BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF

ISLAMIC STUDIES

Prepared by:

Haya Hareem
INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY ISLAMABAD
INDEX
COLLECTION OF THE QURAN
ERA OF THE PROPHET
ERA OF THE ABU BAKR
ERA OF THE UTHMAN
MEMORIZATION OF THE QURAN
THE FEATURES OF THE MAKKAN REVELATION
THE FEATURES OF THE MADENAN REVELATIONS
DEFINATINS OF HADETH
COMPILATION OF HADEETH
ORIGANS OF HADETH
EVALUATION OF ISNAD
HADETH OF INTENTIONS
ASHAB US SUFFAH
DAILY LIFE OF THE HOLY PROPHET

﷽
COLLECTION OF THE QUR’AAN
PART 1
The Arabic word Tafseer is used to mean “explanation of the Qur’aan.” The science of
Tafseer is called Usool at-Tafseer which refers to the fundamental rules and information
necessary for the correct understanding of the Qur’aan. In this section on the
Fundamentals of Tafseer (Usool at-Tafseer), we will look at how the Qur’aan was written
and compiled into one book, as well as the significance of the knowledge.

A. ERA OF THE PROPHET (‫ )ﷺ‬609-632 C.E.1

The Qur’aan was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (‫ )ﷺ‬in sections throughout the
twenty-three years of his prophethood. Whenever a problem arose or whenever Allaah
wanted to give the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬and his followers special advice, Allaah would send angel
Jibreel with a part of the Qur’aan which he would recite to the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬. Thus, the
Qur’aan was not revealed all at once in its complete form, like the earlier books of
revelation, but in parts over a period of time.

Preservation of the Qur’aan When Jibreel first recited a part of the Qur’aan to the
Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬, the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬tried to repeat it after him, word for word. Allaah later had
Jibreel tell him not to do so. He was told instead to listen to the Qur’aan carefully. When
the (‫ )ﷺ‬did that Allaah caused him to be able to remember everything without any
effort on his part. Allaah said in the Qur’aan:
“ Do not move your tongue to hastily (learn) it. Surely we will collect it and recite it. So,
when we recite it, follow its recital.”

It was very important that the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬remember all that was revealed to him,
because he could neither read nor write.

The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬passed on all of the Qur’aan to his companions before he died. He used
a number of different ways to make sure that they memorized and recorded it exactly as
he learned it.
1. The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬used to recite aloud various parts of the Qur’aan in the Salaahs
(Congregational Prayers). In that way, his followers used to hear parts of the Qur’aan
daily.

2. Everyone who entered Islaam would be taught parts of the Qur’aan which they would
have to use in their daily prayers. Thus, Muslims were always learning or teaching
various parts of the Qur’aan.

3. The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬informed his followers that the best of them were those who learned
and taught the Qur’aan. This encouraged them to make even greater efforts to
memorize the Qur’aan and teach it to others.

4. Those who were able to read and write were told by the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬to write down
the various sections of the Qur’aan as they were revealed. The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬would tell
them the order in which they record the verses.

Because there was no paper in Arabia at that time, the Qur’aan was written down on
anything which was available. The companions wrote the verses of Qur’aan on date
palm leaves, flat stones, tree bark, wood, dried animal skins and even the shoulder
blades of sheep or camels. Thus, the verses of the Qur’aan were preserved in the hearts
of the Muslims, as well as written down, during the lifetime of the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬. Since
people entered Islaam at various points during the Prophet’s (r) mission, only a few of
them heard all of the Qur’aan directly from the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬. Also some companions
were able to memorize better than others. So, even though all of them memorized
portions of the Qur’aan, only a few were able to memorize all of the Qur’aan during the
Prophet’s (‫ )ﷺ‬lifetime.

When the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬died in the year 632 C.E., the whole of the Qur’aan was not
written down one complete book. It was recorded on various pieces of writing material
and kept in the possession of different followers of the Prophet (r). Each had sections
but none of them had all. Because of the fact that the verses of the Qur’aan continued
to be revealed up until a few months before the Prophet’s (‫ )ﷺ‬death, the companions
were more concerned with recording and memorizing it than putting it all together in
one book. Consequently, the gathering of the Qur’aan into one text was not done during
the Prophet’s (‫ )ﷺ‬lifetime.

B. THE ERA OF ABU BAKR 632-634 C.E.

After the death of the Prophet (‫) ﷺ‬, there arose three main groups opposed to Islaam in
the Arabian peninsula.
1. The first group was made up of those who decided that they did not want to pay the
Islamic tax, Zakaah, to anyone other than the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬. They did not feel that Zakaah
was a pillar of Islaam just like Salaah, Sawm and Hajj. They instead looked at Zakaah as
tribute; a kind of tax paid to the one who conquered them. So, when the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬
died, they felt that they were no longer required to pay it. When Abu Bakr became the
leader of the Muslim state, this group refused to pay the Zakaah and sent armies to the
capital, Madeenah, in order to topple the Muslim state. They demanded to be excused
from paying Zakaah or else they would attack and destroy the centers of Islaam.

2. The first group was joined by those who had entered Islaam in order to escape defeat,
as well as those who simply wanted to be on the winning side. This group did not
believe in Allaah and His Messenger at all. They wanted to destroy Islaam so they could
be free to do whatever they wanted to do. Since the armies of those who refused to pay
Zakaah appeared strong, many of these hypocrites joined them.

3. The third group was the false prophets and prophetesses. In the Najd, in the region of
Yamaamah, an Arab from the tribe of Haneefah called Mysaylima claimed prophethood.
In the southern part of Arabia, another Arab from the tribe of ‘Ans called al-Aswad,
claimed prophethood and took over Najraan. To the north of Arabia an Arab woman
called Sajaah from the Tameem tribe also claimed prophethood and rose in arms against

the Muslim state. These false prophets all invited people to leave Islaam by claiming
that Allaah had revealed to them new laws making allowable most of the things which
were forbidden by Prophet Muhammad (‫)ﷺ‬.
True Muslims under the leadership of Caliph Abu Bakr, were forced to fight these three
groups in order to re-establish Islaam throughout the Arabian peninsula.
The First Writing During these wars known as the Riddah (apostasy), many of those who
had memorized large portions of the Qur’aan were killed. Those Muslims who had a lot
of Qur’aan in their hearts knew well the rewards which Allaah has promised those who
fight for Islaam. So, they would always be in the front lines of all the battles.

‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab realized the danger of what was happening and feared that if
something was not done immediately, the Qur’aan would be lost to future generations
of Muslims. So he went to Caliph Abu Bakr and advised him to have the whole Qur’aan
written down in one book in order to preserve it from being lost. Abu Bakr at first
refused to do so, because the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬had not told men to do it. He was afraid of
bringing anything new into the religion because the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬had warned them
about changing the religion. Christians had gone astray before them because they
changed the religion which Prophet ‘Eesaa brought after he left them. So Abu Bakr was
very much against making any changes in the religion which Prophet Muhammad (‫)ﷺ‬
had not told them to do. However, after thinking over the situation very carefully, he
came to realize that ‘Umar’s advice was right and that it was not really a change in the
religion. The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬had ordered them to write down the various verses and
chapters of the Qur’aan, while it was being revealed, in order to help preserve it.
Compiling all of what was written into one complete book was then only the completion
of what the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬had begun. Caliph Abu Bakr asked Zayd ibn Thaabit to be in
charge of collecting and writing down the whole Qur’aan. Zayd at first refused to do it
for the same reasons that Abu Bakr had, but after some time he also came to realize
that it was right. Zayd was chosen because he was:

1) One of the best reciters of the Qur’aan.

2) One of the few who had memorized the whole Qur’aan during the Prophet’s (‫)ﷺ‬
lifetime.
3) One of those whom the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬asked to write down the Qur’aan.
4) One of the few who were present when the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬recited the whole Qur’aan
during the last Ramadaan of his life.

Zayd began the process by collecting all of the material on which the Qur’aan had been
written. He then gathered around him all of those who had also memorized all of the
Qur’aan or large portions of it. He then compared what was written down with what he
and others had memorized. If all agreed, he would then write it down on pages of
leather. In this way the whole Qur’aan was written down during the reign of the first
Caliph. On its completion, Zayd turned it over to Caliph Abu Bakr who kept it until his
death, two years after he had become Caliph. Just before his death, Abu Bakr turned
over the Qur’aan to ‘Umar whom he had chosen to be the second Caliph. ‘Umar kept
this copy of the Qur’aan with him until his death, ten years later, at the hand of an
assassin named Abu Lu’lu.’ The Qur’aan was then turned over to his daughter, Hafsah,
who was also one of the Prophet’s (‫ )ﷺ‬wives. Hafsah kept the Qur’aan in her house in al-
Madeenah, but she made it available to anyone who to make copies from it, or check
the accuracy of what they had memorized.

COLLECTION OF QURAN

Part 2

C.THE ERA OF ‘UTHMAAN 644-656 C.E.

After the death of the second Caliph, ‘Umar, a committee made up of six of the most famous
companions of the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬chose ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan to be the third Caliph.

During the reign of Caliph ‘Umar (634-644 C.E.), the Islamic state expanded beyond the borders
of the Arabian peninsula into Egypt, Syria and Iraq. In the subsequent reign of Caliph ‘Uthmaan,
the expansion continued on into Persia, India, Russia, China, Turkey and across North Africa.
Many of the people of these regions accepted Islaam and learned the recitation of Qur’aan from
the early Muslims. The Qur’aan was revealed to the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬in seven different Arabic
dialects, and the early Muslims taught the Qur’aan in its different readings.

The Second Writing In the Muslim provinces, some Arabs began to boast that their dialect was
superior to that of others. Also, when new Muslims made mistakes in their recitation of the
Qur’aan, it was sometimes difficult to tell whether it was really an error or whether it was one of
the seven readings which were taught by the Prophet (‫) ﷺ‬. These problems eventually became a
source of confusion in the Muslims provinces outside of Arabia. One of the prophet’s
companions (Sahaabah) by the name of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamaan noticed the confusion while
he was in Itaq, and feared that it might lead to a breakup of the Muslim nation and the changing
of the Qur’aan. On his return to the capital, he informed Caliph ‘Uthmaan of what he had heard
and seen. Caliph ‘Uthmaan realized the seriousness of the situation and called the major
Sahaabah together in order to find a solution to the problem. They decided to make official
copies of the Qur’aan from the one compiled in Caliph Abu Bakr’s time and limit the people to
its recitation.

‘Uthmaan asked Hafsah for the original copy of the Qur’aan and called on Zayd ibn Thaabit to
head a committee of four Qur’anic scholars who would take on the task of making the official
copies. When the copies were completed, the original was returned to Hafsah. A total of seven
copies were made and one was sent to Makkah, another to Syria, one to Basrah, one to Kufah,
one to Yemen, one to Bahrain and one was kept in the capital, al-Madeenah. Caliph ‘Uthmaan
sent an official reciter of the Qur’aan with each copy in order to clear up any problems which
might later arise. He also ordered that all other copies of the Qur’aan be destroyed, as people
had made notes in their personal copies and some copies were incomplete. All new copies were
then made from the official copy called Mus-haf Uthmaan, and in that way the Qur’aan was
saved from any kind of change or loss. This process was completed in the year 646 C.E., two
years after ‘Uthmaan became the new Caliph‫۔‬

MEMORIZATION OF THE QUR’AAN

Although the total number of Sahaabah who had memorized all of the Qur’aan and read it back
to the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬before his death were only eight, many others memorized it after his death.
In fact, with every succeeding generation of Muslims, the numbers of those who memorized all
of the Qur’aan has increased. Today there are literally hundreds of thousands of Muslims
throughout the world who have done so. There is no other book, religious or otherwise, which
has been memorized on this scale in recorded history. The Qur’aan is about four fifths the
length of the New Testament of the Christians, yet not a single person in recorded history is
known to have memorized the New Testament completely. In fact, if all of the books in the
world were somehow to be destroyed, the only book which could be rewritten, word for word
without a single mistake is the Glorious Qur’aan.

Significance Of The Qur’aan’s Preservation Allaah promised in the Qur’aan that He would take
on the responsibility of protecting His final Word from loss. He said,

ِ “ Verily We have revealed the Reminder (Qur’aan) and verily We shall preserve it.” )Soorah al-
Hijr (15):9(

Thus, the Qur’aan has been preserved in both the oral as well written from the way no other
religious book in history has been.

Why did Allaah preserve the Qur’aan and allow His earlier Books of Divine Revelation to be
changed or lost? The answer to that question lies in the following three facts:

1. The earlier prophets and their Books were sent to particular people in particular periods of
history. Once the period ended, a new prophet was sent with a new Book to replace the
previous Book. So, it was not necessary that these Books be preserved by Allaah, Himself. The
preservation of the earlier Books was left up to the people as a test for them. Thus, when the
people went astray, they changed what was written in the books which the prophets brought, in
order to make allowable the things which were forbidden to them. In that way all of the earlier
Books of Revelation became either changed or lost.

2. The Prophet Muhammad (‫( ﷺ‬was the last prophet whom Allaah sent, and he was not sent to
a particular people or a particular time. He was sent to all of mankind until the end of the world.

Allaah said in the Qur’aan:

“We have only sent you (Muhammad) as a giver of glad tidings and a warner to all mankind, but
most men do not understand.” Soorah Saba (34):28.

