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Notes for o’ LeveL

Islamiyat

Class: o3
Session: 2021-2022

Compiled by:
Hafiz Muhammad Usman
Lecturer Chenab College Jhang
Mobile No: 0333-6725057
0312-0325057
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History and Importance of Holy Quran

Introduction of Holy Quran and Revelation from 610 AD to 632 AD

The Holy Quran is the last book of the revealed books of Allah. It was sent down to
His last messenger Muhammad by the angel Jibrael between the years 610 AD to 632
AD. The word Quran is mentioned frequently in the book itself. According to scholars,
it has fifty five other names such as, Al Furqan (Distinction between truth and
falsehood), Al Noor (The light), Al Shifa (The healing), Al Huda (The guidance).

First Revelation: On the 12th of Feb, 610 AD, 27th of Ramzan, when he was in the
cave of Hira, Hazrat Jibrael appeared before him in the figure of a man and asked him
to read. This was a sudden and unexpected, he answered him “I cannot read”. He
seized prophet and squeezed him as hard as he could bear and said read. Prophet
replied I cannot read .Second time he squeezed him and said read. Prophet gave the
same answer. Third time he squeezed and said read. Prophet asked “what shall I
read? Then Hazrat Jibrael recited the first five verses of Surah ul Alaq:
“Read! With the name of your Lord, who creates (everything), who creates man from
blood clot? Read! Your Lord is the most generous who teaches by the pen, teaches
man what he knows not”.

Methods of Revelation: The Arabic word for revelation is Wahi which means to inform
secretly. The revelation would reach the Holy Prophet in different ways on different
occasions. These are as follows.

(1) Hazrat Jibrael: The Archangel would usually bring him the message of Allah.
This too was in three different ways:
 He would appear in his real form.
 He would meet him in the form of a man and deliver him the message.
 He would inspire him in his heart with the words of the revelation.
(2) Dreams: The Prophet’s dreams are Ruya Al Sadiqah or true dreams; meaning
whatever Allah showed him in his dreams was Divine Truth and a message
from Allah.
(3) Divine sounds: sometimes the Holy Prophet would hear the sound of bells
ringing or bees buzzing, at the end of which the words of the revelation would
be inscribed in his heart. As the Prophet said: “It comes to me sometimes as
the ringing of a bell and this is hardest on me”. Hazrat Aysheya said “I saw
revelation coming down upon him in the severest cold and when that condition
was over, perspiration ran down his forehead”.
(4) Direct conversation with Allah: The Holy Prophet was granted the honour of
speaking to Allah directly more than once.
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Surah Nasr was the last surah, which was revealed completely. The last revelation
came to the Holy Prophet in the plain of Arafat, which completed the revelation the
revelation as it said “This day have I perfected your religion for you, for you completed
my favors upon you and have chosen Islam as your religion”.

Surah: The Quran is divided into 114 chapters, each of which is called surah which
means a degree or step, by which we climb up. The surahs are of different lengths,
the longest one is Surah Baqarah, while Surah Kausar is the shortest. Each surah
begins with Tasmiah with the exception of ninth, Surah Taubah.

Makki surahs: (86) The surahs which were revealed to the Prophet during the Makkan
phase of his mission, from 610 AD to 622 AD are called Makki. These surahs are
generally brief; consist of basic principles and beliefs such as oneness of Allah etc and
events relating to the past communities. The language was used very strong.

Madni surahs: (28) The surahs which were revealed during Madinan phase, from 622
AD to 632 AD are called Madni. Madni surahs are lengthy and consist of social duties
and obligations.

Ruku: All the surahs, with the exception of the last thirty five are divided into sections
which is called Ruku, each section generally dealing with one subject.

Ayaat: The surahs are made up of ayaat which means a sign or a communication from
Allah.

Juz or Parah: For the purpose of recitation, the Quran is divided into thirty equal parts,
each of these being again sub divided into four equal parts.

Manzil: This division is made for the completion of its recital in seven days.

Significance of Holy Quran

The Holy Quran is the special gift of Allah to mankind. Its significance and purposes
are the following:

 Its purpose is to guide the humanity to the straight path, to awake human
conscience and to enlighten the human mind.
 Its instructions are aimed at the general welfare of human being.
 It helps them to understand their God and allow them to connect to Him.
 It is the only book which guides Muslims in their every walk of life such as social,
economic, religious etc.
 It makes the mankind very close to Him by following its teachings.
 It gives the full and perfect answer of all the questions which we have in our
minds such as creator, purpose of creation etc.
 It gives us the way of perfect and successful life.
 Allah has enlightened the whole world by revealing the Holy Quran and turned
the ungodly world back to Allah.
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Need of Prophets in preaching the revelation

Allah always sent revelations through the prophets due to some reasons such as;

 They could preach the revelations practically because only a human can
give the practical demonstrations, so Allah chose the prophets for this.
 Allah sent prophets to different nations in different languages because they
could speak the native language so it was easy for the people to understand
the revelation.
 All the messengers first convinced people through their character and moral
example as many people converted to Islam because Holy Prophet never
lied and never deceived any people.

The nature of prophet hood from Holy Prophet’s first experience of revelation

 This first experience showed that Allah chooses a person for prophet hood to
whom he wills without informing or giving any warning to him. That is why the
Prophet was shocked and confused on the sudden appearance of the arch
angel Jibrail.
 This experience showed that Prophet Hood is not an institution that can be
attained through penance and prayers. It is an extremely rare gift that Allah
gives to whom He wills. As Allah said: “He does send down His angels with
inspiration of His command to such of His servants as He pleases” (16:2).
 This experience showed that Allah does not depend on anything he can make
prophet at any age or time as he made Hazrat Isa his prophet at the time of his
birth and Holy Prophet at the age of forty.
 This experience showed that receiving revelation is not easy that is why Hazrat
Jibrael squeezed him and transferred the divine light to bear the revelation.
 The Prophet’s state of shock on his first encounter with Jibrael can be
compared with the experience of the Prophet Musa when he could not sustain
a minute fraction of the reflection of divine glory. The Quran says: “When his
Lord manifested His glory on the mount, He made it as dust, and Musa fell down
in a swoon”.

Characteristics of Holy Quran

The Holy Quran has many different distinguishing qualities, such as:

 The preservation of other scriptures was the duty of their respective followers,
but they changed them for their worldly purposes. When Allah revealed the Holy
Quran, Allah took the responsibility of preserving whatever is contained in it.
The following verse testifies to this:
“Indeed, we have sent down this Quran and we must surely are its guardians”.
 The revelation sent to each prophet was intended for the guidance of his own
nation, but the Holy Quran was sent for the whole mankind. As Allah said:
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“The month of Ramzan in which was revealed the Quran, guidance for whole
mankind”.
 The other scriptures were revealed for a specific time of period, but the Holy
Quran is the guidance for the whole mankind till the Day of Judgment. Its
teachings apply to all times, conditions and requirements of mankind.
 The Holy Quran is not contained on some warnings and advices like the other
books, but also it is a complete code of life. The Quran give the guidance in
every field of life.
 It is the actual word of Allah and it is beyond human imagination to produce
anything like it. Some of the greatest enemies and masters of Arabic language
tried their best but remained failed. The Quran says: “If the whole of mankind
and Jinns were to gather to produce the like of this Quran, they could not
produce the like, even if they backed up each other with help and support”.
 The Holy Quran is a complete and comprehensive book, clearly defining the
permitted and forbidden, the lawful and the unlawful as the Quran itself says:
“Nothing have we omitted from the book”. Similarly Allah says: “And we have
sent down to you a book explaining all things”.
 One of individualities of Holy Quran is in its wisdom there is a moving force that
provokes the mind and stirs as it is proved from the preaching of Islam.

Compilation of Holy Quran

The unchanged text of the Holy Quran through fourteen centuries is a divine miracle.
Corruption and changes have never touched the Quran because Allah said: “We have,
without doubt, sent down the Message; and we will assuredly guard it from corruption”.

Compilation of Holy Quran during the Prophet’s life

Writing: Whenever, a revelation was received by the Holy Prophet, he would call one
of his writers and say to him: “Write this verse in the chapter where such and such
verses occur”. He would then ask him to read what he had written. This was to ensure
perfect accuracy. These writers are called Scribes. These were always near the
prophet to ensure the revelations were written down at early point. At Madinah, about
forty companions are believed to have acted as scribes for the Holy Quran, such as
Hazrat Abu Bakr, Hazrat Umar, Hazrat Uthman, Hazrat Ali, Hazrat Abu Hurairah,
Hazrat Abdullah bin Masud, Hazrat Zaid bin Thabit. The Quran was written on thin and
flat tablets of stone, wood, branches of palm trees, bones of camels and goats, skin
of animals and other pieces of leather. The arrangement of the verses and surahs was
done by the Holy Prophet himself with the help of angel Gibrael. The proof for written
scriptures is as Hazrat Umar found his sister reading the Quranic text from parchments
and Holy Prophet said that reading the Quran earns a believer twice as much reward
as reciting it from memory.
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Memorization:

Holy Prophet used to ask his companions to memorize the verses in order to recite
them in their daily prayers. It was the practice of the Holy Prophet to recite loudly the
text of the Quran, revealed so far every year, during the month of Ramzan and the
companions used to compare their memory of Holy Quran with the version of the Holy
Prophet. In last year of his life, a few months before his death, the Holy Prophet read
out the complete text of the Quran twice. In this way, the whole Quran was memorized
and brought in written form, but it was not in one book or copy.

Compilation of Holy Quran during the period of Hazrat Abu Bakr

During the caliphate of Hazrat Abu Bakr some people declared themselves to be
prophets. Among them was Musailma. Hazrat Abu Bakr waged a war against him and
many companions who had committed the Holy Quran to memory were martyred in
that battle, known as the battle of Yamamah. Hazrat Umar suggested to Hazrat Abu
Bakr that the Holy Quran should be compiled so none of the revelation would be lost.
Hazrat Abu Bakr hesitated, saying “How dare I do something the Holy Prophet did not
do?”, but Hazrat Umar convinced him of the need. Hazrat Abu Bakr then called Hazrat
Zaid bin Thabit, one of the Holy Prophet’s secretaries, and said to him to go and find
all the fragments of the Holy Quran and assemble it together. Hazrat Zaid also
hesitated but Hazrat Abu Bakr convinced him of the need. Hazrat Zaid bin Thabit
applied the following criteria:

 The verse he received first of all used to check with his own memory because
he was a strong hafiz.
 Then he used to check with his writing because he had the whole of the Holy
Quran written with him.
 Then the verse was given to all the scribes who were strong huffaz for
verification.
 Then it was given to the Caliph for verification, as he was hafiz.
 Then the presenter of the verse was asked to give two witnesses, those who
have seen him writing in the presence of the Holy Prophet and checked by him.

Then the verse was accepted and written in a copy. This criterion was applied so that
there should not be any mistake and nothing should be added in the Holy Quran
because many hypocrites wanted their man made verses to be included in it. Theses
sheets remained with Hazrat Abu Bakr. After his death, these sheets were given to
Hazrat Umar and then were transferred to the daughter of Hazrat Umar and wife of
Holy Prophet, Hazrat Hafsah for the safety.

Compilation of Holy Quran during the period of Hazrat Uthman

As Islamic state expanded, people in various places recited the Quran in their local
accent and there arose a possibility of confusion and misunderstanding. The need for
final collection of the Quran arose when General Huzaifah bin Yaman reported this
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problem to the caliph during to the observation in the battle of Armenia and Azerbaijan
and asked him to make a unified text. To avoid this problem from arising in the future,
the Caliph Uthman obtained sheets from Hazrat Hafsah and ordered for the
preparation of one standard version of the Holy Quran. He appointed Hazrat Zaid bin
Thabit along with three other knowledgeable Muslims Hazrat Abdullah bin Zubair,
Saad bin Aas and Abd ul Rahman bin Haris, who assisted to make copies of the Quran
from the original text. They were told to follow the dialect of the Quraish in case of
differences over the language, as the Holy Quran had been revealed in that dialect.
Copies were prepared and these were checked with the original. These authoritative
copies were sent to different parts of the Islamic state; Kufa, Basra, Damascus Makkah
etc. Two original copies from Uthman’s time still exist today, one at Istanbul and the
second at Tashkent. Due to this great service Hazrat Uthman is known as Jami-ul-
Quran. This means that he brought the Muslims around to a uniform reading and
writing of the Quran. The Quran that it is being read and written today, is the same as
in the early period of Islam.

Need of compilation:

 The Holy Quran was revealed as a guide to whole of the mankind so it was
necessary to preserve its original text for the coming generations.
 If the Quran was not compiled then it would have been lost and the coming
generations would have been deprived of its precious teachings.
 If the Quran was not compiled then Islam would have lost its significance
because the Holy Quran is the only source of guidance in every aspect of life.
 If the Quran was not compiled then coming generations would have differences
and there would have been many disputes over the Holy Quran.
 The compilation of Holy Quran would allow Muslims to have access to Quran
at all times and places without any change.
 The compilation of Holy Quran ensures a standard copy.
 This compiled copy lessens the likelihood of it being reproduced with mistakes.
 The compiled copy suggests unity between Muslims, e.g. they use the same
book, they read in its original language even if that language is not their own.
 The compiled copy can be carried by individuals and referred to with ease.

Holy Quran and Hadith:

The Holy Quran is the basic source of Islamic law as it is God’s words and gives
guidance in our entire life. It is the most perfect book without any fault. It is unchanged
and unquestionable. The Hadith means the sayings, actions and silence approved of
the Holy Prophet, it is the second source of Islamic law. Both the Quran and Hadith
are collectively taken as the primary sources of Islamic Law as together. As the Holy
Prophet said in his last sermon “And I leave with you two things. If you hold fast by
them both, you will never be misguided, the Book of Allah and Sunnah of the prophet”.
The Hadith is the practical demonstration of the Quran as companion asked Hazrat
Aysha about the morals of the Holy Prophet. She said: “His moral was the Holy Quran”.
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This thing shows that Holy Prophet never did anything, which was against Quranic
teachings.

Allah has ordered many times in the Holy Quran to follow the both as Allah says: “And
obey Allah and obey the messenger”. Similarly Allah said: “He, who obeys the Apostle,
obeys Allah” because the Prophet did not speak of his own desire. As in surah Najm,
Allah said: “Nor does he speak of his own desire. It is only an inspiration that is
inspired”. Actually Hadith gives full teachings of what the Quran states in brief or where
it is silent. As the verse says: “We have sent down the Quran to you O Muhammad so
that you may explain to mankind what has been revealed to them”. Now some
examples are given below.

Examples of explanation:

 The Holy Quran says: “Establish prayer” but it does not give the method,
prohibition and obligatory acts. It is Hadith which explains everything in detail
as the Holy Prophet says “Offer your prayers as you see me offering”.
 The Quran commands “Hajj is duty man owe to Allah those who can afford the
journey”. But it does not tell the whole method, obligatory acts, times, places
and manners of Hajj, now it is Hadith which explains in detail about these.
 The Quran commands many times to give Zakat without detail whereas Hadith
explains and tells in detail that on which zakat is levied, its time when it is given
and the fixed amount that is given.

