-Bukhari
Commentary.-Just as all
delicious foods possess a flavour but it can be perceived only when one’s
faculty of taste has not been lost or become perverted due to illness
or any other cause, there is also a special sweetness in Faith which can
be enjoyed by those alone who have, willingly and earnestly, made Allah
their Lord and Master, Mohammad [Peace be on him] their prophet and guide,
and Islam their religion and way of life, and whose hearts have bowed
in submission to God and yielded in obedience to the Prophet and assented
to be the adherents of the path of Islam. In other words, their bond with
God, the Prophet and Islam is not merely formal, hereditary or intellectual
but real, sincere and genuine.
(29) Anas related to us that “only he will taste the sweetness of
Faith who has these three qualities: the love of God and the Prophet comes
to him before everything else, he loves whom he loves solely for the sake
of God, and the idea of going back to Apostasy after he has embraced Islam
is as repugnant to him as bring thrown into fire.”
-Bukhari and Muslim
Commentary.-The subject-matter
of this Tradition is almost identical to that of the preceding once. It
says that the sweetness of Faith can only be perceived by him whose love
for God and the Apostle is stronger than for anyone or anything else in
the world, so much so that when he loves somebody, it is wholly for the
sake of God, and who is so deeply devoted to the Islamic faith that the
very idea of leaving it and reverting back to Apostasy is as painful to
him as being cast into fire.
(30) It related by Anas that the Apostle of God said: “None of you
can be an honest Muslim and a truthful Believer unless his love for me
exceeds the love he has for parents, children or any other human being
in the world.”
-Bukhari
and Muslim
Commentary.- It shows
that Faith can attain perfection and a Muslim can become a faithful believer
only when his love for the Prophet is greater than for any other person,
even his parents and children.
In the preceding Tradition the love for God, the Prophet and the Islamic
faith being stronger than for anyone or anything else in the world was
declared as essential for testing the sweetness of Faith while in the
above Tradition only the love for the Prophet has been mentioned. But
love for God, the Apostle and Islam is basically the same. True devotion
to God and Islam is not possible without devotion to the prophet and true
devotion to the Prophet cannot be imagined without devotion to God and
Islam. Love for prophet, in his capacity as the Apostle of God, will,
of course, be for the sake of God and out of deep attachment to Him and
love for Islam will, instinctively, stem from it. It is for this reason
that love for the Prophet alone has been stressed in this Tradition, otherwise
what it means is that the blessings and radiance of Faith can accrue only
to those in whose hearts love for God and the Apostle and Islam is strong
enough to submerge all other ties and affections.
Commentators have, however, differed in their interpretation of the above
saying, and, as such, many people are apt to be confused about it’s
meaning though the principle it lays down is very simple. Love is a well-known
word and the idea it expresses is also widely understood. It is in the
same traditional sense that it has been used here. The love the Believers
have for God, naturally, is not due to the ties of blood or any other
physical factor as the case is with the affection one feels for one’s
parents, wife and children. It is, essentially, a mental and spiritual
state, and, when it attains perfection, all other forms of affection which
are rooted wholly in blood or emotion are put in the shade by it. Anyone
who has been blessed in some measure with this attachment and yearning
will have no difficulty in appreciating the basic significance of this
Tradition.
In brief, love in all these sayings denotes the same tender passion, the
same feeling of the heart which is commonly known by that name and this
is exactly what is demanded of us here.
The Quran says:
Those who believe are stauncher in their love for Allah.
(II : 165)
Say [O Mohammad] : If your fathers, and your sons, and your brethren,
and your wives, and your tribe, and the wealth ye have acquired, and merchandize
for which ye fear that there will be no sale, and dwellings ye desire
are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His way
: then wait till Allah bringeth His Command to pass. Allah guideth not
wrong-doing folk.
(IX : 24)As it
is distinctly stated in these verses, the love of the Believers for God,
the Prophet and the Islamic faith must be stronger than for all the lovable
objects in the world. Without it, the countenance of the Lord cannot be
gained, not His special guidance obtained, nor can Faith acquire perfection.
Once this stage is reached, it will not only be easy for anyone to observe
the duties of Islam and to carry out the commands of God and the Prophet
but he will also derive a pleasure even from laying down his life for
the sake of Faith. Conversely, a person in whose heart the love for God
and His Apostle is not entrenched firmly will find it most difficult to
keep to the everyday Islamic injunctions and to obey the common religious
precepts. At the best, it will become a routine affair, a tediously automatic
procedure. Hence, it has been said that unless the love for God and the
Prophet governs and has the control of all other attachments and affections
the true station of love cannot be attained nor its sweetness perceived.
