Explanation of the Chapter on Good Character from *Riyad al-Salihin* by al-Hafiz al-Nawawi.
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The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The author, al-Hafiz al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him), said in his book *Riyad al-Salihin*, in the Chapter on Good Character:
"What he transmitted from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:"
He had served the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for ten years. His mother brought him to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he arrived in Madinah and said:. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted that he serve him for the sake of Allah and prayed for him, asking Allah to bless him in his wealth and his children. So Allah blessed him in his wealth and his children, until it was said that he had a garden that bore fruit twice a year due to the blessing of the wealth for which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had prayed for him.
As for his children, they reached one hundred and twenty, his direct offspring. All of this was by the blessing of the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
He said:. So his hand (peace and blessings be upon him) was soft; when a person touched it, it was soft.
And just as Allah softened his hand, Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, also softened his heart. Allah the Exalted said:[Ali 'Imran 3:159] meaning: You became gentle toward them.
[Ali 'Imran 3:159] .
He said:Sunan Ibn Majah 2526Hasan (Darussalam) Yes, and also his scent (peace and blessings be upon him): . And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was pleasant in scent and frequently used perfume. He said: Sunan an-Nasa'i 3939Hasan (Darussalam), and he himself was pleasant (peace and blessings be upon him), to the extent that people would rush to take his sweat (peace and blessings be upon him) because of its goodness and pleasantness, and they would seek blessing in his sweat. This is because among the characteristics of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is that we seek blessing in his sweat, his saliva, and his clothes. As for anyone other than the Messenger, no; one does not seek blessing in the sweat, clothes, or saliva of anyone other than the Messenger.
He said:Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 14:19 meaning: He never got annoyed with him. He served him for ten years and he never got annoyed with him. If one of us is served by someone or accompanied by someone for a week or so, he is bound to find some annoyance from them. But the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) served for ten years by this man, and yet he never said "ugh" to him.
: Even the things Anas did out of his own effort, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not reprimand him or scold him or say "why did you do such and such," even though he was a servant. And he did not say about anything he did not do, "why did you not do such and such?" So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) treated him in accordance with what Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, guided him to in His saying: [Al-A'raf 7:199] Do you know what forgiveness is?
Forgiveness is: to overlook the faults of people and to accept what is easy. Meaning: Take from people what is easy; you do not want people to be exactly as you wish in every matter. Whoever wants people to be exactly as he wishes in every matter will miss out on everything. But take what is easy; treat people such that if what you want comes to you, you accept it, and if it does not come, you do not get angry. For this reason, he said:, and this is part of his good character (peace and blessings be upon him).
And among his good character (peace and blessings be upon him) is that he did not flatter people in the religion of Allah, nor did he fail to make their hearts happy. So al-Sa'b ibn Jathamah (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in a state of ihram. Al-Sa'b ibn Jathamah was a runner and an archer; a runner meaning a swift one, and an archer meaning one who is skilled at shooting. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed with him as a guest, he saw that no one was more generous to a guest than he was, so he went to hunt for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). He hunted a wild donkey for him. At that time, the Arabian Peninsula had much game, but it had become scarce. He hunted a wild donkey and brought it to him, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned it. He returned it. This was difficult for al-Sa'b; how could the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) return his gift?
So his face changed. When the Prophet saw what was on his face, he made his heart happy and said:Sahih Muslim 1193a meaning: We are in a state of ihram, and one in a state of ihram does not eat from game that was hunted for him.
Meaning: If a person in a state of ihram passes by you in your country, and you hunt for him or slaughter game for him, it is not permissible for him to eat from it. This is because he is prohibited from eating what was hunted for him. However, if you did not hunt it for him, the correct view is that it is permissible for him, if you did not hunt it for his sake. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ate from the game that Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) hunted, because Abu Qatadah did not hunt it for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And this is the best that has been said on this issue:
"That if game is hunted for a person in a state of ihram, it is forbidden for him, and if a person hunts it for himself and feeds some of it to the person in a state of ihram, there is no harm."
And some scholars said: The person in a state of ihram does not eat from game at all, whether it was hunted for him or not. They said: Because the hadith of al-Sa'b ibn Jathamah is later than the hadith of Abu Qatadah. The hadith of Abu Qatadah was during the Battle of al-Hudaybiyyah in the sixth year, and the hadith of al-Sa'b ibn Jathamah was during the Farewell Pilgrimage in the tenth year, and the later one is taken. But the fundamental principle of hadith methodology rejects this view, because abrogation is not resorted to unless reconciliation is impossible. If reconciliation is possible, there is no abrogation. Reconciliation is possible here, and it is to say: If it was hunted for the person in a state of ihram, it is forbidden, and if a person hunts it for himself and feeds some of it to the person in a state of ihram, there is no harm.
This is supported by the hadith of Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 1851Da'if (Al-Albani) This is a clear detail, Sunan Abi Dawud 1851Da'if (Al-Albani).
The result is that this hadith of al-Sa'b ibn Jathamah (may Allah be pleased with him) has two great benefits:
The first: That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) does not flatter anyone in the religion of Allah. Otherwise, he would have accepted the gift from al-Sa'b and remained silent to please him and flatter him, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) could not do this.