Examples of those teachings where the Holy Quran is silent:

 The Holy Quran describes that pork is unclean therefore unlawful for the
Muslims. The Quran tells only one animal as unlawful but all the other animals
are declared unlawful by the Hadith as he said “All the animals having attacked
teeth and all the birds having attacking claws are unlawful (haram).
 The division of inheritance is clearly stated in the Quran but leaving of wealth
for the Non-Muslim relatives is not mentioned but the Holy Prophet said “A
Muslim may not inherit from a non-Muslim, nor a non-Muslim inherit from a
Muslim”.

The use of Holy Quran in legal thinking:

The Holy Quran constitutes the foundation of Islamic Law and is therefore most
reliable source. All other sources must be in conformity with the Quranic injunctions.

Allah said: “Whomsoever desired guidance from any other except the Quran, shall go
astray”.

The Quranic law is perpetual and everlasting. It does not change with the passage of
time. It is complete and final because no aspect of human life has been left without
guidance and nothing more is needed to supplement all that provided by it. The Quran
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says: “Nothing have we omitted from the Book”, and said: “We have sent down to you
a book explaining all things”.

The Quranic law deals with beliefs, morality, worship, civil transactions, punishment
for intentional injury to the human body, property and honour; murder; breach of public
peace such as robbery; offences against religion such as nonpayment of Zakat;
against indecency; adultery; use of intoxication; gambling and offences against the
established government such as rebellion.

Some teachings of the Holy Quran are as below:

Religious teachings: “And be steadfast in prayer, practice charity”. Allah said:

“Pilgrimage there is a duty man owe to Allah, those who can afford the journey”.

Economic teachings: “Allah has allowed trading and forbidden usury”. “Give full
measure when you measure, and weigh with a balance that is straight”.

Moral teachings: “And swell not your cheek for pride at men nor walk with insolence
through the earth, for Allah loves not any arrogant boaster”. “Help one another in
righteousness and piety, but help not one another in sin and transgression”.

Legal teachings: “The woman and man guilty of adultery, flog each of them with a
hundred stripes”.

Political teachings: “Obey Allah, and obey the messenger, and those charged with
authority among you”.

Domestic teachings: “And they (women) have rights over them (husbands) similar to
those of their husbands to over them to what is reasonable, but men have a degree
over them”.

Judicial teachings: “We have sent down to you the book in truth so that you may
judge between men, as guided by God”.

Ijma:

Meaning of ijma: It is third source of Islamic law. Ijma comes from jamun or jama’at
meaning collecting or gathering or unanimity. In the terminology of the religion, ijma
means a consensus of the companions of the Prophet or Muslim jurists (Mujtahid) of
a particular age on a question of law.

Use of Ijma:

 The Holy Quran is the primary source of law.

 Holy Quran’s teachings are extended by the prophet’s Sunnah.
 Ijma is the third source of law and it will be effective when the Holy Quran and
Hadith are silent on any new Islamic issue.
 Ijma must be according to laws of Quran and Hadith.
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 Ijma must not be against the fundamental teachings of Islam.

The need of Ijma: There are many instances in which no clear parable is available in
the Quran or Sunnah. The Holy Quran came across countless situations and through
divine guidance was able to clarify many issues. As time passed and mankind
underwent many social and technological changes, many new questions began to be
raised. A typical example is the issue of a test tube baby or genetic engineering, which
did not exist at the time of the Holy Prophet. These posed certain questions that
needed practical solutions. So Ijma is the consensus of the scholars dealing with such
issues.

Holy Quran and Ijma: We trace the roots of ijma from the Quranic commandments of
“consulting each other” which was regularly practiced by the Prophet while making
important decisions. The Holy Quran instructs the Holy Prophet: “And consult them in
affairs (of moment)”. Some other verses are as below:

“He who opposed the messenger even after guidance has become manifest to him
and follow some path other than the believers. We will turn him over to whatever he
has turned (himself). We will make him enter Hell”. (4:115)

“You are the best community ever raised up to humanity”. (3:110)

“Thus have we made you an ummah justly balanced”.

Hadith and Ijma: “If anything comes to you for decision, decide according to the book
of Allah. If anything comes to you which is not in the book of Allah, then look to the
Sunnah of the Prophet, then look to what people unanimously agree upon”.

In reply to Hazrat Ali as to how to proceed in cases when there was no definite direction
in the Holy Quran or the Sunnah, the Holy Prophet is reported to have said: “Gather
together the righteous from among my community and decide the matter by their
counsel and do not decide it by any man’s opinion”.

The Holy Prophet said: “My community will never agree unanimously on an error”.

“Avoid the branching path and keep to the general community”.

“The hand of Allah is with the community”.

Importance of Ijma for Muslims:

 Ijma gives guidance at a time when primary sources are silent.

 Ijma unites the Muslims on their important issues and removes the differences.
 Ijma makes complicated matters easy to follow.
 Ijma in not limited to any community or time but it can be done anywhere and
anytime so it will continue as the source of law till the end.
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 Ijma makes the Muslims able to follow the teaching of Islam for ever because
the Muslim scholars unanimously decide the new issues in the light of Holy
Quran and Sunnah.

Kinds of Ijma: There are some kinds of Ijma:

 Ijma of the companions of Holy Prophet: This is most important form of Ijma.
The agreed upon principle is that the Ijma of any one can be reversed or
amended by one who is equal or greater than him. So the Ijma of companions
is valid for all times to come, and this is an invariable source of Islamic law.
Some examples of this Ijma are the edition of second Azan in the Friday prayer
and compilation of Holy Quran.
 Ijma of Imams: These are the elite of the scholars of the Muslim ummah like
Imam Abu Hanifah etc. The example of this Ijma is the man who is imprisoned
for a long time; his wife should not be allowed to remarry.
 Ijma of the Scholars: Due to the blessing of Allah, all the time there are some
greatest scholars which deserve to solve some difficult issues in the light of
Islamic teachings. Example of this includes the permission of contract a
marriage ceremony via telephone and prayer timings for those living in the
North and South Poles. But this form of Ijma is not binding on all the Muslims
and can be revised or changed.
 Ijma of Local Muslim Community: The member of a Muslim community may
also conduct of Ijma on the issues that pertain to them as individuals. For
example, the timings for Salat-ul-Eid may be fixed by the local community
though it must be within the time range specified by the Holy Prophet. But this
form of Ijma is not binding on all the Muslims and can be revised or changed.

Examples of Ijma:

 Ijma came into practice soon after the demise of Holy Prophet as all the Muslims
unanimously agreed to elect Hazrat Abu Bakr as a caliph of the Islamic state.
 The Holy Quran was not compiled in the book form during the life of Holy
Prophet. After his demise, on the suggestion of Hazrat Umar and by the
unanimous decision of companions, it was compiled in a book form.
 The Prophet prayed taraweeh only three or four times in congregation in his
lifetime. It was later during the reign of caliph Umar that the system of
congregation of taraweeh was added after Isha prayer with the consultation of
all the companions.
 During the time of the Prophet, there was only one Azan for Jum’a. But during
the reign of the caliph Uthman, Madinah expanded and the Azan could not be
heard. So with the ijma of companions it was decided that another call should
be given.
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Qiyas (Analogy)

Meaning: Qiyas is the fourth source of Islamic law. It means to measure or to make
two things equal. In Islamic terminology it means applying the original law of the Quran
and Sunnah to a new sharaiah issue on the basis of common reasons.

All Muslim jurists exclusively agree that each shariah law has a reason or a cause for
it. Therefore they try to find out the reason for every law then they apply the same law
on a new shariah issue if it has the common reasons.

Holy Quran and Qiyas: Allah has enjoined upon us to use our brains and reasoning.
As Allah said: “Take warning O you with eyes”. (59:2)

“As for these examples we cite them for mankind but none will grasp their meaning
save the wise”.

Holy Prophet and Qiyas: When Hazrat Muaz was appointed as the governor of
Yemen, then he asked: “How are you going to decide cases?” Muaz answered: “By
what is in the Book of Allah”. The Holy Prophet asked: “And if you do not find anything
therein to guide you?” He said: “I will decide in the way the prophet has been doing”.
The Holy Prophet enquired, “But if you do not find any precedent from me, what then?”
“I will do my best by exercising my judgement”, Muaz replied. The Holy Prophet
exclaimed: “Praise to be Allah, who has so disposed in delegate of His Prophet as to
be able to satisfy him”.

Holy Prophet told to Hazrat Abu Musa Ashari: “Judge upon the Book of Allah, if you
do not find in it what you need, upon the Sunnah of the Prophet and if you do find in
that also, then use your personal opinion”.

Qualities of Mujtahid:

There are certain conditions for a person to exercise Qiyas. Such as:

 That person has to be a Mujtahid or doctor of law with command over the
Quranic and Sunnah matters and
 That person must be an expert of Arabic language.
 He must have sound memory and enjoy good repute as a pious person.
 He must have good knowledge of history in contemporary matters.

The use of Qiyas:

 The Qiyas is the source of law which is subordinate and subsidiary to the Quran,
Hadith and ijma.
 The Qiyas must be according to the basic principles of Islam.
 The aim of Qiyas is not to alter any Quranic or Sunnah law or text (nass).
 Its reasoning should be easily comprehended by human intellect.
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 It must be applied only when there is no solution to the matter in the Quran or
in Hadith.
 It must not be against the contents of the Quran or the principles of Islam.

Elements of Qiyas: There are main four elements of Qiyas.

 Asl, which is the Quranic law.

 Far, which is the new shariah issue?
 Illah, it is the linking cause which links the current issue with the law of Quran.
 Hukum, the rule arrived at by analogy.

Examples of Qiyas:

 Holy Quran has declared consumption of wine unlawful, the reason behind the
prohibition of wine is intoxication which is quite clear. Then they apply the same
law on the new drugs if they have the same reason. Drugs like opium, LSD,
Heroin etc are declared unlawful because they have the same reason as they
are highly intoxicant. Holy Prophet says: “Every intoxicant is Khmar, so every
intoxicant is Haram”.
 The verse says: “O believers when the cal is heard for the Friday prayer hasten
unto the remembrance of Allah and leave trading”. It prohibits all sorts of
business on Friday prayer from Azan till prayer, the reason behind is that it
hinders from offering Friday prayer; now this verse not only prohibits business
but all that hinders from Friday prayer, like games or getting married in the time
of Friday prayer.
 According to a tradition, reported by Hazrat Aisha, that if flour dries on the nails
and water has not reached any portion to that nail, Wuzu would not have been
considered to have taken place. Going by this tradition, with the application of
nail polish, Wuzu would be incomplete, as the nails remain dry.

Rejection of Qiyas by some scholars: There are some scholars like Ibn Hazm Zahiri,
who have rejected Qiyas. Their arguments can be summarized as given below:

 Qiyas is a human attempt. It is personal reasoning and therefore outcome is

not the Islamic law.
 Qiyas has no evidence for it and therefore is not a source of Islamic law.
 The Illah (reason) behind a rule can be from the mind; therefore it should not
have any authenticity.
 There are many chances of mistakes in Qiyas.
 Different scholars have different opinions and it might divide the Muslim
Ummah.

But these are their doubts and Qiyas can be proved as a source of Islamic law easily.
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Hadiths of the Holy Prophet

Muslim Belief:
The Hadith discusses that religion is hinged upon sincerity in beliefs and actions.
Sincerity to Allah is to believe in Him wholeheartedly with all his attributes as the sole
creator and master and with an earnest desire to obey all his commands and to
worship him only. As Allah said in the Holy Quran: “And we have ordered them nothing
but they worship Allah and be sincere in their religion”. Sincerity to Allah’s book means
that it should be sincerely believed as a revelation from Allah. Its knowledge should
be acquired and spread. It should be read and understood and all its commands
should be carried out faithfully. Sincerity for the messenger signifies that his prophet
hood must be affirmed with perfect sincerity of heart. The Holy Prophet should be
respected and loved. He should be obeyed and followed in all affairs of life. For leaders
and rulers, it implies that they should be respected and obeyed and given full support
and co-operation in all those affairs which they conduct according to the teachings of
Islam. Sincerity towards fellow beings means to behave in an open and straightforward
manner with them. Their life, honour and property should be protected and every
possible help and service should be extended to them.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
For the application of this hadith we must be sincere in our beliefs and actions. We
should be sincere toward Allah by cleansing our heart from all impurities like
associating anything with him. We should be sincere with the Holy Quran by applying
its teachings in practical life. The Holy Prophet must be considered as model of
excellence. We must provide full support to lawful policies of our leaders. But when
the rulers deviate from the path of righteousness, they should be advised and
admonished and efforts must be done to bring them to the right path as Hazrat Abu
Bakr said in his first speech as caliph: “Help me if I am in the right, set me right if I am
in the wrong”. We must be source of benefits for others and well-wisher of the public
as Ansar showed sincerity to emigrants at the time of migration

Main teachings:
The Hadith emphasizes fraternity and brother hood. It stresses on having same likes
and dislikes because Muslim brother hood has been established by Allah Himself. As
Allah said in the Holy Quran: “Believers are a single brother hood”. If there are devoid
of good feelings and affection for each other, it would mean that the reality of faith has
not dawned upon them. The arrogance and selfish attitude is not the characteristics of
 16

a true believer. Care for others is a sign of sincere belief and perfect Muslim. As the
Holy Prophet said: “The best among people is the one who is a source of benefit to
the people”. For attaining the true state of faith, it is essential that man should be
genuinely interested in the welfare of his brothers.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
For the application of Hadith we should have the spirit of sacrifice and be ready to give
preference to the need of others over our own as the Holy Prophet did himself. Muslims
must always respond to the needs of others as care for them is a constituent part of
faith for which we will be rewarded. As the Holy Prophet said: “You cannot enter
paradise unless you are believers and you cannot be true believer unless there is
reciprocal love among you”. We should try to emulate the example of the Ansar of
Madinah who readily shared all their belongings with their Muhajrin brothers. We have
observed similar acts of nobility and generosity very recently. Muslims, extended
monetary and physical aid to the affectees of the horrible flood of September, 2014 in
Pakistan.

Main teachings:
This Hadith highlights three important facets of our lives. First, to speak wisely, speak
the truth, and never hurt with careless remarks. It is better to be silent than to speak
out of turn and irresponsibly. As the Holy Prophet said: “A Muslim is he from whose
tongue and hand people are safe”. The second aspect is about living in a community
and caring for one’s neighbours. The Holy Prophet loved his neighbours, helped them
and even worked for them with his own hands. So great was the emphasis laid by him
on the rights of neighbours that the companions began to feel that the neighbours
would also be made rightful heirs to the property of the deceased. The third aspect is
of generosity and hospitality towards guests. Regarding guests, we have been advised
to welcome them in our house, speak to them with a smiling face and extend every
kind of hospitality to them.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
For the application of this Hadith we should behave towards others, neighbours and
guests very well. We must use our tongue effectively not to harm others or to make
someone feel bad or cause distress. We should treat the neighbours generously as
the Holy prophet says: “The one who fills his stomach and leaves his neighbours
hungry is not a complete Muslim”. This shows that we must care for our neighbours
as it is the integral part of faith. We should not disturb our neighbours by making noise
or playing loud music and should also care even for the non-Muslim neighbours. We
must be hospitable, helpful, noble and considerate to anyone who visits us. Guidance,
 17

protection and shelter must be provided to guests because guests are the source of
blessings of Allah.