O God! I beg to Thee thy love and the love of him who loveth Thee and
the conduct that will enable me to attain Thy love.
(31) It is related by Abdullah bin’ Amr that the Apostle of God
said: “None of you can become a truthful Believer unless his lusts
become subservient to the guidance I have brought.”
-Sharh-I-Sunnah
Commentary.-It shows that the state of true Faith and its spiritual blessings
can be gained only when worldly inclinations and carnal appetites are
controlled and governed by Apostolic guidance.
The entire order of good and evil is based upon Hawa [Lust] and Huda [Guidance].
Man’s success or failure, good fortune or ill-luck, is related to
them. All wickedness and wrong-doing ensues from the lustful dictates
of the flesh in the same way as every virtue originates from abiding by
the guidance brought by the divine Apostles. The state of genuine Faith
can, thus, be attained only by subordinating the propensities of the self
to heavenly instruction and whoever becomes a slave to lust and cares
nothing for Apostolic guidance destroys the very purpose of Faith with
his own hands. It is about such people that the Quran has said:
Hast thou seen him who chooseth for his God his own lust? (XXV : 43)
And who goeth
farther astray than he who followeth his lust without guidance from Allah?
Lo! Allah guideth not wrong-doing folk. (XXVIII : 50)
(32) It is related
by Anas that the Apostle of God said: “None of you can be a faithful
Believer until he desires for his brother what he desires for himself.”
-Bukhari and Muslim
Commentary.-For attaining the true state of Faith and partaking of its
singular blessings it is essential that man should be free from selfishness.
He ought to be so genuinely interested in the welfare of his brethren
as to desire for them all the good things, benefits and advantages he
desires for himself and to dislike for him all the conditions and circumstances
he does not like for himself. Without it, Faith cannot acquire perfection.
(33) It is related by Ma’ad bin Jabal that “I inquired from
the Prophet about superior Faith [i.e., asked what was the highest grade
of Faith and through what deeds and virtues could it be reached]. The
Prophet replied, ‘It is that you love whom you love solely for the
sake of God and hate whom you hate solely for the sake of God [i.e., friendship
and enmity should be entirely for His sake]; and, secondly, that you keep
your tongue engaged in the remembrance of God.’ ‘What else?’
I, further, asked. ‘That you desire for others what you desire for
yourself and do not desire for other what you do not desire for yourself,’
the Prophet said.”
-Rawah-I-Ahamd
Commentary.-Three things have been mentioned in the above Tradition by
the Prophet without which perfection in Faith is not possible. (i) Friendship
and enmity solely for the sake of God; (ii) Keeping the tongue occupied
with the remembrance of God; and (iii) Goodwill for the bondmen of the
Lord to the extent of desiring for them what one desires for oneself and
disliking for them what one does not like for oneself.
(34) It is related by Abu Umama that the Prophet said: “He who loves
or hates, offers favours or withholds them, and whatever he does, does
so for the sake of Allah, he perfects his Faith.”
-Abu Dawood
Commentary.-It shows that a perfect Muslim in the sight of God is he who
succeeds in subordinating his entire conduct – thoughts, feelings,
social relations and all other affairs – to the Will of God so much
so that when he establishes or breaks relations with anyone or gives or
declines to give anything to anybody, he does so wholly for the propitiation
of God; in short, when all his sentiments and inclinations, such as, love
and hatred, and deeds and actions like offering or withholding a favour
begin to take shape solely for the sake of God and cease to be influenced
by his own urges and impulsions. When this state of submission to the
Will of God is reached by anyone, his faith attains perfection.
(35) It is related by Abdullah bin Abbas that the Apostle of God said
to Abu Zarr Ghifari: “Tell [me], which department of Faith is stronger
[i.e., among the departments of Faith which is more long-lasting]?”
“God and His Apostle know best”, replied Abu Zarr. The Prophet
remarked, “Friendliness and mutual cooperation for the sake of God,
love for anyone for the sake of God, and hatred and enmity for anyone
for the sake of God.”
