© © 2006 www.Allah.com © 2006 www.Muhammad.com Reported in Arabic by Grand Muhaddith Master Abdullah Ben Sadek al-Ghumari to Shaykh Ahmad Darwish Rendered in to English by Anne Khadeijah Darwish And Shaykh Ahmad Darwish For Arabic readers, the best authorized Arabic edition is "Manhal al-Waridin Sharh Riyad as-Salihin" by Dr. Subhi as-Salih [ash-Shahid] Whereas the best authorized Arabic explanation is "Dalil al-Falihin" by as-Sidiqi IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE MERICFUL, HE MOST MERCIFUL CHAPTER 1 SINCERITY Allah, the High, has said: “Yet they were ordered to worship Allah alone, making the Religion His sincerely, upright, and to establish their prayers and to pay the obligatory charity. That is indeed the Religion of Straightness.” Ch. 98:5 Koran “Their flesh and blood does not reach Allah, rather, it is piety from you that reaches Him. As such He has subjected them to you, in order that you exalt Him for guiding you. And give glad tidings to the generous.” Ch. 22:37 Koran “Say: 'Whether you hide what is in your hearts or reveal it, Allah knows it. He knows all that is in the heavens and earth and has power over all things.'” Ch.3:29 Koran THE IMPORTANCE OF INTENTION 1 “I, (Omar son of Al Khattab) heard the Messenger of Allah (praise and peace be upon him) say: "Indeed, deeds are (judged) only by the intention, and there is for everyone that which he intended.If one's migration is to Allah and His Messenger, then one's migration is to Allah and His Messenger. If one's migration is to seek the world, then one's migration is for that. If a man migrates for the sake of a woman and marries her, then his migration is for that which he migrated.’” 1 Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to (Abu Hafs) Omar son of al-Khattab who related this. THE FATE OF THE INNOCENT 2 "An army will advance upon Ka'ba but when it reaches the barren land, all of them, the first and the last, will be swallowed up by the earth. Lady Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her asked: 'Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, how is it that the first and last of them will be swallowed up yet among them are civilians and those who are not from them?' He replied: 'Their first and last will be swallowed up, but they will be resurrected according to their intentions.'" 2 Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to the Mother of the believers Lady Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her, related: The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. 3 "There is no migration after the opening (of Mecca); rather, fighting and intention remain - and when you are called upon go (to war)." (Nawawi notes: The meaning of this is that there is no migration from Mecca because it became the Islamic land). 3 Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to the Mother of Believers, Lady Ayesha, wife of the Prophet, may Allah be pleased with her, related: The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. HEARTS IN UNISON 4 “We were with the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, in a battle when he said: 'There are some men in Medina who are with you wherever you march and in whatever valley you cross. It is only illness that has kept them from being with you. They are equal to you in reward.’" 4 Muslim with a chain up to (Abu Abdullah) Jabir son of Abdullah al-Ansari said this. FELLOW FEELINGS 5 “We were returning from the battle of Tabuk with the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, when he said: 'There are people left behind in Medina who were with us in every pass we crossed and every valley we traversed. They were held back by some (valid) excuse.'” 5 Bukhari with a chain up to Anas said this. CHARITY FOR ALL 6 “My father, Yazid, gave several dinars (money) in charity and left them in the care of a man in the mosque. I went to that man and brought the dinars back to my father. He said: 'By Allah, I did not mean these for you.' So we went to the Prophet, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and submitted the matter to him. He said: 'Yazid, for you there is what you intended and Ma'an for you what you have taken.'” 6 Bukhari with a chain up to (Abu Yazid) Ma'an son of Yazid son of al-Akhnas (he, his father and his grandfather were among the Companions of the Prophet) said this. CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME 7 “In the year of the Farewell Pilgrimage, Sa'd was in so much pain that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, went to visit him. Sa'd said: 'O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, you can see I am in a lot of pain. I am a wealthy man and my sole heir is my daughter. May I give two-thirds of my wealth in charity?' He replied: 'No.' 'Then one-half, O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him? Again he said: 'No.' 