Hadith 17

Written by: Febriyani Permata Sari

Published: 24 September 2024

عَنْ أَبِي يَعْلَى شَدَّادِ بْنِ أَوْسٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم قَالَ: "إنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ الْإِحْسَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، فَإِذَا قَتَلْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الْقِتْلَةَ، وَإِذَا ذَبَحْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الذِّبْحَةَ، وَلْيُحِدَّ أَحَدُكُمْ شَفْرَتَهُ، وَلْيُرِحْ ذَبِيحَتَهُ". [رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ].

On the authority of Abu Ya’la Shaddad bin Aws (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Verily Allah has prescribed ihsan (proficiency, perfection) in all things. So if you kill then kill well; and if you slaughter, then slaughter well. Let each one of you sharpen his blade and let him spare suffering to the animal he slaughters.”
[Muslim]

Hadith 16

Written by: Fayandi

Published: 17 September 2024

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَجُلًا قَالَ لِلنَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه و سلم أَوْصِنِي. قَالَ:

لَا تَغْضَبْ، فَرَدَّدَ مِرَارًا، قَالَ: لَا تَغْضَبْ" .
[رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ].

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): A man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), “Counsel me,” so he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Do not become angry.” The man repeated [his request for counsel] several times, and [each time] he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Do not become angry.”
[Al-Bukhari]

Summary of Discussion

Today, six of us participated in the morning taklim: Agus, Fayandi, Febri, Debi, Dhea, and Yogi, from 08:15 to 09:00 WIB. In discussing this hadith, Fayandi brought three editions of Ihya Ulumuddin by Al-Ghazali: one in Arabic, one in Indonesian, and a summarized version. There is a chapter in Ihya Ulumuddin that addresses the topic of anger.

The book highlights the dangers of anger. Abu Hurairah once sought advice from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who simply said, "Do not get angry." It also recounts a story where the companions of the Prophet asked, "Who is the strongest man?" They replied, "The one who wins in a fight." However, the Prophet corrected them, saying, "No, the strongest man is the one who controls himself when he is angry."

Al-Ghazali explains that anger can be classified into three forms: excessive anger, the absence of anger, and a balanced or moderate level of anger. The extremes, whether too much or too little, are forbidden. Imam Shafi'i even remarked, "A person who has no anger is like a donkey."

We also discussed the story of Ali ibn Abi Talib during a battle. After bringing down an enemy, Ali prepared to strike, but the enemy spat on him. At that moment, Ali refrained from killing him. When asked why, Ali explained that after being spat on, he became angry and did not want to kill out of personal anger but only for the sake of Allah. The enemy was so moved by this that he eventually converted to Islam.

Our discussion also touched on the concept of justice. Justice is treating people equally—responding to good with good and to bad with bad. However, above justice is *ihsan*—responding to bad with good.

We read Ihya Ulumuddin on how to control anger, which mentions six key methods. First, one must recognize the rewards of restraining anger. Second, one must be aware of Allah's punishment for those who let anger control them. *Ihya* notes that Iblis can easily manipulate someone who is angry, just as one can easily handle a baby. Third, one should trust that Allah is more capable of handling matters than we are. Fourth, it is essential to remind oneself of the potential consequences and risks of acting in anger. Finally, the book advises reflecting on how unpleasant and beast-like a person appears when consumed by anger. 

 

Vocabulary

• Hadith – Hadis
• Anger – Kemarahan
• Angry - Marah
• Companion – Sahabat
• Justice – Keadilan
• Restrain – Menahan
• Punishment – Hukuman
• Ihsan – Ihsan (no direct translation, refers to doing good or excellence in Islamic context)
• Enemy – Musuh
• Convert – Masuk Islam (Beralih keyakinan)
• Beast – Binatang buas

 

Grammar

Present Continuous Tense is used to describe actions that are happening right now or around the present time. It can also be used to talk about future plans.

Subject + is/am/are + verb + -ing

• Subject: The person or thing doing the action (I, you, he, she, they, etc.)
• To be verb: am (I), is (he, she, it), are (you, we, they)
• Verb + -ing: The base verb plus the "-ing" ending.

Usage:

1) For actions happening at the moment of speaking:

• I am reading a book.
• They are discussing the hadith.

2) For temporary actions or situations:

• "We are studying Ihya Ulumuddin this week."
• "Ali is controlling his anger during the battle."

3) For future arrangements or plans:

• "We are meeting later to talk about anger management."

 

Signal Words:

• Now
• At the moment
• Currently
• Right now
• This week/month/year

Hadith 15

Written by: Febriyani Permata Sari

Published: 16 September 2024

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم قَالَ: "مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاَللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيَقُلْ خَيْرًا أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ، وَمَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاَللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيُكْرِمْ جَارَهُ، وَمَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاَللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيُكْرِمْ ضَيْفَهُ".
[رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ] ، [وَمُسْلِمٌ]

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day speak good, or keep silent; and let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day be generous to his neighbour; and let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day be generous to his guest.
[Al-Bukhari] [Muslim]

Summary of Discussion:

This hadith is about:

1. Speak Good or Remail Silent;

This point has been stated many times and explains in another hadith that we should only speak good to others. 

From Abu Hurairah, he said, “A person asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him):

ياَ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ ! إِنَّ فُلاَنَةَ تَقُوْمُ اللَّيْلَ وَتَصُوْمُ النَّهَارَ، وَتَفْعَلُ، وَتَصَدَّقُ، وَتُؤْذِيْ جِيْرَانَهَا بِلِسَانِهَا؟

‘O Messenger of Allah! There is a woman who prays at night and fasts during the day, performs good deeds, and gives charity, but she harms her neighbors with her tongue.’

