Benefits of the Hadith: (Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said: I said to Bilal: How did you see the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) respond to them when they greeted him while he was praying?)

The Shaykh : This hadith contains several benefits. One of them is that some rulings may be hidden from the one who is most knowledgeable about them. The point is that Bilal had knowledge of this matter, whereas Ibn 'Umar did not. This is easy to understand; the issue was confusing and hidden from one person. However, it is strange that a matter would be hidden from the Commander of the Believers, 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), along with the Muhajireen and the Ansar. This is in the hadith of the plague. 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) headed toward Sham, and partway through the journey, he was informed: "There is a plague in Sham." The plague—may Allah protect us and you from it and shield us from it—is a deadly disease; when it descends upon a land, it kills its people. So 'Umar stopped. He had no evidence from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) regarding whether to proceed or return to Madinah. All the Companions, the Muhajireen and the Ansar, and the early Muhajireen were with him. The opinion was that he should return. However, there was some hesitation until 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf arrived. He had been absent on a personal matter and informed them of what he had narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). They were reassured and returned. That is, the Rightly Guided Caliph and all the Companions who were with him, all of them, were unaware of this hadith. So do not be surprised if the ruling of a matter is hidden from one of the greatest scholars and known by the least of the students of knowledge; it is not surprising. Another benefit is the eagerness of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) for knowledge. Ibn 'Umar did not find it objectionable to ask—specifically, to ask Bilal about this matter. This is an observed and known fact, namely the eagerness of the Companions for knowledge. Another benefit is the permissibility of greeting the one who is praying. The point is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted their greetings. If it had not been permissible, he would have forbidden them. The scholars differed on this matter. Some said it is permissible, some said it is a recommended practice (sunnah), and some said it is disliked (makruh). As for those who said it is permissible, they cited as evidence the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) acceptance of the Companions' greetings to him. As for those who said it is a recommended practice (sunnah), they said: The original ruling for the greeting is that it is a recommended practice (sunnah). So when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted their greetings while he was praying, it was an acceptance of them regarding its original status. And what is the original status? That it is a recommended practice (sunnah). So it becomes a recommended practice (sunnah). As for those who said it is disliked (makruh), they said: If you greet the one who is praying, he may forget and say, "Peace be upon you." Or he may be ignorant and say, "Peace be upon you." Or he may be overcome by awe and say, "Peace be upon you." All of this is possible, is it not?