The second: That it is recommended for a person to make his brother's heart happy if he does something with him that he does not like, and to explain the reason to him so that his soul is pleased and his heart is at ease. For this is part of the guidance of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And success is from Allah.
The author, al-Hafiz al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him), said in his book *Riyad al-Salihin*, in the Chapter on Good Character:
"What he transmitted from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
I have not touched silk or brocade softer than the hand of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
ما مسست حريرا ولا ديباجا ألين من يدي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلمHe had served the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for ten years. His mother brought him to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he arrived in Madinah and said:
O Messenger of Allah, this is Anas ibn Malik to serve you.
يا رسول الله هذا أنس بن مالك يخدمكAs for his children, they reached one hundred and twenty, his direct offspring. All of this was by the blessing of the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
He said:
He has not touched brocade or silk softer than the hand of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
إنه ما مسَّ ديباجًا ولا حريراً ألين من يد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلمAnd just as Allah softened his hand, Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, also softened his heart. Allah the Exalted said:
So by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them.
فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ لِنْتَ لَهُمْAnd if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah
وَلَوْ كُنْتَ فَظّاً غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لَانْفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِي الْأَمْرِ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهHe said:
serve the Prophet (ﷺ)
خدم النبي صلى الله عليه وسلمI have never smelled a fragrance more pleasant than the scent of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
ما شم طيباً قط أحسن من رائحة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلمIn this world, women and perfume have been made dear to me, and my comfort has been provided in prayer.
حُبب إلي من دنياكم النساء والطيب وجعل قرة عيني في الصلاةHe said:
I served the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, for ten years. He never said 'uff' to me
ولقد خدمت النبيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عشر سنين فما قال لي أف قطNor did he say about something I did, "Why did you do such and such?"
ولا قال لشيء فعلتُه لم فعلت كذا ؟Take what is given freely, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the ignorant.
خُذِ الْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجَاهِلِينَForgiveness is: to overlook the faults of people and to accept what is easy. Meaning: Take from people what is easy; you do not want people to be exactly as you wish in every matter. Whoever wants people to be exactly as he wishes in every matter will miss out on everything. But take what is easy; treat people such that if what you want comes to you, you accept it, and if it does not come, you do not get angry. For this reason, he said:
Nor did he say about something I did not do, "Why did you not do such and such?"
ما قال لشيء لم أفعله لمَ لم تفعل كذا وكذا ؟And among his good character (peace and blessings be upon him) is that he did not flatter people in the religion of Allah, nor did he fail to make their hearts happy. So al-Sa'b ibn Jathamah (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in a state of ihram. Al-Sa'b ibn Jathamah was a runner and an archer; a runner meaning a swift one, and an archer meaning one who is skilled at shooting. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed with him as a guest, he saw that no one was more generous to a guest than he was, so he went to hunt for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). He hunted a wild donkey for him. At that time, the Arabian Peninsula had much game, but it had become scarce. He hunted a wild donkey and brought it to him, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned it. He returned it. This was difficult for al-Sa'b; how could the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) return his gift?
So his face changed. When the Prophet saw what was on his face, he made his heart happy and said:
We have refused it only because we are in a state of Ihram.
إنا لم نردَّه عليك إلا أنا حُرُمMeaning: If a person in a state of ihram passes by you in your country, and you hunt for him or slaughter game for him, it is not permissible for him to eat from it. This is because he is prohibited from eating what was hunted for him. However, if you did not hunt it for him, the correct view is that it is permissible for him, if you did not hunt it for his sake. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ate from the game that Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) hunted, because Abu Qatadah did not hunt it for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And this is the best that has been said on this issue:
"That if game is hunted for a person in a state of ihram, it is forbidden for him, and if a person hunts it for himself and feeds some of it to the person in a state of ihram, there is no harm."
And some scholars said: The person in a state of ihram does not eat from game at all, whether it was hunted for him or not. They said: Because the hadith of al-Sa'b ibn Jathamah is later than the hadith of Abu Qatadah. The hadith of Abu Qatadah was during the Battle of al-Hudaybiyyah in the sixth year, and the hadith of al-Sa'b ibn Jathamah was during the Farewell Pilgrimage in the tenth year, and the later one is taken. But the fundamental principle of hadith methodology rejects this view, because abrogation is not resorted to unless reconciliation is impossible. If reconciliation is possible, there is no abrogation. Reconciliation is possible here, and it is to say: If it was hunted for the person in a state of ihram, it is forbidden, and if a person hunts it for himself and feeds some of it to the person in a state of ihram, there is no harm.
This is supported by the hadith of Jabir ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The game of the land is lawful for you (when you are wearing ihram) as long as you do not hunt it or have it hunted on your behalf.
صيد البرِّ حلال لكم ما لم تصيدوه أو يُصَد لكمas long as you do not hunt it or have it hunted on your behalf
ما لم تصيدوه أو يصد لكمThe result is that this hadith of al-Sa'b ibn Jathamah (may Allah be pleased with him) has two great benefits:
The first: That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) does not flatter anyone in the religion of Allah. Otherwise, he would have accepted the gift from al-Sa'b and remained silent to please him and flatter him, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) could not do this.
The second: That it is recommended for a person to make his brother's heart happy if he does something with him that he does not like, and to explain the reason to him so that his soul is pleased and his heart is at ease. For this is part of the guidance of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And success is from Allah.