Riyad as-Salihin

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Whoever amongst you sees an evil, he must change it with his hand; if he is unable to do so, then with his tongue; and if he is unable to do so, then with his heart; and that is the weakest form of Faith"..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Never a Prophet had been sent before me by Allah to his people but he had, among his people, (his) disciples and companions, who followed his ways and obeyed his command. Then there came after them their successors who proclaimed what they did not practise, and practised what they were not commanded to do. And (he) who strove against them with his hand is a believer; he who strove against them with his heart is a believer; and he who strove against them with his tongue is a believer ; and beyond that there is no grain of Faith"..

We swore allegiance to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to hear and obey; in time of difficulty and in prosperity, in hardship and in ease, to endure being discriminated against and not to dispute about rule with those in power, except in case of evident infidelity regarding which there is a proof from Allah. We swore allegiance to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to say what was right wherever we were, and not to fear from anyone's reproach..

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The likeness of the man who observes the limits prescribed by Allah and that of the man who transgresses them is like the people who get on board a ship after casting lots. Some of them are in its lower deck and some of them in its upper (deck). Those who are in its lower (deck), when they require water, go to the occupants of the upper deck, and say to them : 'If we make a hole in the bottom of the ship, we shall not harm you.' If they (the occupants of the upper deck) leave them to carry out their design they all will be drowned. But if they do not let them go ahead (with their plan), all of them will remain safe"..

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "You will have rulers some of whom you approve and some of whom you will disapprove. He who dislikes them will be safe, and he who expresses disapproval will be safe, but he who is pleased and follows them (will be indeed sinful)". His audience asked: "Shall we not fight them?" He replied, "No, as long as they establish Salat amongst you"..

The Prophet (ﷺ) came to visit me one day frightened and he (ﷺ) said: "La ilaha illallah (There is no true God but Allah). Woe to the Arabs because of an evil which has drawn near! Today an opening of this size has been made in the barrier restraining Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog people)." And he (ﷺ) made a circle with his thumb and index finger. I said, "O Messenger of Allah! Shall we perish while still there will be righteous people among us?'' He (ﷺ) replied, "Yes, when wickedness prevails". .

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Beware of sitting on roads (ways)." The people said: "We have but them as sitting places." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "If you have to sit there, then observe the rights of the way". They asked, "What are the rights of the way?" He (ﷺ) said, "To lower your gaze (on seeing what is illegal to look at), and (removal of harmful objects), returning greetings, enjoining good and forbidding wrong"..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saw a man wearing a gold ring. So he (the Prophet (ﷺ)) pulled it off and threw it away, saying, "One of you takes a live coal, and puts it on his hand." It was said to the man after Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had left: "Take your ring (of gold) and utilize it," whereupon he said: "No, by Allah, I would never take it when Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has thrown it away"..

'Aidh bin 'Amr (the Companion) (May Allah be pleased with him) visited 'Ubaidullah bin Ziyad (the ruler) and said to him: "Son, I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, 'The worst shepherds (rulers) are those who deal harshly in respect of supervision. Beware, Don't be one of them!"' Ibn Ziyad said to him, "Sit down, you are but husk from among the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ)." 'Aidh bin 'Amr (May Allah be pleased with him) retorted: "Was there any husk among them? Surely, husk came after them and among others than them"..

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "By Him in Whose Hand my life is, you either enjoin good and forbid evil, or Allah will certainly soon send His punishment to you. Then you will make supplication and it will not be accepted"..

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The best type of Jihad (striving in the way of Allah) is speaking a true word in the presence of a tyrant ruler.".

A person asked the Prophet (ﷺ) (when he had just put his foot in the stirrup): "What is the highest form of Jihad?" He (ﷺ) said, "Speaking the truth in the presence of a tyrant ruler"..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The first defect (in religion) which affected the Children of Israel in the way that man would meet another and say to him: 'Fear Allah and abstain from what you are doing, for this is not lawful for you.' Then he would meet him the next day and find no change in him, but this would not prevent him from eating with him, drinking with him and sitting in his assemblies. When it came to this, Allah led their hearts into evil ways on account of their association with others." Then he (ﷺ) recited, "Those among the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue of Dawud (David) and 'Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary). That was because they disobeyed (Allah and the Messengers) and were ever transgressing beyond bounds. They used not to forbid one another from the Munkar (wrong, evildoing, sins, polytheism, disbelief) which they committed. Vile indeed was what they used to do. You see many of them taking the disbelievers as their Auliya' (protectors and helpers). Evil indeed is that which their own selves have sent forward before them; for that (reason) Allah's wrath fell upon them and in torment will they abide. And had they believed in Allah and in the Prophet (Muhammad (ﷺ)) and in what has been revealed to him, never would they have taken them (the disbelievers) as Auliya' (protectors and helpers); but many of them are the Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah)." (5:78-81)Then he (ﷺ) continued: "Nay, by Allah, you either enjoin good and forbid evil and catch hold of the hand of the oppressor and persuade him to act justly and stick to the truth, or, Allah will involve the hearts of some of you with the hearts of others and will curse you as He had cursed them"..The wording in At-Tirmidhi is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "When the Children of Israel became sinful, their learned men prohibited them but they would not turn back. Yet, the learned men associated with them and ate and drank with them. So, they were cursed at the tongues of Dawud and 'Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), because they were disobedient and were given to transgression." At this stage Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who was reclining on a pillow sat up and said, "No, By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, there is no escape for you but you persuade them to act justly."

