They are among the treasures of mankind, not merely Muslims.’Gandhi in his foreword to ‘The Sayings of Muhammad,’ by Sir Abdullah Suhrawardy,John Murray Publishers Ltd, London, 1941.
Just The Basics
Islam: A peaceful religion of worship and submission to God.
Muslim: A person who believes in and practices Islam. There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world today from all races and backgrounds.
Allah: Arabic word for God. Allah is the God of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. He is the Creator of all human beings.
Prophet Muhammad : The Last Prophet sent by God to deliver His message to all of humanity. He was born over 1400 years ago in the city of Mecca.
Quran (or Koran): The sacred book of Islam. The Quran is the Speech of God that was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad and written down during his life.
Are We Sure That the Prophet Muhammad Said That? (Collection & Preservation)
Terminology
Hadith: Every report about the Prophet Muhammad is called a “hadith.” Sunna: the teachings and way of life of the Prophet Muhammad.
The teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (Sunna in Arabic) are contained in the books of ‘hadith.’The ‘Sunna’ is central to the understanding of Islam because without it one cannot really understand how to implement the faith.
During the life of the Prophet Muhammad and shortly after his death, his companions preserved his sayings and actions by collecting and writing them down. Muslim scholars developed a very sophisticated system to investigate the transmitted material or the ‘hadith’:
● They examined the names of the people who heard or saw the Prophet Muhammad themselves
● They examined the chain of narrators to determine if any of the narrators were considered untrustworthy or had a weak memory
● The text of the hadith itself was examined for contradictions against the Quran and other verified traditions
Based on the results of this examination, hadiths were classified into four different types:
● Authentic
● Good
● Weak
● Fabricated
Only the first two categories are considered authoritative by Muslims scholars.
What Did The Prophet Muhammad Teach?
Here is a sample of the teachings of Prophet Muhammad .
(The names in the footnotes are books written by different scholars of hadith in which the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad are collected. Most of these books are translated into English and some are available online free of charge.)
Mercy
Show mercy to those on earth and God will show mercy to you
Mindfulness
Be mindful of God, and you will find God in front of you. Acknowledge God in ease, and God will acknowledge you in distress. And know that what misleads you will never enable you to do right, and what enables you to do right will never mislead you. And know that help comes with patience, and that relief comes with distress; and with difficulty comes ease.
compassion
Whoever has no compassion for people, God has no compassion for him
Being
in the World
Be in the world as if you were a stranger, or a traveler
Humility
in Practice
God has inspired me that you should be humble so that so no one despises anyone, and no one oppresses anyone.
The just
The just will be on platforms of light in the presence of God; those who are just in their decisions, with their families, and with what they are in charge of
Injustice
Injustice will be layers of darkness on the Day of Resurrection
Kindness
God is Kind, and loves kindness in all things.
Housing in Paradise
I guarantee an abode on the edge of Paradise for whoever gives up disputation, even when in the right; and an abode in the middle of Paradise for whoever gives up telling lies even in jest; and an abode on the heights of Paradise for whoever is of good character
Killing
If two Muslims meet with their swords drawn, both the killer and the killed will be in the Hell-Fire.’ Someone asked, ‘O Messenger of God, this befits the killer, but what about the one killed?’ The Prophet said, ‘He was in fact trying to kill his companion
(Of the) major sins are: to ascribe partners to Allah, disobey parents, murder someone, and to take a false oath (intentionally)
Jesus and Muhammad (peace be on them)
I am the closest of all people to Jesus, son of Mary, in this world and in the Hereafter; for all prophets are brothers, with different mothers but one religion
Patience
Never is a believer stricken with a discomfort, an illness, an anxiety, a grief or a mental worry - even the pricking of a thorn - except that Allah will expiate his sins on account of his patience
Good Conduct
The best of people is one whose life is long and his conduct is good
Desiring Good for Others
None of you becomes a true believer until he likes for his brother what he likes for himself
Orphans
"I will be like this in Paradise with the person who takes care of an orphan." The Prophet then raised his forefinger and middle finger by way of illustration
Anger
The strong is not the one who overcomes people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger
Smiling
Smiling at your brother is charity
Hearts & Appearances
God does not judge you according to your appearance and your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and looks into your deeds
Who Wrote It Down?
Among the more notable scholars who collected hadith are Imam Bukhari from Bukhara (a city in modern-day Uzbekistan) and Imam Muslim of Persia (modern-day Iran). Their collections of hadith are considered to be the most authentic. The English translations are easily available on the Internet. They are the collected sayings and actions of the Prophet, categorized by topic (such as faith, works, testimony, prayer, fasting, charity, marriage, finance), that were compiled in the early centuries of Islam.
What Books of Hadith Do Muslims Read Most Frequently?
The most frequently read and taught book in mosques across the world is called the ‘Gardens of the Righteous,’ by a Muslim scholar named Imam Nawawi. Its translation is available online free of charge.