Commentary on Hadeeth, - Dought & clear, - * What is the meaning of the Prophet’s words, “I can see you behindmy back”?

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Hadith from Sahih Bukhari
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allahs Apostle said, "Do you consider or see that my face is towards the Qibla? By Allah, neither your submissiveness nor your bowing is hidden from me, surely I see you from my back."
Does this mean that Prophet could have seen at things behind him as well? Please clarify.
Praise be to Allah.
One of the miracles of which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) told his Companions is that he could see them behind his back, as he could see them in front of him.
Al-Bukhaari (741) and Muslim (424) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do you think that I face the qiblah (and do not know what you are doing)? By Allah, your bowing and prostrating are not hidden from me; I can see you behind my back.”
Ahmad (9504) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led us in praying Zuhr, and in the last row there was a man who prayed badly. When he said the salaam, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) called him and said: “O So and so, do you not fear Allah? Do you not see how you pray. You think that you could hide from me some of what you do, but by Allah I can see behind me as well as I can see in front of me.”
Classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) inMishkaat al-Masaabeeh(no. 811)
The word seeing mentioned in the hadeeths is to be understood as it appears to mean, i.e., that he could see them visually. This is indicated by the report narrated by Muslim (423) from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed one day, then he finished and said: “O So and so, why don’t you pray well? Why doesn’t the worshipper look at how he is praying when he prays? He is only praying for himself. By Allah, I can see behind me as well as I can see in front of me.”
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said, commenting on this hadeeth: The scholars said: What this means is that Allah, may He be exalted, created for the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) the ability in the back of his head to see what was behind him, and he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was granted more extraordinary abilities than this. This is not contrary to reason or textual evidence; rather the texts confirm this, so we must believe in it. Al-Qaadi said: Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) and the majority of the scholars said that this seeing was in a literal and real sense.
End quote fromSharh Muslimby an-Nawawi (4/149)
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: There was a difference of scholarly opinion as to the meaning of this. It was said that what was meant is knowledge, either by means of Revelation so that he knew thereby how people really performed the prayer, or by means of inspiration. But this is subject to further discussion, because if what is meant is mere knowledge, he would not have specified by saying “behind my back.” And it was suggested that what is meant is that he could see whoever was on his right and on his left, of those on whom his gaze fell if he turned slightly sometimes, and he described those who were standing there as being behind his back. But this appears to be stretching the meaning and it is turning away from the apparent meaning when there is no need to do so.
The correct view is that it is to be interpreted as it appears to mean, and that this “seeing” was in a real and literal sense that was unique to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and was an extraordinary feat. Based on that, the author narrated this hadeeth under the heading of the signs of Prophethood; it was also narrated under a similar heading from Imam Ahmad and others.
End quote fromFath al-Baariby Ibn Hajar (1/514)
Does this miracle include times of prayer and other situations? The text refers to prayer; as for other situations, there is no text that speaks of them. According to some scholars that is possible, but according to others it applied only to the case of prayer.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The apparent meaning of the hadeeth is that this was something limited to the case of prayer, but it may be that this happened in all situations. That was also narrated from Mujaahid.
End quote fromFath al-Baariby Ibn Hajar (1/515)
Mullah ‘Ali al-Qaari said: The words “I can see you behind my back” do not necessarily mean that this occurred all the time, because it is contrary to the report which says “I do not know what is behind my wall.” Hence this was unique to the case of prayer and his knowledge about the worshippers behind him. And Allah knows best.
End quote fromMirqaat al-Mafaateeh Sharh Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh(4/197)
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: He could see them behind his back, and this is something that was unique to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): in this particular situation (i.e., prayer) he could see the people behind his back. But in other situations, he could not see anything behind his back.
End quote fromSharh Riyaadh as-Saaliheen(5/113)
And Allah knows best.

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Commentary on Hadeeth, - Dought & clear, - * The hadeeth “whoever among you canafford it, let him get married” does not mean that one who is poor cannot get married

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In UK there are several students who are with out jobs so to avoid haram they need to get married. I have come across two hadiths which seem to be contradicting. The 1st hadith states “O young men, whoever among you can afford to get married, let him do so”. In the 2nd hadith The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) marries a woman to who seems to be a poor man so could you please elaborate on these 2 hadiths because it seems to be contradicting.
Just to clarify my question, to my understanding the 1st hadith is telling us that the man should be financially able to support a wife in order to get married but in the 2nd hadith the man is poor and he gets married. These 2 hadiths seem to contradict each other or have I misunderstood it.
Both hadiths are listed below
“O young men, whoever among you can afford to get married, let him do so, and whoever cannot afford it, let him fast, for that will be a shield for him.” (Agreed upon, from the hadeeth of Ibn Mas’ood, may Allaah be pleased with him. Al-Bukhaari, 4778; Muslim, 1400).