Main teachings:
This Hadith very clearly outlines the basic requirements of being a good Muslim. Of
course, one may do as much as one can to gain Allah’s pleasure, but it also shows
that Allah does not burden mankind with the impossible. The importance of prayer,
fasting are highlighted here as pillars of faith. As the Holy Prophet described the same
theme on another occasion: “Observe your prayers five times, fast during the month
of Ramzan……you will enter your Lord’s paradise”. The meaning of “treat as lawful
what is lawful and as forbidden what is forbidden” is to know, respect and follow the
laws of Allah without tampering with them. So in this Hadith the Holy Prophet has given
the guaranty of Paradise to those who have guaranteed the performance of these
religious obligations. According to this hadith, avoidance from unlawful things is
necessary to all Muslims. As the Holy Prophet said: “The flesh grown by forbidden
provision shall not enter paradise”.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
For the application of this Hadith we must stick to our main obligations in life if we want
to get the pleasure of Allah and paradise. As the Holy Prophet said about prayers:
“Prayer is the key to paradise”. We must keep fast in the month of Ramazan without
the care of hot weather. We must be obedient to Allah throughout our life. Besides
follow the principle of Islam we must be conscious of what is allowed and not allowed
in Islam at all times. We must adopt the lawful means to earn our livelihood as we
should be fair in our trading and refrain from interest as the Holy Quran has instructed
about it: “But Allah permitted trade and forbidden usury (interest, Riba)”.
 18

Main teachings:
In this Hadith the vast concept of charity has been discussed. According to the Holy
Prophet the charity is not only the giving money, goods to the poor and deserving, but
also the charity (Sadaqa) stands for any act of kindness towards fellow humans even
the smallest, for the sake of achieving Allah’s pleasure. This hadith highlights the
importance of good deeds, no matter how great or small. As Allah said in surah Zilzal:
“Then shall anyone who has done an atom’s weight of good see it”. The Holy Prophet
also motivated us to show gratitude to Him for his blessings in their bodies like joints
etc. This Hadith also showed the importance of helping the other people in the eyes
of Allah.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
For the application of this Hadith we should be entirely a source of benefit and comfort
to others as it is considered as act of worship, which we have to perform in our
everyday life. As the Holy Prophet said: “The best among you is the person who is the
source of benefit for others”. We must help the weak members of society as the poor,
weak, too old, the blind and paralyzed because they really deserve our help and
support. Holy Prophet himself carried the load of an old woman to her destination. We
should go to mosque on foot for performing prayers. As the Holy Prophet said: “There
is for every step towards mosque a degree of reward for you”. We must remove hurtful
things from path for safe journey of people.

Main teachings:
For the growth and stability of a model society, Islam has made arrangements for the
eradication of wickedness and ill manners. Islam has made obligatory act for every
Muslim to see that the moral health of the community does not deteriorate and
whenever there is any sign of decadence in any quarter, it should be checked. As the
Holy Quran said: “You are the best community ever raised for humanity, you bid the
desirable, forbid the disgusting and believe in Allah”. According to the main hadith,
those who can check it with force, that is the power of the government, must do so. As
Hazrat Abu Bakr took active action against the false prophets, those who refused to
pay Zakat etc. The other people should try to sweep it out by preaching and
persuasion. As the Holy Quran says: “Call to the way of your lord with wisdom and
beautiful admonition and argue with them ways that are best”. If it is not possible then
at least have feelings of resentment for it.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
For the application of this Hadith we should not tolerate any evil in the society as it
shakes the foundation of them. The evil can be in the shape of corruption, favoritism,
bribery and terrorism. These are the evil acts which have unfortunately shaken our
 19

Pakistani society. We have to fight a lot to sweep it out. We must assist the one who
is victim of tyranny, injustice, and wrong doing and must try to stop the one who is
committing it. As the Holy Prophet says: “Take hold of the hands of a Muslim from
doing wrong”. To reduce the crime rates in Pakistan we must introduce Islamic
punishments which will definitely reduce the level of crimes in society. Similarly the
personal example is also necessary while encouraging others to refrain from sins.

Main teachings:
This Hadith clearly describes the importance of Jihad and the importance of those
people of who strive in the way of Allah. Striving hard in Allah’s way with his person
means taking part in warfare or qital to safeguard the faith and remove oppression and
aggression against mankind. The Holy Prophet said: “Paradise is under the shadow
of swords”. Similarly the Holy Prophet said: “The warrior in the path of Allah is equal
to the man who observes fasting regularly, stands before Allah in worship and recites
the verses of Allah, not resting from tiredness through fasting and worship”. The other
category of jihad is to use one’s wealth, property in Allah’s way. According to Holy
Quran such kind of people are the true believers. Similarly, fighting against one’s evil
desire is considered in Islam as greatest jihad. The Holy Prophet said: “The greatest
jihad is to fight against the evil passion of one self”.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
For the application of this Hadith we should be ready to sacrifice our time, money and
even life if need be in the path of Allah. We must maintain our military power and
strength against disbelievers to make their devil plans and devices ineffective and
defend their attacks. We must donate for the uplift, betterment and integrity of Muslim
nation. We should raise monetary funds for useful projects like preaching of Islam. As
the history of true believers is full of examples of it. On the occasion of Tabuk
expedition almost all of the companions of the Holy Prophet contributed something for
the sake of Allah and then participated personally in the battle against unbelievers.
 20

Main teachings:
This Hadith clarifies the concept of martyrdom. Actually the prophet’s companions
wanted martyrdom so he explained that not only those who are kicked in the way of
Allah are martyred but by Allah’s will and special grace, those Muslims who die of
these diseases like Plague, Cholera and natural death are also martyred if they are
righteous and pious Muslims. As the Holy Prophet says: “Whoever sincerely desires
the rank of martyrdom gets the rank of martyrdom even if he is not killed”. Diseases
and other hardships are in fact blessings in disguise. Muslims are tested with
difficulties and if they keep themselves on the right path, they are rewarded with
blessings. It should however be remembered that these types of deaths, no doubt,
merit the reward of a martyr, but they stand no comparison to that reward to which one
is slain on the battlefield fighting for the sake of Allah.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
For the application of this Hadith Muslims should make the true intention for getting
the exalted status of martyrdom and Muslims should lead a life of purity, sincerity and
devotion to cause of Islam. We should die as true followers of Islam so we can be
counted as martyred even though we are not fighting in the way of Allah. Similarly all
the calamities, difficulties and diseases should be faced with full patience, persistence
and with the hope of reward. Once, Hazrat Anas bin Malik asked a companion about
the cause of death of certain person. She answered that he had died of Plague. To
this, Hazrat Anas said that the Messenger of Allah said that death by Plague is a
martyrdom for a Muslim.

Main teachings:
This Hadith stresses the dignity of labour. According to Islam the earning of one’s
livelihood through labour is a great duty on all the Muslims and it is a commendable
practice. As the Holy Prophet said: “To earn a clean living, is also a duty next to
obligatory duties of faith”. The Prophets of the past also earned their livelihood through
their own work. The seeking of lawful sustenance by Muslims has been designated as
a form of worship by the Holy Prophet. That is why the Prophet said: “One who earns
his livelihood by the sweat of his brow is a friend of Allah”. Dependence of any able
person on someone for a livelihood is a sin and a disgraceful humiliation. All kinds of
work and hard labour are respected in an Islamic society. Therefore, Islam has
strongly prohibited illegal means of earning such as bribery, charging interest on loans,
theft, gambling, corruption, black marketing, smuggling etc.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
For the application of this Hadith we should take responsibility to earn our livelihood
with our own hands. We must support ourselves and our family through our hard work.
We should not be dependent on others like the parents in young age because it does
not promote self-sufficiency. We should be honest to our duties, responsibilities and
 21

be loyal to our professions. We must shun all illegal means of livelihood because these
lead to Hell. As the Holy Prophet said: “The flesh that has been sustained by unlawful
earnings will not enter paradise, it is more suitable to Hell”. We must avoid begging
that is the negation of self-esteem

Main teachings:
This Hadith clearly explains the importance of Huquq-ul-Ibad, which are as important
as Huquq-Ullah. Efforts for care, support, and welfare of the needy people have been
regarded equivalent to Jihad. Although only the words “widow and poor” have been
mentioned, they cover the whole range of indigent, invalid, and the needy people in a
community. The Holy Prophet is reported to have said: “He who fulfills the need of any
of my people to please him, as pleased me and he who has pleased me, pleases Allah
and he who pleases Allah, will be brought by Him into Paradise”. It made clear that
worship is not restricted as to prayers and fasting only but covers every good deed for
the mankind as the Holy Prophet said: “The best among you is the one who is a source
of benefit to the people”.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
For the application of this Hadith we should show generosity to help the poor and
needy in all possible ways so that they should be able to live happy and a peaceful
life. We should provide social and economic support to widow. We must provide her
safe life. We are to arrange education for her children. We are to arrange second
marriage if she desires. The Prophet was a staunch supporter of the weak and the
oppressed. As when the Holy Prophet found the woman who used to throw filthy things
upon him, sick and needy, he went to her house and helped her in every way. We
must provide basic necessities of life to poor. We must help the poor physically and
financially because it is the only source of gaining the pleasure of Allah.

Main teachings:
This Hadith encourages the Muslims to look after and support the orphans as it
mentions the closeness of the caretaker of orphans with the Holy Prophet in paradise.
The same theme has been given in another hadith: “The person who took care of an
orphan and shared his food and drink with him, Allah will allow him to enter paradise”.
Nice upbringing of orphan include kind treatment, imparting good education, training
of manners, protection of his heritance and consideration like own children. Hazrat
Muhammad was himself an orphan whose father passed away before his birth and his
 22

mother died when he was just six years old. Allah in his grace protected the prophet
and raised him to a status of honour and glory. Therefore, the Holy Prophet
emphasized about it many times. As the Holy Prophet said: “The best Muslim house
is that in which an orphan is well treated and the worst Muslim house is that in which
an orphan is ill-treated”.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
For the application of this Hadith we should look after the orphans if we want to get
closeness of the Holy Prophet in paradise. We should help them because they are
less fortune who seriously need our help and support. We must treat orphans
humanely and kindly. We must provide them basic necessities of life like food, shelter
and clothing. Orphans must be considered like own children. Good education and
training must be assured by the guardians. Guardians must avoid eating up his
properties. About this, the Holy Quran says, “Those who unjustly eat up the properties
of orphans, eat up fire into their bodies”.

Main teachings:
This hadith gives a complete code of conduct for those who are entrusted with the
work of government and in a broader sense to all such people who are in a position to
guide and advise other people. These people are required to work for the good of the
people. They are instructed to be gentle to people and they are forbidden to do
anything which might cause aversion. Mildness, kindness and gentleness make
subordinates sincere and loyal to authorities. Authorities are required to put others at
ease. As the Holy Prophet said: “Your best rulers are those whom you love and they
love you”. Similarly all the religious leaders are required that the preaching, sermons,
religious discourse, and moral advice should concentrate on such things as may be
helpful to people and incline them towards gaining religious knowledge.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
For the application of this Hadith we should deal the people in a polite way. We must
bring comforts and reliefs for the people. Hardships for the humanity must be avoided.
Equality, justice, moderation, leniency develops good news for the people. Tyranny,
harshness, injustice, strictness generates hatred. The rulers must treat every member
of the community equally without any favoritism. Holy Prophet as a ruler of Madinah
treated every member of the society equally even the non-Muslims, it teaches that
minorities in Pakistan should be fairly treated. Unfortunately Pakistani society is
suffering because they are not following social teachings of Islam. If the rulers of
Pakistan want their subjects to love them than they should control the prices of the
necessities of life, so that every member should be able to live a happy and peaceful
life.
 23

Main teachings:
This Hadith recommends special care for learner of the Holy Quran to keep it fresh
and well memorized. The Holy Quran is the foundation of our religion and the main
source of all Islamic teachings. It seeks to guide man in all spheres of life material and
spiritual. It is the most sacred treasure for a Muslim and he should, therefore, not let it
slip out of his mind. The example of ‘tethered camels’ is given in this Hadith because
if the camels are not supervised and are let loose, they stray away and get lost.
Similarly, if the Holy Quran once read and then overlooked, it slips away from the
reader’s mind. In another similar hadith of the Holy Prophet, it is said: “Keep refreshing
your knowledge of the Holy Quran, for I swear by him in whose hands my soul is that
is the more liable to escape than camels which are tethered”. Similarly for the
preservation of Holy Quran, the Prophet motivated for reciting and teaching. As he
said: “The best among you is the one who learns the Quran and teaches it”.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
For the application of this Hadith we must recite Holy Quran regularly. We must recite
it in daily prayers. Recitation in Taraweeh prayers in month of Ramazan is the most
effective way of keeping hold of Holy Quran. We must teach Holy Quran which is
another way to keep it fresh. We can also keep hold of Quran by having group
discussions. This would increase our knowledge about the teachings of Islam and Holy
Quran. By following these measures we can keep the Holy Quran fresh and well
memorized.

Main teachings:
In this Hadith, the Holy Prophet explains the principles under which trade, i.e. buying
and selling, should be conducted. Business should be conducted under the principles
of honesty, fairness and kindness. Good dealing, reasonable profit, perfect
measurement and giving full detail of items to customer is a kind approach of seller to
consumer. As Allah described the basic principle in dealing in the Holy Quran: “Give
full measure when you measure and weigh with a balance that is straight”. Similarly
the consumer should be sympathetic while buying the things and be careful about the
profit of the shopkeeper. Both are advised to be considerate towards each other. The
Holy Prophet said: “Those business men who show the attitude of mildness and
forbearance in dealings, Allah has decreed for them paradise”. The hadith also
instructs to be kind and sympathetic while getting money back from others.
 24

How can we put these teachings into actions?

For the application of this Hadith we should show positive attitude and mercy when we
hold any transaction and earn lawfully as the Holy Prophet himself did in his life. We
should do business honestly, avoid deceiving, cheating and interest as the Holy Quran
says: “Woe to those who do not keep their measures straight”. Allah curses those who
cheat others in business dealings. While doing business we must not hide defects in
goods, must not take false oaths and charge the reasonable profit on goods. We must
care the borrower’s conditions while getting money back from it. If the borrower is poor
and can’t give money in time, we should reschedule the time and if we forgive the
borrower, it would be considered as a charity.

Main teachings:
The Hadith declares the most deserving of the special mercy of Allah are those kind
hearted people who have love and sympathy for his creatures. The command to show
kindness to those who are on earth includes people of all religions and nationalities.
Allah loves His creation and doesn’t allow anyone to be harsh as He Himself is not
harsh or unfair to anyone. To deserve his mercy, one must show it to his creation.
Hazrat Abu Hurairah relates that he heard the Holy Prophet say: “The attribute of
kindness is not taken away from the heart of anyone except the ill-fated”. Similarly the
Holy Prophet said: “All Allah’s creations are His family, and he is the most beloved of
Allah who does well to His family”. The Holy Prophet set many examples of mercy as
once he was beaten by unbelievers and was wiping the blood from his face, but he
was supplicating: “O Allah, forgive my people because they know not”

How can we put these teachings into actions?

