An Nawawi’s Hadith #2: Hadith of Jibreel A.

S  (Part 1)

It was narrated on the authority of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

“While we were one day sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), there appeared
before us a man dressed in extremely white clothes and with very black hair. No traces of journeying
were visible on him, and none of us knew him. He sat down close by the Prophet (peace be upon him),
rested his knee against his thighs, and said, “O Muhammad! Inform me about Islam.”

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Islam is that you should testify that there is no deity
except Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, that you should perform salah, pay the Zakah, fast
during Ramadan, and perform Hajj to the House, if you are able to do so.”

The man said, “You have spoken truly.” We were astonished at his questioning him (the Messenger) and
telling him that he was right, but he went on to say, “Inform me about Iman.”

He (the Messenger of Allah) answered, “It is that you believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and
His Messengers and in the Last Day, and in qadar (fate), both in its good and in its evil aspects.” He said,
“You have spoken truly.”

Then he (the man) said, “Inform me about Ihsan.” He (the Messenger of Allah) answered, “It is that you
should serve Allah as though you could see Him, for though you cannot see Him yet (know that) He sees
you.”

He said, “Inform me about the Hour.” He (the Messenger of Allah) said, “About that, the one questioned
knows no more than the questioner.” So he said, “Well, inform me about the signs thereof.” He said,
“They are that the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress, that you will see the barefooted, naked,
destitute, the herdsmen of the sheep (competing with each other) in raising lofty buildings.” Thereupon
the man went off. I waited a while, and then he (the Messenger of Allah) said, “O Umar, do you know
who that questioner was?” I replied, “Allah and His Messenger know better.” He said, “That was Jibril
(the Angel Gabriel). He came to teach you your religion.”” [al-Bukhair & Muslim]

Significance of the Hadeeth

The comprehensiveness of this hadeeth makes it one of the most complete explanations towards
understanding every single outward and inward acts of worship to Allah. This hadeeth touches upon
every single deed mentioned in Islam, so much so that it is called Umm al-Sunnah or the Foundation of
the Sunnah, similar to how Surah Al-Fatihah is called Umm al-Kitaab or the Foundation of the Book.

When Did This Incident Take Place?

Ibn Hajr says that this incident took place close to the Prophet’s death while some others say it was just
before the Prophet’s Farewell Pilgrimage. Therefore, it is believed that Angel Gibreel was summarizing
the entire mission and message that Islam came to propagate and convey through this hadeeth.   

The Appearance of Angel Gibreel

The appearance and the mannerisms of Angel Gibreel have some extremely important aspects to it,
which will be discussed below.

1. Appearance: “a man dressed in extremely white clothes….no traces of journeying”, Umar Ibn al
Khattab points out to how the man was dressed in his finest manner, so much so that they was
no trace of dirt or effects of journeying on his clothes or his face. Commenting on this, the
scholars have said that it is highly recommended for us Muslims, to take care of our outer
appearance, appear well-groomed and clean, especially while attaining to seek knowledge.

2. Manner: Seeking knowledge needs to be done with humility, showing utmost respect to the
ones that are teaching us. We must purify our intentions and seek knowledge in order to get
closer to Allah and invite people towards getting closer to Allah, rather than becoming
knowledgeable in order to attain worldly status or fame.  

3. Questioning: It is important to understand that asking questions about Islam is encouraged and
no one should shy away from learning more about this deen. However, we live in a day and age
where incessant questioning or indulging in needless arguments is plastered all over the internet
world. So, let’s see what’s okay and what’s not.

Questions That Are Discouraged

 Those that result in useless debates with each group trying to win the argument rather than
letting the truth come out.

 Questions and arguments that are made for winning keyboard battles and those that give a
boost to one’s ego even if it’s useless, rather than genuinely trying to learn more about the
deen.

 Theoretical questions that neither benefit you in this world or the hereafter.

Questions That Are Encouraged

 Learning more about this deen.

 Learning about the sunnah.

 Learning rulings and commands mentioned in the Quran and sunnah.

 Questions that require real answers to real issues being faced by the ummah.

What Is Islam….

