Mukhtasar Muslim

Abu Jamrah says: I used to be the translator between Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and other people (that is, I would translate the words of others into Arabic and explain them to Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas). Meanwhile, a woman came and asked about the nabidh (fermented drink) made in a jug. Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said that the delegation of Abdul Qais came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), so he asked: "Who are these people?" or "Which tribe do you belong to?" The people said: "We are from the tribe of Rabi'ah." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Welcome to a people or a delegation who have neither been disgraced nor regretful." (Because they came to accept Islam willingly without fighting; if they had accepted Islam after fighting, they would have been disgraced, made slaves, and their wealth would have been looted, causing them regret.) They said: "O Messenger of Allah! We come to you from a distant land, and between us and you is the tribe of Mudar, who are disbelievers, so we cannot come to you except in the sacred months (when there is no looting)." Therefore, command us with a clear instruction which we can convey to those behind us and by which we may enter Paradise." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded them with four things and forbade them from four things. He commanded them to believe in Allah alone with no partner, and he asked them: "Do you know what faith is?" They said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "Faith is to testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His Messenger, to establish prayer, to give zakat, and to fast in Ramadan (these are four things, and now there is a fifth thing), and to pay one-fifth of the spoils of war (that is, the wealth obtained from the armies of the disbelievers or those who fight against the Muslims is called spoils of war)." And he forbade them from using gourds, green jugs, and oil jars. (Shu'bah sometimes said naqir and sometimes maqir, meaning vessels made of wood.) And he said: "Remember this and inform those who are behind you of these matters." And Abu Bakr bin Abi Shaybah said (min waraa'ikum) instead of (min wara'ikum). (Both mean the same.) And Sayyiduna Ibn Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) added in his narration from his father that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Ashajj of Abdul Qais (whose name was Mundhir bin Harith bin Ziyad, or Mundhir bin Ubaid, or Aaidh bin Mundhir, or Abdullah bin Awf): "You have two qualities which Allah loves: intelligence and deliberation, not being hasty."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting among the people one day when a man came and said, "O Messenger of Allah! What is faith (iman)?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "Faith is that you believe with your heart in Allah, His angels, His books, meeting Him, His messengers, and you believe in being resurrected on the Day of Judgment." Then the man asked, "O Messenger of Allah! What is Islam?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "Islam is that you worship Allah, the Glorious, and do not associate anything with Him, establish the obligatory prayers, give the obligatory zakat, and fast in Ramadan." Then the man asked, "O Messenger of Allah! What is ihsan (excellence)?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "That you worship Allah as if you see Him; and if you do not see Him (i.e., if you cannot reach that level of attention), then (know that) He sees you." Then the man asked, "O Messenger of Allah! When will the Hour (Day of Judgment) be?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "The one being asked knows no more about it than the questioner, but I will tell you its signs: when a slave woman gives birth to her master, that is a sign of the Hour; when barefoot, naked people become leaders, that is a sign of the Hour; and when shepherds of sheep or goats build tall buildings, that too is a sign of the Hour. The Hour is one of those five things which no one knows except Allah." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: "Indeed, Allah alone has knowledge of the Hour, and He sends down the rain, and knows what is in the wombs (i.e., whether the child is good or bad, how much provision it will have, how long it will live, etc.), and no soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in which land it will die. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Aware." (Surah Luqman: 34) Then that man turned and left. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Bring him back to me." People went to bring him, but found nothing there (i.e., there was no trace of that man). Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "That was Jibreel (Gabriel), he came to teach you your religion."

Saeed bin Musayyib (who is among the famous Tabi'in) narrates from his father (Sayyiduna Musayyib bin Hazn bin Amr bin Abid bin Imran bin Makhzum al-Qurashi al-Makhzumi, who is a Companion) that he said: When Abu Talib bin Abdul Muttalib (the real uncle and guardian of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him) was about to die, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, came to him and saw Abu Jahl (Amr bin Hisham) and Abdullah bin Abi Umayyah bin Mughirah sitting there. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: O uncle, say a word—La ilaha illallah (there is no god but Allah)—so that I may testify for you before Allah (i.e., I will plead to Allah Almighty on the Day of Resurrection that Abu Talib was a monotheist and should be saved from Hell, as he professed the word of Tawheed at the last moment). Abu Jahl and Abdullah bin Abi Umayyah said: O Abu Talib! Will you forsake the religion of Abdul Muttalib? And the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, kept repeating this to him (i.e., urging him to recite the word of Tawheed), while Abu Jahl and Abdullah bin Abi Umayyah kept saying their own words, until the last thing Abu Talib said was: I am on the religion of Abdul Muttalib, and he refused to say La ilaha illallah. So the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: By Allah, I will surely seek forgiveness for you (i.e., for your pardon) unless I am forbidden. Then Allah Almighty revealed this verse: "It is not for the Prophet and those who believe to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they are relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of Hellfire." (Surah At-Tawbah: 113) And Allah Almighty revealed this verse about Abu Talib, addressing the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him: "Indeed, you do not guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He wills. And He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided." (Surah Al-Qasas: 56).