Defining the Hadith "The Deen Is Naseehah," That Comprises One-Fourth of Islamic Teachings

By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam 22 August 2022 What Does It Mean To Practise Islam As Naseehah For Allah, His Book, His Messenger (Peace Be Upon Him), Muslim Leaders, And Common Muslims? Main Points: 1. The Islamic ‘Deen (Religion) is Naseehah’, a hadith which, according to Imam Abu Dawood, covers the entire Islamic Fiqh. 2. Naseehah generally refers to excellent counsel, advice, or precept, such as speaking good words. In this view, Naseehah for Allah involves admonishing people about Allah, which entails instructing them to believe in one God, obey His commands, and refrain from His prohibitions, among other things. 3. Naseehah in Arabic refers to seeking action or a word that contains goodwill and sincerity. In this sense, Naseehah for Allah denotes the servant's sincere commitment to believing in Allah, obeying His commands and refraining from disobeying Him. 4. This is a hadith with a small word count but a wealth of wisdom and insight. 5. The Naseehah for Allah means sincerely believing in the Oneness of Allah and describing Him with the Attributes of Divinity…. This Naseehah is meant to guide oneself and others to the path of Allah. 6. The Naseehah for the Book of Allah refers to Believing in the Quran as Allah's speech in due respect…. 7. The Naseehah for the Messenger or the Prophet of Allah refers to faith in the Prophet (peace be upon him) and in all that he brought as being divinely inspired. 8. The Naseehah for Imams or leaders of Muslims refers to following their orders in conformity with Islamic principles, 9. The Naseehah for the common Muslims refers to guiding them to what is good for them in this life and the next, teaching them about religion and other subjects with kindness, sincerity, and compassion for them… -------- Islam contains more than just worship, zikr (remembrance of Allah), or specific rites; it also includes respect for the rights of the servants, being kind to them, and wanting the best for them. It is unacceptable in Islam to treat others harshly, disrespectfully, or in any other manner that might be detrimental to the happiness and goodness of others. Muslims should not treat others cruelly, degrade them, or cause them damage since doing so is against the principles of their faith. Such beautiful messages have been conveyed to Muslims countless times in the Quran and Ahadith. In this essay, we'll focus on a Hadith about which some scholars commented that even if hundreds of hadith were lost, this one would still be able to provide Muslims with guidance. The entire Fiqh, according to Imam Abu Dawood, revolves around this single hadith. This hadith is said to make up one-fourth of Islamic teachings, according to other scholars, signifying that it covers Islamic guidelines as a whole. That beautiful hadith has been narrated by Tameem Daari that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The Deen (Religion of Islam) is Naseehah (sincere goodwill).” We said, “For whom?” The Prophet said, “[Naseehah] For Allah, His Book, His Messenger, the leaders of the Muslims, and their common people.” (Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Iman, Book 1, Hadith 103) This belongs to the class of hadiths called "Jawami ul-Kalim," which are hadiths with a small word count but a wealth of wisdom and insight. The narrator of the hadith is Hazrat Tamim Dari (may God be pleased with him). He converted to Islam in the ninth Hijri. He was one of the companions who used to worship Allah for the majority of the night, a devout follower, and an ascetic. Additionally, he was the first to turn on the mosque lamp. In this hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) made the insightful statement that the entire religion is Naseehah. This is so because Naseehah is a concept that includes Imaan, Ihsan, and everything of Islam. What is Naseehah then? Definition of Naseehah Al Khattabi and Ibn Hajr say that Naseehah is the most comprehensive term in Arabic. This word is particularly challenging to translate into English and has a much deeper meaning even though it is most usually interpreted as "sincerity", "sincere goodwill”, or “seeking goodness for others” There are 2 basic linguistic connotations for the word "Naseehah": (1) Removing impurities from something in order to make it better. (2) Putting back together what has been broken or separated. Taking into account both the linguistic connotation and the Quranic usage, Raghib Isfahaani has produced a Sharia definition for Naseehah that reads, "Naseehah is a seeking of an action or a word that contains goodwill and progress for the other person." Therefore, if you give someone Naseehah, your intentions and actions are sincere in your desire for their well-being. The hadith calls Muslims for doing Naseehah for Allah, Naseehah for the Qur'an, Naseehah for the Prophet of Allah, Naseehah for the Imams, and Naseehah for the common believers. What does Naseehah mean in the context of the hadith? The Naseehah for Allah The interpretation of the Hadith narrated by Hazrat Tamim Dari (may Allah be pleased with him) has been written by the scholars as follows: Naseehah for Allah means sincerely believing in the Oneness of Allah and describing Him with the Attributes of Divinity and considering Him free from imperfections and desiring to do what He loves and refraining from doing