For the application of this Hadith we must become source of benefits and comforts for
others. We should exercise mercy by feeding poor, forgiving others and attending the
needs of the other people. Muslims should not show a selfish attitude to others and
show kindness as it is an outstanding quality of the true believer. We should act like a
single body as it is described in Hadith. We should not only show mercy to fellow
beings but even the enemies as the Holy Prophet did in the incident of Taif, that he
stopped the angel to destroy the town. We must feed the pets in our house properly.
Domestic servants in our houses must properly and kindly be treated.
 25

Main teachings:
This Hadith compares the Muslims to a human body; when one part of it is in pain, the
entire body feels uncomfortable. Muslims are like a body means they are bonded by
the strong fabric of common faith and followers of same prophet. The Holy Quran
stresses in several places the significance of fraternity among Muslims: “The believers
are but a single brotherhood”. In the last sermon of the Holy Prophet spoke about
brotherhood in the following words: “A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim and they
form one brotherhood”. Holy Prophet also said: “One believer is to another like the
bricks of a building, each one is holding and supporting the other”. Islam rejects the
division of Muslim Ummah on the basis of race, colour, language and geographical
boundaries. If all Muslims treat each other like a single body then many social
problems will be solved.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
We can put these teachings into action by caring about all Muslims of the world. We
must share the pain of fellow Muslims and help them. Now a days Muslims are
suffering from floods and earthquakes so we should help these shelter less victims as
the Ansar helped their Muhajirin brothers at the time of migration to Madinah. We must
promote healthy relationship of love, brotherhood, fraternity, peace and coordination
with others without discrimination of race, colour and language. As our Muslims are
facing problems and hardships in Kashmir, Iraq and Afghanistan, we must feel their
pains and try to help them.

Main teachings:
The Hadith describes modesty as a basic instrument, which plays a vital role in the
character building of Muslims. Modesty is a force which prevents a believer from falling
prey to urges of indecency and obscenity. It protects him from all evils prohibited by
Islam. The moral teachings of Islam are meant to awaken and encourage this feeling
of modesty in human nature. Modesty is of fundamental significance in Islam. The Holy
Prophet said: “Every religion has a distinctive quality and the distinctive quality of Islam
is modesty”. The Prophet also said: “Modesty is part of faith and faith is in Paradise
and indecency is from evil and evil is in Hell”. Faith and modesty are so closely related
to each other that either both will be present in an individual or community or none of
the two would be present. As the Holy Prophet said: “Modesty and faith are
companions when one is taken away, the other follows it”.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
For the application of this Hadith we should surrender completely in front of Allah and
Prophet. We should practice modesty towards other member of society by fulfilling the
rights of others and by avoiding from speaking rudely, use of foul language, backbiting,
insulting or acting dishonesty. We should always speak politely and nicely even to the
non-Muslims and should work for the betterment of society. We should observe
modesty by adopting simplicity. We can carry out modesty by shunning all evils. We
 26

should save our private life and mind from evil thoughts because Allah knows
everything.

Main teachings:
The Hadith confirms the view that the believers, in whose hearts there was even the
least amount of faith, will be rewarded with Paradise and in the case of sinful Muslims,
eventually be taken out of Hell after being punished for their evil deeds. A mustard
seed is very tiny but Allah is so merciful that even this insignificant amount of faith will
be rewarded. Similarly pride is the offspring of conceit and this is the very negation of
faith. Faith inculcates in man the spirit of humility and submission to truth; whereas,
pride is the expression of vanity which is one of the greatest hurdles in the path of
truth, virtue and righteousness shown by Islam. The Holy Quran informs us that Iblis
refused to obey the command of Allah because of pride and was thrown out of Heaven.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
For the application of this Hadith we must develop firm faith with full conviction. We
should refresh our faith by repeating the first Kalima time to time. Similarly we should
always adopt the attitude of humility. To treat each other humbly, leniently, and lovingly
is understood as humility. Holy Prophet set an unparallel example of humility; he never
made difference between himself and others including poor and weak. He did every
work with his own hands which shows his humble character. It teaches us that we
should adopt the utmost quality of humility if we want to enter Paradise.

Main teachings:
This Hadith tells the difference in the attitude of a believer and unbeliever. The main
feature of prisoner’s life is that he is not free to do whatever he likes. He has to carry
out other people’s commands in whatever he does. Likewise, the believer is bound by
ethical restrictions, Islamic rules, a set of beliefs and practices and prohibited lines.
Another characteristic is that the prisoner does not feel attached to the prison and
never considers it his home. He is always eager to get out of it. Likewise, the believer
never sees this world as his home, but as a temporary dwelling full of trials until he
reaches his final home of Paradise. As the Holy Prophet said: “Live in this world as if
you were a stranger or a wayfarer”. On the other hand, for the unbeliever, this life and
this world are heaven, because he does not believe in life after death. He lives in this
 27

world without any concept of accountability and hence indulges in sins and the
gratifications of his desires. That is why the world is his paradise.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
For the application of this Hadith we should not live only for worldly gains because life
in this world is for very short time and should prefer hereafter over this world, which is
eternal. We should make hereafter the main object of our life because the comforts
and luxuries of this world will come to an end one day. We should never be indulged
in any act which displeases Allah. The Hadith says: “Whosoever loves the world
damages his hereafter and whosoever loves the hereafter shall damage this world so
you prefer what is ever lasting to what is transitory”. So we should not be too much
lost in this material world that we might damage our hereafter. We must follow the
defined restrictions of Islam. We must submit all desires to the will of God and Prophet.

Main teachings:
This Hadith tells the criteria on the basis of which, Allah judges a person. Allah does
not give us favours because of our physical form, figure or wealth but he sees our
heart, mind and actions. Rewards and punishments are also given on the basis of
motives and intentions as the Hadith says: “Actions are judged by intentions”. This
Hadith emphasizes on the intentions and sincerity behind actions. All the good deeds
are worthless if are not performed with sincere intentions. Similarly it tells us that
worldly possessions, power and wealth, or high status will never impress Allah as it is
stated in the Holy Quran: “Verily the most honoured of you in sight of Allah is he who
is the most righteous of you”.
How can we put these teachings into actions?
For the applications of this Hadith we must be sincere Muslims and be true to our
religion. We must give importance to good conduct and not the possessions. We must
be more concerned in acting with sincerity and genuine intentions. We should not do
the good deeds to show off otherwise our good deeds will become worthless no matter
how valuable they are. We must do every good deed for the pleasure of Allah. We
should not give importance to appearance, wealth etc. As the Holy Prophet gave
importance to the actions rather than appearance such as Hazrat Bilal who was Negro
and poor, but he was appointed as the caller to the prayers.
 28

History and Importance of Hadith

Difference between Hadith and Sunnah:

Hadith: Hadith literally means a story or a report and so represents an account of what
happened. But in Islamic terminology Hadith means the sayings, the actions and the
silent approval of Holy Prophet is called Hadith. Hadith can be divided into three parts:

Hadith Quoly: The sayings of the Holy Prophet.

Hadith Fi’ely: The actions of the Holy Prophet.

HadithTaqreery: Something that happened in front of the Holy Prophet and he kept
quiet, showing his tacit approval. The Hadith is also known as Tradition.

Sunnah: The word Sunnah literally means a practice, a way, or a course, a rule, a
mode or mode of life, a precedent, or a custom. In the Islamic terminology the Sunnah
means the doings and practices of the Holy Prophet. The Sunnah also refers to
religious duties namely that which is recommended although not obligatory. Briefly,
the Sunnah is what was practised by the Holy Prophet and Hadiths are the records of
what was said and practised by the Holy Prophet.

Difference between Hadith Nabawi and Hadith Qudsi:

Hadith Nabawi: A Hadith that contains words that the Holy Prophet himself spoke is
called Hadith Nabawi.

Hadith Qudsi: A Hadith that contains words from Allah is called Hadith Qudsi. For
example: “Allah says, ‘Fasting is for Me and I shall certainly compensate it’, is called
Hadith Qudsi. This Hadith is not the part of Holy Quran, yet this is recognized as the
most important kind of Hadith because this provides guidance on the important Islamic
laws. This Hadith is known as the Divine Hadith.

The relationship between Holy Quran and Hadith:

The Holy Quran is the basic source of Islamic law as it is God’s words and gives
guidance in our entire life. It is the most perfect book without any fault. It is unchanged
and unquestionable. The Hadith literally means the sayings, actions and silence
approved of the Holy Prophet, it is the second source of Islamic law. Both the Quran
and Hadith are collectively taken as the primary sources of Islamic Law as together.
As the Holy Prophet said in his last sermon “And I leave with you two things. If you
hold fast by them both, you will never be misguided, the Book of Allah and Sunnah of
the prophet”. The Hadith is the practical demonstration of the Quran as companion
asked Hazrat Aysha about the morals of the Holy Prophet. She said: “His moral was
the Holy Quran”. This thing shows that Holy Prophet never did anything, which was
against Quranic teachings.
 29

Allah ha/s ordered many times in the Holy Quran to follow the both as Allah says: “And
obey Allah and obey the messenger”. Similarly Allah said: “He, who obeys the Apostle,
obeys Allah” because the Prophet did not speak of his own desire. As in surah Najm,
Allah said: “Nor does he speak of his own desire. It is only an inspiration that is
inspired”. Actually Hadith gives full teachings of what the Quran states in brief or where
it is silent. As the verse says: “We have sent down the Quran to you O Muhammad so
that you may explain to mankind what has been revealed to them”. Now some
examples are given below.

Examples of explanation:

 The Holy Quran says: “Establish prayer” but it does not give the method,
prohibition and obligatory acts. It is Hadith which explains everything in detail
as the Holy Prophet says “Offer your prayers as you see me offering”.
 The Quran commands “Hajj is duty man owe to Allah those who can afford the
journey”. But it does not tell the whole method, obligatory acts, times, places
and manners of Hajj, now it is Hadith which explains in detail about these.
 The Quran commands many times to give Zakat without detail whereas Hadith
explains and tells in detail that on which zakat is levied, its time when it is given
and the fixed amount that is given.
 The Holy Quran mentioned about usury that it is forbidden but the Holy Prophet
gave the details of it: “Do not sell gold for gold, silver for silver, wheat for wheat,
dates for dates, salt for salt except if it is from hand to hand and equal in
amount”.
 The Holy Quran described the punishment of thief in short but the Holy Prophet
explained it: “If he steals cut off his hand, if he steals again cut off his foot, it
he steals again cut off his hand, and if he steals again cut off his foot”.

Examples of those teachings where the Holy Quran is silent:

 The Holy Quran describes that pork is unclean therefore unlawful for the
Muslims. The Quran tells only one animal as unlawful but all the other animals
are declared unlawful by the Hadith as he said “All the animals having attacked
teeth and all the birds having attacking claws are unlawful (haram).
 The division of inheritance is clearly stated in the Quran but leaving of wealth
for the Non-Muslim relatives is not mentioned but the Holy Prophet said “A
Muslim may not inherit from a non-Muslim, nor a non-Muslim inherit from a
Muslim”.

Parts of Hadith: For the purpose of verification and study, a Hadith is basically
divided into two parts, Sanad and the Matn, its text.

Sanad: The first part of Hadith is called Sanad. The basic meaning of Sanad is support
and it its terminology, it is the list of authorities who narrated the Hadith from the Holy
Prophet. These authorities are also called Narrators, Transmitters and Muhaddisin.
 30

The Sanad is an important part of Hadith because it provides the testimony that the
Hadith is directly narrated by the Holy Prophet and it shows the authenticity and
genuineness of any Hadith.

Matn: The second of Hadith is called the Matn. The word Matn which means the text
itself of a work. This is the actual sayings of the Holy Prophet. The Matn is all above
what Holy Prophet said, did or approved the actions of others.

Example: Yahya narrated from Malik who narrated from Nafae who narrated from
Abdullah bin Umar that the Holy Prophet said: “He who misses the Asr prayer is as if
he lost his family and property”. (Muwatta Imam Malik)

Yahya>Malik>Nafae>Abdullah bin Umar>Holy Prophet

So in this Hadith, the series of the names from Yahya to Abdullah bin Umar is called
the Sanad and the statement of Holy Prophet is called the Matn.

The authenticity of Sanad: The authenticity of Sanad can be checked in the following
ways:

 All the narrators must be of sound mind, very strong memory, must not have
the habit of forgetting.
 All the narrators must be honest, trustworthy.
 Each narrator must know the narrator before him and also the narrator after
him.
 The first narrator in the chain must be the companion of the Holy Prophet.
 There must be no gap or weakness in the chain. It means the chain must be
unbroken and continuous.
 Every narrator must be a sane Muslim who has never committed a major sin
and is known to avoid even the minor ones.
 The narrator must be true Muslim and he must never have been accused of
making false statement. As Imam Bukhari went to Persia for getting Hadith from
a Muslim and when he saw that he was prompting his horse by showing it an
empty barrel of food in order to get it inside its premises. So Imam Bukhari
returned and said when he was deceiving his horse how he can be fair to me.
 Every narrator must be careful and must have shown responsibility in the
narration or writing of the Hadith.
 The name, nickname, title, parentage and occupation of the narrator should be
known so his entire biography can be investigated.
 If a narrator referred his Hadith to a narrator, the two should have lived in the
same period and must have met each other.
 31

The authenticity of Matn: The authenticity of any Matn can be checked in the

Following way:

 The Matn must be according to the Quranic teachings and must not go against
Quran in any way.
 It must not go against the main teaching of Islam.
 It must not go against the teachings of the reliable Hadith.
 It must be in the pure Arabic without any grammatical mistake and must be in
the Arabic style.
 The Matn must agree with common sense and what is reasonable.
 It should not give precise details of events that occurred after the Prophet’s
demise.
 It should not contain expressions uncharacteristic of the Holy Prophet and other
prophets.
 It should not praise any individual or place.
 It should not mention the dates of any specific event, and should not go against
any historical fact.
 It must not give high rewards for minor deeds and severe punishment for minor
sins or crimes.

Kinds of Hadith on the basis of Validity or Invalidity of Hadith:

There are main four kinds of Hadith.

Sahih (The Authentic Hadith): The Hadith that passes all the tests and can be
regarded without question as coming from the Prophet. There should be no weakness
both in the chain of transmitters and the Matn.

Hasan (The Strong/ Approved): The Hadith in which some doubts are raising about
their authenticity. This is similar to the Sahih Hadith except that its narrators or some
of its narrators are found defective in memory in comparison with those of the Sahih
Hadith.

Da’if (The Weak): The Hadith in which many questions raise about their authenticity.
If any of the narrator in the isnad was known to have been a liar or have a weak
memory or was known to have not met the one he was supposed to be narrating from
than the Hadith is regarded as weak.

Mau’do (The Fabricated): Sometimes the Hadiths were fabricated, sayings and
doings were attributed to the Prophet which he had not said or done and cannot be
used to prove any point of law.
 32

Kinds of Hadith on the basis of Strength of Narrators:

Mutawatir: It is Hadith reported by a large number of people in different times whose

agreement on lie becomes in conceivable. It is very authentic Hadith and its status is
equal to the verse of Holy Quran. So the rejection of this Hadith is considered as Kufr.