Thus, his Book of revelation, the Qur’aan, had to be specially preserved from any from of change
or loss so that it would be available to all the generations of man until the last day of the world.

3. The Qur’aan was the main miracle which was given to Prophet Muhammad (‫ )ﷺ‬to prove that
he was a true prophet of God and not an imposter. So, the Qur’aan had to be saved to prove to
the later generations that Muhammad (‫ )ﷺ‬was really the last prophet of God. All of the false
prophets who came after Prophet Muhammad (‫ )ﷺ‬brought books which they claimed to be
revealed from Allaah, but none of them have the miraculous ability to be memorized by
thousands, nor have they improved on the message in the Qur’aan.

The significance of the Qur’aan’s preservation is that Islaam has been kept in its original purity
because of it. Man can always return to the sources of Islaam no matter what people may have
added or forgotten in time. All of the essential principles of Islaam are to be found in the
Qur’aan. Consequently, the preservation of the Qur’aan meant the preservation of Islaam in its
final form. The loss of the Gospel of Jesus means that Christians can never return to the true
teachings of Prophet Jesus except by accepting Islaam. Similarly, the original Torah was lost
when Prophet Soloman’s Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians. Thus, the Jews
can not return to the pure teachings of Prophet Moses except by following Islaam.

It is only in Islaam that the pure teachings of the prophets have been preserved without any
change. That is why Allaah said in the Qur’aan, ‫ﹾ‬

“ Verily the only acceptable religion to Allaah is Islaam.”Soorah Aal ‘Imraan, (3):19.
THE FEATURES OF MAKKAN REVELATIONS

Makkan revelations are defined as all verses and chapters of the Qur’aan which were brought by
Jibreel to the Prophet (r) before the Hijrah1 (622 C.E.). This includes verses which were revealed
in Taa‘if as well as those revealed in other areas outside of Makkah. These revelations represent
the first stage of the Islamic movement in which its fundamentals were established.

1 Tawheed : When Islaam was first presented to the people of Makkah, they were in a
state of disbelief. Most of them believed in Allaah, but they had put between
themselves and Allaah many intermediaries. They made idols to represent these
intermediaries and worshipped them instead of Allaah. Thus, the early revelations
taught the people about Allaah’s unity and power over all things. They told the
people that Allaah was without parents, offspring or any partner
who shared His powers. They also pointed out that idols could neither bring good
nor hold back evil. And they questioned the logic of worshipping things which could
not even see or hear.

2. Salaah : After the first verses of revelation came informing the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬that he had been
chosen for prophethood, Allaah sent Jibreel to teach him the correct method of prayer. This
was necessary because the correct method of prayer could not be arrived at by logical
reasoning. Therefore, even the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬himself had to be taught the correct method of
worshipping Allaah. Thus, the early verses called upon the Prophet (‫ ) ﷺ‬and his early band of
followers to make their Salaah regularly.

Since the Makkans were in the habit of worshipping idols in the belief that these home-made
gods would carry their prayers to Allaah for them, the early verses were also aimed at clarifying
this misconception. The verses taught that Salaah should only be made for and to Allaah, as He
is the only one who can answer them.

Great stress was placed on Salaah because of its relationship to Tawheed. Correct Salaah
directed to Allaah alone is the most basic way of putting Tawheed into practice.

3. The Unseen : Since there was no way that human beings could possibly come to know about
the unseen world, the early verses taught them about its wonders, its mysteries, and its horrors.
The verses described Paradise and its pleasures in order to encourage the believers to continue
to do good deeds and to assure them of a reward. They also described the Hell -fire and its
torments in order to encourage the believers to strive to avoid evil deeds. Descriptions of the
fire and its inhabitants also reassured the believers that those who do wrong in this life will not
escape Allaah’s punishment. Such descriptions were also aimed at scaring the disbelievers into
reconsidering their position before it became too late. Some of the verses also reasoned with
those who could not accept the resurrection by giving them examples from nature, such as rain
falling on dead earth bringing it back to life.

“And it is Allaah who sends the winds sturring the clouds and We drive them to the earth after
its death. Likewise (will be) the Resurrection.” Soorah Faatir (35) : 9

Others pointed out logically that the recreation of life would be easier than its creation,
although it is all the same to Allaah.

“And it is He who originates the creation, then recreates it (after it has perished) which is easier
for Him....” Soorah ar-Room (30) : 27

4. Allaah’s Existence : There were some individuals among the Makkans who were in doubt
about Allaah’s very existence. Thus, some of the early verses presented logical arguments
proving Allaah’s existence. Sometimes proofs were taken from nature and the creatures
common to the society. Allaah asked the Makkans,

“Why didn’t they look at the camels and how they were created, and the sky and how it was
raised, and the mountains and how they are firmly fixed and the earth and how it was spread
out?” Soorah alGhaashiyah (88) : 17-20

At other times straight logic was used. Allaah asked them if they were created from nothing or
if they created themselves: “Were they created of nothing, or were they themselves the
creators?” Soorah at-Toor (52) : 35

The answer had to be one or the other. Since they knew they had not created themselves, they
had to realize that they were created. Even if they said that they came from their parents and
their parents came from their parents and so on. The numbers eventually decrease to one who
came from nothing. Thus, Allaah, the Creator, has to be accepted for our existence to make
sense.
5. Challenges : In order to prove to the Quraysh that the Qur’aan was from Allaah and that
Muhammad (‫ )ﷺ‬was a prophet of Allaah, some of the Makkan verses challenged the Arabs to
imitate the Qur’aan. Many of the chapters began with individual letters like “Alif, Laam and
Meem, ”

“ Saad, ” or “ Noon ” in order to tease the Makkans with the same letters of the alphabet that
they made their flowery speeches and poetry with. Allaah made the Qur’aan with the same
letters, but they just could not imitate it. Since the Arabs were unable to produce even a
chapter resembling the smallest chapter of the Qur’aan, the miraculous nature of the Qur’aan
and its divine origin were clearly proven to the people at that time. However, many of them
preferred to look at the Qur’aan as a magical spell, and the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬as a master magician.

6. The People of Old : The Makkan verses often mentioned historical examples of earlier
civilizations, like the ‘Aad and the Thamood. They were mentioned in order to warn those who
had rejected the message of Islaam. The verses spoke about the wonders of the ancient
civilizations. They listed the many blessings which Allaah had bestowed on the peoples of those
civilizations. Then they recounted how the people disobeyed Allaah and denied His blessings,
and how Allaah’s punishment caught them when they were totally unaware of what could
become of them if Allaah so willed. These examples were quite familiar to the Arabs because
the ruins of such civilizations could still be seen. For example, the stone tombs of Madaa ‘ in
Saalih were directly on the trade route to Syria.

7. Eemaan : Very few laws were revealed in the Makkan verses. Instead, the verses
concentrated on principles which would build the Eemaan (faith) of the early Muslims. These
verses spoke of the importance of fearing Allaah and being aware of His presence and
knowledge of all things. They were often filled with advice about being patient, perseverant,
truthful and trustworthy, in order to build the moral spiritual character of the early Muslims
who were in a minority and under a lot of pressure from Makkan society.

8. Short Verses : The Makkan Soorahs usually had short verses, catchy rhymes, and a very strong
rhythm. These qualities were meant to catch the attention of listeners who were basically
opposed to the message of Islam. The verses had to be short because the audience would not
be willing to listen to long, drawn-out statements. As soon as they heard any of the Qur’aan,
they would stick their fingers in their ears and turn away. Thus, the verses often had to strike
home immediately. They often resembled the chants of the oracles and fortunetellers, but their
meanings were very clear, whereas the chants were mostly obscure and vague. For example,
the oracle Zabra warned her people about a disaster which would soon strike them as follows:
By the fluttering wind, and the falling night. By the shining morn, and the piercing star. By the
rain-laden clouds, Verily, the trees of the valley are really deceptive, and teeth gnash until
twisted. Verily, the boulders of the mountain warn of mourning, that you won’t find any escape
from. The Fortuneteller Zabraa

THE FEATURES OF MADEENAN REVELATIONS

Madeenan revelations are all those verses and chapters of the Qur’aan which were revealed
after the Hijrah. This includes verses which were revealed during the battles, as well as those
revealed in Makkah and Minaa during and after the Farewell Pilgrimage. All of these verses are
considered Madeenan because they represent the revelations of the second stage of the Islamic
movement in which the consolidation of the Islamic state took place.

The following are some of the main characteristics of Madeenan verses :

1. Laws :
Once Madeenah had become the new center of the Islamic movement, the Islamic state was
born. The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬became ruler over the Muslims of Madeenah, as well as the Jews and the
Arab idol worshippers who lived there. A constitution was drawn up and a system of justice was
established. Thus, the verses during the Madeenan stage contained the many social, economic
and spiritual laws which were necessary for the organization and development of an Islamic
state. It was during this period that the last three pillars of Islaam, Zakaah, Sawm and Hajj, were
revealed. Likewise, it was during this period that drinking alcohol, eating swine and gambling
were all forbidden.

2. People of the Book :

In Madeenah, Muslims came in contact with the Jews for the first time. In order to try to shake
the beliefs of the Muslims, the Jews used to ask the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬various questions about Allaah,
the earlier prophets, and the unseen. They asked questions about the origin of the soul and
what it was made of. Thus, a number of Madeenan verses represented answers to the many
questions raised by the Jews. The Muslims of Madeenah also came in contact with the
Christians on a larger scale. As a result of that, we find a number of Madeenan verses clarifying
Christian misconceptions about Prophet Jesus and Allah. They pointed out that Jesus’ birth was
not greater than that of Aadam who had neither father nor mother.
“Surely the likeness of Jesus in Allaah’s sight is as the likeness of Aadam.. He created him from
dust, then said to him, ‘Be !’ And he was.” Soorah Aal - ‘Imraan (3) : 59

They also stressed that the miracles of Jesus, such as bringing the dead back to life, were only by
Allaah’s permission. Thus, Jesus was not a god nor the son of Allaah, and Allaah was not the
third of three.

3. The Munaafiqoon :
For the first time since the beginning of the final message we find people entering Islaam, yet
not believing in it. In Makkah, Muslims were oppressed and attacked, so no one would enter
Islaam unless he truly believed. On the other hand, the Muslims of Madeenah were strong and
they ruled the city. Thus, we find some people entering Islaam in order to benefit from its
strength and to oppose it from within. ‘Abdullaah ibn Ubayy ibn Salool was about to be
crowned King of Madeenah when the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬arrived. The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬was made the ruler
of Madeenah and Ibn Salool’s hopes were ruined. Since the Muslims were strong and he could
not openly oppose them, he accepted Islaam and worked against it from within. He eventually
became the head of the Munaafiqoon (hypocrites). Thus, the verses of the Madeenan stage
warned the Muslims about the dangers of the hypocrites and taught them how to deal
effectively with them.

4. Jihaad :
The right of fight against the enemy was given for the first time in al-Madeenah. During the
Makkan period, Muslims were forbidden to fight back. This was for two basic reasons : (1) The
Muslims were a minority and could easily be completely wiped out, and (2) only the strong
could survive this test. The Makkan period prepared the foundation of the Islamic movement to
come. It was during the Madeenan stage that a series of battles were fought against the forces
of disbelief until finally Makkah was conquered and the whole of the Arabian peninsula came
under the rule of Islaam. Thus, a number of the Madeenan verses taught Muslims the Islamic
principles of war. For example, they taught how to deal with prisoners of war and they forbade
retreat during an attack except as a trick to trap the enemy. They also encouraged the Muslims
to prepare themselves with the best weapons and battle gear they could find.

5. Long Verses :
The Madeenan verses tended to be longer than those of Makkah. In fact, there are a number of
Madeenan verses which are longer than whole soorahs of the Makkan period. The longest verse
of the Qur’aan is the verse on loans2 in the Madeenan Soorah, al-Baqarah. This verse contains
approximately 143 words. The shortest Soorah of the Qur’aan is the Makkan Soorah al-Kawthar,
3 which contains a total of only 11 separate words in its three short verses. The need to catch
the attention of unwilling listeners was no longer there because Islaam had become strong and
its followers were many. Thus, the audience at this stage was quite willing to listen attentively
to longer verses teaching the vital laws of Islam.

6. Order of the Soorahs :

Although all of the Makkan verses were revealed during the same period, they were neither
memorized nor written in the same order in which they were revealed. Verses from various
Soorahs were revealed at once. Whenever single verses were revealed at once. Whenever
single verses were revealed, the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬would tell his scribes to write it in the Soorah to
which it belonged. If a new Soorah was revealed, he would recite the Soorah in the order it was
to be recorded. Once the Madeenan verses and Soorahs began to be revealed, the Prophet (‫) ﷺ‬
would tell his companions to place them before or after certain Makkan Soorahs and verses.
Thus, when the revelation of the Qur’aan was complete, Makkan verses could be found within
Madeenan Soorahs and Madeenan verses within Makkan Soorahs. The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬reordered
the verses and Soorahs of the Qur’aan according to Allaah’s command. the reason for that was
that the verses were revealed according to the needs of a developing community, whereas the
order for reading purposes needed to be varied so as not to make the Qur’aan seem one-sided
in its presentation. The mixture of verses and chapters from the two stages gives the reader a
more balanced picture of the message of Islaam.