"O you people! You recite this Verse: 'O you who believe! Take care of your ownselves. If you follow the (right) guidance .

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and will be cast into Hell, and his intestines will pour forth and he will go round them as a donkey goes round a millstone. The inmates of Hell will gather round him and say: 'What has happened to you, O so-and-so? Were you not enjoining us to do good and forbidding us to do evil?' He will reply: 'I was enjoining you to do good, but was not doing it myself; and I was forbidding you to do evil, but was doing it myself"..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "There are three signs of a hypocrite: When he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is trusted, he betrays his trust.".Another narration adds the words: 'Even if he observes fasts, performs Salat and asserts that he is a Muslim".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) foretold to us two Ahadith. I have seen one (being fulfilled), and I am waiting for the other. He (ﷺ) told us, "Amanah (the trust) descended in the innermost (root) of the hearts of men (that is, it was in their heart innately, by Fitrah, or pure human nature). Then the Qur'an was revealed and they learnt from the Quran and they learned from the Sunnah." Then the (Prophet (ﷺ)) told us about the removal of Amanah. He said, "The man would have some sleep, and Amanah would be taken away from his heart leaving the impression of a faint mark. He would again sleep, and Amanah would be taken away from his heart leaving an impression of a blister, as if you rolled down an ember on your foot and it was vesicled. He would see a swelling having nothing in it." He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) then took up a pebble and rolled it over his foot and said, "The people would enter into transactions with one another and hardly a person would be left who would return (things) entrusted to him (and there would look like an honest person) till it would be said: 'In such and such tribe there is a trustworthy man.' And they would also say about a person: 'How prudent he is! How handsome he is and how intelligent he is!' whereas in his heart there would be no grain of Faith." Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman (May Allah bepleased with him) added: I had a time when I did not care with whom amongst you I did business, I entered into a transaction, for if he were a Muslim, his Faith would compel him to discharge his obligation to me; and if he were a Christian or a Jew, his guardian (surety) would compel him to discharge his obligation to me. But today I would not enter into a transaction except with so-and-so..

`There was nothing that put you out of Jannah except your father's sin. I am not the one to do that, go to my son Ibrahim (Abraham), the beloved man of Allah.' Then Ibrahim (ﷺ) when approached, will say: `I am not the one to do that, for I was only a friend; and that is not a lofty status but ask Musa (Moses) to whom Allah spoke.' They will then go to Musa (ﷺ) but he will say: `I am not the one to do that; go to `Isa (Jesus), Allah's Word and spirit.' `Isa (ﷺ) will say: `I am not the one to do that.' So they will come to me; and I will stand and be given permission. Amanah and ties of relationship will be sent forth and will stand on the sides of the Sirat (that is, the Bridge set over Hell-fire) right and left, and the first of you will pass like lightning.'' I said (that is Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him)" :I ransom you with my father and mother, what is like the movement of lightning?'' The Messenger of Allah replied, "Have you not seen how the lightning goes and returns in the twinkling of an eye? Next (group will pass) like the passing of the breeze, next like the passing of a bird, and the next with the speed of a running man, according to the quality of their deeds. (During all this time) your Prophet (ﷺ) will remain standing on the Bridge saying: `O my Rubb, keep (them) safe, keep (them) safe,' till men's deeds are so weak that a man comes who will be able only to crawl. On both sides of the Bridge pronged flesh hooks, placed under command will be hung and will seize those about whom they receive command, some people being lacerated and escaping and others being thrown violently into Hell.'' Abu Hurairah added: By Him in Whose Hand Abu Hurairah's soul is, the pit of Jahannam (Hell) is seventy years in depth. .

