Five Important Lessons

Commentary of the Hadith

Five Important Lessons

1. Text and Translation

On the authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (may peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

 “Who will accept this statement and put it to practice, or convey it to someone who will practice it.?” I replied, “I, O Messenger of Allah.” The Messenger of Allah s.a.w. held my hand and counted to five, then said: “Stay away from that which is prohibited (haram), for you shall become the best person in worship. Be pleased with what Allah s.w.t. has bestowed upon you, for you shall be the richest person. Be good to your neighbours, for you shall become a true believer (mu’min). Love others as you love yourself, for you shall become a true Muslim. And avoid too much laughter because excessive laughter kills the heart.”

Related by al Tirmidhi and Ahmad

2. Staying away from the prohibited means not to do anything forbidden whether directly or indirectly. The direct prohibitions are to avoid the clearly forbidden such as intoxicants, stealing, corruption, murder, unlawful relationships, usury (riba), gambling and others. The indirect are included in the obligation to carry out what Allah has commanded and avoiding Allah’s prohibitions. The indirect also means to avoid actions or paths leading up to the clear prohibitions.

3. Being pleased and contented with what Allah s.w.t. has granted means not to ridicule, not to be indifferent and not to be callous with Allah’s bounties. Greed should not engulf us. We believe that all things are determined by destiny and fate, and that man has to endeavour and work towards his goals. Success or failure depends on the will of God.

A true Muslim knows that everything he has is a gift from Allah s.w.t.: birth, beauty, intelligence, wealth etc. A true Muslim is grateful to Allah s.w.t. for all he has been given. He has nothing to be proud of, but instead, he has much to be thankful for. Therefore, he tries and strives his utmost to use what Allah has given him to lead a decent Islamic life.

4. The richest person is the one who does not hope or rely upon any other except Allah s.w.t. As long as a person depends on someone else even though outwardly he may be the wealthiest, he is still not considered truly prosperous.

Another hadith says: Prosperity is not material wealth but the wealth of the self, faith and spirit.

If Allah s.w.t. blesses somebody with wealth, it must be used properly and shared with those who are less fortunate.

And in their (Muslims) wealth there is a recognized right for the needy and the poor.

al Ma’arij 70: 24-25

For some people, wealth becomes the most important thing in their lives so they care more for the money than they care for the truth, justice, kindness and respect for others. They forget that misfortune and death may separate them from their wealth at anytime and leave them with nothing.

5. Being good to neighbours means not to hurt them by words, actions and other manners. Help should be given and sympathy should be shown during needful periods, bad times and emergencies. Visits are encouraged at reasonable times and occasions.

Muslim and non-Muslim neighbours have to be respected and treated honourably. When everyone treats each other well and meaningfully, a peaceful and friendly society shall prevail.

6. Loving others as though we love ourselves is intended to establish a deeper and meaningful relationship of brotherhood and bonding. This brotherhood ought to be nurtured so that it thrives and flourishes in the Islamic society. Each individual is above selfishness and everyone helps out and cooperates with one another. To a certain extent, every Muslim is responsible for the welfare of each member of his community.

Another hadith: By Him in whose hand my soul rests, a man does not believe until he likes for his brother what he likes for himself.

7. Laughter is a sign of carelessness. When we laugh we tend to forget other things. Such laughter which brings about heedlessness is shunned. However laughter which is natural, reasonable and suitable for the occasion is part of human joy and amusement. Careless and misguided persons tend to frequent places full of excessive hilarity until they become forgetful of their responsibilities and the real world around them.

Reference:

Abdullah Hj Abd Wahab, Ustaz,  Empat Puluh Hadith Pilihan, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 1981.

B. Aisha Lemu, Islamic Tahdhib and Akhlaq Theory and Practice, IQRA’ International Educational Foundation, 1997.