HADITH JABREEL
Dear Muslim Brothers and Sisters,
Hadith Jabreel 1
Narrated Umar bin Al-Khattab (R.A.A.):
Once we were sitting in the company of Allah’s
Messenger
when there appeared a person dressed in extremely white clothes and having
extraordinary black hair. No signs of fatigue of journey appeared on his face and he was known
to none of us. He sat down near the Prophet
Prophet
leaning his knees aginst the knees of the
and placing both of his palms over his two thighs and said, “O Muhammad
Tell me about Islam.” He
!
replied, “Islam is that you bear witness to the fact that none has
the right to be worshipped but Allah, and that Muhammad
is the Messenger of Allah; that
you establish Salat (prayers), pay Zakat, observe Saum (fasting) of Ramadan and perform Hajj
(pilgrimage) of the House, provided you have resources of making journey to it.” He replied:
“You have spoken the truth.” We were surprised to see that he had asked him and confirmed the
correctness of the answers. He then enquired: “Tell me about Faith.” He
said. “It is that
you believe in Allah, and His Books, and His Messengers and the Last Day and you believe in
Predestination, the good of it and the bad of it.” He said, “You have spoken the truth.” He then
enquired: “Tell me about Ihsan (performance of obligations in best possible manner).” He
said, “It is that you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him; and if not, He is certainly watching
you.” He enquired: “Inform me about the Hour (i.e., the Day of Judgement).” He
replied,
“I have no more knowledge thereof than you.” He said, “Inform me about some of its signs.”
He
said, “They are – that a maid-servant will beget her master, and that you will find the
barefooted, not dressed well enough, poor shepherds will compete one another in the
construction of higher building.” Then he departed. The Messenger of Allah kept silent for
some time then addressed me, “O Umar! Do you know who the questioner was?” I replied,
“Allah and His Messenger know better.” The Prophet
come to you to teach you your religion.” [Muslim]
said, “He was Jibril (Gabriel); he has
Dear Muslim Brothers and Sisters,
This Hadith is known as the Hadith of the Angel Gabriel. On reflecting on this Hadith,
we learn the following:
From the statement that he (Gabriel) sat down near the Prophet
, we learn the attitude
of those who are truly seeking knowledge. They should try to get close to the teacher so that
they can understand and hear everything he says correctly. It also shows that the questioner
should be humble and polite in front of the one he is questioning.
When Gabriel asked about Islam; the Prophet
said:
Hadith Jabreel 2
“Islam is that you bear witness to the fact that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah,
and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,” which is what we call the testimony of faith or
shahadah.
Muslims know that the key to Paradise is the statement of the Shahadah. Yet many
Muslims simply rely upon this statement and believe that as long as they have said it, nothing
will harm them. Because of this mere verbal statement of the Shahadah, they think they will be
granted entry into Paradise.
However, the mere saying of the statement is not sufficient for salvation. In fact, the
hypocrites used to say the Shahadah, and yet Allah describes them as liars and says that they
shall abide in the lowest abyss of the Hell-Fire.
“…Saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts…” (3:167)
As many scholars have stated, this Shahadah is the key to Paradise. However, its saying
must meet certain conditions. The follower Wahb Ibn Munabbih was once asked, “Isn’t the
Shahadah, the key to Paradise?” He answered, “Yes, but every key has ridges. If you come with
the key that has the right ridges, the door will open for you. If you don not have the key with the
right ridges, the door will not open for you.” These ridges are conditions that differentiate
Muslims who will benefit from the Shahadah from those who will not benefit from it, no matter
how many times a day they may have said the Shahadah.
Some people have a tendency to take one Hadith or one verse and make a general
conclusion based on that one text. For example, one could conclude from some Hadith that
whoever simply says “There is no god except Allah,” will enter Paradise. But, actually, one must
realize that all of the Qur’an and Hadith complement each other and explain one another. To find
the correct position on any one question, one must bring together all of the related verses and
Ahadith and see what the right Islamic position is on that question. The same is true for the
conditions of the Shahadah.