This was the first question asked by Angel Gibreel. The five pillars of Islam will be discussed in detail in
the next hadeeth inshaAllah, however, we will briefly touch upon this subject here.

In this hadith, Prophet Muhammad explains:

1. Proclamation that “There is no God worthy of worship expect Allah and that Muhammad is His
Messenger”. By verbally proclaiming your belief, you take the first step towards coming closer to
Allah and following His commandments. You also agree to follow and adhere to everything that
our Prophet taught and preached. You agree to accept the message of Allah revealed through
 His Messenger. You agree to follow the Quran and Sunnah, thereby, making your proclamation
complete. By doing so, you are attesting to Islam and surrendering through
your heart and tongue.

2. After pronouncing your shahadah, a Muslim goes ahead to fulfill his/her obligation of
performing salah, five times a day at their fixed timings. By doing so, you are surrendering
through your limbs, taking time out from your worldly affairs and schedules to remember,
glorify and worship Allah. This not only helps you get closer to Allah, but also helps you erase
your evil deeds, organize your day around remembering Allah and in turn, brings barakah and
mercy in your life.

3. Pay Zakat: Zakat is to give 2.5% in charity from your annual savings in order to distribute the
wealth and finances which Allah has blessed you with to the poor and needy sections of the
society, so the money and wealth doesn’t circulate amongst the elite sections of the society
alone. Parting away with some of your savings helps your heart get rid of excessive worldly
desires, develops compassion making your more empathetic towards the poor, and prevents
useless hoarding of wealth and money, which most of the time lead a person away from the
remembrance of Allah.

4. Fasting during Ramadan: The abstinence from food, drinks and sexual activity from dawn to
dusk helps a Muslim to develop taqwa, strengthen his/her faith and belief, benefitting his/her
body and soul.

5. Performing Hajj: This is obligatory on a person who is capable (financially, physically and
mentally) of undertaking the pilgrimage to the blessed cities of Makkah and Medina and forms
the ultimate pinnacle of being a Muslim.

These external acts of worship have rewards, benefits and blessings in unending measure, making you
attest and submit to Allah in a manner that is unique to a Muslim alone. In the next part, let’s look at
what it means to have imaan in one’s life.

An Nawawi’s Hadith #2: Hadith of Jibreel A.S  (Part 2)

In part I, we learned about the lexical meaning of Islam, and roughly touched upon points on how we
can submit to Allah with our hearts, limbs and tongues, so as to follow that which He has ordained, and
stay away from that which He has forbidden. In part II, let’s continue learning about the remaining part
of this incredible hadith.

What is Imaan?

He (the Messenger of Allah) answered, “It is that you believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and
His Messengers and in the Last Day, and in qadar (fate), both in its good and in its evil aspects.”

According to the ahlus-sunnah-wal-jamaah:

 Imaan is in the heart, tongue and physical actions.

  Deeds are a part of one’s imaan, with some deeds being essential, some recommended and
others required.

 Imaan increases and decreases.

 Muslims who commit major sins (apart from kufr and shirk), are not taken out of the fold of
Islam. They may be punished in this world, in the hereafter or may even have to enter Hellfire
for a limited period of time, but will eventually be taken out and placed in Jannah.

 All people who have even the slightest amount of imaan in their hearts will enter jannah.

 Imaan has more than 70 parts, the highest being confession that there is no God except Allah,
and the lowest being removing a harmful object from the road. [Al Bukhari, Ibn Majah]

 The most perfect mu’min (believer) is the one who has the best of character. [At-Tirmidhi, Abu
Dawood]

According to Ibn Uthaimeen, “Imaan is the affirmation that requires acceptance and submission. If a
person believes in something without acceptance and submission, this is not imaan.” Therefore, the
earliest scholars defined imaan as the statement of the heart (affirmation) and statement of
the tongue(verbal profession) and actions performed by the body.

When Jibreel A.S asked about Islam, our Prophet (pbuh) stressed on outward actions. When asked about
imaan, our Prophet’s (pbuh) answer was more focused on internal actions of belief and thought.

