Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "
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The Shaykh : The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said, in what he quoted from 'Utbah ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who used to lead his people, Banu Salim, in prayer. There was a valley between him—meaning between his house and his people—namely a wadi in which the flood flows. When the flood came, it was difficult for him to cross it.
And add to that that his eyesight had weakened, so it became difficult for him twice over: from the side of walking, and from the side of eyesight and vision.
So he came and informed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about this, and asked him to come to his house to pray in a place in the house that he would designate as a prayer area, meaning: that 'Utbah would designate as a prayer area in which to pray, even if it was not a mosque. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I will do so." Then he and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) went out when the day had become hot. Abu Bakr was his companion in residence and travel; he did not leave him, and he was often with him. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) often said:Sahih Muslim 2389a.
They were his two companions and his two ministers (may Allah be pleased with them both). They were his companions in this world, and they will be his companions in the barzakh, and his companions on the Day of Resurrection. These three will stand for Allah, Lord of the worlds, from one place: the house in which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was buried, which is now in the inner part of al-Masjid al-Nabawi.
Look at the wisdom: Allah the Mighty and Majestic chose for the house to be inside the mosque, for the house in which the Messenger was buried to be inside the mosque, so that these three will stand on the Day of Resurrection from the middle of the mosque, the mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
And on this basis, do not dislike anything that Allah has chosen. Allah may choose something in which there is a great benefit that you do not know about. People disliked that the house of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), in which he was buried, be in the middle of the mosque, and they said: This is a suspicion for those who worship graves, who build mosques over graves.
But there is no suspicion in it, because the mosque was not built over the grave; rather, the mosque extended and the grave remained in the house, separate from the mosque. There is no argument for any person except a man who invalidates the truth, who says as Iblis said:[Al-A'raf 7:12]. But look at the wisdom: that their emergence on the Day of Resurrection be from one place, from the interior of al-Masjid al-Nabawi. Glory to Allah the Great! A wisdom that is hidden from many people.
The important thing is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went out when the day had become hot, meaning: when the sun had risen, to the house of Banu Malik. When he entered, he asked for permission, and permission was given to him. He entered and did not sit, but said: "Where do you want me to pray?" Because he came for a purpose, he wanted to start with the purpose for which he came before anything else. This is from wisdom: if you want something, do not digress to other things until you are finished with it, in any matter, in order to manage your time and for it to be blessed for you.
Many people lose their time because they pick up things haphazardly. I give an example for this: Suppose you want to review a matter from the matters of knowledge in one of the books. You read the index in order to know where this matter is located. Then a matter passes by you and you say: I want to look at this. Then you look at the other one, and the purpose for which you reviewed this book is missed. But start first with what you wanted before anything else, and then whatever is extra is a bonus.
So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed in that place, and they prayed with him in congregation, because this was an occasional congregation, not a permanent one. Then when he finished his prayer, he found that a simple meal had been prepared for him, and the people of the house heard.
The house: this is what we call the neighborhood or the quarter. The people of the house heard that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was with 'Utbah ibn Malik, so people came to him, meaning: they gathered wanting to be guided by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), to hear from his speech, and to take from his Sunnah. They gathered and said: Where is so-and-so? They said: That is a hypocrite, that is a hypocrite.
So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disapproved of the one who said that and said:Sahih al-Bukhari 6938.
The man said: Allah and His Messenger know best. Because the one who says: There is no god but Allah, seeking thereby the Face of Allah, is a believer, not a hypocrite. The hypocrite says it for showing off and fame; it does not enter his heart, may Allah protect us from that. But the one who says it seeking the Face of Allah is a believer in it, a believer who affirms it, and it enters his heart.
Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah 3:173. So whoever says it seeking thereby the Face of Allah, Allah forbids him from the Fire. Why? Because if he says it seeking thereby the Face of Allah, he will act in accordance with its implications and do what this great word requires: performing the obligatory, leaving the forbidden. And when a person performs the obligatory and leaves the forbidden, he makes lawful what is lawful, forbids what is forbidden, stands by the obligations, and avoids the prohibitions, then this person is among the people of Paradise; he enters Paradise and Allah forbids him from the Fire.
And there is no evidence in this hadith that the one who leaves prayer does not become a disbeliever. Because we know with certainty, like the sun, that the one who says: There is no god but Allah, seeking thereby the Face of Allah, cannot leave the prayer. This is impossible. So the one who says: I say: There is no god but Allah, seeking thereby the Face of Allah, and he does not pray, is the most lying of liars, or among the most lying of liars. If he were seeking the Face of Allah, he would not have left the prayer, which is the greatest pillar of Islam after the two testimonies.
