3. THE BEST PERSON AMONG YOU (خَيْرُكُمْ)

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3. THE BEST PERSON AMONG YOU )‫( َخ ْي ُر ُك ْم‬ There are many statements of the Prophet in answering questions of his followers depending on the occasions and situations, on its necessity, on unknown to the questioners and leaving those known to them. When he was asked, “What is the best deed?” He answered, “Belief in Allah and His Messenger, then the Jihād in the Path of Allah, then the accepted pilgrimage.” Here the Prophet did not mention ṣalāt (the prayer) and ṣiyām (fasting) in the month of Ramaḍān, as both had been known to them as being among the best deed.

When the Prophet said, “The best person among you is the one who treats his family members best” it does not mean “absolutely the best” with the exception of others. Therefore, “the best” means “among the best.” The expression ‫فالن أع َقل‬ ‫“ ال َّناس‬So-and-so is the most intelligent among people” means ‫“ مِن أَع َقلهم‬is one of the most intelligent among them.”

Having this in mind the Prophet mentions about the best person as follows: ،‫ذين َيلُو َن ُه ْم‬ َ َّ‫ ُث َّم ال‬، ‫ ث َّم الَّذين َيلُو َن ُه ْم‬، ‫إن َخي َْر ُك ْم َقرْ نِى‬ )‫ذين َيلُو َن ُه ْم (رواه البخاري‬ َ َّ‫ُث َّم ال‬ The best among you are those who live in my generation, then which follows it, then which follows it, then which follows it (Reported by Bukhārī) It means that the best people among his ummah are in his generation who believe in him. They are the contemporary of the Prophet who accompanied him and believed in him until their death, and are called the ṣaḥābah.

In another version )‫“ خير الناس قرني (رواه البخاري‬The best people are those who live in my generation” (Reported by Bukhari), but it does not mean that the ṣaḥābah are better than prophets before them, as in another version the Prophet said: )‫“ خير أمتي قرني (رواه اليخاري ومسلم‬The best among my people

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are those who live in my generation” (Reported by Bukhārī and Muslim). Therefore, the companions of the Prophet are better than those of Prophet ‘Isa (Jesus) and of other prophets.

Although Muslim scholars do not specify the limit of the period they say that this period is extended until the death of the last ṣaḥābah, who treats his family members best. ‫” ث َّم الَّذين َيلُو َن ُه ْم‬then those who follow them” are Muslims at the generation of the tābi‘īn who follows the generation of the ṣaḥābah. They saw the ṣaḥābah, but they did not see the Prophet. ‫” ث َّم الَّذين َيلُو َن ُه ْم‬then those who follow them” are Muslims at the generation following that of the tābi‘īn . They are called tābi‘ī al-tābi‘īn. They saw the tābi‘īn, but they did not see the ṣaḥābah. These three generations: (1) of the Prophet and his companions, (2) of the tābi ‘īn and (3) of tābi‘ī al- tābi‘īn.

As ‘Imrān ibn al-Ḥuṣayn the narrator of the ḥadīth was not sure whether the Prophet had said ‫” ث َّم الَّذين َيلُو َن ُه ْم‬then those who follow them” twice or three times, if it were so, then there will be another generation after that of tābi‘ī al- tābi‘īn ending in about 220 AH. ‫ َقا َل َرسُول هللا صلى هللا‬:‫َعن ع ُْث َمان بن َع َّفان َرضِ ي هللا َعن ُه َقا َل‬ )‫اري‬ ِ ‫َعلَ ْي ِه َوسلم َخير ُك ْم من تعلم ْالقُرْ آن َوعلمه ( َر َواهُ الب َُخ‬ On the authority of ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān r.a. that the Prophet s.a.w. said “The best person among you is the one who learns the Qur’ān and teaches.

(Reported by Bukhari)1 - Al-Ṭībī: for a person who is involved in learning, the best thing to learn and to teach is the Qur’ān which is the words of Allah.

- Ibn Ḥajar: learning the Qur’ān is the most distinguished knowledge, so that the person who learns it and teaches it 1

A similar version was narrated by ‘Ali ibn Abī Ṭālib reported by alTirmidhī.