'Well perhaps, one-third, O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him? At this the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said: 'One-third, and one-third is a lot. It is better that you should leave your her rich rather than dependent, begging people. Indeed, you will not spend anything seeking the Face of Allah and not receive a reward for it, even that which you put in the mouth of your wife.' Then Sa'd said: 'O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, am I to be left behind in Mecca after my Companions leave?' He replied: 'You will not be left behind doing anything seeking the pleasure of Allah, that will not cause you to be raised in degree and rank. May you be left in order that some people might benefit from you and that some are harmed by you.' Then he supplicated (saying): 'O Allah, complete for my Companions their migration, and do not turn them back on their heels.' But the one to be pitied was Sa'd, the son of Khaulah who died in Mecca, for whom the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, expressed mercy and compassion.” 7 Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to (Abu Ishaq) Sa'd, the son of Abi Wakkas Malik son of Uhaib (one of the ten given the glad tidings of admission into Paradise) said this. MAKE SURE YOUR HEART IS PURE 8 "Allah does not look to your bodies and images, but He looks at your hearts." 8 Muslim with a chain up to (Abu Hurairah) Abdur Rahman son of Shakhr related: The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. THE PATH TO ALLAH 9 “The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, was asked: ‘Which among these is upon the Path of Allah: a man who fought out of bravery; a man who fought for tribal pride, or the man who fought for the sake of showing-off?’ He replied: 'Whosoever fights in order to let the Word of Allah be the highest is on the Path of Allah.'” 9 Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to (Abu Musa) Abdullah son of Kays al-Asha'ri said this. PREMEDITATED MURDER 10 "When two Muslims (submitters to Allah) oppose each other with swords, both the killer and the murdered will be in Hell. I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, surely, it is only the killer. What about the one who has been killed?' He answered: 'The other was also eager to kill his Companion.'" 10 Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to (Abu Bakrah) Nafi' son of al-Harith ath-Thaqfi, related, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. BENEFITS OF PRAYING IN THE MOSQUE 11 "The prayer of a man offered in congregation is more than twenty degrees greater in merit than his prayer offered in his market-place or in his home. Therefore, when one of them makes a fine ablution and comes to the mosque with no desire except for the prayer, and nothing motivated him except the prayer, his degree is raised for every step he took and a sin is removed up until he enters the mosque. When he enters the mosque, he is considered to be in a state of prayer as long as the prayer keeps him until its time; and the angels continue to pray for him as long as he remains in his place of prayer, and they supplicate saying: 'O Allah have mercy on him, O Allah, forgive him, O Allah accept his repentance,' for as long as he does no harm there, and so long as he does not loose his state of purity." 11 Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah related: The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. UNEXPECTED REWARD 12 “Indeed, Allah has written the merits and sins, and has clarified them. Whoosoever intended a merit but did not practice it, Allah, the Blessed, the High, writes it with Him as a complete reward. Whereas if he intended it and practiced it, Allah writes it as ten rewards up to seven hundred, doubled, and multiplied. However, if he intended a sin but does not commit it, Allah, the High, writes it with Him as a complete reward. Whereas if he intended it and committed it, Allah writes it as one sin.” 12 Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to (Abu al-'Abbas) Abdullah son of Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib with a chain up to the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, amongst that which he reported with a chain up to his Lord, the Blessed, the High, says this. THE VALUE OF GOOD DEEDS 13 “I (Abu Abdur Rahman) heard the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, say: ‘There were three people, amongst a people that lived before you. They were traveling and found a cave, and entered it in order to spend the night. Then, a rock slid down from the mountain and blocked the entrance to the cave. They said to each another: 'Nothing will save you from this rock except that you supplicate to Allah, the High, with your good deeds.' One of them said: 'O Allah, I had two aged parents and I did not serve a drink to any family member or servant before them. One day I was drawn far away in search of greenery (to feed his cattle) and did not return until after my parents had gone to sleep. After I finished the milking I brought them their drink and found them sleeping, I hated to wake them, nor would I give any part of the milk to my family or servants before serving them. So I remained with the jug in my hand waiting for them to wake until the break of dawn and the children were crying from hunger by my feet. So they awoke and drank their evening drink. O Allah, if I did this seeking Your Face, so relieve us from that which we are in on account of this rock.’ Thereupon the rock moved a little but they were unable to emerge from the cave. Another said: 'O Allah, I had a female cousin, who was to me the most beloved person of all people. I wanted her, but she denied me. Then she was stricken by a barren year, so she came to me, and I gave her a hundred and twenty dinars (gold pounds) on condition that she surrender herself to me, so she did. When I was in control, above her, she said: 'Fear Allah, and do not break the seal except with its rights,' so I left her although she was to me the most beloved person, and I left the gold I had given her. O Allah, if I did this seeking Your Face, so relieve us from that which we are in.' Thereupon the rock moved again, but they were still unable to emerge from the cave. Then the other said: 'O Allah, I hired some laborers and paid them all their wages except for one man who left what was due to him and went away. I nurtured his wage in business and his wealth increased. After a time he came to me and said: ‘O worshiper of Allah, give me my wage’" So I said: ‘By Allah, all that you see is from your wage: camels, cows, sheep and youths.’ He said: ‘O worshiper of Allah, do not mock me.’ I replied: ‘I do not mock you.’ So he took it all and drove it, leaving nothing of it. O Allah, if I did this seeking Your Face, so relieve us from that which we are in.' Thereupon the rock moved and they emerged, walking, from the cave." 13 Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to (Abu Abdur Rahman) Abdullah son of Omar has son of al-Khattab said this. CHAPTER 2 REPENTANCE Chapter introduction, Nawawi reported that the scholars say: Repentance is obligatory for each individual sin. If the sin is between the worshiper and Allah, the High, with no relation to another human its repentance consists of three conditions: 1. That he/she abandons the sin immediately. 2. That he/she regrets having done it. 3. That he/she determines never to practice it again. If any of these three conditions is missing, the repentance is not valid. If the sin involves rights of another human, then a fourth condition will be added which is that he/she satisfies the rights of the owner by for example, returning his/her property, or presents him/herself for the Islamic punishment, or obtains a pardon from the injured party. Therefore it is obligatory to repent from all sins. Although if he/she repents from some it will be accepted, however, the remainder of his/her sins, his/her unrepented sins, remain a burden for him/her. The obligation of repentance is obvious from the proofs found in the Koran, the Prophetic ways and the collective opinion of Muslim scholars. Allah, the Exalted, has said: “..... and, O believers, turn to Allah all together, in order that you may prosper.” (24.31) “And ask forgiveness of your Lord, then repent to Him.” (11.3) “Believers, turn to Allah in sincere repentance..” (66.8). FORGIVENESS 14 "By Allah, I seek the forgiveness of Allah and turn to Him more than seventy times a day." 14 Bukhari with a chain up to Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. ALL SEEK FORGIVENESS 15 "O people, turn to Allah and seek forgiveness from Him. For myself, I turn to Allah a hundred times a day." 15 Muslim with a chain up to al-Agharr son of Yasar al-Muzani said: the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. REPENTANCE 16 “Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His worshiper than one of you, who, if you had lost a camel in a barren dessert suddenly found it. Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His worshiper than someone would be if he had lost his riding camel carrying his food and drink in a barren dessert. Then, when lying down in the shade of a tree he suddenly finds it standing near to him, and seizes it by the rope through its nose; then, being overwhelmed with happiness, his tongue slips and he says: 'O Allah, You are my worshiper and I am Your Lord!' (And then asks for forgiveness). “ 16 Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to (Abu Hamzah) Anas son of Malik al-Ansari said, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. ANYTIME IS A GOOD TIME TO REPENT 17 "Allah will continue to hold out His Hand at night so that he who has sinned during the day might repent, and to hold out His Hand during the day so that he who has sinned at night might repent, till the sun rises from the west." 17 Muslim with a chain up to (Abu Musa) Abdullah, the son of Kays al-Asha'ri who related, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. REPENTANCE IS ALWAYS ACCEPTED FROM THE LIVING 18 "Allah will turn with mercy to whosoever repents before the sun rises from the west." 18 Muslim with a chain up to Abu Hurairah reported, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. LAST CHANCE 19 "Allah, the Mighty, the Glorified, will accept the repentance of His worshiper up until the throes of death." 