TEACHING OF HADIS: [PAPER II]

Hadith # 11

‘I and the man who brings up an orphan will be in paradise like this.’
And he pointed with his two fingers, the index finger and the middle
finger.

a) MAIN TEACHINGS:
This hadith stresses on the importance of taking care of the Orphans in a society. Orphans are
the weaker people of the society as they have lost their support. Taking care of the weak people
of the society is one of the most repeated thing in Hadiths. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Best
Muslim house is the one in which the Orphan is well treated, and the worst Muslim house
is in which the Orphans is ill-treated”. It is the responsibility of the community to take care of
the Orphans to help them to find some stability.

b) Action:
A Muslim society should always try and do their best to help and support the Orphans of the
society. They should provide with financial and moral support. And Orphan should treated well
and should be brought up with care and affection. The Holy Quran says “Treat not the Orphans
with harshness” (al Duha). All those who eat Orphan’s wealth or property are actually eating
fire and will face severe punishment for this.

Hadith # 12

The Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace) sent
Abu Musa and Mu‘adh ibn Jabal to Yeman, and he sent each of them
to govern a part. Then he said: ‘Be gentle and do not be hard, and
cause rejoicing and do not alienate.’

a) Teachings:

This hadith guides the rulers of the community to do good with the people of the
community. The rulers are advised to be kind and treat people in a kind way.
Governance needs to be a source of benefit for the people and not a source of
oppression and tyranny. Rulers are expected to be honest and show sincere concern
for the community they govern. “Give ease and not contempt, give tranquility
and not oppression. (Bukhari)

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b) Action:
Rulers should work for the welfare of the community. They must engage themselves in the
services of their subjects. They should work their best to provide basic facilities for the survival
of their people. They must ensure the health and the safety of its community. Rulers must
implement the system of justice and equality in order to combat oppression and corruption in
the society. Rulers should be approachable and of easy disposition as endorsed in this hadith.

“Shall I not tell you who is distanced from Hell and from whom Hell is distanced?
Everyone who is gentle and kind, approachable and of easy disposition. (Tirmidhi)

Hadith # 13

He who studies the Qur’an is like the owner of tethered camels. If he

a) Teachings:
This hadis talks about importance of having a strong link with the Holy Qur’an for the
believers. The teachings of the Qur’an are the source of guidance for all the believers and can
be very quickly forgotten in case of carelessness in staying intact with the Qur’an. Believers are
encouraged to read, learn, practice and spread the word of Allah in order to stay on the right
path. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said “keep on reciting the Qur’an, for, by Him in Whose
hand my life is, Qur’an runs away (forgotten) faster than camels that are released from
their ropes. (Bhukhari).

Action:

Believers can act in the light of this hadis by doing regular recitation of the Qur’an. They should
understand its meanings and try to implement its teachings in their everyday life. Moreover, it is
the duty of a believer to spread the word of Allah to the masses so that no one remain unaware
of its teachings. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said “One who has nothing of the Qur’an within
him is like a desolate house”. (Mishkat). Another hadis is “The best among you is the one
who has learned the Quran and teaches it”

Hadith # 14

May God show mercy to a man who is kindly when he sells, when he
buys, and when he demands his money back.

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a) Teachings:
This hadis talks about the importance of mercy in every sphere of life. Financial dealing is the
everyday matter of social life. Buyers, sellers and lenders are advised to show forbearance and
leniency in their dealings. Cheating, Hoarding and black marketing are not allowed in Islam,

Showing leniency and Mercy towards Allah’s creation will be a source of mercy from Allah.
Prophet (pbuh) said “A man used to give loans to the people and used to say to his
servants, if the debtor is poor, forgive him, so that Allah may forgive us; so when he met
Allah, Allah forgave” ( sahih bhukhari)

Action:

The sellers, buyers and lenders should act in a nice and polite way with each other to ensure
peace and loving atmosphere to flourish in the society. Seller should not exploit the weakness of
the buyer and buyer should not over bargain with the seller to make him uncomfortable.
Similarly, the loan lender and borrower should also act responsibly to avoid any kind of
conflict. Borrower should return the money to the lender as soon as possible for him and the
lender should give time to the borrower in case he is in a difficult financial situation. These kind
of acts of compassion and mercy will earn reward in the form of Allah’s compassion and mercy.
The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said “Allah will not show mercy to him who does not show
mercy to others”.

