Tirmidhi

Hadith Commentary:
From this, the sanctity (hurmah) of Madinah Sharif is also established, just as the sanctity of Makkah Sharif is established. For Madinah as well, the boundaries of the Haram have been designated, within which all those actions are prohibited that are prohibited within the Haram of Makkah.

The position of Ahl al-Hadith is precisely this: that Madinah, just like Makkah, is inviolable (haram).

(For details, see another place.)

Khaybar is a location three stages (manzil) from Madinah in the direction of Syria (al-Sham).
It was a settlement of the Jews.

It had been less than a month since the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had returned from Hudaybiyyah when he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) heard of the plot of the Jews of Khaybar—that they were about to attack Madinah. In defense against them, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) advanced, and the Muslims achieved a manifest victory.

Relevance Between the Chapter Heading and the Hadith:

Imam Bukhari rahimahullah stated in the chapter heading: “Which mosque was built first on the earth?” However, the hadith mentioned under this chapter does not mention any mosque in absolute terms; rather, it mentions Mount Uhud. Therefore, the relevance between the chapter heading and the hadith is not apparent. But the hadith narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr radi Allahu anhu under this same chapter easily contains an aspect of relevance... whereas the hadith of Anas radi Allahu anhu is more difficult to relate.

However, upon reflection, the connection between the hadith and the chapter heading can be established in two places.

A: In the chapter heading, it is asked: “Which mosque was first constructed on the earth?”

As evidence, the hadith regarding Masjid al-Haram and Masjid al-Aqsa is presented. The relevance here is that the chapter heading is posed as a question, and the hadith provides its answer: that mosque is in Makkah, i.e., Masjid al-Haram. Thus, the hadith of Sayyiduna Abu Dharr radi Allahu anhu corresponds with the chapter heading.

B: The hadith of Sayyiduna Anas radi Allahu anhu, which states that Mount Uhud loves us and we love it, is relevant in that the place where Masjid al-Haram is located, i.e., the land of Makkah, is also where Mount Uhud is situated. Therefore, a subtle connection is established here.

The hadith of Sayyiduna Anas radi Allahu anhu is also related in another way: some people believe that the first construction of the Ka‘bah was by Sayyiduna Ibrahim alayhis salam and the construction of Masjid al-Aqsa was by Sayyiduna Sulayman alayhis salam. However, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, with great precision, refutes this notion here, stating that the initial construction took place before them. That is why he presented the hadith of Sayyiduna Abu Dharr radi Allahu anhu, so that this misconception is removed from minds. Through the chapter heading, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah wants to clarify that the first construction of Masjid al-Haram was not by Sayyiduna Ibrahim alayhis salam, and the relevance of the hadith about Mount Uhud is also that the name of Ibrahim alayhis salam is mentioned by the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in it.

Al-‘Allamah ‘Ayni rahimahullah writes:

«مطابقة للترجمة فى قوله : ان ابراهيم»

“That is, the correspondence of the chapter heading is with this word of the hadith: ‘Indeed, Ibrahim...’”

Thus, from here, the connection between the chapter heading and the hadith is established.

An Objection and Its Answer

In the present era, the deniers of hadith, based on a superficial reading, raise objections to this hadith of Sahih Bukhari and are busy trying to create suspicion about hadith among Muslims. Here, the doubt is raised that the Ka‘bah was constructed by Ibrahim alayhis salam and Masjid al-Aqsa by Sulayman alayhis salam, so how can the interval of forty years between the two be authentic, when there is more than a thousand years between these two prophets? Therefore, this hadith is not correct.

The Answer: It should be remembered that the aforementioned hadith narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr radi Allahu anhu mentions the first construction, and this construction took place in the era of Adam alayhis salam.

Thus, the commentators write:

«ويرتفع الاشكال بأن يقال الاية والحديث لا يدلان على بناء ابراهيم وسليمان لما بنيا ابتداء وضعهما لهما بل ذاك تجديد لما كان اسسه غيرهما وبدأه وقد روي ان اول من بنى البيت آدم وعلى هذا فيجوز ان يكون عنده من ولده وضع بيت المقدس من بعده باربعين . انتهي . . . . .»