19 Tirmidhi with a chain up to (Abu Abdur Rahman) Abdullah son of Omar son of al-Khattab related, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. IN SEARCH OF KNOWLEDGE 20 “Zirr went to Safwan, the son of Assal to inquire about the wiping of hands over leather socks (when making ablution). He asked me: 'Zirr, what brings you here?' Zirr replied: 'The search of knowledge.' He said: 'The angels spread their wings for the one who seeks knowledge out of pleasure of that which he seeks.' Thereupon he told him: 'Some doubt has arisen in my mind concerning the wiping of hands over socks after one has relieved himself. Because you are one of the Companions of the Prophet I have come to ask you about it, did you hear him mention anything concerning it?' 'Yes' he replied: 'The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, told us that while we were on a journey we need not remove our socks to wash our feet when we make ablution for a period of three days and nights, except after having had intercourse with our wives. However, in other cases such as after sleep, relieving oneself and so on, you need only wipe your hands over the socks during that period.' Then Zirr asked him: 'Did you hear him say anything concerning love and affection?' He replied: 'Once when we were journeying with the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, a desert Arab called out to him in a loud, harsh voice saying: 'O Muhammad!' The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, answered him in almost the same tone saying: "Here am I." Zirr spoke to the Arab saying: 'Woe to you, lower your voice in his presence; this is the command of Allah.' He replied: "I will not lower my voice!" Then addressing the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, he asked: "What about the person who loves a people but is unable to be in their company?" The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, answered: "On the Day of Judgement, a person will be in the company of those he loves." After that, he continued talking to us and mentioned a gateway in the west the width of which could be crossed by a rider in forty or seventy years.'” Sufyan, who is one of the narrators of this Hadith added: “'The gateway is somewhere in the direction of Syria. Allah created it along with the creation of the heavens and the earth. It is open for repentance, and will not be closed until the sun rises from the West.'” 20 and others with a chain up to Zirr son of Hubaish said this. TURN TO ALLAH AND HE TURNS TO YOU 21 “There was a man from a nation before you who had killed ninety-nine people, he inquired who was the most learned person on earth, and was directed to a monk. He went to the monk and said: 'I have killed ninety-nine people, is there any chance that my repentance will be accepted?' The monk answered: 'No.' So he killed the monk who then became his hundredth victim. He inquired again who was the most learned person on earth, and was directed to a wise man. He went to the wise man and said: 'I have killed a hundred people, is there a chance that my repentance will be accepted?' The wise man replied: 'Yes, what can stand between you and repentance? Go to such and such a land, in it are people who worship Allah. Join them in the worship of Allah but do not return to your own land, because it is an evil place. So he set out. He had only reached half way when death overtook him; whereupon the Angels of Mercy and the Angels of Punishment debated with one another for his soul. The Angels of Mercy entreated that he had become a penitent and had turned towards Allah; whereas the Angels of Punishment entreated that he had never done a good deed.Then, in the form of a human, an angel appeared before them and the angels were agreeable that he should arbitrate between them. He told them to measure the distance between the two lands, saying that the land the man was closer too was the land to which he belonged. The angels measured the distance and he was found to be closer to the land to which he was journeying, so the Angels of Mercy took charge of him.” In another narration it says that the man was found closer to the land of the righteous by the span of a hand and was counted to be one of them. There is also another narration that says that Allah commanded the space on one side to expand and the space on the other to contract, and then said: 'Now carry out the measurement.' And, it was found that he was nearer to his goal by the span of a hand so he received forgiveness. It is also narrated that he came closer by crawling on his chest. 