Kitābu Al-Jāmi’i from the Book: Bulūghu Al-Marām by Ibn Hajar 03

*Shar’h Session*

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الحمذ لله رب العالمين
والصلاة والسلام على من بعث رحمة للعالمين
وعلى آله وصحبه ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين
Assalāmu Alaykum Warahmatullāh Wabarakātuh
Honored brothers and sisters in Islām
You are welcome to this evening’s session of the Halqah
The Imām said:

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: حق المسلم على المسلم ستٌّ
إذا لقيته فسلِّم عليه، وإذا دعاك فأجبه، وإذا استنصحك فانصحه، وإذا عطس فحمد الله فشمته، وإذا مرض فعده، وإذا مات فاتبعه

From Abū Hurayrah – radiyallāhu ‘anhu – the Messenger of Allāh – salallāhu alayhi wasallam – said:
“The Right of a Muslim on a Muslim are Six:
“If you meet him you say the Salām unto him”
“If he invites you, you should respond”
“If he seeks your advice concerning a matter, give him sincere advice”
“If he sneezes and says ‘Alhamdulillāh’, then say to him the tashmīt”
“If he falls sick, pay him visit’
“If he dies, escort his body (to the grave)”
In this Hadīth, the Rasūl – salallāhu alayhi wasallam – gives us the minimum that is required of a Muslim as a duty to his fellow believer in the Muslim community
The Ulamā explained that the Rasūl – salallāhu alayhi wasallam – mentioned the duties in respect of health and soundness of situation to a time when he is no more so as to make it easy to comprehend
For when the Muslim is met on the road, he should be said the Salām which is the greeting of Islām.
Know, may Allāh’s mercy be upon me and you, that in the Taslim (saying of the Salām) to ourselves one to the other is a lot that binds the community and solves a lot of social disfunctionality
And with its continuity and persistence, it leads to safety in the heart
And that was why the Rasūl – salallāhu alayhi wasallam – mentioned the Taslīm as one of the things that bring about unity and love in the Ummah, and loving for one’s brother what one loves for himself.

He said in the Hadīth that was recorded by Imām Muslim from Abī Sālih from Abū Hurayrah – radiyallāhu ‘anhu -When you tell a Muslim ‘Assalāmu Alaykum’, you are telling him that he is safe from your hands and your tongue.

That is because in its doing is an identification to belong to the same Faith and the same Nation. Likewise Imām Al-Bukhārī in his Sahīh brought from ‘Ammār Ibn Yāsir – radiyallāhu ‘anhu – that he said:

لا تدخلون الجنة حتى تؤمنوا ولا تؤمنوا حتى تحابوا أولا أدلكم على شيء إذا فعلتموه تحاببتم أفشوا السلام بينكم

“You shall not enter the Jannah until you believe. And you shall nor believe until you love one another. Should I not direct you to that which if you do it, you will love one another? Spread the Salām amidst yourselves.”

This Hadīth is Mawqūf as it is attributed to the Companion ‘Ammār Ibn Yāsir – radiyallāhu ‘anhu

But this statement, though that of a Sahābī is attested for in the Marfū’ Hadīth from the Rasūl – salallāhu alayhi wasallam for he said from the Hadīth of ‘Amr Ibn Al-‘Ās when he was asked by a man ‘What of Islām is the best?

( ثلاث من جمعهن فقد جمع الإيمان : الإنصاف من نفسك ، وبذل السلام للعالم ، والإنفاق من الإقتار)

“There are three this has which whomsoever comes with them all has indeed put together all of Īmān: to be fair to others even if its against yourself, to say the Salām to all of the people and to spend upon others at a period you lack.”

This shows us that the Taslīm is very important in the Dīn and binding upon the Muslims one upon the other.
“That you should feed others and that you should say the Salām to those you know and to those you don’t know”
As for the Ahkām (Injunctions) of Taslīm (saying the Salām), we shall expound on that elsewhere Allāh willing
Bārakallāhu fīkum

The second right mentioned here is that you are to respond to him whenever he invites you
The majority of the Ulamā have maintained that if it is an ordinary invitation to dine, it is not obligatory to respond to it. But the Dhāhiriyyah (Literalist School) held to the contrary relying upon this Hadīth
Whereas the majority held that what is obligatory is to respond to the Call to Walīmah
What is referred to here is if he invites you to dine with him in Walīmah for instance
It becomes obligatory upon you to respond to his call

The Ulamā have differed on the obligation of responding to an invitation to dine whether it is obligatory or not
Mentioning that the response to call referred is the Call to Walīmah as other texts have proven
And the Hāfidh Imām Ibn ‘Abdilbarr – rahimahullāh – explained in the Istidhkār that this position held by the Dhāhiriyyah is weak
And the Ulamā have mentioned that the wisdom behind this is that you must celebrate together with your brother and make him happy when something that warrants celebration occurs to him
This position was echoed by Imām An-Nawawī in the Majmū and Ibn Qudāmah in the Mughnī
Then in your refusal to respond to the call to his Walīmah is a wrong message that may lead to rancour and mistrust.

