. J '-Ɵ  (cont.)

Hence, to completely understand any verse or hadith, it is essential to determine whether or not there were particular incidents that led up to that verse or hadith.3 Saeed ibn Mansoor and al-Tabaraani record on the authority of ibn Masood that this hadith was stated concerning a man who wanted to marry a woman named Umm Qais but she refused to marry him unless he would migrate from Makkah to Madinah. Therefore, he migrated in order to marry her. lbn Masood said that afterwards he was called "the migrant of Umm Qais". According to ibn Hajr the chains of this narration are authentic. However, he points out that there is nothing in that narration that explicitly states that it was the cause for the Prophet (peace be upon him) to say, "Actions are but by intention ... " Ibn Hajr does make the point that this statement does apply to that particular person even though he probably was not the cause behind the statement.4 About The Narrator: Umar ibn al-Khattaab 5 Umar ibn al-Khattaab (39 B.H./583 C.E.-24 A.H./644 C.E.) was the greatest Companion of the Prophet (peace be on him) after Abu Bakr. He was a strong-willed person and very well respected in Makkah. Ahmad records that the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed that either Abu Jahl or Umar ibn al1 Quoted in al-Nawawi, Sharh sahih, vol. 13, p. 53; ibn Rajab, Jaami, p. 5. 2 There are many books which are collections of asbaab wurood al-hadith. These include Jallaal al-Deen al-Suyooti, Asbaab Wurood al-hadith Au al-Luma fl Asbaab al-hadith (Beirut: Daar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1984); Ibraaheem ibn Hamzah al-Husaini, al-Bayaan wa al-Tareef fl Asbaab Wurood al-hadith al-Shareef (Beirut: al-Maktaba al-Ilmiya, 1982). 3 Like the circumstances surrounding the revelation of the verses of the Quran, it is not necessary that every hadith have particular incidents that have led to such a statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him). 4 Ibn Hajr, Fath, vol. 1, p. 1 01 1 . 5 In general, the information about the Companions who narrated the hadith i s taken from the respective entries in Ahmad ibn Hajr, Al-Isaadah fl Tamyeez al-Sahaaba (Riyadh: Maktaba al­ Riyadh al-Hadeetha, 1978). Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi Khattaab would be guided to Islam.1 By the grace and mercy of Allah, He guided Umar to embrace Islam five years before the Emigration to Madinah. As ibn Masood said, they were greatly strengthened by his conversion and continued to gain strength after Umar's conversion to Islam.2 Umar participated in all of the battles of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He succeeded Abu Bakr as Caliph, led the defeat of the Persian and the Roman empires, extended the rule of Islam from Iran to Egypt, and laid down the institutions of the new government and society. He is known for his profound knowledge of the Quran and hadith, and for creative insight into fiqh. Umar was stabbed by a slave while he was leading the Fajr Prayer. He was stabbed either by a Christian or a Magian slave who was upset with a decision that Umar had made. He died a few days afterwards. He was one of the famous ten who was given the glad tidings of Paradise by the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself. The virtues of Umar ibn al-Khattaab may be found in many hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him). For example, the Prophet (peace be upon him) once said, "While I was sleeping, I saw myself drinking [milk], and I was so contented that I noticed its wetness coming out of my fingernails. I then gave that milk to Umar." The people said, "How do you explain that?" He said, "It was religious knowledge." (Recorded by al-Bukhari.) On another occasion, the Prophet (peace be upon him) told Umar, "O ibn al-Khattaab, by Him in whose hand is my soul, never does Satan find you going one way but that he takes a way other than yours." (Recorded by al­ al-Bukhari.) One time the Prophet (peace be upon him) was on Mount Uhud with Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthmaan. The mountain began to tremble and shake. The Prophet hit it with his food and said, "O Uhud! Be firm. Upon you is none but a Prophet, a sincere one and a martyr." (Recorded by al-Bukhari.) Finally, in another hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) also said, "Among the nations before you there used to be people who were inspired [although they were not prophets]. If there are any such persons among my followers, it would be Umar [only]." (Recorded by al-Bukhari.) He narrated a large number of hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him). In the books of hadith, one can find at least 530 hadith ascribed to his authority.3 Umar ibn al-Khattaab made sure that the other Companions were very careful when it came to narrating hadith. He even once threatened Abu Moosa al-Ashari unless Abu Moosa provided another witness for a hadith he had quoted from the Prophet (peace be upon him).