40. Unity & Division

Unity                                                                 40 

In mutual kindness, love and sympathy you will see the believers like a single body: when a limb complains, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever.

--Tradition by Bukhari and Muslim. Narrator: N’man-b-Bashir.
 

Division                                                            40 

Surely the devil is to humans just as a wolf is to sheep, attacking those that stray far off from the flock, those which wander and those which take to a corner (away from the flock). So avoid the branching paths and stick to the united body and the majority.

--Tradition by Ahmad. Narrator: Mu’aaz-b-Jabal.

39. Treating Neighbors Well & Treating Neighbors Badly

Treating Neighbors Well                                    39

Gabriel did not stop advising me about (the obligations towards) the neighbour till I thought that he will soon make neighbour an heir (be a Muslim or a non-Muslim).

--Tradition by Bukhari and Muslim. Narr: Bibi Ayesha and Ibn Omar.
 

Treating Neighbors Badly                                 39

By God, he does not (truly) believe; by God, he does not (truly) believe; by God, he does not (truly) believe. He, from whose injuries his neighbour is not safe.

--Tradition by Bukhari and Muslim. Narrator: Abu Hurairah. (Excerpt)

38. Together with Love & Respite for Peace

Together with Love                                        38

When a man enquired as to when the Hour will occur, the Prophet asked him, “…What preparation have you made for it?” The man said: I have not prepared for it except that I love God and His Messenger. He said, “You will be with those whom you love (In the Hereafter)

.” Anas said: I never saw Muslims ever so happy after Islam as they were after hearing this.

--Tradition by Bukhari and Muslim. Narrator: Anas. (Excerpt)
 

Respite for Peace                                          38

The doors of paradise are opened on Monday and Thursday and then every servant who does not ascribe divinity to anything beside Him is forgiven except a man between whom and his brother there is rancour. It is then said : give respite to these two till they come to peace.

--Tradition by Muslim. Narrator: Abu Hurairah.

37. The Worthy Learners & The Unworthy Learners

The Worthy Learners                                        37

If the learned men guard learning and entrust it to deserving persons, they can rule thereby their contemporaries.

--Tradition by Ibn Majah. Narrator: Abdullah-b-Masud. (Excerpt)

The Unworthy Learners                                    37

To impart learning to one not deserving of it is to put on a necklace of emerald and pearls and gold to the neck of swines

--Tradition by Ibn Majah. .Narrator: Anas