Hadith # 15

God will not show mercy to him who does not show mercy to others.

a) Teachings:
Mercy and kindness are highly like by Allah. According to hadis –e- Qudsi “Truly my mercy
overcome my wrath” Mercy is an essential attribute of a true believer. It inspires others to
become loving, caring and kind towards people. The opposite of mercy is cruelty which is a bad
act and not liked by Allah. This the reason why an attitude of mercy is emphasized in Islam.
The Holy Prophet’s pbuh character is the best example to follow as he is declared as ‘Mercy
for the World’ The Prophet pbuh said “Treat kindly the dwellers of the earth, He who dwell
in heaven will treat you with kindly”. (Abu daud)

Action:

A believer should keep a mild and kind behavior towards everyone. He should be kind not only
to the Muslims but to non-Muslims as well so that they get to know the true picture of Islam.
The Prophet Pbuh showed an extraordinary attitude of mercy on the event of Ta’if when people
of Ta’if hurled stones at him and the angel came to ask his permission to crush them but the

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Prophet Pbuh refused and prayed for them instead. The Captives of Badr was treated kindly and
the Holy Prophet Pbuh forgave bitterest enemies on the conquest of Makkah. The Holy
Prophet Pbuh said “Kindness not to be found in anything but that it adds to its beauty
and it is not withdrawn from anything but it makes it defective. (Sahih Muslim). A
believer should meet people with a smile, help and greet them as it will instill the spirit of love
and compassion in society.

Hadith # 16

The believers are like a single man; if his eye is affected he is

a) Teachings:
This hadis teaching focuses on the concept of brotherhood in Islam. It teaches Muslims about
how to live together in a community and how to behave with one another with care and
concern. Holy Quran says “The believers are a single brotherhood” (49:10).It stresses upon
unity and fraternity amongst Muslims by stating that just as the brain is the command center of
and vital to humans, brotherhood is essential to Muslims as Muslims are joined together in a
fraternity by their common faith. The Prophet said “One believer to another is like the bricks
of a building; each one is holding and supporting the other”.

Action:

The teaching in the given hadis can be acted upon by being aware of the suffering of the fellow
Muslims and by trying to alleviate the suffering.The best example of the brotherhood is the one
established by the Holy Prophet between Ansar and Muhajirin.The Ansars were extremely
generous and ready to share their possessions and family with their Muslim brothers. Muslims
today can help other Muslims suffering in war torn countries by feeling their pain and helping
them in whatever way possible. Muslims in countries like Kashmir, Syria and Myanmar and try
to aid them. The Holy Quran says “And hold fast all together the Rope of God and do not be
divided” (3:103)

Hadith # 17
Modesty (not boastful or vain) produces nothing but good.

a) Teachings:
Moral teachings of Islam are intimately linked with modesty. Modesty is the barrier, like piety,
against all indecencies and evils and is thus a source of strengthening faith and submission
before divine commands. The Prophet said: “Modesty and faith are companions; when one is
taken away, the other follows it” So, modesty strengthens and accompanies faith, and faith, in

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turn, promotes mental piety. Mental piety reflects a believer’s obedience to God and is a means
of earning God’s favor. Modesty is antidote to evil acts and disobedience to God.

