An explanation of the
hadeeth of Mu’aadh Ibn Jabal by Imaam Muhammad
Ibn Saalih al-’Uthaymeen, showing what benefits
can be taken from it.
For example that you establish the greatest
obligation that Allaah has imposed upon you
after the testimony of faith – the prayer, and
you establish it completely - fulfilling all of
its conditions and pillars and obligations,
fulfilling all of these perfectly.
Mu’aadh bin Jabal reported from the Messenger of
Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) that he
said,
"Fear Allaah wheresoever you may be, and follow
up and evil deed with a good one, it will efface
it (the evil deed). And deal with mankind with
good manners." Reported by at-Tirmidhee and he
said that it was a Hasan hadeeth.
Reported by at-Tirmidhee and he said that it was
a Hasan hadeeth.
[al-Haakim reports it in al-Mustadrak and states
that it meets the conditions of Bukhaaree and
Muslim. Adh-Dhahabee agreed.]
This hadeeth is one of the Forty Ahaadeeth of
the author, may Allaah have mercy upon him, and
in it is that the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi
wa sallam) gave three great and important pieces
of advice:
THE FIRST: He said, "have taqwaa of Allaah
wheresoever you may be." Taqwaa means to stay
away from the forbidden matters and to enact the
obligatory matters – this is taqwaa! That you
enact what Allaah has commanded you, sincerely
for Allaah and in compliance to the Messenger of
Allaah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam), and that
you leave what Allaah has forbidden due to His
prohibiting it and to steer clear of it.
For example that you establish the greatest
obligation that Allaah has imposed upon you
after the testimony of faith – the prayer, and
you establish it completely - fulfilling all of
its conditions and pillars and obligations,
fulfilling all of these perfectly. So whosoever
leaves off any of these conditions, pillars or
obligations then he has not feared Allaah (to
the best of his ability), rather he has been
deficient in this to the extent of what he left
out.
In Zakaah, the Taqwaa of Allaah lies in your
calculating all of your property on which the
zakaah is due, and your giving the zakaah as a
means of purifying yourself without any
miserliness or tightfistedness, or delay. And
whosoever does not do this than he has not
feared Allaah.
In fasting, the Taqwaa of Allaah lies in your
establishing the fast as you have been
commanded, distancing yourself from idle speech,
obscene words and mannerisms, boisterous
behaviour, backbiting and spreading tales and
other such things that would make the fast
deficient and remove the spirit of fasting. The
true meaning of fasting is to fast from that
which Allaah, Azza wa Jall, has made forbidden.
The same applies to all of the obligations that
are used to establish obedience to Allaah, and
compliance to His command, sincerely for Him and
in following His Messenger. Likewise all the
forbidden actions are to be left in compliance
to His prohibition.
THE SECOND: "and follow up and evil deed with a
good one, it will efface it (the evil deed)."
Meaning that when you perform an evil action
then follow it up with a good action for the
good action effaces the evil. And from the good
actions to be performed after the evil is that
you repent to Allaah for this evil action, for
indeed repentance is from the most noble and
excellent of the good actions as Allaah has
said, "indeed Allaah Loves those who repent and
those who purify themselves." (2:222) And He
said, "and repent to Allaah all of you, O
believers so that you may be successful."
(24:31)
Similarly righteous actions expiate the evil
actions as the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa
sallam) said, "the five daily prayers and one
Jumu’ah to the next Jumu’ah, and one Ramadaan to
the next Ramadaan, is an expiation for what lies
between them as long as one refrains from the
major sins." [Muslim], and he said, "one Umrah
to the next is an expiation for what is between
them." [Bukhaaree].
Therefore the good actions efface the evil.
THE THIRD: "and deal with mankind with good
manners." The first two pieces of advice were
those related to relationship with the Creator,
this third relates to relationship of the
creation to the creation. This being to deal
with mankind with the best manners such that you
will be praised and not blamed. This by having a
cheerful complexion, being truthful in speech,
speaking to others nicely and other such good
manners.
There are a large number of texts concerning the
excellence of having good manners to the extent
that the Messenger (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa
sallam) said, "the most complete believer with
respect to faith is the one with the best
manners." And he informed us that the most
deserving of mankind to him (sallallaahu ’alayhi
wa sallam) and the closest to him in ranking on
the Day of Judgement would be those with the
best manners.
So noble manners, along with their being a way
to beautify gatherings and the person who
possesses them being beloved to the people,
contain a huge reward which will bestowed upon
the person on the Day of Judgement.
So preserve these three pieces of advice from
the Prophet (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) and
Allaah is the Grantor of Success.
