Foreword & Preface

All praises to the Sustainer of the worlds, and grace, honour and salutations on the Chief of Apostles and Seal of Prophets, Muhammad, his family, companions and those who followed him in an excellent fashion and invited mankind towards Allah, till the Day of Resurrection. This is a reality which can be stated without any ambiguity and exaggeration, that in the Islamic world of today the most powerfull, useful and all-encompassing effort, is the struggle of the TablTghi Jamaat whose center is situated at the TablTghi Markaz Nizamuddin, Dehli (India)(I).

The scope of this effort and its impact is not restricted to the Indian subcontinent, or Asia, but extends to many continents and to a host of Islamic and Non-Islamic states. The history of such campaigns and revolutionary or reformative movements shows that, after passage of a period of time, or when the scope of the effort enlarges greatly (specially when, by means of it, the attainment of certain advantages and leadership becomes apparent) then such weaknesses, unwanted objectives and neglect of the original goals set in, which reduce or even totally wipe out the true influence of the work.

f!) In this assertion and testimony, there is no negation of the importance of all those useful efforts and movements which cater to the reality and needs of the present times, and which also create the ability to counter the prevailing trials and tribulations. Here, the objective is only to acknowledge and highlight the effectiveness and vastness of the efforts being made from the TablTghi Da'wat and its Movement, in a positive manner.

However,the Tablighi effort (as far as the knowledge and observations of the writer go) has, to a large extent been saved from these tribulations up to now. It is quite evident that the nature of this movement is based on giving others priority over oneself (despite one's dire needs), a passion for sacrifice, a quest for the pleasure of Allah, a desire for reaping rewards in the Hereaiter, respect and honour of Islam and Muslims, humility and submissiveness to Allah, the proper fulfillment of religious obligations, with a desire for further advancement, a preoccupation with the remembrance of Allah, refraining as far as humanly possible from unprofitable and unnecessary preoccupations and undertaking protracted journeys, while enduring all sorts of hardships for the pleasure of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala have become a regular practice.

movement from becoming a political, material organization, geared for obtaining material benefits, fame and authority, and it has remained a purely religious movement aimt.'r) at attaining the pleasure of Allah. These principles and elements, which have been considered essential for this movement, have been derived from the Qura'n and Sunnah.

They serve as its guardians to obtain the pleasure of Allah and protect Deen (religion) and their sources are the Qura'n and Prophetic practices and traditions. There was thus a need that all the relevant Qura'nic verses and anadlth (Prophetic practices and sayings) be compiled in a book.

Praise be to Allah, that the second preacher of this movement of inviting towards righteousness, Sheikh Muhamvnad Yusuf (son of the first preacher, Sheikh Ilyas Rahimatvillahu 'alaihi) who had a very profound and comprehensive knowledge of books of Ahadlth, has collected all the relevant principles, rules and precautions from their original sources in the form of a book. He has been so comprehensive and extensive that this book is not merely a compilation of these principles rules and instructions, but perhaps an encyclopedia, in which without being selective or brief, all of these have been mentioned with their relative importance.

It is perhaps the will of Providence that the writer's fortunkte and worthy grandson Sheikh Sa'ad, (May Allah prolong his life and bless him with further works of this nature), has assumed the responsibility of publishing this book for general benefit. May Allah Ta'ala grant acceptance to this effort and service, and make it most beneficial. And this is not hard for Allah.

In the context of the above verse, Sheikh Sayyad Sulaiman It has been substantiated by the Qur'an and AhadTthe- Sahiha (confirmed traditions) that the Ummah (followers) of the Last of the Prophets, ﷺ, was Divinely deputed for the guidance of all peoples (nations) of the world. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says:... (O Muslims) You are the best of the peoples, you have been sent towards mankind, to enjoin good and forbid evil.

Ale -Imran 3:1 This verse clearly implies that the Muslim Ummah is the deputy to the Prophet, in his ordained obligations of inviting towards righteousness, enjoining good, and forbidding evil. Hence, the obligations entrusted to Rasulullah Sallallahu Therefore, Rasulullah ﷺ taught his Ummah to spend their life and wealth in inviting towards Allah, learning and teaching Divine knowledge, Remembering and Worshipping Allah.

The Sahdbah gave preference to the above deeds over all worldly preoccupations. They were trained to practice these A'mdl (actions) under all circumstances with complete dedication, patience, and forbearance withstanding all forms of difficulties and hardships.

And they were taught to benefit others by sacrificing physically and materially. In compliance with the command:... And strive hard in Allah's cause, as you ought to strive Al-Hajj 22: The Sahdbah strove in the manner of prophets with piety, austerity, discipline, self-sacrifice, and giving preference to others.

