وعن أبي هريرة قال :قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم: « يا نساء المسلمات لا تحقرن جارة لجارتها ولو فرسن شاة ». متفق عليه.
Narrated Abu Hurairah (RA): Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "O Muslim women, a woman neighbor should not consider even a goat's hoof too insignificant a gift to give to her neighbor." [Agreed upon].
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Dawood Raz
Hadith Commentary:
The one upon whom there is very little meat.
The meaning is that one should accept the gift of one’s neighbor with happiness, and not show any displeasure or disdain upon receiving it.
Nor should one utter any words that would express contempt for it.
Because doing so would cause pain to the heart of the giver, and hurting the heart of a Muslim is a grave sin.
The relevance of this hadith to the chapter is that presenting gifts to one’s neighbors is a Sunnah, even if the gift is of little value.
In the narration, the mention is of the goat’s hoof, which is usually considered worthless and thrown away.
Its mention is to illustrate the insignificance of the gift’s value.
Source: Sahih Bukhari: Commentary by Maulana Dawood Raz, Page: 2566
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
(1)
The meaning is that one should not delay in sending even the smallest gift, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to one’s neighbor. Often, when something is available to give as a gift, the thought arises that this is such a trivial thing—what benefit is there in giving it? This thought is incorrect. Similarly, the one to whom even a small gift is sent should accept it cheerfully, because the exchange of gifts creates a pleasant atmosphere.
(2)
The reference to a goat’s hoof is an exaggeration to indicate something extremely insignificant, because as a matter of custom, a hoof is not sent as a gift. In any case, whatever item is available should be sent to one’s neighbor, and it should not be considered insignificant due to its smallness, because generosity is shown with what is present. Giving a little charity is better than not giving at all. (Fath al-Bari: 5/345)
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 2566
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
(1)
This hadith has two meanings:
➊ No neighbor woman should consider it insignificant to give a gift to her neighbor, even if it is only a sheep’s hoof, and she should strive to make her happy.
➋ No neighbor woman should consider it insignificant to receive a gift from her neighbor, even if it is only a sheep’s hoof; rather, she should encourage her.
The purpose is that the exchange of giving and receiving gifts should continue, as this nurtures feelings of love and eliminates mutual hatred and enmity.
(2)
Women are especially instructed in this regard because their emotions are very quickly affected, and their vessel of love is very easily shattered.
(Fath al-Bari: 10/547)
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 6017
Shaykh Maulana Abdul Aziz Alvi
Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: (1)
One should not consider even a small and insignificant gift from one another as contemptible, because the purpose is to express heartfelt love, affection, and connection—that even at the time of a small thing, one was remembered, so how could one be overlooked in the case of something greater.
(2)
According to the Kufan grammarians, in "nisā’ al-muslimāt," "nisā’" is the described (mawsuf) and "al-muslimāt" is the attribute (sifah), and it is permissible to annex (idafah) the described to its attribute.
According to the Basran grammarians, here the described (mawsuf) is omitted, i.e.:
(nisā’ al-nafs al-muslimāt or ījā’āt al-muslimāt).
Source: Tuhfat al-Muslim: Commentary on Sahih Muslim, Page: 2379