Muwatta Malik: Chapter 56

Malik related to me from Abdullah ibn Dinar from Abdullah ibn
Umar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, "If a man says to his muslim brother, 'O kafir!' it is
true about one of them."

Malik related to me from Suhayl ibn Abu Salih from his father
from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, said, "When you hear a man say, 'The people are
ruined,' he himself is the most ruined of them all."

Malik related to me from Abu'z-Zinad from al-Araj from Abu
Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, "Let none of you complain about time, for Allah is time.'

Malik related to me from Yahya ibn Said that Isa ibn Maryam
encountered a pig on the road. He said to it, "Go in peace." Somebody
asked, "Do you say this to a pig?" Isa said, "I fear lest I accustom
my tongue to evil speech."

Malik related to me from Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Alqama from his
father from Bilal ibn al-Harith al-Muzani that the Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "A man speaks what is
pleasing to Allah and he does not suspect that it will have the result
that it does, and Allah will write for him His good pleasure for it
until the day when he meets Him. And a man speaks what excites the
wrath of Allah and he does not suspect that it will have the result
that it does, and Allah will write His wrath for him for it until the
day when he meets Him."

Malik related to me from Abdullah ibn Dinar that Abu Salih as-
Samman informed him that Abu Hurayra said, "Truly a man utters words
to which he attaches no importance, and by them he falls into the fire
of Jahannam, and truly a man utters words to which he attaches no
importance, and by them Allah raises him into the Garden."

Malik related to me from Zayd ibn Aslam that Abdullah ibn Umar
said, "Two men from the east stood up and spoke, and people were
amazed at their eloquence. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, said, 'Some eloquence is sorcery,' or he said,
'Part of eloquence is sorcery.' "

Malik related to me that he heard that Isa ibn Maryam used to
say, "Do not speak much without the mention of Allah for you will
harden your hearts. A hard heart is far from Allah, but you do not
know. Do not look at the wrong actions of people as if you were lords.
Look at your wrong actions as if you were slaves. Some people are
afflicted by wrong action and some people are protected from it. Be
merciful to the people of affliction and praise Allah for His
protection."

Malik related to me that he heard that A'isha, the wife of the
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sent a message to
one of her family after the evening prayer, saying, "Will you not
allow the recording angel to rest?"

Malik related to me from al-Walid ibn Abdullah ibn Sayyad that
al-Muttalib ibn Abdullah ibn Hantab al-Makhzumi informed him that a
man asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, "What is backbiting?" The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, said, "It is to mention about a man what he
does not want to hear." He said, "Messenger of Allah! Even if it is
true?" The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, "If you utter something false, then it is slander."

Malik related to me from Zayd ibn Aslam from Ata ibn Yasar that
the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
"Whomever Allah protects from the evil of two things will enter the
Garden." A man said, "Messenger of Allah, do not tell us!" The
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was
silent. Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, repeated what he had said the first time. The man said to him,
"Do not tell us, Messenger of Allah!" The Messenger of Allah, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, was silent. Then the Messenger of
Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said the same thing
again. The man said, "Do not tell us, Messenger of Allah!" Then the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said the
same thing again. Then the man began to say what he had said
previously and a man at his side silenced him. The Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whomever Allah
protects from the evil of two things will enter the Garden. They are
what is between his jaws and what is between his legs, what is between
his jaws and what is between his legs, what is between his jaws and
what is between his legs."

Malik related to me from Zayd ibn Aslam from his father that Umar
ibn al-Khattab came upon Abu Bakr as-Siddiq pulling his tongue. Umar
said to him, "Stop, may Allah forgive you!" Abu Bakr replied, "This
has brought me to dangerous places."

Malik related to me from Abdullah ibn Dinar saying, "Abdullah ibn
Umar and I were at the house of Khalid ibn Uqba who was away at the
market. A man came who wanted to speak to Abdullah ibn Umar and I was
the only other person present Abdullah ibn Umar called another man so
that we were four and said to me and the man whom he had called, 'Go a
little way off together, because I heard the Messenger of Allah, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, "Two do not converse
secretly to the exclusion of another.' "'

Malik related to me from Nafi from Abdullah ibn Umar that the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
"Two must not converse secretly to the exclusion of another person."

