Story Number 41:
A Glimpse of the Night of Mustafa ﷺ
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Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that one night I was staying at the house of my maternal aunt, Umm al-Mu’minin Hazrat Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her). At night, I lay across the width of the bed, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Umm al-Mu’minin (may Allah be pleased with her) lay along the length of the bed. (At the beginning of the night) the Messenger of Allah ﷺ fell asleep and woke up around midnight. He got up, wiped his face, and recited the last ten verses of Surah Al-Imran. After that, he stood up; a water-skin was hanging nearby. He performed ablution thoroughly with it and stood up to pray. I also got up and performed the same actions that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did and stood beside him. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ placed his right hand on my head, held my ear, and began to rub it. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed two rak’ahs, then two rak’ahs, then two rak’ahs, then two rak’ahs, then two rak’ahs (a total of twelve rak’ahs). Finally, he prayed Witr and lay down. When the Mu’adhdhin arrived, he prayed two light rak’ahs and then left the house to perform the Fajr prayer.
Benefit:
Hazrat Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) had a double relationship with the Prophet ﷺ; he was the cousin of the Prophet ﷺ and his maternal aunt was also one of the wives of the Prophet ﷺ. However, praise be to Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that instead of being proud of his lineage, he devoted himself with great effort and attention to acquiring knowledge. The Lord of the worlds granted him such a great reward that through the tongue of the Shariah, he was honored with the title “Interpreter of the Qur’an.” The Ummah also fulfilled their right of appreciation by bestowing upon him the gift of “Scholar of the Ummah.” Are our descendants ready to reflect on this?
Story Number 42:
The Acceptance of the Prayer of Mustafa ﷺ
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Hazrat Saib bin Yazid رضي الله عنه says that once my maternal aunt took me to the presence of the Prophet ﷺ and said, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, my nephew is ill.” The Prophet ﷺ placed his hand on my head and prayed for blessings. Then the Prophet ﷺ performed ablution, and I drank the water of his ablution. Afterwards, I stood behind the Prophet ﷺ and saw that between his shoulders, the seal of prophethood was shining like a pigeon’s egg.
Benefit:
The explanation of this hadith is found in another hadith in Bukhari Sharif, where Juaid bin Abdul Rahman states that he saw Hazrat Saib bin Yazid رضي الله عنه at the age of 95 years, strong and healthy. He himself once explained the reason, saying that as long as his eyes and ears functioned, it was all due to the prayer of the Prophet ﷺ. Then he narrated the above-mentioned incident.
Story Number 43:
The Compassion of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) for the Sick
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Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that once I woke up, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came on foot to visit me. Finding me unconscious, the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed ablution and sprinkled the water of ablution on me. I immediately regained consciousness and saw that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was present. I asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what should I do about my wealth? What decision should I make regarding my wealth?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not reply until the verse about inheritance was revealed.
Benefit:
Visiting and caring for the sick is a moral duty of every Muslim and a right of the other Muslim. Neglecting this duty is a growing social malady. According to the Hadith, those who visit the sick in the morning will have seventy thousand angels praying for their forgiveness until the evening, and those who visit in the evening will have seventy thousand angels praying for their forgiveness until the morning. Surely, the prayers of these innocent angels will not return unanswered.
Story Number 44:
The Last Sermon of the Prophet of Islam صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم
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Hazrat Aisha رضي الله عنها narrates that when the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم woke up and the pain intensified, he asked his wives for permission to spend the days of illness in my house. All the wives gave permission. The Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم came supported by two men, one of whom was Hazrat Abbas. Hazrat Abdullah رضي الله عنه says the other man was Hazrat Ali رضي الله عنه. Hazrat Aisha رضي الله عنها says that when the illness of the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم worsened, he said, “Put seven waterskins on me so that (if I recover somewhat) I may be able to give some advice to the people.” We placed the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم in Hazrat Hafsa رضي الله عنها’s tub and began pouring water from the waterskins. The Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم signaled with his hand to stop. After that, the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم went outside, led the people in prayer, and delivered a sermon.
