Muwatta Malik (Qasim)

Takhrij al-Hadith: [وأخرجه البخاري 1532، ومسلم 430/1257 بعد ح1345، من حديث مالك به]
Jurisprudential Points
➊ One should take care to use a screen (sutrah), and it is permissible to use a riding animal as a screen.
➋ Sayyiduna Ibn Umar radi Allahu anhu was always ready to follow the Sunnah.
➌ The constant desire of a Muslim with correct creed is to continue acting upon the Sunnah of his greatest Imam, the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
➍ Sayyiduna Ibn Umar radi Allahu anhu would perform the Zuhr and Asr, and Maghrib and Isha prayers at Muhassab (a place near Makkah), then enter Makkah at night and perform tawaf. [الموطأ 1/405 ح934 وسنده صحيح]

Hadith Commentary:
Of the mosques mentioned in the ahadith of this chapter, most have disappeared.
The trees and markers by which these locations were identified have also vanished.
Now, of these mosques, only the mosques of Dhu’l-Hulayfah and Ruha remain, which are recognized by the local inhabitants.
(Fath al-Bari: 1/738)
First Stop:
When the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would travel from Madinah Munawwarah to Makkah Mukarramah, Dhu’l-Hulayfah would be his first stop.
Dhu’l-Hulayfah is at a distance of three miles from Madinah Munawwarah.
It is called Bi’r Ali.
It is the miqat (appointed station) for ihram for the people of Madinah.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would descend beneath an acacia tree (kikar) at Dhu’l-Hulayfah.
Now, a mosque has been built at this location.
According to the statement of Ibn ‘Umar (radi Allahu anhu), the mosque has been built exactly at the spot where the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) performed prayer, but on the return journey, the place where he performed prayer was a different location.
According to the statement of Ibn ‘Umar (radi Allahu anhu), the place where the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would pray on the return journey was a deep valley in which there were sand dunes.
The mosques that are there now are other than the places where the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) performed prayer.
One mosque is built of stones and the other is built on a mound.
The place where the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) performed prayer has been covered by pebbles. One location is at a distance of approximately six miles from Madinah Munawwarah, where the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) stayed at the end of the night.
There, the Masjid Mu’arras has been constructed.
Now, only two mosques remain:
Masjid Dhu’l-Hulayfah and Masjid Mu’arras, which are preserved.
The rest—only Allah’s name remains.

Hadith Commentary:
There is a blessed valley in Dhul-Hulayfah which has been mentioned.
Hafiz said: The ahadith which Imam Bukhari has narrated in this chapter demonstrate the virtue of Madinah, and is there any doubt about its excellence? Revelation descended there, the grave of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is there, and the pulpit is there which is a garden from the gardens of Paradise. The discussion here is whether the scholars of Madinah are superior to the scholars of other lands. If what is meant is during the time of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), or during the period when the Companions (radi Allahu anhum) were gathered in Madinah, then this is agreed upon.
If what is meant is in every era, then there is disagreement in this, and there is no reason that the scholars of Madinah should be superior to the scholars of other lands in every era.
Because after the era of the Imams who were qualified to exercise independent legal reasoning (mujtahidun), there has not been a single scholar in Madinah who possessed more knowledge than any scholar from other lands, let alone being superior to all the scholars of other lands. Rather, such innovators and people of corrupt nature have gone and resided in Madinah, about whose ill-intent and corrupt nature there can be no doubt.

Hadith Commentary:
There is a blessed valley in Dhul-Hulaifah which is mentioned in this hadith.
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, under this chapter heading, has narrated ahadith from which the virtue of Madinah Tayyibah becomes evident.
There is no doubt regarding its virtue; revelation continued to descend there.

Hadith Commentary:
Then he would arrive in Madinah during the day; therefore, it is appropriate that a traveler—especially one returning from the journey of Hajj—should enter his home during the day, for in this too the Lawgiver (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has taken many benefits into consideration.

