• Hadith: Following the Prophet’s Practice

Article by Adil Salahi, Arab News

It is always important to remember that following the Prophet’s example in everything is a highly commendable effort. Even in matters that has no relevance to religion, if we learn that the Prophet, peace be upon him, did something in a particular way and we follow his example with no intention other than taking him as a guide showing the way to what is best, we earn reward from God. Our attitude would be an implementation of the Qur’anic verse which states:

“In God’s messenger you have a good example for everyone who looks forward to God and the Last Day, and remembers God unceasingly.” (33: 21)

However, we have to differentiate between what the Prophet, peace be upon him, did by way of demonstrating how Islam is implemented, which applies to matters that have a religious nature or have some relevance to religion, and matters that belong purely to the life of this world. In such latter affairs, we are neither encouraged nor discouraged from following the Prophet’s example. Thus, in his habits of sleep, eating, dress, attention to normal things that one encounters in every day life, God has not placed on us a burden by requiring us to conduct these in a particular fashion. Nevertheless, if one learns that the Prophet, peace be upon him, did something in a particular fashion and he follows him with the intention of doing what the Prophet, peace be upon him, did, without considering this to be an Islamic obligation or recommendation, one earns a reward. But when an action has a religious significance, then following the Prophet’s example is highly recommended. This is the reason why the Prophet’s companions were keen to report and follow every action of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Hadith scholars also gave this aspect particular attention, so as to verify what is reported and confirm what is authentic.

Jabir ibn Abdullah reports: “When the Prophet, peace be upon him, wanted to clean himself from the state of Janabah, or ceremonial impurity, he used to pour over his heads three handfuls of water.” Al-Hassan ibn Muhammad said to Jabir: “My hair is too thick.” He answered: “The Prophet’s hair was more plentiful and beautiful.” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Muslim and Al-Nasa’ie with slightly different versions).

It is well known that removing the state of Janabah, or ceremonial impurity, requires washing one’s whole body, from head to foot, with water. In our present time and modern living, taking a shower is the best way. A dip in a pool, river or the sea is also good enough for the purpose. However, in situations where water is not available in plenty, it is better to economize with water. Hence, the report that using one’s hands to take three handfuls of water and pour them over one’s head is sufficient for washing one’s head. This should be followed by pouring water over the rest of one’s body.

Some people, however, impose on themselves a more rigid approach, or they may suffer from a kind of obsession with cleanliness. Therefore, guidance is provided for them in the Prophet’s own action. It is clearly stated in this Hadith that a small amount of water, such as a bucket, should be sufficient. This is symbolized by how the Prophet, peace be upon him, washed his head.

The man who pointed out to Jabir his own difficulty, having thick hair, was the grandson of Ali ibn Abu Talib, the Prophet’s cousin, but his grandmother was Ali’s second wife whom he married after the death of Fatimah, the Prophet’s daughter. Jabir, a companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him, who related a large number of authentic Hadiths replied that the Prophet’s own hair was more plentiful. If three handfuls were sufficient for him, then they are sufficient for anyone.

Another Hadith on a totally different subject makes it clear that following the Prophet’s example is required. The Hadith reported by Jabir, states: “The Prophet, peace be upon him, fell off a horse in Madinah and landed on the trunk of a felled date tree. His foot was dislocated. We used to visit him in an open space outside Ayesha’s home. We came once when he was praying seated, and we joined him in his prayer but we stood up. We came another time and he was offering an obligatory prayer, also seated. We joined him in congregation, standing, but he signaled us to sit down. When the prayer was over, he said to us: “If the imam prays seated, then pray seated, and if he stands up, then pray standing up. Do not stand when the imam is seated as the Persian do, glorifying their leaders.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad).

There are several points that merit discussion in this Hadith. The first is the Prophet’s companions’ action on both occasions that they visited the Prophet, peace be upon him. When they saw him praying, they immediately joined him in congregation. This shows how keen they were to join him in prayer on every occasion, whether he was offering a voluntary prayer or an obligatory one. It is well known that a prayer in congregation is granted 27 times the reward of a prayer one offers, on his own.

We also note that on both occasions the Prophet’s companions prayed standing up, as this is the normal position, while the Prophet, peace be upon him, was seated as he prayed. On the second occasion, he signaled them to sit down, but he did not do so in the first. But we note from the Hadith that the second prayer was an obligatory one, which means that the first was not. Hence, we may conclude that in a voluntary prayer, the congregation may choose to stand or sit, if the imam is seated, while in an obligatory prayer, they must do like him. Again we know that voluntary prayers may allow concessions that are not allowed in obligatory ones.

However, on this point we may add that this illness of the Prophet, peace be upon him, was at the end of the fifth year after his migration to Madinah. Several years later, shortly before his death, the Prophet, peace be upon him, offered an obligatory prayer in the mosque, when he was seated and the whole congregation were standing up. He did not order them to sit down. It is a general rule of Islamic law that a later practice supersedes an earlier one. As the permissibility of taking a different position is given later, then this is the final ruling. Moreover, the Prophet, peace be upon him, makes the reason for his earlier teaching very clear. The important thing is not to give leaders of the Muslim community a position of glorification. A leader should certainly be treated with respect, and his orders should be obeyed, but he is not to be glorified or exalted to a position where people make themselves too inferior to him. There is no superiority or inferiority on account of position, but there are duties on both the ruler and the ruled. When these duties are fulfilled, then that is all that should be said and done.

