Hadith that are Well-Known

Today we will look at some Hadith that have to do with societal behavior and social structure. We will look at habits, hygiene and morals.

Seeking permission to enter a home:

Kaladah ibn Hanbal reported that Safwaan ibn Umayyah sent him to the Prophet with some milk and cucumbers when the Prophet was staying in the upper part of the Makkan valley. He said, "I entered his house without permission or giving Salaams, so the Prophet said to me, 'Go back out and say: as-Salaam 'alaykum, may I enter?'"

*Muslims have a stronger sense of protocol for every day greetings. There is afforded among themselves a greater level of respect to also enquire of family members, etc. before moving along in the conversation.

Using the Bathroom facilities:

The companion, Abu Ayyoub al-Ansaaree, reported that the Prophet said, "If you go to defecate do not face the Qiblah nor turn your back toward it...."

*Read what Rush Limbaugh, that old wind tunnel, has to say at this link.

Suspicion:

Abu Hurayrah reported that Allah's messenger said, "Beware of suspicion, for verily suspicion is the most misleading form of conversation."

*This one, hampers the ability to gather intelligence within the Muslim community regarding any potential threat from radical elements within the ranks. Muslims do not rat each other out. Period. Sadly, Qur'an 5:2 says "Help each other in righteousness and piety, but do not help each other in sin and aggression." Naturally, it is all in how you diagram the thing. Obviously, a certain man whom we have yet to capture and bring to justice did not consider it either sin nor aggression to fly aircraft into buildings in America and kill innocent civilians. To this day, there are Muslims who consider Osama bin Ladin a "freedom fighter".

Cheating:

Abu Hurayrah reported that Allah's Messenger passed by a pile of food stuff and stuck his hand into it. When he found it wet he asked the owner, "What is that?" The trader replied, "Rain fell on it oh Messenger of Allah". The Prophet said, "Why didn't you put it on top so the people could see it? Whoever cheats us is not of us."

*I can relate to this one having grown up purchasing food items in open air markets where produce and meat was weighed on scales. There were many tricks for cheating the customer out of his pesos in the Oaxaca markets.

Zakat: The Giving of Charity

The Prophet told Mu'aadh ibn Jabal, "Teach them (the people of Yemen) that Allah has made charity compulsory on them. It should be taken from the rich among them and given to the poor."

The conditions applied to Zakat are that it is duty for all Muslims above the age of puberty; surplus wealth should be made available for zakat; zakat on crops is given at time of harvest, but material wealth can be retained for a full year prior to distribution of that which is excess and above normal needs.

*Hmmmm. Has anyone approached the House of Saud billionaires club about this?

Marriage:

There is a Hadith which states that a man who marries has fulfilled half of his religion. This is because marriage guards against "zina" which is sexual immorality. It is somewhat of a correlary thought to what is expressed in the book of Proverbs that says a man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.

There are literally thousands of Hadith. I hope you enjoyed reading the few I placed on the page today. And please understand that many common courtesies, perceptions, manner of behavior are governed by Hadith.

Tammy