Silsilah Sahihah

➊ To drink the cup of martyrdom for the sake of the exaltation of Allah’s religion is an act of great honor, from which one can in no way turn away. The meaning of this hadith is certainly not that jihad should be abandoned; rather, this hadith highlights the importance of prayer and fasting. It is noteworthy that one man was martyred, and another, who died a natural death one year after his martyrdom, entered Paradise before him. The reason for this was the fasting of one Ramadan and the obligatory and supererogatory prayers (salat) of one year. Thus, it is understood that life is a trust from Allah, and as much as possible, fasting (sawm), prayer (salat), and other righteous deeds should be performed in it. And when the need for jihad arises, one should not refrain from putting one’s wealth and life at risk.

➋ In “Silsilah Ahadith Sahihah,” Shaykh al-Albani rahimahullah has cited the words from Ibn Hibban: “And he did not perform the six thousand obligatory (prayer) units (rak‘ahs) and so many more supererogatory units (rak‘ahs) of one year.”

➌ The Islamic month is sometimes (29) days and sometimes (30) days. If it is assumed that six months of the year are (29, 29) days and six months are (30, 30) days, then the total days in a year become (354). While the number of obligatory prayer units (rak‘ahs) in five daily prayers in one day is (17), in this way, the total obligatory prayer units in a year become (6018). However, due to the months being (29) or (30) days, there can be a difference in the count, which is why the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam mentioned (6000) units (rak‘ahs).

Benefits and Issues:

➊ Sometimes, a dream means exactly what is seen in the dream, as the Companions understood this dream literally and did not consider any other interpretation. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) also affirmed their understanding.

➋ For a believer, a long life is a mercy, provided that he is granted the ability to perform good deeds.

➌ The reward for prayers and fasting over a long period can be greater than the reward of martyrdom (shahadah), but there are some special rewards for the martyr that are not granted to others.

➍ In this hadith, there is the glad tidings of Paradise for these two Companions, and also for Talhah (radi Allahu anhu). In any case, Talhah (radi Allahu anhu) is among the ‘Asharah Mubasharah (the ten given glad tidings of Paradise), whom the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) named and gave the glad tidings of Paradise.