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to other people is better than the person who learns other than the Qur’ān and teaches it.

- Al-Munāwī: As the Qur’ān is the words of Allah, and therefore the best words, it follows that the person occupies himself with it becomes the best person after prophets. For this reason a person called Abū ‘Abd alRaḥmān al-Sulamī says that he has taught the Qur’ān since the caliphate of ‘Uthmān till al-Ḥajjāj became the governor of ‘Iraq, namely, between 38 and 72 years.

- Sahl ibn Sa‘d said that a woman gave herself to Allah and the Prophet, but as the Prophet did not need an extra wife, a man asked him to marry her. As a dowry he asked him to give her a dress, but he did not have it, then an iron ring, and still he did not have it. So, he asked him whether he had some Qur’ānic verses with him. When he said so, the Prophet said: “I marry you off to her with what you have in the Qur’ān (as her dowry).” Al-Bukhārī said that the man was asked to teach her from what he had learned from the Qur’ān as her dowry.2 َّ ‫ُون‬ َّ ‫َخ ْي ُر ُك ْم َمنْ أَ ْط َع َم‬ ‫الط َعا َم‬ َ ‫ِين ي ُْط ِعم‬ َ ‫الط َعا َم أَ ْو الَّذ‬ The best person among you is the one who feed people with food (Reported by Aḥmad) In another ḥadīth narrated by ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Umar that a man asked the Prophet what kind of (practice in) Islam is the 2

There are some disputes among Muslim scholars whether teaching the Qur’ān could be possible as a dowry for anybody else, or this case was special for the person mentioned above. Is it possible that memorizing some Qur’ānic verses to be a dowry, or they have to be taught to the bride-to-be? This was the apparent meaning of the Prophet’s statement ‫“( زوجتكها بما معك من القرآن‬I marry you off to her with what you have in the Qur’ān). This happened in Indonesia that the groom‘s memorizing some chapters of the Qur’ān is considered a dowry. A muṣḥaf (copy) of the Qur’ān given as a dowry was also common in Indonesia. But according to al-Bukhārī, the dowry is teaching her the Qur’ān, not just by memorizing it which is the view of Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal.

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best. The Prophet answered: َّ ‫ُت ْط ِع ُم‬ َ ‫ َو َت ْق َرأ ُ السَّال َم َعلَى َمنْ َع َر ْف‬، ‫الط َعا َم‬ ْ‫ت َو َمنْ لَ ْم َتعْ ِرف‬ (‫)رواه البخاري ومسلم‬ It is to feed with food, and to spread greeting to people whom you know and to people you do not know (Reported by Bukhārī and Muslim) Ibn Rajab says that the ḥadīth combines two good things, namely, feeding people and spreading greetings, as it combines the good thing through wording and action. This is the best deed in Islam after fulfilling Islamic obligations in order to elevate a Muslim to the level of doing good to people. Ṣuhayb r.a. used to feed people extensively, and ‘Umar a.s. asked him the reason for such extravagance. He said that it was because the Prophet had said that the best among Muslims were those who feed people and answered the greetings.

In a ḥadīth reported by Bukhārī and Muslim, that Allah forgave a man who was very thirsty. He went down a well to drink and came out of it. Then he saw a dog eating the soil and lolling out its tongue of thirst. He said that this dog must have been thirsty like himself. So, he filled his shoe with water, held it with his mouth, came out of the well, and gave the dog to drink it. So, Allah thanked him and forgave him. They asked: “O, Messenger of Allah, do we really have reward in treating animals well?” The Prophet answered: “For every tender heart there is reward.”

