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Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari (may Allah be
pleased with him) reported that all Bedouin stopped the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) while he was traveling and
asked, "Tell me what will bring me nearer to heaven and
keep me away from the fire." The Prophet answered,
"Worship Allah and do not associate anyone or anything
with Him. Attend regularly to your prayers and pay zakah and
foster your ties of kinship."
When we study the Sunnah, it is of
great importance sometimes that we relate a certain hadith to
the occasion on which it was said and the person addressed by
it. Sometimes the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
stressed a certain aspect because it was important, or more
relevant, to the person himself. Not only did the Prophet know
his Companions well, he was keenly aware of what life was like
in all parts of Arabia, knowing at firsthand the differences
between the life of a bedouin and that of a city dweller and
how these differences affected people and their attitudes.
Furthermore, the Prophet knew very well how different people
reacted to certain situations. This is not surprising because
people and their characters were a main concern of the
Prophet, right from the day when he received his first
revelation.
At times the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) stressed a certain aspect of Islam to
the extent that one might have thought that it took precedence
over all other aspects. We find the same aspect, however,
reduced to a position of secondary importance on a different
occasion. It is the task of scholars to reconcile these
differences so that no thought of contradiction in Islamic
teachings may be entertained. This is not difficult to achieve
for a person equipped with the appropriate type of study. In
fact, this has been done most admirably by a long line of
scholars who have dedicated themselves to the study of the
Sunnah, deducing from the various hadiths very important rules
which every Muslim should know.
When we find a certain aspect of Islam
stressed by the Prophet on a number of occasions and in
different circumstances, that aspect acquires greater
importance. Its frequent mention by the Prophet indicates its
universal application and its high position in the list of
Islamic values and practices.
One aspect that is so frequently
mentioned by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is
the need to maintain close ties with one's relatives. It is
important to know what is meant by maintaining and fostering
the ties of kinship in an Islamic context. A person's
relatives are collectively called in Arabic his rahim.
Linguistically, this word means "womb." When it is
used to indicate a person's relatives, it includes all his
relatives whether close or distant, heirs or not, including
also his women relatives whom he can marry. In other words, it
refers to his family in the widest sense of the term. The
Arabic root from which the word rahim is derived indicates
mercy and compassion. A hadith related by Ahmad, Al-Hakim, and
Al-Bukhari in his book Al-Adab Al-Mufrad on the authority of `Abdur-Rahman
ibn `Awf quotes the Prophet as saying "Allah says: I am
Ar-Rahman (the most merciful) and I have created kinship (that
is rahim) and given it a name which is derived from My name.
He who fosters it I will bless, and he who severs it I will
sever."
This hadith
qudsi stresses that aspect of kinship that calls for
compassion and kindness among kinsfolk. The large number of
hadiths that speak of kinship stress the need to foster one's
relationship with one's kinsfolk through kind treatment, help,
and care. Islam detests the very thought of dispute arising
between relatives, and greatly honors and respects those who
forgo what is rightly theirs for the sake of maintaining and
fostering ties with relatives.
The questioner in this hadith has set
his aim very clearly. He wants to escape Allah's punishment in
the hereafter by doing what is right in this life. To him, as
indeed to every Muslim, the fire of hell is a reality. It
awaits everyone who incurs Allah's displeasure. No success in
this life is greater than avoiding it. Allah says in the
Qur'an (Every soul is bound to taste death; you will be paid
on the day of resurrection only that which you have fairly
earned. He who shall be drawn away from the fire and brought
into paradise will indeed have triumphed)
(Aal `Imran
3:185).
Hence, everything that draws a Muslim
nearer to that triumph is of great importance. The bedouin
puts his question to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) in a way that indicates that he has fully understood the
reality of reward and punishment in the hereafter. He wants to
know what draws him nearer to heaven and away from hell.
The Prophet's answer is very
significant. It points out first the most essential Islamic
belief, namely, the Oneness of Allah. No partners may be
associated with Him in any form whatsoever. Hence, this belief
is stated in both a positive and a negative way: "Worship
Allah without associating anyone or anything with Him."
The Prophet then stresses to his questioner that he must
attend regularly to his prayers and pay his zakah. These two
duties are always mentioned together in the Qur'an and the
Sunnah. To a Muslim, mentioning these two basic duties in this
context comes as no surprise. They and the belief in the
Oneness of Allah are the first three of the five pillars upon
which the structure of Islamic faith is built.
What is surprising, however, is that
the Prophet does not mention here the two other major duties,
namely, fasting in the month of Ramadan and pilgrimage. He
mentions instead the duty of fostering the ties of kinship.
Some scholars say that this particular aspect of Islamic
duties was of special importance to the bedouin himself. This
was certainly true in the bedouin society of Arabia where wars
were launched for the slightest of reasons against cousin
tribes. The significance of the hadith is, however, applicable
to all societies and all people. As we have seen, it puts
fostering the ties of kinship on a par with the major duties
of Islam.
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