and not to fear, for Allah’s sake, the reproach of any critic; to look at those who are beneath me and not to look at those who are above me; to love the poor and keep close to them; to maintain ties of kinship even if they cut me off and treat me harshly; not to ask anyone for anything; and to make abundant use of the phrase lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata illā billāh (there is no power nor might except through Allah), for it is one of the treasures of Paradise.”
These are noble Prophetic counsels; every clause is rooted in either the Quran or the Sunnah, and they have been gathered together in this ḥadith.
2 – The ḥadith establishes the obligation to acknowledge the truth, even when doing so brings consequences upon the one who speaks, for such acknowledgement manifests the truth and absolves one’s responsibility.
Speaking the truth thus covers what concerns the confessing person himself and also what concerns others—such as giving testimony and denouncing wrongdoing.
3 – It further indicates that a person’s statement and self-confession are admissible in all matters of right; had his confession carried no legal weight, the Prophet would not have insisted upon it.
4 – This ruling applies universally to everything that must be admitted—blood offences, prescribed punishments, property, or any other right—for it is a declaration of what one owes and must discharge.
5 – Because the soul finds it hard to submit to truth, it is described as “bitter,” a taste that is disliked and hard to swallow.
6 – Confession is a powerful proof, for no rational person will admit to something harmful to himself unless he is truthful. The Prophet ﷺ accepted the confessions of Māʿiz and the Ghamidī woman regarding fornication and implemented the prescribed penalty on them. Had confession not been probative, he would not have enforced a ḥadd—a punishment that is, by definition, set aside whenever a doubt exists—on that basis.
7 – Confession, however, is binding only upon the one who makes it and not upon anyone else. Its effect is confined to him alone. Al-Ṭabarānī (10701) narrates from Ibn ʿAbbās that a man said, “O Messenger of Allah, carry out the prescribed penalty upon me, for I have committed a forbidden act.” The Prophet ﷺ replied, “Take him away…”