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مسند اسحاق بن راهويه
Musnad Ishaq
كتاب المناسكBook of Pilgrimage Rites
Obligation of Hajj and avoiding excessive questioning
Hadith 299
اُردوEn
أَخْبَرَنَا النَّضْرُ، نا الرَّبِيعُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ، حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ زِيَادٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: خَطَبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ النَّاسَ، فَقَالَ: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، إِنَّ اللَّهَ فَرَضَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْحَجَّ، فَقَامَ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ: أَفِي كُلِّ عَامٍ، حَتَّى قَالَ ذَلِكَ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُعْرِضُ عَنْهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: لَوْ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ لَوَجَبَتْ وَلَوْ وَجَبَتْ لَمَّا قُمْتُمْ بِهِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: ذَرُونِي مَا تَرَكْتُكُمْ فَإِنَّمَا هَلَكَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ بِسُؤَالِهِمْ وَاخْتِلَافِهِمْ عَلَى أَنْبِيَائِهِمْ، فَمَا أَمَرْتُكُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَأْتُوا مِنْهُ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ وَمَا نَهَيْتُكُمْ عَنْ شَيْءٍ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ.
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) delivered a sermon to the people and said: "O people! Allah has made Hajj obligatory upon you." A man stood up and asked: "Is it every year?" He repeated this three times, while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) kept turning away from him. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If I had said yes, it would have become obligatory, and if it had become obligatory, you would not have been able to do it." Then he said: "Leave me as long as I leave you (do not ask me unnecessary questions). Those before you were destroyed only because of their excessive questioning of their prophets and their disagreements with them. When I command you regarding something, do it as much as you are able, and when I forbid you from something, then avoid it."
Explanation & Benefits
Hafiz Abdush Shakoor Tirmidhi
Benefits:
From the mentioned hadith, it is understood that Hajj is obligatory once in a lifetime upon every person who possesses the means. As Allah the Exalted says: ﴿وَ لِلّٰهِ عَلَی النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَیْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ اِلَیْهِ سَبِیْلًا﴾ ()... “Allah has made it obligatory upon those people who are able to find a way to it, to perform the pilgrimage of this House.”
The Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam forbade excessive questioning so that, due to someone’s questioning, those things do not become prohibited for Muslims which were permissible due to silence, or so that people do not fall into difficulty—just as the people of Musa alayhis salam, due to excessive questioning about the cow, brought hardship upon themselves. Allah the Exalted says: ﴿لَا تَسْئَلُوْا عَنْ اَشْیَآءَ اِنْ تُبْدَلَکُمْ تَسُؤْکُمْ﴾ ()... “Do not ask about things which, if made plain to you, may distress you.”
Similarly, asking about such matters which do not exist at all, are merely hypothetical scenarios, or have not yet come into existence, was strongly disliked by the pious predecessors (salaf salih). For example, some opinionated people raised the question: If a dog mates with a goat and a shared offspring is born, is it lawful (halal) or unlawful (haram)? Then they themselves answered: One should see by placing meat and grass in front of it—if it eats grass, it is lawful; if it eats meat, it is unlawful. If it eats both, it should be killed; if it starts barking, it is to be considered as a dog, otherwise as a goat; if it makes both sounds, it should be slaughtered; if the stomach comes out, it should be eaten, otherwise not.
These people were only interested in inventing questions and fabricating answers, not in whether such a thing has ever happened or could ever happen. Tell me, where is an animal born from the mating of a dog and a goat found? Likewise, it is not permissible to ask questions with the intention of entrapping or humiliating the scholars.
From the mentioned hadith, it is understood that Hajj is obligatory once in a lifetime upon every person who possesses the means. As Allah the Exalted says: ﴿وَ لِلّٰهِ عَلَی النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَیْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ اِلَیْهِ سَبِیْلًا﴾ ()... “Allah has made it obligatory upon those people who are able to find a way to it, to perform the pilgrimage of this House.”
The Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam forbade excessive questioning so that, due to someone’s questioning, those things do not become prohibited for Muslims which were permissible due to silence, or so that people do not fall into difficulty—just as the people of Musa alayhis salam, due to excessive questioning about the cow, brought hardship upon themselves. Allah the Exalted says: ﴿لَا تَسْئَلُوْا عَنْ اَشْیَآءَ اِنْ تُبْدَلَکُمْ تَسُؤْکُمْ﴾ ()... “Do not ask about things which, if made plain to you, may distress you.”
Similarly, asking about such matters which do not exist at all, are merely hypothetical scenarios, or have not yet come into existence, was strongly disliked by the pious predecessors (salaf salih). For example, some opinionated people raised the question: If a dog mates with a goat and a shared offspring is born, is it lawful (halal) or unlawful (haram)? Then they themselves answered: One should see by placing meat and grass in front of it—if it eats grass, it is lawful; if it eats meat, it is unlawful. If it eats both, it should be killed; if it starts barking, it is to be considered as a dog, otherwise as a goat; if it makes both sounds, it should be slaughtered; if the stomach comes out, it should be eaten, otherwise not.
These people were only interested in inventing questions and fabricating answers, not in whether such a thing has ever happened or could ever happen. Tell me, where is an animal born from the mating of a dog and a goat found? Likewise, it is not permissible to ask questions with the intention of entrapping or humiliating the scholars.
Source: Musnad Ishaq bin Rahwayh, Page: 299