No 4695 Narrated Sahl bin Sad:
A lady came to the Prophet and declared that she had decided to offer herself to Allah and His Apostle. The Prophet said, "I am not in need of women." A man said (to the Prophet) "Please marry her to me." The Prophet said (to him), "Give her a garment." The man said, "I cannot afford it." The Prophet said, "Give her anything, even if it were an iron ring." The man apologized again. The Prophet then asked him, "What do you know by heart of the Quran?" He replied, "I know such-and-such portion of the Qur'an (by heart)." The Prophet said, "Then I marry her to you for that much of the Qur'an which you know by heart."
Praise be to Allah.
The first hadeeth was narrated by al-Bukhaari (5066) and Muslim (1400) from Ibn Mas‘ood, who said: We were with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), young men who had nothing of wealth. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said to us: “O young men, whoever among you can afford it, let him get married, for it is more effective in lowering the gaze and guarding one’s chastity. And whoever cannot afford it should fast, for it will be a shield for him.”
The second hadeeth was narrated by al-Bukhaari (5030) and Muslim (1425) from Sahl ibn Sa‘d: A woman came to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), I have come to give myself to you (in marriage). The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) looked her up and down, then the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) lowered his head. When the woman saw that he had not made any decision about her, she sat down. A man among his companions stood up and said: O Messenger of Allah, if you have no need of her then marry her to me. He said: “Do you have anything?” He said: No, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah. He said: “Go to your family and see if you can find something.” So he went, then he came back and said: No, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah, not even a ring of iron, only this izaar (lower garment) of mine – Sahl said: he did not have a rida’ (upper garment) – and she may have half of it. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “What will she do with your izaar? If you wear it she will not have anything of it and if she wears it you will not have anything of it. The man sat down, and after he had sat for a long time, he got up (to leave). The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) saw him turning away, and he ordered that he be called to him. When he came, he said: “What do you know of the Qur’aan?” He said: I know Soorah such and such and Soorah such and such – and he listed them. He said: “Do you recite them by heart?” He said: Yes. He said: “Go. You have been given her (in marriage) for what you know of the Qur’an.”
These two hadeeths do not contradict one another, praise be to Allah; rather each of them speaks of a specific situation. The hadeeth of Ibn Mas‘ood addresses young men and those who want to get married in general terms, to highlight the fact that marriage requires one to have sufficient resources so that the husband will be able to do what has been enjoined upon him of spending on his wife’s maintenance and providing her with clothing and accommodation.
The phrase translated here as “afford it” refers to the costs of marriage; the Lawgiver wanted to highlight this principle, which is that marriage is not merely a contract or fulfilling one’s desire in a permissible manner; rather it is responsibilities and duties, and it is the man who is responsible for his wife’s maintenance.
This also indicates that in the case of one who is unable to get married, it is prescribed for him to focus on fasting, because it weakens desire and reduces the influence of the Shaytaan, so it is one of the means of attaining chastity and lowering the gaze.
Majmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn Baaz(3/329)
The words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), “whoever among you can afford it, let him get married” also indicate that what is prescribed for the one who is able to afford the costs and responsibilities of marriage is to hasten to get married.
The scholars of the Standing Committee said: Hastening to get married, for a younger man, is the Sunnah for whoever can afford the expenses of marriage and fulfil the duties of marriage.”
End quote fromFataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah(18/6)
See also the answer to question no. 9262.
With regard to the second hadeeth, it refers to a specific case, and the issue is that of a poor person who wanted to get married and keep himself chaste, so the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) married him to that woman who came to offer herself in marriage to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). This indicates that poverty in and of itself is not an impediment to marriage if the husband is religiously committed and believes sincerely in his Lord, and the woman is likewise. Moreover, Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Salihoon (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allah will enrich them out of His Bounty. And Allah is All-Sufficent for His creatures needs, All-Knowing (about the state of the people)” [an-Noor 24:32]. If a person sincerely puts his trust in Allah, wants to keep himself chaste, and seeks that which is with Allah of bounty, there is the hope that Allah will help such a person and grant him provision from His bounty, as at-Tirmidhi (1655) narrated, in a report which he classed as hasan, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There are three whom Allah is bound to help: the mujaahid who strives (in jihad) for the sake of Allah, the mukaatib (a slave who has made a contract of manumission with his master) who wants to pay off his manumission, and a man who gets married, seeking to remain chaste.”. It was classed as hasan by al-Albaani inSaheeh at-Tirmidhi.
