1. Spreading Hearsay
عَنْ حَفْصِ بِنْ عَاصِمٍ قال قال رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَفَي بِالْمَرْءِ كَذِبًا أَنْ يُحَدِّثَ بِكُلِّ ما سمع
Hafs ibn ‘Asim (rta) stated that God’s Messenger (sws) said: “It is enough for a person to be regarded a liar if he narrates every thing he hears [without verifying it].”1
2. Some Major Sins
عَبْد الرحمن بن أبي بَكْرَةَ عَنْ أبيه قال كنا عِنْدَ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَسَلَّمَ فقال ألا أُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِأَكْبَرِ الْكَبَائِرِ ثَلَاثًا الْإِشْرَاكُ بِاللهِ وَعُقُوقُ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَشَهَادَةُ الزُّورِ أو قَوْلُ الزُّورِ وكان رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَسَلَّمَ مُتَّكِئًا فَجَلَسَ فما زَالَ يُكَرِّرُهَا حتي قُلْنَا لَيْتَهُ سَكَتَ
Abu Bakrah (rta) said: “[Once] we were with God’s Messenger (sws). He said: ‘Should I not inform you about the three greatest of the major sins? [They are:] Associating with God, disobeying parents and [giving] a false statement or a false testimony.’ And [while he was saying this,] God’s Messenger (sws) was leaning on a support. He [then] sat [upright] and continued to repeat these words until we wished that he become silent.”2
3. Kindness to Servants
عَبْدَ اللهِ بن عُمَرَ يقول جاء رَجُلٌ إلي النبي صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَسَلَّمَ فقال يا رَسُوْلَ اللهِ كَمْ نَعْفُو عن الْخَادِمِ فَصَمَتَ ثُمَّ أَعَادَ عليه الْكَلَامَ فَصَمَتَ فلما كان في الثَّالِثَةِ قال اعْفُوا عنه في كل يَوْمٍ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (rta) says that a person came to the Prophet (sws) and asked him: “O Messenger of God! How many times should we forgive our servant?” At this, he remained silent. The question was repeated to him and he [still remained] silent. When he was posed the question a third time, he replied: “Forgive him seventy times every day.”3
4. Sanctity of Life, Wealth and Honour
عَنْ بن عُمَرَ رَضِيْ اللهُ عَنْهُما قال قال النبي صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِمِنًي أَتَدْرُونَ أَيُّ يَوْمٍ هذا قالوا الله وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ قال فإن هذا يَوْمٌ حَرَامٌ أَفَتَدْرُونَ أَيُّ بَلَدٍ هذا قالوا الله وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ قال بَلَدٌ حَرَامٌ أَتَدْرُونَ أَيُّ شَهْرٍ هذا قالوا الله وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ قال شَهْرٌ حَرَامٌ قال فإن اللهَ حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ دِمَاءَكُمْ وَأَمْوَالَكُمْ وَأَعْرَاضَكُمْ كَحُرْمَةِ يَوْمِكُمْ هذا في شَهْرِكُمْ هذا في بَلَدِكُمْ هذا
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (rta) stated that the Prophet (sws) [in the sermon of the last hajj] at Mina asked: “Do you know what day this is?” The companions replied: “God and the Messenger know.” The Prophet (sws) remarked: “This is the sacred day. So do you know which city is this?” The companions replied: “God and the Messenger know.” The Prophet (sws) said: “This is the sacred city. Do you know which month is this?” The companions replied: “God and the Messenger know.” The Prophet (sws) said: “This is the sacred month.” He [further] said: “Indeed, God has made your lives, your wealth, and your honour as sacred as this day of yours in this month of yours in this city of yours.”4
5. Etiquette of Eating
عُمَرَ بن أبي سَلَمَةَ يقول كنت غُلَامًا في حَجْرِ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَكَانَتْ يَدِي تَطِيشُ في الصَّحْفَةِ فقال لي رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَسَلَّمَ يا غُلَامُ سَمِّ اللهَ وَكُلْ بِيَمِينِكَ وَكُلْ مِمَّا يَلِيكَ فما زَالَتْ تِلْكَ طِعْمَتِي بَعْدُ