In another ḥadīth reported by Bukhārī and Muslim, that Allah forgave a prostitute among the children of Israel who saw a dog on a hot day walking around a well lolling his tongue out of thirst. So, she took of her shoe, filled it with water, and gave the dog to drink it, and because of this kindness Allah forgave her sin for committing adultery. )‫َخ ْي ُر ُك ْم َخ ْي ُر ُك ْم ألَهْ لِ ِه َوأَ َنا َخ ْي ُر ُك ْم ألَهْ لِى (رواه الترمذي وابن ماجة و الطبراني‬

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The best person among you is the one who treats his family members best (Reported by al-Tirmidhī, Ibn Mājah, and al-Ṭabrānī) In another ḥadīth on the authority of ‘Ā’ishah r.a. the Prophet said, “The best person among you is the one who treats his family members best, and I am the best person among you who treats his family members best. And if anyone among you dies leave him alone,” namely, do not mention his bad deed and behavior, and forgiving him will be among your best behavior. ‫َخ ْي ُر ُك ْم َمنْ يُرْ َجى َخ ْي ُرهُ َوي ُْؤ َمنُ َشرُّ هُ َو َشرُّ ُك ْم َمنْ َل يُرْ َجى‬ )‫َخ ْي ُرهُ َو َل ي ُْؤ َمنُ َشرُّ هُ (رواه أحمد والترمذي وابن حبان‬ The best person among you is the one whose good deeds are expected (by people), and people feel safe from his bad deeds. And the worst person among you is the one whose good deeds are not expected, and people are not safe from his bad deeds (Reported by Ahmad, al-Tirmidhī and Ibn Ḥibbān) In other words, among the best Muslims are those who contribute and give benefit to people, and do not cause harm or disadvantage to them. On the contrary, the worst of them are those who cause harm or disadvantage to people, and do not contribute any benefit to them. )‫َخ ْي ُر ُك ْم َمنْ َطا َل ُع ْم ُرهُ َو َح ُس َن َع َمل ُ ُه (رواه أحمد‬ The best person among you is the one lives long and and does good things (Reported by Ahmad) So long as a person is still able to do good things, his long life would be good. But if he is no longer able to do so, where he is no longer able to perform prayer, fasting, and think properly, then his long life would become a burden for himself and his community. The Prophet himself, after performing every prayer, asked Allah’s protection from cowardice, the

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most contemptible age, the temptation of the world and the punishment in the grave. (Reported by Bukhārī) َّ ‫صلَّى‬ ‫هللا ُ َع َل ْي ِه َو َسلَّ َم‬ ِ َّ ‫َعنْ أَ ِبي ه َُري َْر َة َقا َل َقا َل َرسُو ُل‬ َ ‫هللا‬ )‫َخ ْي ُر ُك ْم إِسْ َالما أَ َحاسِ ُن ُك ْم أَ ْخ َالقا إِ َذا َفقُهُوا (رواه أحمد‬ Abū Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah s.a.w. said: “The best person among you in practising Islam is the one who has the best character if they have understanding (of Islamic law) (Reported by Ahmad) In another version, instead of ‫“ َخ ْي ُر ُك ْم إِسْ َالما‬The best person among you in practising Islam” it is ‫اْلسْ َال ِم‬ ِ ْ ‫“ َخ ْي ُر ُك ْم فِي‬The best person among you in Islam” which have the same meaning. It means that the best person is the one who understands the injunctions and the prohibitions of Allah and follows the ways of the Qur’ān and the Sunnah of the Prophet. Good character would not be achieved without fiqh (Islamic law), and fiqh could not be obtained without good character. Whoever obtains one of them has to strive to obtain the other, so that he will obtain complete moral excellence.

In conclusion, when the Prophet said ‫“ َخ ْي ُر ُك ْم‬the best person among you” he did not mean it absolutely with the exclusion of others, but he meant “among the best persons among you.”

(CIVIC, 7 April, 2017) :‫المراجع‬ ‫المكتبة الشاملة‬ http://www.khaledalsabt.com/cnt/dros/2076 http://majles.alukah.net/t118519/ http://library.islamweb.net/newlibrary/display_book.php?ID=1 6&bk_no=49&idfrom=15&idto=15 http://www.saaid.net/Doat/assuhaim/316.htm http://www.alukah.net/library/0/88116/#ixzz4dI80sAQJ http://www.alukah.net/library/0/88116/#ixzz4dI1k8cem