Imam al-Bukhaari (may Allah have mercy on him) included this hadeeth in a chapter entitled: “Chapter on marriage of one who is in financial difficulty, because Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“If they be poor, Allah will enrich them out of His Bounty” [an-Noor 24:32]. Al-Haafiz (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The words ‘because Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):‘If they be poor, Allah will enrich them out of His Bounty’ [an-Noor 24:32]” explain the reason why al-Bukhaari put this as the title of this chapter; what is meant is that current poverty is not an impediment to marriage, because of the possibility of acquiring wealth in the future.
‘Ali ibn Abi Talhah said, quoting Ibn ‘Abbaas: Allah encouraged them to get married and enjoined that upon free men and slaves, and promised to make them independent of means, as He said:“If they be poor, Allah will enrich them out of His Bounty” [an-Noor 24:32].
And it was narrated that Ibn Mas‘ood said: “Seek independence of means through marriage.”
Tafseer Ibn Katheer(6/51)
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
In this verse, Allah – may He be glorified – enjoined marriage of single and righteous people among slave men and women, and He said – and He speaks the truth – that this is one of the means of attaining bounty for those who are poor, so that husbands and women’s guardians may be reassured that poverty should not be an impediment to marriage; rather marriage is one of the means of attaining provision and independence of means.
End quote fromFataawa Islamiyyah(3/213)
The fact that the one who is able to afford it is encouraged to get married does not mean that one who cannot afford it is not allowed to get married, especially if he fears hardship for himself.
The one who cannot afford it is instructed to fast so as to suppress his desire, but that does not mean that he is not allowed to seek to get married. Perhaps he will find someone who will help him to get married, or perhaps he will find someone who will accept him in his current situation because of his religious commitment and righteousness. These are individual cases that vary according to people’s situations and customs. As for the meaning of the hadeeth of Ibn Mas‘ood, it is a general teaching and advice to those who are not able to get married, instructing them to protect themselves by fasting. If anyone among them finds a means to get married, there is nothing wrong with that; in fact he is encouraged and urged to do so. Hence when he said “and whoever cannot afford it”, he did not say “let him not get married”; rather he said “[he] should fast”, lest he fall into sin. But if he is able to get married with some difficulty, there is undoubtedly nothing wrong with that. Rather fasting is given as an alternative when one is not able to get married; if one is able to get married, even with some difficulty, then that is preferable.
And Allah knows best.

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Commentary on Hadeeth, - Dought & clear, - * “The area between my house and my minbar is one of the gardens of Paradise”

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It was narrated from the noble Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that he said: “The area between my grave and my minbar is one of the gardens of Paradise.” Al-Mu‘jam al-Awsat by at-Tabaraani (vol. 2, p. 120). What is the meaning of this phrase? Is it, I wonder, that if a visitor merely sits in the Prophet’s mosque between his grave and the prayer hall or the minbar, he will enter one of the gardens of Paradise? Why is this garden limited to this short distance between the minbar and the grave only? In other words, why does this garden not include all of the Prophet’s Mosque? The entire mosque is regarded as noble and holy, in fact the entire city, is blessed because of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) migrating there, and because he settled and lived there. May Allah reward you with all good.
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
This hadeeth is one of the mutawaatir hadeeths that were narrated via many chains of narration, such as the report narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), who said: “The area between my house and my minbar is one of the gardens of Paradise.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1196) and Muslim (1391).
With regard to the phrase “The area between my grave and my minbar”, this is mentioned in the report of Ibn ‘Asaakir that is attributed to al-Bukhaari, or the version ofSaheeh al-Bukhaaritransmitted by Ibn ‘Asaakir, and some of the scholars – such as Imam an-Nawawi – continued to quote this version of the hadeeth. Rather, al-Bukhaari himself, when he narrated the hadeeth in the chapter entitledKitaab Fadl as-Salaah fi Masjid Makkah wa al-Madinah(The virtue of prayer in the mosques of Makkah and Madinah), with the wording “my house and my minbar”, included it under a section heading “Fadl ma bayna al-qabr wa’l-minbar(Virtue of the area between the grave and the minbar)”. Moreover this wording is mentioned in some other hadeeths.
However, the scholars classed the wording “my grave” as da‘eef (weak), for two reasons:
1. It is contrary to the report of the majority of narrators, hence it seems most likely that those who said “my grave” were narrating the meaning but not the wording.
2. If this wording were correct, the Sahaabah would have known where to bury the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and they would not have disputed concerning it, or at least some of them would have quoted this as evidence for choosing that spot. But we have no report to indicate that such a thing happened. This indicates that the word “my grave” is an error on the part of some of the narrators of the hadeeth.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
What is proven from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is that he said: “The area between my house and my minbar is one of the gardens of Paradise.” This is what is proven inas-Saheeh, but some of them narrated the meaning and said “my grave” (instead of “my house”).
When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said these words, he had not yet been buried. Therefore none of the Sahaabah quoted this as evidence when they disputed as to where he should be buried. If they had known that, then this would have served as proof to settle the dispute. End quote.
Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa(1/236)
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The chapter heading mentions the grave, but the two hadeeths mention the house, because the grave was dug inside the house; in versions of the hadeeth the word “grave” is mentioned. Al-Qurtubi said: The saheeh report mentions “my house”; in the case of those reports which mention “my grave”, it is as if what is being narrated is the meaning, because he was buried in the house where he had dwelt. End quote.
Fath al-Baari(3/70)
He also (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The words “The area between my house and my minbar” appear as such in the majority of reports. In the report of Ibn ‘Asaakir alone it says “my grave” instead of “my house”, which is an error. This hadeeth appears earlier inKitaab as-Salaah, just before (the chapter on) funerals with this isnaad, saying “my house.” It also appears thus inMusnad Musaddad, the book of the shaykh of al-Bukhaari.
Yes, in the hadeeth of Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqaas that is narrated in (the book of) al-Bazzaar, with an isnaad whose men are thiqaat (trustworthy), and it narrated by at-Tabaraani from the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar, it mentions the grave. Based on that, what is meant by the house in the phrase “my house” is one of his houses, not all of them, meaning the house of ‘Aa’ishah in which his grave is. The hadeeth was also narrated in the words “The area between the minbar and the house of ‘Aa’ishah is one of the gardens of Paradise.” Narrated by at-Tabaraani inal-Awsat. End quote.
Fath al-Baari(4/100)
Secondly:
With regard to the meaning of this hadeeth, the scholars noted three points:
1. This place is likened to one of the gardens of Paradise in that the one who sits there attains tranquillity and peace.
2. Worship in this place is a means of attaining admittance to Paradise. This view was favoured by Ibn Hazm inal-Muhalla(7/284). It was narrated by Ibn Taymiyah from Imam Ahmad that he preferred to pray in the Rawdah.
3. The area between the minbar and the house of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) will itself be one of the gardens of Paradise in the Hereafter.
Al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The words “one of the gardens of Paradise” may be understood in two ways:
1. That worshipping there will be rewarded with Paradise, and that du‘aa’ (supplication) and prayer in this place deserve that reward, as it is also said that Paradise lies in the shade of the swords.
2. That Allah will move that spot and it will actually be part of Paradise. This was the view of ad-Dawoodi. End quote.
Ash-Shifa(2/92)
Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Some said that what is meant is that this spot will be taken up on the Day of Resurrection and will become a garden in Paradise.
Others said that this is by way of a metaphor. It is as if they mean that when he (the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) sat there and the people sat with him to learn the Qur’an and matters of faith and religion, that spot became like a garden, because of the noble harvest of knowledge that they attained there, and it was connected to Paradise because these things lead to Paradise. That is similar to what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Paradise lies in the shade of the swords” meaning that it (jihad) is an action that leads to Paradise. And it is similar to the idea that the mother is one of the gates of Paradise, meaning that honouring her will lead the Muslim to Paradise if he fulfils the obligatory duties. This is possible and is in accordance with Arabic usage. And Allah knows best what he meant by that. End quote.
At-Tamheed(2/287)
Imam an-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
They mentioned two views as to its meaning:
1. That that place itself will be moved to Paradise
2. That worship in that place leads to Paradise.
At-Tabari said: With regard to what is meant by “my house” here, there are two views: one view is that it refers to the grave, which was the view of Zayd ibn Aslam, as was narrated in a version that explained what was meant by “my house”, “between my grave and my minbar”; the second view is that what is meant is the house in which he dwelt, as is the apparent meaning.
Another version says “between my chamber and my minbar”.
At-Tabari said: The two views are close in meaning, because his grave in his apartment, which is his house. End quote.
Sharh Muslim(9/161-162)
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The words “one of the gardens of Paradise” mean: it is like one of the gardens of Paradise with regard to the descent of mercy and attainment of tranquillity that results from attending gatherings of dhikr, especially at the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). So it is likening it to a garden of Paradise.
Or it may mean that worship in that place leads to Paradise, so it is a metaphor.
Or it may be taken as it appears to mean, and that what is meant is that it is indeed a garden in a real sense, and that that place will itself be moved in the Hereafter to Paradise.
This is a summary of the ways in which the scholars interpreted this hadeeth, and they are given in order of strength. End quote.
Fath al-Baari(4/100)
To sum up:
That place has an evident virtue, which dictates that the Muslim should be keen to sit in that place and pray there. However what matters more is to fear Allah, may He be exalted, for that is the means of entering Paradise, not merely sitting in the Rawdah or any other place.
As it is a matter of worship, we cannot explain the reason why this place has been singled out and not others. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, singles out whatever He will of times, places and individuals for particular virtues, and there is great divine wisdom in that, of which we may be unaware.
And Allah knows best.

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