2. "And do good to your parents. If either of them or both of them reach old age with thee, say not to them, fie: nor chide them: and speak to them a generous word. And make thyself submissively gentle to them with compassion, and say, My Lord! Have mercy on them as they brought me up when I was little" (17:23, 24).
3. "And do not kill your children for fear of poverty . We give them sustenance and yourselves too" (17:31).
4 "And when about the one buried alive it is asked, For what sin was she killed?" (81:8, 9).
5. "Righteousness is this that one should believe in Allāh . . . . and give away wealth out of love for Him to the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and the beggars and for the emancipation of the captives" (2:17).
6. "And they (the women) have rights similar to those (men have) over them in a just manner" (2:228).
7. "And keep them (your wives) in good fellowship" (2:229, 231).
8. "The believers are but brethren, so make peace between your brethren" (49:10).
9. "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allāh: and those with him are firm of heart against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves" (48:29).
10. "And the men who speak the truth and the women who speak the truth . . . Allāh has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward" (33:35).
11. "Woe to every slanderer, defamer" (104:1). 13. "And fulfil promise, for the promise shall be questioned about" (17: 34). 14. "And give full measure when you measure out, and weigh with a true balance" (17: 35). 15. "And do not kill any one whom Allāh has forbidden except for a just cause" (17: 33). 16. "And those who shun the great sins and indecencies, and whenever they are angry they forgive" (42:37). 17. "And the recompense of evil is punishment like it; but whoever forgives and amends, he shall have his reward from Allāh" (42:40). 18. "And the servants of the Beneficent are they who walk on earth in humbleness; and when the ignorant address them they say, Peace" (25:63). 19. "And go not nigh to fornication, for it is an indecency and evil is the way" (17:32). 20. "Say to the believing men that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts." "Say to the believing women that they cast down their looks and guard their private parts, and not display their beauty except what appears thereof; and let them draw their head-coverings over their bosoms" (24:30, 31). 21. "And as for women advanced in years who do not hope for a marriage, it is no sin for them if they put off their cloaks, not displaying their beauty" (24:60). 22. "Do not enter houses other than your own houses without permission and saluting their inmates and if it is said to you, Go back. then go back" (24:27, 28). The word adab signifies discipline of the mind, or every praiseworthy discipline by which a man is trained in any excellence. Good morals and good manners are the real test of a man's excellence (v. 1; hh. 1, 9). Goodness to one's parents occupies a very high place in the moral code of Islām, the mother coming first (v. 2: h. 2), so much so that paradise is said to be beneath the mother's feet. 3). Kindness and love for children is inculcated (vv. 3. 4 . hh. 4, 5), and suffering on account of them is called a screen from fire (h. 6). Doing good to relatives is a source of blessings in this life and the next (v. 4; hh. 7, 8). Wives have their rights over their husbands and they must be kept in good fellowship (vv. 6, 7). The best of men is said to be one who is kindest to his wife (h. 9). and it is recommended that one should help her in her work (h. 10). Muslims "The best of you are those who have the most excellent morals." (B. 61:23.) 2 Abu Hurairah said, A man came to the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, and said, O Messenger of Allāh! Who has the greatest right that I should keep company with him with goodness? He (B. 78:2.) 3 Mu'āviyah Ibn Jāhimah reported, Jāhimah came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, and said, O Messenger of Allāh! I intended that I should enlist in the fighting force and I have come to consult thee. He said: "Hast thou a mother?" He said, Yes. He said: "Then stick to her, for paradise is beneath her two feet."1 (Ns. 25:6.) 4 'Ā'ishah said, A dweller of the desert came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, and said, You 1. This hadīth gives the highest place of honour to woman. "Do I control aught for thee if Allāh has taken away mercy from thy heart?" (B. 78:18.) 5 'Ā'ishah reported, The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, took a baby in his arms, rubbing its palate (with chewed date), and it urinated on him, so he sent for water and made it follow the urine. (B. 78:21.) 6 'Ā'ishah said, 'A woman came, with her being her two daughters, asking for charity but she did not find with me anything except a date. I gave it to her and she divided it between her two daughters, and did not herself eat of it. Then she got up and went out, and "Whoever is thrown into a trial on account of these daughters, they are a screen for him from fire." (B. 24:10.) 