As an introduction to Imaan, this article will look at parts of the hadeeth of Jibreel (عليه السلام) and its many benefits.
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عن عمر رضي الله عنه…
قال بينما نحن جلوس عند رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ذات يوم إِذْ طلع علينا رَجُلٌ شديد بياض الثياب شديد سواد الشعر… جلس إلى النبي ﷺ فأسند ركبتيه ووضع كفيه على فخذيه وقال يا محمد أخبرني عن الإسلام… قال فأخبرني عن الإيمان قال أن تؤمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله واليوم الآخر وتؤمن بالقدر خيره وشره قال صدقت… قال فأخبرني عن الساعة قال ما المسئول عنها بأعلم من السائل… ثم انطلق… ثم قال يا عُمر أتدري من السائل قلت الله ورسوله أعلم قَالَ فَإِنَّهُ جبريل أتاكُمْ يُعلمكُم دينكم) ( مسلم )
‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab‘ said,
“One day we were sitting with Allah’s Prophet ﷺ when a man appeared before us dressed in pure white clothes and his hair was pure black … The man sat in front of the Prophet ﷺ , placed his palms on his thighs and said, ‘Muhammad, inform me about Islam.’…
The man said, ‘Inform me about Iman (faith).
The Prophet ﷺ replied,
‘That you affirm your faith in Allah ﷻ , in His angels in His Books, in His Messengers, in the Day of Judgment and you affirm your faith in Qadar both the good and the bad of it.’
The man said, ‘You have told the truth…
The man again said, ‘Inform me about the hour of Judgment.’
The Prophet ﷺ remarked, ‘The one who is asked knows no more than the one who is asking.’ Then the man went away…
The Prophet ﷺ then said to me ” ‘Umar, do you know who that man was?” I replied, “Allah and His Prophet know best.”
The Prophet ﷺ remarked, ‘He was Jibreel. He came to teach you your religion.” (Muslim)
This is a paraphrased summary of a part of the hadeeth known as ‘The Hadeeth of Jibreel'(عليه السلام)
According to Ibn Hajar, this incident took place at a time close to the death of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ The questions asked by the Angel Jibreel (عليه السلام) summarized the mission of the Prophet ﷺ namely,
- To spread the message that only Allah ﷻ should be worshipped and to spread the other pillars of Islam.
- To teach the people that they should have belief in certain things even though the human eye cannot see them.
- The hadeeth shows the difference between a Muslim and a non-Muslim.
What we learn from the lesson:
- Muslims must be clean and well dressed.
- They should ask questions politely.
- It is important to ask good questions.
“Discussion:”
- Write the pillars of Iman in the order given in “The Hadeeth of Jibreel”.