“That is, the objection to the verse and the hadith can be removed in this way: neither of them (the verse and the hadith) indicate that the initial foundation of both (the House of Allah and Bayt al-Maqdis) was laid by Ibrahim alayhis salam and Sulayman alayhis salam. Rather, the reality is that the foundations of both mosques were laid by others, and both Ibrahim alayhis salam and Sulayman alayhis salam were renovators of these sites. It is narrated that initially, the House of Allah was founded by Sayyiduna Adam alayhis salam.”

Imam Bayhaqi rahimahullah, in his famous book “al-Dala’il,” narrates a hadith from Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr radi Allahu anhu in marfu‘ form:

«بعث الله جبريل الي آدم فأمره ببناء البيت، فبناه آدم، ثم اثره بالطواف به، وقيل له انت اول الناس، وهذا اول بيت وضع للناس .»

“That is, Allah Ta‘ala sent Jibril alayhis salam to Adam alayhis salam and commanded him to construct the mosque. Then Adam alayhis salam constructed it, and then he was commanded to perform tawaf of it, and it was said: ‘You are among the first people to build a house for worship for mankind.’”

This hadith removes the objection that the first to construct the House of Allah was Adam alayhis salam, not Ibrahim alayhis salam, because the hadith mentions the original construction, not the renovation.

Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah says:

«اول البناء ووضع أساس المسجد و ليس ابراهيم أول من بني الكعبة و لا سليمان أول من بني بيت المقدس فقد روينا ان اول من بني الكعبة آدم ثم انتشر ولده فى الارض .»

“The first to lay the foundation of the mosque was not Ibrahim alayhis salam, nor was the first to lay the foundation of Masjid al-Aqsa Sulayman alayhis salam. Rather, according to the narration, the first to lay the foundation of Masjid al-Haram was Adam alayhis salam, and then the descendants of Adam alayhis salam spread throughout the earth.”

Imam al-Qurtubi rahimahullah says:

«ان الحديث لا يدل على أن ابرهيم وسليمان لما بنيا المسجدين ابتدا وضعتهما لهما، بل ذالك تحدير لما كان اسسه غيرهما .»

“Indeed, the hadith does not indicate that the first foundation of Masjid al-Haram and Masjid al-Aqsa was laid by Ibrahim alayhis salam and Sulayman alayhis salam. Rather, (the hadith indicates that) they renovated mosques that had been built before them.”

Imam ‘Abd al-Razzaq rahimahullah says:

“‘Ata’, Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib, ‘Amr ibn Dinar, and Imam Ma‘mar rahimahumullah say that the first to build the Ka‘bah was Adam alayhis salam.”

Therefore, the buildings mentioned in the hadith under discussion are those constructed by Adam alayhis salam, which were established with a forty-year interval, not those of Ibrahim alayhis salam and Sulayman alayhis salam.

Thus, the objection to the hadith is baseless.

Hadith Commentary:
After the migration, the Noble Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) made Madinah Munawwarah his homeland in such a way that its love became embedded in every fiber of his being.
Loving everything of that place became a natural demand of his disposition.
It was on this basis that he also had love for Mount Uhud, which he expressed here.
Every Muslim has inherited affection and love for Madinah Munawwarah.
From this hadith, it is also established that Madinah Munawwarah, like Makkah, is a sanctuary (haram).
However, some people do not accept the sanctity of Madinah and they interpret such ahadith in various ways, which is not correct.
Now, Madinah is a sanctuary (haram) respected for every Muslim just like Makkah.
May Allah Ta’ala grant every Muslim the good fortune to visit this sacred city again and again. Ameen.

Hadith Commentary:
1.
The love from both sides is based on reality.
Because Allah Ta’ala is capable of everything, He can create the emotion of love even in inanimate objects.
As it is stated in the Qur’an:
“Everything in the world glorifies Allah, but you do not understand their glorification.” ( Bani Isra’il: 44: 17)
The glorification (tasbih) of pebbles is also established, and furthermore, the date-palm trunk placed in the Prophet’s Mosque began to weep at the time of separation from the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), which was heard by all those present.
Similarly, the mountain of Uhud also loves the people of Islam.
And Allah Ta’ala, by His perfect power, placed a natural faith (tab’ imani) in Mount Uhud, due to which it loves.
And Allah knows best.

2.
It should be remembered that from the day Allah Ta’ala created the heavens and the earth, He made Makkah a sanctuary (haram), and its sanctity will remain until the Day of Judgment. However, it was Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) who proclaimed its sanctity.

