Written by: Maulana Abul Hasan Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani
Question:
Is it mentioned in Tirmidhi that a man delivered a sermon in front of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and said: "Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has attained guidance, and whoever disobeys them has gone astray." The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) then said: "You are a bad speaker, say 'whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger.'" What is the reason for this prohibition?
Answer:
This Hadith is narrated in detail and in brief in several books of Hadith, including Sahih Muslim (Book of Jumu'ah, Chapter on Shortening the Prayer and Khutbah: 870), Nasai (Book of Marriage, Chapter on What is Disliked in the Khutbah: 3281), Abu Dawood (Book of Prayer, Chapter on the Man Who Delivers the Sermon Leaning on a Bow: 1099, Book of Manners: 4981), Musnad Ahmad (4/256), Baihaqi (1/86, 3/216), and Mustadrak Hakim (1/289). However, I did not find this narration in Tirmidhi.
In this narration, when the speaker said "Whoever disobeys them has gone astray," the Prophet (peace be upon him) criticized him by saying, "You are a bad speaker." The commentators of Hadith have provided several reasons for this. Some have said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) expressed disapproval because the speaker combined Allah and His Messenger in a single pronoun. However, this explanation is not entirely correct because it is narrated from Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught them a sermon in which it is mentioned:
"Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has attained guidance, and whoever disobeys them, he harms only himself and does not harm Allah in the least."
[Sunan Abu Dawood: 1097]
Similarly, in the Holy Quran, it is mentioned:
"Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet."
[33:56 - Al-Ahzab]
↰ In this verse, the pronoun in "yusalloona" combines Allah and the angels.
◈ Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
"The correct view is that the prohibition was due to the nature of sermons, which require clarity and detail, avoiding ambiguity and indirect references. This is why it is proven in Sahih Bukhari that when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) spoke, he would repeat it three times so that it could be understood."
[Sharh Nawawi 6/139, Beirut edition]
For further details, refer to the commentary by Suyuti on Nasai and other related works.
A Khateeb (sermon giver) should avoid ambiguity and unclear references so that the audience does not experience any confusion. While Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) are indeed combined in a single pronoun, the matter should be explained in detail to the general public.
Question:
Is it mentioned in Tirmidhi that a man delivered a sermon in front of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and said: "Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has attained guidance, and whoever disobeys them has gone astray." The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) then said: "You are a bad speaker, say 'whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger.'" What is the reason for this prohibition?
Answer:
This Hadith is narrated in detail and in brief in several books of Hadith, including Sahih Muslim (Book of Jumu'ah, Chapter on Shortening the Prayer and Khutbah: 870), Nasai (Book of Marriage, Chapter on What is Disliked in the Khutbah: 3281), Abu Dawood (Book of Prayer, Chapter on the Man Who Delivers the Sermon Leaning on a Bow: 1099, Book of Manners: 4981), Musnad Ahmad (4/256), Baihaqi (1/86, 3/216), and Mustadrak Hakim (1/289). However, I did not find this narration in Tirmidhi.
In this narration, when the speaker said "Whoever disobeys them has gone astray," the Prophet (peace be upon him) criticized him by saying, "You are a bad speaker." The commentators of Hadith have provided several reasons for this. Some have said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) expressed disapproval because the speaker combined Allah and His Messenger in a single pronoun. However, this explanation is not entirely correct because it is narrated from Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught them a sermon in which it is mentioned:
"Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has attained guidance, and whoever disobeys them, he harms only himself and does not harm Allah in the least."
[Sunan Abu Dawood: 1097]
Similarly, in the Holy Quran, it is mentioned:
"Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet."
[33:56 - Al-Ahzab]
↰ In this verse, the pronoun in "yusalloona" combines Allah and the angels.
◈ Imam Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
"The correct view is that the prohibition was due to the nature of sermons, which require clarity and detail, avoiding ambiguity and indirect references. This is why it is proven in Sahih Bukhari that when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) spoke, he would repeat it three times so that it could be understood."
[Sharh Nawawi 6/139, Beirut edition]
For further details, refer to the commentary by Suyuti on Nasai and other related works.
A Khateeb (sermon giver) should avoid ambiguity and unclear references so that the audience does not experience any confusion. While Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) are indeed combined in a single pronoun, the matter should be explained in detail to the general public.