Explanation of Riyad al-Salihin-51b

The reader: Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
The author (may Allah have mercy on him) transmitted in the context of the hadiths in the chapter on the recommendation of giving good news and congratulating with good: "From Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him), that he performed ablution in his house, then went out and said: 'I will keep close to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)'".

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) cited this hadith in *Riyad al-Salihin* in the chapter on conveying good news and congratulating one another, narrated by Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him). He said that on one day he performed wudu' in his house and went out seeking the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), saying: "I will keep myself with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) today". "Keeping myself with him" means being with him as he goes and comes. This is evidence that a person should be in a state of wudu' when he leaves his house, so that he is prepared in case prayer comes to him while he is outside, or a funeral prayer comes to him while he is outside, or at the very least, he is in a state of purity. Being in a state of purity is better than being in a state of impurity. It is also possible that he might die at that time, and thus he would be in a state of purity. Therefore, a person should strive to be constantly in a state of purity, especially when he leaves his house. Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) went out seeking the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and went to the mosque, for the Messenger (peace be upon him) was either in the mosque, or in his house attending to his family's affairs, or attending to the interests of his Companions (peace be upon him). He did not find him in the mosque, so he asked about him, and they said he had gone this way, pointing toward the direction of Aris, which is a well near Quba. So Abu Musa followed in his tracks until he reached the well. He found the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) there, so he (may Allah be pleased with him) stayed by the door. The Prophet (may he fulfill his need and perform wudu') then sat on the rim of the well, meaning on its edge, and let his legs dangle, uncovering his shins. It appears, and Allah knows best, that it was hot at that time, and there was water in the well, which was close by, surrounded by trees, palm trees, and shade. It is customary for a person in such a situation to do this, meaning to uncover his shins to cool off from the coolness of the water in the well and in this shade. So he (peace be upon him) sat in the middle of the rim, meaning the edge of the well, letting his legs dangle and uncovering his shins. Abu Musa was at the door, guarding the door of the well. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked for permission to enter, but Abu Musa did not give him permission until he consulted the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). So he said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "This is Abu Bakr asking for permission". He said: Then he gave him permission and said to him: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) conveys to you the good news of Paradise". What a good news! Oh Allah, by Your grace, he conveys to him the good news of Paradise, and then gives him permission to enter to be with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). So he entered and found the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the middle of the rim, so he sat to his right, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) liked to take the right side in all his affairs. He sat to the right of Abu Bakr and did what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did: he let his legs dangle in the well and uncovered his shins, out of dislike for contradicting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in this sitting. Otherwise, it is not prescribed for a person to sit on a well, let his legs dangle, and uncover his shins. But he did not like to sit with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in a manner different from the manner in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting. So Abu Musa said, and he had left his brother to perform wudu' and catch up with him: "If Allah wills good for him, He will bring it". And if he comes and asks for permission, it may happen that he will be given the good news of Paradise. But the second man asked for permission, so Abu Musa came to the Messenger (peace be upon him) and said: "This is 'Umar." He said: Then he gave him permission and said to him: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) conveys to you the good news of Paradise". So he entered and found the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr on the rim, so he sat to the left of the Messenger (peace be upon him). The well was narrow, not very wide, so these three were on one side. Then 'Uthman entered; 'Uthman asked for permission, and Abu Musa did what he did at first. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Then he gave him permission and said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) conveys to you the good news of Paradise, along with a trial that will befall you". So a blessing and a trial came together for him. He (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Praise be to Allah, Allah is the One to be sought for help". Allah is the One to be sought for help against this trial, and praise be to Allah for this good news. So he entered and found the rim was full, for it was not very wide, so he went to the side opposite them and sat there, letting his legs dangle and uncovering his shins. Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, one of the great Tabi'un, said that it was their graves, for the graves of the three were in one place. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Bakr, and 'Umar were all in one chamber; their graves were one. They were buried together, and in this world they went together and returned together. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) always said: "I went with Abu Bakr and 'Umar," and "I came with Abu Bakr and 'Umar." So they are his two constant companions. And on the Day of Resurrection, they will come out of their graves together. So they are all together in this world and the Hereafter. 'Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) sat opposite them, and it was said with a trial that would befall him. This trial is what happened to 'Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the people's disagreement with him, their rising against him, and their killing him in his house (may Allah be pleased with him). They entered his house in Madinah and killed him while he was reciting the Qur'an, the Book of Allah before him. Some historians mention that a drop of blood fell on his recitation of the words of the Exalted: .