. J ; ; ;J; : ,;I•; (cont.)

So the deen of any person is, in reality, that way of life or ideology to which he submits and by which he lives his life in toto. For the Muslim, his deen must be the deen of Islam. Therefore, the deen or religion of Islam must cover and dominate all of the aspects of one's life.2 Deen, when looked at more closely in the light of this hadith, comprises the states of Islam, Imaan and Ihsaan. For a person to try to complete his religion, he must try to complete all three aspects. Nomani summarizes this point, In fact, three things make the sum-total of Faith. Firstly [sic], the bondsman surrenders himself wholly to God and casts his life into the mold of submission to Him. This is what Islam actually is and its tenets and practices are the signs and symbols of this fundamental reality. Secondly, the major transcendental truths the Apostles of God have revealed3 and called on mankind to believe in are accepted as true. This is Imaan. Thirdly, should God, in His Infinite Mercy, make it possible for one to complete the stages of Islam and Imaan, the 1 Cf., W. al-Umari, p. 55. 2 Cf., W. al-Umari, p. 58. 3 This must be some sort of typographical error in the English text. Most likely, it should read, "received". Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi third and ultimate stage is that the consciousness of God ... became so strong that allegiance was rendered to Him and His commands were carried out as if He was present before our own eyes in all His Glory and Splendour, and watching all our deeds and actions closely. This state of feeling is called Ihsaan.1 Additional Points Related to This Hadith • In some of the narrations of this hadith, it is stated that since the Prophet (peace be upon him) would sit among his Companions like any one of them, it was difficult for strangers to come and recognize the Prophet (peace be upon him). Hence, the Companions sought permission to erect a special elevated place for the Prophet (peace be upon him) to sit and teach from. Al-Qurtubi concludes from this that it is recommended for the teacher or scholar to sit in a reserved elevated place for the purpose of being recognized and for teaching, if needed. 2 • In some narrations of the hadith, it is stated that the Angel Jibreel sat in the same manner that one sits in the ritual prayer.3 According to some commentators, this points out the importance of posture or of the sitting position while gaining knowledge. One should sit in such a way that he will be attentive and will fully grasp the teacher's words. • Al-Nawawi also concludes from this hadith that if a person or scholar is asked a question and he does not know the response to that question, he must show that he does not know the answer. This is what the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did in response to the angel's question about the occurrence of the Last Day. This will not lessen the person's status in any way. It will be a sign of his piety and fear of Allah, the Exalted.4 Indeed, many of the early scholars had a reputation for saying, "I don't know," when asked questions whose responses they did not know. Imam Malik was once asked forty questions and to thirty-two of them, he replied, "I do not know."5 Unfortunately, many people do not wish to "demonstrate" their ignorance and attempt to answer questions even when they truly do not know the answers to them. Such a path is very dangerous as the person's ignorant reply may be taken and followed by others. • This hadith demonstrates that questions and answers are a good way of conveying knowledge. Indeed, asking good questions in itself is a good way of producing knowledge. Gabriel simply asked questions but the Prophet (peace be upon him) described him as the one who was teaching. 1 Nomani, vol. 1, p. 64. 2 See ibn Hajr, Fath, vol. 1 , p. 1 59. 3 Ibn Hajr, Fath, vol. 1, p. 1 60. 4 Al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih, vol. 1 , p. 158. 5 Al-Shanqeeti, vol. 2, p. 352. l . . l 1 Hadith #2: The Hadith of Jibreel An expression in Arabic states, "Asking good questions is half of knowledge."' Sultaan says further that the teacher or caller to Islam must use every means to make the subject appealing and interesting to the listener.2 • It is important to note, as al-Nawawi has done, that simply because the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) mentioned something as a sign of the Hour, this does not necessarily mean that such an act is forbidden, blameworthy or permissible. For example, a hadith states that there will be a time when one man will have to look after fifty women. This is obviously not forbidden. Hence, by themselves, no fiqh conclusion can be made from a specific sign of the Hour.