THE IMPORTANCE
There are a number of reasons why a distinction needs to be made between Makkan and
Madeenan Soorahs and verses. The following are only the three most important reasons :

1. Fiqh (Islamic Law) The various laws of Islaam were revealed over a period of twenty-three
years. Some laws canceled earlier laws and other laws were revealed bit by bit. Thus, it is
necessary to know at which point in time the various laws were revealed in order to apply them
properly. The laws of the later Madeenan period sometimes took the place of earlier laws. For
example, alcohol was made forbidden in gradual stages. The first law concerning alcohol was
simply a warning of its dangers. Allaah said,

“And, when they ask you about Khamr (alcohol) and Maysir (gambling), tell them that they
contain benefit for some people, but the sin is greater than the benefit.” Soorah al-Baqarah
(2):20
The second law which was revealed warned Muslims away from Salaah when they were
intoxicated (drunk). Allaah said,

“Do not come to Salaah when you are intoxicated (drunk), until you know what you are saying.”
Soorah an-Nisaa’ (4) : 43

The third law, however, was a complete prohibition of even coming near any form of alcohol.
Allaah said,

“Verily, alcohol, gambling and sacrificial altars are filth, as a result of Shaytaan’s work, so stay
away from them.” Soorah alMaa‘idah (5) : 93

If one was unaware of the order in which these verses were revealed, he or she may mistakenly
think that drinking alcohol is allowed as long as one doesn’t get drunk and come to Salaah. Or, it
might be thought that benefitting from the sale of alcohol is permitted.

2. Da‘wah

By understanding the order in which the verses of the Qur’aan were revealed, one can learn the
best method of teaching Islaam. For example, the Qur’aan taught the believers not to curse or
make fun of the idols of the disbelievers in order not to drive them away and in order that they
do not curse Allaah out of ignorance. Instead they were told to reason with the disbelievers and
show them logically why the worship of idols was incorrect. Allaah said,

“Are you worshipping besides Allaah other gods which cannot benefit you at all nor harm you?”
Soorah al-Anbiyaa‘ (21) : 66

3. Seerah
Many of the important events in the Prophet’s life have been recorded in various of the
Qur’aan. Thus, by knowing the order in which the verses were revealed, it is possible to piece
together a large portion of the biography of the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬.

Definition of Hadeeth
The Arabic word hadeeth basically means ‘an item of news, conversation, a tale, a story
or a report,’ whether historical or legendary, true or false, relating to the present or the
past. Its secondary meaning as an adjective is ‘new’ as opposed to qadeem, ‘old’.
However, like other Arabic words (e.g. salaah, zakaah), its meaning changed in Islaam.
From the time of the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬, his stories and communications dominated all other
forms of communication. Consequently, the term hadeeth began to be used almost
exclusively for reports which spoke of his actions and sayings.

Usage of the Word hadeethThe term hadeeth has been used in both the Qur’aan and
the prophetic traditions according to all of its linguistic meanings. The following three
categories are the most notable usages. It has been used to mean:
a) The Qur’aan itself
“Then leave Me alone with those who reject this communication (Qur’aan)…” Soorah al-
Qalam , (68):44
“Indeed, the best form of communication is the Book of Allaah…”

b) A historical story
The term hadeeth is mentioned 23 times in the Qur’aan.

“Has the story of Moses reached you?” SoorahTaahaa, (20):9

“You may speak about the Children of Israel without …”

c) A general conversation
“ When the Prophet confided in one of his wives…” Soorah at-Tahreem, (66):3.

“Molten copper will be poured in the ear of whoever eavesdrops on the conversation of
people who dislike him doing so or flee from him.”

Among the hadeeth scholars the term hadeeth means ‘whatever is transmitted from the
Prophet of his actions, sayings, tacit approvals, or physical characteristics. Scholars of
Islaamic Law do not include the physical appearance of the Prophet in their definition.
Importance of Hadeeth:
1. Revelation The Prophet’s sayings and actions were primarily based on revelation from
Allaah and, as such, must be considered a fundamental source of guidance second only
to the Qur’aan. Allaah in the Qur’aan said concerning the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬:

“He (Muhammad) does not speak from his desires; indeed, what he says is revelation.”
Soorah an-Najm (53):3-4
Therefore, the hadeeth represents a personal source of divine guidance which Allaah
granted His Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬which was similar in its nature to the Qur’aan itself. The
Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬reiterated this point in one of his recorded statements, “Indeed, I was given
the Qur ’ aan and something similar to it along with it.”

2. Tafseer: The preservation of the Qur’aan was not restricted to protecting its wording
from change. Were that the case, its meanings could be manipulated according to
human desires, while maintaining its wording. However, Allaah also protected its
essential meanings from change by entrusting the explanation of the meanings of
Qur’aan to the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬himself. Allaah states the following in the Qur’aan regarding
its interpretation:

“ And I revealed to you the Reminder (Qur’aan) in order that you explain to the people
what was revealed to them.” Soorah an-Nahl, (16):44
Therefore, if one is to understand the meanings of Qur’aan, he or she must consider
what the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬said or did regarding it. E.g. In the Qur’aan, Allaah instructs the
believers to offer salaah (formal prayers) and pay zakaah (obligatory charity) in Soorah
al-Baqarah, (2), verse 43. However, in order to obey these instructions correctly, one
must study the methodology of the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬in this regard. Among his many
clarifications concerning salaah and zakaah, he instructed his followers saying “Pray as
you saw me pray,” and he specified that 2.5% of surplus wealth, unused for a year,
should be given as zakaah.

3. Laws One of the primary duties of the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬was to judge between people in
their disputes. Since his judgements were all based on revelation, as stated earlier, they
must be considered a primary source of principles by which judgements are carried out
in an Islaamic State. Allaah also addressed this responsibility in the Qur’aan saying:
“O believers, obey Allaah, obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. If you
dispute about anything, refer it to Allaah and the Messenger.” Soorah an-Nisaa, (4):59
Thus, hadeeths are essential for the smooth running of the law courts in an Islaamic
State.

4. Moral Ideal Since the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬was guided by revelation in his personal life, his
character and social interactions became prime examples of moral conduct for Muslims
until the Last Day. Attention was drawn to this fact in the following Qur’aanic verse:

“ Surely there is for all of you a good example (of conduct) in the way of Allaah’s
Messenger.” Soorah al-Ahzaab, (33):21 Consequently, the daily life of the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬
as recorded in hadeeth represents an ideal code of good conduct. In fact, when the
Prophet’s wife, ‘Aisha, was asked about his conduct, she replied, “His character was the
Qur’aan.”

5. Preservation of Islaam The science of narration, collection and criticism of hadeeth

was unknown to the world prior to the era of the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬. In fact, it was due in part
to the absence of such a reliable science that the messages of the former prophets
became lost or distorted in the generations that followed them. Therefore, it may be
said that it is largely due to the science of hadeeth that the final message of Islaam has
been preserved in it is original purity for all times. This is alluded to in the Qur’aanic
verse:
“ Indeed, I have revealed the Reminder, I will, indeed, protect it.” Soorah al-Hijr, (15):9

Difference between hadith & Sunnah

Hadeeth and the Sunnah The term hadeeth has become a synonym for the term
sunnah, though there is some difference in their meanings. Sunnah, according to Arabic
lexicographers, means ‘a way; course; rule; manner of acting or conduct of life’.
Sunnah, as a technical term in the Science of hadeeth, refers to whatever statements,
acts, approvals, physical or character descriptions that are attributable to the Prophet
(r) along with his biography before or after the beginning of his prophethood. It is thus
synonymous with the term hadeeth.
THE STRUCTURE OF HADEETH

Musaddad told us that Yahyaa informed him from Shu‘bah, from Qataadah, from Anas
from the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬that he said: “None of you truly believes until he loves for his
brother what he loves for himself.” Collected by al-Bukhaaree

This means that the Hadeeth scholar Muhammad ibn Ismaa‘eel al-Bukhaaree collected
in his book of Hadeeths called Saheeh al-Bukhaaree the statement: “ None of you truly
believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself. ” which he heard from
his Hadeeth teacher Musaddad, who heard it from his teacher Yahyaa, who was
informed by his teacher Shu‘bah that he heard it from his teacher Qataadah, a student
of the Prophet’s companions, who heard it quoted by the Prophet’s companion Anas ibn
Maalik from Prophet Muhammad (‫)ﷺ‬.

COMPONENTS

A Hadeeth consists of two main parts: the Sanad ( ‫( سند‬and the Matn. ( ‫(متن‬

The Sanad (also called Isnaad) The list of the narrators of the saying or action of the
Prophet (r) is called the Sanad. For example, in the above Hadeeth the Sanad is:
“Musaddad told us that Yahyaa informed him from Shu‘bah from Qataadah from Anas
from the Prophet (r) that he said:”‫۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔‬

The Matn The text of the Hadeeth or what the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬actually said or did is called
the Matn. For example, in the above Hadeeth the Matn is: “None of you truly believes
until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”

COMPILATION OF HADEETH
Era of The Prophet
 During the life of the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬there was no pressing need to write down all of his
various statements or record his actions because he was present and could be consulted
at any time. As a matter of fact, the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬himself made a general prohibition
against writing down his statements which were other than the Qur’aan itself
He was reported to have said, “Don ’t write anything from me besides the Qur ’aan. If
you do so, erase it.”
This was to prevent the possibility of mixing up the Qur’aan with his own words during
the era of revelation. Consequently, the greatest stress regarding writing was placed on
recording the Qur’aanic verses. However, there are many authentic narrations collected
by the Scholars of Hadeeth, that prove that Hadeeth were recorded in writing even
during the lifetime of the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬. For example, ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr said: “I used to
write everything which I heard from the Messenger of Allaah (‫ )ﷺ‬with the intention of
memorizing it. However, some Qurayshites forbade me from doing so saying, ‘Do you
write everything that you hear from him, while the Messenger of Allaah is a human
being who speaks in anger and pleasure?’ So I stopped writing, and mentioned it to the
Messenger of Allah (‫)ﷺ‬. He pointed with his finger to his mouth and said: ‘Write! By Him
in whose hand is my soul, only truth comes out from it.’
Aboo Hurayrah said: When Makkah was conquered, the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬stood up and gave
a sermon [Aboo Hurayrah then mentioned the sermon]. A man from Yemen, called
Aboo Shaah got up and said, “O Messenger of Allaah! Write it down for me.” The
Messenger of Allaah (r) replied, “Write it for Aboo Shaah.” Al-Waleed asked Aboo ‘Amr,
“What are they writing?” He replied, “The sermon which he heard that day.”Aboo
Qaabeel said: We were with ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas and he was asked which
city will be conquered first Constantinople or Rome? So ‘Abdullaah called for a sealed
trunk and he said, “Take out the book from it.” Then ‘Abdullaah said, “While we were
with the Messenger of Allaah (‫ )ﷺ‬writing, The Messenger of Allaah (‫ )ﷺ‬was asked,
“Which city will be conquered first, Constantinople or Rome?” So Allaah’s Messenger
(‫ )ﷺ‬said: “The city of Heracilius will be conquered first.” meaning Constantinople.”

II. Era of The Sahaabah After the death of the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬his saying and action took of a
new importance because he was no longer there to consult when problems arose. The
practise of narration on a large scale started during this period. For example, when the
Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬died, the Sahaabah debated about where to bury him. This debate ended
when Aboo Bakr told them that the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬had said, “Prophets should be buried
wherever they die.” Thus a grave was dug immediately below the bed on which he died
in the house of ‘Aa’ishah. In this period a number of the leading Sahaabah wrote down
hadeeths of the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬. The following are just a few of the leading narrators of
the Prophet’s traditions who were known to have recorded them in writing. Aboo
Hurayrah to whom 5374 channels of hadeeth narrations are attributed, actually
narrated 1236 hadeeth. Hasan in ‘Amr ad-Damaree saw many books in his possession.
‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Abbaas to whom 1660 channels of narrations are attributed used to
write whatever he heard and even employed his slaves to record for him. ‘Abdullaah ibn
‘Amr ibn al- ‘Aas to whom 700 channels are attributed was know to recorded books of
hadeeths during the Prophet’s lifetime with he titled as-Saheefah as-Saheehah. Aboo
Bakr was reported to have written down over 500 different sayings of the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬.
Ibn al-Jawzee, who provides a list of all the companions who related traditions, gives
the names of about 1,060 together with the number of hadeeths related by each. 500
related only 1 hadeeth each; 132 related only 2 each; 80 related 3; 52 related 4; 32
related 5; 26 related 6; 27 related 7; 18 related 8; 11 related 9; 60 related between 10
and 20; 84 related between 20 and 100; 27 related between 100 and 500 and only 11
related more than 500 of which only 6 related more than 1,000 hadeeth, and they are
commonly referred to as the mukaththiroon (the reporters of many traditions). Today, a
graduate of the college of hadeeth in the Islamic University of Madeenah is required to
memorize 250 hadeeth during each of the four years of his study (i.e., a total of 1,000
hadeeths). From the above, it can readily be seen that fewer than 300 companions
related the vast majority of traditions.