21 Bukhari and Muslim with a chain up to (Abu Sa'id) Sa'd son of Malik, son of Sanan al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, said this. HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY 22 “Ka'b son of Malik, gave a full account of the incident that prompted him to remain behind the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, when he proceeded to the campaign at Tabuk. Ka'b said: 'I (Ka'b) accompanied the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, upon every campaign except Tabuk. However, I did not accompany the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, to Badr, and at that time he did not blame anyone who did not accompany him. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, and the Muslims had been observing a Koraysh caravan when Allah ordained an unexpected incident to occur between them and their enemies. However, I was present with the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, during the night of Aqabah when we pledged our oath of complete dedication to Islam, and I would not like to exchange Aqabah for Badr with all its fame. As for my failure to accompany the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, at the campaign of Tabuk I will tell you. At that time I was stronger and more affluent than at any other time. I had two riding camels - before that I had never owned two. It was the practice of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, that whenever he decided to embark upon a campaign not to disclose his real objective saying the opposite until the last moment. However, on this occasion, because it was the season of intense heat, the journey was to be long across the desert, and the enemy were great in strength, he warned the Muslims clearly and told them of his objective so that they were able to make adequate preparations. The number of those who prepared to make themselves ready to accompany the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, was great, but a register had not yet been established to list all of them. No man reluctant to go imagined that his absence would go unnoticed unless it was disclosed by Allah. It was a time when the fruit on the trees had ripened and their shade dense - this too worked upon my mind. The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, and the Muslims who were to accompany him occupied themselves with their preparations. I would go out in the morning intending to do the same along with them, only to return later without accomplishing anything, saying to myself: ‘There is plenty of time. I can get ready whenever I wish.’ Time passed and the Muslims completed their preparations. Then one day, the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, set out with them upon the march. I had done nothing to prepare myself. I remained in my indecisive state, without accomplishing anything, while the Muslims set off on their march. I thought I would set off by myself and overtake them - how I wish I had done so, but it was not to be. As I went about in the town it grieved me to observe that among those who remained at home, like me, were those who were either suspected of hypocrisy or excused on account of age or something similar. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, made no mention of me until after he reached Tabuk. One day when he was sitting with the Companions he inquired: ‘What has happened to Ka’b, the son of Malik?’ Someone from among the Bani Salimah said: ‘Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, he did not come because of his two cloaks and admiration of his finery!’ Upon hearing this Mu'az, the son of Jabal said: ‘Evil is what you have said. O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, we know nothing about him except good.’ The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, made no comment. It was at this time that the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, observed someone a distance away in the desert clad in white and exclaimed: ‘May it be Abu Khaisamah’, and he proved to be correct - Abu Khaisamah had been taken for a beggar by the hypocrites when he gave a small quantity of dates in charity. When I learned that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, was on his return from Tabuk I was filled with anxiety and began to generate false excuses in my mind to help save myself from his displeasure. I consulted members of my family whose judgment I trusted but when I heard that the Prophet's arrival was imminent, I realized that no false excuse would help me therefore I decided to tell the truth. He arrived the next morning. When he returned from a journey it was his custom to go straight to the Mosque and offer two voluntary units of prayer (raka's), and then meet the people. He did the same on this occasion and those who had had not partaken in the campaign came forward and began, on oath, to give their excuses. They were over eighty people and the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, accepted their excuses and renewed their oaths. Then he prayed for forgiveness for them and committed to Allah whatever they had in their mind. When it came to my turn and I greeted him; he smiled, but displeasure was visible in his smile, and said: ‘Come forward.’ So, I stepped forward and sat down before him. He asked: ‘What kept you back, had you not purchased your mount?’ I replied: ‘Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, if I had been confronted by someone other than yourself; a man of the world, I could easily escape his displeasure with some excuse, because I am gifted with skill of plausibility. However, I know that if I were to concoct a false story to you today, that might even convince you, without doubt Allah will soon arouse your displeasure against me over something else. But, if I tell you the truth and you are displeased with me, I can still hope for mercy from Allah, the Exalted. By Allah I have no excuse. I was never stronger nor more affluent than when I held myself back from accompanying you.' The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said: ‘This one has told the truth, now withdraw, until Allah decides your case.’ Some men of the children of Salimah followed me out of the Mosque and said: ‘We have never known you to err before this, why did you not offer an excuse to the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, like the others who had held back from the campaign - your error would have found its forgiveness through the supplication of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him.’ They persisted in reproaching me so harshly that I almost went back to the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, to withdraw my confession. Then, I asked them: "Has there ever been a case similar to mine?" They replied: "Murarah, the son of Rabi'a 'Amiri and Hilal, the son of Umayyah Waqifi." When they mentioned these two righteous men who had participated in the Battle of Badr, and possessed many good qualities, I was strengthened in my original resolve. The Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, directed the Muslims not to speak to the three of us. People avoided us as if they were strangers, and it felt as if I was in an alien land. This state of affairs continued for fifty days. My two Companions were so overcome by misery and shame that they retired from the world shutting themselves away in their homes. Being the youngest and more resilient of the three, I would go out and join my fellow Muslims for prayers and walk in the streets although no one would speak to me. I would wait before the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, when he sat in the Mosque after prayer and greet him and wondered whether he had moved his lips to return my greeting. During the prayer, I would stand near him and noticed that he would glance in my direction when I was occupied with prayer and look away when I looked in his direction. Feeling anguish and deeply hurt by the harshness of Muslims towards me, one day I climbed over the garden wall belonging to my cousin Abu Katadah of whom I was very fond. I greeted him, but he did not return my greeting. I said to him: ‘Abu Katadah, I ask you in the Name of Allah, do you not know that I love Allah and His Messenger, praise and peace be upon him?’ But he remained silent. I repeated my earnest question, but he still did not reply. I asked a third time and he replied: ‘Allah and His Messenger, praise and peace be upon him, know best.’ When I heard this, I could not restrain my tears and returned home. One day I was loitering in the market-place of Medina when I heard a peasant from Syria, who had brought grain to sell, ask: ‘Would someone direct me to Ka'ab, the son of Malik?’ The people pointed in my direction so he came to me and handed me a letter from the King of Ghassan. Being literate I read it. It read: ‘We have heard that your master has treated you unjustly. Allah has not made you to be either humiliated or maltreated. Come to us and we shall receive you graciously.’ Having read it, I said to myself: ‘This is another trial,’ and threw it into the oven. After forty days of the fifty had elapsed without any indication in the Revelation concerning us, a messenger of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, came to me and said: ‘The Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, directs you not to associate with your wife.’ I inquired: ‘Should I divorce her or what should I do?’ He replied: ‘No, just do not associate with her.’ I understood that my two companions had been directed likewise, and I told my wife to go her parents and remain with them until Allah determined the matter. The wife of Hilal, the son of Umayyah went to the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, Hilal, the son of Umayyah is old and unable to look after himself, he does not have a servant. Would it displease you if I were to serve him?’ ‘No’, he replied, ‘but he should not associate with you.’ Whereupon she told the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, ‘Ever since this happened, he has no interest in me, and has wept continuously.’ Some of my people suggested to me that I should also seek the permission of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, so that my wife might also look after me as the wife of Hilal, the |
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