The Strong Muslim
In the Name of
Allaah, the Most Merciful, may His Salaah and Salaam Be upon His
Messenger Muhammad, to proceed:
On the authority of Aboo Hurayrah (radhiyallaahu 'anhu), the
Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:
" The strong believer is better and more
beloved to Allaah than the weak believer, while there is good in
both. Guard over that which benefits you, seek Allaah's
assistance,
wa laa t'ajiz (don't lend yourself to things devoid of benefit,
and this could carry many meanings), and if something befalls you,
then don't say 'If only I would have done such and such,' rather
say,, 'Qaddarallaahu wa ma shaa' fa'al' (Allaah ordained (this) and
He does what He wills), for verily the phrase 'If I would have'
makes way for the work of Shaytaan."
The takhreej of the Hadeeth (where it can be found):
As-Syootee gathered it in Al-Jaami'us-Sagheer, and Al-Albaanee
numbered it #6650 and called it 'hasan'. He traced it to Saheeh
Muslim, Ibn Maajah, and Ahmad. He brought it in his summarized
Muslim #1840 but doesn't mention why it is hasan, but he mentions
in his takhreej of As-Sunnah of Ibn Abee 'Aasim that As-Suyootee
found a problem with Rabee'ah bin 'Uthmaan (one of the
narrators).
What are the characteristics of the
"strong believer"?
Imaam An-Nawawee (may Allaah have mercy on him): "The intended
meaning of strength here is a firm will and a desire to work for
the Hereafter. So the one being described as a strong believer is
more bold and stern against the enemy in Jihaad, quicker to go out
(to fight) and searching for it (Jihaad), more firm in the way he
enjoins the good and forbids the evil, (more firm) in his patience
with the harm he faces throughout all of that, and stronger in the
way he carries out difficult tasks for Allaah's Sake. He loves to
pray, to fast, make thikr, and perform the rest of the acts of
worship, and he is more active in seeking after these affairs, and
he keeps a closer watch over his performance of them." [Sharh
Muslim v.9, p.341, Daar Al-Ma'rifah printing].
Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih Al-'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have merci on
him): The strong believer is regarding his emaan (Faith), as the
intended meaning is not physical strength. This is because physical
strength is harmful to a person who uses it to disobey Allaah. So
physical strength is neither praiseworthy nor blameworthy in
itself. If he uses this strength for what benefits him in this life
and the Next, then it is praiseworthy. But if he uses it to disobey
Allaah, it becomes blameworthy.
So the meaning of strength in his statement (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam), 'The strong believer...' is strength in eemaan, since
the word 'strong' refers to the word 'believer', someone who has
eemaan.
Similarly, one who would say 'a strong man' if he was refering to
his manhood and masculinity. Along the same line, the strong
believer is strong in his eemaan, because the strong believer has
the strength to carry out what Allaah ordered him to do, and to
increase upon that by doing extra good deeds however Allaah likes.
As for the weak believer, his eemaan is weak, and that hinders him
from performing his duties and avoiding what is prohibited, so he
is always falling short." [Sharh Riyaadhis-Saaliheen, v.3,
p.91-2]
Shaykh Saleem Al-Hilaalee (may Allaah preserve him):
"Strong (as found in this hadeeth refers to) strength in his Deen,
body, soul, and intellect, that which helps him carry out (the
deeds in) his Deen, call to it, and defend it."
[Bahjatun-Naathireen v.1, p. 182]
"Verily (the believer's) strength and weakness is found in how
much he pushes himself, keeps himself firm on obedience, and how
much he works to benefit the people and to keep evil away from
them." [Bahjatun-Nathireen v.1, p.183]
To summarize :
If one looks at the text of the hadeeth itself, he will find
something very interesting. Notice that the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wasallam) started by saying, "The strong believer is better
and more beloved to Allaah than the weak believer, while there is
good in both..." and then it may seem like the subject of the
hadeeth shifts to something else.
Rather, this hadeeth is an encouragement to be a strong believer
from the begining to the end! Yes, after informing us about the
superiority of the strong believer, the Prophet (sallallaahu
'alayhe wasallam) detailed some ways to become a strong believer,
giving us four pieces of advice, all of them related to
eemaan:
1. Guard over what benefits you.
2. Seek Allaah's assistance.
3. Don't lend yourself to things devoid of benefit.
4. Say "Qaddarllaahu wa ma shaa' fa'al" through calamities.
Don't you see? All these things are matters that will increase you
in eemaan, thus making you a stronger believer. So the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) was not wandering into another
topic here, rather he was giving us advice on how to become a
strong believer.
So I say that the first source of Sharh (explanation) of this
hadeeth, the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) himself
already answered these natural questions that arise :"What is a
strong believer?" and hadeeth! The strong believer is the one who
guards over that which benefits him, seeks Allaah's Aid, doesn't
lend himself to affairs devoid of benefit, and understands firmly
that what happens is from Allaah's Qadr (Divine Will), saying
"Qaddarallaahu wa ma shaa' fa'al."
So the statements of the scholars that I mentioned here, upon
inspection, all agree to this. As for Shaykh Saleem's reference to
physical strength, it is clear to me that he was referring to its
use in obedience to Allaah, and therefore there is no contradiction
between this explanation and that of Shaykh Muhammad Saalih
Al-'Uthaymeen.
While physical strength may not be found in a strong believer, the
strong believer is more likely to be fit and in shape. This is
because he understands the importance of Jihaad and staying in
shape, from his overeating and laziness. So physical strength is
often a result of strength in eemaan.
Conversely, a person could be a top-notch bodybuilder and a superb
athlete, but he can't even wake up for Fajr, and Allaah is the One
whose Help is sought.. So clearly his strength is not making him
better nor more beloved to Allaah, so how could he be considered a
strong believer?!
And Allaah knows best.
Moosaa Richardson
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