Ahad (single or isolated): These are traditions whose chain of narrators are broken
or traditions that are less widely accepted. It is therefore less authentic. If its narrators
were truthful and honest, it was accepted otherwise is rejected.

Subdivisions of Ahad:

Mashhur (well known): The Hadith which is narrated by three or more than three
narrators at every stage is called Mushhur Hadith.

Aziz (strong or corroborative): The Hadith which is narrated by two narrators in all
ages, is called Aziz Hadith.

Ghreeb (rare or unfamiliar): The Hadith which is narrated by a single narrator at any
particular time, is called Ghreeb Hadith.

Kinds of Hadith on the basis of Sanad:

Mutasil (Joined): It means that the chain of the narrator is unbroken from the origin
to the end.

Munqta (Broken): It is a tradition having a single link missing somewhere in the middle
at one or more than one places.

Mursal(Defective): It is a tradition in which one of the narrator at the end (companion

who actually narrated) is unbroken.

Marfou (Raised): It is a tradition in which the chain of the narrators goes back to the
Prophet though it might be broken somewhere in between.

Mauqoof (Retorted): It is a tradition that reaches up to a companion of the Holy

Prophet.

Maqtu (Cut Off): It is a tradition that reaches up to the successors of a companion of

the Holy Prophet.

Musalsal: It is a tradition in which all the narrators:

 Either belong to one region or occupation.

 Or has the same terminology in narration.
 Or performed a similar action while transmitting it e.g. all the narrators smiled
while narrating a tradition.
 33

Advantages of different categories of Hadiths: It is very important to know the

different categories of Hadiths because the authentic Hadiths can form the basis of
Islamic teachings and Muslims can follow according to their level of authenticity. The
authentic Hadiths unite Muslims and make the Islamic teachings easy whereas the
Daif Hadiths may lead to conflicts and may give the wrong teachings. So it is necessary
to have different categories to Hadiths to be aware of which one is authentic and which
one is weak.

Compilation of Hadith:

During the life of Holy Prophet:

The Hadiths of Holy Prophet were preserved during the life of Holy Prophet in different
ways. Such as:

Memorization: Arabs had excellent memories and they were known to learn by heart
countless verses of their poets and their tribal histories. Similarly they used to learn
the Hadiths of Holy Prophet. There are a number of traditions which show that the
companions of the Prophet were greatly encouraged by Him, for memorizing the
Hadiths. As the Holy Prophet: “May Allah give freshness to a servant who hears my
saying, keep it in memory and preserves it and communicates it”. The Holy Prophet
had also a unique method of teaching to make memorizing and understanding easy:
he would repeat important things more than once. A party of students called Ashab-e-
Suffah lived in the mosque itself and was learning the verses of Holy Quran and the
Hadiths of Holy Prophet. One of them was Hazrat Abu Hurairah. He gave his entire
life for the preservation of Hadiths and prepared a big collection of Hadiths.

Writing: In the beginning the Holy Prophet prevented the companions from writing
down the Hadiths, so that they might not mix up the Hadith with Holy Quran. But later,
he allowed them to write when he became confident that they will be able to distinguish
between the Hadith and Quran. Hazrat Abu Hurairah said that one of the companions
told him of his inability to remember what he heard from him. His reply was that he
should seek help of his right hand i.e, write it down. Hazrat Abdullah bin Amr was the
great writer of Hadiths, the Holy Prophet ordered him: “Write down, for I only speak
the truth”. As Hazrat Abu Hurairah said: “None of the companions preserved more
traditions than me, but Abdullah bin Amr is an exception, for he used to write and I did
not”. The traditions were compiled from them by their students; the following are
compilations of that period:

 Sahifa Sadiqa compiled by Hazrat Abdullah bin Amr bin Aas

 Sahifa Sahiha compiled by Humam bin Munabah from Hazrat Abu Huraira.
 Collection of Hazrat Anas Bin Malik.
 Collection of Hazrat Ali.
 Letters, laws and treaties which were dictated by the Holy Prophet himself and
preserved in this time.
 34

The age of Companions: During this period the companions spread far and wide and
settled in almost all the countries conquered by the Muslims. There was no book or
compilation so that one could not get the entire Hadiths in one’s possession. The only
alternative was to go to the companions and hear the traditions from them. Therefore
the students of Hadiths went to different companions for learning and collecting the
traditions. It was reported that Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah travelled from Makkah to Syria
to hear a single Hadith. At this stage, the writing of Hadiths became more common.
So the Umayyad Khalifa, Umar bin Abd-ul-Aziz who ruled towards the close of the first
century of Hijra, was the first person who wrote to the governors of Madinah to write
down all the traditions of the Holy Prophet. The important works of that period were:
The works of Shihab Al Zuhri,The collections of Abu Bakr Al Hazmi.

The age of followers of the companions (Tab’eyin 101-200 AH)

This is the age of the followers of the companions of the Prophet. They took the matter
earnestly and spared no pain in collecting traditions from different centers of learning.
The important works of this period were carried out by: Hazrat Abdullah bin
Mubarak,Hazrat Abu Bakr Rabi,Imam Makhool.

During this period not only the traditions of the Prophet were collected but also the
verdicts and saying of the followers of the Holy Prophet and of the house of the family
of the Prophet was also carried out. The outstanding works of this period were:

 Al Mutta by Imam Malik bin Anas.

 Kitab Al Athar by Imam Abu Hanifa.
 Musnad of Ahmad bin Hanbal.

The age of followers of followers (Taba Tabeyin 200-300 AH)

This was the golden age of traditions. Hadith literature flourished under the laborious
and critical research of the traditionists of that time. Six authentic books of traditions
(Sahah-e-Sitta) were written. They are the most reliable books of all the books on
traditions. Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawood, Sunan Nisai, Jami
Tirmizi, Sunan ibn Maja.

Sahih Bukhari: It was written by Muhammad bin Abdullah Ismail (195-256). He had
a sharp retentive memory; he learned Hadiths from a very early age. He travelled
throughout the Muslim world nearly forty years for the collection of Hadiths. He went
to meet every traditionist. His Sahih is the next to Quran in authenticity and is most
reliable and original. All the other works are based on this. He selected nearly 7275
out of 600,000 traditions. He compiled them into 97 books according to the subject
matter. He did not accept any tradition unless all the narrators were reliable and until
there was a proof that one reporter met another.

Sahih Muslim: It was written by Abul Hussain Muslim bin Hajaj (202-261 AH). He
travelled to many places to learn Hadiths. His Sahih contains 9200 traditions selected
 35

out of 300,000. It is considered next to Bukhari in accuracy and authenticity. Any

tradition accepted by both Bukhari and Muslim has been termed as Sahihain or
agreed. It is somewhat superior to Bukhari in details of arrangement to traditions.

Sunan Abu Dawood: Abu Dawood wrote it during 202-275 AH. He travelled to all the
important centres of traditions. He learnt and collected these traditions wherever he
found them. He wrote many books on traditions and Islamic laws. His Sunan is the
most important and is considered by most jurists and traditionists to be the next to the
Sahihain. It consists of 4800 traditions selected out of 500,000 and it took twenty years
to complete his book.

Jami Tirmizi: It is written by Abu Isa during 209-27AH. He travelled a great deal in
search of Hadiths, visiting the great centres of Islamic learning, where he was able to
associate with eminent traditionists such as Bukhari, Muslim and others. His work has
been accepted by the jurists as the basis of Islamic law. The most important feature
of the Jami is the category, that Tirmizi terms as Hasan Hadith and Sahih Hadith. He
was the first man to determine the names, surnames, and title of the narrators of
traditions and tried to fix the degree of their reliability by inventing peculiar names of
each tradition.

Sunan Nisai: It was written by Abd ur Rahman during 214-303 AH. He travelled widely
in search of Hadiths and was considered as the leading traditionist of his day. It was
also one of the six authentic books but contains many weak and doubtful traditions.

Sunan Ibn Maja: It was written by Muhammad bin Yazid ibn Maja during 209-273 AH.
He visited important centres of learning and studied under great traditionists of his day.
His Sunan contains 4000 traditions.

Types of Hadith books: The followings are the main Hadith books.

Al-Jami: A book covering all aspects of the Sunnah is called Jami. It contains Hadiths
concerning: Siyar (biography of Holy Prophet), Adab (social behaviour), Tafseer,
Ahkam etc. The Sahih Al-Bukhari is the best example of this kind of Hadith book.

Al-Musnad: A book of Hadith in which Hadiths are arranged under the name of the
first transmitter is called Al-Musnad. Some of them begin with the four Rightly Guided
Caliphs. Some begin with those companions who accepted Islam first. Some of them
begin on the basis of the region and some alphabetically. These books are prepared
irrespective of their themes. These books help to know the authenticity of Hadith
because they are narrated by a particular companion. These books are very useful if
anyone is interested in learning the views attributed to a specific companion. For
example, the Musnad of Imam Ahmad bin Hunble.

Al-Musannaf: In this collection, Hadiths were recorded according to their subject and
the subject matter arranged under the headings of law books. For example the
chapters of Tauheed, prayer, Zakat etc. Such collections were previously called
Abwab and Al-Muasannaf but now the new name is Al-Sunan. These books contain
 36

traditions grouped into chapters and sub chapters. Such a collection was called Al-
Musannaf which means “divided up” because it divides the Hadiths according to their
themes. These books are greatly useful in understanding the Hadiths related to a
particular topic. For example, Sunan Abu Dawood, Sunan Ibn Maja.

Major teachings about individual life of a Muslim:

The aspects of an individual life which receive focus in these traditions are as follows:

Sincerity: These Hadiths teach that a Muslim should be an embodiment of sincerity.

He should be sincere to Allah, his prophet, his book, the leaders of the Muslims and
to the common people. As Holy Prophet said: “Religion is sincerity, we said: to whom?
The Prophet said: “To Allah, His books, His messenger, the leaders of the Muslims,
and to their common people”.

Fulfillment of obligations: These Hadiths tell us that the Muslim must fulfill the pillars
of Islam. The performance of these obligations is a sign of true Muslim. So Muslims
must perform these fundamental practices.

Sacrifice: A Muslim sacrifices his comforts and pleasures for Allah’s sake and if
necessary he lays down his life as well in His path. As the Holy Prophet said: “The
believer who strives hard in the way of Allah with his person and his property”.

Hard work: Hard work should be an ornament of a believer. The very act of work,
physical or mental, is worship in the sight of Allah. A man who works and earns his
livelihood by the sweat of his brow is dear to Allah. As the Holy Prophet said about the
value of hardworking: “No one eats better food than that which he eats out of the work
of his hand”.

Recitation of the Holy Quran: A believer is required to act according to the

injunctions contained in the Holy Quran. It is possible only when he recites the Quran,
understands it and ponders over it. The Holy Prophet said: “Allah does not listen so
attentively, as He listens to the recitation of Holy Quran”.

Modesty: Modesty and shame are qualities which carry great merit in the divine court.
As the Holy Prophet said: “Every religion has a distinctive quality and the distinctive
quality of Islam is modesty”. The Holy Prophet said: “A faithful Muslim is recognized
by his modesty”.

Purification of heart: Every Muslim is required to make his heart pure from pride and
arrogance. Pride is a sign of sinful person and this sin leads the Muslim to hell. As the
Holy Prophet said: “He who has in his heart as much pride as a grain of mustard seed
will not enter Paradise”.

Behaviour about Lawful things: Muslims are required to treat as lawful that which is
lawful and treat as unlawful that which is forbidden and earn livelihood in a lawful
 37

manner. As Allah says: “O people! Eat of what is good on earth. Do not follow devil’s
footsteps. Surely he is your open enemy”.

Attitude towards this World: In these Hadiths Holy Prophet has told us that a true
Muslim remembers that his ultimate destination is the hereafter and so he will not
indulge in this world too much. Because of this belief, he or she is like a traveller who
is not truly at ease until the journey ends. Unlike a disbeliever considers this to be his
only life, and loves it to make it as comfortable as possible. The Holy Prophet said:
“This world is the cultivating ground for hereafter”.

Main teachings of the Hadiths regarding life in community:

Some of the selected Hadiths deal with the guiding principles concerning life in
community. These are as follows:

Brotherhood: All the Muslims are brothers to each other in society. Deceiving, hating
and harming others go against the nature and spirit of Islam. The Holy Prophet said:
“The believers are like a single man, if his eye is affected he is affected all over”. “One
Muslim is like a building brick to the other, one part strengthens the other”.

Manners of conversation: This brief summary of traditions teaches us to speak well

and truth. No lies should be employed to entertain others or to get in the good books
of others. The Holy Prophet said: “It is also charity to utter a good word”.

Human rights: The champion of human rights, Islam enjoins us to observe human
rights: the rights of parents, children, spouse, the poor, etc. An ideal person believes
and devotes his life to the welfare to others. Fulfillment of human rights is not just an
optional matter for a Muslim. Rather it is compulsory for him. As the Holy Prophet said:
“The best among you is the one who is a source of benefit to the people”.

Charity: Helping out others, Muslims or non-Muslims, has been stressed in this
collection of traditions. Giving a good piece of advice, teaching and talking to others
with a smile on face, all these are works of charity. So Muslims are motivated to try to
do all these kinds of charity.

Attitude towards Neighbours: The Muslims are also required in these Hadiths to be
kind and helper towards neighbours. Many Hadiths have been made a great stress on
the rights of neighbours. The Holy Prophet said: “Gibrael kept recommending me to
treat neighbours with kindness until I thought he would fix for them a share of
inheritance”. He also said: “Let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day be
generous to his neighbour.

Guidance for Rulers: These Hadiths tell us the rulers should be kind for their people
and make every effort to win their hearts. The Holy Prophet gave us the signs of great
rulers, as he said: “The best rulers are those whom you love and they love you”.
 38

Eradication of evil: The Holy Prophet commands the Muslims to work for the good
of humans to turn society into a beautiful paradise on earth, a believer must engage
in struggle for elimination of mischief, tyranny and violence from the face of the earth.
As the Holy Prophet said: “Whosoever of you sees an evil action, let him change it
with his hand, and if he is not able to do so, then with his tongue, and if he is not able
to do so, then with his heart, and that is the weakest of faith”.

Help for others: In this collection of Hadiths the Holy Prophet has inspired us to help
the poor, widow, orphans and other people. He also told the great reward for those
people. As the Holy Prophet said: “I and the man who brings up an orphan will be in a
paradise like this and he appointed with his two fingers, the index finger and the middle
one”.

Preference for others: In these Hadiths, the Holy Prophet also gave a golden rule to
Muslims that they should be ready to put his brothers before his own self in ordinary
and routine matters of daily life. As he made it the sign of true believer. He said: “None
of you believes until he wants for his brother what he wants for himself”.

Mercy: Following in the footsteps of his Prophet, a Muslim deals with everyone with a
pure, soft tender and sound heart. Seeking revenge or behaving arrogantly cannot be
expected of noble believer. As the Holy Prophet said: “Treat kindly the dwellers of
earth, he who dwells in the heavens will treat you kindly”.

