The Shaykh’s mention of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “In the human body there are three hundred and sixty joints, and for every joint there is a charity to be given every day.”

The Shaykh : Among the specific blessings is what he referred to—excuse me—among the general blessings in which all people share, is what the Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) pointed to in the authentic hadith when he (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) said: The joint is the connection in any part of the body: the fingers, the palm with the forearm, the forearm with the upper arm, the upper arm with the shoulder, and the neck, along with the joints therein that medicine does not know today despite the progress it has made. The Messenger (peace be upon him) said: articulated Gratitude to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that He did not create this human being as a single piece like this pole; if He had, he would not have lived nor been a sound human being. So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) created him in the best form, as He said in the Noble Qur’an. He said: They said, “O Messenger of Allah, who is able to do that?” He (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) said: And thus the Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) enumerated many traits and noble, honorable morals. Then he (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) said at the end of that: “And two rak’ahs of the Duha prayer suffice for all of that.” In this hadith, from one angle, the Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) draws our attention to the fact that these blessings, of which these joints are only a part—leave aside the other blessings—these joints are shared by all creatures, humans and others. But the human being is obligated. The Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) drew our attention to the fact that these blessings in these joints require that one should thank Allah (Mighty and Majestic), that one should thank Allah (Mighty and Majestic) for them, and that is by every Muslim giving a charity for every joint every day, giving three hundred and sixty charities every day. This astonished the Companions, and indeed it is a tremendous thing. Who is able to give three hundred and sixty charities every day? So from another angle, the Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) made the path easy for them by two means: one detailed and the other very brief and concise. The first is what every Muslim should pay attention to, which is to accustom himself to traits of goodness and doing good, such as tasbih, takbir, helping the Muslim brother, enjoining good and forbidding evil, and the like, which is elaborated in this book, especially. If acting upon these religious obligations is the habit and constant practice of a person, then he will, if Allah wills, fulfill the duty of thanking Allah (Mighty and Majestic) for this soundness, meaning he will fulfill three hundred and sixty charities every day. But not everyone is able to achieve this matter in the detailed manner referred to. Therefore, the noble Messenger (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) drew the attention of the general public, who might excuse themselves by saying they are unable to fulfill the detailed duty of gratitude. He said: Is there among you anyone who is unable to pray two rak’ahs of the Duha prayer every day? There is no one who is unable, even if he prays sitting, because voluntary prayer, as you know, is permissible to perform while sitting for the able person, but its reward is half that of the standing prayer. So we should strive to train ourselves, above all, in obeying Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in what He has prescribed for us, not only in the obligatory matters but also in the recommended and encouraged matters, such as tasbih, takbir, and the like. If that is not feasible for every person, then he has the option of praying two rak’ahs of the Duha prayer, which suffices for him, or it is as if he has fulfilled three hundred and sixty charities. But what about the gratitude for the other blessings? This detail and this brevity with two rak’ahs of the Duha prayer is a charity for these joints only. But what about food, drink, cold water, clothing, shelter, and the like, as He said, and there is no speech after the speech of Allah: How can we fulfill the gratitude for these blessings? That is by always exaggerating in obeying Allah (Mighty and Majestic), in all types of obedience that we are able to, each according to his ability. This is approximately the intended meaning of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) addressing His servants on the Day of Resurrection: “Yes, I did, O Lord. So did you, my servant, fulfill My gratitude for that?” Here, who is able to say “yes,” and who remains silent and is unable to be sufficient with Allah (Mighty and Majestic), because He knows the secret and what is even more hidden? I return to this hadith once more, perhaps some of you memorize it well. He (may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him) said: It was narrated by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih and by al-Hakim, who said it has a sound chain. The hadith following it is from the very weak hadiths, so we avoid it. And I say this only in case someone has brought a copy of al-Targhib and points out there that this hadith is very weak.