Ibn Majah

Benefits and Issues:

➊ Every good deed is connected to truthfulness; therefore, a person who adheres to truth and always speaks the truth can be granted the ability to perform every good deed.

➋ Sin is related to falsehood; therefore, any sin can be expected from a person who lies.

➌ The one who always speaks the truth and always avoids lying will enter Paradise. And the person who is habitual in lying will, due to his sins, be deserving of Hellfire.

➍ Faith (iman) is the greatest spiritual blessing, and well-being (‘afiyah) is the greatest worldly blessing; therefore, one should supplicate to Allah for both.

➎ Envy (hasad) means to desire the removal of someone’s blessing. Wishing for the defeat and humiliation of disbelievers is not envy. This is considered a blessing for them in the sense that, as a result, they may be inclined towards Islam and may be granted guidance.

➏ It is not good for Muslims to remain angry with each other over trivial matters; however, harboring aversion due to disbelief (kufr), polytheism (shirk), and innovation (bid‘ah), etc., is correct.

➐ Severing ties, especially the breaking of relations among relatives, is inappropriate; however, estrangement for a legitimate (shar‘i) reason is permissible, particularly when there is hope that expressing displeasure will have a positive effect and the one who erred will reform himself.

➑ Every Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. Fighting and quarreling among themselves on the basis of tribe, caste, region, language, or party is against Islam; rather, it is the way of ignorance (jahiliyyah).

Benefit:
It is clear from the blessed hadith that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radi Allahu anhu was a soft-hearted man.
On certain important occasions, tears would flow from his eyes.
When the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, during the days of his illness, ordered Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq radi Allahu anhu to lead the people in prayer as the imam, Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyidah A’ishah radi Allahu anha said, “O Messenger of Allah! Do not command him, he is an extremely soft-hearted man.” [صحيح البخاري: 678، صحيح مسلم: 418]
In this hadith, emphasis is placed on some important aspects of human upbringing, such as: adhering to righteousness and truthfulness, and these two are inseparable. A righteous person will speak the truth, and a truthful person will always seek out good deeds. If even one of these qualities is absent, the other cannot remain. Similarly, a liar will commit sins; lying and sin are inseparable. Any sin can be expected from a liar, therefore, the one who adopts truthfulness and righteousness will be deserving of Paradise, and the one who is involved in lying and sin will be deserving of Hellfire. May Allah protect us from Hellfire, Ameen.
Likewise, there is an emphasis on adhering to well-being (‘afiyah); asking people (for help) without a valid Shar’i excuse is a major sin.
It is unfortunate that, despite the great importance of well-being, people have abandoned it to a great extent. One should continue to ask Allah for well-being.
In this blessed hadith, attention is also drawn to the protection of the honor of Muslims, for example: severing ties of kinship is forbidden, and maintaining ties of kinship (silat ar-rahm) is obligatory. If someone wishes to distance themselves from you, you should still maintain relations with them; this is the essence of silat ar-rahm, and the limit for cutting off relations with someone is three days.
Envy (hasad) is also prohibited in this hadith. Regarding this, Imam Nawawi rahimahullah says:
«وهـو تـمنى زوال النعمة عن صاحبها سواء كانت نعمة دين أو دنيا، قال الله تعالى: ام يحسدون الناس علىٰ ما آتاهم الله من فضله» [النساء: 54]
And this (envy) is the desire for the removal of a blessing from someone who possesses it, whether that blessing is religious or worldly. Allah the Exalted has said:
“Or do they envy people for what Allah has given them of His bounty?” [رياض الصالحين: قبل الحديث: 1569]
Envy is forbidden, there is no doubt about it.
A famous narration is often mentioned: “Envy consumes good deeds just as fire consumes wood.” [سنن ٱبي داود: 4903]
Its chain of transmission is weak due to the unknown status of Ibrahim ibn Asid’s grandfather. However, envy (ghibta) towards two types of people is permissible.
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn ‘Umar radi Allahu anhu that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: “Envy (ghibta) is only permissible towards two people: one is the person whom Allah has given the Qur’an (i.e., granted him the ability to memorize it), so he stands with it (in prayer) during the hours of the night and day; and the other is the person whom Allah has granted wealth, and he spends it in the way of Allah during the hours of the night and day.” [صحيح البخاري: 5025، صحيح مسلم: 815]
In ghibta (commendable envy), there is no desire for the removal of the blessing from the other person; rather, one wishes that the blessing remains with him and that Allah grants it to oneself as well.