Explanation of the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both): (The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: "Which of the religions is most beloved to Allah (Mighty and Majestic)?" He said: "The pure, easy-going religion.")

The Shaykh : The third hadith is one with a good chain of narration, reported by the author (may Allah have mercy on him) from Ibn 'Abbas, who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: "Which of the religions is most beloved to Allah (Mighty and Majestic)?" He said: .
This hadith also addresses an aspect of good character. As we hinted at previously, part of the good character of a Muslim is not to be harsh in his dealings with people where the Shari'ah does not permit it, especially in his dealings with his family. He (peace be upon him) was asked: "Which of the religions is most beloved to Allah?" Here, "religions" does not refer to different sects, but to the character traits with which a Muslim adorns himself and draws near to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). Which of the religions is most beloved to Allah (Mighty and Majestic)? He (peace be upon him) answered: . By "Hanifiyyah" (pure monotheism), the intended meaning is the ruling that inclines the one who adheres to it away from false religions and laws that contradict Islam, toward what Islam brought. This is because Hanifiyyah is the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham), who was a Hanif, meaning one who turned away from shirk (associating partners with Allah) and the worship of idols. So this religion is the most beloved to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), along with "Samahah" (ease), which means not being harsh in matters where Islam has not commanded harshness. So he (peace be upon him) answered the questioner's question: "Which of the religions is most beloved to Allah (Mighty and Majestic)?" He said: . Perhaps the best example clarifying the ease that Islam encourages and commands is the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), which is in "Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim," that the Ethiopians played with spears one day in the mosque of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The Ethiopians playing with spears is an allusion to the sword game and sword fighting that was known in our Syrian lands not long ago. It is a type of sport where the athlete prepares his body to face his enemies. So the Ethiopians, it seems, had a custom in their land of playing with spears similar to the sword play of the people of Sham. When the Ethiopians played with their spears in the mosque of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) came out to look and watch the Ethiopians playing with their spears. The Messenger (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) did not disapprove of it for her, but rather approved of her watching that play. In fact, he helped her by standing for her; the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) stood in front of the door of the Hujrah (private quarters), and Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) stood behind him, placing her chin on his shoulder (peace be upon him) as she looked over the back of the Messenger (peace be upon him) at that play. Here, attention must be drawn to a linguistic point: in the lands of Sham, it is common to use the word "Dhaqan" (chin) for the beard. They say, "So-and-so shaved his Dhaqan." In the Arabic language, "Dhaqan" does not mean the beard, but the place where the beard grows; that is the Dhaqan. The point of this is that a woman has a Dhaqan just like a man, so do not be surprised by this expression that Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) placed her Dhaqan on his shoulder (peace be upon him). A woman might say, "A woman does not have a Dhaqan." The Dhaqan intended here is the place where the beard grows, meaning, in other words, what is known as the jaw. So Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) placed her Dhaqan on the shoulder of the Messenger (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) while she watched the Ethiopians and enjoyed their play in the mosque. The Messenger (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him), in the perfection of his ease and good character with his family, was joking with her in this state and saying: . She said: "No, no." She said: "Until I was the one who got bored." Then Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) addressed the husbands, all the husbands, with advice, speaking to them and saying: "So consider the status of the young Arab girl." Meaning, she takes a lesson and receives a teaching from this authentic hadith for men and directs it to them, saying to them: "This is how the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was patient with me, and he is the most jealous of people regarding his family. He was patient with me while standing, and I was leaning on him, placing my chin on his shoulder and neck. Then he said to her: 'Are you bored?' She said: 'No, no, no,' until she was satisfied with the viewing and looking at the Ethiopians' play, and she requested to leave. So she said to the men: 'So consider the status of the young Arab girl.' She means (may Allah be pleased with her) that she is telling the men: Do not treat young women who have not entered the world as it should be, and who have not been filled with any of its salt or its novelties, as an older woman is. It is obligatory for the man, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says, to be easy with his wife, not to be harsh with her where the wise Shari'ah has permitted not to be harsh with her. So this hadith, and let this story that Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated to us be a reality, shows us the ease of the Messenger (peace be upon him) with her and his good character with her. This is confirmed by the fact that in some narrations of Aisha's hadith, it is mentioned that he (peace be upon him) said after this story, after the Ethiopians were playing in the mosque, he (peace be upon him) said: or he said: or something similar. So this idea of the Ethiopians playing in the mosque, and the mosque was built for the worship of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), the Messenger (peace be upon him) first approved of the Ethiopians' play, and secondly, he approved of Aisha's watching the Ethiopians' play, saying: or something similar, or as he (peace be upon him) said. As we said, this hadith has a good chain of narration.