Book introduction: The Book of Miscellany

'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'as (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) of Allah and said, "I swear allegiance to you for emigration and Jihad, seeking reward from Allah." He (ﷺ) said, "Is any of your parents alive?" He said, "Yes, both of them are alive." He (ﷺ) then asked, "Do you want to seek reward from Allah?" He replied in the affirmative. Thereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Go back to your parents and keep good company with them".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

In another narration it is reported that a person came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and sought his permission to participate in Jihad. The Prophet (ﷺ) asked, "Are your parents alive?" He replied in the affirmative. The Prophet (ﷺ) a(ﷺ) said, "(You should) consider their service as Jihad."

'Abdullah bin 'Amr Al-'as (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The person who perfectly maintains the ties of kinship is not the one who does it because he gets recompensed by his relatives (for being kind and good to them), but the one who truly maintains the bonds of kinship is the one who persists in doing so even though the latter has severed the ties of kinship with him".

[Al-Bukhari].

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The bond of relationship is suspending from the Throne, and says: 'He who keeps good relations with me, Allah will keep connection with him, but whosoever severs relations with me, Allah will sever connection with him".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

It has been narrated that Maimuna bint Al-Harith (May Allah be pleased with her) had set free a slave-girl without the Prophet's permission. When her turn came (the Prophet (ﷺ) used to visit his wives in turns), she made mention of that to him saying, "Did you know I have set slave-girl free?" He said, "Have you, indeed?" She replied, "Yes". He (ﷺ) then remarked, "Had you given her to your maternal uncles, you would have your reward increased".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Asma' bint Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (May Allah be pleased with her) said: My mother came to me while she was still a polytheist, so I asked Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), "My mother, who is ill-disposed to Islam, has come to visit me. Shall I maintain relations with her?" He (ﷺ) replied, "Yes, maintain relations with your mother".

[Al- Bukhari and Muslim].

Zainab Ath-Thaqafiyah (May Allah be pleased with her) the wife of 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: When Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) told the women that they should give Sadaqah (charity), even if it should be some of their jewellery, I returned to 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud and said, "You are a man who does not possess much, and Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has commanded us to give Sadaqah. So go and ask him if giving to you will serve the purpose; otherwise, I shall give it to someone else." He asked me that I should better go myself. I went and found a woman of the Ansar at the door of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), waiting to ask a similar question as mine. The Prophet (ﷺ) was endowed with dignity, and so we could not go in. When Bilal (May Allah be pleased with him) came out to us, we said to him: "Go to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and tell him that there are two women at the door who have come to ask him whether it will serve them to give Sadaqah to their husbands and to orphans who are in their charge, but do not tell him who we are. Bilal (May Allah be pleased with him) went in and asked him, and Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked him who the women were. When he told him that they were a woman of the Ansar and Zainab, he asked him which Zainab it was, and when he was told it was the wife of 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud, he (ﷺ) said, "They will have a double reward, one for maintaining the ties of kinship and another for Sadaqah".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Abu Sufyan Sakhr bin Harb (May Allah be pleased with him) mentioned Heraclius in a long Hadith and said: Heraclius asked me, "What does this Prophet (ﷺ) teach you?" I said, "He orders us to worship Allah Alone and not to associate a thing with Him in worship, to discard what our ancestors said, to perform the Salat (prayer), speak the truth, and maintain the ties of kinship".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Abu Dharr (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "You will soon conquer a land where people deal with Qirat."

And according to another version: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "You will soon conquer Egypt where Al-Qirat is frequently mentioned. So when you conquer it, treat its inhabitants well. For there lies upon you the responsibility because of blood ties or relationship (with them)".

[Muslim].

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: When this Verse was revealed: "And warn your tribe (O Muhammad (ﷺ)) of near kindred". (26:214) Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called the Quraish; when they gathered, he said to them: "O sons of 'Abd Shams; O sons of Ka'b bin Lu'ai, rescue yourselves from the Fire! O sons of Murrah bin Ka'b, rescue yourselves from the Fire! O sons of 'Abd Manaf, rescue yourselves from the Fire! O sons of 'Abdul-Muttalib, rescue yourselves from the Fire! O Fatimah, rescue yourself from the Fire, for I have no power (to protect you) from Allah in anything except that I would sustain relationship with you".

[Muslim].

Abu Abdullah 'Amr bin Al-'as (May Allah be pleased with them) said: I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying openly not secretly, "The family of so-and-so (i.e., Abu Talib) are not my supporters. My supporter is Allah and the righteous believing people. But they (that family) have kinship (Rahm) with whom I will maintain good the ties of kinship".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Abu Ayyub Khalid bin Zaid Al-Ansari (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: A man came to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and said, "Direct me to a deed which will admit me to Jannah and take me away from the Fire". The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Worship Allah and associate no partner with Him, perform As-Salat, pay Zakat, and maintain the ties of kinship".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Salman bin 'Amir (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When you break fast, you should do it with a date-fruit for there is blessing in it, and if you do not find a date- fruit, break it with water for it is pure." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) added: "Charity towards a poor person is charity, and towards a relation is both charity and maintaining the ties (of kinship)".

[At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hadith Hasan].

Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: I had a wife whom I loved but 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) disliked her. He asked me to divorce her and when I refused, 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) went to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and mentioned the matter to him. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked me to divorce her.

[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hadith Hasan Sahih].

Abud-Darda' (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: A man came to me and said, "I have a wife whom my mother commands me to divorce". I replied him that I had heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "A parent is the best of the gates of Jannah; so if you wish, keep to the gate, or lose it."

[At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hadith Hasan Sahih].

Al-Bara' bin 'Azib (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying: "A mother's sister is equivalent to (real) mother (in status)".

[At-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hadith Hasan Sahih]

Abu Bakrah Nufai' bin Al-Harith (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Shall I not inform you of the biggest of the major sins?" Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) asked this question thrice. We said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah. (Please inform us.)". He said, "Ascribing partners to Allah, and to be undutiful to your parents". Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sat up from his reclining position and said, "And I warn you against giving forged statement and a false testimony; I warn you against giving forged statement and a false testimony". Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) kept on repeating that warning till we wished he would stop.

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'as (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "(Of the) major sins are: to ascribe partners to Allah, disobey parents, murder someone, and to take a false oath (intentionally)".

[Al- Bukhari].

'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'as (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "It is one of the gravest sins to abuse one's parents." It was asked (by the people): "O Messenger of Allah, can a man abuse his own parents?" Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "He abuses the father of somebody who, in return, abuses the former's father; he then abuses the mother of somebody who, in return, abuses his mother".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "One of the major sins is to curse one's parents". It was submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! How can a man curse his own parents?" He (ﷺ) said, "When someone curses the parents of another man who in return abuses the former's father; and when someone abuses the mother of another man who in return abuses his mother."

Abu Muhammad Jubair bin Mut'im (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The person who severs the bond of kinship will not enter Jannah".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Abu 'Isa Al-Mughirah bin Shu'bah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah has forbidden you: disobedience to your mothers, to withhold (what you should give), or demand (what you do not deserve), and to bury your daughters alive. And Allah dislikes idle talk, to ask too many questions (for things which will be of no benefit to one), and to waste your wealth".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].