Hadiths 21 to 24: uprightness, the way to Paradise, purity and injustice

Hadith 21: I believe in Allah, then be upright From Abu 'Amr Sufyaan ibn 'Abd Allah ath-Thaqafi (may Allah be pleased with him): I said: "O Messenger of Allah, tell me something about Islam that I will not need to ask anyone but you." He said: قُلْ آمَنْتُ بِاللَّهِ ثُمَّ اسْتَقِمْ "Say: 'I believe in Allah', then be upright." Source: Muslim 38.

The commentary • Two words that contain the whole religion, Ibn Rajab explains: faith in the heart, then uprightness (al-istiqaama) in deeds. Verse 41:30 (below) says the same and promises the descent of the angels. • Istiqaama: following the straight path, without swerving right or left, doing the obligations and leaving the prohibitions. 'Umar is reported to have said: "being upright on the command and the prohibition, without dodging like a fox" [À VÉRIFIER : attribution]. • No one is perfectly upright: verse 41:6 links uprightness with seeking forgiveness ("be upright towards Him and seek His forgiveness"). Ibn Rajab draws from this that forgiveness repairs what is lacking in uprightness. • The heart and the tongue first: uprightness begins with the heart, then the tongue follows it.

In daily life • Choose one specific uprightness this month (a prayer you delay, a word you let slip) and hold to it.

Hadith 22: the obligations that lead to Paradise From Abu 'Abd Allah Jaabir ibn 'Abd Allah al-Anṣaari (may Allah be pleased with them both): a man asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: "Tell me: if I pray the prescribed prayers, fast Ramadan, treat the lawful as lawful and the unlawful as unlawful, and add nothing to that, will I enter Paradise?" He said: "Yes." [À VÉRIFIER : texte arabe] Source: Muslim 15. The man is said to be An-Nu'maan ibn Qawqal [À VÉRIFIER].

The commentary • "Treating the lawful as lawful": An-Nawawi explains: doing it while believing it is permitted; "treating the unlawful as unlawful": avoiding it while believing it is forbidden. • Why zakaat and the pilgrimage are not mentioned: the commentators give several answers: the man was perhaps not concerned (no wealth, no means), or these obligations had not yet been prescribed, or they are included in "the lawful and the unlawful" [À VÉRIFIER : réponses retenues]. • Hope: Ibn Rajab stresses that fulfilling the obligations and leaving the prohibitions are enough for salvation; voluntary deeds then raise one's ranks (hadith 38).

In daily life • If practice feels heavy, return to this base: obligations first, leaving the prohibitions, then the rest step by step.

Hadith 23: purification is half of faith From Abu Maalik al-Ḥaarith ibn 'Aaṣim al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him): the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: الطُّهُورُ شَطْرُ الْإِيمَانِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ تَمْلَأُ الْمِيزَانَ "Purification is half of faith; 'al-ḥamdu lillaah' fills the scale; 'subḥaana llaah' and 'al-ḥamdu lillaah' fill what is between the heavens and the earth; prayer is a light, charity is a proof, patience is a radiance, and the Qur'an is an argument for you or against you. Everyone goes out in the morning and sells his soul: he frees it or ruins it." وَالصَّلَاةُ نُورٌ، وَالصَّدَقَةُ بُرْهَانٌ، وَالصَّبْرُ ضِيَاءٌ Source: Muslim 223.

The commentary • "Half of faith": An-Nawawi reports several explanations: the reward of purification reaches half that of faith; or faith erases what came before and so does ablution; or "faith" here means prayer, of which purification is a condition. Ibn Rajab leans towards a broad meaning: outward purification (water) and inward purification (repentance) [À VÉRIFIER : avis retenu]. • Light, proof, radiance: prayer illuminates the heart and the face; charity proves the sincerity of faith, because the soul loves money; patience is a radiance that burns a little, like sunlight, because it costs. • The Qur'an: it pleads for whoever reads and applies it, and against whoever neglects it. • "He sells his soul": each day is a market; one gains one's freedom through obedience, or ruins oneself through disobedience.

In daily life • Make ablution with care and presence: it is already worship. • Fill your idle moments with "subḥaana llaah" and "al-ḥamdu lillaah".