Hazrat Aisha رضي الله عنها and Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه say that during the illness, the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم would cover his face with a blanket but then, in distress, would remove it. In this state, he said, “May God’s curse be upon the Jews and Christians; they have made the graves of their prophets into mosques.” The purpose of the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم was to warn and instill fear in the Ummah regarding the actions of the Jews and Christians. Hazrat Aisha رضي الله عنها says that regarding the leadership (Imamat) of Hazrat Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه, which I repeatedly (with hesitant words) asked the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم about, the reason was that I had the thought that people would not like anyone to stand in the place of the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, and I was certain that whoever stood in the place of the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم would become an enemy of the people. Therefore, I wanted the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم to return this matter (Imamat) from Hazrat Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه to someone else.
Benefit:
To explain this hadith, the same narration appears multiple times in Bukhari Sharif that during his final illness, the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ordered his close companion and devoted friend to stand in the place of the Imam during prayer. Hazrat Aisha رضي الله عنها said, “O Messenger of Allah! My father is very tender-hearted; if he stands in your place as the Imam, he will not be able to control his eyes and a heavy rain of tears will start, and the people will not understand anything.” But the Prophet’s lips only mentioned the name of his devoted friend. Seeing her repeated insistence, he said, “You are like the women of Egypt; inwardly you desire one thing, but your tongue says another. Go and tell Abu Bakr to lead the prayer.” The intended meaning was that just as my devoted friend contains the complete family of the lesser Imamat within himself, he is also the rightful heir of the greater Imamat and Caliphate.
Story Number 45:
One aspect of the Battle of Khaybar
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Hazrat Suwaid bin Nauman (may Allah be pleased with him) says that I went to the Battle of Khaybar alongside the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). When we reached the place of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in Sahba, which is near Khaybar, he offered the Asr prayer there. After that, he requested travel provisions, but nothing was presented except for Sattu. The Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered the Sattu to be cooked and ate it himself, and we also ate it. Then he stood up for the Maghrib prayer. The Prophet (peace be upon him) rinsed his mouth, and we did the same, and he prayed without performing ablution again.
Benefit:
One notable point regarding this incident is that some people consider it necessary to perform a new ablution after eating any cooked food, which is not correct. However, rinsing the mouth is Sunnah, and as long as the ablution is not broken, one should not perform ablution again just for that reason.
Secondly, from the apparent details of this incident, you must have understood that the beloved of Allah, to raise the word of Allah, was carrying his life on the palm of his hand with a handful of brave companions, and at mealtime, nothing was available on the dining spread except “Sattu.” This condition of travel and encampment remained a lifelong loyalty. This incident serves as a lesson for the followers of the Prophet (peace be upon him), provided they have insight.
Story Number 46:
Urine and Backbiting
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Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) says that once the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) passed by a garden in Makkah or Madinah. He heard the voices of two men who were being punished in their graves. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that they are indeed being punished, but not for a major reason. After pausing for a while, he said why not? One did not protect himself from urine, and the other used to engage in backbiting. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked for a date palm branch, split it into two pieces, and placed one piece on each grave. Someone asked why the Prophet (peace be upon him) did this. He replied that perhaps until these dry, their punishment might be alleviated.
Benefit:
Generally, in our society, both men and women suffer equally from these ailments. There is absolutely no effort to avoid urine splashes. People urinate standing or in a hurry, neither performing istinja (cleaning after urination) properly nor relieving themselves with calmness and satisfaction. It seems like a trivial matter, but the strictness regarding it is great. Therefore, there is strong emphasis in the hadith on avoiding urine splashes. Similarly, we have ourselves nurtured the curse of backbiting. If only we could learn some lesson from these incidents.