A study of the verses of the Qur’an and the Ahadith of the Prophet
will show that the
conditions of the Shahadah are nine. It is important that every Muslim ensures that he or she is
meeting the conditions in his or her own life.
The first condition is knowledge: One must have the necessary basic understanding of
what is meant by the Shahadah. One must understand what the Shahadah is affirming and what
the Shahadah is denying. About this knowledge, Allah says in the Qur’an:
Hadith Jabreel 3
“So know (O Muhammad) that, La ilaha illallah (none has the right to be worshipped but
Allah)…”(47:19)
Similarly, the Prophet
said the following Hadith:
Narrated Ubadah bin As-Samit (R.A.A.): Allah’s Messenger
said, “Whosoever bears
witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s
Messenger, Allah (S.W.T.) absolves him of the Fire (of Hell).” Reported by Muslim
Thus when it is said that Muslims are protected against Hell, it means that they will not
abide in Hell forever. It will be a temporary phase varying with their sins. When that
punishment comes to an end, or even before it, when Almighty Allah wills, they will be sent
from Hell to Paradise. Muslims, who had performed high quality good deeds during their life,
may be saved from Hell Fire, and become eligible for admission into Paradise directly by the
Mercy of Allah.
Dear Muslim Brothers and Sisters,
In fact, the Shahadah itself is a testimony. When one testifies to something, one must
know what it is that he is testifying about. Obviously, a testimony about something that one does
not have any knowledge of is unacceptable, Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:
“…except for those who bear witness to the truth knowingly (i.e. believed in the Oneness
of Allah, and obeyed His Orders), and they know (the facts about the Oneness of
Allah).” (43:86)
Hadith Jabreel 4
Therefore, the basics of the Shahadah must be understood by the person testifying to it.
If he does not understand, for example, that Allah is the only one worthy of worship and that all
other gods are false gods, then he does not even have the most elementary understanding of what
it is he claims to be testifying to. Such a Shahadah cannot be considered a proper one that is
acceptable to Allah.
The second condition of the Shahadah is certainty (!""#" " " " " " $). This is the opposite of doubt and
uncertainty. In Islam, in fact, any kind of doubt concerning anything confirmed in the Qur’an or
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in his heart, be absolutely certain of the truth of the Shahadah. One’s heart must not be wavering
in any way when one testifies to the truth of, “There is none worthy of worship except Allah.”
Allah describes the true believers as those who have belief in Allah and then their hearts waver
not. Allah says in the Qur’an:
“Only those are the believers who have believed in Allah and His Messenger, and
afterward doubt not…” (49:15)
On the other hand, Allah describes the hypocrites as those people whose hearts are wavering.
Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:
“It is only those who believe not in Allah and the Last Day and whose hearts are in doubt
that ask your leave (to be exempted from Jihad). So in their doubts they waver.” (9:45)
Many scholars have stated that the diseases of the heart, or the doubts and suspicions that
one allows into one’s heart, are more dangerous for a person’s faith than lusts and desires. This
is because lusts and desires may be satisfied at some time yet the person still knows them to be
wrong. He may then eventually be able to control himself, repent and give up those evil deeds.
On the other hand, doubts and suspicions may stay in the heart, with no cure, until the person
finally leaves Islam entirely or continues to practice Islam while in fact, in his heart he does not
have the true faith.
Hadith Jabreel 5
One of the greatest cures for these doubts is knowledge. A sound knowledge of the
Qur’an and Sunnah removes most, or all, of these doubts. By study and understanding, one may
attain certainty. And as one studies and learns more, his certainty will be made firmer and firmer.
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Dear Muslim Brothers and Sisters,
If Allah Wills, the other conditions of the Shahadah will be discussed this coming Friday.
Hadith Jabreel 6