First Islamic Community

Mothers of the Faithful
The wives of the Holy Prophet are called “Mothers of the Faithful or Ummahat-ul-
Muminin. They did not remarry after the death of the Prophet. As the Holy Quran has
mentioned their status: His wives are their mothers”. Their names are as below.
i. Hazrat Khadija
ii. Hazrat Sawda
iii. Hazrat Ayesha
iv. Hazrat Hafsa
v. Hazrat Zainab bint Khuzaima
vi. Hazrat Umm-e-Salma
vii. Hazrat Zainab bint Jahsh
viii. Hazrat Juwairiyah
ix. Hazrat Ramlah (Umm-e-Habiba)
x. Hazrat Safiya
xi. Hazrat Maimunah
Hazrat Khadija
Her early life:
Hazrat Khadija, also known as Tahira, or the pure was the daughter of Khauwalid bin
Asad and Fatima. Her father who was a successful businessman and a chief of family
 39

had left her a large fortune. She had been married to Abu Hala and was the mother of
two sons (Hala and Hind). As such Hazrat Khadija was also known as Umm-e-Hind.
After the death of her first husband she was married to Ateeq, who died leaving her a
widow again. She had a daughter from him who was named Hindah. After the death
of her father in the battle of Fujjar, Hazrat Khadija needed the services of an honest
person to manage her trade. So she heard about Hazrat Muhammad as Sadiq and
Ameen, and requested him to take her merchandise to Syria accompanied by her
slave Maisra. When the Holy Prophet returned with a double profit, Maisra told all that
he observed in Muhammad. She was much impressed and made an offer of marriage
to him through Nafeesa. Holy Prophet accepted this proposal after the consultation
with his uncle, Abu Talib. Abu Talib delivered the khutbah of ceremony. Amount of
Mahr (endowment) was 20 camels (500 dirham). At that time Holy Prophet was 25
years old while Hazrat Khadija was 40 years old but the couple led a very happy and
successful life. All of the children of the Holy Prophet (except Ibraheem) were born of
her means four daughters and two sons.
Services for Islam:
Marriage with Hazrat Khadija opened a new chapter in the life of the Holy Prophet as
it brought him emotional and financial stability.
 Hazrat Khadiha gave him time to meditate and worship the lord of the universe.
 After the first revelation when he came back home shaken from the experience,
she comforted him saying that Allah would not disgrace him as he helped the
widows and looked after the orphans and the needy.
 She took him to her cousin Waraqa bin Naufil who further assured him that he
was ordained by Allah to be His messenger
 She was the first person to accept Islam without any hesitation, which helped
him in its early years.
 She also suffered for his cause and accompanied him in the social boycott.
 When the Holy Prophet was tortured, Quraish made fun of his religion, and he
lost hope but Hazrat Khadija used to console, comfort and encourage him at all
times of hardships.
 She always stood by the Prophet’s side through all the thick and thin times,
which helped to strengthen his stand against oppositions.
 Hazrat Khadija placed all her wealth at the disposal, so that he did not have to
worry about financial matters as the Holy Quran acknowledged this in surah Al-
Dhuha: “We made you independent when you were needy”.
 In 619 AD, at the age of 65, soon after the socio-economic boycott ended,
Hazrat Khadija died. The Holy Prophet was so saddened by this loss that he
termed the year as the “Year of grief” (Aam-ul-Huzn). His words about her were,
“She believed in me when others disbelieved, and confirmed my truthfulness
when others called me a liar”
On another occasion, he said: “Aisha! Khadija’s love was given to me by Allah;
never did Allah give me a better wife than Khadija”.
 40

Hazrat Sawdah:
Her early life:
Her name was Sawdah bint Zama’a and her mother name was Shamoos. She
belonged to a famous Quraish tribe, Amr bin Lvee. Before her marriage with the Holy
Prophet, she was married to Sakran, a distant relative of her. She and her husband
accepted Islam during the days of its inception and participated in the second
migration to Abyssinia by the Muslims. They returned to Makkah after many years and
she was left alone when her husband died in Makkah. As she was the only Muslim in
her family which had turned against her, she needed help and protection. After the
death of Hazrat Khadija, the Holy Prophet too felt greatly disturbed and lonely. For him
the upbringing of his children was an important issue. Under these circumstances,
Hazrat Khaulah suggested to the Holy Prophet to get married to Hazrat Sawdah. She
went to the father of Hazrat Sawdah with a marriage proposal on behalf of the Holy
Prophet, which he accepted. The marriage took place in the month of Ramazan in the
tenth year of prophethood. So she became the 2nd wife of the Holy Prophet. In marrying
this lady, the Prophet had the consideration that an early convert to Islam may be
helped and honoured.
Her services for Islam:
 She did not have any children by Hazrat Muhammad, but she had a son named
Abd-ur-Rahman, by the former husband who was martyred in the battle of
Jalula.
 When the Prophet divided his time equally among all his wives according to the
command of the justice enjoined by the Holy Quran, Hazrat Sawdah gave up
her turn in favour of Hazrat Ayesha.
 She migrated to Madinah in the first year of the Hijrat.
 Her dwelling and Hazrat Ayesha were the first to be built in the mosque.
 She also had another merit to her credit, she offered Hajj in the company of the
Holy Prophet.
 There are five traditions quoted by her, one of which is also mentioned in Sahih
Bukhari.
She died in the 22nd year of the Hijrat towards the end of the khalifat of Hazrat Umar.
She was buried in Jannat-ul-Baqi.

Hazrat Ayesha
Her early life:
Her name Ayesha bint Abu Bakr, title was Siddiqah and Humairah and surname was
Umm-e-Abdullah. Her mother name was Hazrat Umm-e-Romaan. She was born in the
month of Shawwal, four years after the proclamation of the Prophethood and for this
reason she used to say that she found her parents Muslims since her birth. She was
taught by her parents and became a well-educated lady from an early age. Shortly
before migration to Madinah, the Holy Prophet married her. At the time of marriage
was ten years old. On attaining maturity, her marriage was solemnized in Madinah. It
was her first marriage.
 41

Her services for Islam:

 Hazrat Ayesha was a very chaste wife of the Holy Prophet that her chastity has
been described in the Holy Quran.
 She also cause easiness in Islam as the verse of earth purification was revealed
at an incident to her which was the losing of her necklace.
 In the battle of Uhad, she served water to the wounded.
 She also accompanied the Holy Prophet in several battles as well as the
Farewell Hajj.
 During the last sickness, the Holy Prophet decided to remain in the apartment
of Hazrat Ayesha, so she had the honour to nurse him and comfort him in his
last moment.
 Holy Prophet breathed his last in her lap and her apartment and there he was
buried.
 She lived rest of her life in the same apartment where the Holy Prophet was
buried, this shows her love for him.
 Hazrat Ayesha was a very learned lady, who composed most of the private life
of the Holy Prophet.
 She also narrated about 2210 hadiths of the Holy Prophet.
 She had an excellent memory that she became the source of knowledge for the
companions even the senior companions used to consult her for important
issues.
 Hazrat Abu Musa said: “We never faced any difficulty on which when we
enquired from Hazrat Ayesha and did not get information relating to it”.
 She enjoyed a distinctive position as an interpreter of religious issues and a
jurist of Sunnah and Shariah as Imam Zuhri said: “If the knowledge of all men
and the wives of the Prophet were put together, the knowledge of Ayesha would
exceed it all”.
 She remained a leading figure in the community after the Prophet’s death.
 She was disagreed with Hazrat Ali she sided with Hazrat Talha and Hazrat
Zubair. After they were killed at the battle of the camel she retired and lived
quietly in Madinah.
She passed away at the age of seventy three in 58 AH and was buried in Jannat-ul-
Baqi in Madinah.

Hazrat Hafsa:
Her early life:
Her name was Hafsa bint Umar and mother name was Zainab. She was the sister of
Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar. She was born five years before the proclamation of
prophethood by Hazrat Muhammad. She was first married to Khunais. Hazrat Hafsa
became a Muslim along with her parents and her husband. Both were the earliest
converts to Islam who faced persecution and torture so they first migrated to Abyssinia
and then to Madinah. Khunais took part in the battle of Badr in which he was martyred,
leaving no issue. After the prescribed period of Iddat was over, the Holy Prophet
 42

expressed his desire to marry Hazrat Hafsa with a view to strengthening his ties with
Hazrat Umar and his tribe. So she became the fourth wife of the Holy Prophet.
Services for Islam:
 Her knowledge of religious matter was very sound.
 Her thirst for knowledge ranks second to Hazrat Ayesha.
 She spent much of her time in reading and writing.
 Holy Prophet had instructed her in religion and other related topics and as a
result she became a teacher, guide and an authority on complicated matters.
 She narrated at least 60 traditions which she heard from the Holy Prophet and
her father.
 She memorized the Holy Quran by heart.
 She lived with the Prophet for eight years.
 She was quick tempered like her father, and revelation came after the honey
incident where she told the prophet his mouth didn’t smell good after eating
honey.
 The first copy of the Quran, which was prepared in the caliphate of Hazrat Abu
Bakr, was kept with her for safe custody after the martyrdom of her father and
this copy became very famous with her name and known as Mushaf-e-Hafsa.
This shows her important position in the eyes of the companions.
 Later on, the Holy Quran was standardized from the copy of Hazrat Hafsa and
this shows her significant role in the standardization of the Holy Quran.
 She took great care to preserve Quran and save it from corruption.
She died in 45 AD and was buried in Jannat-ul-Baqi, at the time of her death she asked
her brother Abdullah to distribute all her wealth to the poor and needy.

Hazrat Umm-e-Salama:
Her early life:
Her real name was Hind. She was the daughter of Abu Umayya of the Makhzoom
tribe. Hazrat Umm-e-Salama husband was Abdullah. She was known Umm-e-Salama
because of her son Salama. Both husband and wife were among the first persons to
accept Islam. They were persecuted and suffered a lot. They migrated to Abyssinia.
When they heard that the persecutions had stopped they returned to Makkah. Later
they decided to migrate to Madinah, but her family stopped her. Abu Salma left her
behind and migrated, she joined him a year later. Abu Salma was mortally wounded
in the battle of Badr and died after a long illness. She was a modest and faithful
woman, and used to wonder how she could ever find a husband better than Abu
Salma. Then the Holy Prophet proposed her and married her in 626 AD.
‫اللھم اجرنی فی مصیبتی واخلف لی خیرا منھا‬
Her services for Islam:
 Holy Prophet loved her very much and the other wives often used her as their
spokesperson.
 43

 Holy Prophet consulted her in some matters such as at the time of the Treaty
of Hudaibiyah, the Muslims were greatly disappointed. Hazrat Umm-e-Salama
suggested to the Prophet about the advisability of shaving his head and offering
sacrifices.
 She accompanied the Holy Prophet in the conquest of Khyber as well as the
final Pilgrimage.
 She was also wise and learned woman and used to instruct Muslim women in
religious matters.
 She narrated about 378 hadiths of the Holy Prophet.
 Her style of recitation was like the Holy Prophet.
 About her knowledge, the historians say: “The wives of the Holy Prophet were
treasuries of the knowledge but Hazrat Ayesha and Hazrat Umm-e-Salama had
no equal”.
She died last among all the mothers of faithful in 63 AD at the age of 84 and was
buried in Jannat-ul-Baqi in Madinah.

Hazrat Abu Talib:

His early life:
He was the uncle of the Holy Prophet and father of Hazrat Ali. After the death of Abdul
Muttalib, Abu Talib was given the charge of Rifadha or collection of an annual poor-
tax from the Quraish in order to entertain the poor pilgrims. He was a highly respected
noble of the Quraish. On the death of Abdul Muttalib, the Holy Prophet came under
the care of his loving uncle Abu Talib at about the age of 8 years.
Services for Islam:
 He loved him both as a father and mother. He gave precedence to Muhammad
over his own sons. This care and protection has been mentioned in the Holy
Quran in these words: “Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter and
care”.
 In the beginning the Holy Prophet was entrusted with the tending of the goats
and sheep in the neighbouring hills and later he accompanied him in trade visits
to Syria and other places. These journeys helped the Holy Prophet to observe
and assimilate the experiences in trading, meeting the varied characters and
seeing the culture of different countries.
 He was very conscious when he heard from Bahira to protect him from the
Jews. So he gave the Prophet Clan Protection and it was withdrawn after he
died.
 Abu Talib played an important role in Muhammad’s marriage with Khadija. Holy
Prophet accepted the proposal after the consultation with his uncle and Abu
Talib made all the arrangements.
 When a delegation of the most influential people of Makkah went to Abu Talib
asking him to stop his nephew from speaking ill of their religion or to hand him
over them. So he called the Prophet and explained his difficulty. Then the Holy
Prophet said: “O my uncle! If they place the sun on my right hand and the moon
on my left to renounce my work, I would not stop until Allah fulfills it for me, or
 44

destroys me in the process”. Then Abu Talib said to his nephew: “You may go
and do whatever you like. I will never withdraw my protection from you and will
never let you down”.
 When the Makkan imposed a social boycott on the Banu Hashim it was Abu
Talib who took the whole clan to his gorge outside Makkah. This was known as
the Shi’b-e-Abi Talib and the Banu Hashim stayed there for about three years.
So he suffered a lot.
 Due to his services the year in which Abu Talib died is called by the Holy
Prophet “the year of grief” (Aam-ul-Huzn).
 After the death of Abu Talib, the Holy Prophet had no official to grant him shelter
and the Quraish dared to plan an assassination of the Prophet, something they
wouldn’t have dared in Abu Talib’s lifetime. So the Prophet had to leave Makkah
and migrate to Madinah.
Hazrat Bilal:
Introduction:
His complete name was Bilal bin Rabi. He was the slave of Umayyah bin Khalf. He
was among the earliest group of people, who attracted by the teachings of Holy
Prophet. He embraced Islam after Hazrat Abu Bakr. Once when Hazrat Abu Bakr saw
Hazrat Bilal being tortured, he purchased him from his master and set him free.
Services for Islam:
 He suffered many cruelties at the hands of pagans upon his conversion, but
displayed remarkable self-control and patience.
 His master was the greatest tormentor. He would make him lie on the scorching
sand of the desert with a huge stone on his chest so that he could not move.
He would then ask him to renounce Islam. But even under such torment, he
would say: Ahad, Ahad (Allah is one, Allah is one).
 After migration to Madinah, when the system of call to prayers by azan was
introduced, the Holy Prophet chose him to deliver the azan from Masjid-e-
Nabawi. Therefore, he was called the first muezzin of Islam and the Prophet’s
muezzin.
 He was a very courageous warrior. He took part in almost all the battles fought
during the life of the Holy Prophet.
 In the battle of Badr, he fought bravely and killed his former master who used t
torture him mercilessly in Makkah.
 After the conquest of Makkah, he had the honour of calling out the azan from
the roof of the Kaba.
 He was entrusted with the public treasury by the Holy Prophet because of his
honesty and integrity.
 After the death of Holy Prophet he requested to Hazrat Abu Bakr to relieve him
of the duty because he could not bear the absence of his prophet and would
burst into tears.
 During the caliphate of Hazrat Umar, he accompanied Abu Ubaidah on the
campaign to Syria.
 45

 Hazrat Umar always used to say: “Hazrat Abu Bakr is that man who set our
leader free and he always called him as my master even during the time of his
caliphate. This shows the significance of him amongst the companions of the
Holy Prophet.
During the last phase of his life, he disassociated himself from public life and passed
his days in isolation. He died in about 18 AH and is buried in Damascus, where now a
mosque marks his grave.
The Holy Prophet said: “I heard the footsteps of Bilal in Paradise”.