Malik related to me from Safwan ibn Sulaym that a man asked the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, "Can I
lie to my wife, Messenger of Allah?" The Messenger of Allah, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, said, "There is no good in lying." The
man said, "Messenger of Allah! Shall I make her a promise and tell
her?" The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
said, "It will not be held against you."

Malik related to me that he heard that Abdullah ibn Masud used to
say, "You must tell the truth. Truthfulness leads to right action.
Right action leads to the Garden. Beware of lying. Lying leads to
corruption, and corruption leads to the Fire. Don't you see that it is
said, 'He speaks the truth and acts rightly,' and, 'He lies and is
corrupt.' "

Malik related to me that he heard that someone said to Luqman,
"What has brought you to what we see?" meaning his high rank. Luqman
said, "Truthful speech, fulfilling the trust, and leaving what does
not concern me."

Malik related to me that he heard that Abdullah ibn Masud used to
say, "The slave continues to lie and a black spot grows in his heart
until all his heart becomes black. Then he is written, in Allah's
sight, among the liars."

Malik related to me that Safwan ibn Sulaym said, "The Messenger
of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked, 'Can the
mumin be a coward?' He said, 'Yes.' He was asked, 'Can the mumin be a
miser?' He said, 'Yes.' He was asked, 'Can the mumin be a liar?' He
said, 'No.' "

Malik related to me from Suhayl ibn Abi Salih from his father
from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, said, "Allah is pleased with three things from you,
and He is angry with three things from you. He is pleased that you
worship Him and do not associate anything with Him, and that you take
hold of the rope of Allah altogether, and that you give good counsel
to the one to whom Allah gives command over you. He is angry with you
for gossip, squandering property, and asking too many questions."

Malik related to me from Abu'z-Zinad from al-Araj from Abu
Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, "One of the most evil of people is the two-faced person
who shows one face to these people and another face to those people."

Malik related to me that he had heard that Umm Salama, the wife
of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
"Messenger of Allah! Shall we be destroyed while there are people who
are salih among us?" The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, said, "Yes, if there is much wickedness."

Malik related to me that Ismail ibn Abi Hakim heard Umar ibn Abd
al-Aziz say, "Some say that Allah the Blessed, the Exalted, will not
punish the many for the wrong action of the few. However, when the
objectionable action is committed openly, then they all deserve to be
punished."

Malik related to me from Ishaq ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Talha that
Anas ibn Malik said, "I heard Umar ibn al-Khattab, when I was going
out with him to visit an orchard, say to himself, and there was a wall
between him and me and he was inside the garden, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab,
amir al-muminin! Well done! Well done! By Allah, fear Allah or he will
punish you.' "

Malik said, "I heard that al-Qasim ibn Muhammad used to say, 'I
have seen the people, (i.e. the companions), and they were not
impressed by speech.' " Malik said, "He meant that only action and
deeds would be looked at, not words."

Malik related to me that Amir ibn Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr would
stop speaking when he heard thunder and say, "Glory be to Allah whom
the thunder glorifies with His praise and the angels from the fear of
Him." (Subhana-aladhee yusabihu ar-radu bi hamdihi wa mala'ikatu min
khiyfatihi.) Then he would say, "This is a severe warning to the
people of the earth."

Malik related to me from Ibn Shihab from Urwa ibn az-Zubayr from
A'isha, umm al-muminin that when the Messenger of Allah, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, died, the wives of the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, wanted to send Uthman ibn Affan
to Abu Bakr as-Siddiq to ask him about their inheritance from the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace A'isha
said to them, "Didn't the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, say, 'No one inherits from us. What we leave is
sadaqa.' "

Malik related to me from Abu'z-Zinad from al-Araj from Abu
Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, "My inheritance is not divided up by the dinar. What I
leave apart from the maintenance of my wives and provision for my
servant is sadaqa."