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F.I ஀ W.J:!' u_,b,i .\j 1..i:;., .>"'.) • එ ..::.! j.i ¥-JI ఄ ඓ)I ఆ r-A..fij ఇ t.Y-":! ඒ Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquillity is descended upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them and Allah makes mention of them to those in His presence. Whoever is slowed by his deeds will not be hastened forward by his lineage." Recorded by Muslim with that wording. Selected Vocabulary - "removes" - a source of distress or grieving, something that preoccupies and bothers the mind - "he makes easy" - the one in straitened circumstances; in particular, however, the one who is in debt and is not able to repay his debt - "he concealed" - "assistance, helping" - "traversed" - "path" - "he is seeking" - "knowledge" - "he makes simple" - "gather together" - "house" - "houses" - "reciting" - "studying it with each other," this word means to read something and to retain it, such that one does not forget it. 1 - "among them" - "descended" - "tranquillity, calmness" - "covers them" - "the mercy" - "surrounds them" - "mentioned them" - "slowed" - "sped, hastened forward" - "his lineage" 1 Cf., al-Mubaarak ibn al-Atheer, Al-Nihaayahfi Ghareeb al-hadith wa al-Athaar (Beirut: Daar Ihyaa al-Turaath al-Arabi, n.d.), vol. 2, p. 1 1 3. Hadith #36: "Whoever Relieves a Believer . . . " Takhreej This hadith was recorded, with various wordings, by Muslim, Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasaai in al-Kubra, ibn Maajah, Ahmad, ibn Abu Shaibah, al-Daarimi, al-Haakim, ibn Hibbaan and many others from the chain of Abu Saalih from Abu Huraira. Muslim's narration of this wording is from al-Amash on the authority of Abu Saalih. As ibn Rajah points out, this narration has been criticized by some scholars as not becoming the criteria of Sahih Muslim since other narrations have al-Amash saying, "It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Saalih," implying that he was not the one who heard it directly from Abu Saalih. According to al-Tirmidhi, this broken chain from al-Amash is the correct narration from him.1 In any case, though, separate portions of the hadith have supporting evidence that are found in numerous works of hadith. For example, both al­ Bukhari and Muslim record the following hadith on the authority of ibn Umar from the Prophet (peace be upon him), "A Muslim is a brother to a Muslim. He does not wrong him. Nor does he forsake him when he is in need. Whoever is fulfilling the need of his brother, Allah is fulfilling his needs. Whoever relieves a Muslim from a distress, Allah removes from him a distress from the distressful aspect of the Day of Resurrection. And whoever conceals [the faults of] a Muslim, Allah will conceal [his faults] on the Day of Resurrection." Muslim also records similar hadith on the authority of both Abu Huraira and Abu Saeed al-Khudri. Those hadith were also recorded by Ahmad, Abdul Razzaaq, al-Tirmidhi, ibn Maajah, ibn Abu Shaiba and others. Similar hadith have also been recorded on the authority of the Companions Auf ibn Maalik al-Ashjai and ibn Abbaas.2 General Comments About the Hadith This hadith is closely related to the previous hadith in that it states some of the most important acts that strengthen the Islamic brotherhood. In fact, this hadith is one of the most important encouraging Muslims to help one 1 Ibn Rajab, Jaami, vol. 2, p. 284. 2 Cf., ibn Muhammad, pp. 203-205. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi another in their worldly lives. They should help one another by removing hardships, being easy with each other in times of debt, concealing each others' faults and mistakes and generally assisting one another in what is good. When a Muslim does these kinds of acts, Allah will reward him in a similar fashion. Furthermore, it encourages the Muslim to strive after knowledge as this striving is a way to finding the path to Paradise. Of course, the most important means of attaining knowledge is the study of the Quran. The study of the Quran is an act that is blessed by Allah. Finally, if deeds like the above are not present and the person has not done what it takes to enter Paradise, his lineage, no matter how noble or wealthy, will be of no avail to him. About the Narrator: Abu Huraira Abu Huraira is discussed in the commentary to Hadith Number 9. "Whoever relieves a believer's 1 distress of the distressful aspects of this world, Allah will rescue him from a difficulty of the difficulties of the Hereafter." A kurbah (ƭfi) is that which distresses the soul and preoccupies the mind. In this world, many aspects can be described as kurbah. A person could face difficulties, problems and challenges almost every day in his life. If a Muslim truly seeks to please Allah, his attitude toward his brother should not simply be a passive one.