• Hadith: Misconception — of Different Sorts

1. I visited my relatives in the US and I was shocked by some of their practices. An important issue was their assertion that the Sahih of Al- Bukhari was compiled a few hundred years after the Prophet, peace be upon him, had passed away, and that Abu Hurairah, a major source of Hadith was once flogged for lying. Another issue they raised was their assertion that the Qur'an, need not be read in Arabic all the time. They claim that its being in Arabic is incidental to the fact that the Prophet, peace be upon him, was an Arab. They claim that we should be able to offer prayers in our own language. Please comment.

2. I would like to ask if the compilation of Hadith began in the days of the Prophet, peace be upon him, how come God did not guarantee its protection as He did for the Qur’an? Secondly, how is it that there are two Hadiths saying that the Prophet, peace be upon him, had ordered his companions not to write anything from him except the Qur'an, then how come that in spite of this Al-Bukhari had the courage to write down the Hadiths? Does it not constitute a defiance of the Prophet’s instructions?

1. Our reader is right to be concerned about the relatives and how they have changed certain aspects of religion. They may have acquired this through the influence of the society in which they live, or through misguided teachings of some people who claim to have developed an ‘enlightened’ approach to Islam. Be that as it may, they should remember that religion should be learnt through the Prophet, peace be upon him, since he is the one whom God has sent to mankind to convey His message to them. This is indeed implied in the second half of the declaration by which a person becomes a Muslim. He declares: “I bear witness that there is no deity except God, and that Muhammad is His messenger.” What does a messenger do if he does not deliver a message? If the message is from God, it must certainly be implemented. Otherwise, the declaration becomes a mere word with no real substance. That is not what it is meant to be.

Some people try to appear more devoted to Islam by saying that they accept every thing in the Qur’an, but nothing else. They try to justify that by saying that had God wanted us to observe something, He would have said so in His revelation, i.e. the Qur’an. They forget that the Hadith, or Sunnah, is also revelation from God. Addressing the Prophet, God says in the Qur’an:

“And upon you have We bestowed from on high this reminder. So that you may make clear to mankind all that has been bestowed upon them (through revelation), and that they may reflect.” (16: 44)

The word “reminder” in this verse refers to the Sunnah, or Hadith, which is clearly defined here as having been “bestowed from on high,” for the purpose of making clear to people what God has revealed in the Qur’an. Besides, numerous are the verses in the Qur’an, which give a clear order that we must obey God’s messenger, and that such obedience is part of obeying God. To give just one example, we quote the following verse:

“Whoever obeys Prophet obeys God thereby. As for those who turn away, We have not sent you to be their keeper.” (4: 80)

Our reader’s friends try to cast doubt on the authority of Hadith by saying that Al-Bukhari lived several hundred years after the Prophet, and speaking ill of one of his best learned companions, Abu Hurairah. There is much that is inaccurate or false in their statements. To start with, Al-Bukhari was born in 194 A.H., not several hundred years after the Prophet. The science of Hadith reporting and authentication was started much earlier than Al-Bukhari, Imam Malik compiled Al-Muwatta, the first of the major compilations of authentic Hadiths, long before that. Malik was born in 93 and died in 179 A.H. Over these two centuries, this discipline was developed until it reached a high zenith at the time of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, who was born in 164 A.H. It was perfected by Al-Bukhari with his Sahih, as he stipulated very elaborate conditions for accepting any Hadith as authentic. It is sufficient to know that for such a great imam who devoted himself entirely to the service of Hadith, the task of compiling his Sahih collection took no less than 16 years.

It is not right to say that Abu Hurairah was flogged for lying. Far be it from a companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him, to do so, or to incur such a punishment. The truth about that is Omar ibn Al-Khattab rebuked Abu Hurairah for his reporting of many Hadiths in succession. Omar wanted him to take more care in allowing his audience to learn each Hadith separately so that the number of Hadiths recited in succession does not confuse them. It was merely a point that concerned a method of teaching, not the accuracy of what was being taught. Yet people try to make a fuss of that. Those who deliberately do so have a wicked aim of trying to undermine Islam. But some people repeat their insertion in ignorance, unaware that by doing so; they help the enemies of Islam.

How is Islam to be practiced and implemented if we disregard Hadith and the Prophet’s teachings? God has told us to offer prayers and pay Zakah, without telling us how to pray and how much to pay in Zakah. We have learnt that from the Prophet, peace be upon him, through authentic reporting by his companions and successive generations of scholars. If we cannot attend to the most important duties of Islam, such as prayer, Zakah and pilgrimage without referring to Hadith, how are we to practice the rest of Islam?

