Hadiths on Trade, Marriage, Medicine, and Social Life

Among the most valuable features of Sunan Ibn Majah is its chapters on medicine (tibb), food and drink (at'imah), and the etiquette of daily life — areas where Ibn Majah often preserves narrations not found in the other five canonical collections. As-Suyuti's commentary on these sections requires both hadith methodology and an understanding of the broader context in which these narrations functioned.

The chapters on medicine contain hadiths about the healing properties of certain foods (honey, black seed, dates) and the permissibility of seeking medical treatment. As-Suyuti explains the famous hadith affirming that Allah has not sent down a disease without also sending down its cure, noting the theological implication that seeking medical treatment is not contrary to trust in Allah (tawakkul) but is consistent with it. He also addresses hadiths about the Islamic practice of cupping (hijama) and the use of cauterization.

The commercial sections of Ibn Majah contain hadiths on agricultural partnerships (muzara'ah and musaqah), the rules of debts and their documentation, and the etiquette of the marketplace. As-Suyuti notes where Ibn Majah's unique hadiths on these topics add nuance to the legal framework established by the more widely circulated narrations in the other collections. Some of these hadiths clarify the conditions under which specific transactions are permissible or forbidden.

On marriage and family life, Ibn Majah's Sunan contains narrations about the marriage contract, the rights of husbands and wives, the rules of divorce (talaq, khul', and ila'), and the maintenance owed to wives and children. As-Suyuti's commentary addresses these with reference to the major schools of fiqh, noting where the different schools drew different conclusions from the same or similar narrations.

The etiquette chapters — on greetings, visiting the sick, attending funerals, and general social conduct — contain some of the most beloved narrations in the collection. As-Suyuti's treatment of these hadiths emphasizes their ethical import: the practice of Islam as a complete way of life that encompasses not only formal religious obligations but also the texture of social interaction and communal responsibility.