and solely for Allah’s pleasure, he even strove to the extent that he did not give milk to his dear children before his elderly parents.

(3) The second person is one who is infatuated with his female cousin, and due to her not observing proper veiling, he has open access to her home. She is married and, compelled by her domestic circumstances, eventually agrees to fulfill his desire for a reasonable sum of money. He works hard and provides her with the money, and he is given a full opportunity to fulfill the greatest longing of his life, with no obstacles remaining. But at that very moment, this servant of Allah reminds him of the fear of Allah, and he realizes that even in such helplessness and compulsion, she is fearing Allah. So, he refrains from fulfilling his desire at the very brink, out of fear of Allah and in pursuit of His pleasure. Every person with a soul can estimate for themselves how difficult this struggle is, and what an excellent example it is of sacrificing one’s own desires for the pleasure of Allah.

(4) The third person hires a laborer for a fixed wage. After half a day passes, another laborer arrives, and he hires him as well. In half a day, this second laborer does as much work as the others do in a full day, and the employer gives him the same wage as the other laborers. One laborer becomes upset, questioning how the other received equal pay. The employer explains, “I am giving you your agreed-upon wage; you have no right to object to me giving wages to another.” But he does not accept this, and leaves in anger, abandoning his wage. The employer then begins to cultivate rice with the abandoned wages on his land. The produce that results, he considers to be the property of that laborer. He then sells it and buys livestock. Allah puts so much blessing in it that gradually, herds of camels, goats, and cows are formed, and he even buys slaves to tend to them. Then, after a long time, when the laborer returns, this righteous and trustworthy servant of Allah hands over all the animals and slaves—which had come about through his own effort and attention—to the laborer. Now, everyone can imagine how intense the desire of his own self must have been to keep this wealth, which was acquired through his own effort and attention, and of which the laborer had no knowledge. But this servant of Allah, in pursuit of Allah’s pleasure, sacrificed this intense desire of his own self and handed over all the wealth to the laborer, who had left in anger without reason and had not accepted the explanation.