Question:
I once heard that there is a simple hadith, but scholars are able to extract up to 60 hukms and lessons from the hadith. May SS Mufti state the hadith and rulings which are extracted from it?
Answer:
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
The hadith meant is a hadith narrated by Anas bin Malik RA:
كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَحْسَنَ النَّاسِ خُلُقًا، وَكَانَ لِي أَخٌ يُقَالُ لَهُ أَبُو عُمَيْرٍ ـ قَالَ أَحْسِبُهُ فَطِيمٌ ـ وَكَانَ إِذَا جَاءَ قَالَ " يَا أَبَا عُمَيْرٍ مَا فَعَلَ النُّغَيْرُ ". نُغَرٌ كَانَ يَلْعَبُ بِهِ، فَرُبَّمَا حَضَرَ الصَّلاَةَ وَهُوَ فِي بَيْتِنَا، فَيَأْمُرُ بِالْبِسَاطِ الَّذِي تَحْتَهُ فَيُكْنَسُ وَيُنْضَحُ، ثُمَّ يَقُومُ وَنَقُومُ خَلْفَهُ فَيُصَلِّي بِنَا
The Prophet (ﷺ) was the best of all the people in character. I had a brother called Abu `Umar, who, I think, had been newly weaned. Whenever he (that child) was brought to the Prophet (ﷺ) the Prophet (ﷺ) used to say, "O Abu `Umar! What did Al-Nughair (nightingale) (do)?" It was a nightingale with which he used to play. Sometimes the time of the Prayer became due while he (the Prophet) was in our house. He would order that the carpet underneath him be swept and sprayed with water, and then he would stand up (for the prayer) and we would line up behind him, and he would lead us in prayer.
Sahih al-Bukhari (6203)
In another narration:
كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَدْخُلُ عَلَيْنَا وَلِي أَخٌ صَغِيرٌ يُكْنَى أَبَا عُمَيْرٍ وَكَانَ لَهُ نُغَرٌ يَلْعَبُ بِهِ فَمَاتَ فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فَرَآهُ حَزِينًا فَقَالَ " مَا شَأْنُهُ " . قَالُوا مَاتَ نُغَرُهُ فَقَالَ " يَا أَبَا عُمَيْرٍ مَا فَعَلَ النُّغَيْرُ
The Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) used to come to visit us. I had a younger brother who was called Abu ‘Umair by Kunyah (surname). He had a sparrow with which he played, but it died. So one day the prophet (May peace be upon him) came to see him and saw him grieved. He asked: What is the matter with him? The people replied: His sparrow has died. He then said: Abu ‘Umair! What has happened to the little sparrow?
Sunan Abi Dawud (4969)
Abu ‘Umair is the son of Umm Sulaim and Abu Talhah R.Anhum, and he passed away at such a young age. (Refer Fath al-Bari Syarh Sahih al-Bukhari 3/170 and 10/586)
Ibn al-Qasas- a jurist of madhhab al-Shafi’e- has written a book entitled Fawa’id Hadith Ibn ‘Umair which gathers more than sixty extractions (istinbath) of hukm, wisdom and Sunnah of the Prophet PBUH, among them are as what we listed below:
- The sunnah of walking according to the Prophet PBUH is to not walk with arrogance (takabbur) and boastful, and not too slow while looking down too much. The Prophet PBUH walked by looking down a bit as if he is walking down from a steep hill.
- Visiting is a Sunnah.
- It is rukhsah to visit non-mahram women.
- The visit of a ruler to his people.
- It is permissible for a ruler to specifically visit some of his people, and it is not considered as bias, even if some scholars ruled it as makruh.
- Depiction of the attribute of tawadhu’ of a ruler towards his people.
- This hadith also a dalil of that it is makruh to put a barrier between rulers and the people.
- Permissibility of a ruler to walk by himself.
- This hadith shows the frequency of visit paid by the Prophet to the family of Anas bin Malik RA.
- The frequency of visit normally will not lead to love unless it is followed by strong willpower. This is in accordance with the words of ‘Aisha R.Anha:
زر غبا تزدد حبا
Pay a visit not frequently, surely love between you will foster
- The commandment to interact with many people. While hadith which command us to avoid interaction with the people, then it is an exception if, by this action, we may strengthen the ukhwah and foster love among Muslims.
- The commandment to shake hands with the guest.
- The dalil of the permissibility for the guest to perform salah in the house.
- The original rule is pure until it is a certainty that there is najis, where the Prophet PBUH and his Companions use a mat found to pray without purifying it first.
- It is permissible for learned persons to come to the students, with the condition of that will not degrade the knowledge itself.
- The performance of salah by the Prophet PBUH in the house of Abu Talhah’s family is the dalil of honour of that family.
- The permissibility to joke around with kids.
- The Prophet PBUH’s jokes with the kids also the dalil of the commandment to leave the feelings of arrogance (takabbur) and boastful.
- This hadith also the dalil on the special and honourable akhlak of the Prophet PBUH.
- The permissibility for a mu’min to have two different personalities in public and personal spaces, in which, he is calmer at public place, while a fun person at home.
- This attribute does not deny the commandment for us to leave the attributes of a munafiq.
- The commandment to ask for other’s condition on our brothers when we meet them.
- This hadith is also a dalil of the existence of ahad khabar, in which the Prophet PBUH relied on the answer of one side only.
- It is permissible to give kunyah (surname of ‘Abu’ or ‘Umm’) to children who do not have kids yet.
- It is permissible to spend on kids’ toys as long as it is not for haram things.
- The dalil on the permissibility to put a bird in a cage.
- The dalil on the permissibility of using tasghir in naming.
- A clever person shall interact and communicate with people according to their capacity of mind.
- The dalil on Sunnah for qailulah (having a nap before Zuhr).
- This hadith refutes the opinion of some people which states that a ruler who sleeps in his people’s house will make his honour lesser.
- It is permissible to savour all blessings from Allah SWT and not go against the Sunnah.
- The sitting of the Prophet PBUH on the mat and mattress shows a great honour towards guests who are paying a visit.
Imam Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani also stated that jokes made by the Prophet PBUH to Abu ‘Umair is also a form of his good deed toward his slave which is Anas bin Malik. (Refer Fath al-Bari Syarh Sahih al-Bukhari 10/586)
Besides, this hadith also a dalil for Imam Abu Hanifah who is of the opinion that hunting in Medina during ihram is not prohibited. However, madhhabs which prohibit it answered it by two possibilities: either this hadith takes place before the setting of Medina as the haram area to do hunting during ihram, or the animal was hunted and caught outside of the haram area. (Refer Syarh al-Nawawi ‘ala Muslim 9/134)
We cite some of the benefits from this hadith as there is not much time and chances to do so.
Conclusion
There are many benefits and wisdoms from this simple hadith which proves another hadith of the Prophet PBUH which says:
بُعِثْتُ بِجَوَامِعِ الْكَلِمِ
I have been commissioned with words which are concise but comprehensive in meaning
Sahih al-Bukhari (2977) and Sahih Muslim (523)
This also shows the intelligence and cleverness of the scholars in extracting the benefits and rulings from just one hadith. Therefore, it is wajib for us to show such great respect towards them, pray to Allah SWT to have mercy upon them and have a determination to follow them in their efforts towards knowledge.
Wallahua’lam.