As for reading a translation of the Qur'an, in prayer, that is totally unacceptable. In prayer, we read God’s word, which is the text of the Qur’an, as revealed in Arabic. That, and only that, is the text which the Angel Gabriel brought to God’s messenger, Muhammad, peace be upon him The angel did not read it in any “angelic” language, but recited it in Arabic.

When it is translated, the new text is merely the language of the translator, reflecting his understanding of the original. That cannot be read in prayers. Our reader should ask her friends, since there are more than 20 English translations of the Qur’an, which one would they use in prayer? What would they do when translators disagree, as they often do, in the rendering of a specific verse?

One last word to my reader’s friends. Islam is a religion revealed by God through His messenger. If we disregard what His messenger has taught, how are we to know what God wants us to do?

2. To start with, every Muslims knows that the two sources of Islamic law are the Qur’an and the Sunnah. The latter includes everything that is reported authentically as having been said, done or approved by the Prophet. Hence scholars have taken diligent care to establish the authenticity of every Hadith attributed to the Prophet, peace be upon him. This process began at the time of the Prophet’s companions, shortly after he had passed away, and culminated in the great efforts by the masters of Hadith scholarship, such as Malik, Al-Shaf’ie, Yahya ibn Mu’een, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Al-Bukhari, Al-Nassaie, Al-Tirmithi, Abu Dawood and Ibn Majah. These are listed in chronological order, although some of them were contemporaries. There are many other scholars who worked hard on the verification and authentication of every reported Hadith. Thus, we have a wealth of Hadith scholarship, that gives us practically all that we need in order to establish how to lead our life so that we remain within what God approves.

Referring to the question why has God not guaranteed to preserve the Hadith as He did with the Qur'an, the answer is simple. He preserved His word, which constitutes the essence of the Islamic faith and left the preservation of the Hadith to us. We cannot say that since its writing began at the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, then God could have guaranteed its preservation. He could have done that anyway, without its being written down. He does not need that it should be written on paper in order to preserve it.

Yes, the Prophet, peace be upon him, instructed his companions at first not to write anything other than the Qur’an. This was done for a period of time, when he feared that recording his statements might be confused with recording of the Qur'an. Later, when this fear was no longer operative, he allowed the writing down of Hadith. There were many of his companions who wrote down whatever Hadith they heard from him. Most remarkable among them was Abdullah ibn Amr. So, Al-Bukhari did not defy the Prophet’s orders. Indeed he complied with them and did a great service to Islam by documenting the Hadiths he was certain to be of high degree of authenticity, as did Muslim and the other scholars of Hadith. The whole Muslim community over more than 12 centuries remain indebted to them.

• Hadith: Misconception — Prohibition of Musical Instruments

Could you please explain the Hadith that quotes the Prophet as saying: “There will be in my community people who will treat as lawful: fornication, the wearing of silk, wine and ma’azif, or musical instruments.” Does this mean that the use of musical instruments is equal to the other prohibitions mentioned in this Hadith?

The first point to make about this Hadith is that we need to know the exact wording of a Hadith in order to understand it. We also need to know the meaning of the words in Arabic, and how they were used during the Prophet’s time.

We tend today to equate the Arabic word ma’azif with musical instruments, but when we look it up in a reliable Arabic dictionary, we find that it does not have this meaning. The whole entry of the root azafa, from which the word is derived, speaks of something else, which means “to turn away from something, abandon, become distracted, etc.” This was certainly the primary meaning for which the word was used at the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Hence, ma’azif, as used in this Hadith, means “things that distract a person away from what is good or from his duties.”

A point that should be raised here is how the word has come to be associated with musical instruments. One very secondary meaning of the root that we find in large Arabic dictionaries is given as follows: “the azf of something is its sound.” In recent times, when radio became the main means of broadcasting, and music was one of the major items in radio programs, the word azf became associated with music and musical instruments.

Thus, radio programs may include: “solo azf of guitar, violin or piano,” while a tune that is not accompanied by singing is called ma’zoofah. At the beginning, such words were always accompanied by the adjective “musical”, which indicates that the Arabs did not automatically associate them with music. With frequent usage, however, the adjective was dropped as always happens in human language, where word economy is always an important consideration.

This shows that the Hadith has nothing to do with musical instruments, or music in general, unless we consider music to be part of the distractions to which the Prophet, peace be upon him, is referring.

The other point the reader raises is whether these four items are equal in their degree of prohibition. The answer is definitely not. No one has ever equated the wearing of a silk garment with such cardinal sins as fornication and wine drinking. Wearing silk is perfectly permissible to half of the Muslim community, namely women. In certain cases it is also permissible for men who have a reason for exemption. It is permissible to use a strip of silk to strengthen a garment at the point where it can easily be torn. How can we, then, put it on a par with wine drinking or fornication? The same applies to distractions. Each is considered on its own.

The final point is that this Hadith does not signify prohibition. The way it is phrased makes it informative. The Prophet, peace be upon him, is simply telling us that such people will exist who see nothing in such matters and consider them permissible. A prohibition must be phrased in a clear way, free from ambiguity. This is not the case here. The Hadith is clear in its import, which tells us about such people whose action of approving such things is certainly reprehensible, but it may not be taken as evidence of prohibition.