Thus, an environment was created in which emerged models of excellence, who became the elite of the Ummah. The era in which the deeds of Rasulullah ﷺ were collectively practiced by the Ummah was declared to be the Khair-ul-Qurun (the best of all the times, or the best period of the Ummah).

Then in successive periods, the religious elite of the Ummah spent their full effort and energy in fulfilling these Prophetic obligations. The luminance of these self-sacrificing efforts is still illuminating the world of Islam. In these times, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala placed in the heart of Sheikh Muhammad Ilyas Rahmatullahi 'alaihi a restlessness and anxiety over the erosion in Islam and a burning desire to correct this state of Ummah.

In the view of the religious elite of his times he was unique in this respect. He used to remain restless and concerned for the revival of all what was revealed to Rasulullah ﷺ by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala in the whole world.

He advocated, with resolute determination, that any effort -for the revival of Deen can only be effective and acceptable when it's done in the manner of Rasulullah ﷺ. Therefore, such Da 7 (one who invites towards Islam) need to be developed, whose desires should be consistent in knowledge, action, thought, perception, passion, compassion, and the manner of invitation to Islam - with the aspirations of prophets, particularly Muhammad ﷺ.

Not only should they possess a strong Iman and virtuous deeds, but their inner inspirations should be like those of prophets. They should cherish a fervent love of Allah and His fear, and a state of intimacy with Him. In character and habits, they should adhere to the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. Their love or hatred should be for the sake of Allah.

The motivating factor behind their inviting to Islam should be a deep compassion and mercy for Muslims, and kindness for all the creation of Allah. The oft-repeated Divine principle for prophets,"Our reward is solely with Allah,"should be their hallmark.

They should have no other objective except the pleasure of Allah. They should have such a passionate desire for the revival of Deen in the world that it keeps driving them, away of their routines, in the path of Allah; while their lives and wealth becoming mere instruments in attaining this objective.

There should be no notion of personal authority, status, wealth, property, honour and fame; not even a desire for personal rest and comfort. Whether sitting, standing, speaking, or walking; every act or move should be geared in this direction.

To revive the ways of Rasulullah ﷺ in this effort and bring all facets of life according to the commandments of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ, and to equip those struggling in this path with the above, mentioned qualities the Six Points (of Tabllgh) were prescribed. All the contemporary scholars and religious elite supported and commended these six Sheikh Yusuf Rahmatullahi 'alaihi, son of Sheikh Ilyas Rahmatullahi 'alaihi, dedicated his whole life striving relentlessly with a directed zeal to promote the work in this direction and raise a group of workers equipped with these qualities.

These qualities have been derived from reputable books of Ahadith, biography, and history, he compiled a threevolume book, Haydt-uS'Sahdbah (The Lives of the companions of the Prophet), which gives a representative glimpse of the life of Rasulullah ﷺ and his companions. By the grace of Allah, this book was published during his lifetime. The Sheikh had compiled another book of hadlth, Muntakhab Ahadith, in respect of these six qualities (six points).

However, prior to the final compilation of this book, he left for his Sheikh Muhammad Yusuf Rahmatullahi 'alaihi, spoke to numerous close friends and colleagues about this collection of ahddTth. He used to thank Allah, in gratitude and was well pleased with this collection. Allah alone knows what aspirations were in his heart and how he wanted to present the collection, to make it illuminating and effective.

This is how it was destined by Allah. By the grace of Allah, the Urdu rendering of Muntakhab Ahadith has already been presented (Jamadiul-Auwal 1421 or September 2000).

Now this collection of ahddith with its English translation is being presented. In translating this book, it has been tried that the language remains simple and easy to grasp. For the clarification of the meanings of certain ahddTth, some sentences have been added in brackets.

Besides this, some explanatory notes have also been added. Since, the Sheikh could not review the draft of the book, considerable effort had to be made to, correct the text of ah adit h, and to make a critical analysis of the transmitters, and to classify the ahadlth as Sahlh, Hasan, or DhaTf (technical terms used in the classification of hadith) and an explanation of the difficult words of hadith.

All the sources consulted have been referred to at the end of the book. All precautions were taken in accomplishing this task and a group of scholars have substantially shared the burden.

May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala bless all those associated with this venture with an excellent recompense. However, human error is always there. It is an earnest request to the scholars of Deen that they may kindly inform us of any amendments that may be needed.

This collection was compiled by Sheikh Yusuf Rahmatullahi 'alaihi for a specific objective, the importance of which has been adequately explained by Sheikh Sayyad Abul Hasan AH Nadvi Rahmatullahi 'alaihi. It is, therefore, important to save this collection from any amendments or brevity. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala appointed Prophets 'Alaihimus Salam to disseminate His word and knowledge for the eternal success of mankind.