Story Number 47:
Respect for the Elder
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Hazrat Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says that once the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “I saw in a dream that I was using a miswak (tooth-stick). Then two men came, one was elder and the other younger. I gave the miswak to the younger one, but I was told to give it to the elder. So I gave it to the elder.”
Benefit:
Since the dreams of the Prophets (peace be upon them) are also “Divine Revelation,” therefore, any command received in a dream is as obligatory to follow as it is when awake. Moreover, this incident not only proves the importance of using the miswak but also sheds light on respecting the elder. But alas, our society has deprived the younger ones of kindness, resulting in the loss of respect for the elders.
Story Number 48:
Water for Ghusl
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Hazrat Abu Ja’far (may Allah be pleased with him) says that one day I was sitting with my father, Hazrat Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), and there were a few other people present as well. The attendees asked Hazrat Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) about the amount of water needed for ghusl (ritual bath). He said, “One Sa’ of water is sufficient for you.” One person said, “That cannot be enough for me.” Hazrat Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, “One Sa’ was sufficient for the person whose hair was longer than yours and who was also more virtuous than you (meaning the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him).” Abu Ja’far (peace be upon him) says that after this, Hazrat Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) led us in prayer wearing a single cloth.
Benefit:
“Sa'” is the name of a measure which we can conveniently call a maximum of “four kilograms,” meaning that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to perform ghusl with this amount of water. But we sit under an open tap and use a large quantity of water; until we find an excuse, our ghusl is neither complete nor do we feel at ease. If you cannot bathe with such a small amount, at least avoid wastefulness. Try to make an effort.
Story Number 49:
Prophet Musa (Moses) عليه السلام and a Stone
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Hazrat Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه narrates that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said that the Children of Israel used to bathe naked in such a way that they could see each other, but Prophet Musa عليه السلام used to bathe separately. Therefore, the Children of Israel used to say among themselves that the reason Musa did not bathe with them was that he had a disease causing boils.
Once, Prophet Musa عليه السلام went to bathe and placed his clothes on a stone. Then the stone took the clothes and ran away, and Musa عليه السلام ran after it saying, “O stone, my clothes, O stone, my clothes,” until the Children of Israel saw this clearly and became convinced that indeed there was no defect in Musa عليه السلام. Prophet Musa عليه السلام took the clothes from the stone and began to strike it. Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه says that by the oath of God, there were seven marks of blows on that stone.
Benefit:
Some narrations indicate that apparently, at that moment, the stone caused trouble for Prophet Musa عليه السلام, but according to the command of God, this very stone became a cause of mercy for him at that time when the Children of Israel needed water, and from this stone, twelve springs flowed for the Children of Israel. A partial mention of this is present in the first part of the Holy Quran.
Story Number 50:
The Grace of God
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Hazrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: Once Hazrat Ayyub (may Allah be pleased with him) was bathing naked when locusts began to fall. He started collecting them in his clothes. Immediately, a voice came from Allah saying, “O Ayyub! Have We not made you independent of them (by making you wealthy)?” He replied, “By Your Honor, why not (You have), but I am not indifferent to Your grace and blessings.”
Benefit:
Extremely baseless stories about Hazrat Ayyub (peace be upon him) have also entered our tafsirs through Isra’iliyat, whereas it is a rule that Allah Almighty does not afflict any of His prophets with any disease that causes people to hate them. Therefore, things like worms infesting the body are all nonsense.
When the trial of Hazrat Ayyub (peace be upon him) was completed, a cool, sweet water spring flowed from the rubbing of his heel. He quenched his thirst by drinking it, bathed, and was cured of his illness. He was still bathing when this incident occurred.
From this incident, it is understood that when there is no decrease in what He gives, there should be no decrease in what we take. But the surprising thing is that “Muslims” have become so self-sufficient that they do not even bother to raise their hands and ask. Perhaps we do not realize that our Lord is the One who calls Himself “As-Samad” (The Self-Sufficient), and He is certainly right in this claim. The need is that we use our senses properly and make ourselves beggars at the door of Allah.