Hadith Commentary:
It is prohibited for a traveler to arrive at his home suddenly at night, as will be mentioned later. Apart from this, he may come to his home whenever he wishes in the morning or evening. Thus, in this hadith, it is stated that when the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would return to Madinah Tayyibah, he would spend the night in the valley of Dhu’l-Hulayfah and would arrive at his home in the morning.

In this, the Lawgiver (alayhis-salam) has taken many benefits and considerations into account.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
This chapter is without a title.
It is as if it is a supplement to the previous title, meaning that it is recommended (mustahabb) to perform two units (rak‘ah) of prayer before making the intention (niyyah) for ihram at the miqat.
The commentator Ibn Battal, at this point, gives the following title:
(al-salat bi-Dhi al-Hulayfah)
“Prayer at Dhu’l-Hulayfah.” It is possible that these two units are for ihram, or that they were performed as an obligatory prayer, because in the hadith it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) performed two units of the ‘Asr prayer at Dhu’l-Hulayfah.
(2)
There is a difference of opinion regarding the two units of prayer for ihram.
The preferred view is that two units specifically for ihram are not explicitly established by any hadith; however, if a person performs ablution (wudu) before ihram and then performs two units of prayer for ablution and then dons the ihram, there is no harm in this.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:
The virtue of the valley is evident from the hadith.
Staying in it and performing prayers here is a source of reward and merit, as well as following the Sunnah.
When Tabi‘ (the follower) returned from Madinah, he stayed here, and upon observing the excellence of this land, he remarked that it is like ‘Aqiq.
From that time, its name became ‘Aqiq.
(Fath al-Bari)

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
In this hadith as well, the blessedness of the Valley of ‘Aqiq is mentioned.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was informed about this through a dream, and the dreams of the Prophets (alayhimussalam) are based on revelation (wahy).
Staying in this valley and performing prayers there is a source of reward.
There is a separate reward for following the Sunnah.
(2)
Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (radi Allahu anhu) used to search for this place and would stay there.
It is mentioned in Sunan al-Bayhaqi that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) camped under a tree there, and Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (radi Allahu anhu) used to water that tree so that it would not dry up.
(al-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Bayhaqi: 5/245)
Salim (rahimahullah) would also search for this place and stay there, following his father Abdullah (radi Allahu anhu).
(Fath al-Bari: 3/495)

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: There is a difference in the wording between the hadiths of Mughirah bin Shu’bah and Abdullah bin Zubair (radi Allahu anhuma). The reason for this is that sometimes, after prayer, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would say the words narrated by Mughirah (radi Allahu anhu), and at other times, those narrated by Ibn Zubair (radi Allahu anhuma). Therefore, there is no contradiction in this. Furthermore, it is also established from this that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would recite these supplications, these words of remembrance, and some other words of praise (hamd), glorification (tasbih), affirmation of Allah’s oneness (tawhid), and magnification (takbir) after turning for salam, but before performing the sunnah prayers. Ibn Humam and some other jurists, reasoning from the hadith of Aisha (radi Allahu anha), have said that, except for the supplication:

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ السَّلامُ ، ومِنكَ السَّلامُ

(“O Allah, You are Peace, and from You is peace”),

it is not correct to recite other remembrances after performing the sunnah prayers. Allamah Saeedi has refuted this in detail.

However, it is not correct to use the narration of Abdullah bin Zubair (radi Allahu anhuma) as evidence for the prevalent practice of loud remembrance (dhikr bil-jahr).

