Explanation of the words of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) regarding what he quoted: "
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The reader: "From Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that he passed by some children and greeted them, and he said: Sahih al-Bukhari 6247 It is agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
And from al-Aswad ibn Yazid, he said:Mishkat al-Masabih 5816 Al-Bukhari narrated it.
And from Tamim ibn Asid (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: Muslim narrated it".
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
These are the hadiths that al-Hafiz al-Nawawi mentioned in *Riyad al-Salihin* in explaining the humility of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), among which is: that he would greet people when he passed by children, greeting them even though they were children who are not yet obligated to perform duties. And yet, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would greet them. His Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) followed his example. From Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), it is reported that he would pass by children and greet them, passing by them in the market while they were playing, and he would greet them and say:Sahih al-Bukhari 1095: meaning, he would greet the children when he passed by them. This is an act of humility and good character, and it is also part of upbringing, good teaching, guidance, and direction. Because if a person greets children, they become accustomed to it, and it becomes like an instinct in their souls: that when a person passes by someone, he greets them.
And if this was done by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) with children, then we regret that there are people who pass by adult men and do not greet them, refuge is sought in Allah. It may not be out of boycotting or dislike, but rather out of indifference, not following the Sunnah, ignorance, or heedlessness. And although they are not sinful because they did not make it a form of boycotting, they have missed much good. The Sunnah is to greet everyone you meet, and to initiate the greeting even if they are older than you.Mishkat al-Masabih 1994: and he, upon whom are prayers and peace, is the greatest of people in status, and yet he would initiate the greeting to whoever he met. And if you initiate the greeting to the person you meet, you will obtain much good. Among this is: following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). And among this is: that you become a cause for spreading this Sunnah which has died out among many people. It is known that reviving the Sunnahs brings a person reward twice: once for performing the Sunnah, and once for reviving the Sunnah. And among this is: that you become the cause for this man responding to the greeting, and responding to the greeting is a collective obligation (fard kifayah). So you become a cause for fulfilling this collective obligation from this man. For this reason, initiating the greeting is better than responding to it, even though responding is an obligation and this is a Sunnah. But because the obligation is built upon this Sunnah, the Sunnah is better than this obligation because it is the foundation upon which it is built.
The Prophet (ﷺ) used to do so.
كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يفعلهAnd from al-Aswad ibn Yazid, he said:
he asked `A'isha what the Prophet used to do in his house, and she replied that he used to engage in the mihna , i.e. the service, of his family, and when the time for prayer came he went out to prayer
سئلت عائشة رضي الله عنها: ما كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يصنع في بيته؟ قالت: كان يكون في مهنة أهله -يعني: خدمة أهله- فإذا حضرت الصلاة، خرج إلى الصلاةAnd from Tamim ibn Asid (may Allah be pleased with him), he said:
I approached the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was delivering the sermon, and I said: O Messenger of Allah, a stranger has come asking about his religion, and he does not know what his religion is? So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) turned to me and left his sermon until he reached me. A chair was brought, and he sat on it, and he began to teach me from what Allah had taught him. Then he returned to his sermon and completed the end of it
انتهيت إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وهو يخطب فقلت: يا رسول الله رجل غريب جاء يسأل عن دينه لا يدري ما دينه؟ فأقبل عليَّ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وترك خطبته حتى انتهى إليّ، فأُتي بكرسي، فقعد عليه، وجعل يعلمني مما علمه الله، ثم أتى خطبته، فأتم آخرهاThe Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
These are the hadiths that al-Hafiz al-Nawawi mentioned in *Riyad al-Salihin* in explaining the humility of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), among which is: that he would greet people when he passed by children, greeting them even though they were children who are not yet obligated to perform duties. And yet, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would greet them. His Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) followed his example. From Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), it is reported that he would pass by children and greet them, passing by them in the market while they were playing, and he would greet them and say:
the Prophet (ﷺ) used to do so
إنّ النبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلّم كان يفعلهAnd if this was done by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) with children, then we regret that there are people who pass by adult men and do not greet them, refuge is sought in Allah. It may not be out of boycotting or dislike, but rather out of indifference, not following the Sunnah, ignorance, or heedlessness. And although they are not sinful because they did not make it a form of boycotting, they have missed much good. The Sunnah is to greet everyone you meet, and to initiate the greeting even if they are older than you.