Explanation of the Hadith: Malik ibn al-Huwayrith (may Allah be pleased with him) said: (We came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and we were young men of similar age, so we stayed with him for twenty nights.

The Shaykh : The hadith following this one, numbered two hundred and thirteen, is authentic in its chain: from Abu Sulayman Malik ibn al-Huwayrith, from Abu Sulayman Malik ibn al-Huwayrith, who said: We came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and we were young men of similar age, so we stayed with him for twenty nights. He thought that we were longing for our families, so he asked us about whom we had left behind in our families, and we informed him. He was gentle and merciful, so he said: .
This hadith is among the hadiths that the author included in his book, Sahih, as well as Imam Muslim, and it contains many benefits. The author cited it here for the sake of this phrase at its beginning, namely his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . This falls under his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . So what is the responsibility that attaches to a man toward his family? Is it only the responsibility of financial support? Is it only the responsibility of providing food, drink, and shelter? No, it is not only that; rather, there are responsibilities that may be equal in weight to the previous ones or even more important. The author (may Allah have mercy on him) cited this hadith under this chapter to clarify that the responsibility entrusted to a man toward his family is not limited only to material matters, but there are also other matters concerning the upbringing of the man’s family. It is obligatory for the man, in his capacity as a guardian over his family, to take charge of teaching his family what they are ignorant of, and it is obligatory for the man to order his family to do what they are neglecting. Otherwise, if the man does not do that and limits himself to what many fathers limit themselves to—performing only the obligation of clothing, food, drink, shelter, and modern material education that does not exist for the Muslim youth—if he limits himself only to this, then he is negligent and has left an important obligation for which he will be questioned before Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). As our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) indicated in His saying: . This verse orders men to protect themselves and their families from their destination being the Fire, and that is achieved by ordering them to do what Allah has made obligatory upon them and by teaching them what they are ignorant of. Therefore, the author cited this story in which it is stated: “Malik ibn al-Huwayrith was a Companion from among the Companions of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and a delegation came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to learn knowledge from him, and with him were about twenty companions.” He describes these people as young men, not old men, but young youths. He says: They sat with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and stayed as his guests for twenty days. After that, Malik ibn al-Huwayrith said: “He thought that we were longing for our families,” meaning we missed returning to our families, our children, our women, and our daughters. So he asked us about whom we had left behind in our families. This is from the gentleness of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) on one hand, and his concern for the interests of his Companions, as he asked these twenty men about whom they had left behind: did they leave men who could perform what is obligatory for these visitors to the Messenger (peace be upon him), so it is fine for them to delay with him because there are people in their community who can act on their behalf? Or did they leave women and children who need these young men? He asked them to be reassured about their conditions. Malik ibn al-Huwayrith says: “So we informed him,” and it appears that the information was such that it indicated to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that these men had to return to their land, because there were people for whom they were responsible. He said: “And he, meaning the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), was gentle and merciful,” meaning he was compassionate toward his Companions, merciful, and concerned with their affairs and with considering their emotions.