III. Era of The Taabi’oon 1 st Century Hijrah)

After Islaam had spread into the Middle East, India, North Africa and the narration of
Hadeeth had become widespread, there arose people who began to invent Hadeeths.
To combat this development, Caliph ‘Umar ibn Abdul-Azeez (reign 99 to 101 AH - 71 8 to
720 C.E.) ordered the scholars to compile the traditions of the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬. The scholars
had already begun composing books containing biographical data on the various
narrators of Hadeeth in order to expose the liars and fabricators. Aboo Bakr ibn Hazm
(d.120/737) was among those directed by the Caliph to compile the Hadeeth. Caliph
‘Umar requested him to write down all the hadeeths of the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬and of ‘Umar
ibn al-Khattaab and to pay particular attention to gathering the hadeeths of ‘Amrah bint
‘AbdirRahmaan, who was at that time the most respected custodian of the narrations of
‘Aa’ishah. Sa‘d ibn Ibraaheem and Ibn Shihaab az-Zuhree were also requested to
compile books and az-Zuhree became the first compiler of hadeeth to record the
biographies of the narrators with particular reference to their character and honesty. In
this period the systematic compilation of hadeeths was begun on a fairly wide scale.

However, among the students of the companions, many recorded hadeeths and
collected them in books. The following is a list of the top 12 narrators of hadeeths
among the Prophet’s companions and their students who had their narrations in written
form.
Aboo Hurayrah (5374)12: Nine of his students were recorded to have written hadeeths
from him. Ibn ‘Umar (2630): Eight of his students wrote down hadeeths from him.
Anas ibn Maalik (2286): Sixteen of his students had hadeeths in written form from him.
‘Aa’ishah bint Abee Bakr (2210): Three of her students had her hadeeths in written
form.
Ibn ‘Abbaas (1660): Nine of his students recorded his hadeeths in books.
Jaabir ibn ‘Abdillaah (1540): Fourteen of his students wrote down his hadeeths.
Aboo Sa‘eed al-Khudree (1170): None of his students wrote. Ibn Mas‘ood (748): None of
his students wrote.
‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (700): Seven of his students had his hadeeths in written
form. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (537): He recorded many hadeeths in official letters.
‘Alee ibn Abee Taalib (536): Eight of his students recorded his hadeeths in writing.
Aboo Moosaa al-Ash‘aree (360): Some of his hadeeths were in the possession of Ibn
‘Abbaas in written from.
Al-Barraa ibn ‘Aazib (305): Was known to have dictated his narrations. Of Aboo
Hurayrah’s nine students known to have written hadeeths‫۔‬

IV. Era of The Taabi’ut-Taabi’een 2nd Century)

In the period following that of the Taabi’oon, the Hadeeths were systematically
collected and written in texts. One of the earliest works was al-Muwatta composed by
Maalik ibn Anas. Other books of hadeeth were also written by scholars of Maalik’s time
by the likes of al-Awzaa‘ee who lived in Syria, ‘Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak of Khurasaan,
Hammaad ibn Salamah of Basrah and Sufyaan ath-Thawree of Kufah. However, the only
work which survived from that time is that of Imaam Maalik. It could be said that in this
period the majority of the hadeeths were collected in the various centers of Islaam. The
reason why these three generations have been given special consideration is because
the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬was reported to have said, “The best of generations is my generation,
then the one which follows them, then the one that follows them.” It was through these
three generations that hadeeth was first transmitted orally and in writing, until they
were completely compiled into collections on a wide and a systematic scale.
V. Era of The Saheehs (3rd Century Hijrah)
There arose in the third century scholars who undertook the job of critical research of
the Hadeeths which were narrated and compiled in the first two centuries. They also
grouped the Hadeeths which they considered to be accurate according to the branches
of Islaamic Law. E.g. From this period is the book Saheeh al-Bukhaaree containing 7,275
Hadeeth which al-Bukhaari (died- 870 C.E.) chose from 600,000 and Saheeh Muslim
which contains 9,200 Hadeeths which Imaam Muslim selected from 300,000. Besides
these two works of Hadeeth, there are four other works which became famous during
this period. They are the four sunan of Aboo Dawud (died 889 C.E.), at-Tirmithee (died
893 C.E.), an-Nasaa’ee (died 916 C.E.) and Ibn Maajah (died 908 C.E.).

Stages of writing
1. The first stage covers the period of the first century A.H. which began in July 622 C.E.
or the early \part of the century C.E. It was the age of the companions and their
sucessors often referred to as the age of the Saheefah, that is, a sheet or some sort of
writing material such as shoulder blades or parchments on which a number of hadeeth
were written. E.g. Saheefah Aboo Bakr and Saheefah Saadiqah of ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Amr.
The aim of the first stage was mainly recording the hadeeth without any particular
format.
2. The second period covers the middle of the second century A.H. is referred to as the
stage of Musannaf (i.e. classified organized work). The second stage represents a
planned compilation of hadeeth grouped under headings denoting their subject matter.
E.g. Muwatta Maalik
3. The third stage known as the stage of Musnad (compilation of hadeeth according to
the companion’s names). This stage began at the close of second century A.H. e.g.
Musnad Ahmad.
4. The fourth and most important stage is known as the stage of Saheeh. This stage
began during the first half of the third century A.H. (9th century C.E.) and overlaps the
period of the musnad e.g. Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, Saheeh Muslim and Saheeh Ibn
Khuzaymah.

ORIGINS OF THE ISNAAD

Every type of literature develops certain features particular to its nature
and content and the character of the people who cultivate it, and the
distinctive social, political or historical conditions in which it originates and
flourishes. Hadeeth literature is no exception to this rule.
1 The isnaad system was used to transmit pre-Islamic poetry.
2 However, it was in the hadeeth literature that it reached its peak at which
it was considered an integral part of the religion itself. ‘Abdullaah ibn al-
Mubaarak (d. 181AH), one of the illustrious teachers of Imaam al
Bukhaaree, said: “The isnaad is from the religion. Were it not for the isnaad
anyone could say anything he wished.”
3 By the end of the first century the science of isnaad was fully developed.
Ibn Seereen (d.110), a Successor, said, “[In the beginning] they would not
ask about the isnaad. But when the fitnah (turmoil / civil war) happened,
they demanded, ‘Name your men to us.’ The the narrations of the Ahlus-
Sunnah (Adherents to the Sunnah) would be accepted, while those of Ahlul-
Bida ’ ah (Adherents to Innovations) would be rejected.”
4 That is, prior to the turmoil the isnaad was used only occasionally, but
after the turmoil they became cautious. In order to minimize the
significance of the system in Islaam, orientalist scholars have tried to
identify non-Arab pre-Islamic sources. Joseph Horovitz cited several
instances from Jewish literature in which the isnaad was used before its use
among Arabs
.5 He further tried to trace its usage back to the Mosaic period, and by
Talmudic times its chain assumed enormous length. Whether the isnaad
system really goes back to Mosaic times is open to doubt, as Horovitz did
not prove that they were not later interpolations.
However, wherever the isnaad originated, there is no doubt that having
adopted the system, Muslims came to consider the isnaad an indispensable
part of the hadeeths and developed it. They gave it a firm foundation by
introducing the chronological method, assembling biographies of the
transmitters, and establishing a science for determining the value of its
contents and the authenticity of its channel of transmission. The ancient
Indians, as far as is known, never made any attempt at a rigorous and
consistent treatment of the isnaad, nor did they develop the chronological
method. Likewise, Jewish literature had no usage of the chronological
method thereby rendering their isnaads valueless. In fact, Professor
Horovitz, himself, admitted that, ‘In the Talmudic literature there is no idea
of chronological method, and the oldest extant work attempting such an
arrangement was composed after 885 AD – more than a century later than
the earliest Islamic work on isnaad-critique. From this fact,’ he goes on to
say, ‘and from the fact that the important Jewish works [of this period] had
been composed in the Islamic dominions, it may be inferred that this
historical interest was due to the Islamic influence.’The practice of
specifying the isnaad, not only of the hadeeths but also the books in which
they were collected, was of immense value in preserving the integrity of
books in an age in which printing was unknown, and the creation of
spurious and distorted works was a relatively easy task. The scholarly
practice of certification seems to be unique in the world’s literary history,
just as hadeeth literature is unique in employing a thorough and systematic
method of source identification. Greek, Latin, Hebrew and Syriac
manuscripts rarely, if ever, supply us with such a wealth of information
about a book’s origin and use. The isnaad system, while originating in
connection with the hadeeth literature, was in due course extended by
Arab authors to many other genres, including geography, history, and prose
fiction

EVOLUTION OF THE SANAD

Teaching the Sunnah : The Era of the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬Anything which the
Prophet of Islaam (‫ )ﷺ‬said or did is considered to be a part of his Sunnah
(i.e. way), which represents the practical application of Islaam according to
divine guidance.
The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬used to encourage his Sahaabah to learn and memorize his
Sunnah in many different ways. Sometimes he would sit them down and
have them repeat after him certain Du ‘aas which he wanted them to
memorize, the same way he would have them learn the Qur’aan. On other
occasions he would repeat himself three times so that they could memorize
his more significant statements. Sometimes he would give rites were to be
performed, then he would tell them to do it as he had done it. At other
times, he would have some of the Sahaabah record in writing some more
complicated thing‫۔‬
The Era of the Sahaabah After the death of the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬, the older
Sahaabah began to teach the younger Sahaabah the sayings and practices
of the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬which they had not been around to hear or observe.
Both the younger and the older Sahaabah used to teach those who had
accepted Islaam during the last days of the Prophet’s life, and thus never
had an opportunity to learn anything directly from the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬. When
Islaam spread all over Arabia and into Syria, Iraq, Persia and Egypt during
the reign of the Righteous Caliphs, the Sahaabah began to teach those who
newly entered Islaam the principles of the religion. They would say to those
who gathered around them, “I saw the Prophet do this,” or “I heard the
Prophet say that.” This was how the chain of narration of the Sunnah
began. Those new Muslims who studied under the Sahaabah were later
referred to as the Taabi‘oon. Most of the Taabi ‘oon used to memorize and
record the statements of the Prophet (‫( ﷺ‬which the Sahaabah used to
quote. They used to travel to different parts of the Muslim world of that
time in order to learn as much of the Sunnah of the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬from as
many of the Sahaabah as possible

Why All This Effort ?

It is natural that people try to watch and remembers the sayings and deeds
of anyone who is dear to them, and there is no doubt that Prophet
Muhammad (‫ )ﷺ‬was the most beloved person on earth to his followers.
The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬himself had enjoined this love on his community saying,
“None of you has truly believed until I become more dear to him than this
son, his father and all of mankind. ” Allaah, in the Qur’aan, emphasized for
the whole of the Muslim Ummah the extreme importance of the Sunnah of
the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬by ordering them to obey all of his commands:

“Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you,
leave it.” Soorah al-Hashr (59):
How could the Muslim Nation obey this divine command after the
Prophet’s death ? How could they know what Allaah’s Messenger (r) had
commanded and forbidden if he was no longer with them? Therefore, great
care had to be taken to preserve the Sunnah and convey it to each
successive generations of Muslims. The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬also stressed the great
importance of passing on the Sunnah without any alterations by promising
them Allaah’s blessings saying, “Allaah blesses any man who hears a saying
of mine, memorizes it and understands it, then conveys just as he heard it ;
for perhaps one who is informed has more understanding than the one
who heard it. ”
He also stressed it by warning them of the severe punishment awaiting
anyone who lies on him saying “Whoever lies on me will find his seat in the
Hellfire!