what causes His Wrath. When it comes to actions, Naseehah for Allah entails as follows: • Honestly obeying His commands, abstaining from His prohibitions, doing what is best to remember Him at all times, • Being sincere in all of your dealings, maintaining excellent relationships with those who obey Him, and showing compassion to as many people as you can in response to this call, • Loving what He loves and hating what He hates, whether they be things, people, actions, sayings, or deeds, • And acknowledging the blessings He has bestowed upon us and properly thanking Him for these blessings. You won't be able to do Naseehah for Allah until you love Allah more than anything or anyone else. It should be realized, of course, that Allah does not need Naseehah, nor it is beneficial to Him because He is self-sufficient. Imam Khattabi states that while Allah does not require Naseehah from the one performing it, the reality of this attachment refers to the servant being faithful to himself. A believer benefits from performing Naseehah for Allah by cleansing and enlarging his or her relationship with Allah. This naturally increases our sincerity in our interactions with others and in our actions, which increases the likelihood that our actions will be accepted. The Naseehah for the Book of Allah This refers to as follows: • Believing that the Quran is Allah's speech and His revelation and that nothing from among the creatures can compare to it, • Giving the Quran the respect it deserves by correctly reciting its verses and putting them into practice and doing so with decency and submission, • Defending the Quran from assault by those who attack it as well as from misinterpretation by those who corrupt and alter it, • Believing in the Quran, accepting its teachings, comprehending the signs of the universe, creation, and evolution, and pondering over examples and facts leading to the recognition of Allah Almighty, • Pondering over the intriguing details and topics it presents while paying attention to its warnings, • And Observing the obvious commands and demonstrating faith in whatever Allah has meant by the ambiguous commands. Naseehah for the Messenger (peace be upon him) of Allah Almighty The Naseehah for the Messenger or the Prophet of Allah refers to faith in the Prophet (peace be upon him) and in all that he brought as being divinely inspired. This also includes: • Obeying him, supporting him, and standing up for him by upholding his honour and treating him with respect, • Loving him more than we love ourselves and our families, respecting and cherishing his Sunnah, • Defending him by defending his honour and respecting his status, • Expelling any doubt that is raised against him and his teachings, • Accepting his Sunnah as a yardstick for evaluating things, deeds, and statements, • Adoring for people who love him, loving his family (Ahle Bait) and his companions (Sahaba), • Sending peace and blessings upon him whenever his name is mentioned, • Following his instructions and abstaining from his prohibitions, • And resurrecting his Sunnah through its study, comprehension, teaching, and dissemination. It is imperative to keep in mind for the sake of the Naseehah for the Messenger of Allah that we must employ non-violent and peaceful methods rather than violence or extremist attitudes in order to disseminate our message and defend the sunnah of our Prophet. Extremist behaviour will draw people away from Islam, and indulging in fruitless and acrimonious disputes will make them hostile to the Sunnah and ultimately Islam. We must refute errors or disprove falsehood in an intelligent and friendly way because Our Messenger was sent as a mercy to mankind. This can help people avoid getting the wrong idea that Islam is excessively extremist or unacceptable to others. Naseehah for the Imams of Muslims The Naseehah for Imams or leaders of Muslims refers to following their orders in conformity with Islamic principles, not disobeying them, and correcting them when they are wrong. If the Naseehah for the Imams refers to the learned and intellectual groupings of Imams, then it entails abiding by their rules, honouring them, and helping them with their needs. Naseehah for the Common Muslims The Naseehah for the common Muslims refers to guiding them to what is good for them in this life and the next, teaching them about religion and other subjects with kindness, sincerity, and compassion for them, helping them, meeting their needs, covering up their faults, advising them to do good, and discouraging them from doing evil. It also refers to removing what is harmful to them, bringing what is beneficial to them, loving what is good for them, hating what is bad for them, protecting their lives, property, and reputation, exhibiting respect for the elderly and mercy toward the young, and not injuring them. All that is pleasant and joyful in religion, as well as the knowledge and sciences of the cosmos, its creatures, and the Creator and His Messenger and their rights, are all successfully encapsulated in the few words of this hadith. May Allah guide us and enable us to act upon the Naseehah! ----- A regular Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is a Classical Islamic scholar with a Sufi background and English-Arabic-Urdu Translator. URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/hadith-deen-naseehah-islamic-teachings/d/127766 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism