Hadith 3489

وَقَوْلُهُ: {وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا}. وَمَا يُنْهَى عَنْ دَعْوَى الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الشُّعُوبُ النَّسَبُ الْبَعِيدُ وَالْقَبَائِلُ دُونَ ذَلِكَ .
And the statement of Allah the Exalted in Surah An-Nisa «واتقوا الله الذي تساءلون به والأرحام إن الله كان عليكم رقيبا‏»: "And fear Allah, through Whom you demand your mutual rights, and (do not cut the) relations of the wombs. Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you." And boasting about forefathers as was done in the time of ignorance is prohibited. Its explanation: «شعوب» and «شعب» are combined, by which the upper lineage is meant, and «قبائل» refers to the lower, that is, its branch is meant.
حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ الْكَاهِلِيُّ ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ ، عَنْ أَبِي حَصِينٍ ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ ، عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا " وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا سورة الحجرات آية 13 ، قَالَ : الشُّعُوبُ : الْقَبَائِلُ الْعِظَامُ ، وَالْقَبَائِلُ : الْبُطُونُ " .
Narrated Ibn `Abbas: Regarding the Verse: 'And (We) made you into Shu'ub and Qabail-- (49.13) that Shu'uib means the big Qabail (i.e. nations) while the Qabail (i.e. tribes) means the branch tribes.
Hadith Reference صحيح البخاري / كتاب المناقب / 3489
Hadith Grading محدثین: أحاديث صحيح البخاريّ كلّها صحيحة
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
1.
Among the Arabs, the structure of family division is such that first comes the "jazm," then the "sha‘b," after that the "qabeelah" (tribe), and then the "‘imaarah," etc.
An example of "jazm" is Adnan, of "sha‘b" is Mudar, of "qabeelah" is Kinanah, and of "‘imaarah" is Quraysh.
In our Indian subcontinent, "Jat" is a nation or caste, which in Arabic is called "sha‘b," the plural of which is "shu‘ub," and then further subdivisions are "biradari" (brotherhoods) and families, such as Khokhar, Cheema, Chattha, or Sindhu, etc.
It is expressed in this way: Khokhar Jat, Cheema Jat, Chattha Jat, and Sindhu Jat, etc.
These are merely for identification and introduction. For example:
If two persons are named Zaid and their father's name is Bakr, they can be distinguished based on different nations, tribes, brotherhoods, or families. But we have committed the injustice of making this nation and tribe an idol for mutual pride and a source of hatred among ourselves.
Some are proud of their ethnicity.
Some take pride in their color and race, and some consider being Sayyid, Farooqi, or Siddiqi as a reason for honor.
2.
In the present era, nation, homeland, race, color, and language are the five idols that are worshipped, and on their basis, all of humanity has been divided into many groups, whereas Allah, the Exalted, has made only taqwa (piety) the criterion for honor and dignity, instead of all these things.
On this basis, a pious person, even if he is low in terms of lineage, is more honored and respected in the sight of Allah than a non-pious person of noble lineage.
3.
The scholars of tafsir, while explaining this verse, have also written:
Taking care to preserve lineage is a desirable matter because through it mutual identification takes place, the spirit of maintaining family ties (silat ar-rahm) is born, inheritance is distributed among each other, and relationships are established. But pride and arrogance over lineage, family, and tribe is a relic of the age of ignorance (jahiliyyah), which the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) shattered on the occasion of the Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjat al-Wada‘).
He said:
“There is no superiority for a white person over a black person, nor for a black person over a white person, nor for an Arab over a non-Arab, nor for a non-Arab over an Arab.
Superiority is only on the basis of taqwa (piety), for you are all the children of Adam, and Adam (alayhis salam) was created from clay (whose status is the same for all of you).”
(Musnad Ahmad: 5/411)
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 3489