The Era of the Taabi‘oon

When the Sahaabah began to die out and Islaam spread into India,
Afghanistan, Russia, China, North Africa and Spain, the Taabi ‘ oon took up
where the Sahaabah had left off and began the great task of teaching the
new converts to Islaam the principles of the religion. They would say to
those who gathered around them, “I heard such and such a Sahaabee say
that he saw the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬do this,” or, “I heard such and such a Sahaabee
say that he heard the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬say that.” In this way the second link in
the chain of narration of the Sunnah was added. Those who studied under
the Taabi ‘ oon were later called Atbaa ‘ at-Taabi ‘ een (followers of the
followers). Many of these new students used to travel for days or even
months to meet and study under various Taabe ‘ oon, taking great care in
the memorization and the writing down of their teacher’s narrations.
During this period, the righteous caliph, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Azeez (reign 717-
719) (reign 717-719), commanded all the great scholars of that time, like
Abu Bakr ibn Hazm (d. 737) and Sa‘d ibn Ibraaheeem, to collect all the
statements and actions of the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬which were bring taught
because some people in Iraq had begun to make up stories about the
Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬. One of the first scholars among the Taabi ‘ oon to record the
narrations about the Prophet (‫ ) ﷺ‬was Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Shihaab
az-Zuhree. Ibn Shihaab not only recorded the statements, but also the
names of the narrators and information about them so that those who
were making up Hadeeths could be easily identified. Even though the
process of writing down Hadeeths had begun on a large scale, the oral
transmission of Hadeeths continued because much more could be
conveyed in a shorter period of time. Writing was a slow and tedious
process in those days. Writing materials were scare and the printing press
had not been invented.
So the Atbaa ‘ at-Taabi ‘ een taught those who gathered around them much
in the same way in which they were taught themselves. They would say to
their students, “I heard such and such a Taabi ‘ ee say that he heard such
and such a Sahaabee say that he saw the Prophet (r) do this,” or “I heard
such and such a Taabi ‘ ee say that he heard such and such a Sahaabee say
that he heard the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬say that.” Only a few books of Hadeeth from
the time of the Atbaa ‘ at-Taabi ‘ een have reached us. The most famous of
them is the book of Maalik ibn Anas called Al-Muwatta, and the most
famous copy of Al-Muwatta is that of Maalik’s student Yahyaa ibn Yahyaa
from the Berber tribe of Masmoodah. In the second volume of Yahyaa’s
copy of Al-Muwatta, in the chapter on the Dabb (lizard), we find the
following: “Maalik told me from Ibn Shihaab from Abu Umaamah ibn Sahl
(ibn Hurayf) from ‘ Abdullaah ibn ‘ Abbaas from Khaalid ibn al-Waleed that
he accompanied the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬to his wife Maymoonah ’ s house and a
roasted Dabb was brought for him (to eat)... so Allaah ’ s Messenger
stretched out his hand to eat some of it. Some of the women who were
with Maymoonah said, ‘ Inform Allaah ’ s Messenger of what he is about to
eat. ’ When he was told that it was Dabb, he removed his hand from it and
(Khaalid ibn alWaleed) asked, ‘ Is it Haraam, O Messenger of Allaah? ’ He
replied , ‘ No, but it wasn ‘ t in my people ’ s land and I find it loathsome. ’
Khaalid then said, ‘ I then tore off (a piece of) it and ate it whole the
Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬watched me
The Sanad (chain of transmission) of this Hadeeth is as follows :
:
 Prophet
sahaba khalid

sahaba ibn Abbaas

sahaba abu umamah

Tabioon Ibn e Shihab

atba u tabieen Malik

Atba u Tabien yahya

Khaalid ibn al-Waleed, Ibn ‘Abbaas and Abu Umaamah were all Sahaabah,
but Ibn ‘Abbaas was a young Sahaabee and Abu Umaamah only saw the
Prophet (r) just before his death. So Khaalid related this incident to Ibn
‘Abbaas when he asked him about eating Dabb and Ibn ‘Abbaas related it to
Abu Umaamah who then told Ibn Shihaab who told Maalik, who in turn
wrote it down and told Yahyaa

Following that hadeeth is another narration on the same topic : “Maalik

informed me from ‘ Abdullaah ibn Deenar from Ibn ‘ Umar that a man
called out to the Prophet of Allaah, ‘ O Prophet of Allaah, what do you say
about Dabb? ’
 The Prophet of Allaah replied, ‘ I don ’t eat it and I don ’ t forbid it. ” 15 In
this case the Sanad is shorter because the Sahaabee Ibn ‘Umar related it
directly to his student Ibn Deenar

Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬

SAHABA IBN E UMAR

Taabioon IBN E Deenar

Atbaa at Taabieen Maalik

Atbaa o attba e tabeen

YAhya
HADEETH ON INTENTIONS
Part 1
‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab quoted Allaah’s Messenger (r) as saying: “Indeed actions are
according to their intentions and every person will have what he intended. So, whoever
’ s migration was for Allaah and His Messenger, then his migration is for Allaah and His
Messenger. Whoever s migration was for this world or a woman for marriage, his
migration is for what he migrated.” Collected by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim

This hadeeth is so comprehensive, touching almost all aspects of Islaam that Imaam
Aboo Daawood said it was half of Islaam. That is, Islaamic knowledge is composed of
apparent deeds and the intentions behind them. Imaam ash-Shaafi‘ee was of the
opinion that it comprises one third of knowledge, which according to al-Bayhaqee
meant that people earn reward with their hearts, tongues and bodies and intention is
involved with one of them.3 Imaam Ahmad expressed that Islaam revolves around three
hadeeths: “Indeed actions are according to their intentions,” “Whoever introduces
anything into this affair of ours that is not from it will have it rejected,” and “The
permissible is clear and the forbidden is clear.”4 Consequently, many of the early
scholars preferred to begin their writings or hadeeth compilations with this hadeeth,
such as al-Bukhaaree in his work Saheeh al-Bukhaaree.

Context of the Hadeeth In many cases, there are circumstances in which various
statements of the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬or his acts were done. Knowledge of these contexts help
to clarify the intended meaning of the hadeeths. If there is no recorded information
about a hadeeth ’s context, the general meaning is taken and the hadeeth is studied in
the context of the relevant Qur’aanic verses and hadeeths. In this case the Prophet’s
companion Ibn Mas‘ood was of the opinion that the statement in this hadeeth was
made concerning a man who wanted to marry Umm Qays. When she refused him unless
he migrated from Makkah to Madeenah, he did so in order to marry her and was nick-
named “the migrant for Umm Qays”.

The Narrator ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (583-644CE) is considered to be the greatest

companion of the Prophet (r ) after Aboo Bakr. The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬prayed that Allaah
would strengthen Islaam during the Makkan period by his conversion. With his
conversion, five years before the Hijrah (migration to Madeenah), Muslims had the
confidence to pray openly after praying secretly for eight years prior to that.5 The
Prophet (r) mentioned him among ten of his followers whom he promised paradise and
praised his courage and knowledge. He was the second of what came to be known as
the Four Righteous Caliphs, who lead the Muslim state after the Prophet’s death. During
his reign, Muslims defeated the Persian and Roman empires and the rule of Islaam
spread from Iran to Egypt. There are over 530 hadeeths narrated by ‘Umar in the books
of hadeeth and he was known for his concern to ensure the authenticity of whatever
was narrated from the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬.

Meaning of “Indeed actions are according to their intentions…” The term intention
(niyyah) refers to one’s resolve to do something as long as nothing prevents it or one’s
intention does not change. Jurists refer to the intention as “the intent in the heart that
must accompany and precede any act of worship.” A person may state that his or her
intent is something and intend something else in their heart. Consequently, the place of
the intention is in the heart as held by most scholars. Furthermore, it was not the
practice of the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬to express his intention out loud before any acts except Hajj.
The first part of the Prophet’s statement addresses the fact that every intentional act
done by a rational person has behind it an intent, without which the act would not have
been done. The intention may be good and pious, or it may be evil, or it may be
religiously neutral. The value of deeds is determined by the intentions behind them.
Three people may do the same act with three different intentions as is explained by the
remainder of the Prophet’s statement. One may emigrate with the intention of pleasing
Allaah and obedience to His Messenger (‫)ﷺ‬, and another may accompany him with the
sole intention of marrying a woman or some other worldly purpose, and yet another
may accompany them in order to assassinate the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬. Externally their acts
resemble each other but their internal intentions will determine the real value of their
deeds. The act of hijrah was primarily a religious act. The deed of one who did so for the
correct intention will be counted as a righteous deed of emigration which will make him
eligible for a reward from God. In the second case, the intention of marriage was not
evil, but it was wrong for that act, consequently, his emigration would not be
considered a righteous deed and he would not be eligible for any reward. In the third
case, the emigrant had an evil intent thus not only would he not be eligible for reward,
but also it would be considered an evil deed for which he could be punished. Any act
done with the sole intention of pleasing Allaah which is according to the sharee ‘ah is
considered an act of worship or ‘ ibaadah. Those acts that are purely worship must be
accompanied with an intention for them to be acceptable to God. Among them,
according to the majority opinion among jurists, are wudoo, ghusl, tayammum, salaah,
zakaah, sawm, hajj, i ‘ tikaaf. For example, the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬said:
“One who does not make the intention to fast during the night of Ramadaan (for the
next day) will not be rewarded for the fast.”
If a person did not eat due to an illness or a lack of food, it could not be counted as
fasting from a religious perspective. The act of fasting must be preceded by the
intention for it to be acceptable to God. Therefore, intentions are one means of
distinguishing between non-religious acts and religious acts. They also distinguish
between obligatory and voluntary acts of worship. Intention is one of the deeds of the
heart which are under human control and is a result of personal choice. Consequently,
humans are instructed to make their intentions pure and to define their purposes. They
are prohibited from committing shirk in their intentions and from deviating their
intentions to prohibited acts. Were intentions not under human control, the divine
order to have purity of intention and to avoid shirk would be an obligation which human
beings could not fulfill.
It should be noted that there are some deeds which do not need intention for their
validity.
For example, cleaning one’s clothing from ritual impurities is a precondition for formal
prayer. If one cleaned it along with other items without intending to clean it for worship,
it would still be considered ritually pure and may be used for worship. On the other
hand an act might be fundamentally religiously neutral (mubaah), meaning - according
to jurists - that there is no reward or punishment for one who does it or does not do it.
However, it may be turned into an act of worship eligible for reward if it is done because
it was permissible – while avoiding the forbidden – and or as a means of coming closer
to God. To that effect the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬stated the following: “Anything you spend
seeking Allaah ’ s Countenance will be rewarded, even for [the bit of food] that you put
in your wife ’ s mouth.”
On the other hand, if someone does a religious act for the pleasure of Allaah and people
praise him for it, his reward will not be affected. When the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬was asked about
one who did that he replied, “That is a prompt part of the good tidings that the believer
receives.”
Intentions beyond Actions The actions of the heart can take one beyond the bounds of
physical deeds. That is, a person may be rewarded for having the intention to do a deed
which they never got the opportunity to do. During the Prophet’s era, a man prepared
for jihad but died before being able to do so. His daughter said to him, “I wish you could
have died a martyr, for you had prepared for it.” The Prophet (r) informed her, “Indeed
Allaah, Most Great and Glorious, has given his reward to him according to his intention.”
Consequently, when women are disallowed from making Hajj due to not having a
mahram for their protection, they should not feel denied and end up making Hajj
anyway. For their sincere desire to make Hajj may earn them far greater rewards than
many who actually make the Hajj. And they should not forget that most Muslims never
get the opportunity to make Hajj in their lifetimes due to economic reasons.
Meaning of “and every person will have what he intended.” This part of the Prophet’s
statement may be considered as emphasis for the first part, “Indeed actions are
according to their intentions,” which stressed the importance of purity of intention
(ikhlaas) and warned against doing religious acts for show or for other wrong intentions
Or it may be considered the consequence and the first part the cause. That is, in the first
part, the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬made it clear that every deed must have an intention behind it. In
the second part he informed that reward and punishment will be in accordance with the
intention. If one intended the pleasure of Allaah and the Hereafter in his or her religious
deeds, that will be the consequence. While those who intend the fleeting pleasures of
this world may be given it or they may not. As Allaah said:
“ For whoever desires the transitory enjoyment of this world, I will promptly grant of it
what I wish and to whom I wish…” (Soorah alIsraa,

This part of the Prophet’s statement could also mean that the reward for deeds depends
solely on the nature of the intentions behind them. With regard to this, Ibn Rajab said,
“…[It] is a statement about the sharee ‘ ah ruling. That is, the only portion belonging to
the doer from his deed is his intention. If it was sound or pious, his deed is sound and he
will have its reward. If it was evil, then his deed was evil and he will carry its burden…
[Thus,] the first sentence indicates that the goodness or evilness of an act is according to
the intention that brought it into being. The second sentence indicates that the reward
for the doer for his deed is according to his pious intention and his punishment for his
deed is based on his evil intention.”
When the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬stated that everyone would get what they intended, he meant
that their reward or punishment in the next life would be according to what they
intended, not literally that their intent would be fulfilled in this life. Because most
people do not get whatever they intend in this world. If the person’s intent was for the
sake of Allaah, then he or she earns Allaah’s pleasure and His reward. If the person’s
intention was religiously neutral, the result will also be religiously neutral though it may
not be exactly what the person intended. And if the person had an evil intent, the result
will ultimately be evil; not what they intended but according to what they intended.

Meaning of “So, whoever’s migration (hijrah) was for Allaah and His Messenger, then his
migration is for Allaah and His Messenger…” The word hijrah literally means “to leave a
place of abode and emigrate to another people; from one land, district or town to
another.”
However, from the sharee ‘ ah perspective it means “to emigrate from the territory of
disbelievers to the territory of the believers or to any place of safety or refuge on
account of religious persecution.”
Hadeeth of intentions
Part 2
During the Prophet’s lifetime there were two hijrahs. The first was from Makkah to Abyssinia
around the fifth year of the prophethood and the second was from Makkah to Madeenah in the
thirteenth year. In the first hijrah a small band of Muslims who were able to escape persecution
in Makkah sought refuge with the ruler of Ethiopia at the Prophet’s suggestion and they
remained there until the time of the second hijrah. When the Prophet (r ) emigrated to
Madeenah, it became obligatory on all Muslims to join him there. In this regard Allaah revealed
the verse:

“Indeed those whom the angels take in a state of self-oppression will be asked, ‘In what
condition were you?’ They will reply, ‘We were weak and oppressed in the land.’ They will be
asked, ‘Wasn’t Allaah’s earth spacious enough for you to emigrate?’ Such people will find their
abode in Hell – what an evil destination.” (Soorah anNisaa, 4:97) Once Makkah was conquered
that obligation was removed with regard to Madeenah as the Prophet (r ) said: “There is no
hijrah after the Conquest of Makkah, but what remains is jihaad and intention.”23 Although it is
this hijrah which this hadeeth seems to refer to, the text is general and there is no authentic
evidence to limit it. Furthermore, hijrah as a principle remains an obligation on all Muslims until
the Last Day, as indicted in the Prophet’s saying, “Hijrah will not end until repentance ends. And
repentance will not end until the sun rises from the West.”24 The object of hijrah is to shift
one’s residence to a location in which one can best practice Islaam. On that basis, scholars have
categorized the different types of hijrah as follows: 1. Hijrah from the land of disbelief (Daar al-
Kufr) to the land of Islaam (Daar al-Islaam). 2. Hijrah from a land of bid ‘ ah (heresy and
innovation). 3. Hijrah from a land dominated by haraam to one less dominated. 4. Hijrah from a
land where one’s life or limb, health, or property is threatened.

