Daily (mostly) Hadith Tafseer

Assalamu Alaikum,

InshAllah I will be posting tasfeer of a Hadith most days of the week. The Tafseer will originally be done by Sheikh Chao of Nueces Mosque, and I will add in my own notes and additions to it. Hopefully this will be beneficial.

I’ll start with two I have done already.

First, from two days ago.

The Importance of Praying Qiyam-ul-Layl

Praying Qiyam ul Layl offers protection for us from the Hellfire, and is an excellent way to increase our imaan, gain ‘ajr, and show our love of Allah.

Narrated Ibn `Umar: If a man saw a dream during the lifetime
of the Prophet he would narrate it to the Prophet. Once I
wished to see a dream and narrate it to the Prophet I was
young, unmarried, and used to sleep in the Mosque during the
lifetime of the Prophet. I dreamt that two angels took me and
went away with me towards the (Hell) Fire which looked like a
well with the inside walls built up, and had two side−walls
like those of a well. There I saw some people in it whom I
knew. I started saying, “I seek Refuge with Allah from the
(Hell) Fire, I seek Refuge with Allah from the (Hell) Fire.”
Then another angel met the other two and said to me, “Do not
be afraid.” I narrated my dream to Hafsa who, in her turn,
narrated it to the Prophet. He said, “What an excellent man
`Abdullah is if he only observes the night prayer.”

(Salem, a sub−narrator said, “Abdullah used not to sleep at night but
very little hence forward.”

From this we see that the Prophet sallalahu alahi wa salaam recommended we read Qiyam ul Layl to protect us from the Hellfire and from the fate of the Quraish (the people hanging in the well).

Start slowly, but be committed to what you are doing. If you try and start doing Qiyam ul Layl every single day, the disappointment you will feel if you fail might adversely impact you. A good analogy is running a marathon. You don’t decide one day to run a marathon without having practiced and done training before. Rather, you gradually increase the amount until you are able to run a marathon without too much hardship.

This brings to mind another Hadith:

Book 006, Number 2588:

Yahya reported: I and ‘Abdullah b. Yazid set out till we came to Abu Salama. We sent a messenger to him (in his house in order to inform him about our arrival) and he came to us. There was a mosque near the door of his house, and we were in that mosque, till he came out to us. He said: If you like you may enter (the house) and, if you like, you may sit here (in the mosque). We said: We would rather sit here and (you) relate to us. He (Yahya) then narrated that ‘Abdullah b Amr b. al-’As (Allah be pleased with them) told him: I used to observe fast uninterruptedly and recited the (whole of the) Qur’an every night. It (the uninterrupted fasting and recital of the Qur’in every night) was mentioned to the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) or he sent for me, and I went to him and he said to me: I have been informed that you fast continuously and recite (the whole of the Qur’An) every night. I said: Apostle of Allah, it is right, but I covet thereby nothing but good, whereupon he said: It suffices for you that you should observe fast for three days during every mouth. I said: Apostle of Allah, I am capable of doing more than this. He said: Your wife has a right upon you, your visitor has a right upon you, your body has a right upon you; so observe the fast of David, the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him), for he was the best worshipper of Allah. I said: Apostle of Allah, what is the fast of David? He said: He used to fast one day and did not fast the other day. He (also) said: Recite the Qur’an during every month. I said: Apostle of Allah, I am capable of doing more than this, whereupon he said: Recite it in twenty days; recite it in ten days. I said: I am capable of doing more than this, whereupon he said: Recite it every week, and do not exceed beyond this, for your wife has a right upon you, your visitor has a right upon you, your body has a right upon you. He (‘Amr b. ‘As) said: I was hard to myself and thus I was put to hardship. The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) had told me: ‘You do not know you may live long (thus and bear the hardships for a long time), and I accepted that which the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) had told me. When I grew old I wished I had availed myself of the conces- sion (granted by) the Apostle of Allah (may-peace be upon him). This hadith has been narrated by Yahya b. Abu Kathir with the same chain of transmitters and he made this addition after these words: During every month, (fasting) for three days, there is for you ten times for every good and that is perpetual fasting (for three days would bring a reward for full thirty days). I said: What is the fast of the Apostle of Allah, David? He said: Half of the age (observing fast on alternate days for the whole life). And in the hadith no mention has been made of the recital of the Qur’an, and he did not say: Your visitor has a right upon you, but (instead) he said: Your son has a right upon you.

From this we see the wisdom of the Prophet sallalahu allahi wa salam, he knew our limits and advised us accordingly.

Similarly, we should not strive to pray Qiyam ul layl every night, but do that which we know we can. Start off with once every two weeks, then once a week, then try and get it to the point where it becomes a ritual to do it several times a week. The Prophet Sallallahu alahi wa salam used to read 7-8 jhuz a day… can you even imagine that? inshAllah we should strive to just wake up 30-40 minutes before fajr, read 2-4 rakat and then read some short surahs from the 30th juhz. The emphasis is on DOING it…. not exceeding our limits.

You should be able to see the effects. InshAllah you will be saved from the hellfire, and it will aid you in your daily life with energy and less drowsiness. InshAllah you will be able to focus throughout the day.