Abu Hurairah, radiyallahu ‘anhu, reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, said:
“Verily Allah the Exalted is pure. He does not accept but that which is pure. Allah commands the believers with what He commanded the Messengers. Allah the Almighty has said: “O you Messengers! Eat of the good things and act righteously” [23:51-53]. And Allah the Almighty also said: “O you who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided you with” [2:167-172].
Then he (the Prophet) mentioned (the case of) the man who, having journeyed far, is dishevelled and dusty and who stretches out his hands to the sky (saying): “O Lord! O Lord!” (while) his food was unlawful, his drink was unlawful, his clothing was unlawful, and he is nourished with unlawful things, so how can he be answered?”
Abu Hurairah ‘Abd al-Rahman bin Sakhr, radiyallahu ‘anhu, reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, say:
“Avoid that which I forbid you to do and do that which I command you to do to the best of your capacity. Verily the people before you were destroyed only because of their excessive questioning and their disagreement with their Prophets.”
Abdullah bin Omar narrated that the messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, said:
“I have been ordered to fight against people until they testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah and until they perform the prayers and pay the zakat, and if they do so they will have gained protection from me for their lives and property, unless [they do acts that are punishable] in accordance with Islam, and their reckoning will be with Allah the Almighty.”
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
The majority of Scholars say that the “people” here refers to the Arab polytheists. The same interpretation can also be found in the Qur’an in Surah An-Nasr.
Another opinion say that the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, was referring to all people, excluding Ahlul Kitab, i.e. the people of the Book. It was said that this hadith was abrogated by the later rulings concerning jizziya (compensation).
A third opinion interprets the hadith as saying that people have to accept the domination or supremacy of Islam – that Islam is the dominant religion. This objective is to be achieved by whatever means, whether it is through fighting or through peaceful agreements.
On the authority of Tamim Al-Dari that the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, said:
“Religion is nasihah.” We said: “To whom?” The Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, said: “To Allah and His Book,
and His messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk.”
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad is a book by Imam al-Bukhari; a collection of 1,300 narrations on Islamic etiquette and conduct, it is a fascinating insight into how one should behave as practised by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) his companions and the Aimmah of the Tabi’in from the following generation. It tackles a variety of issues, from dealing with specific family members, to how to write letters, to how to go shopping.
On the authority of Abu ‘Abdullah al-Nu’man bin Bashir, radiyallahu ‘anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, say:
“Truly, what is lawful is evident, and what is unlawful is evident, and in between the two are matters which are doubtful which many people do not know. He who guards against doubtful things keeps his religion and honour blameless, and he who indulges in doubtful things indulges in fact in unlawful things, just as a shepherd who pastures his flock round a preserve will soon pasture them in it. Beware, every king has a preserve, and the things Allah has declared unlawful are His preserves. Beware, in the body there is a flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt, and behold, it is the heart.”