And add to that that his eyesight had weakened, so it became difficult for him twice over: from the side of walking, and from the side of eyesight and vision.
So he came and informed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about this, and asked him to come to his house to pray in a place in the house that he would designate as a prayer area, meaning: that 'Utbah would designate as a prayer area in which to pray, even if it was not a mosque. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I will do so." Then he and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) went out when the day had become hot. Abu Bakr was his companion in residence and travel; he did not leave him, and he was often with him. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) often said:
I came and there came too Abu Bakr and 'Umar; I entered and there entered too Abu Bakr and 'Umar; I went out and there went out too Abu Bakr and 'Umar
جئت أنا وأبو بكر وعمر، وذهبت أنا وأبو بكر وعمر، رجعت أنا وأبو بكر وعمرThey were his two companions and his two ministers (may Allah be pleased with them both). They were his companions in this world, and they will be his companions in the barzakh, and his companions on the Day of Resurrection. These three will stand for Allah, Lord of the worlds, from one place: the house in which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was buried, which is now in the inner part of al-Masjid al-Nabawi.
Look at the wisdom: Allah the Mighty and Majestic chose for the house to be inside the mosque, for the house in which the Messenger was buried to be inside the mosque, so that these three will stand on the Day of Resurrection from the middle of the mosque, the mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
And on this basis, do not dislike anything that Allah has chosen. Allah may choose something in which there is a great benefit that you do not know about. People disliked that the house of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), in which he was buried, be in the middle of the mosque, and they said: This is a suspicion for those who worship graves, who build mosques over graves.
But there is no suspicion in it, because the mosque was not built over the grave; rather, the mosque extended and the grave remained in the house, separate from the mosque. There is no argument for any person except a man who invalidates the truth, who says as Iblis said:
I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay."
أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِنْ نَارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِنْ طِينٍThe important thing is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went out when the day had become hot, meaning: when the sun had risen, to the house of Banu Malik. When he entered, he asked for permission, and permission was given to him. He entered and did not sit, but said: "Where do you want me to pray?" Because he came for a purpose, he wanted to start with the purpose for which he came before anything else. This is from wisdom: if you want something, do not digress to other things until you are finished with it, in any matter, in order to manage your time and for it to be blessed for you.
Many people lose their time because they pick up things haphazardly. I give an example for this: Suppose you want to review a matter from the matters of knowledge in one of the books. You read the index in order to know where this matter is located. Then a matter passes by you and you say: I want to look at this. Then you look at the other one, and the purpose for which you reviewed this book is missed. But start first with what you wanted before anything else, and then whatever is extra is a bonus.
So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed in that place, and they prayed with him in congregation, because this was an occasional congregation, not a permanent one. Then when he finished his prayer, he found that a simple meal had been prepared for him, and the people of the house heard.
The house: this is what we call the neighborhood or the quarter. The people of the house heard that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was with 'Utbah ibn Malik, so people came to him, meaning: they gathered wanting to be guided by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), to hear from his speech, and to take from his Sunnah. They gathered and said: Where is so-and-so? They said: That is a hypocrite, that is a hypocrite.
So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) disapproved of the one who said that and said:
Don't you think that he says: None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, only for Allah's sake?
أما ترى أو أما تعلم أنه يقول : لا إله إلا الله يبتغي بذلك وجه اللهThe man said: Allah and His Messenger know best. Because the one who says: There is no god but Allah, seeking thereby the Face of Allah, is a believer, not a hypocrite. The hypocrite says it for showing off and fame; it does not enter his heart, may Allah protect us from that. But the one who says it seeking the Face of Allah is a believer in it, a believer who affirms it, and it enters his heart.
Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Indeed, Allah has forbidden the Fire for the one who says, "There is no god but Allah," seeking thereby the Face of Allah.
إن الله حرم على النار من قال لا إله إلا الله، يبتغي بذلك وجه اللهAnd there is no evidence in this hadith that the one who leaves prayer does not become a disbeliever. Because we know with certainty, like the sun, that the one who says: There is no god but Allah, seeking thereby the Face of Allah, cannot leave the prayer. This is impossible. So the one who says: I say: There is no god but Allah, seeking thereby the Face of Allah, and he does not pray, is the most lying of liars, or among the most lying of liars. If he were seeking the Face of Allah, he would not have left the prayer, which is the greatest pillar of Islam after the two testimonies.