ISLAMIAT LECTURE 5

MAJOR THEMES OF THE HADITH (PART 1)

Hi all! Welcome to yet another Islamiat lecture. I hope this one proves as helpful as the previous ones have been. Today, we will be addressing the major themes of the 20 Hadith in your syllabus. In case you don’t know, this is a compulsory topic of your course and a question will be set from it for sure in your examination. So no running away!

There are 20 fixed Hadith in your syllabus, a list of which can be found in your syllabus’ appendix. Of those 20 Hadith, you need to know their major themes and how we can apply to them to our daily lives. And this is exactly what we will be learning today.

Hadith 1:

Religion is sincerity.’ We said: ‘to whom?’ The Prophet said: ‘To Allah, His book, His messenger, the leaders of the Muslims and to their common people.

The main theme of this Hadith is that to follow Islam with utmost dedication, it is important that we be sincere to the things we believe in and to the things we do. Our aim should be to the follow the commandments of Allah and His messenger, which is, in effect, the true essence of Islam. We should try and become responsible citizens of the society by obeying our leaders and our fellow brothers and sisters.

As Muslims, we can put this teaching of the Holy Prophet in action by showing respect towards our leaders. We should address them politely and should not use foul language against them. An excellent example of sincerity to religion was seen when the Holy Prophet wrote letters to Kings inviting them to Islam. Though they weren’t even Muslims then, yet he used very decent and polite language and addressed them respectfully.

Hadith 2:

None of you believes until he wants for his brother what he wants for himself.

According to Islam, all believers are bonded together by a common faith in Islam. They, therefore, constitute a single family or brotherhood where all members are familiar to each other regardless of social, geographical or linguistic barriers. Therefore, in keeping of this of strong bond of brotherhood, muslims must desire good for their fellow brethren and consider their needs, rights and wants with the same standard as their own and try as much to  make sure that they are provided for.

A true believer is supposed to be ready to give preference to the needs and feelings of his Muslim brothers over his own. For example, the Holy Prophet himself would often sleep hungry but ensure that his companions get to eat – such was the level of his concern for them. Similarly, the world saw how the earthquake of 2005 in northern areas of Pakistan strengthened this bond of brotherhood and all Muslims came out to help their brothers and sisters who were in dire need of rescue, relief and rehabilitation.

Hadith 3:

Let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day either speak good or keep silent, and let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day be generous to his neighbor, and let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day be generous to his guest.

This Hadith links goodness in action to faith by establishing it as a pre requisite for complete faith in Allah and the Day of Judgment. Here, the Prophet has laid down certain cardinal disciplines for a true believer. Unless belief expresses itself practically, it remains but a pretension. Therefore, Muslims are being taught to be kind and generous to guests and neighbors alike and also to use their tongues for noble, decent and polite purposes.

The Sunnah of the Holy Prophet is full of examples where the Prophet set new standards of generosity by being extremely kind to his guests and neighbors. A neighbor of the Prophet in Makkah used to torture him by throwing filth on him each day; yet, he never reacted to it and always maintained his calm. Once, when that very neighbor fell ill, the Prophet went to inquire for her health. Such was his magnanimity. Likewise, once the Prophet had guests at his place and the food was insufficient to feed all. So the Prophet and his family slept with an empty stomach but made sure that their guests eat properly. As Muslims, we should also adopt such generosity in our lives.

Hadith 4:

A man asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace): Do you think that if I perform the obligatory prayers, fast in Ramadan, treat as lawful that which is lawful and treat as forbidden that which is forbidden, and do nothing further, I shall enter paradise? He said: Yes.

This Hadith explicitly defines the fundamental obligations of Islam. It tells Muslims that their primary duty is to say their prayers regularly, fast in the month of Ramzan and not exceed their limits when it comes to following the law of Islam i.e. refrain from that which is not allowed and adopt the allowed. If a Muslim fulfills this simple criterion, he shall enter paradise for he will be living his life in accordance to the teachings of Islam.

Great importance has been placed on these fundamentals since they are a source of nearness to Allah and a path which whosoever treads, earns his pleasure. A Muslim is not just ordered to pray, but to “establish” prayer, which implies to bond with Allah through prayer. Similarly, not just refrain from food while fasting but to maintain a distance from all evil deeds so as to purify ones faith and instill self restraint.