5. Hijrah from whatever Allaah has prohibited.25 Consequently, those who make hijrah for the
sake of their religion will be rewarded on the basis of that pious intention even if they die before
achieving their goal. Allaah indicated that saying: “Whoever leaves his home emigrating to
Allaah and His Messenger and death over takes him, his reward is incumbent on Allaah.”
(Soorah an-Nisaa, 4:100) This segment of the hadeeth is a prophetic example of deeds being
counted and rewarded according to their intentions. Even if the end result is not what is
intended, the reward will be based on the intent as in the above-mentioned verse. On one
occasion a man gave some charity for distribution and it was in turn given to his son. When he
told the Prophet (r ) that he had not desired that, he was informed, “For you is what you
intended,” and his son was told, “For you is what you have received.”26 The Prophet (r )
repeated or restated “Allaah and His Messenger” in order to emphasize the importance and
greatness of the purpose of the migration. The goal of “Allaah and His Messenger” is the
ultimate goal of intentions for this life and the next. Furthermore, it is a singular goal which
cannot be mixed with any other. Whereas the reasons for worldly goals are too numerous to
count so “for whatever he migrated” suffices.27 It has also been noted that by using “for them”
instead of “for Allaah and His Messenger” would refer to Allaah and His Messenger with a single
pronoun, which is inappropriate. On one occasion, when a person said, “Whoever obeys Allaah
and His Messenger has indeed been guided. And whoever disobeys them has strayed,” the
Prophet (r) corrected him and told him to say instead, “Whoever disobeys Allaah and His
Messenger.”

Meaning of “And whoever’s migration was for this world or a woman for marriage, then his
migration is for what he migrated.” The Prophet (r) belittled the goal of the person who
migrated for worldly goals by not repeating what he previously mentioned. Migration for
economic betterment from one Islaamic environment to another equally Islaamic environment
is permissible according to sharee ‘ ah. When a person emigrates for material gain from a
relatively Islaamic to a non-Islaamic environment, it becomes haraam. In doing so, he puts his
own Islaam at risk as well as the religion of his family. His hijrah is cursed and his family is likely
to be spiritually and socially destroyed. Marriage is specifically mentioned in the closing
statement, even it though it is a part of worldly goals, because of the great danger that women –
or the opposite sex in general – pose to piety and righteousness. Allaah warned about the
danger of spouses saying:

“Indeed there is in your spouses and children a trial, so beware of them.”

The Prophet (r) also said, “Indeed the world is sweet and alluring and Allaah is going to make
you successors in it. So look and see how you behave. Beware of this world and beware of
women. For, certainly the first trial that afflicted the Israelites was concerning women.”29 He
further said, “I have not left any trial after me more harmful to men than women.”30 The trial
of women is evident from the numerous cases of sexual scandal involving leading political
figures like Bill Clinton, former president of the United States of America, to leading religious
figures like televangelist Jimmy Swaggart. People are commonly trapped into spying for other
counties using women. Many religious cults like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Moonies
commonly use females to recruit members. Commercially, goods are often promoted using
fashion models.

Intentions and Deeds Ibn ‘Ajlaan said, “A deed is not useful unless accompanied by three
factors: awareness of Allaah; good intention; and correctness of the deed.”31 Ash-Shaatibee
divided all acts into four categories: 1. The intent and the act are both consistent with the
sharee ‘ ah. These are the basic conditions of a righteous deed. 2. The intent and the act
contradict the sharee ‘ ah. This represents one of the forms of sin where the intent is sinful and
the act itself is sinful.

3. The intent is wrong but the act is consistent. a) The person had a sinful intent, but was
unaware that his act was in accordance with the sharee ‘ ah. For example, a person borrows an
audio cassette with the intent of listening to music only to find that it is a recording of Qur’aan.
b) The person’s intent is evil and he is aware that his act was in agreement with the sharee ‘ ah.
For example, a person who does not normally cover herself, puts on the complete Islaamic garb
when attending Islaamic gatherings. This is an act of hypocrisy (nifaaq). 4. The intent is correct
but the act is inconsistent. a) The person has the correct intent but is aware that his act
contradicts the sharee ‘ ah. Most forms of bid ‘ ah fall under this category, like celebrating the
Prophet’s birthday. Likewise, the principle of “the ends justifies the mean,” where people
commit sins with good intentions belongs under this category. b) The person’s intent is correct
but is unaware that his act is inconsistent with the sharee ‘ ah. Such an act is a genuine mistake
for which a person may still be rewarded. No sin would be written against him as in the case of
forgetfulness.
AShab us suffah

The essay before you is concerned with a specific set of people who are to be counted amongst
the greatest of the companions and richest in their love for Allah (s.w.t), His blessed Prophet
(s.a.w) and the noble quest for knowledge. These people were the Ashab us-Suffah
(Companions of the Bench) and it is fundamentally important that we each come to know
about, appreciate, and love the contribution of these great individuals to both Islam and the
evolution of the human spirit. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) undoubtedly loved and cared for these
men of humility and this fact alone is reason enough for us to love them with every shred of our
very being.

The Suffah

In the early days of Islam the Qiblah (direction to face for prayer) was not the Baitul Haraam
(Holy Ka’aba) but instead Muslims prayed towards Jerusalem (Bait-ul-Quds). The Holy Prophet
(s.a.w) prayed towards Jerusalem out of obedience to the Will of Allah (s.w.t), however his heart
was always inclined towards the Ka’aba. For this reason, when in Mecca, he would always
position himself in the prayer so that he was facing both the Holy Ka’aba and Jerusalem.

After the migration of the Muslims to Medina (hijra) the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) was not able to
continue this practice (Jerusalem being north of Medina and Mecca being south of Medina) and
the Holy Prophet (s.a.w), along with the companions, would pray only towards Jerusalem. The
positioning of Jerusalem dictated that they would stand in the South-Western part of the
Prophet’s Mosque. This lasted until Allah (s.w.t) revealed the verse:

“Verily, We see thee turning thy face often to heaven; surely, then, will we make thee turn to
the Qiblah which thou likest. So turn thy face towards the Sacred Mosque; and wherever you
may be, turn your faces towards it. And they to whom the Book has been given know that this is
the truth from their Lord; and Allah is not unmindful of what they do.”
(The Holy Qur’an Chapter 2, verse 144)

After this the Southern door of the Prophet’s Mosque was closed and a new one opened in the
Northern part of the Mosque facing the new Qiblah – Baitul Haraam (Holy Ka’aba).

A shade was then erected, under the instructions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w), which was fixed to
the wall where the old Qiblah used to be (this was now the back wall of the Mosque). The type
of shade, or raised bench, which was erected, is known in Arabic as a Suffah and this is why that
quarter of the Mosque became known as Al-Suffah.

The Suffah was not an enclosed space but was open on three sides and became a place which
many of the poorer companions would occupy. The great scholar of hadith, Hadhrat Ibn Hajr al-
Asqalani (r.a), relates to us in his work Fath-ul-Bari that:

‘As-Suffahh is the place in the back portion of the Prophet’s Masjid. It had a covering and was
prepared so that estranged people could stay there, people who had neither homes nor
families’.
(As-Sallaabee. The Noble Life of the Prophet. Vol.2. Pg.735.)

Ashab us-Suffah

Many historical records tell us that the people who lived in the place of Suffah (sometimes
referred to as ‘The People of the Bench or Veranda’) were those individuals who either had no
family or were too poor to afford their own accommodation.

Whilst this is true in part it does an injustice to those companions whom chose to live in the
place of Suffah because of their burning desire to shun all worldly objects and completely
annihilate themselves in the service of Allah (s.w.t) and love of His Messenger (s.a.w). These
people were not few in number and sacrificed all of the temptations of this world in search of a
far greater reward in the hereafter.

The great Islamic thinker, Hadhrat Chaudhry Muhammad Zafrullah Khan (r.a), has commented
on the Ashab us-Suffah writing:

“They enjoyed the company of the Holy Prophet most of the time, and occupied themselves
with worship and the recitation of the Holy Qur’an. They had no permanent means of
subsistence. The Holy Prophet looked after them, and shared with them whatever became
available to himself and to members of his family. On occasion, the latter went without, and
whatever was available was sent to the Dwellers of Suffah. Ansar also offered them hospitality,
so far as they could afford it. Nevertheless, these people often faced starvation. This continued
for several years till some of them began to find gainful occupation, and the national treasury
could also afford to provide them with some relief.”
(Muhammad; Seal of the Prophets. pp.84-85.)

The precise number of the Ashab us-Suffah is not known but it is estimated that the Suffah
could hold up to three hundred people at any one time and that roughly seventy people made
up its’ permanent residents. The initial inhabitants of the Suffah were members of the
Muhajirun (those that had emigrated from Mecca) who were without any accommodation but
as time passed the Suffah would house people from many different areas who could find no
other place to live.

Characteristics of Ashab us-Suffah

As has been mentioned the Ashab us-Suffah were a group of people who were predominantly
poor and had no family. This was a state which developed and changed over many years with
people leaving the Suffah after marriage or when they were blessed with additional provisions.
Their general condition improved in the later days of Medina as the poverty and financial
depression which had struck Medina improved.

However, the hardship which they were made to undergo should not be taken as a light matter,
they were made to endured such devastating tribulations that their very dignity and lives were
almost extinguished on many occasions. The Suffah was a structure which was not enclosed or
sealed. Because it was open to the forces of nature the Ashab us-Suffah sometimes had an
untidy outward appearance as their cloths and skin would often be covered in dust. The clothes
which they wore were made of a thin and weak material which was hardly adequate enough in
size to cover their bodies. This caused many of them great personal discomfort as they became
embarrassed to enter the Mosque to pray. The situation became so distraught that many of the
Ashab us-Suffah were made to wear a thin loin cloth. As the Suffah was an open structure and
the Ashab us-Suffah were without sufficient clothing they had no defence against the cold
winter nights of Medina.

The companions would sometimes go without food for long periods of time and endure great
hunger. Some of the Ashab us-Suffah, Abu Hurairah being the most famous example, would
physically fall unconscious when praying in Masjid An-Nabawi. One should pause here for a
moment and reflect upon the magnitude of the pure desire and firm obedience of these
individuals that despite suffering from hunger and the cold they would rather risk falling
unconscious than miss a prayer.

When food was available they would often be limited to eating dates which would be
distributed amongst them all evenly. It is narrated that they were so just in the distribution of
the little food they had that if one of them would eat two dates together he would tell the other
companions that he had taken two and that they should take one extra.

The hunger which they suffered from was something they could simply not avoid due to the
dictates of their circumstance and so in order to overcome this great trial they would engulf
themselves in the remembrance of Allah (s.w.t). Surely Allah (s.w.t) has promised:

“And We will try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives and fruits;
but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. Who, when a misfortune overtakes them,
say, ‘Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.’
It is these on whom descend blessings from their Lord and also mercy, and it is these who
are rightly guided.”
(The Holy Qur’an Chapter 2, verse 156-8)

The desperation of the trial they were made to undergo is better understood through the words
of Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (r.a) who said:
‘By Allah except Whom none has the right to be worshipped, (sometimes) I used to lay (sleep)
on the ground on my liver (abdomen) because of hunger, and (sometimes) I used to bind a stone
over my belly because of hunger’.

Love of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) for the Ashab us-Suffah

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) could easily be described as the guardian of the Ashab us-Suffah as he
not only looked after their every need but was every filled with a unique love for them. The Holy
Prophet (s.a.w), more than anyone, understood and knew the value of their sacrifice. The Holy
Prophet (s.a.w) has said:

“I am closer to the believers than their selves in this world and in the Hereafter, and if you like,
you can read Allah’s Statement:
“The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves.” (33.6)
So, if a true believer dies and leaves behind some property, it will be for his inheritors (from the
father’s side), and if he leaves behind some debt to be paid or needy offspring, then they should
come to me as I am the guardian of the deceased.”
(Sahih Al-Bukhari. Vol.3, Bk.41, No.584.)

A close study of the Ashab us-Suffah is testament to the fact that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) was
indeed so conscious about the needs of the companions that even they themselves were less
aware of their own needs. Regarding their physical well being the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) took
great care to provide them with whatever he could from him own humble share. His willingness
to share with them literally whatever he physically had in his house, and to even deny his own
family, is illustrated when he invited the some of the Ashab us-Suffah to his home and all that
was on his table was barley. Even when the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) would receive Sadaqa he would
not take a penny but rather distribute it amongst the Ashab us-Suffah. Likewise if he was given
any gift he only kept for himself a small portion and distributed the rest to the Ashab us-Suffah.