Hadith Commentary:
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) declared Mount Uhud to be beloved to him.
Therefore, this mountain is beloved to every Muslim.

Hadith Commentary:
According to us, the love of Mount Uhud is based on reality.
Allah Ta’ala is capable of granting perception and understanding to it, just as Allah Ta’ala granted perception to that pillar which could not bear the separation and parting from the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and began to weep loudly.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) declared Mount Uhud to be his beloved, and for this reason, all Muslims love it and look upon it with affection.
It is for this reason that Mount Uhud holds historical significance.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) expressed his feelings of love regarding the Uhud mountain on multiple occasions. Thus, some narrations indicate that when he returned from the Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjat al-Wada’), he uttered these words. Other narrations show that upon returning from the Battle of Tabuk, when the walls of Madinah Tayyibah came into view, he expressed sentiments of love concerning the Uhud mountain.

➋
Here, there is an objection: the mountain is an inanimate object—how can it love? For loving is the action of living beings. Some individuals have answered this by saying that what is meant here is the people of Uhud, i.e., the Ansar, who lived in the shade of Uhud.
However, the people of research (ahl al-tahqiq) state that even in inanimate objects (jamadat), love can exist; therefore, the love of Uhud is a reality.
We will mention its benefits in the explanation of the upcoming hadith.

Hadith Commentary:

Uhud Mountain loves us.
Loving is meant in its real sense.
Because Allah, the Exalted, has granted every creature knowledge and perception according to its own nature.
As is meant in the verse: “And there is not a thing except that it exalts Him with His praise” (Bani Isra’il: 44) .
From this hadith, the sanctity of Madinah al-Munawwarah is also established just like Makkah al-Mukarramah.
Those who do not accept the sanctity of Madinah need to reflect further on this.
This hadith has already been mentioned in the Book of Hajj.
It is brought in this chapter because it mentions Ibrahim (alayhis salam).

Hadith Commentary:
➊
The love of Mount Uhud for us is real, because Allah the Exalted has placed knowledge and perception in everything according to its nature, as is mentioned in the Qur’an:

“And there is nothing except that it glorifies Him with His praise, but you do not understand their glorification.” (Bani Isra’il: 17/44)
➋
This hadith establishes the sanctity of Madinah Tayyibah, since it mentions Sayyiduna Ibrahim (alayhis salam), who declared Makkah to be sacred. For this reason, Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) has mentioned this hadith here.

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: Allah, the Exalted, has placed perception and awareness in everything. That is why Allah, the Exalted, said: (If We had sent down this Qur’an upon a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and splitting asunder out of the fear and awe of Allah) (Surah Al-Hashr). And in another place He said: (Everything in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him with His praise, but you do not understand their glorification.) And even the Hanana (the date-palm trunk) sobbed with hiccups at your (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) separation. Due to this perception and awareness, Mount Uhud loved you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), and in return, you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) also loved it. For this reason, it is obligatory upon every Muslim to love you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), because a human being cannot be considered lesser than a stone, and the standard of love is obedience and following of you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).

1.
Allamah Zuhayr Shawiish said:
‘Ayr is a very small mountain located near the Medina airport. 2.
It is mentioned in Sahih Muslim that when the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) looked at the mountain of Uhud, he said:
“This mountain loves us and we love it.” (Sahih Muslim, The Virtues of Medina, and the Explanation of the Boundaries of Its Sanctuary, Hadith: 1365)

Hadith Authentication:
[وأخرجه البخاري 3367، من حديث مالك به و رواه مسلم 1365، من حديث عمرو بن ابي عمرو به ● سقط من الأصل واستدركته من صحيح البخاري]

Jurisprudential Points:
➊ Just as Makkah is a sanctuary (haram), likewise Madinah is also a sanctuary (haram). Therefore, the denial by some people of Madinah being a sanctuary is clearly tantamount to the rejection of hadith.
➋ The believers love the mountain of Uhud in Madinah.
➌ It is impermissible to cut, destroy, or build upon the mountain of Uhud; rather, it should be left in its present state until the Day of Resurrection.
➍ The love of Uhud for the believers is among the matters of the unseen (umūr ghaybiyyah), and it is obligatory to have faith in this due to this authentic hadith and other authentic ahadith. Also see: Al-Muwatta, Hadith: 16.