HADITH 23 OF AN-NAWAWIS COLLECTION

Theme: Guideline for a muslim

الطُّهُورُ شَطْرُ الْإِيمَانِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ تَمْلَأُ الْمِيزَانَ وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ تَمْلَآَنِ أَوْ تَمْلَأُ مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالصَّلَاةُ نُورٌ وَالصَّدَقَةُ بُرْهَانٌ وَالصَّبْرُ ضِيَاءٌ وَالْقُرْآنُ حُجَّةٌ لَكَ أَوْ عَلَيْكَ كُلُّ النَّاسِ يَغْدُو فَبَايِعٌ نَفْسَهُ فَمُعْتِقُهَا أَوْ مُوبِقُهَا

On the authority of Abi malik al-Harith ibn Aasim al-Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: “The Messenger of Allah (sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “Purification is half of faith. Al-hamdulillah fills the scale. Subhanallah and al-hamdulillah fill that which is between the heavens and the earth. Prayer is a light. Charity is a proof. Patience is illumination. The Qur’an is either an argument for or against you. And everyone starts his day, he is a vendor of his soul either freeing it or bringing about its rain.

-It was related by Sahih Muslim.

Tafsir of the Hadith

  1.                                                                 الطُّهُورُ شَطْرُ الْإِيمَانِ

شَطْرُ means half.

It is figurative.In Suratul Baqarah verse 143, Allah equated Iman and Solah. When Allah was referring to Iman, he used Solah. The key to Solah is Wudu and wudu is a form of tahara. Without wudu there is no Solah.

The moment wudu has been made, half of Solah is complete. Iman is Solah, half of solah is wudu, and wudu if tahara. Automatically, tahara is half of iman.

2.                                                                    الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ تَمْلَأُ الْمِيزَانَ

تَمْلَأُ- fills    الْمِيزَانَ-scale  

Alhamdulillah fills the scale. Saying Alhamdulillah(thanking Allah) is what Allah loves the most. Saying Alhamdulillah is even greater than saying AllahuAkbar(glory be to Allah).

3.                                                          وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ تَمْلَآَنِ أَوْ تَمْلَأُ مَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ       

if Saying Alhamdulillah and Subhaanallah were to be measured in material quantity, it will overfill the spaces in between the heavens and the earth.

4.                                              الصَّلَاةُ نُورٌ

Solat is light. Dhiya is greater than Nur even though they both translate to mean light. An example of Nur is the moon and an example of Dhiya is the sun. Dhiya is greater because it illuminates light on other objects.

5.                                                 الصَّبْرُ ضِيَاءٌ   

Patience is light. A person that has patience has much more effect and impact then Solah. Only Solah without Sabr(patience) is ineffective. If a person has patience, it will be clear in his Solah and will stand for him on the day of Qiyamah(judgement).

6.                                        الصَّدَقَةُ بُرْهَانٌ

بُرْهَانٌ- proof

Sadaqah is proof. Literally it means charity is proof. Sadaqah helps du’a. sadaqah will stand for us on the day of judgement, it also boosts out du’a in the sight of Allah. Remember, charity given in hidden is greater than that given in the open.

7.                                  الْقُرْآنُ حُجَّةٌ لَكَ أَوْ عَلَيْكَ

حُجَّةٌ- proof/evidence    لَكَ- in support    عَلَيْكَ-  against

Quran is evidence. The Quran will either be in support of you or against you on the day of judgement. If one reads it and follows it sincerely, it will intercede for the person, but if one is hypocritical or does not follow its teachings, it will be against him.

8.                   يَغْدُو فَبَايِعٌ نَفْسَهُ فَمُعْتِقُهَا أَوْ مُوبِقُهَا

فَبَايِعٌ-  sell

A human being wakes up in the morning and sells himself. This means that during the course of our life we can either live on the righteous path or do otherwise. It is either he relinquishes that he is doing whatever in his life for the sake of Allah or sells himself to the wrong path.