Hadith 6408

حَدَّثَنَا حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ ، عَنِ الْأَعْمَشِ ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَلَائِكَةً يَطُوفُونَ فِي الطُّرُقِ يَلْتَمِسُونَ أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ ، فَإِذَا وَجَدُوا قَوْمًا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ تَنَادَوْا : هَلُمُّوا إِلَى حَاجَتِكُمْ ، قَالَ : فَيَحُفُّونَهُمْ بِأَجْنِحَتِهِمْ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا ، قَالَ : فَيَسْأَلُهُمْ رَبُّهُمْ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ مِنْهُمْ مَا يَقُولُ عِبَادِي ؟ قَالُوا : يَقُولُونَ يُسَبِّحُونَكَ ، وَيُكَبِّرُونَكَ ، وَيَحْمَدُونَكَ ، وَيُمَجِّدُونَكَ ، قَالَ : فَيَقُولُ : هَلْ رَأَوْنِي ؟ قَالَ : فَيَقُولُونَ : لَا وَاللَّهِ مَا رَأَوْكَ ، قَالَ : فَيَقُولُ : وَكَيْفَ لَوْ رَأَوْنِي ؟ قَالَ : يَقُولُونَ : لَوْ رَأَوْكَ كَانُوا أَشَدَّ لَكَ عِبَادَةً ، وَأَشَدَّ لَكَ تَمْجِيدًا ، وَتَحْمِيدًا ، وَأَكْثَرَ لَكَ تَسْبِيحًا ، قَالَ : يَقُولُ : فَمَا يَسْأَلُونِي ؟ قَالَ : يَسْأَلُونَكَ الْجَنَّةَ ، قَالَ : يَقُولُ : وَهَلْ رَأَوْهَا ؟ قَالَ : يَقُولُونَ : لَا ، وَاللَّهِ يَا رَبِّ مَا رَأَوْهَا ، قَالَ : يَقُولُ : فَكَيْفَ لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ رَأَوْهَا ؟ قَالَ : يَقُولُونَ : لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ رَأَوْهَا كَانُوا أَشَدَّ عَلَيْهَا حِرْصًا ، وَأَشَدَّ لَهَا طَلَبًا ، وَأَعْظَمَ فِيهَا رَغْبَةً ، قَالَ : فَمِمَّ يَتَعَوَّذُونَ ؟ قَالَ : يَقُولُونَ : مِنَ النَّارِ ، قَالَ : يَقُولُ : وَهَلْ رَأَوْهَا ؟ قَالَ : يَقُولُونَ : لَا ، وَاللَّهِ يَا رَبِّ مَا رَأَوْهَا ، قَالَ : يَقُولُ : فَكَيْفَ لَوْ رَأَوْهَا ؟ قَالَ : يَقُولُونَ : لَوْ رَأَوْهَا كَانُوا أَشَدَّ مِنْهَا فِرَارًا ، وَأَشَدَّ لَهَا مَخَافَةً ، قَالَ : فَيَقُولُ : فَأُشْهِدُكُمْ أَنِّي قَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَهُمْ ، قَالَ : يَقُولُ : مَلَكٌ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ : فِيهِمْ فُلَانٌ لَيْسَ مِنْهُمْ إِنَّمَا جَاءَ لِحَاجَةٍ ، قَالَ : هُمُ الْجُلَسَاءُ لَا يَشْقَى بِهِمْ جَلِيسُهُمْ " ، رَوَاهُ شُعْبَةُ ، عَنِ الْأَعْمَشِ ، وَلَمْ يَرْفَعْهُ ، وَرَوَاهُ سُهَيْلٌ ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ .
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah 's Apostle said, "Allah has some angels who look for those who celebrate the Praises of Allah on the roads and paths. And when they find some people celebrating the Praises of Allah, they call each other, saying, "Come to the object of your pursuit.' " He added, "Then the angels encircle them with their wings up to the sky of the world." He added. "(after those people celebrated the Praises of Allah, and the angels go back), their Lord, asks them (those angels)----though He knows better than them----'What do My slaves say?' The angels reply, 'They say: Subhan Allah, Allahu Akbar, and Alham-du-li l-lah, Allah then says 'Did they see Me?' The angels reply, 'No! By Allah, they didn't see You.' Allah says, How it would have been if they saw Me?' The angels reply, 'If they saw You, they would worship You more devoutly and celebrate Your Glory more deeply, and declare Your freedom from any resemblance to anything more often.' Allah says (to the angels), 'What do they ask Me for?' The angels reply, 'They ask You for Paradise.' Allah says (to the angels), 'Did they see it?' The angels say, 'No! By Allah, O Lord! They did not see it.' Allah says, How it would have been if they saw it?' The angels say, 'If they saw it, they would have greater covetousness for it and would seek It with greater zeal and would have greater desire for it.' Allah says, 'From what do they seek refuge?' The angels reply, 'They seek refuge from the (Hell) Fire.' Allah says, 'Did they see it?' The angels say, 'No By Allah, O Lord! They did not see it.' Allah says, How it would have been if they saw it?' The angels say, 'If they saw it they would flee from it with the extreme fleeing and would have extreme fear from it.' Then Allah says, 'I make you witnesses that I have forgiven them."' Allah's Apostle added, "One of the angels would say, 'There was so-and-so amongst them, and he was not one of them, but he had just come for some need.' Allah would say, 'These are those people whose companions will not be reduced to misery.' "
Hadith Reference صحيح البخاري / كتاب الدعوات / 6408
Hadith Grading محدثین: أحاديث صحيح البخاريّ كلّها صحيحة
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:
Gatherings of remembrance refer to the recitation and teaching of the Qur’an and Hadith.
Holding assemblies of admonition (wa‘zh) based on the Qur’an and Hadith is also intended. The Noble Qur’an itself is remembrance (dhikr).
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 6408
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
(1)
According to one narration, Allah the Exalted says:
“I have forgiven them, I have granted what they asked for, and I have given them refuge from that from which they sought refuge.”
(Sahih Muslim, al-Dhikr wa’l-Du‘a’, Hadith: 6839 (2689))

