Seeking Nearness to Allah and the Messenger ﷺ: Correct Meaning of the Ḥadīth
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
❖ Question
What is the meaning of the following narration?
❀ Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī رضي الله عنه narrated:
قال ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه: أين تذهبين بهذا الحلي؟ قالت: أتقرب به إلى الله ورسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم.
ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه said (to his wife Zaynab رضي الله عنها): "Where are you taking this jewelry?" She replied: "I intend to seek nearness to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ with it."
(Musnad Aḥmad 2/373, Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah 2461 – Ḥasan chain)
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ʿAmma Baʿd!
- The meaning of taqarrub (nearness) here is pleasure and approval.
- Zaynab رضي الله عنها meant: “If I give this jewelry in charity for the sake of Allah, then Allah will be pleased, and the Messenger ﷺ will also be pleased—because he instructed women to give charity.”
❖ Important Clarification
- This does not mean that the charity was intended as an act of worship for the Prophet ﷺ.
- Worship is due only to Allah ﷻ.
- However, it is permissible to intend pleasing the Messenger ﷺ by obeying his commands, because he ﷺ ordered and encouraged charity.
❖ Conclusion
- Taqarrub in this narration means seeking the pleasure of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ through obedience to his instructions, not through worship.
- Worship is exclusively for Allah ﷻ, while pleasing the Prophet ﷺ is achieved by following his Sunnah.
هذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