‘Umar ibn Abi
Salamah (rta) says: “I was an infant and was being brought up
under [the supervision] of God’s Messenger (sws) when while
eating my hand would circulate all over the plate. When God’s
Messenger (sws) [saw this,] he remarked: ‘Young Man! Eat after
taking God’s name with the right hand from the part of the
plate near you.’ Consequently, after this I would eat in this
manner.”5
6. Moderation in Preaching
أبو وَائِلٍ خَطَبَنَا عَمَّارٌ فَأَوْجَزَ
وَأَبْلَغَ فلما نَزَلَ قُلْنَا يا أَبَا الْيَقْظَانِ لقد
أَبْلَغْتَ وَأَوْجَزْتَ فَلَوْ كُنْتَ تَنَفَّسْتَ فقال إني
سمعت رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيهِ
وَسَلَّمَ يقول إِنَّ طُولَ صَلَاةِ الرَّجُلِ وَقِصَرَ
خُطْبَتِهِ مَئِنَّةٌ من فِقْهِهِ فَأَطِيلُوا الصَّلَاةَ
وَاقْصُرُوا الْخُطْبَةَ وَإِنَّ من الْبَيَانِ سِحْرًا
It is narrated by Abu Wa’il: “ ‘Ammar (rta)
delivered a sermon to us that was very brief and concise. When
he descended [from the pulpit] we said: ‘O Abu al-Yaqzan! You
were concise and brief in your speech. We wish that you had
gone into details.’ At his, he said: ‘I heard God’s Messenger
(sws) saying: “The lengthening of a person’s prayer and the
shortness of his sermon is a sign of his wisdom. So, increase
[the time of] your prayer and decrease [the time of] your
speech. Indeed, some sermons are [as potent as] magic.”’”6
عَنْ أَبِيْ وَائِلٍ قال كان عَبْدُ اللّٰهِ
يُذَكِّرُ الناس في كل خَمِيسٍ فقال له رَجُلٌ يا أَبَا عبد
الرحمن لَوَدِدْتُ أَنَّكَ ذَكَّرْتَنَا كُلَّ يَوْمٍ قال أَمَا
إنه يَمْنَعُنِي من ذلك أَنِّي أَكْرَهُ أَنْ أُمِلَّكُمْ
وَإِنِّي أَتَخَوَّلُكُمْ بِالْمَوْعِظَةِ كما كان النبي صَلَّى
اللهُ عَلَيهِ
وَسَلَّمَ يَتَخَوَّلُنَا بها مَخَافَةَ السَّآمَةِ عَلَيْنَا
It is narrated by Abu Wa’il that ‘Abdullah
ibn Mas‘ud (rta) would instruct and remind people [about
religion] every Thursday. A person from among them said: “O
Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman, I want you to remind us every day.” He
replied: “I don’t do this lest it may be burdensome on you. I
remind you at intervals the way the Prophet (sws) used to
remind us at intervals lest we may become fed-up.”7
7. Refraining from Arrogance
عَنْ عَبْدُ اللهِ بن مَسْعُودٍ عن النبي
صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيهِ
وَسَلَّمَ قال لَا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ من كان في قَلْبِهِ
مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ من كِبْرٍ قال رَجُلٌ إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ يُحِبُّ
أَنْ يَكُونَ ثَوْبُهُ حَسَنًا وَنَعْلُهُ حَسَنَةً قال إِنَّ
اللّٰهِ جَمِيلٌ يُحِبُّ الْجَمَالَ الْكِبْرُ بَطَرُ الْحَقِّ
وَغَمْطُ الناس
‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (rta) reported
that the Prophet (sws) said: “A person in whose heart is the
slightest trace of arrogance will not enter Paradise.” A
person asked: “A person likes that his clothes be nice and his
shoes [also] be nice. [Is this not arrogance?]” The Prophet (sws)
replied: “God is beautiful and likes what is beautiful.
Arrogance [actually means] denying the truth and regarding
people to be inferior.”8
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1. Ibid., vol.
1, 10, (no. 5).2. Ibid., vol. 1, 91, (no. 87).
3. Abu Da’ud, Sunan, vol. 4, 341, (no. 5164).
4. Al-Bukhari, Al-Jami‘ al-sahih, vol. 5, 2247, (no. 5696).
5. Ibid., vol. 5, 2056, (no. 5061).
6. Muslim, Al-Jami‘ al-sahih, vol. 2, 594, (no. 869).
7. Al-Bukhari, Al-Jami‘ al-sahih, vol. 1, 39, (no. 70).
8. Muslim, Al-Jami‘ al-sahih, vol. 1, 93, (no. 91).