Riyadus Saliheen – Hadeeth No. 72 (Change for the Better)Download

Allah Almighty states in the Holy Quran:

یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللہَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِہٖ وَلَا تَمُوۡتُنَّ اِلَّا وَاَنۡتُمۡ مُّسْلِمُوۡنَ﴿۱۰۲﴾

  ‘O believers! Fear Allah as rightly He is to be feared, and do not die ever save as Muslims.

(Aale ‘Imran 3, Verse 102)

فَاتَّقُوا اللہَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ

  Therefore, fear Allah as much as you can.

(Al-Taghabun 64, Verse 16)

This is the meaning of the first command.

Hadeeth:

عَنْ اَبیْ طَرِیْفٍ عَدِیِّ بْنِ حَاتِمِ الطّائِیِّ رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ قَال:سَمِعْتُ رَسُوْلَ اللہ صَلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہِ وَسَلَّمَ یَقُوْلُ:مَنْ حَلَفَ عَلٰی یَمِیْنٍ ثُمَّ رَاٰی اَتْقٰی  لِلّٰہِ مِنْہَا فَلْیَأْتِ التَّقْوٰی۔رواہ مسلم۔

(مسلم، کتاب الایمان، باب ندب من حلف یمینا فرأی غیرہا خیرا، ص۸۹۸، حدیث:۱۶۵۱)

Sayyiduna Abu Zareef ibn Hatim al-Taa’i – may Allah be pleased with him – reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – saying, “If a person takes an oath to do something and then discovers something that is closer to Allah’s  fear than the former, he should do the latter.”

(Sahih Muslim)

Commentary:

Hadeeth:

 The Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – has stated:

رَأْسُ الْحِكْمَةِ مَخَافَةُ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ

Principal of wisdom is the fear of Allah Almighty.

(Shu’ab al-Iman of Imam Bayhaqi # 730)

Lesson:

  • This Hadith emphasizes the importance of having the fear of Allah.
  • If somebody has made a vow to do something good and then finds something that is closer to Taqwa then he should move on to the latter.
  • The fear of Allah Almighty opens the doors of wisdom and one begins to see things in a different light from a spiritual insight and foresight which he never had prior to having the fear of Allah Almighty.