Conclusion

The Ashab us-Suffah set an astonishingly highly spiritual example for us to follow. They were not
people of this world but sacrificed everything temporal for the reward of the hereafter. They
were the great lovers of Allah (s.w.t) and it was that very love which caused them to serve, day
and night, the greatest of Allah’s creation (s.a.w). They evaporated their hearts in the love of the
Holy Prophet (s.a.w) became and thus became an embodiment of the saying of the Holy
Prophet:

“None of you can be a true believer until his love for me is more than his love for his parents,
children and all the people in the world”.
It is to these great champions of humanity that the world is indebted to for the scrupulous
transition of much the knowledge that we now utilise on a daily basis. This was only as a result
of them spending the minutes and seconds of their lives in remembrance of Allah (s.w.t) and at
the every beckoning of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w)

Daily life of the Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬

Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.) is the greatest benefactor of humanity and a source of guidance
for all mankind. Undoubtedly, sending of the Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.) is the biggest
blessing of Allah bestowed upon man. It was Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.) who bring people
from darkness to light through his teaching.

The best way to express love for the Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.) is to send peace and
blessings upon him. Loving him, follow/obey him and sending peace & blessing upon him is an
essential part of faith (iman) of every Muslim.

Allah says in the Al-Quran:

“Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who
have believed, ask [ Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace.”
(Surah Al-Ahzab: 33:56)

"Whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from.
And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty." (Surah Al-Hashr: 59:7)

Narrated by Abu Hurairah (R.A.) that the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) said,

" Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah, and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah, and whoever
obeys the ruler I appoint, obeys me, and whoever disobeys him, disobeys me." (Sahih al-Bukhari
7137)

The Prophet (S.A.W.) is a role model for all mankind till the day of judgement. Believers look at
his Sunnahs and learn how they can implement the teachings of Prophet (S.A.W.) in their lives.

Reviving or follow the Prophet’s sunnahs is a great blessing of Allah. As Narrated by Anas bin
Malik,

"The Messenger of Allah (S.A.W) said to me: 'Whoever revives my Sunnah then he has loved me.
And whoever loved me, he shall be with me in Paradise.'" (Tirmidhi: 2678)

In this article, we will try to cover Prophet’s (S.A.W.) authentic Sunnahs which are easy to follow
as these activities are already part of our daily life i-e (Sunnahs for waking up, ablution etc.) By
reviving and following these sunnahs, we will be loved by Allah, fulfill our religious duties,
preserve ourselves from committing heresies in religion and achieve the religious rituals

Going to Sleep:

1. Sleep after Isha prayer.

2. Apply Kuhl (Surma) thrice in each eye.

3. Recite 'Bismillah' (mention Allah’s name), close the door of room/house, cover the utensils,
put out the lights/ extinguish any lamps and cover your food and drinks.

4. Sleep in the state of Wudhu (Ablution).

5. Whenever a person going to bed for sleep, he should dust it off thrice with the edge of a cloth
and say this dua:
َ‫ظ بِ ِه ِعبَادَكَ الصَّالِحِ ين‬ َ ‫ َوإِ ْن أ َ ْر‬،‫ار َح ْمهَا‬
ُ َ‫ بِ َما تَحْ ف‬،‫س ْلتَهَا فَاحْ فَ ْظهَا‬ َ ‫ فَ ِإ ْن أ َ ْم‬،ُ‫ َوبِكَ أ َ ْرفَعُه‬،‫ضعْتُ َج ْنبِي‬
ْ َ‫سكْتَ نَ ْفسِي ف‬ َ ‫بِاسْمِ كَ َربِي َو‬

Bismika Rabbi Wada`tu janbi, wa bika arfa'hu. In amsakta nafsi faghfir laha, wa in arsaltaha
fahfazha bima tahfaz bihi 'ibadaka-s-salihin.

Translation: In Your name my Lord, I lie down and in Your name I rise, so if You should take my
soul then have mercy upon it, and if You should return my soul then protect it in the manner
You do so with Your righteous servants.

6. Recite Ayat-ul-Kursi (2:255) before sleeping.

7. Lie down on your right side, put hand under the cheek and say this dua:

‫اللَّ ُه َّم بِاسْـمِ كَ أ َ ُموتُ َوأَحْ يَا‬

Allaahumma Bismika Amootu Wa Ahyaa

Translation: O Allaah, in Your name I die and I live.

Hadith References:

[Bukhari: 568, 5010, 5623, 6293, 6294, 6295, 6296, 6311, 6314, 7393]
[Thirmidhi: 2048]
[An-Nasai: 259]

Waking up from Sleep:

1. Sit and rub the traces of sleep off face with hands.

2. Say this dua on waking up:

‫ا َ ْل َح ْم ُد ِللَّ ِه الَّذي أَحْ يَانَا بَ ْع َد َما أ َ َماتَنَا َوإِلَ ْي ِه النُّشُو ُر‬

Alhamdu Lillahil-Lathee Ahyana BaAAda Ma Amatana Wa-Ilayhin-Nushoor.

Translation: All praise is for Allah who gave us life after having taken it from us and unto Him is
the resurrection.

3. Whenever the Prophet (S.A.W.) woke up, even at night, he used the Siwak (Miswak, small
branch of tree) to brush his teeth.

4. Washing the face and hands when waking from sleep.

5. Perform Ablution: The Prophet (S.A.W.) said:

“If anyone of you rouses from sleep and performs the ablution, he should wash his nose by
putting water in it and then blowing it out thrice, because Satan has stayed in the upper part of
his nose all the night.” (Bukhari: 3295)
Hadith References:

[Bukhari: 183, 7394, 245, 3295]

[Muslim: 304]

Entering and Coming out from the Bathroom/Toilet:

1. Make sure that there is complete privacy whilst relieving one's self.

2. Habib bin Saleh (R.A.) has reported that when the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) entered the
toilet, he would put on his shoes and cover his head.

3. Etiquette demands that a ring or a book with Allah’s Name inscribed or written in must not be
taken inside the lavatory.

4. Enter the toilet with left foot.

5. Say this dua before entering the toilet:

ِ ‫اللَّهُـ َّم إِنِي أَعُـوذُ بِـكَ مِ ـنَ ا ْل ُخـ ْب‬

ِ ِ‫ث َوا ْل َخبَائ‬
‫ث‬
Allahumma Innee Aaaoothu Bika Minal-Khubthi Wal-Khaba-ith.

Translation: O Allah, I take refuge with you from all evil and evil-doers.

6. When uncovering the body, the more one can lower his body the better. Cloth should be
lifted away from one’s private parts when the person squatting to relieve himself is near the
ground.

7. Whilst relieving, one should neither face the Qiblah nor have his back towards it.

8. Urinate sitting down. Do not urinate standing.

9. Whilst urinating or during cleansing (istinjaa), do not touch the private parts with the right
hand. Use the left hand.

10. Safeguard yourself from the drops / splash / sprinkling of urine.

11. Cleansing private parts, after relieving, with water.

12. Exiting the toilet with right foot.

13. Say this dua coming out of toilet:

َ‫غ ْف َرانَك‬
ُ

Ghufranak.

Translation: I ask You (Allah) for forgiveness.

Hadith References:
[Abu Dawud: 2, 30]
[Muslim: 265]
[Ibn Majah: 303, 307]
[Bukhari: 153, 216, 217, 6322]
[Tirmidhi: 14]

Daily life of the prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬

)part 2)

Performing Wudu (Ablution):

1. Mentioning the Name of Allah (Bismillah) before beginning wudu.

2. Washing the hands thrice.

3. Using tooth stick (Miswak, Siwak) before rinsing one’s mouth.

4. Rinse the mouth.

5. Wash nose three times with water by putting water in it and blowing it out.

6. Wash the face thrice.

7. Running one’s wet finger through the beard upon washing the face.

8. Wash forearms upto the elbows thrice. (washing the right limb before the left)

9. Wiping over one’s head. This is performed as follows: passing one’s wet hands over the head
from front to back and so forth.

10. Wash the right foot up to the ankle three times, then the left one likewise.

11. Running wet fingers between the fingers and toes.

12. After performing complete ablution, recite the following dua/supplication:

ُ‫سـولُـه‬ َ ً ‫ش َه ُد أَنَّ ُم َح َّمـدا‬
ُ ‫عبْـ ُد ُه َو َر‬ ْ َ ‫ش َه ُد أ َ ْن ََل إِلَـهَ إَِلَّ اللهُ َو ْح َد ُه ََل شَريـكَ لَـهُ َوأ‬
ْ َ‫أ‬

Ashhadu an la ilaha illal-lahu wahdahu la shareeka lah, wa-ashhadu anna Muhammadan

AAabduhu warasooluh.

Translation: I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, alone without
partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

13. Performing ablution in one’s house.

14. Passing one’s hand over the limb while or after washing.

15. Using little amount of water for ablution.

16. Washing each part properly/perfectly (Perfecting the ablution).

Hadith References:

[Bukhari: 186, 159, 3574]

[Muslim: 234(a), 666]
[Ibn Majah: 430]
[Tirmidhi: 25]

Wearing Clothes:

1. Say Bislmillah (recommended in all actions).

2. Recite the following dua/supplication:

َ ‫ب َو َر َزقَنِي ِه ِم ْن‬
‫غي ِْر ح َْو ٍل مِ نِي َو ََل قُ َّو ٍة‬ َ ‫سانِي َهذَا الث َّ ْو‬
َ ‫ال َح ْم ُد لِل ِه الَّذِي َك‬
Alhamdu lillahil-lathee kasanee hatha (aththawb) warazaqaneehi min ghayri hawlin minnee
wala quwwah.

Translation: All Praise is for Allah who has clothed me with this garment and provided it for me,
with no power or might from myself.

3. Start by the right side upon wearing clothes.

4. Upon taking off the clothes, start with the left side then the right.

Hadith References:

[Abu Dawoud: 4023 and 4141]

Wearing Shoes:

If you want to wear your shoes, start with the right foot and if you want to take it off, start with
the left.

Hadith References:

[Bukhari: 168]
Going out and coming back home:

1. Glorify and Exalt Allah while entering the house.

[There are no specific words or aya mention in the Hadith to Glorify Allah, therefore according
to Ualama (scholars), any words such as ‘Subhanallah’, ‘Alhamdulillah’, ‘Allah-U-Akbar’,
reciting Surah AL-Fatiha, Surah Al-Ikhlas or any other related words/ verses which are meant to
glorify Allah can be read/recite by a person entering his house.]

2. Recite the following dua/supplication while entering home:

‫علَی اللّٰ ِہ َربِنَا ت َ َو َّک ْلنَا‬

َ ‫س ِم اللّٰ ِہ َخ َرجْ نَا َو‬ ْ ‫ک َخي َْرا ْل َم ْولِجِ َو َخي َْرا ْل َم ْخ َرجِ ِب‬
ْ ِ‫س ِم اللّٰ ِہ َولَجْ نَا َوب‬ ْ َ ‫اَللّٰ ُه َّم اِ ِن ْی ا‬
َ ُ‫سئَل‬
Allahumma inni as’aluka khairal mawliji, wa khairul makhraji, Bismil-lahi walajna, wabismil-lahi
kharajna, waAAala rabbina tawakkalna.

Translation: O Allah! I ask Thee for good both when entering and when going out; in the name
of Allah we have entered, and in the name of Allah we have gone out, and in Allah our Lord do
we trust.

3. Using Sewak/Miswak: The Prophet (S.A.W.) used Sewak while taking his first steps into
home.

4. Salutation/Say Salam: Allah says in Al-Quran:

“So when you enter houses, salute one another (Literally: salute yourselves) with a greeting
from the Providence of Allah, blessed and good”. (Surah An Noor 24:61)

5. Recite the following dua/supplication when going out of home:

َّ ُ‫ َوَلَ ح َْو َل َوَل َ ق‬،ِ‫علَى اللَّه‬

‫ـوةَ إَِلَّ بِاللَّ ِه‬ َ ُ‫س ِم اللَّ ِه ت َ َو َّك ْلـت‬
ْ ِ‫ب‬
Bismil-lah, tawakkaltu AAalal-lah, wala hawla wala quwwata illa billah.

Translation: In the name of Allah, I place my trust in Allah, and there is no might nor power
except with Allah.

or recite this Second Dua

َ ‫ أ َ ْو أَجْ َه َل أ َ ْو يُـجْ َه َل‬،‫ أ َ ْو أ َ ْظلِـ َم أ َ ْو أَُُ ْظلَـ َم‬،َّ‫ أ َ ْو أ َ ِز َّل أ َ ْو أ ُ َزل‬،َّ‫اَللَّهُـ َّم إِنِي أَعُـوذُ بِكَ أ َ ْن أ َ ِضـ َّل أ َ ْو أُضَـل‬
َّ ‫علَـ‬
‫ي‬
Allahumma innee aAAoothu bika an adilla aw odal, aw azilla aw ozall, aw athlima aw othlam, aw
ajhala aw yujhala AAalay.

Translation: O Allah, I take refuge with You lest I should stray or be led astray, or slip or be
tripped, or oppress or be oppressed, or behave foolishly or be treated foolishly.’ slip: i.e. to
commit a sin unintentionally.