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: (1)
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said regarding Abyssinia:
When a righteous man among them died, (بَنَوْ عَلٰى قَبْرِهِ مَسْجِداً)
"they would build a mosque over his grave," and (صَوَّرُوْا فِيهِ تِلْكَ الصُّورَة)
"they would make images of those people in it."
And it is evident that by making images of these righteous people, their intention was that people, upon seeing these images, would become familiar with those righteous individuals and remember their good and admirable states, so that they too would perform good deeds with eagerness, desire, and effort. But in the end, those very images began to be worshipped and venerated—meaning, the very act that was done with a good and righteous intention became a cause of misguidance and polytheism (shirk). And these people, according to the statement of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, (شَرَارُ الْخَلْق)
became the worst and most evil of all creation. Aisha radi Allahu anha narrated that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said during his final illness:
"May Allah curse the Jews and Christians; they took the graves of their prophets as places of worship (masjid)." That is, just as a person prays in a mosque, engages in remembrance and supplication, keeps it clean and fragrant, and arranges for its illumination, all these acts they began to perform at the graves of their prophets alayhim assalam. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam also felt this fear and apprehension regarding himself, so he explicitly forbade this act and deed.
He said:
(إِنِّي أَنْهَاكُمْ عَنْ ذٰلِكَ)
"I forbid you from this act." And according to Aisha radi Allahu anha, due to this very fear, the grave of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was not made in an open place. Since this act had already become a gateway to polytheism (shirk) in previous nations, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam closed this door forever. Now, despite the explicit prohibition of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, to derive permissibility from the statements of some scholars for building a mosque in the vicinity of the grave of a righteous and pious person is to open the door to shirk,
which the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has commanded to be closed. When it is established that prostrating to graves as an act of worship is shirk, and prostrating out of veneration is forbidden, and circumambulating (tawaf) the grave is forbidden, and bowing before it is forbidden, then why not prohibit the very act that leads to and paves the way for these things? And these acts can be openly and secretly observed at the graves of righteous people. During the era of the Companions and Followers, when it became necessary to expand the Prophet's Mosque (Masjid Nabawi), the chamber of Aisha radi Allahu anha (in which are the graves of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, Abu Bakr, and Umar radi Allahu anhuma)
was incorporated into the mosque in such a manner that people could not access them, nor could they see them, nor could they pray near them or facing them. And this situation remains to this day. If praying near the graves of righteous people was a source of goodness and blessing, then why did the Companions radi Allahu anhum ajma'in and the Followers conceal the chamber of Aisha radi Allahu anha and hide its graves?
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, five days before his passing, said that the people before you used to take the graves of their prophets and righteous people as places of prostration.
(فَلَا تَتَّخِذُوا الْقُبُورَ مَسَاجِدَ)
"Beware! Do not make graves into places of prostration as those people did." Despite the explicit command of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, why is there insistence on opening this path for people? And what is the purpose of saying that there is no mosque greater in the world than the Ka'bah? And that in its vicinity are the graves of Isma'il alayhis salam and Hajar alayha salam?
(Sharh Sahih Muslim: 2/8)
Is there any sign of these graves remaining, or are people even aware of them?
(2)
It is necessary to believe in all the prophets; therefore, although Jesus alayhis salam was sent directly to the Christians, they also acknowledged the previous prophets alayhim assalam. That is why the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used the word "prophets" for both the Jews and the Christians, or he referred to both collectively.
(3)
If "Khalil" is taken from (خُلَّة) (with a dammah on the kha),
it means such deep and true friendship that penetrates the heart, and this can only be with one person; there remains no room for another. And if it is taken from (خَلَّة) (with a fatha on the kha),
it means poverty and neediness—that is, I do not place trust or reliance on anyone except Allah, and I am not in need of anyone except Allah. If I could have such friendship and love with any of the creation that would take over my heart, or if I could trust and rely on anyone and be in need of them, then Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu would have been the most deserving and worthy of it.

Urdu marginal note:
"In a blessed valley." Because this valley, during the journey of Hajj, has been the place of passage for many prophets. Syria (Sham) and Palestine are the regions of the prophets, alayhimus-salam. When coming from there to Makkah al-Mukarramah, this valley would fall along the route.

(1) Here, the intention is to describe the method of entering into ihram. The miqat for the people of Madinah Munawwarah is Dhu’l-Hulayfah; therefore, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) spent the night there. He donned the ihram in the morning. Spending the night there is not obligatory. In those times, journeys would span several days, so there was allowance for spending the night. Now, it is an era of rapid travel.

(2) “At the beginning” means at the start of the journey while heading towards Makkah Mukarramah, not at the time of return.

(3) “Mosque”: In the era of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), there was no mosque there; it was built later, precisely at the spot where he had performed the prayer.