Two grandsons of the Holy Prophet:

Hazrat Hassan:
His early life:
He was the son of Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Fatima and the elder of the two grandsons of
the Holy Prophet. He belonged to Banu Hashim tribe. He was born in Madinah on the
1st of Ramazan. Soon after the birth, the Prophet named him Hassan, the beautiful
one. He is also known as “Shabbar” which in the Hebrew language means handsome.
Holy Prophet performed his rituals of Aqiqa on the 7th day. He slaughtered two rams
and donated silver equal to the weight of his hair. He was brought up under an ideal
atmosphere of the Holy Prophet and his parents. When he was eight years old, the
Holy Prophet passed away and after six months his mother also passed away. The
remaining years of his childhood were spent under the guidance of his father.
Services for Islam:
 Holy Prophet used to make him sit by his side and used to teach him Holy
Quran, which he memorized.
 Holy Prophet loved him very much once he said: “O Allah I love him so I
beseech you to love him”. This shows the importance of Hazrat Hassan in the
eyes of Holy Prophet.
 When Hazrat Usman was besieged and the supply of food and water was
stopped, Hazrat Hassan risked his own life and used to bring food and water
for him. In his attempt to save him, he sustained several injuries.
 During the caliphate of his father, he stood by his side in the battles of Camel
and Siffin.
 After the death of Hazrat Ali, he saved the Muslims from another civil war by
handing over the caliphate to Hazrat Muawiyah, who belonged to Umayyah
tribe.
 He signed the peace treaties with Hazrat Muawiyah to save the Muslims from
fighting each other because Umayyad wanted to get the seat of caliphate.
 His sacrifice was also prophesied by the Holy Prophet who said: “This leader-
son of mine will bring reconciliation between two major groups of the Muslims”.
Death:
He settled in Madinah due to constant threat from Umayyad and finally He died in the
year 670 AD, mysteriously and many believe that Umayyads had conspired his death
 46

by enticing his wife Jadan to poison him to secure power as he was considered the
main obstacle in their way. He was buried in Madinah.

Hazrat Hussain:
His early life:
Hazrat Hussain was born to Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Fatima on Thursday, the 3rd Shaban
in the fourth year of the Hijrat. At the time of his birth, the Holy Prophet was out of
Madinah on an expedition. Immediately after his birth, Hazrat Fatima became ill and
the baby was given to Umm-e-Fazl for nursing. According to Hazrat Anas: “There was
no one resembling the Holy Prophet more than Hussain”. He was a great source of
joy to his grandfather, who is reported to have said: “Hussain belongs to me and I to
him. May Allah love him who loves Hussain”.
Sacrifice for Islam:
In 60 AD after the death of Hazrat Muawiyah, his son Yazid succeeded him as the
next ruler. Hazrat Hussain refused to take the oath of allegiance to him, as he was not
a suitable person for this seat. So he left Madinah for Makkah as he did not want
bloodshed. The people of Kufa asked him to come there where they will take oath of
allegiance to him and make him caliph. He sent his cousin Hazrat Muslim bin Aqeel
to assess the situation, who was received with warm welcome by the people of Kufa,
and they assured him their support. He told Hazrat Hussain about their good
treatment. Therefore, he left along with his family to Kufa but the situation became
worse as his cousin was assassinated. People deserted Hazrat Hussain that he was
left with his family and only 72 his supporters against 4000 strong army. Yazid’s forces
intercepted and forced him to stay at Karbala, besieged them and cut off the water
supply. The fierce battle took place in which the followers of him were martyred. So,
on 10th of Muharram 61AH, 680 AD, Hazrat Hussain sacrificed his life in the way of
truth.
Lessons for Muslims in his sacrifice:
 The tragedy of the death of Hazrat Hussain carries a lesson as he could have
saved himself, his friends and family by giving allegiance to Yazid, but he stood
firm to his principles and ultimately sacrificed himself.
 Hazrat Hussain had the support of only a small band of people, yet he won an
everlasting victory over the forces of evils.
 Hazrat Hussain initiated war against evil and refused to take the oath of
allegiance to that authority. It shows that Muslims should never submit to any
authority which goes against the Divine Law.
 He devoted his whole life for the cause of Islam. He did not agree with his
brother that one should adopt a life of seclusion and should not take one’s due
part in the battle between the right and the wrong.
 He was very regular in his prayers and performed optional worship
passionately. This could be assessed from the fact that he spent the last night
of his life in Karbala worshipping his Lord.
 47

 In spite of being helplessly besieged by the enemy along with members of his
family, relatives and friends, but he did not give up his principles of truth and
did not surrender to unjust rule. Thus he lived, fought and sacrificed his life for
truth and righteousness.
Due to strong qualities of both, they were praised by the Holy Prophet.
As he said:
“O Allah I am kind to them, you also be merciful upon them”.
“Hassan and Hussain are my fragrance in this world”.
“Hassan and Hussain are leaders of the youth in Paradise”.

Hazrat Zaid bin Sabit:

His introduction:
Hazrat Zaid bin Sabit was the principal scribe of the Holy Prophet. He belonged to the
Khazraj tribe. He had accepted Islam before the Holy Prophet’s migration to Madinah.
He was eleven years old when he accepted Islam.
Services for Islam:
 Hazrat Zaid bin Sabit was one of the Ahl-e-Suffah, spending all of his time in
the company of the Prophet.
 Due to his sharp memory and extraordinary intelligence, the messenger of Allah
chose him for special tasks such as the writing down of the Holy Quran and
thus he was counted amongst the senior most of the scribes of the revelation.
 He also had most of the Quran with him in written form.
 He memorized the Quran with such grace that even the Holy Prophet used to
ask him to recite it.
 He also served as the secretary of the Messenger of Allah until he passed away.
 Bestowed with gift of mastery over languages, the Messenger of Allah
instructed him to learn Hebrew, Persian and Coptic languages and he became
a scholar of the Torah and Injil.
 He wanted to participate in the battle of Badr but the Prophet did not allow him
due to his young age.
 He was an active participant in the battle of Uhad, in the battle of Trench as well
as other battles.
 He narrated 92 hadiths from the Holy Prophet.
 Hazrat Abu Bakr retained his position as a scribe and included him in his Shoora
(Advisory Council).
 He participated in the battles against the false prophets and was injured in the
battle of Yamama against Musailma the liar.
 He was appointed the head of the team that began the compilation of the Holy
Quran during the reign of Hazrat Abu Bakr.
 He also served as scribe to the second caliph who appointed him the Qazi of
Madinah and member of Shoora.
 48

 Whenever Hazrat Umar left Madinah, Hazrat Zaid was appointed as acting
caliph.
 During the reign of Hazrat Usman it was decided that a standard manuscript of
the Holy Quran be prepared. So he was the part of that team.
 Hazrat Usman also appointed him as the head of the Bait-ul-Maal.
He died at the age of 56 in about 45 AH. He is called “Rahber-e-Umma” (Guide of the
Ummah). When Hazrat Zaid died, Hazrat Abu Hurairah said: Today, the scholar of this
Ummah has died.

Hazrat Abu Sufyan:

His early life:
 His name was Sakhr bin Harb and was born ten years before the Holy Prophet
in the Quraishite tribe of Banu Umayya and was the chief of his own clan Abd
Shams.
 Abu Sufyan, like his kinsmen, opposed the Holy Prophet, though he was not as
active in his enmity as others.
 He was basically a trader and amassed a great fortune during his journeys to
Syria and Yemen.
 It was on the return of one of these journeys in 2 AH when he feared an attack
by the Muslims at Madinah. He sent for military help to Makkah, which resulted
in the battle of Badr.
 When in the battle of Badr many of the leaders of the Quraish were killed, Abu
Sufyan was elected as their leader.
 He lost his father-in-law (Utba) and son (Hanzalah) in the battle of Badr.
 He led Makkan army in the battle of Uhad and after it he vowed to fight again
and the next time they met at the battle of Trench but failed to impress his
countrymen in any of these.
 Due to this fact, he withdrew from open opposition against the Muslims and this
charge was given to Ikrama bin Abu Jahl and others. Hence he was not involved
in the Treaty of Hudaibiyah.
 When the Holy Prophet sent a letter to the emperor of Rome, at that time Abu
Syfyan was doing business there. Heraclius called him, he spoke very high of
the Prophet which deeply impressed the king. This shows his great truthfulness.
 He tried to renew the Treaty of Hudaibiyah when it was breached by the allies
of Quraish.
 He privately accepted Islam before the Conquest of Makkah.
 At the time of Conquest of Makkah, the Holy Prophet made his house a place
of security for the Quraish.
Services for Islam:
 He took part in the battle of Hunain and the siege of Taif, where he fought
gallantly alongside the Holy Prophet, losing one of his eyes in the combat.
 He participated also in the battle of Yarmuk, though not in actual combat as he
was nearly 70.
 His other eye was also blinded in this war.
 49

 His daughter Ramla (Umm-e-Habiba) is amongst the mothers of the faithful.

 He related over a hundred hadiths of the Holy Prophet.
He died at the age of 83 in 32 AH, 653 AD.

Hazrat Hamza:
His early life:
Hazrat Hamza, the son of Abdul Muttalib was the uncle of the Holy Prophet. He was
born about four years before the birth of the Holy Prophet’s birth. He was also foster
brother of the Holy Prophet, having been suckled by Thuwaybah. He was a respected
warrior in the Banu Hashim. Hazrat Hamza was very fond of wrestling and hunting and
excellent in the arts of swordsmanship and archery. Once he heard from someone
that Abu Jahl has abused his nephew, so he rushed to the Kaba where Abu Jahl was
sitting and struck him with his bow on the head and said I believe in his religion whom
you oppose, so he accepted Islam.
Services for Islam:
 His conversion, like Hazrat Umar’s, was morale boosting for the Muslims
because of his merit and respect as a warrior and strong person of Makkah.
 After accepting Islam he became a source of support for the Holy Prophet.
 After his acceptance of Islam he gave up hunting and wrestling and devoted his
time and energy to the cause of Islam.
 At the time of migration he also migrated to Madinah with other Muslims.
 In the second year of Hijrat the Holy Prophet sent thirty men to check the
caravan of the unbelievers of Makkah under the command of Hazrat Hamza so
he had the honour of being entrusted with the banner of Islam for the first time
in Islamic history.
 During the battle of Badr he killed many unbelievers including their great
warriors including Hind’s father Utba.
 In the battle of Uhad, Hinda, the wife of Abu Sufyan deputed Wahshi bin Harb,
a slave of Hinda, to kill Hazrat Hamza in return for his freedom and a handsome
reward to take revenge of her father. After the martyrdom of Hazrat Hamza by
Wahsi, Hinda cut out the liver from his body and tried to chew it. Then she cut
off the nose and ears of the dead body and made a necklace of them.
 The Holy Prophet led the funeral prayers for all the martyrs of Uhad including
Hazrat Hamza and gave him the title of “Chief of the Martyrs”.
Hazrat Amina bint Wahab:
She was the mother of the Holy Prophet. She was married to the Holy Prophet’s father
Abdullah a few months before the Year of Elephant. Throughout her pregnancy she
spoke of an inner light. In a vision, she was told to name her child “Ahmad”. She loved
him very much, and believed that she had been granted a blessed child.
When the Holy Prophet was about six, she took him along to visit her family in Yasrib
for a few months, as well as her husband’s grave. These were perhaps the happiest
days of his childhood. Forty-seven years later when he migrated to Madinah, he would
recall how he used to play with other children, and how he learnt to swim in the Banu
 50

Najjar. On the way back, she died and was buried at Abwa, perhaps the grave of her
husband had rekindled a grief that overcame her. Holy Prophet used to visit her grave
and wept there.

Hazrat Halima Sadia:

She belonged to the Banu Sa’d clan of the Hawazin tribe, hence her title was “Sadia”.
The Banu Sa’d was known for the purity of Arabic language. According to the custom
of the rich Makkan families, the Holy Prophet was entrusted to Halima, his foster
mother. This was a source of good fortune for her as the barren land sprouted grass
and the lean animals came back to them satisfied and full of milk. She asked to keep
the Prophet for longer than the initial two year period which was accepted by his
mother. Then she was shaken by the story of the two angels who came to clean the
Prophet’s heart, after which she returned the Prophet to his mother at the age of 6
years. There, the harsh climate with open and fresh air toughened the physique of the
Holy Prophet. Moreover, he got familiar with pure and refined Arabic language. As he
would later say proudly; “Verily I am the most perfect Arab amongst you, my descent
is from the Quraish and my dialect is that of the Banu Sa’d”. The Holy Prophet always
expressed his love and respect for Halima, during his later years by calling her as “My
mother”. Even when he was married, he used to help her financially. One day when
she came, the Holy Prophet spread his cloak for her to sit on. She passed away while
he was at Madinah, but he used to pay great respect to her daughter, Sheema, who
was also his foster sister.

