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Hadith 15
Narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him):
Some people from the tribe of 'Abd al-Qais came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! We are a branch of Rabi'ah, and between us and you are the disbelievers of the tribe of Mudar, and we cannot come to you except in the sacred months. So command us with an action that we can inform those who are behind (left behind) among us, and by which we may enter Paradise if we act upon it."
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "I command you with four things and I forbid you from four things. (The four things I command you with are:) Worship Allah alone and do not associate anything with Him, establish prayer, give zakat, fast in Ramadan, and give one-fifth of the spoils of war. And I forbid you from four things: from gourds, green glazed jars, oil jars, and naqir."
The people said, "O Messenger of Allah! What is naqir, you do not know?"
He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Why would I not know? Naqir is a piece of wood which you hollow out, then you soak in it qati'a (a type of small date, also called sharir)." Sa'id said, "Or you soak dates in it, then you pour water over it. When its fermentation subsides, you drink it until one of you strikes his cousin with a sword." (When intoxicated and the mind is lost, a person cannot distinguish between friend and enemy, and may strike his own brother, whom he loves most, with a sword. Among the evils of alcohol, this is a great evil which the Prophet mentioned.)
The narrator said: Among our people at that time was a man (named Jahm) who had been wounded because of this intoxication. He said, "But I used to hide this from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) out of shame."
I said, "O Messenger of Allah! Then in what vessel should we drink syrup?"
He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Drink in leather waterskins whose mouths are tied with a string or strap."
The people said, "O Messenger of Allah! There are many rats in our land, and leather vessels cannot last there."
So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Drink in leather vessels even if the rats chew them, even if the rats chew them, even if the rats chew them." (Meaning, as much as possible, drink only from leather vessels; protect them from rats, but drinking from those other vessels is not permissible because they are vessels for alcohol.)
The narrator said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Ashajj of 'Abd al-Qais, "You have two qualities which Allah loves: forbearance and deliberation." (That is, do not be hasty.)
Some people from the tribe of 'Abd al-Qais came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! We are a branch of Rabi'ah, and between us and you are the disbelievers of the tribe of Mudar, and we cannot come to you except in the sacred months. So command us with an action that we can inform those who are behind (left behind) among us, and by which we may enter Paradise if we act upon it."
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "I command you with four things and I forbid you from four things. (The four things I command you with are:) Worship Allah alone and do not associate anything with Him, establish prayer, give zakat, fast in Ramadan, and give one-fifth of the spoils of war. And I forbid you from four things: from gourds, green glazed jars, oil jars, and naqir."
The people said, "O Messenger of Allah! What is naqir, you do not know?"
He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Why would I not know? Naqir is a piece of wood which you hollow out, then you soak in it qati'a (a type of small date, also called sharir)." Sa'id said, "Or you soak dates in it, then you pour water over it. When its fermentation subsides, you drink it until one of you strikes his cousin with a sword." (When intoxicated and the mind is lost, a person cannot distinguish between friend and enemy, and may strike his own brother, whom he loves most, with a sword. Among the evils of alcohol, this is a great evil which the Prophet mentioned.)
The narrator said: Among our people at that time was a man (named Jahm) who had been wounded because of this intoxication. He said, "But I used to hide this from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) out of shame."
I said, "O Messenger of Allah! Then in what vessel should we drink syrup?"
He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Drink in leather waterskins whose mouths are tied with a string or strap."
The people said, "O Messenger of Allah! There are many rats in our land, and leather vessels cannot last there."
So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Drink in leather vessels even if the rats chew them, even if the rats chew them, even if the rats chew them." (Meaning, as much as possible, drink only from leather vessels; protect them from rats, but drinking from those other vessels is not permissible because they are vessels for alcohol.)
The narrator said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Ashajj of 'Abd al-Qais, "You have two qualities which Allah loves: forbearance and deliberation." (That is, do not be hasty.)
Hadith 16
Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), "Which deed is the best?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "To have faith in Allah and to strive in His path." I said, "Which slave is best to set free?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "The one who is most valuable to his master and whose price is high." I said, "What if I cannot do that?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Then help a craftsman or work for someone who is unskilled (that is, someone who does not know any work or trade and is in need of food)." I said, "What if I am unable to do even that?" (That is, if I cannot work or earn a living?) He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Then do not harm anyone, for that is your charity to yourself."
