Introduction (cont.)

Perhaps the reason al-Nawawi felt compelled to comment on this hadith is that the literal meaning of what the person said is not acceptable. What he literally said is, "I permit the permissible ... " Obviously, this right belongs to Allah and Allah alone. Hence, al-Nawawi felt it necessary to comment directly on that point. Allah knows best. Cf., Abdul Majeed al-Sharnoobi al-Azhari, Al-Arbaeen Hadeethan al­ Nawawiyah (Beirut: al-Maktabah al-Thiqaafiyah, n.d.), p. 47. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi Selected Vocabulary U)I) - "do you think that, what do you think, what is your opinion of," many commentators pointed out that here the implication is, "tell me." 1ഴ! - "if' ๿ - "I prayed" i..:.4µ1 - "the prescribed, obligatory," al-Nawawi records only, "Pray the obligatory," while in Sahih Muslim, one narration explicitly mentions "obligatory prayers". w.... - "I fasted" - lit., "I make permissible" - negation in past tense, such as, "did not" - "increase, add" - "yes" - "the meaning of' Takhreej This hadith was recorded by Muslim with the chain of Abu al-Zubair on the authority of Jaabir.1 In that narration, the questioner says at the end, "By Allah, I will not add anything to it." It was also recorded by Muslim, Ahmad, al-Baihaqi and others from al­ Amash on the authority of Abu Sufyaan from Jaabir. In that narration, it explicitly mentions that the person who posed the question to the Prophet (peace be upon him) was al-Numaan ibn Qauqal (may Allah be pleased with him).2 Muslim also recorded one more rendition of the chain which has al­ Amash narrating it from both Abu Saalih and Abu Sufyaan. 3 General Comments About This Hadith One very important aspect of this hadith is that the Prophet (peace be upon him) is answering a question about whether some deeds will lead a \person to Paradise. This, in itself, gives this hadith great weight. Furthermore, the question encompasses virtually all of Islam since the questioner stated the proper attitude toward the permissible and the forbidden. 1 This is one of the chains for which Imam Muslim has been criticized. In general, those criticisms have been answered. In any case, the criticisms are not valid with respect to this hadith since Imam Muslim also recorded corroborating chains for the hadith. 2 One may get the impression from the question that it looks like it is coming from a person who seeks to know the minimum he has to perform to enter Paradise and he is not willing to do more than that. It should be noted, however, that the questioner, al-Numaan, participated in the Battle ofBadr (whose attendance was not obligatory) and he died as a martyr in the Battle ofUhud. (Al­ Bugha and Mistu, p. 148.) 3 Cf., ibn Muhammad, p. 152. Hadith #22: "Tell Me if I Were to Perform . . . " About the Narrator: Jaabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansaari Jaabir ibn Abdullah was Jaabir ibn Abdullah ibn Amr al-Ansaari al­ Khazraji al-Salami, from the Madinan tribe of Khazraj. He was one of the Ansaar ofMadinah who welcomed the Emigrants from Makkah. Jaabir's father was also a Companion. His father witnessed the Oath of Allegiance to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and died as a martyr during the Battle of Uhud. Jaabir's mother was also a Companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Jaabir himself witnessed the Second Oath of Allegiance of Uqbah with his father, although he was quite young at the time. His father did not allow him to participate in the Battles of Badr or Uhud, presumably due to his youth. Actually, it seems that he was present at the Battle of Badr but he did not take part in the fighting. After the Battle of Uhud, he fought in all of the battles of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He lived for sometime in Greater Syria and Egypt. However, he later returned to Madinah and lived there until his death. He was one of the Companions who lived for quite some time after the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Hence, he became a very important source of information concerning the Prophet (peace be upon him) for the later generation of Followers. Late in his life, he lost his eyesight. He died in Madinah around the year 94 A.H., although some reports state the year as 73 A.H. Some say that he was the last of the Companions to die in Madinah. Some 1540 hadith have been recorded on his authority. Fifty-eight such hadith may be found in both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. Al-Bukhari has an additional 28 hadith from Jaabir while Muslim recorded an additional 126 hadith. "Tell me if I were to perform the obligatory [prayers], fast Ramadhaan . . . " The questioner explicitly mentioned the prayers and the fast. This is a sign of the emphasis that the believers gave these two acts. According to some, that is why he did not mention any other obligatory deeds but specifically mentioned these two acts.