7 Anas said, I heard the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, say: "Whomsoever it pleases that his sustenance should be made ample to him or that his life should be lengthened, let him be kind to his relatives." (B. 34:11) 8 Abū Hurairah reported, The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said: "Rahim is an offshoot of Rahmān; so Allāh said, Whoever makes his ties close with thee I will make My ties close with him, and whoever severs his ties (B. 78:13.) 9 Abu Hurairah said, The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said: "The most perfect of the believers in faith is the best of them in moral excellence, and the best of you are the kindest of you to their wives." (Tr. 10:11) 10 Aswad said, I asked 'Ā'ishah, What did the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, do when in his house? She said, he served his wife, meaning that he did work for his wife. (B. 10:44.) 2. The word rahim means the womb, hence relationship by the female side; but it also carries the wider significance of relationship in general; and Rahmān means the God of mercy or the Beneficent God. The hadīth signifies that relationship is deeply connected with mercy in its very nature. So whoever makes close ties of relationship by kindness to relatives God is kind to him, and whoever severs the ties of relationship by ill-treatment towards relatives God is displeased with him. One must be kind to relatives though they be non-Muslims (B. 11:7). "A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim; he does him no injustice, nor does he leave him alone (to be the victim of another's injustice); and whoever does the needful for his brother, Allāh does the needful for him; and whoever removes the distress of a Muslim, Allāh removes from him a distress out of the distresses of the day of resurrection; and whoever covers (the fault of) a Muslim, Allāh will cover his sins on the day of resurrection." (B. 46:3.) 12 Anas said, The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said "Help thy brother whether he is the doer of wrong or wrong is done to him." They (his companions) said, O Messenger of Allāh! We can help a man to whom wrong is done, but (B. 46:4) 13 Nu'mān said, The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said: Thou wilt see the faithful in their having mercy for one another and in their love for one another and in their kindness towards one another like the body; when one member of it ails, the entire body (ails), one part calling out the other with sleeplessness and fever." (B. 78:27.) 14 Abū Mūsā reported, The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said: "Believers are in relation to one another as (parts of) a structure, one part of which strengthens the other." And he inserted the fingers of one hand amid those of the other (so as to conjoin his two hands). (B. 8:88.) (B. 25: 132.) 10 These memorable words, making inviolable the blood, property and honour of one Muslim to another, wore uttered on the sacred day of Sacrifices, in the sacred month of Dhu-l-Hijjah, in the sacred city of Makkah. "Do not hate one another and do not be jealous of one another and do not boycott one another, and be servants of Allāh (as) brethren; and it is not lawful for a Muslim that he should sever his relations with his brother for more than three days." (B. 78:57.) 17 Abū Dharr reported, He heard the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, say: "A man does not accuse another of being a transgressor, nor does he accuse him of being a kāfir, but it ( the epithet ) comes back to him, if his companion is not such."4 (B. 78:44.) 4. The Holy Prophet thus emphasized that one member of the Muslim brotherhood should not call another fāsiq (transgressor), or kāfir (disbeliever). The man who did this deserved to have the very epithet applied to him by way of punishment. "When two Muslims meet each other with their swords, both of them are in the fire." I said, O Messenger of Allāh! This is for the murderer, but what about the one who is murdered? He said: "He was desirous of murdering his companion." (B. 2:21.) 19 Abū Hurairah said, The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said: "Whoever believes in Allāh and the latter day should not harm his neighbour, and whoever believes in Allāh and the latter day should honour his guest."5 (B. 78:31). 5. The sending of gifts to neighbours is recommended (H xxvi:1). Ihrām al dzaif (honouring the guest) is specially enjoined on Muslims In another hadīth, "Gabriel continued to enjoin me with good treatment towards the neighbour until I thought that he would make him heir of the property (of the deceased neighbour.)" (B. 78:28) 21 Abū Dharr said, . . . . The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said to me: ". . . Your slaves are your brethren, Allāh has placed them under your control; so whoever has his brother under his control should feed him from what he eats and should give him clothes to wear from what he wears, and do not impose on them a task which should overpower them, and if you (B. 2:21.) 