Benefits of the Hadith (Whoever drinks from a silver vessel is merely dragging the Fire of Hell through his belly).
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : This hadith provides evidence that drinking from a silver vessel is among the major sins. Al-'Uqayli, what is the basis for this?
The student: A warning was attached to it.
The Shaykh : Since a warning was attached to it, it is among the major sins. Major sins differ from minor sins in that major sins are not expiated by acts of worship such as prayer and fasting, etc.; rather, they require a specific repentance. Also, a person exits the state of justice (adalah) simply by committing a major sin, meaning his testimony is rejected and his authority is not valid until he repents. Furthermore, some of the Ummah have said that the doer of a major sin is a disbeliever, although this view is weak. However, as far as I know, no one from the Ummah has said that the doer of a minor sin is a disbeliever. So, is the major sin greater? Do major sins differ? Yes, based on the hadith of Abu Bakrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 88b So they differ.
Now, among the benefits of this hadith: Is eating from silver vessels among the major sins?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Now, let us see: if drinking is forbidden, is eating forbidden? Yes, there is no doubt for us in extending the prohibition of drinking to eating. But regarding the punishment, do we apply analogy (qiyas) and say: if the one who drinks from a silver vessel is punished with this punishment, then the one who eats from a silver vessel must be punished with it? Or do we say that the punishment may not correspond to the apparent deeds, because there are deeds whose apparent nature does not reach this level of punishment, yet we are held accountable for them heavily? And there are deeds whose apparent nature does not reach this level of reward, yet they carry much reward? In other words, the punishment does not necessarily match the ruling. It is undoubtedly safer for a person to say that eating from silver vessels is forbidden by analogy to what? To drinking. This is a legal ruling (hukm shar'i). As for the punitive ruling (hukm jazai), which is that the one who eats from a silver vessel swallows the Fire of Hell, this requires a specific text (taqwiif). Safety is safer; it is sufficient for the believer to be told that it is forbidden.
Among the benefits of this hadith: what we mentioned previously, that it indicates the permissibility of using silver for purposes other than drinking and eating. Evidence for this is that Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) had some hairs from the hair of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a small silver container (jiljal). The original meaning of jiljal is a bell, because it jingles, but it is used for a small vessel like a bell. It exists now; I think there are small containers for kohl that resemble a bell in some ways. So Umm Salama had a silver jiljal containing a hair from the hair of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the sick would seek healing with it. If someone fell ill, they would send to Umm Salama for water, and she would pour it into this jiljal containing the hairs, then shake it, and then give it to the patient's family, and they would be healed by the permission of Allah, because this is from the relics (athar) of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). This was specific to him, just as Asma' bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them both) had a garment (jibbah) of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) hemmed with silk and brocade. The jibbah was with Aisha, so when Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) passed away, her sister Asma' took it. They used to seek healing with it for the sick because it was from the relics of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). By the way, I mentioned to you yesterday, I think, or the day before yesterday, that Asma' sent to Ibn Umar saying that it had reached her that you forbid such and such. Did I not mention it to you?
The student: No.
The Shaykh : Absolutely not? She sent to Ibn Umar saying it had reached her that you forbid the pattern (alam) in the garment, meaning the silk pattern, and that you forbid the purple cloak (mithrah al-argun), and that you forbid fasting the entire month of Rajab. All of this reached Asma' that Ibn Umar forbids them. She witnessed what people do today; whenever a ruling on an issue is permissible for them, they attribute it to whom? To a shaykh among the shaykhs so that it is accepted, and they lie about the shaykhs. The point is that she said it had reached her that you forbid these three things: the pattern in the garment, meaning the silk pattern; the second, the purple cloak; argun is a deep red color, and the mithrah is a awtarah. Do you know the awtarah? The awtarah is a cover tied on the back of a donkey to make it softer for the rider.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : ... Yes, in our colloquial language we say "tara," and it is correct in Arabic. Now, the third is fasting Rajab. She sent her slave to him, and he asked Ibn Umar, and he said: Asma' says it has reached her from you such and such. He said: As for what you mentioned about fasting Rajab, what about the one who fasts the entire year? Meaning, if one fasts the entire year, how could I forbid the month of Rajab? So the claim that he forbids it is a lie. As for what you mentioned about the pattern (alam), I heard 'Umar ibn al-Khattab say: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say regarding silk:Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 17:37 And I feared that the pattern might be part of that, so I left it off out of caution and scrupulousness (wara'), and I did not forbid it. As for what you mentioned about the mithrah, the purple mithrah, this is the mithrah of 'Abdullah, meaning himself. If it is purple, did he forbid it or permit it?
The student: The second.
The Shaykh : He permitted it. So look at how the righteous Salaf conducted themselves with one another; they did not go and spread among people what a person did not say. No, she sent to him to ask him, and it became clear that what was attributed to him was not correct. Now, this is perhaps a benefit more useful than many of our lessons. Yes.
Now, we say that Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) had a silver jiljal used for healing, and we cited the hadith of Asma' bint Abi Bakr regarding the jibbah. When her slave told her that he feared the pattern was included in the prohibition of silk, she brought out the jibbah that the Messenger used to wear, and its sleeves had silk and its pocket had silk. It also had a piece of silk (libnah). They said the libnah is a piece of silk sewn at the pocket. And she said that they used to seek healing with this in illness.