Ten Blessed Companions: (Ashra Mubashara)

They were known by this name because they got the good news of heaven in their
lifetime. They were the earliest convert and the close companions of the Holy Prophet
who supported him physically and financially for his mission throughout his life. These
are;
 Hazrat Abu Bakr
 Hazrat Umar
 Hazrat Usman
 Hazrat Ali
 Hazrat Talha
 Hazrat Zubair
 Hazrat Abu Ubaida
 Hazrat Abd-ur-Rahman
 Hazrat Saad bin Abi Waqas
 Hazrat Saeed bin Zaid
 51

Hazrat Talha:
His introduction:
Hazrat Talha was a grand nephew of Hazrat Abu Bakr. He was born twenty five years
before Hijrat. He belonged to the family of Quraish. He accepted Islam at the invitation
of Hazrat Abu Bakr and was amongst the earliest converts.
Services for Islam:
 After the acceptance of Islam he suffered many persecutions by the pagans but
he bore all these patiently.
 He was very brave person and took part in all the battles, except the battle of
Badr, as he had been sent by the Holy Prophet on a mission outside Madinah.
 He saved the life of the Holy Prophet in the battle of Uhad, making his own body
a shield to protect him from the swords and spears of his attackers. While
saving the Prophet received 70 wounds and lost two of his fingers. For his
bravery, he earned the title of “Living Martyr” as the Holy Prophet said:
“Whosoever is pleased to see a martyr on the surface of the earth, let him look
at Talha bin Ubaidullah”.
 He was present at the time of the Treaty of Hudaibiyah.
 His bravery resulted in victory for the Muslims in the battle of Hunain.
 He also helped the Muslims by providing financial aid during different battles as
he got the titles Talha al-Khair (Talha the benevolent) and Talha al- Fayyaz (the
generous) by the Holy Prophet at the time of Tabuk Expedition.
 Holy Prophet himself arranged his marriage with his sister in law, Hamnah bint
Jahash. This shows his closeness with the Prophet.
 During the caliphate of both Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar, he was a
member of the Islamic Council and advised them on problems of the state.
 Talha was one of the six companions who were chosen by Hazrat Umar to be
appointed as caliph after his death. He was not present at the time of election,
but swore allegiance to Hazrat Usman after returning to Madinah.
 He disagreed with Hazrat Ali over the delay of punishment to Hazrat Usman’s
assassins.
 Hazrat Talha was martyred in the caliphate of Hazrat Ali by the rebels.
Hazrat Zubair:
Introduction:
He belonged to the clan of Banu Asad and was the nephew of Hazrat Khadija. He
embraced Islam at the age of 14 years. According to traditions, he was the fifth person
who recognized Hazrat Muhammad as the prophet.
Services for Islam:
 When he accepted Islam his uncle became his enemy. He would wrap him in a
mattress and light a fire around him. In this condition, when he would choke of
smoke, his uncle would ask him to give up the faith. “No never”, Zubair would
reply him firmly.
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 Once a rumour was spread in Makkah that the Holy Prophet had been
apprehended by the pagans and this enraged him so much that he took out his
sword and rushed to rescue the Prophet. The rumour was false and when the
Prophet came to know about this he prayed for him and for his sword.
 He migrated twice, first to Abyssinia and then to Madinah.
 He participated in all the battles and expeditions and in the battle of Badr he
was wearing a yellow turban and seeing this the Prophet said that even the
angels were descending in the form of Zubair.
 At Madinah, he spied for the Muslims and brought the news of Banu Quraiza.
 Seeing his readiness to help, the Holy Prophet said: “Every Prophet has a
helper and my helper is Zubair”.
 After the death of the Prophet, Zubair led a life of almost total seclusion but
continued his support for Islam and its armies whenever needed.
 He was included in the Electoral Committee of six companions nominated by
Hazrat Umar before his death.
 The sad event of Hazrat Zubair’s killing occurred in the battle of the Camel in
36 AH/ 656 AD.
 The Holy Prophet had given him the title of “Disciple of the Messenger of Allah”.
Hazrat Khalid bin Waleed:
His early life:
He was the younger son of Waleed bin Mugheera, the senior chieftain of Banu
Makhzum, and arch enemy of the Holy Prophet. He was born 31 years before the
Hijrat (about 591 AD). He sided with his father and strongly opposed Islam although
his elder brother, Waleed bin Waleed was an early convert. He learned lancing, horse
riding and wrestling during his childhood and grew up to be a brave warrior. He was
active in many wars against the Muslims, especially after his father was killed in the
battle of Badr. During the battle of Uhad he changed the tide of the battle when he
attacked the Muslim force from behind them, thus changing their victory into almost a
defeat. He embraced Islam six months before the conquest of Makkah and he was
heartily welcomed by the Holy Prophet.
Services for Islam:
 He boosted the Muslim morale due to his acceptance and his bravery,
leadership and combat skills instilled fear in the hearts of the enemies of Islam.
 During the battle of Muta after the martyrdom of three commanders, Hazrat
Khalid bin Waleed took over and Allah gave victory to the Muslims at his hand.
He fought so bravely that nine swords were broken at his hands. So the Holy
Prophet gave him the title of “Saifullah” (sword of Allah).
 During the conquest of Makkah he was appointed as leader of one of the four
squadrons into which the Prophet divided his army.
 He served gallantly in all the battles as a commander of the cavalry with the
Prophet.
 During the caliphate of Hazrat Abu Bakr he was able to subdue the Apostasy
movement and suppress the false prophets.
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 He played a crucial role in expanding the Muslim empire to the Persian and
Byzantine lands.
 During the reign of Hazrat Umar he continued his victorious march till the battle
of Yarmuk.
 When he was removed from his post as commander, he requested to be
allowed to serve as an ordinary soldier. This shows his humility and devotion to
Islam.
 He also narrated about 150 hadiths of the Holy Prophet.
 He died at the age of sixty in 21 AH after having fought in 300 battles.
 His military strategies still today are taught in war schools around the world.
Daughters of the Holy Prophet:
Hazrat Zainab:
Introduction:
She was the eldest daughter of the Holy Prophet and his wife Hazrat Khadija and was
born in Makkah ten years before he was granted the Prophethood. She was married
to her mother’s nephew Abul Aas.
Services for Islam:
She embraced Islam, but was left in Makkah when the Holy Prophet migrated to
Madinah. Her husband was not a Muslim and fought against the Muslims in the battle
of Badr. He was brought as a captive before the Holy Prophet. For this reason, Hazrat
Zainab sent a necklace that had been given to her by her mother. The Holy Prophet
returned the necklace and released Aas on the condition that he would sent Zainab to
Madinah. Upon reaching Makkah, he prepared her to set on for her journey to Madinah
in company of his brother. When the unbelievers of Makkah learnt of this journey they
followed and attacked the small company. An infidel wounded her with a spear at
which she fell from her camel while being pregnant and she reached Madinah in a
critical condition and at last she died in 8 AH due to this injury. Holy Prophet performed
her funeral prayer. She had two children, a son named Ali and a daughter Umama,
who in later years, became the second wife of Hazrat Ali after the death of Hazrat
Fatima.

Hazrat Ruqayya:
Introduction:
She was the second daughter of the Prophet. She was born three years after the birth
of Hazrat Zainab. She was married to Utba, son of Abu Lahab.
Services for Islam:
 When the prophet declared his mission, Abu Lahab became his enemy and
asked his son to divorce her, which he did and then she was married to Hazrat
Usman.
 Both of them migrated to Abyssinia where she gave birth to a son, Abdullah,
who died when he was six years old.
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 About their migration the Prophet said: “Usman is the third one, after Hazrat
Ibrahim and Hazrat Lut, who has migrated along with his family”.
 They came back to Makkah in the tenth year of Prophethood and a few years
later, she migrated to Madinah with her husband.
 She fell ill on the eve of the battle of Badr and therefore the Prophet, directed
Hazrat Usman to remain at her service and not to join the battle. She was
suffering from Chickenpox. Hazrat Usman served her well but she died of her
illness. When Hazrat Zaid brought the news of victory in the battle, Hazrat
Usman was preparing to bury the body of Hazrat Ruqayya. The Holy Prophet
led her funeral prayers.
Hazrat Umm-e-Kulsoom:
Introduction:
She was the third daughter of the Holy Prophet who was born in the sixth year before
the Prophethood. The Holy Prophet named her Umayya but she was popularly known
as Umm-e-Kulsoom. Like her sister, she was also engaged, before the proclamation
of Prophethood, with Utaiba, the younger son of Abu Lahab.
Services for Islam:
 During their three years of imprisonment in the Shib-e-Abi Talib, when the
Quraish boycotted the Muslims. She also along with her family shared this hard
time of sufferings.
 She also participated in migration to Madinah and endured all the hardships of
migration courageously.
 She was married to Hazrat Usman after the death of her elder sister. Therefore
Hazrat Usman was also known as Zun-Norain (the possessor of two lights).
She had no child and passed away in 9 AH.
 The Prophet was much grieved on her death, because she was the fifth child
of the Holy Prophet who had died in his life.
 Hazrat Anas said: “He was sitting near her grave and tears trickled down from
his eyes”.
Hazrat Fatima:
Introduction:
The Holy Prophet youngest daughter was Hazrat Fatima who was born five years
before Prophethood. She is known as “Zahra” or the shining one. She had the
distinction of being the only child of the Holy Prophet who remained alive till her old
age and whose linage flourished. She was married to the Prophet’s cousin, Hazrat Ali
who did not marry another woman during her lifetime. She had three sons, Hassan,
Hussain, Mohsin and two daughters, Umm-e-Kulsoom and Zainab.
Services for Islam:
 She bore great sufferings for the cause of Islam as she faced confinement in
Shib-e-Abi Talib along with her family.
 She also participated in the migration to Madinah.
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 She narrated 18 hadiths from the Holy Prophet.

 Hazrat Fatima would often be near her father during his stressful moments.
 When the people of Makkah threw dirt at him, she would wash his head.
 She washed his clothes when his uncle Abu Lahab threw sheep’s entrails on
him while he was praying in the Kaba.
 In the battle of Uhad she tended to his wounds.
 During the last days of Holy Prophet’s illness, she visited the Prophet. Then he
whispered something into her ear that made her cry. He again whispered
something to her after which she smiled. Later, when someone asked her the
reason of her weeping and smiling, she said that she had wept because the
Prophet told her about his impending death, but when he told her that she would
be the first one from his family to join him in Paradise, she smiled.
 She died in 11 AH, just six months after her father’s death and according to
different writers, she never smiled after the death of her father and would say,
“So many pains came my way that if they had befallen on days, the days would
have turned into nights”.
 Holy Prophet had great love for her as he said, “Fatima is a part of me, whoever
hurts her, hurts me and whoever holds malice against her, holds malice against
me”.
Holy Prophet Attitude towards non-Muslims and enemies:
 The teachings of the Holy Prophet are based and aimed at promoting universal
brotherhood, peace and love. He showed very kind, sympathetic, forgiving,
cooperative and humble attitude towards non-Muslims.
 Holy Prophet did not encourage any kind or degree of compulsion towards the
non-Muslim subjects living in a Muslim state. As the Quran clearly says: “Let
there be no compulsion in religion”.
 Holy Prophet took special care of the rights and protection of the non-Muslim
citizens of Madina. He said: “Whoever committed any excess against a non-
Muslim or used force against him unjustly, I will advocate against such a Muslim
on the Final Day”.
 In the treaty of Madinah, the Prophet set a great example of complete religious
and civic freedom and liberty to the non-Muslims of Madinah and declared as
the Jews and the Muslims as one unit and Ummah.
 The Holy Prophet imposed a special tax (Jizya) upon the non-Muslims living
under a Muslim ruler who was responsible for protecting the life, honour and
property of the non-Muslims. But women, children and poor people were
exempted from Jizya and there were several other incidents of exemption.
 Throughout thirteen years of Makkan life as a messenger he was abused,
taunted, mocked and tortured but he never cursed anybody on a single
occasion and instead he would always pray for the guidance of his enemies.
The exemplary demonstration of this was on his visit to Taif where a gang of
hooligans tortured him so much that his body began to bleed profusely. When
Hazrat Jibrael asked him if his enemies should be crushed by the command of
God, his reply was a humble prayer for the mischievous people of Taif. He said:
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“Why should I pray for the destruction of these people? I hope that their posterity
will certainly be among the believers in one Allah”
 The prisoners of the battle of Badr were treated also serves as an example to
follow. The prisoners were all treated politely and kindly and those who could
afford to pay ransom money were released soon. The poor, the weak and the
elderly were freed while some of the educated captives were released after
each of them had taught ten Muslims at Madinah.
 Holy Prophet put a complete ban on the inhuman and heinous practice of
mutilation of the dead bodies of the enemy’s soldiers, which was prevalent
among the pre-Islamic Arabs. The Prophet even forgave Hinda who had
mutilated the body of his beloved uncle Hazrat Hamza in the battle of Uhad as
well as his assassin Wahshi bin Harb.
 One night an unbeliever was a guest of the Holy Prophet. One by one, he drank
the milk of all the goats, but the Prophet did not show any sign of anger or
dislike. Next day, impressed by the Prophet’s behavior, he embraced Islam.
 Hazrat Abu Huraira’s mother who lived with him in Madinah, was an unbeliever.
She used to abuse the Prophet, about which Abu Huraira complained to him,
but he prayed for her.
 The leader of hypocrites Abdullah bin Ubay and his followers embraced Islam
but were not true Muslims. This behavior at the time of the battle of Uhad and
other occasions was damaging to Islam, but the Holy Prophet always treated
them with kindness.
 The Jews were very hostile towards Muslims but the Prophet was kind to them.
Once, the funeral of a Jew was passing by the Prophet and he stood up as a
mark of respect.
 The unbelievers of Makkah made his life miserable, compelling him to leave the
town and subjected him to the worst kinds of torture. But when Makkah was
conquered, he forgave every injury inflicted upon him and proclaimed a general
pardon for everyone. He announced: “Today, there is no blame on you, there
will be no retribution; go, all of you are free”.
Holy Prophet’s attitude towards Mothers:
The Holy Quran says: “Worship none but him and do well to your parents”. This shows
that after the worship of Allah the noblest deed is to serve parents.
But the Holy Prophet accorded an exalted status to mothers. He summed up all the
Islamic teachings about the status of mothers by saying:
“Paradise lies under the feet of mothers”.
This special status was given to mothers because of their sufferings and endurance
during the pregnancy period and upbringing of the children. The Holy Quran mentions
the pains suffered by a mother in this verse:
“And we have enjoined upon man to be good to his parents; his mother bears him in
weakness upon weakness”.
For the same reason the Prophet in an incident thrice insisted on serving one’s mother
and only the fourth time he told the questioner to serve his father.
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The Prophet’s own kind treatment towards his foster mother Halima is wonderful
example. He used to call her “My mother”.
The Prophet had a foster sister Sheema (daughter of Halima). When she was captured
in Hunain, he released her immediately and upon hearing that she was his sister, the
entire clan of Banu Sa’d was freed by the companions of the Holy Prophet.
Holy Prophet’s attitude towards wives:
It was the custom in Arabia that women was not given any right, people used to marry
as many women as they could afford and at their will they used to divorce them and
were treated inhumanely. But Holy Prophet gave them full rights.
Holy Prophet raised the status of women equal to the status of man in matters of rights
and said in his last sermon: “O people you have rights over your wives and your wives
have rights over you and treat them with kindness”.
The Holy Quran says: “They (women) have the rights against them (man) according
to what is equitable”.
Holy Prophet repeatedly instructed the believers to be kind to their wives. In a Hadith
he said: “The most perfect believers are the best in conduct and the best of you are
those who are best to their wives”.
On the other side the Prophet said: “The one who treats his wife unjustly will come on
the Day of Judgement half of his body paralyzed”. It shows that we must be careful in
regard to the rights of women.
Women were also ensured a due share in the property left by their deceased husbands
and parents. Islamic law even granted the right to seek divorce by a woman from her
husband through Khula.
A Muslim husband is required to be caring, loving and considerate towards his wife
and the wife should in return reciprocate her husband’s love by taking full care of his
needs.
The way the Holy Prophet treated his wives can be assessed by the fact that he would
send gifts to the family and friends of Khadija even after she had passed away.
Islamic teachings about the position of daughters:
According to Islamic teachings, daughters are considered the blessings in the house.
Holy Prophet said: “The one who brings up two daughters, feeds them, educate them
and gets married is sure to enter paradise”. This shows that bringing up daughters has
a great reward.
Before Islam, the daughters were considered as an insult and they were buried alive
at the time of their birth but the Prophet put a stop to the burying of the daughters alive.
As the Holy Quran says: “And when the girl-child that was buried alive will be asked,
for what sin she was killed?”.
When his daughter was born Hazrat Fatima, he said “Fatima is a peace of my heart
the one who annoys Fatima annoys me and the one who pleases her pleases me”.
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This shows that daughters must be given preference as they love their parents more
than the sons.
Holy Quran has also fixed an amount for the daughters in inheritance from the
deceased parents. This shows that Islam gives financial rights to woman.