Hadith References:
[Muslim: 2018 (a)]
[Abu Dawoud: 51, 5094, 5095, 5096]
[Tirmidhi: 3426]

DAILY LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD SAW

PART 3

ENTERING & EXITING THE MOSQUE ( MASJID)

1. Going early for the Prayers and praying in the first row.

2. Walking to the Mosque with calmness and solemnity.

3. Going to the masjid on foot and shorten your steps swiftly to get more merits out of the
number of steps towards masjid.

4. Entering the Masjid/Mosque with the right leg/foot.

5. The Dua (supplication) upon entering the Mosque/Masjid: First, while entering the mosque,
one should send peace upon the Prophet (S.A.W.)

ُ ‫علَى َر‬
‫سو ِل الل ِه‬ َّ ‫س ِـم الل ِه َوالص َََّلةُ َوال‬
َ ‫سَل ُم‬ ْ ِ‫ب‬
bismil-lah, wassalatu wassalamu AAala rasoolil-lah.

Translation: In the name of Allah, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah.

Then say this dua:

َ ‫اَللَّهُـ َّم ْافتَـ ْح لِي أَب َْو‬

َ‫اب َرحْ َمتـِك‬

allahumma iftah lee abwaba rahmatik.

Translation: O Allah, open the gates of Your mercy for me.

Or say this Dua:

‫ـيم‬
ِ ‫الر ِج‬
َّ ‫ان‬ َ ‫شيْـ‬
ِ ‫ط‬ ِ ‫يـم َوسُ ْلطـَانِه القَد‬
َّ ‫ مِ نَ ال‬،‫ِيـم‬ ِ ِ‫أَعوذُ بِالل ِه العَظ‬
ِ ‫ َوبِ َوجْ ِهـ ِه الك َِر‬،‫يـم‬
aAAoothu billahil-AAatheem wabiwajhihil-kareem wasultanihil-qadeem minash-shaytanir-
rajeem.

Translation: I take refuge with Allah, The Supreme and with His Noble Face, and His eternal
authority from the accursed devil.

6. The Dua (supplication) on exiting/coming out of Mosque/Masjid: First, while departing from
the mosque, one should send peace upon the Prophet (S.A.W.)
 ُ ‫علَى َر‬
‫سو ِل الل ِه‬ َّ ‫س ِـم الل ِه َوالص َََّلةُ َوال‬
َ ‫سَل ُم‬ ْ ِ‫ب‬
bismil-lah, wassalatu wassalamu AAala rasoolil-lah.

Translation: In the name of Allah, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah.

Then say this dua:

ْ َ‫سأَلُكَ ِم ْن ف‬
َ‫ضـ ِلك‬ ْ َ ‫اَللَّهُـ َّم ِإنِي أ‬
allahumma innee as-aluka min fadlik.

Translation: O Allah, I ask You from Your favour.

7. Exiting the mosque with the left leg/foot.

Hadith References:

[An-Nasai: 541, 730]

[Abu Dawoud: 465, 466]
[Bukhari: 636]
[Muslim: 251 (a)]
[Ibn Majah: 771, 772 & 773]

Sunnahs of Athan (Call for Prayer):

1. The hearer should repeat after the Muadhdhin (The one who calls for prayer) all words
except when the Muadhdhin says: (Hayyah Ala As-Sala – i.e. ) and (Hayyah Ala Al-Falah – i.e.
hasten to the salvation), the hearer should say (La Hawla Wala Quwata Ella Bell- lah – i.e. there
is no might and no power except by Allah).

2. After the Muadhdhin finishes the Athan (The call for prayer), one should say this dua

َ ‫ َوا ْبعَثْهُ َمقَاما ً َمحْ ُمودا ً الَّذِي َو‬،َ‫ت ُم َح َّمدا ً ا ْل َوسِيلَةَ َوا ْلفَ ِضيلَة‬
‫ إَنَّكَ ََل‬،ُ‫ع ْدتَه‬ ِ ‫ آ‬،ِ‫ َوالص َََّل ِة ا ْلقَائِ َمة‬،ِ‫ب َه ِذ ِه ال َّدع َْو ِة الت َّا َّمة‬
َّ ‫اللَّ ُه َّم َر‬
‫ِف ا ْلمِ يعَا َد‬
ُ ‫ل‬ ْ
‫ُخ‬ ‫ت‬ .

Allaahumma Rabba haathid - da'watit - taammati wassalaatil-qaa'imati, 'aati Muhammadanil-

waseelata walfadheelata, wab 'ath-hu maqaamam-mahmoodanil-lathee wa'adtahu, 'innaka laa
tukhliful-mee'aad.

Translation: O Allah , Lord of this perfect call and established prayer. Grant Muhammad the
intercession and favor, and raise him to the honored station You have promised him, [verily You
do not neglect promises].

Hadith References:
[Muslim: 385]
[Bukhari: 611, 614]

When meeting People:

1. Give Salam/Tasleem (Salutation/Greet) As-Salamu Alaykum

2. Lengthen the greeting/Salam “As-salaamu Alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh (peace

and mercy and blessings of Allah upon you)”

3. Smiling / Meeting fellow brother(s) with a cheerful face.

4. Shake hands of each other.

Hadith References:

[Muslim: 2626]
[Bukhari: 12, 28]
[Tirmidhi: 2689]
[Abu Dawoud: 5212]

When Eating:

1. Mentioning Allah’s name “Bismillah”. If one forgets to say ,Bismillah, in the beginning, then
one should say “Bismillahi Fi Awwalahi Wa Akhirihi”

2. Eat with your right hand.

3. Eat that nearest to you.

4. If a piece of food falls on the floor, then the person eating should remove any dirt that gets
onto it and eat it; he should not leave it for the Satan/Shaytaan.

5. Eat the meal using three fingers.

6. Eat together and do not eat separately.

7. Never blew onto the food or drink.

8. After finishing the meal, lick the dish and the fingers.

9. Praising Allah after eating and say this dua

َّ ‫ا ْل َح ْم ُد ِللَّ ِه الَّذِي أ َ ْط َع َمنِي َهذَا ال‬
َ ‫ط َعا َم َو َر َزقَنِي ِه مِ ْن‬
‫غي ِْر ح َْو ٍل مِ نِي َو ََل قُ َّو ٍة‬
Alhamdu lillahil-ladhi 'at'amani hadha, wa razaqanihi, min ghayri hawlin minnee wa la
quwwatin.
Translation: All praise is to Allah, Who Has fed me and provided me with this without any
strength or power on my part.

Hadith References:

[Muslim: 2032, 2034]

[Ibn Majah: 3287, 3288]
[Tirmidhi: 1857, 1858, 3458]

Sunnahs of Drinking:

1. Mention Allah’s name (Say Bismillah). Do not drink directly from a water pitcher.

2. Drink (water or any other liquid) with the right hand.

3. Sit down and drink (water or any other liquid) as Prophet (S.A.W.) forbade drinking whilst
standing.

4. Drink water while taking three breathing pauses (two or three sips/gulps)

5. While drinking, do not blow or exhale your breath into the glass.

6. Praise Allah {Say"Alhamdulillah" ([All] praise is [due] to Allah)} after drinking.

Hadith References:

[Muslim: 2020, 2024, 2025, 267(c)]

[Bukhari: 5628, 5630, 5631]
[Tirmidhi: 1885]

Above mentioned are some important Sunnahs that every Muslim should know. Try to follow
these Sunnahs of Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.) in your daily life routine so that you can get
benefits from them and live healthy, happy and peaceful life.

There are so many other Prophet’s sunnhas which have not mentioned in this article. However,
we should consider these sunnahs as starting-point and Inshallah (by Allah’s Will), we will learn
more and more sunnahs.
May Allah bless all Muslims with strong Faith, Purity of heart, good manners, good deeds and
understanding the true meaning of all teaching of Quran and Hadiths.

The Ten Commandments

Definition of Terms
A c o m m a n d ( amr i n A r a b i c ) i s d e f i n e d a s a v e r b a l o r
w r i t t e n order to do something issued from a position of
superiority over those inferiors.

A commandment (wasiyah) is a divine command from God (The

Most Superior) to His servants.

A divine prohibition is the opposite of a divine command and

demands the avoidance of doing something addressed from God to
His servants

T h e T e n C o m m a n d m e n t s ( Al Wasayah Al Ashr ) a r e a
s e t o f principles relating to ethics and moral values, which play a
fundamental role in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

The Biblical Ten Commandments

According to the Biblical records, God gave the Ten Commandments to

Prophet Moses (pbuh) on Mount Sinai engraved in stone tablets to guide the
people of Israel after their exodus from Egypt.
These commandments form a minor but vital part of the total623 laws in
the Torah, the Hebrew Scriptures, known to Christians as the Old
Testament.
The Ten Commandments are also found in the Christian bibles, known as
the New Testament. There are two versions of the Ten Commandments in
the Old Testament: Exodus 20:1-17, and Deuteronomy 5:6-21.
The Exodus’ version is connected to the Sinai covenant with God and with
the regular ceremony of covenant and renewal. Deuteronomy is used in
teaching religious leaders in towns and villages

Historically, different religious groups have divided the commandments in

different ways
In the Jewish tradition, the commandments are listed as follows:
1. The Prologue
2. Prohibition of the warship of any deity but God, and prohibition of
idolatry
3. Prohibition of the use of the name of God for vain purposes
4. Observance of the Sabbath
5. Honoring of one’s father and mother
6. Prohibition of murder
7. Prohibition of adultery
8. Prohibition of stealing
9. Prohibition of giving false testimony
10. Prohibition of coveting the property or the wife of one’s neighbor.

The Protestant tradition combines the prologue and the prohibition of the
worship of any deity but God as the first commandment, treats the
prohibition of idolatry as the second commandment, and follows the
traditional enumeration of the remaining commandments
Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans combine the prologue and the
first two commandments, and divide the last one into two that separately
prohibit the sinful desire of a neighbor’s wife and of his property.

The Quranic Ten Commandments

The Quran refers to the Biblical laws revealed to Prophet Moses(
pbuh
) on Mount Sinai as follows:
“And We wrote for him (Moses) in the tablets all manner of guidance,
clearly spelling out everything. And (We said :) hold fast unto them with (all
your) firmness and command your people to hold fast to their excellent
teachings.”
(7: 145) Quranic commentators have referred to the following three verses
from Surah
Al-An’am
(6:151-153) as “The Quranic Ten Commandments”

In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful “Say, Come! Let me tell you what your
Lord has forbidden you: Do n o t a s s o c i a t e a n y t h i n g w i t h H i m ; b e g o o d t o
y o u r p a r e n t s ; d o n o t kill your children because of poverty - We shall provide
sustenance for you and for them; do not even come near any shameful deeds w h e t h e r
o p e n l y o r s e c r e t l y ; a n d d o n o t k i l l t h e s o u l w h o m G o d h a s made sacred,
except for a just cause. This is what He commands you t o d o s o t h a t y o u
m a y u s e y o u r l o g i c ( 1 5 1 ) A n d d o n o t t o u c h t h e orphan’s
property, except to improve it, until he (or she) attains the a g e o f m a t u r i t y ;
give full measure and full weight with equity -we do not burden any soul
with more than it can bear; and whenever you speak, speak justly even
if it concerns a close relative; and always fulfill any covenants you made
in God’s name. This is what He commands you to do so that you may
remember (152). And this is My straight path: follow it and do n ot
follow other paths-They will separate you away from His path. This is
what He commands you to do so that you may remain conscious of Him

The above verses have been called “the Quranic Ten Commandments”
because every one of the three verses ended up with God (SW) saying:

“This is what He commands you to do so that you may use your logic”

(6:151);

“This is what He commands you to do so that you may remember

”(6:152);

and “This is what He commands you to do so that you may remain

conscious of Him(6:153)

The Quranic Ten Commandments are divided between the three verses
as follows:

The first verse (6:151)

contained the following five commandments(abbreviated):
1. Do not associate anything with God
2. Be good to your parents
3. Do not kill your children because of poverty
4. Do not even come close to shameful deeds
5. Do not kill a human soul except for a just cause
These five commandments are intended to establish the moral values of
individuals to attain wisdom
: “This is what He commands you to do so that you may use your logic”.
The second verse (6:152) contained the next four commandments:6. Do not
touch the orphans’ property, except to improve it
7. Give full measure and weight with fairness
8. Speak justly even it is against a close relative
9. Fulfill your covenant with God
These are the basic moral values that we tend to forget when dealing with
others:
“This is what He commands you to do so that you may remember”.
The third verse (6:153) consists of the following last commandment:10.
Follow My straight path and do not follow other paths. This means that the
preceding nine commandments constitutes God’s straight path to Him. He
demands believers to follow His divine straight path, and do not follow any
other ways that deviate from His path. To achieve this goal, the believer
must always be conscious of God in everything he or she is doing or
intended to do:“
This is what He commands you to do so that you may remain conscious of
Him”.
In summary, in the Islamic view, these commandments contain what God
wills for the life of all people. It has five orders and a similar number of
prohibitions that define the relationship of man and his Creator, man’s
obligations to his family, and commandments that order his social life.
What follows are the ten commandments of Quran and their relevance to
modern life.
As we can see, the Ten Commandments are entirely compatible with Islam
and they are, in reality, the essence of all divine revelations. They can be
the best point of departure for sharing Islam with Jews and Christians, and
working together in fulfillment of our ethical obligations.

‫واللہ الموفق للصواب والسداد‬