When Az-Zubair, got ready to fight in the battle of Al- Jamal, he called me and said: "My son, whoever is killed today will be either a wrongdoer or a wronged one. I expect that I shall be the the wronged one today. I am much worried about my debt. Do you think that anything will be left over from our property after the payment of my debt? My son, sell our property and pay off my debt." Az-Zubair then willed one-third of that portion to his sons; namely 'Abdullah's sons. He said, "One-third of the one-third. If any property is left after the payment of debts, one-third (of the one-third of what is left is to be given to your sons." (Hisham, a subnarrator added: "Some of the sons of 'Abdullah were equal in age to the sons of Az-Zubair, e.g., Khubaib and Abbad. 'Abdullah had nine sons and nine daughters at that time)". (The narrator 'Abdullah added:) He kept on instructing me about his debts and then said: "My son, should you find yourself unable to pay any portion of my debt then beseech my Master for His help." By Allah, I did not understand what he meant and asked: "Father, who is your Master?" He said: "Allah." By Allah! Whenever I faced a difficulty in discharging any portion of his debt; I would pray: "O Master of Zubair, discharge his debt," and He discharged it. Zubair was martyred. He left no money, but he left certain lands, one of them in Al-Ghabah, eleven houses in Al-Madinah, two in Basrah, one in Kufah and one in Egypt. The cause of his indebtedness was that a person would come to him asking him to keep some money of his in trust for him. Zubair would refuse to accept it as a trust, fearing it might be lost, but would take it as a loan. He never accepted a governorship, or revenue office, or any public office. He fought along with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman (May Allah be pleased with them).'Abdullah added: I prepared a statement of his debts and they amounted to two million and two hundred thousand! Hakim bin Hizam met me and asked me: "Nephew, how much is due from my brother as debt?" I kept it as secret and said: "A hundred thousand." Hakim said: "By Allah! I do not think your assets are sufficient for the payment of these debts." I said: "What would you think if the amount were two million and two hundred thousand?" He said: "I do not think that you would be able to clear off the debts. If you find it difficult let me know."Az-Zubair (May Allah bepleased with him) had purchased the land in Al-Ghabah for a hundred and seventy thousand. 'Abdullah sold it for a million and six hundred thousand, and declared that whosoever had a claim against Az-Zubair (May Allah bepleased with him) should see him in Al-Ghabah. 'Abdullah bin Ja'far (May Allah bepleased with him) came to him and said: "Az- Zubair (May Allah bepleased with him) owed me four hundred thousand, but I would remit the debt if you wish." 'Abdullah (May Allah bepleased with him) said: "No." Ibn Ja'far said: ''If you would desire for postponement I would postpone the recovery of it." 'Abdullah said: "No." Ibn Ja'far then said: "In that case, measure out a plot for me." 'Abdullah marked out a plot. Thus he sold the land and discharged his father's debt. There remained out of the land four and a half shares. He then visited Mu'awiyah who had with him at the time 'Amr bin 'Uthman, Al-Mundhir bin Az-Zubair and Ibn Zam'ah (May Allah bepleased with them). Mu'awiyah (May Allah bepleased with him) said: "What price did you put on the land in Al-Ghabah?" He said: "One hundred thousand for a each share. Mu'awiyah inquired: "How much of it is left?" 'Abdullah said: "Four and a half shares." Al-Mundhir bin Az-Zubair said: "I will buy one share for a hundred thousand". 'Amr bin 'Uthman said: "I will buy one share for a hundred thousand". Ibn Zam'ah said: "I will buy one share for a hundred thousand." Then Mu'awiyah asked: "How much of it is now left?" 'Abdullah said: "One and a half share. Mu'awiyah said: "I will take it for one hundred and fifty thousand." Later 'Abdullah bin Ja'far sold his share to Mu'awiyah for six hundred thousand.When 'Abdullah bin Az-Zubair (May Allah bepleased with him) finished the debts, the heirs of Az-Zubair (May Allah bepleased with him) asked him to distribute the inheritance among them. He said: "I will not do that until I announce during four successive Hajj seasons: 'Let he who has a claim against Az-Zubair come forward and we shall discharge it."' He made this declaration on four Hajj seasons and then distributed the inheritance among the heirs of Az-Zubair (May Allah bepleased with him) according to his will. Az- Zubair (May Allah bepleased with him) had four wives. Each of them received a million and two hundred thousand. Thus Az-Zubair's total property was amounted to fifty million and two hundred thousand.

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Beware of injustice, for oppression will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection; and beware of stinginess because it doomed those who were before you. It incited them to shed blood and treat the unlawful as lawful."