It is important to note that Islam and imaan are concepts that are interchangeable, with Islam
concentrating on the five pillars of action and Imaan focusing on the six foundations of belief. When
Islam and imaan are mentioned together in the same place, then Islam refers to the outward actions
and imaan refers to the inward beliefs.

How Much Imaan Should You Have In Order To Raise Yourself To The Highest Level In Paradise?

Paradise is what every Muslim strives for: the ultimate abode of eternal peace and happiness. With each
level in paradise being more awesome than the previous one, yearning for the highest level in paradise
is something that should excite us on a whole another level. Here’s what a person with high imaan does:

 Completes his obligatory acts of worship.

 Goes one step further to fulfill the recommended acts of worship because of his extreme love,
hope and fear in Allah.

Examples include (but not restricted to):

Obligatory Voluntary
 You start fulfilling all the sunnah rakats.

 You pray the fardh rakats of five daily  You begin praying tahajjud (even if it’s just 2
prayers rakats)

 You add Salatul-Duha in your daily routine too.

  Fast on Mondays and Thursdays
 Fast during Ramadan
 Fast on the three white days of every month
 

Have you noticed that the extra acts of worship I’ve mentioned above, like praying tahajjud or salatul
duha only take about 5-10 minutes of your time?! And the reward for spending 10 minutes extra in
Allah’s worship: Higher levels in Jannah!

Imaan Ups and Downs

So, is it possible for a person to always be in a state of imaan high 24/7? No! It is very much natural if
you have sudden days of excitement where you want to do extra acts of worship, and then go through
days when you feel down, or just don’t feel the urge to even do the bare minimum. Suddenly, praying
five times a day becomes a huge task, and you could go through days of not having read a single page in
the Quran. It’s okay, it’s natural to feel so, but don’t get disheartened because there are ways to rectify
this!

Begin with isthigfar: Sins form a barrier between us and our duas, sins have a direct effect on our hearts
and souls, making us feel spiritually drained. Constantly engage in repentance, even if you don’t feel
like.  Just the mere effort you take in trying to beg for forgiveness will be noticed and rewarded by Allah,
the One who loves you more than anyone!

One step at a time: Pray 2 rakats and just sit and talk to Allah. Let Him know how you feel, why you’re
feeling down and out and beg Him to get you back on His path and ask Him to raise you closer to Him.
This always works, always. If you haven’t read Quran for a long time, open the mushaf and read just half
a page maybe or even lesser, take the first step, and the rest would be easy to follow inshaAllah.

Imaan buddies: The kind of friends you hang out with have a direct impact on your relationship with
Allah. Surround yourself with friends who remind you of Him, so when you feel down, you can always go
back to them to lift you up. If you are not able to find imaan buddies, you always have Allah to turn back
to, for He is al Wali, the Protective Friend.

Six components of Imaan

Belief in Allah: This includes recognizing, affirming, testifying and believing that there is only one God,
Allah; believing in His Names and Attributes as mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah.

His Angels: Believing in the existence of angels who belong to the world of the unseen in general,
believing in their names that have been explicitly stated in the Quran and hadeeth, believing in their
attributes and believing in the actions they perform.  

His Books: Belief in revelations sent down by Allah to His Messengers like the Quran (revealed to
Prophet Muhammad) Tawrah (revealed to Prophet Musa) Injeel (revealed to Prophet ‘Isa) and Zaboor
(revealed to Prophet Dawood) amongst others.

His Messengers:  A messenger is any human chosen by Allah to receive revelation from Him and pass
that revelation on to his people. Muslims believe in all the Prophets sent by Allah from the starting of
time until Muhammad (pbuh) who is the last Prophet.  
The Last Day: On this day, every person is taken into account for every single deed of theirs, and
rewarded with Paradise or punished with Hellfire. Belief in the Last day should make a believer rush to
do good deeds and stay away from sins, repent constantly and seek Allah’s pleasure.

Qadar (fate), both in its good and in its evil aspects: When a Muslim realizes that all things are under the
control and decree of Allah; it makes it easier for him to put his complete trust in Allah and surrender to
Allah’s Will.

Now that we’ve seen what it means to have imaan, we will focus on the remaining part of the hadith in
the next article, inshaAllah.