Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
From this hadith, it is clearly understood that the Qur'an and Hadith are the fundamental principles of the religion, and the Prophetic Sunnah is, in all circumstances, to be given precedence.
The Imam, the teacher, the elders—all can be set aside, but the Qur'an and Hadith must be given priority; this alone is the path to salvation.

Hadith Commentary:
From this hadith, it is clearly understood that the Qur’an and Hadith are the fundamental sources of the religion. The statement of an imam, teacher, or elder can be set aside, but the Qur’an and Hadith can never be abandoned under any circumstances. Furthermore, the last part of this hadith is highly meaningful: that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is the one who distinguishes the good from the bad, that is, he draws the line of distinction between the believer and the disbeliever, the righteous and the wicked, the fortunate and the wretched.

We intended to write about this topic in more detail, but for the sake of brevity, we present the clarification of this distinction with just one example.

Hudhayfah (radi Allahu anhu) saw a man who was performing prayer without properly fulfilling the bowing (ruku‘) and prostration (sujud). Upon inquiry, it was found that he had been praying in this manner for forty years. Hudhayfah (radi Allahu anhu) said:
“If you die in this state, your death will be contrary to the natural disposition (fitrah) of Islam.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Adhan, Hadith: 791)
Because his prayer was against the Sunnah, his death was also declared to be contrary to the fitrah of Islam.

In contrast, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Whoever performs ablution (wudu) according to the Sunnah, then performs only two units (rak‘ah) of prayer according to the Sunnah, his previous sins are forgiven.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Wudu’, Hadith: 160)
By the blessing of acting upon the Sunnah, merely performing two units of prayer becomes an expiation for previous sins.

This is the very difference between acting upon the Sunnah and not acting upon the Sunnah, which has been mentioned at the end of the aforementioned hadith.

Takhrij al-Hadith:
[صحیح بخاری 7281]

Fiqh al-Hadith
➊ Acting upon the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is, in reality, acting upon the Noble Qur’an itself.
➋ The dreams of the Prophets and Messengers are true, but it should be remembered that the line of Prophets and Messengers has come to an end.
➌ The meaning of your heart being awake while you sleep is that the ablution (wudu) of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would not be nullified by sleep, nor did he sleep in a state of heedlessness like ordinary people.
↰ It should be noted that, except for you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), the ablution of every human being is nullified by sleep, as is established from other ahadith. For example, see: al-Tirmidhi [96 وسنده حسن وقال : هٰذا حديث حسن صحيح]
➍ Obedience to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is obligatory.
➎ The only reason for distinction and separation among people is Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Those who accept the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) as the last Messenger of Allah, and accept the Qur’an and Hadith as the religion of Islam, are one Ummah; and in contrast to them, all disbelievers (and severe innovators) are one community. This battle between truth and falsehood, and the confrontation between Islam and disbelief, will continue until the Day of Judgment.
➏ The coming of angels to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and their conversation is proof that hadith is also revelation (wahy).
➐ The statement, “Explain this example so that you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) may understand,” indicates that you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) were not ‘alim al-ghayb (knower of the unseen).
➑ If a person possesses a good quality, it is permissible to praise him, but flattery and sycophancy are not permissible.
➒ Who were these angels? Their names are not known. See: Fath al-Bari [255/13]
↰ However, in a disconnected (munqati‘) narration in Sunan al-Tirmidhi [2860], it is mentioned that they were Jibril and Mika’il (alayhima as-salam). After narrating this, Imam al-Tirmidhi says:
“This hadith is mursal. Sa‘id ibn Abi Hilal did not meet Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah (radi Allahu anhu).” [مطبوعه دارالسلام 642]
◄ It is understood that, due to the weakness of the aforementioned narration, it is better to remain silent on this issue.

Tanbih (Note):
The names of Jibril and Mika’il (alayhima as-salam) are established from the Noble Qur’an. [دیکھئے سورۃ البقرۃ : 98]
◄ The name of Israfil (alayhi as-salam) is mentioned in Sahih Muslim [770، دارالسلام : 1811], but the name of the Angel of Death (Malak al-Mawt) as ‘Azra’il is not established from any hadith.
↰ In a mawquf (stopped) narration from Wahb ibn Munabbih, a Tabi‘i, this name appears, but in its chain is Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn al-‘Ala’, who is munkar al-hadith (rejected in hadith). See: [العظمة لابي الشيخ الاصبهاني 3؍848 ح394، 3؍900 ح439]
Therefore, due to the severe weakness of this narration, it is rejected.
↰ It is established from a Tabi‘ Tabi‘i named Ash‘ath that he said:
“The name of the Angel of Death (alayhi as-salam) is ‘Azra’il.” [كتاب العظمة لابي الشيخ ج3 ص909 ح443 وسنده صحيح]
↰ The chain up to Ash‘ath is authentic, and regarding Ash‘ath, Shaykh Rida Allah ibn Muhammad Idris Mubarakpuri writes:
“He is Ash‘ath ibn Aslam al-‘Ajli al-Basri al-Ruba‘i.” [ايضا مترجما]
↰ Regarding Ash‘ath ibn Aslam rahimahullah, Imam Yahya ibn Ma‘in rahimahullah said:
«ثقة» [تاريخ يحييٰ بن معين، رواية الدوري : 3403، الجرح والتعديل لابن ابي حاتم 2؍269 وسنده صحيح]
↰ Hafiz Ibn Hibban mentioned him in Kitab al-Thiqat. [6؍63]
◄ It is understood that the word ‘Azra’il is established from the era of the Tabi‘ Tabi‘in. «والله اعلم»
➓ If, due to some excuse, it is not possible or appropriate for a person to speak directly (without intermediary) to someone, then it is permissible to convey one’s message to that person through another means, while displaying good character and proper conduct.