Textual Studies of the Hadith - National Open University of Nigeria

ISL222 TEXTUAL STUDIES OF THE HADITH
Commentary
This hadith cautions us from attaching most importance to this world.
We are to see ourselves as strangers or travelers. As a stranger, one
knows that he will leave the strange land one day and so must be
preparing for it. Also, a traveler does not know when the bus that will
convey him to his destination will arrive, so he must be making
necessary preparations. However, if he fails to prepare and the bus
caught him unaware he will arrive his destination with bare-hands.
Since nobody knows tomorrow or what may happen in the next minute,
our motto should rather reads “be prepared’’. When the morning
comes we should have the belief that we may not witness the evening
and vice-verse.
If we can make use of this hadith we would see that we will be making
adequate preparations everyday and when our deaths finally come we
would have the cause to glorify Allah.
Lessons
The following lessons are derivable from the discussion above:
1. This world is ephemeral.
2. Remember death and prepare for it always.
3. Liking yourself to a stranger or traveler who will leave the place
at any unannounced time.
SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 4
Translate hadith 40 into English and enumerate its lessons.
4.0 CONCLUSION
The benevolence of God becomes manifest in His manner of rewarding
mankind for his actions. His benevolence also becomes obvious when
He elevates mankind to the status of His friends. But becoming Allah’s
friend is with a condition that mankind abides by His instructions. It is
for these that Allah assured the Prophet that He had overlooked the
mistakes of Muslim Ummah particularly for Prophet’s sake. To this
extent, Muslims have been told to always remember their final abode by
living as if they would not see the next day.
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