The student: A warning was attached to it.
The Shaykh : Since a warning was attached to it, it is among the major sins. Major sins differ from minor sins in that major sins are not expiated by acts of worship such as prayer and fasting, etc.; rather, they require a specific repentance. Also, a person exits the state of justice (adalah) simply by committing a major sin, meaning his testimony is rejected and his authority is not valid until he repents. Furthermore, some of the Ummah have said that the doer of a major sin is a disbeliever, although this view is weak. However, as far as I know, no one from the Ummah has said that the doer of a minor sin is a disbeliever. So, is the major sin greater? Do major sins differ? Yes, based on the hadith of Abu Bakrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Should I not inform you about the gravest of the major sins
ألا أنبئكم بأكبر الكبائرNow, among the benefits of this hadith: Is eating from silver vessels among the major sins?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Now, let us see: if drinking is forbidden, is eating forbidden? Yes, there is no doubt for us in extending the prohibition of drinking to eating. But regarding the punishment, do we apply analogy (qiyas) and say: if the one who drinks from a silver vessel is punished with this punishment, then the one who eats from a silver vessel must be punished with it? Or do we say that the punishment may not correspond to the apparent deeds, because there are deeds whose apparent nature does not reach this level of punishment, yet we are held accountable for them heavily? And there are deeds whose apparent nature does not reach this level of reward, yet they carry much reward? In other words, the punishment does not necessarily match the ruling. It is undoubtedly safer for a person to say that eating from silver vessels is forbidden by analogy to what? To drinking. This is a legal ruling (hukm shar'i). As for the punitive ruling (hukm jazai), which is that the one who eats from a silver vessel swallows the Fire of Hell, this requires a specific text (taqwiif). Safety is safer; it is sufficient for the believer to be told that it is forbidden.
Among the benefits of this hadith: what we mentioned previously, that it indicates the permissibility of using silver for purposes other than drinking and eating. Evidence for this is that Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) had some hairs from the hair of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a small silver container (jiljal). The original meaning of jiljal is a bell, because it jingles, but it is used for a small vessel like a bell. It exists now; I think there are small containers for kohl that resemble a bell in some ways. So Umm Salama had a silver jiljal containing a hair from the hair of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the sick would seek healing with it. If someone fell ill, they would send to Umm Salama for water, and she would pour it into this jiljal containing the hairs, then shake it, and then give it to the patient's family, and they would be healed by the permission of Allah, because this is from the relics (athar) of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). This was specific to him, just as Asma' bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them both) had a garment (jibbah) of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) hemmed with silk and brocade. The jibbah was with Aisha, so when Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) passed away, her sister Asma' took it. They used to seek healing with it for the sick because it was from the relics of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). By the way, I mentioned to you yesterday, I think, or the day before yesterday, that Asma' sent to Ibn Umar saying that it had reached her that you forbid such and such. Did I not mention it to you?
The student: No.
The Shaykh : Absolutely not? She sent to Ibn Umar saying it had reached her that you forbid the pattern (alam) in the garment, meaning the silk pattern, and that you forbid the purple cloak (mithrah al-argun), and that you forbid fasting the entire month of Rajab. All of this reached Asma' that Ibn Umar forbids them. She witnessed what people do today; whenever a ruling on an issue is permissible for them, they attribute it to whom? To a shaykh among the shaykhs so that it is accepted, and they lie about the shaykhs. The point is that she said it had reached her that you forbid these three things: the pattern in the garment, meaning the silk pattern; the second, the purple cloak; argun is a deep red color, and the mithrah is a awtarah. Do you know the awtarah? The awtarah is a cover tied on the back of a donkey to make it softer for the rider.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : ... Yes, in our colloquial language we say "tara," and it is correct in Arabic. Now, the third is fasting Rajab. She sent her slave to him, and he asked Ibn Umar, and he said: Asma' says it has reached her from you such and such. He said: As for what you mentioned about fasting Rajab, what about the one who fasts the entire year? Meaning, if one fasts the entire year, how could I forbid the month of Rajab? So the claim that he forbids it is a lie. As for what you mentioned about the pattern (alam), I heard 'Umar ibn al-Khattab say: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say regarding silk:
Only he who has no portion in the Hereafter wears it.
إنّما يلبسه من لا خلاق لهThe student: The second.
The Shaykh : He permitted it. So look at how the righteous Salaf conducted themselves with one another; they did not go and spread among people what a person did not say. No, she sent to him to ask him, and it became clear that what was attributed to him was not correct. Now, this is perhaps a benefit more useful than many of our lessons. Yes.
Now, we say that Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) had a silver jiljal used for healing, and we cited the hadith of Asma' bint Abi Bakr regarding the jibbah. When her slave told her that he feared the pattern was included in the prohibition of silk, she brought out the jibbah that the Messenger used to wear, and its sleeves had silk and its pocket had silk. It also had a piece of silk (libnah). They said the libnah is a piece of silk sewn at the pocket. And she said that they used to seek healing with this in illness.