Sahih Muslim (Volume 2). Imam Abul-Husain Muslim
What he meant by describing them as gentle and soft-hearted is that they are amenable, quick to respond to reminders, free of the hardness and cruelty which mark the hearts of others mentioned in some versions of the hadith.
The Prophet mentions that cruelty is to be found among camel breeders. In fact, he does not name them as such, but mentions a quality that applies specifically to them, which is their loud voices as they drive animals. They are normally at the back shouting and crying as loud as they can. Abu [Ubaydah Ma[mar ibn al-Muthanna says that the Prophet’s words mean those who own large numbers of camels, between 200 and 1,000. The Prophet’s description further adds: ‘at the end of camel tails, where Satan’s two horns rise, in Rabi[ah and Mudar’. The Prophet mentions the place ‘at the end of camel tails’ to indicate what happens there of terrible shouting as camel attendants drive their herds. The reference to Satan’s two horns means the two sides of his head. However, scholars say that the expression refers to Satan’s troops that try to lead people astray, or to two major communities of unbelievers who support him. The hadith means that the east is particularly prone to Satan’s seduction and, as such, there is more disbelief there. The Prophet says in another hadith: ‘The head of disbelief is towards the east’. This was the case during the Prophet’s lifetime and it will be the case when the false Messiah comes from the east. In between these two times, great episodes of strife will start there, and from there great forces of unbelievers will launch attacks.
The Prophet refers to pride and arrogance. Pride is manifested by extolling one’s own qualities and the qualities of one’s ancestors to show that one is higher than other people. Arrogance manifests itself by conceit and disdain of other people. The Prophet mentions that ‘serenity is among sheep breeders’. Serenity refers to a calm approach and being reassured, it is the opposite of what those who tend camel herds are like.
This is the last thing mentioned by Shaykh Abu [Amr ibn al-Salah and it is perfectly illustrative. There is no need to add more, but God knows best.
Transmission
The chain of transmission of the first of these hadiths includes Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah, Abu Usamah, Ibn Numayr and his father, Abu Kurayb, Ibn Idris, Isma[il ibn Abi Khalid and Qays. All these were from Kufah. It also includes Yahya ibn Habib and Mu[tamir, who were both from Basrah. It has been mentioned that Ibn Abi Shaybah is called [Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Abi Shaybah; Abu Usamah is Hammad ibn Usamah; Ibn Numayr is Muhammad ibn [Abdullah ibn Numayr; Abu Kurayb is Muhammad ibn al-[Ala’; Ibn Idris is [Abdullah and Abu Khalid is Hurmuz, or Sa[d, or Kathir; while Abu Mas[ud is [Uqbah ibn [Amr al-Ansari.
In another chain of transmission we have al-Darimi, and I have already mentioned in the Introduction that he is named after one of his tribe’s ancestors, Darim. It also includes Abu al-Yaman, whose name is al-Hakam ibn Nafi[, followed by Abu Mu[awiyah Muhammad ibn Khazim; al-A[mash Sulayman ibn Mahran; Abu Isma[il Dhakwan; Ibn Jurayj [Abd al-Malik ibn [Abd al-[Aziz ibn Jurayj; and Abu al-Zubayr Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Tadrus.
All this information is well-known and already mentioned, but I am repeating it here for clarity, particularly to a reader who is not well versed in Hadith study. Such a reader may happen to look at this chapter and want to know the names of some of these reporters so as to look into their biographies and learn about their scholarly standing, or for some other reason. Therefore, I have made it easier for such a reader and provide a short cut, but God knows best what the right approach is.
i.Abu [Ubayd’s name is al-Qasim ibn Sallam, a highly eminent scholar of fiqh and Hadith (157–224 AH, 774–838 CE).
CHAPTER 23
NONE OTHER THAN BELIEVERS ENTER HEAVEN; TO LOVE BELIEVERS IS PART OF FAITH; SPREADING THE GREETING OF PEACE IS A CAUSE OF SUCH LOVE
[97–93]. (Dar al-Salam 0096) Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah nar-rated:i Abu Mu[awiyah and Waki[ narrated; from al-A[mash; from Abu Isma[il; from Abu Hurayrah: ‘God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “You shall not be admitted into Heaven unless you [truly] believe; and you will not believe unless you love one another. Shall I point out to you something which, if you do it, will generate love between you? Spread the greeting of peace widely among you”.’
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، وَوَكِيعٌ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لاَ تَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى تُؤْمِنُوا، وَلاَ تُؤْمِنُوا حَتَّى تَحَابُّوا. أَوَلاَ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَى شَىْءٍ إِذَا فَعَلْتُمُوهُ تَحَابَبْتُمْ؟ أَفْشُوا السَّلاَمَ بَيْنَكُمْ».
[98–94]. (Dar al-Salam 0097) Zuhayr ibn Harb narrated to me: Jarir narrated; from al-A[mash with the rest of the same chain of transmission: ‘God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “By Him who holds my soul in His hand, you shall not be admitted into Heaven unless you [truly] believe …” reporting the same hadith narrated by Mu[awiyah and Waki[.’4
وَحَدَّثَنِي زُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، أَنْبَأَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لاَ تَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى تُؤْمِنُوا»، بِمِثْلِ حَدِيثِ أَبِي مُعَاوِيَةَ وَوَكِيعٍ.
Text Explanation
4. The Prophet makes clear that mutual love among believers is essential for true belief. This means that belief is not complete and cannot attain to perfection without love being the main characteristic of the Muslim community. The Prophet tells us: ‘You shall not be admitted into Heaven unless you truly believe’. This should be taken as meaning exactly what it says. None shall be admitted into Heaven except the one who is a believer at the time of death. Yet a person who may not fully be a believer may be admitted into Heaven, provided he or she has the essence of faith at heart. This is what appears to be meant in this hadith. Shaykh Abu [Amr said: ‘Your faith is not complete unless you love one another, and you shall not enter Heaven when its people enter if you are not thus’. What he said is possible, but God knows best.
The Prophet emphatically urges Muslims to spread the greeting of peace, assalam [alaykum, among them, greeting everyone whether one knows them or not, as mentioned in another hadith. The greeting of peace is the key to the generation of love and friendship, and when it is spread within the community it strengthens their mutual friendship, as they raise their slogan that distinguishes them from all other communities. Furthermore, this greeting provides self-training, as it requires them to show humility in their dealings with others; but at the same time, they continue to respect the sanctities of Islam and Muslims. In his Sahih, al-Bukhari relates a hadith attributed to [Ammar ibn Yasir: ‘Whoever combines three qualities has complete faith: to be fair against oneself, to offer the greeting of peace to all, and give in charity even when one’s means are tight’. Other Hadith scholars relate this statement attributing it directly to the Prophet. It should be clear that ‘offering the greeting of peace to all’, ‘to those one knows and those one does not know’, and ‘spreading the greeting of peace’ all mean the same. Moreover, it implies putting an end to social estrangement, boycott, strained relations and hatred, which is something the Prophet described as erasing everything, including faith. When someone spreads the greeting of peace, he does so for God’s sake. He does not limit it to his friends, relatives and people he favours, but