—a man whose chest was bare. He thereupon said, “Servants of Allah, you must straighten your rows, or Allah will certainly set your faces at odds with one another.”

165 – Sixth: Abū Mūsā, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: A house in Madinah caught fire upon its occupants during the night. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was informed of what had happened, he said, “This fire is an enemy to you; so when you go to sleep, extinguish it.” Agreed upon.

166 – Seventh: He also reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The likeness of the guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is that of a rainfall(1) that strikes the earth. Some of the land is good: it absorbs the water and brings forth abundant herbage(2) and pasture. Another portion is hard and stony; it retains the water, and by it Allah benefits people—they drink from it, water their animals, and cultivate their crops. Yet another portion is a level plain(3) that neither holds the water nor produces vegetation. Such is the example of the one who gains understanding of Allah’s religion, benefits from what Allah has sent me with, learns it himself and teaches it; and of the one who pays it no heed and does not accept the guidance of Allah with which I have been sent.” Agreed upon.

“Faqiha” is read with ḍamma on the qāf according to the well-known recital, though some read it with kasra; it means “became a jurist.”

167 – Eighth: Jābir, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “My example in relation to you is like that of a man who kindled a fire. Moths and grasshoppers began falling into it, and he kept driving them away from it,(4) while I am seizing hold of your waistbands to keep you from the Fire, yet you keep slipping from my hands.” Narrated by Muslim.

“Al-janādib” are locust-like insects and moths, the familiar creatures that plunge into a blaze. “Al-ḥujaz” is the plural of ḥujzah, the fastening of a waist-wrap or trousers.