Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
It is the responsibility of the believers to take care of the needs of the poor, orphans, destitute, needy, and widows in society. If a person only worries about himself and does not care for others, then Allah Almighty withholds the blessings of the heavens and the earth and inflicts collective punishment upon the people of the world.

(2)
Allah Almighty has praised in the Noble Qur’an those people who make arrangements to feed orphans, the destitute, and prisoners. The statement of Allah Almighty is:
“Righteous people, out of love for Allah, feed the destitute, the orphan, and the captive.” ()
Slaves and servants also fall under this category, regarding whom good treatment has been emphasized.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:
From this hadith, one can gauge how great a virtuous deed serving the creation is.
May Allah grant us the ability (to do so), ameen.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
Serving creation is a very great deed. This can be well understood from this hadith.
(2)
When such a virtue is established for the one who treats strangers and unfamiliar people with kindness, then, all the more so, the one who behaves well towards his loved ones, relatives, and family members will be even more deserving of this double reward. (Fath al-Bari: 9/619)

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
A widow is a woman whose husband has passed away; taking care of her needs is also the responsibility of the people of Islam. Similarly, a woman who has been divorced by her husband and has no support in this world—her needs should also be attended to.
(2)
Even if the widow is not a relative, taking care of her and her orphaned children in the case of poverty is a great act of virtue.

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: ➊
When the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam departed from Madinah Munawwarah, he entered into the state of ihram for Hajj Mufrad (single Hajj), then combined it with ‘Umrah. And when reciting the talbiyah, he mentioned ‘Umrah before Hajj:
(Labbayka ‘an ‘umratin wa hajj)
In this way, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam became a Qarin (one performing Hajj Qiran), and according to Qur’anic terminology and language, Hajj Qiran is referred to as Tamattu‘. If Hajj Tamattu‘ is taken in its technical sense, it means that one performs ‘Umrah during the months of Hajj, becomes lawful (halal), and then, on the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah, enters into ihram for Hajj from Makkah Mukarramah itself.

➋
When a person performs Hajj Tamattu‘, it is obligatory upon him to offer a sacrifice (qurbani). However, if he is unable to offer the sacrifice, then in place of it, he must fast for ten days—three fasts before the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah. The details of the schools of thought are as follows:
The view of the Shafi‘is and Malikis is that these three fasts should be observed after completing the rites of ‘Umrah. And it is better that these three fasts are observed after entering into ihram for Hajj, i.e., the fasts of the 6th, 7th, and 8th of Dhul-Hijjah. If he observes the fasts before entering into ihram for Hajj, i.e., before the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah, it is still valid. However, if he fasts before completing the rites of ‘Umrah, these fasts will not suffice.
If he is unable to fast before the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah, then these fasts can be observed during the days of Tashriq (11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah). The Hanbalis hold the same position, but according to them, it is permissible to fast after entering into ihram for ‘Umrah and before the day of ‘Eid, and it is preferable that after entering into ihram for Hajj, the last fast should be on the Day of ‘Arafah, the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah.
If he fasts after the days of Tashriq, he will be sinful, but the obligation of sacrifice will not remain. According to the Hanbalis, in this case, he must fast ten consecutive days, and due to the delay, one sacrifice will become obligatory.
According to the Hanafis, it is also permissible to fast after entering into ihram for ‘Umrah and before the day of ‘Eid. If someone does not observe these fasts and the day of ‘Eid arrives, then sacrifice becomes indispensable for him. If he is unable to offer the sacrifice, he will exit from ihram without sacrifice, and according to the author of al-Fiqh ‘ala al-Madhahib al-Arba‘ah, two sacrifices will become obligatory upon him (al-Hidayah, vol. 1, p. 260).
And according to Imam Nawawi rahimahullah, when he is able, he will offer the sacrifice. Regarding the remaining seven fasts, the position of the Imams is as follows: (According to the Hanafis, after completing Hajj and returning from Mina to Makkah, he will observe the seven fasts. According to the Shafi‘is and Hanbalis, these seven fasts will be observed after returning to his homeland. According to the Malikis, both ways are permissible, and this is also one of the opinions of Imam Shafi‘i rahimahullah.)

Commentary:
Note:
(The first part of this narration is mursal,
Safwan is a Tabi‘i,
Based on the next narration, this hadith is sahih li-ghayrihi,
For the chains of Malik, see:
(Fath al-Bari 9/499)

(1) Striving on behalf of a widow is certainly a virtuous deed, provided that there is no personal benefit intended, such as inclining her towards marriage, nor should one make her perform one’s own household chores in return for this service.

(2) Jihad in the path of Allah (jihad fi sabil Allah) is the most virtuous act because in it a person even puts his own life at risk; therefore, its reward is the greatest. Similarly, assisting helpless individuals such as widows and the needy is also a tremendous act of goodness.

Benefits and Issues:
➊
Supporting and caring for the needy, destitute, and disabled individuals in society is a very great deed.
Just as jihad protects the Islamic society from the harm of disbelievers, similarly, caring for the destitute allows them to benefit from the blessings of Islam and keeps the love of Islam alive in their hearts.
In fact, in some circumstances, a person, compelled by poverty and hunger, may even choose disbelief.

➋
Christian missionary organizations take advantage of the helplessness of the destitute and lead them out of Islam.
In this way, their strength increases and the strength of the Muslims decreases. Therefore, by helping those in need, preserving the strength of the Muslims and preventing the strength of disbelief from increasing is certainly a means of achieving the objectives of jihad.

➌
The best means of supporting a widow is to arrange her marriage.
In this way, her chastity is also protected, and a permanent arrangement is made for the support and upbringing of her and her orphaned children. However, if for some reason her marriage cannot take place, then fulfilling her and her children’s legitimate needs and making them useful members of society is the duty of the Muslims.