22 Anas said, I served the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, for ten years, and he never said to me, Fie. Nor, Why hast thou done (this)? Nor, Why hast thou not done (this)? (B. 78: 39.) 23 Abū Hurairah said, The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said "One who manages the affairs of the widow and the poor man is like the one who exerts himself hard in the way of Allāh, or the one who stands up for prayer in the night and fasts in the day." (B. 69:1.) 24 Sahl ibn Sa'd reported, The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, and the man who brings up an orphan will 6. The hadīth speaks of slaves, but the words are equally applicable to servants, specially the concluding portion. And he pointed with his two fingers, the forefinger and the middle finger.7 (B. 78:24.) 25 Abū Hurairah reported, Tufail ibn 'Amr al-Dausī and his companions came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, and said, O Messenger of Allāh! Daus have disobeyed and refused, so pray to Allāh for their punishment. And it was said, Daus have perished. But he said: "O Allāh! Guide Daus and bring them."8 (B. 56: 100.) 26 'Ā'ishah reported, The Jews came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, and said, Death overtake you! 'Ā'ishah said, And you, and may Allāh curse you and may Allāh's wrath descend 7. The Holy Prophet pointed with his two fingers which are close to each other, meaning that the man who brings up an orphan will be with him in paradise. 8. The Holy Prophet thus refused to pray for the punishment of even those who disobeyed and he prayed for their guidance. (B. 78:38.) 27 Jarīr said: The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said "Allāh has no mercy on him who is not merciful to men."10 (B.& M-Msh. 24:15) 28 Ibn 'Abbās said, The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said: "He is not of us who does not show mercy to our little ones and respect to our great ones." (Tr-Msh. 24:15) 29 Sahl said, The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, passed 9. The Muslim salutation al-salāmu 'alai kum means peace be to you. The Jews mischievously corrupted it into as-sāmu 'alai-kum which means death overtake you. The Holy Prophet did not allow discourtesy even to such enemies. 10. Thus a Muslim is required to be merciful to all men, whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims. (AD. 15:43) 30 'Abd Allāh reported, The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said: "Surely truth leads to virtue, and virtue leads to paradise, and a man continues to speak the truth until he becomes thoroughly truthful; and surely falsehood leads to vice, and vice leads to the fire, and a man continues to tell lies until he is written down a great liar with Allāh" (B. 78:60.) (B. 78:38) 32 'Alī said, The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said: "A Muslim owes to a Muslim six (duties) to be bestowed liberally--he should offer him salutation when he meets him,12 and he should accept when he invites him, and he should pray for him when he sneezes, and he should visit him when he is sick, and he should follow his bier when he dies, and he should love for him what he loves for himself." (Tr-Msh. 24:l.) 11. The meaning is, may he be frequent in prostrating himself. 12. The words of the Muslim salutation are al-salāmu 'alai-kum and the salutation is generally returned by saying wa 'alai-kum-us-salām (peace be with you). To this are sometimes added the words wa rahmat-ullāhi wa barakātuh (and the (B. 79:4) 34 'Abd Allāh ibn 'Amr reported, A man asked the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, what Islām is the best one? He said: "That thou feed (the poor) and offer salutation to whom thou knowest and whom thou dost not know." (B. 2:5.) 35 Qatādah said, I said to Anas, Did the companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, shake hands13 (when they met)? He said, Yes. (B. 79:27.) 13. This is called musāfahah ( from safh meaning side), the two men joining their hands as a mark of love. (Tr-Msh. 24:3.) 37 'Ubaid ibn 'Umair reported, Abū Mūsā al-Ash'arī sought permission to see 'Umar and he was not permitted, as if he was engaged, and Abu Mūsā came back. (B. 34:9.) 38 Sa'īd ibn Abu-l-Hasan said to Hasan, Women, other than Arabs, keep their bosoms and their heads uncovered. He said, Turn thou away 14. 'Zaid was a slave whom the Holy Prophet had set free, and on account of his deep attachment to the Holy Prophet, he was called his son. 15. This is called mu'ānaqah (from 'unuq meaning neck). Some hadīth show that the Holy Prophet disallowed it, but he may have done this simply to show that it should not be generally resorted to.