 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) replied:

لاَ خَيْرَ فِيْهَا، هِيَ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ

‘There is no good in her; she is among the inhabitants of Hell.’

 

The companions then said,

وَفُلاَنَةُ تُصَلِّي الْمَكْتُوْبَةَ، وَتُصْدِقُ بِأَثْوَارٍ ، وَلاَ تُؤْذِي أَحَداً؟

And there is another woman who performs the obligatory prayers and gives charity with barley, but she does not harm anyone.’

He said, هِيَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ

"She is among the inhabitants of Paradise."

(HR. Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, no. 119. Sheikh Al-Albani stated that this hadith is authentic. See Ash-Shahihah, 190)

 

2. Generous to neighbours;

Here are some good way to treat our neighbours:

• Starting to greet neighbors.  
• Visiting neighbors who are ill.  
• Expressing condolences when neighbors face misfortune.  
• Congratulating neighbors when they experience joy.  
• Sharing in their happiness and blessings.  
• Apologizing if one has made a mistake.  
• Making an effort to lower one’s gaze and not look at neighbors’ non-mahram wives.  
• Taking care of neighbors' homes when they are away.  
• Being kind and gentle to neighbors' children.  
• Attempting to teach neighbors about matters of religion or worldly knowledge they may not be aware of.**

another thing that we should do to our neighbours is to remind them if they do something wrong. For example if we feel that our neighbours' plants are disturbing the roads and make other people angry about it, as a good neighbour we should remind them in a good way. Come to their house and visit them by bringing snacks before telling them the truth (with good words). 

 

3. Generous to guests.

When a guest arrives at your home, whether he or she is expected or not, provide your guest with a pleasurable experience and to reap the rewards attained by pleasing God.  Greet the guests warmly, welcome them to your home and show them into a comfortable and appropriate room. Hasten to provide them with food and drink so that they do not have to ask for these things. Prophet Muhammad showed respect to his guests by offering them the choicest food and delivering it in a timely manner.   

It is the host’s duty to make the guest feel comfortable. One way of doing this is by identifying his or her possible needs in advance. It is better to offer a guest something before he or she has the chance to ask for it because a courteous guest may hesitate to mention any need.  Out of his or her thoughtfulness, such a guest would even try to prevent the host from offering anything. The Quran offers the example of Prophet Abraham anticipating the guest’s needs and hastening to fulfill them. 

Has the story reached you of the honored guests of Abraham? Behold, they entered his presence and said: "Peace!" He said: "Peace!" (and thought: "They seem) unusual people." Then he turned quickly to his household, brought out a roasted fattened calf, and placed it before them.  He said: "Will you not eat?" (Quran 51: 24-27)

 

On the other hand, there are also responsibilities if we are the guests. One of them is to announce our visit in advance whenever possible. Another is to hasten to taste the refreshments and to pray for and ask blessings upon the host. After seeing to the initial needs of his guest the Muslim should take interest in his or her conversation. However, if the guest should speak about or engage in unlawful activity, the Muslim has every right to ask him to refrain from doing so.

Prophet Muhammad also said, "...And it is not lawful for a guest to stay with his host for such a long period as to put him in a critical position." Again, the responsibility of the guest is to bear in mind the conditions of his host and not burden him with what he cannot afford.  Everybody has various duties and obligations that must be attended to, many of which may not be obvious or visible to the guest.  By prolonging one’s stay one might inadvertently put his or her host under unbearable pressure.

 

Vocabularies:

1. Authority - Otoritas
2. Blessings - Berkah
3. Generous - Dermawan
4. Obligatory - Wajib
5.*Inhabitants - Penduduk
6. Misfortune- Musibah
7. Companions - Sahabat
8. Thoughtfulness - Perhatian
9. Lawful - Halal
10. Engage - Terlibat
11. Burden - Beban
12. Prolonging - Memperpanjang

Grammar:

How to translate a hadith?

When translating a hadith, it’s important to maintain clarity, accuracy, and respect for the original text. Here are some guidelines for ensuring proper grammar in your translation:

1. Understand the Context
   - Ensure you fully understand the meaning and context of the hadith before translating. This helps you convey the intended message accurately.

2. Maintain the Structure
   - Direct Quotes: Use quotation marks for direct quotes from the hadith. For example: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “...” 
   - Consistent Tense: Stick to the same tense throughout the translation. Generally, present tense works well for hadiths.

3. Use Clear and Concise Language
   - Avoid overly complex sentences. Aim for clarity. For example, instead of saying, “Let him who believes speak good or remain silent,” you could say, “Those who believe should speak well or remain silent.”

4. Use Appropriate Punctuation
   - Use commas, periods, and colons correctly to enhance readability. For instance, separate clauses clearly.

5. Include Parenthetical Explanations if Necessary
   - If a term or phrase might not be understood by readers unfamiliar with Islamic terminology, provide brief explanations in parentheses. For example: “...and the Last Day (Day of Judgment)...”

6. Be Culturally Sensitive
   - Ensure your translation respects the cultural and religious significance of the text. Avoid informal language or slang.

 7. Revise for Grammar and Style
   - After completing your translation, review it for grammatical errors, sentence structure, and overall flow. Ensure it reads smoothly.