Hadith 36: The Significance of Fulfilling the Needs of a Muslim
By Imam An-Nawawi
In the name of Allāh,
the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;
All the praise and Thanks is due to Allāh,
the Lord of al-`ālameen. I testify that there is none
worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu
`alayhi wasallam, is His Messenger
It was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah
(radiyallāhu’anhu)
that the Prophet, (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), said:
"Whosoever relieves from a believer some grief
pertaining to this world, Allāh will relieve from him some grief pertaining to the Hereafter.
Whosoever alleviates the difficulties of a needy
person who cannot pay his debt, Allāh will alleviate his difficulties in both this world
and the Hereafter.
Whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allāh
will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter.
Allāh will aid a servant (of His) so long as the servant
aids his brother.
Whosoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allāh
will make easy for him a path to Paradise.
No people gather together in one of the houses of Allāh,
reciting the Book of Allāh and studying it among themselves, except that
tranquility descends upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them,
and Allāh makes mention of them amongst those who are in His
presence.
Whosoever is slowed down by his deeds will not be
hastened forward by his lineage."
[This was recorded by Muslim]
Background
In another version of the hadith on the authority of
Abu Hurayrah (radiyallāhu’anhu), that the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:
“A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim: he does not
wrong him nor does he forsake him when he is in need; whosoever is fulfilling
the needs of his brother, Allāh is fulfilling his needs; whosoever removes distress
from a believer, Allāh removes from him a distress from a distressful aspect
of the Day of Resurrection; and whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allāh
will conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection.”
[Recorded by Imam Muslim and Imam Al-Bukhari]
The hadith indicates the obligations towards other
Muslims are emphasised and the fulfillment of brotherhood is again stressed.
Lessons
1 - The Prophet (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Whosoever relieves
from a believer some grief pertaining to this world, Allāh
will relieve from him some grief pertaining to the Hereafter.”
This is indicates that the reward of an act is of a
similar nature to the act itself. Or the reward to the act is relevant to the
act itself or from the same type. There are many hadiths that emphasize this
principle. Grief or distress in this hadith means a great difficulty or
hardship a Muslim is facing. In one version of the hadith, it is stated as
“whosoever relieves” and in another version “whosoever removes”.
There is obviously a difference between the two versions because “to relief”
means to minimise the difficulty or distress, whereas “to remove” means to totally
eradicate the difficulty or hardship.
Ibn Rajab (rahimahullāh)
says: The one who successfully removes a grief or distress that a Muslim is
encountering will be rewarded more than the one who helps and tries his best to
minimise the consequences of a certain difficulty. This is natural because
there are two different situations: The first one is related to the capacity of
the person who is able only to minimise the distress. The other situation is
not just a matter of capacity but also a willingness to do more to remove the
distress totally.
Ibn Rajab (rahimahullāh)
also emphasizes that we have to motivate Muslims to help others and to remove
the distress or difficulties of one another.
The Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) says that the reward
for the removal or relief of the distress of a Muslim will be rewarded by a
removal of a similar distress or difficulty in the Hereafter.
Ibn Rajab (rahimahullāh)
states the difference between the two situations where in the first one the
hadith mentioned only the relief or removal of the distressful aspect of the
Hereafter and not in this world. He says that not everyone is subject to such
distress in this world - this is contrasted to al`iesar (unable to repay). He
explains that since the difficulties of this life are incomparable to the
distress aspects of the Hereafter which nobody can endure as it is beyond human
capacity; Allāh Almighty reserves the reward for removing a distress
of a distressful aspect of this life until the Day of Judgment.
2 - The Prophet (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Whosoever
alleviates the difficulties of a needy person who cannot pay his debt, Allāh
will alleviate his difficulties in both this world and the Hereafter.”
Here, it is not wise or appropriate for a Muslim to
demand his money back from a poor or needy Muslim who honestly cannot afford to
pay him. He should either give him a chance until he is able to repay his money
or forgive him. The first choice is an obligation because Allāh Almighty commands us to do so in Surah
Al-Baqarah, 2:280: “And if someone is in hardship, then
[let there be] postponement until [a time of] ease. But if you give [from your
right as] charity, then it is better for you, if you only knew”.
The second way of alleviation is that the person who is owed the money might
forgive the borrower and try to help him not just by giving him more time but
also by reducing the amount of money owed or forgiving him.
The Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) says in one of his
great hadiths: "A man of the previous nations was
very rich and people used to borrow money from him. Not only did he lend them
money, which is indeed a good deed, but he also asked his sons to alleviate and
forgive those who could not repay the money." The
Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) says that in the Hereafter Allāh Almighty will reward him and forgive his
sins because of his generosity. Allāh Almighty says in Surah Al-Furqan, 25:26 that "It
will be a very hard day for the disbelievers". This
means that there is a situation where a person who is kind to those in need and
Allāh
Almighty will relief that person by rewarding him a great reward from Allāh's Mercy and Help.
3 - The Prophet (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allāh
will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter.”
Ibn Rajab (rahimahullāh)
says that people can fall into two categories:
1.
Those that are not known for transgression or committing bad deeds. For
these people, if by any chance they commit a mistake, it should not be
revealed. On the contrary, it should be concealed and not even talked about.
2. Those who are very well known as transgressors or
wrongdoers, and who even speak proudly about their shameful and sinful acts.
Ibn Rajab (rahimahullāh) mentions that if there is a need to
mention the qualities of these people, we should do so for the benefit of the
Muslim community.
The statement in this hadith does not apply to the
second category of people. The general rule that we derive from the hadith is
that Muslims should not reveal the mistakes of their Muslim brothers to others.
Some Muslims today take it as a topic for fun and entertainment to reveal the
mistakes of others even on very minor issues. As Muslims we should refrain
ourselves from such acts. Consequently, the reward will be that Allāh will conceal our faults from others. In
this life we are subject to faults. If we do not conceal the faults of others, Allāh Almighty will put us in a situation where
our faults will be exposed to other people and everyone will be talking about
them. So the punishment is relevant or of the same nature of the act if it is a
bad act.
Another thing that is also worth mentioning is the
faults of the ulama' or scholars. Nowadays we can notice a very strange
attitude coming from some seekers of knowledge who try to find out and reveal
the mistakes of very well-known scholars. This sort of situation is even worse
because they are revealing the mistakes of not just regular persons. If it is a
matter of academic discussion or research, we should handle it in an
appropriate way that upholds the status of our scholars.
4 - The Prophet (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam) said: "Allāh will aid a servant (of His) so long as the servant
aids his brother."
This is the statement of a principle. Before this
statement, the Prophet, (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wasallam), gives us three examples of Allāh helping those who help others.
The Hadith indicates that we should not confine
ourselves only to the needy but in all aspects. The Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alayhi wasallam) wants to convey to us
that we should help our brothers in any way possible.
There are numerous forms of need, such as helping the
blind to cross the street or any of the great and charitable acts that are
mentioned in the Hadiths 25:
Abu Dzarr Al-Ghifari (Jundub bin Junadah) (radiyallāhu’anhu) reported that some of the
Companions of the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), said to him:
“O Messenger of Allāh,
the rich have taken away all the rewards. They observe the solah as we do, and
they keep the fasts as we do, and they give sadaqah (charity) from their
surplus riches.”
Upon this the Prophet Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam said: “Has Allāh not prescribed for you (a course) by following whom
you can also do sadaqah? Verily in every Tasbih (i.e. saying Subhanallāh)
there is a sadaqah, every Takbir (i.e. saying Allāhu
Akbar) is a sadaqah, every Tahmid (i.e. saying Alhamdulillah) is a sadaqah,
every Tahlil (i.e. saying Lailaha illallāh) is a sadaqah,
enjoining of good is a sadaqah, forbidding of evil is a sadaqah, and having
sexual intercourse with your wife is a sadaqah.” They (the Companions) said: “O
Messenger of Allāh is there reward for him who satisfies his sexual
passion among us?”
Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu
`alayhi wasallam) said: “Tell me, if he were to devote it to something
forbidden, would it not be a sin on his part? Similarly, if he were to devote
it to something lawful, he should have a reward.”
[Recorded by Muslim]
And in the Hadiths 26:
Abu Hurayrah (radiyallāhu`anhu) reported that Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam) said:
“On every person's joints or small bones (i.e. fingers
and toes), there is sadaqah (charity) every day the sun rises. Doing justice
between two people is sadaqah; assisting a man to mount his animal, or lifting
up his belongings onto it is sadaqah; a good word is sadaqah; every step you
take towards solah is sadaqah; and removing harmful things from pathways is
sadaqah.”
[Recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
The greater the help, it is the greater the reward.