To benefit fully from these branches of sublime knowledge, it is essential that fervent belief be built according to the knowledge. While reading or listening to the words of Allah or Rasulullah ﷺ, one should consider oneself completely ignorant.

That is, belief in human experiences and research should be replaced by the belief in the unseen, and the heart should affirm every word, read or heard as the truth. should think that Rasulullah ﷺ is directly addressing him. While reading or listening, the effect of the words will be proportionate to the greatness and respect that one has for the addressee and how attentive one is.

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says (at another place):... (O Muhammad) announce the good news to my slaves. Those who listen to the Word and follow the best thereof (i.e. worship Allah alone and repent to Him and avoid Taghut etc), those are (the one) whom Allah has guided and those are the men of understanding.

It is reported in Bukhari 'alaihi wasallam said: When Allah decrees a matter in heaven, the angels strike their wings in fear and submission to His word. The decree of their Rabb sounds to them like (the chiming of) a chain on a smooth rock. When their hearts are relieved from fear, they ask one another what did your Rabb say? They reply that whatever He said is the Truth, and He is the Most High and the Greatest.

(Bukhari) In another narration from Bukhari Therefore, it will be proper to read a hadith three times. One should be engaged in this knowledge with discipline; suppressing ones personal desires. Practice to read and hear attentively, lovingly and respectfully. Conversations in between should be avoided.

An attempt should be made to sit with wudu-, in the position of tashahhud, without reclining. The objective is that the Qur'an and words of hadith affect the heart. Such a fervent belief be built on the promises of Allah and His Prophet that it creates an earnest longing for Deen - the force which makes us perform every action according to the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ, and to consult the scholars of Deen, for a systematic guidance in performing our deeds (actions) correctly.

I begin this book with an excerpt from the Preface of the book, Yusuf Rahmatullahi 'alaih. This book is a commentary on Imam Tahawi Rahmatullahi 'alaih's famous book of hadith Ma"anil Athdr on the life and sayings of Rasulullah ﷺ and his companions.

New Delhi, India

by Sheikh Mohammad Yousuf Rahmatullahi 'Alaihi All praises be to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, Who created man, so He may lavishly spend (on man) His bounties that do not exhaust with passage of time, which are from such treasures that never deplete by spending and that are beyond human comprehension. In human beings, Allah has hidden such jewels of inherent capabilities that, if found and applied, will entitle him to benefit from the treasures of Ar-Rahman (the Most Beneficent).

And by means of which he can attain such success as to dwell eternally in Paradise. Allah's salutations be upon Muhammad Sallallahu *alaihi wasallam, the Chief of all Prophets and Apostles, the one bestowed with the distinction of interceding for the sinful, and the one sent as a mercy and blessing to mankind.

Allah had chosen him, before the creation of the Pen and the Preserved Tablet, to lead all Prophets and Apostles. And selected him for conveying His message to mankind. He was selected to describe His bounties and boundless treasures that were Allah endowed him with those branches of knowledge, relating to His Magnificent Self, which were never unfolded to mankind.

Allah revealed to him such of His glorious and illustrious attributes, which none knew before; neither a close angel nor an Apostle. His (The Prophet's) chest was opened and he was empowered with the capability to comprehend all Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala taught Rasulullah ﷺ the means of correcting the deeds of human beings, which are continually stemming from them with every passing moment.

The correction of deeds forms the cornerstone of success in this world and the Hereafter, just as improper deeds result in deprivation and failure in both the May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala be pleased with the Sahabah Radiyallahu 'anhum. They acquired the knowledge - knowledge, which is more numerous than the leaves of trees and the drops of rain- that continually stemmed from Nabi ﷺ.

Then they committed it to their memory, and preserved it in the most befitting manner. They accompanied the Prophet on journey and at home, and participated in all his pre-occupations: Da'wah (preaching), Jihad (striving in the cause), 'lbadah (worship), and social affairs.

Then they learned to practice these deeds according to the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ in his presence. Blessed are the Sahabah, who acquired knowledge and its application directly from Rasulullah Sallallahu"alaihi wasallam, without any intermediaries.

Furthermore, they did not restrict these branches of knowledge to themselves; rather they conveyed this knowledge and wisdom, which was preserved in their hearts and the deeds that they performed, to others. Thus, illuminating the universe with Divine knowledge and spiritual prophetic deeds. As a result of their endeavours, the whole world became a cradle of learning and scholarship. Men became fountains of light and guidance; and their lives became firmly grounded on worship and Khildfat.