Hadith 24: "O My servants, I have forbidden injustice for Myself" From Abu Dharr al-Ghifaari (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet ﷺ, in what he reports from his Lord (ḥadiith qudsi): يَا عِبَادِي إِنِّي حَرَّمْتُ الظُّلْمَ عَلَى نَفْسِي وَجَعَلْتُهُ بَيْنَكُمْ مُحَرَّمًا فَلَا تَظَالَمُوا "O My servants, I have forbidden injustice for Myself, and I have made it forbidden among you: so do not wrong one another. O My servants, all of you are astray except whom I have guided: ask Me for guidance, I will guide you." Then follow hunger, nakedness and faults by day and night, each time with: "ask Me, I will give you, I will forgive you"; then: you can neither harm Me nor benefit Me; the piety or wickedness of all adds nothing to My kingdom and takes nothing from it; if all asked Me and I gave each one, it would diminish what I have only as a needle dipped in the sea. "It is only your deeds that I count for you, then I repay you for them in full: whoever finds good, let him praise Allah, and whoever finds otherwise, let him blame no one but himself." (Full text [À VÉRIFIER : texte arabe complet].) Source: Muslim 2577.

The commentary • A ḥadiith qudsi: the meaning comes from Allah, the wording from the Prophet ﷺ. According to Muslim, Abu Idriis al-Khawlaani would kneel when he narrated it; Imam Aḥmad is reported to have said that the people of Shaam have no nobler hadith [À VÉRIFIER : ces deux récits]. • Injustice: Allah, who could do anything, has forbidden injustice for Himself; all the more must the human being forbid it to himself. Ibn Rajab distinguishes injustice towards oneself (sins), towards others (property, honour, body), and the gravest, association (31:13). • The poverty of the human being: guidance, food, clothing, forgiveness, everything comes from Allah. This teaches humility and supplication. • Allah's justice: each person finds his deeds; good is a grace for which one praises Allah, evil is blamed only on oneself.

In daily life • Take stock of your possible injustices: a wage, a debt, a word, the division of an inheritance, a family relationship. • Ask every day for guidance, forgiveness and provision, as the hadith invites.

The text: Surah Fuṣṣilat (41), verse 30 إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنْتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ ﴿٣٠﴾

Meaning: "Those who say, 'Our Lord is Allah', then remain upright, the angels descend upon them: 'Do not fear and do not grieve; rejoice in the Paradise you were promised.'" This is the verse of hadith 21: faith, then uprightness.

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Simple, version 1.0.2), © 2008-2010 Tanzil.net, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence, reproduced without any change (http://tanzil.net). Each verse is on its own line, followed by its number; the basmala, which the Tanzil file places at the start of the first verse, is written on its own line.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation This lesson opens the part of the collection devoted to deeds. Hadith 21 sums up the religion in two steps: believe, then be upright. Hadith 22 reassures: obligations fulfilled and prohibitions avoided lead to Paradise. Hadith 23 shows the value of simple acts: ablution, praise, prayer, charity, patience. Hadith 24 places everything within the relationship with Allah: He is just, we are in need of Him, and each person will find his deeds. The whole gives a balance: a demand (uprightness, justice) and an immense hope (the door of asking and forgiveness is open day and night). Hadith 24 also reminds us that the most frequent injustice is often the closest: in the family, at work, with money.

Lessons to draw from it • Believe, then act with constancy; make up for shortcomings by seeking forgiveness. • Hold first to the base of obligations and prohibitions. • Make ablution, praise and prayer with presence: they are treasures. • Give back rights, repair injustices, never oppress. • Ask Allah every day for guidance, provision and forgiveness.

Key points to remember • Hadith 21 (Muslim 38): قُلْ آمَنْتُ بِاللَّهِ ثُمَّ اسْتَقِمْ; verse 41:30. • Hadith 22 (Muslim 15): obligations and prohibitions are enough for Paradise. • Hadith 23 (Muslim 223): الطُّهُورُ شَطْرُ الْإِيمَانِ; prayer a light, charity a proof, patience a radiance. • Hadith 24 (Muslim 2577): a ḥadiith qudsi; Allah has forbidden injustice for Himself.

The main message Believe, then be upright; purify yourself, praise Allah and commit no injustice: Allah is just, and the door of His guidance and forgiveness stays open.