Action:

Islam teaches ways of observing modesty both towards God and the fellow members of the
community. Regular prayer effectively wards off evil thoughts and actions “for prayer
restrains from shameful and unjust deeds” (29:45) this way, a believer’s conduct is shaped
according to the divine commands and guidance. Another way of observing modesty is to put
interests of fellows before one’s own interests: “None of you truly believes unless he desires
for his brother that what he desires for himself.” (Hadith) Such an attitude surely
eliminates evils and social problems so that a balanced society develops.

Hadith # 18
He who has in his heart as much faith as a grain of mustard seed will
not enter hell, and he who has in his heart as much pride as a grain of
mustard seed will not enter paradise.

a) Teachings
According to Muslim belief, true faith alone guarantees a believer’s salvation from the fire of
Hell and entry to Paradise. Faith promotes the spirit of submission before the will of God and
thus negates pride. Pride symbolizes disobedience as is evident from Satan’s refusal to obey
God: “We said to angels: “Bow down to Adam”, and they all bowed down except for Iblis;
he refused and was haughty” (2:34) A believer with the slightest degree of faith will
eventually be freed from Hell and a person with the slightest amount of pride will be denied
Paradise and driven to Hell: “Is there not in Hell an abode for the Haughty” (39:60)
Action:

Muslims should promote humbleness and submission before God so that they earn His blessing.
The Quran mentions the ways of being humble towards God and reward of such attitude: “The
believers must eventually win through, those who humble themselves in their
prayers” (23:1, 2) by strengthening a sense of humility, pride can be effectively resisted and
controlled.
This ensures pleasure of God: “for God does not love the arrogant” (4:36) Following the
divine guidance is the best means of promoting humility and resisting pride.

Hadith # 19
The world is the believer's prison and the unbeliever's paradise
a) Teachings

Allah created charms in this world to test His obedient servants. A believer is trained by Islamic
teachings to consider this world a prison where he is not free to live a life of his choice and so,

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can’t get attached to it just as a prisoner can’t develop a lasting association with the prison. The
Holy Prophet said “This world is but a cultivating ground for the Hereafter.” A true believer
strongly believes in the eternal joys of the Hereafter whereas a non-believer is fully enticed by
the temporary glow of this world and thus, denies the Hereafter. A non-believer on the other
hand, never wants to leave this world because as he doesn’t believe in Hereafter, he sees this
as the only place to be happy.

Action:

Paradise is the place where one would get whatever one would wish for Believers, for whom
the world is a testing ground feel imprisoned here. The unbelievers strive solely for the pursuit
of temporal happiness. We, as Muslims, should focus on concentrating to spend our lives in this
'prison' as per rules and regulations set forth by God Almighty And shun our desires and wishes
in this world, to project ourselves before God Almighty as true Muslims. A Muslim should
never lose sight of his/her real objective and purpose, and should not become overly involved in
worldly desires.

Hadith No 20:

Allah does not regard your appearances & your possessions, but he

regards your hearts and your actions.

a) Teachings:

This Hadith categorically declares the criterion by which God judges’ actions and
conduct. God does not consider outward appearance or worldly gains made by a
person. He simply considers a person’s conduct and the intentions behind it because
the Prophet clearly stated in another Hadith: “Actions are judged by intentions”
“However good appearance we may carry and whatever success we get, God is so
supreme and high that everything is worthless before Him because He is “Lord of all
the worlds” and “He knows secrets of hearts.” So, a true believer strives to act
according to the Quran and Sunnah and with sincerity of intention.
Action:
We must purify our hearts and our intentions. Our actions must be strictly according to
the Islamic teachings, even if they may seem alien to some society, because our
intention is to please Allah Perhaps the people around us may only appreciate our
appearance and wealth, but the only one whose appreciation is worth getting is Allah.
They should reject any form or degree of hypocrisy or showing off and develop
sincerity of faith and intention, keeping in mind: “Whether you hide whatever is in your
hearts or reveal it, God knows it all.” (Al Quran 3:29) They should do all noble deeds
with the pure intention of earning God’s pleasure and not for showing off to others.
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