SO TAUGHT OUR PROPHET MUHAMMAD صلى الله عليه وسلم

READ THE FOLLOWING AHADITH AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW:

1. “THE BEST OF YOU IS HE WHO LEARNS THE QUR’AN AND TEACHES IT TO OTHERS”
1. Who among the Muslim community is declared the best person according to this Hadith?
The best person among the Muslim community is he who learns the Qur’an and teaches it to others.

2. What do you mean by learning the Qur’an?
Learning the Qur’an means knowing how to read it, understand it, and live by it.

3. What should one do to become a best Muslim?
To become a best Muslim, one should first learn how to read the Qur’an, understand it, and make others learn the Qur’an.

2. “HE WHO HAS NO COMPASSION FOR OUR LITTLE ONES AND DOES NOT OUR OLD ONES, DOES NOT BELONG TO US”.
1. What do you understand by this Hadith?
A Muslim cannot be a true Muslim unless he treats the younger ones with kindness and the elder ones with respect.

2. What two things are emphasised in this Hadith?
The two things emphasised in this Hadith are:
1. Showing kindness and compassion to children and young Muslims
2. Being respectful to the elder Muslims.

3. “HE TO WHOM PERFUME IS GIVEN SHOULD NOT REFUSE IT, FOR IT IS LIGHT IN WEIGHT AND GOOD IN SMELL”.
1. What do you understand by this Hadith?
By this Hadith, we understand that if someone gifts perfume to us we should accept it, and not refuse it.

2. What two reasons are cited by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم for which perfume should be accepted as a gift from others?
The two reasons are: 1) Perfume is light in weight 2) Good in smell

4. “HE WHO DOES NOT THANK PEOPLE, DOES NOT THANK ALLAH”
1. What do you understand from this Hadith?
Being grateful to people is being grateful to Allah.

2. What does this Hadith tries to inculcate among Muslims?
This Hadith tries to inculcate among Muslims the feeling of being grateful to people.

3. “He who does not thank people, does not thank Allah” Explain this Hadith.
Allah helps us in ways. One way is that He helps us through people. If we are not thankful to the people who help us, it is as though we are not thankful to Allah.

5. “ALLAH IS NOT MERCIFUL TO HIM, WHO IS NOT MERCIFUL TO PEOPLE”.
1. What should we do if we want Allah to be Merciful to us?
If we want Allah to be Kind and Merciful to us, then we should be kind and merciful to people.

2. What character does this Hadith tries to inculcate in us?
This Hadith tells us to adopt the character of being humble, kind and merciful to others, and not to adopt a cruel and unkind nature.

3. One of the attributes of Allah is that He is ‘The Most Merciful’. Mention its Arabic name. The Arabic name for the Most Merciful is AR RAHMAN.

6. “IT IS GREAT TREACHERY THAT YOU TELL YOUR BROTHER SOMETHING HE ACCEPTS AS TRUTH FROM YOU, BUT YOU ARE LYING”.
1. What is treachery? Which act of treachery has the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم referred to as ‘a great treachery’ in this Hadith?
Treachery is to betray somebody. Telling lies to others in a manner they believe it to be true, is referred as a ‘great treachery’ by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in this Hadith.

2. What have you understood from this Hadith? Highlight some points.
When we tell something to others, we should tell what is truth. We lie to someone and he takes it to be true. This is a great betrayal in Islam. Never adopt the path of lie and falsehood.

7. “HE WHO TRULY BELIEVES IN ALLAH AND THE LAST DAY SHOULD SPEAK GOOD OR KEEP SILENT”.
1. As per this Hadith, what should a true Believer in Allah and the Day of Judgement do?
A true Believer in Allah and the Day of Judgement speak good or keep silent.

2. Bring out the purpose behind this Hadith.
The purpose behind this hadith is to motivate Muslims to adopt truthfulness and to speak good or keep silent. The emphasis is towards guarding one’s tongue.

8. THE STRONG MAN IS NOT THE ONE WHO IS STRONG IN WRESTLING, BUT THE ONE WHO CONTROLS HIS ANGER”.
1. “The strong man is not the one who is strong in wrestling, but the one who controls his anger”. Why?
It is easy to knock down somebody but it is difficult to control one’s own self in the state of anger. This is the reason why the stronger man is the one who controls his anger and not the one who is strong in wrestling.

2. What should one do if one wants to emerge stronger? If one wants to emerge stronger, one should control oneself in the state of anger.

9. “IT IS PART OF THE BEAUTY OF MAN’S ISLAM TO LEAVE WHAT DOES NOT CONCERN HIM”.
1. What is the most beautiful part of a man’s belief in Islam?
The most beautiful part of a man’s belief in Islam is his leaving away of things that does not concern him.

2. What do you mean by ‘to leave what does not concern him’?
It means not to interfere in other’s work, not to poke one’s nose into the affairs of others, and minding one’s own business.

10. “PRAYER HAS BEEN MADE MY DELIGHT”.
1. Who said this? This was said by our glorious Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم .

2. What was the Prophet’s delight?
Prayer (Salah) was the Prophet’s delight.

3. “Prayer has been made My delight”. Explain.
Before, during and after performing Salah, the Prophet used to feel happy. It eased his worries and gave him strength. It brought him peace of mind and contentment of heart. Prayer was his singular source of happiness and delight. He used to say, ‘the coolness of My eyes lies in Salah’.

11. ONE OF THE THREE THINGS NEVER FAILS TO COME TO A MAN FROM SUPPLICATION (DU’A): EITHER A SIN IS FORGIVEN, OR SOMETHING GOOD COMES HURRIEDLY TO HIM, OR SOMETHING GOOD IS STORED UP FOR HIM”.
1. What is supplication?
Supplication is du’a – calling on Allah and Allah only.

2. What are the three effects of supplication?
* Forgiveness of a sin
* Sudden happening of some good thing
* Something good is kept in reserve for the person

3. What is the message of this Hadith?
The message is ‘no supplication (du’a) goes waste’.