-Baihaqi
Commentary.-It shows that among the various states and stages of Faith
the strongest and most enduring is that in which the behaviour of a person
towards anyone, whether of cooperation or opposition, love or hatred,
is determined wholly by the desire to please God and to carry out His
commands and not by any personal wish or sentiment.
(35) It is related by Abu Hurairah that the Apostle of God said: “You
cannot enter Paradise unless you are Believers and you cannot be truthful
Believers unless there is reciprocal love among you. May I tell you a
thing that will produce affection in your midst if you act upon it? It
is to spread the custom of salutation among yourselves and to make it
common.”
-Muslim
Commentary.-From the foregoing Traditions we learnt that for perfection
in Faith it was essential to hold God, Apostle and Islam dearest to our
hearts and whatever love and affection there might be for anyone or anything,
aside of them, should be wholly for their sake and that we were free from
selfishness and our condition should be that we desired or did not desire
for others what we desired or did not desire for ourselves. The present
Tradition adds that Faith cannot attain perfection unless there is mutual
love and cooperation among the Believers. If their hearts are devoid of
fellow-feeling and affection for each other it should be taken for granted
that the reality of Faith will not dawn upon them and they will not be
able to partake of its true blessings.
(37) It is related by Abu Hurairah that the Apostle of God said: “A
Muslim is he from the mischief of whose tongue and hand the Muslims are
safe and a Momin [faithful Believer] is he on whose account people do
not feel a threat to their life or property.”
-Tirmidhi
Commentary.-The mischief of the tongue and hand has been mentioned specifically
in the above Tradition for the reason that, generally, distress is caused
to others by means of these two organs, or else what is sought to be conveyed
simply is that it is unworthy of a Muslim to be a source of pain or discomfort
to anyone.
From Ibn-I-Hubban’s account of the same Tradition it appears that
a Muslim should be friendly and inoffensive towards every one.
It is worth remembering that the infliction of pain which has been condemned
as un-Islamic in this Tradition signifies only that which is without a
legitimate cause otherwise to punish the guilty and to put down the high-handedness
of the oppressor and the mischief of the evil-doer, provided that one
has the authority to do so, is a matter of duty with the Muslims. Without
it, there can be no peace and happiness in the world.
(38) It is narrated by Abu Shareeh Khaza’i that the Apostle of God
once said, “By God, he is not a truthful Believer! By God, he is
not a truthful Believer! By God, he is not a truthful Believer.”
The question was asked: “O Apostle of God, who is not a truthful
Believer?” The Prophet replied, “Whose neighbour does not
feel secure on his account.”
-Bukhari
Commentary.-Our conduct towards the neighbours should be so good and honourable
that they feel completely secure from us and entertained no fear of viciousness
or injustice from our side. It is one of the imperatives of Faith without
fulfilling which no one can hope to be a faithful Believer.
Two other Traditions of the Prophet bearing the same import read:
“Treat your neighbours kindly; then you are of those who believe.”
“He who believes in God and the Day of Recompense will never harm
a neighbour.”
(39) It is related
by Abdullah bin Abbas that the Apostle of God said: “He is not a
truthful Believer who eats his fill and lets his neighbour go hungry.”
-Baihaqi
Commentary.-It shows that a person who eats to his heart’s content
and gives no thought to his starving neighbour is unblessed with the reality
of Faith though he may have been a Muslim for seventy generations. An
attitude of cruelty and selfishness like this is wholly inimical to the
spirit of Islam.
(40) It is related by Abu Hurairah that the Apostle of God said: “Among
the Muslims more perfect in Faith is he whose manners are better.”
-Abu Dawood
Commentary.-Perfection in Faith depends on good manners and noble qualities
of mind and character. Thus, a person will be as perfect in Faith as his
moral disposition is praise-worthy. Or, as one would say, good moral qualities
are the natural outcome of perfection in Faith. It cannot be that a person
is blessed with the reality of Faith and yet his morals remain imperfect.
(41) It is related by Abu Hurairah that the Apostle of God said: “Among
the virtues of Islam and signs of perfection in Faith it, also, is included
that a man avoided vain talk and futile actions.”