(2)
This hadith also indicates the great virtue of the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum), because they were the companions of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
The company of the righteous has a tremendous effect, such that even those who sit with righteous people become fortunate. Therefore, we should seek the company of pious and righteous people.

(3)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (rahimahullah) writes that this hadith refutes those heretics (zindiqs) who claim that they see Allah the Exalted openly in this world, because the hadith states that you cannot see your Lord until you die.
(Musnad Ahmad: 324/5, and Sahih al-Jami‘ al-Saghir, Hadith: 2312, and Fath al-Bari: 256/11)
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 6408
Shaykh Maulana Abdul Aziz Alvi
Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
Sayyara:
Those who circulate,
those who roam much,
Fudala:
The scholars have read this in five ways.
(1)
With dammah (u-sound) on both the fa and dad;
according to Imam Nawawi, this is the preferred reading.
(2)
With dammah on the fa and sukun (no vowel) on the dad, and according to some, this is the most correct.
(3)
With fatha (a-sound) on the fa and sukun on the dad, and according to Qadi Iyad, the majority of the teachers of Bukhari and Muslim read it this way.
(4)
Fadl:
With dammah on both the fa and dad, and the lam is marfu‘ (nominative), meaning it is the predicate of an omitted subject.
(5)
Fudala, which is the plural of "fadil" (virtuous);
in the first four cases, the meaning will be:
they are angels specifically appointed, apart from the angels assigned to individuals, solely for the task of seeking out gatherings of remembrance (dhikr).
Yatba‘un:
They search and seek out,
Haffa ba‘duhum ba‘dan:
The light of Allah’s remembrance ascends upwards,
in this way the angels surround each other up to the highest point.
Yasta’jirun:
They seek protection and refuge,
Khata’:
One who commits many errors.

Benefits and Issues:
From this hadith it is understood that
sitting in one place and engaging in tasbih (glorification),
takbir (saying Allahu Akbar),
tahmid (praising Allah), and tahlil (declaring the oneness of Allah), and requesting Paradise from Allah and seeking refuge from Hellfire,
is a most effective prescription for the fulfillment of one’s needs,
to the extent that even if a person, while merely passing by, joins such people, he too is not deprived, and such a gathering is covered by angels up to the sky of this world.
However, the condition is that
this gathering must be free from innovative manners and customs,
ostentation and seeking to be heard, and matters contrary to the Shariah, and the prescribed (masnun) supplications
should be recited in the prescribed manner,
not with self-invented words or self-devised methods.
For example, after the morning and evening prayers, everyone sitting and engaging in remembrance and reflection in their own way,
on Fridays,
before the arrival of the Imam, or after the ‘Asr prayer, reciting remembrances and supplications,
remaining engaged in supplication and recitation, etc.,
and presenting one’s requests before Allah.
Source: Tuhfat al-Muslim: Commentary on Sahih Muslim, Page: 6839