This is something that Muslims should take seriously because if we have a
community which care about each other and help one another, then there would be
no needy. This should be our attitude - we should seek to be motivated to offer
our help at any time to our Muslim brothers.
5 - The Prophet (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Whosoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allāh
will make easy for him a path to Paradise."
Here we can find the encouragement of Islam in seeking
and gaining knowledge. The knowledge seekers will be rewarded if the knowledge
is beneficial to oneself as well as for the betterment of the Muslim community.
This statement of the hadith can be interpreted in
three ways:
1.
Allāh
will make it easy for the knowledge seeker to gain the knowledge that he is
seeking.
2. Allāh will make it easy for the knowledge
seeker so that he will benefit from the knowledge he is seeking. This means
that he will benefit from the knowledge and this will lead him to enter
Paradise. There are many people who seek knowledge but there are no blessings
in the knowledge they seek. The crucial point here is the person should seek
knowledge with good intentions.
3. For the one who seeks knowledge with good
intentions, Allāh will safely help him go through the horrible
incidents and situations on the Day of Judgment.
Ibn Rajab (rahimahullāh)
classifies ‘ilm (knowledge) into two types:
1.
The outcome of knowledge is placed in the heart. That is the knowledge
about Allāh
and His attributes that implies fearing Allāh, glorifying Him, and loving Him.
2. The knowledge that we merely memorise or
speak about - without our hearts being influenced or affected. This means that
if the person does not abide by the knowledge that he has already obtained,
then he is in a very critical situation where the he may be subject to the
punishment of Allāh.
6 - The Prophet (Sallallāhu
`alayhi wasallam) said: "No people gather together in one of the houses of
Allāh,
reciting the Book of Allāh and studying it among themselves, except that
tranquility descends upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them,
and Allāh makes mention of them amongst those who are in His
presence."
Here the hadith implies a preferable act: to go to the
masjid, to recite and study the Qur'an, or attending lectures. Ibn Rajab
(rahimahullāh) says that this can be applied to all
branches of knowledge and not just the Qur'an.
The hadith mentions four rewards for those who gather
in the masjid:
1. Tranquility - this is a great reward
which includes relief from stress and being calm.
2. The Mercy of Allāh over them.
3. The angels surrounding them.
4. Allāh making mention of them amongst those who
are in His presence.
7 - The Prophet (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wa sallam) said: "Whosoever is slowed down by his deeds will not
be hastened forward by his lineage."
This indicates that doing deeds are the means of
getting the rewards and that will lead a person to Paradise. Allāh says: "For all shall be judged
against their actions". If the good deeds are not enough, the person's
lineage or ancestry will not benefit him. This is because Allāh made rewards related to good deeds and
not lineage. No ties of kinship will prevail amongst them: “So
when the Horn is blown, no relationship wills there be among them that Day, nor
will they ask about one another.” [Surah
Al-Mu'minun, 23:101]
Conclusion
The Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “A
Muslim is the brother of a Muslim: he does not wrong him nor does he forsakes
him when he is in need; whosoever is fulfilling the needs of his brother, Allāh
is fulfilling his needs.”
This version of the hadith starts by stating a great
principle: Muslims are brothers - one will not harm another nor will he do
injustice or fail him when he is in need. Then the hadith states a motivation
factor: Whosoever is fulfilling the needs of his brother, Allāh is fulfilling his needs.
It can be taken as a motivation for helping other
Muslims, especially those who are in need. We just need to imagine the
situation of the ummah when we help each other and fulfill the needs of others.
We will end up being a better society, with less needy people, and stronger
social ties that will lead to the strength of the Muslim ummah at large.
Helping others is one of the central principles of
Islam which is the positive contributions to society. The hadith highlight how
helping another human being is a fundamental aspect of Islam. Muslims’ primary
goal is to worship God, Allāh Almighty but this is done not only
through rituals like solah and fasting but also through treatment of other
people.
Consequently, based on this encouragement, whoever
exerts efforts to help others achieve their needs; Allāh
Almighty will ease his difficulties. These efforts will also be a reason for
his safety on the Day of Judgment, provided that his intention is to seek the
reward of Allāh Almighty.
And Allāh Almighty Knows best.
[Excerpted
from “A
Commentary on Hadith 36: "The Significance of Fulfilling the Needs of A
Muslim", 40 Hadiths Of Imam Nawawi, By Dr. Jamal Ahmed Badi, via IC Truth]