-Ibn-I-Maja, Tirmidhi and Baihaqi
Commentary.-Man is the noblest of creations and God has made him exceedingly
precious. He should refrain from spending his time aimlessly and squandering
away his capabilities. On the other hand, by putting them to proper use,
he should develop his personality as much as possible and earn the countenance
of the Lord. This is the essence of all religious teachings and the inmost
aim and purpose of Islam. Hence, the blessed one who seeks to perfect
his Faith must not only keep away from open sinfulness and immorality
but also from all unprofitable activities including unavailing conversation
and devote his time and natural abilities to pursuits that possess some
element of gain or virtue, i.e., are necessary and purposeful from the
point of view of both the worlds.
People who waste their time and energy in aimless talk and futile activities
do not realise how very valuable God has made them and what a priceless
treasure they are frittering away.
(42) It is related by Abdullah bin Masood that the Apostle of God said:
“There were some worthy disciples and Companions of every Apostle
raised up by God in any community before me who followed his path and
obeyed his commands. Afterwards, it so happened that their heirs and successors
turned out to be men of no value whose condition was that they did not
practice what they preached [i.e., told others to perform good deeds but
did not do so themselves or boasted to be virtuous while, in fact, they
possessed little moral goodness, and, thus, told a lie in order to impress
those around them with their devoutness and to flaunt their spiritual
superiority], and performed deeds they had not been commanded to perform
[i.e., they did not adhere to the way of their Prophet and instead of
abiding by what he had prescribed or sanctioned indulged freely in evil-doing
and making innovations in Faith]. Thus, whoever strove against them with
his arm is a truthful Believer, and whoever strove against them [due to
a constraint] only with his tongue, also, is a truthful Believer, and
whoever [finding himself powerless to strive even with the tongue] stove
against them only with his heart [i.e., merely felt anger and hatred towards
them] is, also, a truthful Believer. But without it [i.e., in the absence
of any of these conditions] there is no Faith, not even of the weight
of a mustard-seed.”
-Muslim
Commentary.-It shows that to strive against the sinful and hypocritical
heirs and followers of the Prophets and other spiritual leaders with the
arm or the tongue, as the circumstances permit, or, in the last degree,
only to feel revulsion against their wickedness and display of insincere
piety is one of the essential requirements of Faith. Anyone who does not
possess even the inner urge for such a kind of Jehad is, so to speak,
totally devoid of the warmth and awareness of Faith.
The command of Jehad against the erring successors of the Prophets and
worthless spiritual leaders, as contained in the above Tradition, means
that endeavour should be made to correct them and to bring them to the
right path, failing which something should be done to put an end to their
false spiritual headship and hereditary influence so that people did not
fall a prey to their deception.
(43) It is related by Abu Sa’eed Khadri that the Apostle of God
said: “If anyone of you sees a sin being done or a wrong being perpetrated,
he should [if he is in a position to do so] try to eradicate it by force,
and if that be not possible, he should try to eradicate it by raising
his voice against it, and if that, too, be not possible, he should feel
sore about it in the heart [and think of possible ways of removing the
evil]. This last state is the weakest state of Faith.
-Muslim
Commentary.-In the preceding Tradition struggle against the depravity
and corruption of a particular class of men was enjoined as a requisite
of Faith while in the present one a general command has been given for
making strenuous efforts, in keeping, of course, with one’s situation,
to remove or set right every mischief and transgression. Three grades
of it have been set down in this Tradition.
(i) If one is in power and the evil can be eradicated by means of it,
force ought to be employed to root it out.
(ii) If power and authority be not in hand, effort should be made to remove
the evil through persuation and good counsel.
(iii) If the circumstances are so adverse and the Believers in such a
weak and helpless position that it is not possible even to raise one’s
voice against wickedness and immorality, the last stage is that it should
be considered honestly to be hateful and vicious and an earnest desire
be felt in the heart to prevent it. In that way, one will, at least, be
praying to God to suppress it and also thinking out methods of its extermination.
According to the above Tradition, this is the weakest state of Faith which
means that, after it, the question of the existence of Faith does not
arise.
(44) Narrates Anas that “seldom has the Prophet delivered a sermon
in which he may not have said: ‘In whom there is no trustworthiness,
in him there is no Faith; he who does not fulfil the promises made by
him has no share in Faith.”’
-Baihaqi
Commentary.-It tells that anyone who is not trustworthy and does not fulfil
the promise when he makes one is unblessed with the reality of Faith.
As we have indicated earlier, Traditions like it do not mean that such
a person altogether ceases to be a Muslim and becomes an Infidel. They
simply show that the essence and effulgence of Faith is not present in
a man like him, i.e., his Faith is lifeless and of a very poor quality.