But, o honored ones, this is not left unrestricted.
However it is not permissible for you to attend gatherings where the ruling of Allah and His commands are trampled upon in the name of responding to your brother
And what is obligatory upon you in that case is to explain to him and seek to discourage him from a gathering where the commands of Allāh are disregarded
It is obligatory to aid your brother in celebrations that are Halāl. If you have reasons to not attend it such as difficulties in reaching the place of the Walīmah and its likes, it becomes obligatory to render your excuse before hand and Allāh knows best

And the third Right mentioned here is the Right to the right Counsel
Whenever your Muslim brother/sister seeks advice from you it is obligatory upon you to give him/her sincere advice
And this stems from the Hadīth in which the Rasūl – salallāhu alayhi wasallam – said:

(الدِّينُ النَّصِيحَةُ . قُلْنَا لِمَنْ ؟ ، قال : (لِلَّهِ وَلِكِتَابِهِ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلِأَئِمَّةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَعَامَّتِهِمْ 

“The Dīn is Nasīhah” the Companions said: “To who?” He said: “To Allāh, to His Books, the His Messenger, and the the Imams of the Muslims and the Generality of them”

What is meant by Nasīhah in the Arabic Language encompasses sincerity, good will, positive consideration, wanting good for the object of Nasīhah, giving good advice and seeking the protection of the Interest of the object of Nasīhah
This was referred by Ibn Al-Athīr – rahimahullāh – in An-Nihāyah
Thus, the generality of the Muslims must be safe from your evils and you must want that which is good for them
In the same vein you must be out for protecting their interests and seeking to protect them from anything that harms them
“As for Nasīhah to the Muslims, it is for him to love for them what he loves for himself, to detest for them what he detests for himself, to feel mercy and concern for them, to be merciful toward the small ones among them, to respect the elder ones among them, to feel sad at what makes them sad, to be happy at what makes them happy…”
Imām Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbalī – rahimahullāh – said about Nasīhah to the generality of the Muslims:
And when they ask it of him, the obligation is stronger, that he not give a wrong advice knowingly to his brother or misguide him
The Ulamā have said, it is not permissible for him to give his brother advice in accordance to what he wants to hear
And by virtue of his Nasīhah, he gives them sound advice even if they did not ask it of him
If therefore, your Muslim brother/sister seeks sound advice from you today, know that it is his right that you give him/her the correct advice.
Because this is what Nasīhah implies

Of his rights is that you respond to him when he sneezes and says Alhamdulillāh .
You have no choice and in your refusal to do that knowingly is a breach of trust and treachery in the Dīn
This is known as the Tashmīt
Ibn Qayyim – rahimahullāh – mentioned that it is also referred to as ‘Tasmīt’
And he said it is called that by virtue of the Du’ā that is made for him by the Muslim who hears him say the Alhamdulillāh after sneezing
And in the Hadīth recorded by Imām Al-Bukhārī from Abū Hurayrah – radiyallāhu ‘anhu
…the Rasūl – salallāhu alayhi wasallam – said:

إِذَا عَطَسَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَقُلْ : الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ، وَلْيَقُلْ لَهُ أَخُوهُ أَوْ صَاحِبُهُ : يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ ، فَإِذَا قَالَ لَهُ يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ فَلْيَقُلْ : يَهْدِيكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَكُمْ

“If any of you sneezes, let him say: Alhamdulillāh and let it be said to him ‘Yarhamukallāh’ then he should say: Yahdīkumullāhu Wa Yusliha Bālakum”

Imām Al-Bukhārī rahimahullāh mentioned in Al-Adabu Al-Mufrad that this is the most authentic Hadith on this matter
And this is why most of the Ulamā prefer these wordings in the cause of the Sneezing and the Tashmīt
Otherwise there are other wording narrated in the Hadīth
This is also Sahīh
In the Riwāyah of Abū Dāwud from Abū Hurayrah, he is to say ‘Alhamdulillāh ‘ala kulli Hāl’
This was recorded by Al-Bukhārī in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad and it is also Sahīh
Ibn ‘Abbas was recorded to have said in place of ‘Yahdīkumullāhu Wa Yusliha Bālakum’ the words: ‘Āfānallāhu Wa Iyyākum Min An-Nār’…
And this is Sahīh too
This is why Imām Mālik and Ash-Shāfi’ī mentioned that the person is free to use any of them
And Imām Mālik recorded in the Muwattā from Nāfi’ from ‘Abdullah bn ‘Umar – radiyallāhu ‘anhumā – that anytime he sneezes and ‘Yarhamulallah’ was said to him, he would say: Yarhamunallāhu Wa Iyyākum Wa Yaghfirullāhu Lanā Walakum’
Bārakallāhu fīkum.
Taqabalallāhu Minnā Wa Minkum
May Allāh accept our fast and make us of those who are admitted into Jannah
Āmīn
Bārakallāhu fīkum
سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك أشهد ان لا إله إلا الله نستغفرك ونتوب إليك