Riyad al-Salihin - Al-Nawawi - (1/95)

Riyad al-SalihinAl-Nawawi

We have also transmitted a report from Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal—may Allah have mercy on him—in which he said: “The people of Syria possess no ḥadith more noble than this one.”

12 – Chapter: Urging people to increase in good deeds during the closing years of life

Allah the Exalted says: “Did We not grant you a lifetime long enough for anyone who would take heed to take heed, and the warner came to you?” [Fāṭir 35:37]. Ibn ʿAbbās and the leading scholars of exegesis state that the intended meaning is: “Did We not grant you sixty years?” This is corroborated by the ḥadith we shall cite, Allah willing. Others said the verse refers to eighteen years, while still others held it to be forty years; this last view is reported from al-Ḥasan, al-Kalbī, Masrūq, and likewise from Ibn ʿAbbās. They also relate that when anyone in Madīnah reached the age of forty, he would devote himself solely to worship. Yet another opinion is that the verse merely denotes reaching puberty.

Regarding His words, “and the warner came to you,” Ibn ʿAbbās and the majority said it refers to the Prophet ﷺ, while others—including ʿIkrimah and Ibn ʿUyaynah—said it is grey hair. Allah knows best.

The ḥadiths:

114 – The first: Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah has removed the excuse of anyone whose life He prolongs until he reaches sixty years of age.” Recorded by al-Bukhārī.

The scholars explained that this means Allah has left such a person no excuse, having granted him that span of respite. In Arabic one says, “aʿdara al-rajul” when a person has reached the utmost limit in presenting an excuse.

115 – The second: Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to admit me to the gatherings of the elders who had fought at Badr (1). Some of them felt uneasy and said, “Why does he bring this youth in with us when we have sons like him?” ʿUmar replied, “He is of the calibre you know (2).” One day he summoned me and admitted me

(1) That is: he admitted me to the circle of the foremost veterans of the Battle of Badr when consulting on serious matters. His statement, may Allah be pleased with him, *wajada* means “became angry.” (2) That is: because he—may Allah be pleased with him—comes from the Prophet’s household, the wellspring of knowledge and the source of sound judgments.

وروينا عن الإمام أحمد بن حنبل رحمه الله قال : ليس لأهل الشام حديث أشرف من هذا الحديث . ١٢ - باب الحث على الازدياد من الخير في أواخر العمر قال الله تعالى : ﴿ أَوَلَمْ نُعَمِّرْكُمْ مَا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَنْ تَذَكَّرَ وَجَاءَكُمُ النَّذِيرُ ﴾ [ فاطر : ٣٧ ] قال ابن عباس والمحققون معناه : أَوَلَمْ نُعَمِّرْكُمْ سِتِّينَ سَنَةً ؟ وَيُؤَيِّدُهُ الْحَدِيثُ الَّذِي سَنَذْكُرُهُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى ، وقيل : معناه ثَمَانِيَ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً وَقيل : أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً ، قاله الحسن والكلبي ومسروق ونقل عن ابن عباس أيضاً . وَنَقَلُوا أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْمَدِينَةِ كَانُوا إِذَا بَلَغَ أَحَدُهُمْ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً تَفَرَّغَ لِلْعِبَادَةِ وقيل : هو الْبُلُوغُ . وقوله تعالى : ﴿ وَجَاءَكُمُ النَّذِيرُ ﴾ قال ابن عباس والجمهور : هو النبي ﷺ وقيل : الشَّيْبُ قاله عِكْرِمَةُ وابن عُيَيْنَةَ وغيرهما . والله أعلم . وأما الأحاديث : ١١٤ - فالأول : عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه عن النبي ﷺ قال : « أَعْدَرَ اللَّهُ إِلَى أَمْرِيءٍ أَخَّرَ أَجَلَهُ حَتَّى بَلَغَ سِتِّينَ سَنَةً » رواه البخاري . قال العلماء معناه : لَمْ يَتْرُكْ لَهُ عُذْرًا إِذْ أَمْهَلَهُ هَذِهِ الْمُدَّةَ . يقال : أَعْدَرَ الرَّجُلَ إِذَا بَلَغَ الْغَايَةَ فِي الْعُذْرِ . ١١٥ - الثاني : عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما ، قال : كان عمر رضي الله عنه يُدْخِلُنِي مَعَ أَشْيَاخِ بَدْرٍ (١) فَكَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ وَجَدَ فِي نَفْسِهِ فَقَالَ : لِمَ يَدْخُلُ هَذَا مَعَنَا وَلَنَا أَبْنَاءٌ مِثْلُهُ ؟ ! فَقَالَ عُمَرُ : إِنَّهُ مَنْ حَيْثُ عَلِمْتُمْ (٢) ! فَدَعَانِي ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فَأَدْخَلَنِي

(١) أي : يدخلني مع أكابر غزوة بدر في المشورة ومهمات الأمور . وقوله رضي الله عنه ( وجد ) أي : غضب . (٢) أي : من أنه - رضي الله عنه - من بيت النبوة ومنبع العلوم ومصدر الآراء السديدة .