Among its characteristics: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to tighten his waist sash when the last ten days of Ramadan entered.
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The student: Tightening the waist sash.
The Shaykh : Tightening the waist sash, and what makes you know what tightening the waist sash is? What is it?
The student: Seclusion from women.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Now, take a rest.
We have two statements regarding this:
The first statement: It is an allusion to seclusion from women, because when a man intends to have relations with his wife, he loosens his waist sash, and when he intends to abstain from them, he tightens the waist sash.
The second statement: It is an allusion to girding oneself for effort and striving in deeds, because when a person intends to do a work in which he strives, he tightens his waist sash and binds himself so that he is strong enough for the work. So which of the two matters is intended by the hadith? Or which of the two statements is more likely to be correct?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : The second? Well, we can say the intended meaning is...
As long as the wording is susceptible to two meanings and neither contradicts the other, it is to be understood as applying to both, unless one of them is specified by an external factor.
This is an important rule for the student of knowledge: if a wording, whether from the Book, the Sunnah, or the words of the Imams, is susceptible to two meanings that do not contradict each other, it is to be understood as applying to what? To both meanings, unless one of them is specified by another factor, in which case it is preferred.
And here I say: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him)... regarding him in the last ten days, he secludes himself from women because he is in i'tikaf (spiritual retreat), and the one in i'tikaf is prohibited from having relations with women. So he does not approach women, and he also strengthens his striving in these last ten days.
The Shaykh : Tightening the waist sash, and what makes you know what tightening the waist sash is? What is it?
The student: Seclusion from women.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : Now, take a rest.
We have two statements regarding this:
The first statement: It is an allusion to seclusion from women, because when a man intends to have relations with his wife, he loosens his waist sash, and when he intends to abstain from them, he tightens the waist sash.
The second statement: It is an allusion to girding oneself for effort and striving in deeds, because when a person intends to do a work in which he strives, he tightens his waist sash and binds himself so that he is strong enough for the work. So which of the two matters is intended by the hadith? Or which of the two statements is more likely to be correct?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : The second? Well, we can say the intended meaning is...
As long as the wording is susceptible to two meanings and neither contradicts the other, it is to be understood as applying to both, unless one of them is specified by an external factor.
This is an important rule for the student of knowledge: if a wording, whether from the Book, the Sunnah, or the words of the Imams, is susceptible to two meanings that do not contradict each other, it is to be understood as applying to what? To both meanings, unless one of them is specified by another factor, in which case it is preferred.
And here I say: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him)... regarding him in the last ten days, he secludes himself from women because he is in i'tikaf (spiritual retreat), and the one in i'tikaf is prohibited from having relations with women. So he does not approach women, and he also strengthens his striving in these last ten days.